“So what you’re saying is, is that mana is kinda like a form of energy surrounding us, and that it basically makes creatures stronger. Once a creature is strong enough and has killed and eaten a lot of other creatures, it can evolve, making it even stronger. Okay, got it. Now what about this potent mana you were talking about?”

The queen tried hard not to show her irritation when she answered. She had tried to explain the little knowledge she had about mana and evolution to Mother for the last fifteen minutes, but it was a slow and frustrating process. The queen hadn’t expected such an ancient being to know so little about the world, even less than her actually. Nevertheless, she tried to sound as friendly as she possibly could. This was all for the colony’s sake after all.

“You seem to have grasped the basics of mana and evolution. I apologise if the information is inadequate, I myself am no expert on the matter. As to your question about potent mana, it’s very simple actually. In order to evolve, a massive amount of mana is needed in the process. In this part of the land where the mana in the air is thin, the only way of evolving is to kill a strong creature with a large amount of mana stored in its body.”

“I see, so creatures have something like a mana pool?”

“Correct. Most creatures can store mana in glands. Now, potent mana on the other hand is a bit more special. Again, my knowledge is is limited here, but I believe it to be an extra powerful variant of normal mana. Creatures only need small amounts of it to evolve, and the effect it has on their bodies is much more noticable than the normal variant. Some… forces, by lack of better wording, can produce this potent mana, although they are very rare.”

“And I am one of these… forces. I see,” Mother said. “I don’t suppose you know about any other forces like me? Maybe you know if they can talk as well?”

“I’m afraid I do not know. I myself have not even seen potent mana up until this day.”

“That’s too bad,” her voice sounded dissapointed. “I can see now why you would want to build a nest close by. But tell me, is this potent mana really that important to you?”

The queen hestitated for a second, but she decided to be honest.

“It is not just valuable. It is almost necessary for us to survive. The great increase in power we get from evolving is just too large to pass up on, especially for creatures that live in large groups. This place would become a battleground should powerful beasts find you, Mother. Especially if you evolve even further.”

“So evolution is very important to creatures like us it seems. I can’t say I noticed much from my first evolution though. By the way, how did you know I have evolved? I don’t remember telling you?”

“I just know. It’s hard to explain, but I would like to talk about it at a later time if you don’t mind. Have you considered our proposition? The price I mentioned will be half of our food income. We will supply living creatures, so you can finish them off here, that way you will be able to evolve as quick as possible. We will take the other half as food for the colony. Do we have a deal?”

The queen’s heart pounded in her chest. If Mother were to accept, the colony had at least a slim chance to survive the oncoming winter. Having to share half of the food income pained the queen, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. If they were to pay up even more, the colony would perish for sure. It all depended on Mother’s answer now.

It was silent a few seconds, until the answer resounded in the queen’s head.

“I accept your offer, on three conditions.”

The queen held her breath. Was the offer not good enough perhaps? She tried to stay composed and respond with a calm voice.

“Name it, Mother.”

“First, I would like you to order the ants to only bring back dead creatures. I don’t want to kill the creatures, if it’s possible.”

The queen gave it a thought.

“It is possible, but it would slow down your evolution process if the creatures aren’t killed by yourself. The process will probably take twice as long if the creatures are simply consumed. May I ask why you requested this?”

“Oh, I have my reasons,” came the reply. “But that also means that your colony will evolve faster, right? If that’s the case, I don’t mind it that much, so long as nothing goes to waste. As for my second condition, I don’t want you guys fighting in the space around me. That means no killing or hurting any creatures where I can see. Of course that means that you won’t be attacked here either.”

“That’s not a problem. We will refrain from killing anything in close proximity to you, Mother, unless it poses a thread towards you of course. May I ask what your last condition is?”

“Oh, my last condition is actually a little simple. I only want a fifth of your food income.”

