Adam moved to an area with less smoke, seeking respite from the suffocating fumes. The goblins instinctively kept their distance from him, their eyes reflecting a mix of awe and fear. As he looked around, he could see the once bustling village reduced to ash and rubble, the flames consuming everything in their path.

Exhausted, Adam closed his eyes for a moment, believing his mission was finally over.

However, the thick smoke continued to fill the air, making him and the goblins cough uncontrollably. Adam realized that the smoke would likely kill them before the fires could. He glanced at the goblin children, who were also coughing from the smoke, and felt a pang of guilt.

Among the goblin children, Adam spotted one clutching a ragged doll, its eyes wide with fear as it hid behind a larger goblin. Another child coughed and wheezed, tears streaming down its dirt-streaked face as it tried to breathe through the thick smoke.

'Is this really the end?' Adam thought, his heart aching at the sight of the suffering children. 'I've avenged Lancer, but at what cost?'

Lying down in exhaustion, Adam stared up at the smoke-filled sky. He resigned himself to his fate, waiting for death to claim him. As he lay there, he noticed a small patch of darkness in the sky, which he initially dismissed as an illusion.

'Just my mind playing tricks on me,' he mused. But as the dark spot grew larger, he squinted and made out a humanoid figure with wings.

'What is that?' he thought, curiosity piquing. 'Could it be... a hive unit?'

The hive unit was a creature of nightmares, with large, leathery wings and a humanoid form wrapped in tattered, insect-like chitin. Its eyes were a deep, glowing amber, and it had sharp, needle-like teeth that contrasted with its otherwise expressionless face.

Adam inspected the unit.

[Zentarran Winged Aberration, Level 40 (Tier 1)]

The Zentarran hive unit came closer, its wing beats growing louder.

The goblins, who had been watching the exchange from a safe distance, recoiled in terror as the hive unit approached. Their eyes darted between Adam and the monstrous creature, unsure of what would happen next. Some clutched each other tightly, while others whispered prayers to their gods.

It hovered near Adam, addressing him with a stoic tone. "Prince Adam, the Empress has sent me to extract you from the village. Your presence is required."

Although relieved that he wouldn't die from smoke inhalation, Adam's concern shifted to the coughing goblins. "What about them?" he asked, gesturing towards the suffering goblins. "Can they be spared?"

The hive unit shook its head. "My mission is to retrieve you and you alone. The fate of the goblins is not a concern."

Defiant, Adam crossed his arms. "Then I refuse to go with you. If they can't be saved, neither can I."

The hive unit's expression remained cold and unyielding. "I have been ordered to take you back to the hive, even if it means dragging you there against your will."

Angered, Adam demanded, "Why can't the goblins be saved? I regret putting them in this situation, I don’t want them to die like this! Especially the children!"

The hive unit regarded Adam with its unblinking amber eyes. “If the goblins are spared, then the adults would be converted. The children are unsuitable for conversion and could be spared,” it explained. “Would you like this outcome?"

As hope flickered in the eyes of the goblins, Adam felt a heavy guilt weighing on him, He knew the goblins didn’t really understand what conversion meant, all they had to do was to look at Grobba and the other expressionless goblins to see what fate had in store for them.

The choice before Adam weighed heavily on his conscience. Should he accept the hive unit's terms, trusting the goblin children to the hive's mercy? Or should he stand his ground, risking everything to ensure the goblins' survival?

'Can I trust the hive unit to keep its word?' Adam wondered, his chest tightening with anxiety. 'What if it's just another trick, like the ones they used to manipulate me before?'

‘I have no choice but to trust it, the goblin children have no part to play in all of this. I’ll let them go, I feel no guilt if the adults get converted as long as the children are spared.’ His decision made, he looked to the winged aberration.

Before he could agree to the hive unit's terms, the air around them seemed to grow colder, and a sudden gust of wind whipped at Adam's hair as Zara's presence filled the winged aberration. The once stoic creature seemed to come alive with her presence, its amber eyes now burning with intensity.

