(POV Sylvia, some minutes before the incident)

I look at my own genetic blueprint for the first time, with the goal to integrate new genetic material in the form of Strains into it. As expected, I find the profile of my species, the Sylv. But there is something else, I already possess alien genetic material that I have not yet assimilated from another species. I seem to have been born with it. When I think about it in more detail, my instinctive knowledge helps me again, just as it always does when it comes to things about the Sylv.

A Sylv Queen like me is something very special. She is unlike any other Sylv organism and does not have a fixed form that can only be modified via Strains. The potential to modify Sylv creatures is limited, but this is not true for a Sylv Queen. It takes a lot of effort for a swarm to create one, and depending on the resources invested, the results vary.

The swarm that created me must have given me this foreign genetic material that I find in myself. It is an integral part of my body and perfectly connected to my Sylv genetic material. It must have been extremely complex to link this genetic material so perfectly with that of the Sylv. This goes far beyond the simple modifications that a Strain offers. Now that I have become aware of it, I can see traces of this alien genetic material in all creatures of my entire swarm, it has become, so to speak, a part of the swarm that emerged from me. So creating a Sylv queen is like creating a new species, which allows the fundamental Sylv genetic makeup to evolve.

I take a closer look at the unknown genetic material in me and try to derive information about the organism from which it originated. Piece by piece I extract one piece of information after the next. Slowly I form a picture of the original organism, it is a mammal with four limbs. It used to have a tail, which has since degenerated, it has quite little body hair, and it has exceedingly good fine motor skills on its hands. It is a social creature with high intelligence and an upright gait.

With one blow I realize what it is, from which organism the genetic material comes from, from which I was made. It is the same reason why I could interact so well with this species so far, it is the same species as Elise or Karina. I know that a very extensive knowledge of the species and extensive genetic sampling is necessary to successfully use their genetic material in a queen. This means that the swarm that created me must have absorbed dozens of members of that species.

I think of my time with Elise and I feel sick at the thought that dozens of her species were eaten for my creation. Then a cold shiver runs over me as I realize what could happen if someone else learned what I just realized. All my good interactions with Karina, Elise and Erik would be gone, they would see me as a monster. My breathing accelerates uncontrollably and my panic begins to spread to the rest of the entire swarm. Drones run around frantically or rush to me and the hunters outside the Hive Complex rush back home.

Then all my frustration and sadness discharges into a tortured scream and I subconsciously use my new talent, whereupon I telepathically broadcast it to all my surroundings. A large amount of mana is sent out in the form of a shockwave with me as the center, whereupon the smaller animals on the surface either go into shock paralysis or quickly flee from the direction of my Hive Complex.

My swarm has a calming effect on me and I hug the nearest drone near me tightly in my arms. My talent is still active and seems to have established a connection with someone nearby. Warm and reassuring signals come over the connection that help me regain my composure. Slowly, my breathing becomes steady again and my thoughts settle. On the other side of the connection I have established, there seems to be Karina. I can feel her compassion and concern for me, which makes me very happy. With renewed confidence, I thank her about the connection before closing it. Then I make my way to Queen's Hall to check on her personally. I noticed that she has to fight with the aftereffects of the mental shockwave I created accidentally. Besides, I could use some cuddling right now and I need to explain what happened.

(POV Karina)

I am still quite surprised by what just happened. I didn't think that Sylvia could use such complicated magic at her age. I'm still thinking whether I should look for her or rather wait for her here, when she already appears in the corridor. She still seems a bit upset and hurries towards me with quick steps. I open my arms to receive her, whereupon she reaches me and hugs me tightly. I gently stroke her head and inquire, "Are you all right? What happened?"

Sylvia replies, "I found out something rather shocking. I don't want to talk about it right now." and buries her face in my clothes.

I'm not sure how to react in this situation and try to remain considerate. Sylvia is a mystery to me, her species seems to be very unusual and seems to have a high magical talent. At least that's based on my observations of Sylvia so far, but that doesn't have to apply to the other Sylv. She has already mentioned that she is a special case in her species.

I try to sit down on the floor again, which is made difficult by the fact that Sylvia clings to me. After a few attempts I am successful with Sylvia's head lying in my lap. I remain patient and just keep stroking her. A short time later I hear the contented purring again, she is just so sweet!

(POV Sylvia)

Karina's lap is just wonderful. I missed it so much to cuddle with others. While I'm having a good time, I correct in parallel the processes of my swarm, which got a bit confused. A short time later everything runs as it should and I feel balanced again. I will simply hide my new knowledge forever, no one ever has to know about it and then everything will be fine. I should be able to present Karina with something else that I can use to credibly explain the incident. I think for a while what is the best thing to tell and decide on something. I hope that Karina will believe the story and that I can distract her from the truth.

(POV Karina)

After a few minutes, Sylvia stirs again and announces, "I feel a bit better. I think I'm ready to talk about what happened now." She looks at me seriously with her big black eyes and reports, "We came across another Sylv outpost, not far from here. At first I was pleasantly surprised to welcome other Sylv to our colony, perhaps even to find our way back home. However, the others brought sad news. The Sylv Hive Complex from which I originally came was attacked and destroyed. Fortunately, the outpost was not found and was able to survive. I can only hope that my other home here in the Everglade Forest is still safe."

I feel strong sympathy for Sylvia and hug her again after her last words. In a gentle voice I reply, "I'm sure your home is still safe, don't worry. Near Westerville, the forest is still quite safe." The things that poor child has to endure. I wish I could comfort her more.

(POV Sylvia)

I seem to have convinced Karina of my fabricated story. I purposely based this on some true points, as well as theories I have. This makes it seem more believable and should be easier to maintain. Who would have thought that the outpost I found could come in handy again in this way. I enjoy the warm embrace of Karina a little longer, until I signal her that I have to leave again, because more tasks await me.

Unfortunately, this doesn't work out quite as expected, which is evident in her reply: "I would like to accompany you in your tasks here and stand by your side. Maybe I can even help you with a few things. It's definitely better than waiting here for you alone."

I avoid showing my discomfort openly because I'm not ready to show Karina too much of the Sylv yet. However, I do not want to dismiss her request without reason. The next important issue at hand is my own development. I think for a moment and decide that I have to start somewhere. Then I can do that directly with this. I turn my attention back to Karina and answer, "You can accompany me on the condition that you hold back when I ask you to."

Karina immediately replies, "Of course. I can understand that there are some delicate areas or tasks."

I reply, "Exactly. The first thing I wanted to take care of was my personal development. As I mentioned before, we Sylv don't have a uniform form because we are able to evolve."

Karina looks at me questioningly and before she can ask, I continue to explain, "That means I will spend a few minutes focusing on the changes I want to achieve. After that, I will stimulate my body to make those changes." Then I try to explain to her, somewhat clumsily, that my body will secrete a substance that, after a while, builds a hard protective layer around me in the form of a cocoon, so that the adjustments can be made inside. My linguistic level is advanced, but not so far that it is simple for me to explain this process easily. In the end, however, I am quite sure that I have communicated the concept correctly to Karina and I start the preparations for my transformation.

I focus again on my inner self and try to integrate the maximum number of Strains into my body. This sounds simple, but it is not a small thing for my complex inner structure. After a while I confirm my selection, which falls on ...