IMPERIUM INSECTUM

The orange flame licked up against the stones as I stocked it with a stick. The moon softly illuminated the forest. We were in the middle of setting up camp. I was looking after the fire whilst Appolinaris was setting up the tents. Our two workers were napping next to me after the long flight.

I watched the flame ebb and glow as it slowly engulfed the firewood we brought. Man, this would be so much easier if one of us knew fire magic. I looked over to Apollinaris, who was engaged in a battle with the tent.

“Say Apollinaris?”

“WHAT! OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!” She yelled as the tent poll fell apart for the 5^th time.

“Can you teach me magic?”

“WHAT!”

“I said. CAN YOU TEACH ME MAGIC!”

“NO, I HEARD THAT ITS JUST. AHA! GOT IT.”

She finally managed to wrestle the tent pole into place, making the tent finally come together. Two tents stood proudly next to each other. I told her we didn’t need two, but she insisted on it. Appolinaris finally walked over to the fire and threw herself next to one of the workers.

“So, you wanna learn magic?”

I nodded. “yeah, I feel it would be important in the long run.”

“Well, what sort of magic do you want to learn?”

That is a very good question. I can’t just learn anything. It has to be something that can be useful to me and the hive.

“Thinking about it. I would like to learn some offensive magic, of course. But also some support magic.”

“Support magic? Your gonna have to be more specific than that.”

“Healing magic, magic that can empower me and my hive. So on and so forth.”

“Hmmm, sorry, I don’t know anything like that. I mainly use nature magic. It allows me to grow plants faster whilst also being able to manipulate earth and water to a certain degree. Not too extreme levels like dedicated earth and water mages can, but enough to be useful. If you want to heal people. You need to speak to a cleric or a priest or a dedicated healing mage. They usually handle that sort of stuff. At least that’s what it was like in the city.”

Apollinaris shuffled closer to the fire and let out a sigh of relief.

“about the other thing, something about empowering your hive and such. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that. Personally, I don’t think that sort of magic exists.”

A part of me died a little on the inside after hearing that. Damn, being able to do that would have been amazing.

“Dont look so defeated. I could be wrong. Magic is inherently weird, so don’t give up. My magical knowledge is limited to what the academy would tell me. Lord knows what the humans have come up with. ”

I smiled at her “Thanks.” 

“No problem. Whilst I can’t teach you the magic, you seek. I can teach you the foundations. Now, what do you know about magic?”

I gave a dumb shrug and smiled.

She sighed. “so the absolute basics then. Well, you see, magic or mana, to give its proper name, exists in 2 places. First, there is the mana inside you which is called spiritual mana. This is the most common and easiest to draw upon. It's used by everyone to cast spells, hexes, curses and anything you can possibly imagine magic being used for. The other type of mana is worldly mana. This one exists in everything around us, such as the trees, stones and even the air. Worldly mana exists to keep everything in the world functioning. Now some powerful mages can draw upon this mana and use it in place of their own; doing so has the benefit of increasing the potency of spells you cast by severalfold. However, there is a drawback to this sort of mana. If you can not control it and you draw in too much, it will destroy you. An old saying amongst us spirits is that “Those who draw from the world will surely become one with it.” if you remember anything I told you today, please remember that.

I nodded.

“Good, now give me your hands.”

Apollinaris moved in front of me and sat cross-legged. I copied her and placed my hands on hers.

“What are we doing?”

“It’s a little exercise I read about to help people draw upon their own spiritual mana. The hope is that my mana can coax your mana to come out. Think of your Mana as a hungry honey bee and mine as lovely plant nectar. It's an exercise to help late bloomers find their mana.”

I gave her a deadpan look. “Really, How old do you think I am?”

“Shush..... the teacher is talking. Now sync your breathing with mine.”

I rolled my eyes and started breathing with her.

“you're doing great; now close your eyes.”

I did as i was told.

“Good, just breathe with me. Let me know when you feel something, anything.”