Zara, speaking through the hive unit, closed its eyes momentarily, inspecting its memories. When she opened them again, her voice carried an air of authority. "Adam, I will clean up your mess this time. The goblins and their children shall be spared."

Relief washed over Adam, but it was short-lived as Zara continued, "However, we must speak in my audience chamber. There are matters we need to discuss."

The possession ended, and the hive unit returned to its stoic demeanor, awaiting Adam's response.

"Wait, what about the goblins?" Adam asked with concern.

"Flying units are being redirected to the village from a nearby skirmish. They will ensure the safety of the goblins and will transport them to another goblin village nearby," the hive unit responded calmly.

"There are more goblin villages in the forest?" Adam asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes, Prince," the winged creature replied, a sly grin spreading across its face – the first sign of emotion Adam had seen on it. "This is just a small village. We have long been aware of its existence, and Skab Rathide was a known element to us, even if he wasn’t aware of the hive."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Adam shook his head in amazement, struggling to digest the new information. "And you've just been watching them? Monitoring their activities?"

"Of course," the hive unit replied matter-of-factly. "It is our duty to know all potential threats in the region, as the Ventcroft Wilds are our domain. We disregarded Skab and his village due to their low level and low potential. It would be a waste of resources to convert them, so we left them to their own devices.”

Adam couldn't help but feel unnerved by the hive's constant surveillance, and a new wave of questions began to form in his mind. If they were aware of Skab and the village? Were they aware of what he has done in the hive? Of Lancers death and his actions afterwards?

As they soared through the sky, Adam's shook his head and his thoughts turned to his recent actions.

'I've done it. I've avenged Lancer,' he thought, a sense of satisfaction filling him. 'And I managed to save the innocent goblin children. Whatever happens to them after will not be on my conscience.'

However, he couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension about his impending conversation with Zara.

'Zara... She must have known about my raid on the goblin village for her to send me a hive unit as soon as the final battle was over,' he mused, his brow furrowing. 'She has to have had some role in Lancer's death. How much did she know, and why didn't she stop it?'

Now that he had dealt with the primary killers, it was time to confront her about her role in Lancer's death.

'I need answers,' Adam thought, determination building within him. 'No more secrets. I won't rest until I know the truth about what happened to Lancer and who was truly responsible.'

---

Adam stood outside the throne room, also known as the audience chamber, taking a deep breath to compose himself. He hesitated for a moment, his heart pounding as he anticipated the confrontation. He entered the room and saw Zara sitting on her throne, her eyes closed, once again connected to the throne via her spine sending orders over the intricate web of the hive's collective consciousness.

He stood there waiting, growing impatient and annoyed as minutes passed. 'Why isn't she acknowledging me?' he thought. 'Does she not care about what happened?'

Finally, Zara opened her eyes.

"Why summon me if you're just going to make me wait here like an idiot?" Adam snapped, frustration evident in his voice.

Zara regarded him coldly. "Patience, Adam," she replied icily. "I was attending to the matters you insisted upon. I had to divert some of my flying units from another battle to babysit a group of insignificant goblins."

Adam lowered his head, chastised. A pang of guilt struck him, knowing that his actions had consequences for the hive.

Zara continued, her voice dripping with disdain, "Not only that, but you stole some of my precious parasites. And now the thief stands before me, after I saved your life."

Adam clenched his fists, anger bubbling up. 'How can she not understand why I did it?' he thought. "I needed those parasites to avenge Lancer!"

"If you wanted to avenge him, you could have told me, and I would have provided you with another drone," Zara scolded. "Your emotional attachment to a drone makes you weak. A true leader understands that soldiers will die or be injured and does their best to achieve objectives with minimal casualties."

"Don't act like you didn't know about Lancer's death," Adam retorted, his voice shaking with rage. "I'm not stupid. There was something highly suspicious about the path Lancer took. It took me some time to put everything together, but I've never heard a drone speak during my time in the hive. They only speak when they awaken. So how did Lancer tell me to live?"

