The battle between the ants and grasshoppers was devastating ten years ago. I would know—I was there, standing among the shattered corpses and smoldering ruins, a survivor of a nightmare that never truly ended. Though my body bore no crippling wounds, the scars within ran deep. From that day forward, I changed. The fire that once burned in my heart as a soldier turned to ash. Fear took root. I buried my will to fight and instead chose to hide within the safety of the colony, serving as a warden ant far from the front lines, Seth said to himself.
"Commander Seth, we've gathered enough food in the vessel. We're ready to transport it back to the colony," said a military ant, approaching him with a formal salute.
Seth turned, his mandibles dangling slightly at his sides. "That's good news. Have the preparations made. And also... outside the colony walls, I'm Lieutenant Seth. You don't have to call me Commander anymore. Not for my sake. Because I'm not of that rank."
"Right! Lieutenant Seth."
"Alright. Go ahead and inform the others it's time to move out," Seth instructed.
As the military ant departed, Seth stood still, staring at the barren horizon. Memories clawed their way back into his mind—the blood, the screams, the bodies. The weight of it pressed on his chest like a boulder.
He remembered how useless he had felt back then. Powerless against the overwhelming might of the grasshoppers. He couldn't protect anything. Not his comrades. Not the colony. Not even himself.
In the recesses of memory, Seth walked the halls of the central chambers, the air heavy with the scent of dust and old parchment.
"Oh, Lieutenant Seth. How have you been these days?" asked an ant cheerfully.
"Captain Terrence. I've been well. Just taking a break from all the reports I've made," Seth replied politely.
"I see. In that case, I won't hold you—"
Suddenly, a wave of chaos washed over the calm routine. Military ants burst through the entrance from the outskirts, panting and wide-eyed.
"Grasshoppers! Grasshoppers are attacking!"
Sirens wailed. The ground trembled.
They came in waves. And then came their leaders.
The grasshoppers emerged from the outskirts, tall and formidable with four powerful arms, their green carapace armored and vicious. At the head of them stood Hopper, the towering leader of the grasshoppers, flanked by four equally terrifying Generals: Sly, Denzil, Baracko, and Gianna.
Hopper stepped forward, his voice echoing across the battlefield like thunder. "Surrender to my will, or you all die."
Captain Terrence stepped forward, fearless. "You'll get nothing from us, you tyrant!"
Can't say that I didn't give you a chance, said Hopper.
The grasshoppers charged.
Terrence barked orders. "Vladimir, to the front lines now!"
Vladimir wasted no time. He launched himself into the fray, tearing through the first wave of grasshoppers, stinger spear gleaming with blood. Seth, alongside Brooks and his son Toran, rushed to the frontline, fighting side by side and cutting down their enemies with fury.
Captain Terrence was a force of nature, cleaving through enemy after enemy, each strike a testament to his unmatched strength. The rest of the military ants followed suit, defending the colony with all they had.
But then came Sly.
He lunged at Vladimir, and the two clashed violently. Vladimir blocked Sly's attack with his stinger spear just in time, surprised by the enemy's speed and ferocity.
"Looks like I found myself a strong one," Sly smirked. "Do me a favor and don't die quickly."
He pushed Vladimir back, and the two vanished in a blur of slashes and shockwaves.
Meanwhile, Brooks and Toran tore through the battlefield with brutal efficiency—until Baracko dropped from above, landing like a meteor. His fists became blurs as he delivered a flurry of punches that staggered both father and son, forcing them back.
Hopper, bored of waiting, stepped into the chaos himself, engaging Captain Terrence directly in a clash that shook the earth. Sparks flew from their mandibles, and each strike cracked the air with a thunderous boom.
While fighting off waves of grasshoppers, Seth found himself face to face with Denzil. The General stood tall, his four mandibles poised like scythes.
Seth raised his weapon, but fear crept in. Denzil moved with lethal grace, and each slash was a blur. Seth barely blocked them, his heart pounding, his stance faltering.
Every blow from Denzil screamed death.
"Is this all your soldiers can offer?" Denzil asked coldly.
Meanwhile, Gianna swept through the battlefield like a specter of death. She butchered military ants with terrifying elegance, their screams short-lived.
Back in the heart of battle, the tide shifted.
Captain Terrence faltered. Hopper struck with precise savagery, his four mandibles piercing Terrence's armor and tearing him apart.
"Captain Terrence has fallen!" a voice cried. "Surrender! All forces, surrender! It's an order directly from the Queen!"
The battlefield froze. Panic spread. Soldiers dropped their weapons.
Denzil, who was calm, turned his back. "Oh, looks like Hopper got rid of your strongest soldier already," he muttered to himself, walking away.
Seth knelt, bloodied and dazed, surrounded by broken comrades. His eyes locked on Terrence's ruined body. He saw Brooks cradling his son's lifeless form. He saw Lily—her usually vibrant eyes wide with trauma, her gaze distant and unfocused. Her mandibles hung slack, her limbs limp in shock, as if her mind had shut down completely. A surviving soldier dragged her away, her expression frozen in horrified disbelief.
Seth's mandibles clenched. He had been powerless. Pathetic. He didn't die that day... but something in him did.
As the memory faded, Seth found himself standing again, staring at the group of ants approaching from the horizon. His unit had completed the harvest. Now they stood at the edge of the colony's territory. But what he saw shocked him.
"Wait, Ari—isn't that your wheel thingy? What's it doing out here?" Lily asked, her voice strained with disbelief as she and Isla carried him on their shoulders.
Ari looked just as baffled. "I'm just as confused as you are," he responded.
Anastasia squinted. "Wait... doesn't that look like Chief Warden Seth? What's he doing out here?"
Beatrice stepped up. "Looks to me like he went back out for another harvest. But I wonder why..."
Seth stared in disbelief. "No way... They're all here. Did they win...? Did they win against Hopper...?"
"Lieutenant Seth, that's Commander Anastasia, Lieutenant Brooks, Corporal Lily, and Beatrice behind us. And our Lance Corporals, along with multiple other ants not recognized. What should we do?" asked a nearby military ant.
Seth hesitated. The ones who had left to challenge Hopper without consulting the queen had now returned—alive. Hardened. Changed.
He took a breath. "Prepare to set up camp for the night. They all look exhausted and weak."
"Right away, sir!"
Seth remained still, his eyes on the group. The shadows of the past still haunted him, but something had shifted. The war had taken so much... but somehow, those he once thought lost to Hopper's might were now walking toward him.