We continued the breathing exercise. With each breath, my lungs expanded with oxygen and something else, a new feeling, a sort of hungry tingly feeling. I focused on this feeling. It spread across my body from my hands up the rest of my arms and down into my stomach, where it collided and wrapped around itself like an ocean. From my stomach, it spread everywhere around my body. Legs, feet, head, even my ears. No place was left untouched by this feeling.

“Good, I'm gonna let go of your hands now. Just focus on that feeling. Keep it moving.”

I took deep breaths and watched no felt as the feeling pulsed and moved with every chest rise.

 

 

I opened my eyes to the sound of several notification boxes. Three new abilities all of them useful its just….

*DEEP INHALE* “Just ignore it diva. Just don’t question it.”

I swiped away the “Information” from the text boxes and drew my attention back to Apollinaris.

“Whats wrong?” She had a concerned look as she looked at her hand.

“Nothing it's just……” she flipped her hand back and forth like she was trying to figure something out. What the hell is wrong?

“Apollinaris!”

Her head jerked towards me as she snapped out of it.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry, it's just I didn't get my mana back.”

“What?”

“I was just cycling my mana through your body to coax yours out. I was expecting to get it back but instead, nothing. It's like it disappeared. Weird”

“Oh, are you okay? Do we need to-”

“No! It will be fine. it will regenerate on its own but it is just weird.” She flexes her hand a few more times before putting it away.

“Thank you, Apollinaris.”

“Oh, its nothing. I'll be here if you need pointers. But what magic you learn from here is up to you. I think when we get to Doonvatel, we should try and find out what your mana affinity is.

“Affinities?”

She let out a deep sigh. “ It’s a very complicated subject, But If I had to put it simply, Think of your mana affinity like a flavour. A fire affinity means you would find doing fire magic a lot easier. Water affinity water magic is easier. So on and so on. There are five elements in total. Fire, wind, lightning, earth and water. Now Whilst it's not impossible for someone with a fire affinity to learn, Let's say, water magic, they won't find it as easy, even more so since water is the natural opposite of fire.”

“I see, so where does your nature magic fit in?”

“Ahh, that, you see, nature magic is the combination of water and earth magic. Unlike most people, my mana has an affinity for both of them. So using both comes naturally to me to the point that I can wield both simultaneously and thus, nature magic is created. Whilst some people may be able to wield both water and earth magic, they may struggle or find it impossible to use them simultaneously.”

“Woow!, so your pretty powerful then?”

“Yes and no. It’s a blessing and a curse. Whilst yes, I can use them at the same time due to having two affinities, it would be incredibly difficult for me to learn things like fire and lightning, essentially putting two schools of magic out of reach for me.”

“I see; wow. Magic is a lot more involved than I first thought it would be.

“You don’t know the half of it. I haven't even talked about the light and dark of mana, where things like healing, blood, and dark magic lie. But what I've told you is like the basics for what you need to know, and even with that, you should take what I say with a pinch of salt. Magic is…..an always-changing thing. The city dedicated thousands of researchers to better understand it. Every day there was a new breakthrough. That would completely upturn what we thought we knew. Basically, what I'm trying to say is to expect anything and everything.”

I nodded.

“Good; now, if it isn't an issue with you, I'm going to call it a night,” Apollinaris said, walking to her tent.

I said goodnight before standing up to do the same. But before I entered my tent, I released a few of my children to watch the camp. Inside my tent, Apollinaris was nice enough to put my sleeping stuff out. I quickly took off my clothes and slipped under the furs.

“Ahhhh, this is good .”

The softness of the furs engulfed me, and soon I drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later…..

*Shuffle*

*Shuffle*

*Shuffle

I slowly opened my eyes.

<W…wha the he>

*Shuffle*

I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up in my bed. There were some weird noises coming from outside my tent. I rubbed my eyes and quickly used the [hive weave] to check if my children had seen anything sneak into the camp. But the weave was completely fine. If something had gone through, they would have told me.

I summoned another one of my children.

<Go outside and find out where that noise came from.>

He nodded before leaving my tent. This is honestly not what I want to deal with right now. I waited for a few moments when he finally returned.