Adam whispered, his voice trembling with fear and accusation, "You had a part to play, didn't you?"

Zara remained silent, her expression unreadable.

Seeing her silence, Adam felt crushed, interpreting her lack of response as an admission of guilt. He turned to leave the chamber, a bitter taste in his mouth.

In a voice tinged with defeat, he said, "I'm going to awaken in my room."

Just as Adam was about to leave the room, Zara's form shifted slightly, and her arm blades extended from her back.

Zara's arm blades were a unique and fearsome feature of her anatomy. These long, slender appendages, composed of a durable, chitinous material, emerged seamlessly from her back just below her shoulder blades. Each blade was about three feet long, tapering to a razor-sharp point at the end. Their surface was smooth and glossy, reflecting light in a way that gave them an iridescent sheen. The blades were incredibly versatile, capable of moving with exceptional dexterity and precision, much like an extra pair of arms.

Each set of blades could operate independently, allowing Zara to multitask with ease and engage in complex combat maneuvers. Despite their intimidating appearance, Zara's arm blades were capable of surprising gentleness. They could bend and flex to accommodate delicate tasks or to handle fragile objects without causing harm.

In this particular moment, as she extended one set of her arm blades to pick up Adam, she did so with the utmost care, ensuring that the sharp edges never came in contact with him. Instead, she wrapped the flexible portion of her blades around him, cradling him securely in her embrace.

"Let me go," Adam demanded, struggling against her hold.

Zara ignored his protests and apologized. "I'm sorry, Adam. What I did was for your own good."

"You're lying!" he screamed, his voice raw with emotion.

She continued calmly, "I saw that you were becoming too attached to that drone. A leader cannot afford to be so attached to those under their command. That's why I don't give names to all my hive units. Even the names I give to my more valuable units are uninspired and merely reflect the roles they fulfill, like 'General'."

Adam's voice wavered as he admitted, "I don't want to be a leader. I just want to be a warrior."

Zara sighed. "You don't have a choice, Adam. I admit, I personally want you to become a leader for my own selfish reason, but there's a greater reason for it."

"Why?" Adam asked, his curiosity piqued.

Zara hesitated, her gaze flickering away for a moment. She shook her head, saying, "I cannot tell you, even if I wanted to."

“At least give me a hint.” Adam pleaded.

She locked eyes with him, her expression solemn. "All I can say is that it has something to do with your title ‘Dream child’, I promise that everything will become clear once you awaken."

At this, Adam fell silent, his mind racing with questions and doubts, uncertain of what to believe or what the future held for him. He struggled against the mix of emotions churning within him - anger, fear, confusion, and a profound sense of betrayal.

Despite the whirlwind of emotions, he found it difficult to resist the warmth and comfort of Zara's embrace. He wanted to trust her, but the revelations and suspicions made it nearly impossible to do so.

"Zara," he whispered, his voice cracking, "how can I trust you now?"

She looked into his eyes, her own filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. "You have every right to question me, Adam. But I hope that, in time, you will come to understand why I did what I did. I truly care for you and want the best for you. And sometimes, that means making difficult decisions."

Adam stared back at her, his heart aching with confusion. He wasn't sure whether he could ever truly trust Zara again. But for now, he would have to push his feelings aside and focus on the path that lay before him.

"Alright," he whispered, resigned. "I'll try to understand. But don't expect me to forget."

Zara nodded solemnly, pulling him further into her embrace. Adam's body started to relax as the warmth and comfort of Zara's hold enveloped him. His eyelids grew heavy, and despite the storm of emotions and questions whirling in his mind, he couldn't fight the drowsiness that began to overtake him.

As Adam drifted closer to sleep, he couldn't help but feel torn between the motherly figure he had known and the secrets she kept from him. One thing was for certain, though - he was determined to awaken and uncover the truth behind Zara's actions and the destiny that awaited him. The last thing he remembered before sleep claimed him was the sound of Zara's steady heartbeat, a reminder of her presence, and the question of whether or not he could truly trust her ever again.