Evolution begins with an ant colony

Arriving at the grim scene where Akun's severed head lay, Oliver's heart sank. He fell to his knees, his movements slow and heavy, as if he were in a daze. With trembling hands, he reached out to gently lift Akun's head, his voice quavering with despair.

"Boss... Boss," he whispered, his words laden with desperation. He cradled Akun's head as if expecting a response at any moment. Oliver's voice grew more insistent as he pleaded, "Come on, boss... Stop playing around. Get up!" His cheeks flushed red as the tears welled up and streamed down his face, mingling with the dirt and grime.

Tears blurred his vision, but Oliver refused to accept the reality before him. He called out once more, his voice breaking with sorrow, "Boss!" The exclamation was filled with anguish, an anguished cry to a friend he had lost too soon.

Keleora, watching from a distance, couldn't contain her grief any longer. Her tears welled up, streaming down her face as she tried to come to terms with the loss of her father. Her voice trembled with a mix of anger and sorrow as she addressed Akun's lifeless form.

"That's your fate, Akun," she sobbed, her words a mixture of anger and sadness. "For meddling with the Kingin tribe." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, a desire to chastise Akun for his actions. But it was quickly overshadowed by the overwhelming pain of her father's death.

Keleora's emotions were in turmoil. She wanted to vent her anger at Akun, but the reality of her loss weighed heavily on her. Her tears bore witness to the complex emotions she was experiencing, a blend of grief, anger, and a deep sense of emptiness.

As the other Guardians and their troops approached from a distance, they noticed Oliver kneeling. The scene was peculiar, and Ember couldn't help but call out with enthusiasm, "Hey, Oliver, we did it! How was your battle?"

However, the sight that met their eyes wasn't one of triumph or celebration. Oliver slowly turned his head, his tear-stained face visible even from afar. His voice, filled with sadness, quivered as he spoke, "It's boss... He's..."

The words hung heavy in the air, and in that moment, the gravity of the situation became apparent to all. The Guardians and their troops, despite their distance, heard Oliver's voice clearly. Worry etched on their faces, they all started running toward where Akun's body lay.

The ground rumbled beneath their hurried footsteps, a chaotic symphony of concern and anxiety. They hoped for the best but were prepared for the worst, their hearts heavy with anticipation.

As the Guardians finally arrived at the scene, a heavy silence hung over them. The magnitude of the situation left them utterly speechless.

Mara and Ivy, known for their resilience, fell to their knees. Ember, the usually composed, couldn't hold back his tears as he buried his face in his hands. Gedion, with his eyes vacant as if witnessing the impossible, dropped his weapons and joined them on the ground.

Zara, Finn, Kael, and Luna, all knelt beside Akun's lifeless body, tears streaming down their faces. Even the evolved ants, who had fought alongside Akun, surrounded him, their faces etched with sorrow.

Meanwhile, Nadalin, who had been left outside the Kingin tribe with a few evolved ants, felt a strange pang of emotion. She couldn't quite comprehend what had transpired, but a deep sense of foreboding overcame her. She commanded her loyal ants to follow her as she entered the ruined Kingin tribe, once a battlefield, now a somber scene.

Upon approaching the gathering of her children, she couldn't bring herself to walk any closer. Her instincts told her that whatever lay ahead was too heart-wrenching to bear. She too fell to her knees, a silent witness to the profound grief that had engulfed them all.

Meanwhile, In the shadowy depths of the underworld, Akun's eyes slowly fluttered open. His surroundings were shrouded in an eerie, otherworldly darkness. Before him stretched a seemingly endless, straight path, dimly illuminated by a faint, haunting glow.

He became acutely aware of the heavy, cold chains that bound him. These unforgiving shackles were fastened securely around his neck and arms. Yet, Akun wasn't alone in his plight. To his left and right, other souls trudged along the same grim route, their figures blurred in the murky haze.

Chains, much like Akun's, hung from their necks and clung to their outstretched arms. Each link, each soul, interlocked in an unbroken line of the condemned. A macabre procession toward a destination unknown, they moved forward with a sense of foreboding, the weight of their deeds pulling them deeper into this spectral abyss.

In this shadowed realm that seemed to defy both time and logic, Akun's voice cut through the silence, a desperate inquiry in the midst of this surreal existence.

"Where am I?" he voiced, his words tinged with confusion and disbelief. "Didn't I die?"

In response, from the very essence of this otherworldly domain, Xalender's voice emerged. It resonated with an unsettling reverberation, as though it emanated from the very fabric of reality itself "The underworld."

And then, as suddenly as his voice had emerged, Xalender appeared at Akun's side. He materialized from the obscurity, his presence an embodiment of eerie stillness.

Akun turned his gaze towards this enigmatic figure, his eyes holding a glint of recognition and anger.

"It's you," Akun declared, his tone quivering with suppressed fury. "Xalender."

With a surge of determination, Akun summoned every ounce of strength within him. His muscles strained as he focused on a singular goal—to break free from the chains that bound him. His hands trembled with the effort as he brought them together with a resounding crack, shattering the links around his wrists.

Breathing heavily, his vision blurred with the lingering effects of the underworld, he then turned his attention to the chains around his neck. His fingers clamped around the cold, unyielding metal, and with an agonizing effort, he snapped them as well.

As the chains fell away, a newfound sense of freedom coursed through him, although it was a freedom shrouded in the otherworldly stillness of this eerie realm.

Xalender, who had been observing this remarkable display, couldn't help but express his astonishment. His voice, dripping with a mixture of reverence and sly amusement, cut through the silence.

"To you, Akun," he intoned, "you never cease to amaze me. Braving and breaking death's chains—a feat truly astounding. One might even be led to believe you were a god."Nôv(el)B\\jnn