I sit, clacking my mandibles in boredom.

Who knew guarding the hill was so boring?

[What are you doing?]

I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'm glad to know that there's someone to talk to.

[I'm protecting the hill so that the queen will eventually let me back in.]

[...Why?]

My mandibles hang open for a moment.

[Why not? I'm an ant! What am I without a colony?]

[Yes, you're an ant, but you're not the same kind of ant as them...]

I pause. Is that true?

[You said you can check my... what did you call it?]

[Quantification.]

[Yes, that. What kind of ant am I?]

Her response is quick.

[You are a completely unique Void Ant. You have no genus.]

Oh. So I'm not even the same type of ant anymore. No wonder the queen didn't recognize me.

Joule starts up suddenly.

[NOTICE: A spider is approaching your area.]

My first instinct is to run, but then I realize...

[Don't those give energy?]

[Correct. At your current level, it would be extremely easy to defeat, especially using Void Bite.]

What'd she say?

[What's Void Bite?]

[It's what you used earlier. You coat your mandibles with a thin layer of Void, making them incredibly sharp. The only materials capable of defending against it are certain gemstones and mana-infused armor.]

That was a lot of information.

[How much can I use it?]

[It consumes a certain amount of energy, but at your current size, it consumes a very small amount.]

If I could smile, I would.

[Do I have enough to use the Bite?]

She sounds like she's smiling too.

[More than enough.]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm hiding behind a patch of grass, watching the spider.

I know that I'm much stronger, thanks to Joule, but it's in my hemolymph to be afraid of these things.

I clack my mandibles quietly.

[Use Void Bite.]

I see them turn a shade of black that absorbs all light near it, creating a sort of pull on the edges.

Sprinting out from behind the grass, I bite onto the spider's midsection before it can react.

My mandibles go through its stomach as though it wasn't there.

The spider barely manages a surprised look before it's dead.

[That was easy.]

Joule confirms the sentiment as I begin eating.

One spider later, I ask Joule a question.

[How is it that I know so many words? I know I became smarter when I changed, but I'd have to learn those, right?]

She processes for a moment. It's an important enough question that I'm satisfied to wait.

[If I had to guess, I'd say absorbing Noah's essence resulted in you knowing some of his vocabulary. It's just a pity you didn't learn any numbers...]

I ignore the last part and move on to a more important subject.

[How much energy can I store?]

Joule laughs.

[If you're worried about filling your void, don't worry. You'd have to eat most of the universe for that to happen.]

That word again.

[What does 'universe' mean?]

She's silent.

[Your hill is one of many anthills. Those anthills are part of a massive chunk of land, which is sitting on a ball of dirt and rock, which is one of many, many other rocks like it. All of those dirtballs make up the universe.]

I don't really get it, but the long and short of it seems to be that my void won't get full any time soon.

[Would you like to increase your size and muscle mass?]

I shiver, remembering my previous experience.

[Definitely not.]