<There is nothing outside Mother. The noise is coming from Apollinaris’s tent.>

A sigh of relief escaped me. Good, I don’t need to worry about getting attacked when I go out there. I slowly climbed out of my tent and into the main camp. The fire had long since died away, leaving nothing but white crackling embers. My workers slept peacefully without a care in the world. I glanced up towards the sky. The moon hung high, and a gentle breeze blew through the forest. A perfect night. I walked towards Apollinaris’s tent.

*shuffle*

The same weird noise could still be heard. I got closer, making the sound get louder. I made my way to the entrance of her tent and gently put my ears against its entrance

*SOB*

*SOB*

She’s crying? Why is she- that’s not important. I slowly pulled the tent away, and there she was, water streaming down her face. Eyes and cheeks are redder than a tomato.

She looked up at me. Shock and embarrassment were all over her face.  

“I'm sorry…. I didn’t.”

She tried to wipe her tears. But no matter what she did, they kept coming. I closed the tent behind me and entered her fur sheets. At the same moment, I signalled for her to lie down. She looked confused but did what I asked. As soon as she laid down, I pulled her a little bit clser to me and pulled the Furs back over us.

“I'm sorry Diva I-”

“Shhh…..Shhhh. You don’t need to explain why. But I feel like you need someone right now.”

She nodded. Her sobs were slowly turning into sniffling. I pulled her closer to me. Her petite body barely went above the centre of my chest. I wrapped my arm around her chest, enveloping as much of my body with hers as I could. The heat from her body permeated through mine. I brought one hand up and slowly rubbed the back of her mushroom cap. She is

“Diva?” she said t

“Hmmm?”

“Your armour is very cold.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Ill-“

“No! I-Its fine……I… I don’t mind it. thank you. For everything.”

I wrapped myself around her even tighter as She dug deeper into my chest. Soon we found ourselves both drifting off to sleep.

……..

“Hey…. Hey…hey babe… wake up… wake up, your gonna be late for work.”

“I don’t wanna…”

“Paul….”

“Eughhh….fine. But, can I have breakfast as a reward?”

“sure….”

I slowly rose out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. Man, today is a busy day. I got to revisit the site of that double homicide to collect more evidence, and I had a meeting with the forensic staff. After that, I gotta catch up on all my overdue paperwork. Aahhh, too much work.

“Become a detective they said. It will be FUN, they said. What a joke.”

I turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower. I'll take my time today. I mean, I'm not in a rush. I don’t even want to be there. Maybe I should retire? I mean, I have a lot of money, and I'm not really enjoying this job. Maybe me and Alissa can get married and find a small place to settle down. I could get a job as an advisor or something. Yeah, that sounds good, great even. I spent the rest of the time showering and thinking about my future. Maybe I should speak to her about it. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a dry towel. In no time, I was as dried off. I slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt and went to the kitchen. The smell of freshly toasted bread and something greasy called to me.  

"That was a long shower…. Everything alright?” she said, as I burst into the kitchen. She was wearing nothing but an apron. Give me a good view of her ass. Maybe I have time to do “that” Before I leave. But first…

“yeah, I'm fine. Hey, before you finish, I wanna talk to you abo-“

“Ah-ah-ah. Eat first, then talk.”

She turned around and put a few strips of bacon onto a plate with sausages, eggs, and the most perfect slice of toast I've ever seen. I sat at the dining table as she placed the plate before me.

“Thank you.”

She smiled as she poured me a glass of apple juice and went to grab her bowl of cereal.

“So, like I was saying. I was thinking abou-“

“Not now. Paul. Breakfast time is our special time.”

“but It's important... I'm thinking of retiring.”

“What!? Why?!”

“Well, I wanna spend more time with you, and I'm not really enjoying my job anymore. I was thinking of just becoming an advisor to the police. What do you think? There's that cottage up in the woods your always talking about. We could buy that and move in. make it a place for ourselves.”

“Wow, paul….. that's…that’s a lot for the morning…. Can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course. I understand. It's just an idea at the moment. We don’t need to rush.”

She smiled. “Thank you”. As we continued eating breakfast, she kept smiling. But that smile was off; I couldn’t put my finger on it. Was she mad about the idea? No. It's something else. I looked around the kitchen. It’s the same old kitchen I've always had, but it feels off. What is it? I feel like I'm forgetting something important.