It took a while for the queen to let the words sink in, but she still couldn’t believe it. A fifth? That sounded almost too good to be true. Mother’s other conditions were already in the colony’s favour, but this just completely tipped the balance. The colony would recieve a reliable source of potent mana, and for what? A fifth of their food? It sounded ridiculous, but the queen could tell Mother was being serious here.

The queen almost stuttered when she finally spoke.

“B-but why, Mother? Don’t you want to evolve? Didn’t you understand the way evolution works? Do I need to explain again? I don’t-”

The queen stopped talking when a calming emotion brushed over her mind when Mother’s warm voice reached her.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to it explain again. I just don’t want to take away your colony’s much needed food, that’s all. I don’t know what you’ve been through to survive, but I can tell you guys are close to starving already. Besides, you have already been very useful to me by giving me so much information for free, so if anything, I should be thanking you.”

“That’s not true Mother, I was just-”

“Please call me Gaia,” Mother interrupted her.

“What?”

“Call me Gaia. It’s my name. It’s really uncomfortable if you call me mother all the time, I’m not that old you know. What’s your name?”

“What is a name?” The queen asked hestitantly.

“You don’t have a name? Oh boy, well let’s see a name is… kind of like a word people use to adress you, I guess? When people say my name, I know they’re talking to me,” came the reply.

“I see. My apologies, I was unfamiliar with the concept. Then, what would my name be, Mother… Gaia?”

“Whatever you want your name to be, you can choose whatever you like! I chose my own name as well, and so far I’m pretty happy with it.”

The queen gave it a thought before she answered.

“Then, would you choose my name for me? I’m sure you’re better at picking one than I am.”

“Really? I’m not sure if you’ll like it though, I’m not the best at it either, so…”

“Please. Whatever you pick, I’ll be glad to accept,” the queen answered solemny.

Mother Gaia went silent for a while before she spoke again. When the words reached the queens mind, she listened intently as she received her name for the first time.

“Scarlet. From now on, your name will be Scarlet. It reminds me of your beautiful carapace.”

Scarlet thought about it. The name seemed just perfect for her. She bowed her head towards Mother Gaia.

“I thank you. Not only have you welcomed my colony with open arms, but you have bestowed a name upon me as well. You are more than a just business partner to us, you are a friend of the colony. I promise you Mother, one day we’ll repay you for this,” Queen Scarlet said and bowed her head.

At that moment, new emotion flowed through the ant queen’s heart, an emotion she had never felt before.

Gratitude.

“I look forward to working with you,” Mother Gaia replied warmly.

---

Gaia watched the ants began constructing their new nest about half a meter away from her, but still where she could see them. They had been at it for only half an hour, but they were making significant progress already. The entrance of the anthill was already large enough for the ants to walk through, and Gaia could sense the ants digging deep underground with her roots.

In the meantime, Queen Scarlet had returned to the old nest, accompanied by a few workers to make sure she was safe. Once the new nest was completed, the queen would move in together with the remaining brood in the old nest, but for now it was too dangerous for her to stay out in the open, even at night.

Thinking about Scarlet, she couldn’t help but feel admiration for the ant queen. She had put herself in danger for her starving colony, simply to find a home that was better suited for her children. Gaia had felt the Scarlet’s emotions during the entire conversation, something that was probably possible due to Scarlet’s high intellingence, and she was impressed by the things the queen had put herself through for the sake of the colony.

Maybe that was the reason Gaia had decided to help them out. The ants weren’t just insects, or servants she could command to her will. They were sentient creatures. Even the regular ants had their own will, she noticed. The differences in their personalities were small, but they were there.

Observing the busy ants, Gaia had to admit that she had definitely made the right choice. She felt safer already with the ants this close to her, even if she had been a little scared by them at first. Who knew how strong they would become after feeding of her potent mana for a while? For her, these ants were the perfect bodyguards.

She smiled mentally. Things were finally going the right way now. She even had someone to talk with, something she had been in dire need of for a long time. How long things would remain good, she didn’t know, but she would enjoy it for how long it lasted.