“Oh, babe, before you go, I got a surprise for you in the basement.”

“Basement? What's down there.”

She got up and winked at me, “Secret”, Before running off. I finished off the rest of my breakfast and followed her. As I did, I couldn’t shake this building feeling that something was off. What am I forgetting? Did I have something else to do at work today? Have I left something important upstairs? What is it!?

“Babe! Over here.”

I snapped out of it just in time to see Alissa standing in front of the basement door.

“Now close your eyes.”

“Alissa, I think I’m gonna call in sick. I don’t feel up to it today.”

“What! Stop being a wuss. You’ve been down there several times.”

“Yeah, but.”

“Stop being a baby!”

She pulled me in front of the basement door. I looked down into the basement. It was like a pitch-black hole leading to nothing. Every alarm bell was ringing in my head. Why? It’s the same old basement I’ve been down several times.  I shook my head. What's wrong with me. She's right. Why am I being such a scaredy-cat. I closed my eyes and took a step forward.

“WAIT! Before you go. I have to do something. Just keep your eyes closed.”

“What is it?”

“A secret, just stay there. All will be revealed in 3…2….1…”

“AlissAHHHHHHHHH”

My eyes shot open as a sharp pain pierced through my body. My body shook as I looked down. A long steel kitchen blade pierced through my chest. Blood was soaking into my shirt and pants.

“Oh, Paul…. You fucking idiot.”

Suddenly she pushed me down the basement stairs. I screamed as my body collided with every step breaking bones and shoving that knife deeper into me. The fall felt never-ending as my body couldn’t stop rolling. Until eventually, I landed back in the basement.

“I'm starting to think you’re a shit detective, Paul or should I call you Diva. I heard that's what you go buy now.

As she said that name, my body twisted and changed. Gone was the human flesh and bone, and back was the familiar yellow and green chitin.

“AUGHHHHH, YOU BITCH.”

I tried to get up, but my body was still broken from the fall. I tried to summon my children but nothing. I couldn't feel them at all. I tried to bring the status up, but that was gone too.

“Oh, you're so cute when you squirm like that,”  Alyssa said as she walked towards me. The world faded behind her as it slowly twisted into some purple nightmarish void.

“ALISSA.IM GONNA KILL YOU. GUT YOU LIKE A FISH AND FUCK EVERY HOLE IN YOUR BODY!! NOBODY IN THIS UNIVERSE WILL FIX WHAT I DO TO YOU!!”

She chuckled as she approached me.

“Oh, Paul. Why are you angry at me. You are the one who let this happen. You were the one who fell for little old me. You are the one who was so madly in love that you didn’t possibly consider it a trap. A stupid naïve fool who's gonna fall for the same trick again.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN AGAIN?”

Suddenly her body began to break and twist inhumanely. Her body began to shrink and twist on itself until, finally, a picture-perfect copy of Apollinaris stood before me.

“APPPOLINARIS?! WHAT ABOUT HER? YOU LEAVE HER ALONE?”

“Oh, Paul. You idiot, are you so blinded by love that you don’t think this girl will betray you as well?”

“I'm not in LOVE!”

“HAHAHAHA, Don’t make me laugh. You're just so touchy-feely with her because-.”

“ENOUGH! It's not TRUE I have no feelings towards her. And even if I did, it doesn’t matter; Apollinaris wouldn’t betray me. She's not you!”

“Are you so sure about that? I mean, truly sure. If you were so sure about that. We wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“No…..your not…she…….”

“HAHAHAHA. IT'S SO FUN SEEING YOU SQUIRM. But alas, this conversation has to end. I'll be killing you now.”

“Wai-“

In an instant, she was on top of me. I tried to move, but my body was too broken to move. Curse That stupid human pauls weak body.

She pulled the knife out of my chest, and before I could react, she plunged it deep into my chest again and again. Blood splattered all over Apollinarises face as she kept stabbing me with a twisted grin on her face, a grin that soon turned into maniacal laughter as the void around me began to fade, and I died again