A soft glow of sunlight filtered through the dorm window, casting long golden rays across the wooden floor. The early morning silence was broken only by the faint rustling of blankets as Alistair Vaelthorne stirred awake.
His body felt sore, a testament to the intense training he had undergone the day before. His mind, however, was sharp the moment his eyes opened.
Something was different.
A presence—no, two presences—lingered in his dorm room.
He sat up, scanning the room with narrowed eyes, his instincts flaring. His mana perception immediately locked onto two sources of faint but distinct energy signatures.
His gaze shifted to the floor—
And what he saw made him freeze.
Sera—his tiny, silver-haired spirit—was giggling softly, golden eyes filled with rare excitement.
And beneath her—crawling across the floor—was something he definitely hadn't expected to see this morning.
A crimson-black ant, its sleek exoskeleton shimmering under the morning light, moved steadily across the dorm floor. Despite its monstrous size, its movements were smooth and precise, far more refined than any common insect.
And sitting on its back—her tiny fingers curled into its hard shell—was Sera.
She was riding it.
Like a child riding a pet dog.
Alistair blinked. Once. Twice.
"…What?"
The massive ant—half the size of Sera and nearly half the length of an adult's arm—moved with surprising ease. Each of its six legs shifted with perfect coordination, carrying its tiny rider smoothly across the room.
Sera, clearly delighted, gave a small, victorious cheer.
"Go!" she said, her limited vocabulary forcing her to express only the simplest of commands.
The ant twitched its antennae, as if understanding her, and quickened its pace slightly.
The sight of his spirit child commanding a giant insect like a noble riding a horse was almost surreal.
Alistair pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What... is happening?"
****
His eyes landed on the remnants of the shattered black-red eggshell on his desk.
So it hatched last night.
That meant Sera had been awake unsupervised, and judging by the fact that she was already treating it like a personal mount, she had probably been the first thing it saw upon hatching.
Alistair exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think logically.
He had chosen this egg deliberately, despite having access to powerful legendary beasts like griffins, wyverns, or celestial tigers.
Why?
Because this was not a normal ant monster or insect.
It was a Monarch Ant.
A species long thought to be extinct—wiped out by higher-tier magical beasts like dragons, phoenixes, and leviathans.
Why? Because they were afraid of its potential.
In the game, Monarch Ants weren't just some oversized insects.
They were apex predators, capable of growth beyond normal limitations through a unique trait.
A trait which allows monarch ant to absorb skills, traits and characteristics of monster or human eaten or devouvered by them.
By devovering monarch ant unlocks the endless possibilities of evolutions .
And this one…
This one was the last of its kind.
****
Alistair leaned back, remembering what had happened in the original storyline of the game.
If no player chose this egg, then instead of bonding with a tamer, the Monarch Ant would grow independently.
A weak, bullied student had been the one to stumble upon it, unknowingly feeding it raw mana and weak monsters, allowing it to grow rapidly.
But the problem was—
It outgrew its master.
While monarch ant grow strong the tamer couldn't match it's progressing speed.
Which led to tamer losing control, and the Monarch Ant, following its instincts, turned against him—devouring its own master and escaping into the wilderness.
By the time it reappeared, it had evolved into one of the most nightmarish boss monsters in the entire game.
It took the combined efforts of the entire main cast to barely defeat it—and even then, they only won by sheer luck.
A creature with limitless growth potential…
And now—
That creature belonged to him.
Alistair's black eyes flickered with unreadable emotion.
"I see," he muttered.
This was a gamble.
If he played this right, this ant could become one of the strongest creatures in existence.
But if he failed to control it, then one day, it could turn into something even he wouldn't be able to stop.
He exhaled sharply.
No mistakes. No carelessness.
He needed to bond with it properly.
****
Alistair got out of bed and approached the two tiny troublemakers.
Sera, still seated on the ant's back, looked up at him as he approached.
"Mine," she declared firmly, patting the ant's head.
Alistair raised an eyebrow.
She was already claiming it?
He crouched down, studying the ant.
It stared back with strange, calculating eyes—far too intelligent for a newly hatched creature.
That was good. It meant it was already learning.
Alistair placed a hand on its shell and closed his eyes.
Then, he let his mana flow into it's mana core.
A pulse of energy passed between them—
The Monarch Ant stiffened slightly, then twitched its antennae before relaxing completely.
The moment the bond was formed, a new connection appeared in Alistair's mind.
It was faint, but it was there.
A link between master and beast.
The Monarch Ant had accepted him.
And now—
It was his.
****
Alistair withdrew his hand and studied the ant thoughtfully.
In the game, the independent boss version of this monster had been known as The Crimson Devourer.
But that was not what it was now.
It was his beast.
And every beast needed a name.
His gaze lingered on its crimson-black exoskeleton, the smooth, armored plating gleaming faintly under the morning light.
After a moment, he decided.
"…Noctis."
The ant twitched its antennae, as if testing the name.
Then—
It clicked its mandibles softly, as if approving.
Noctis.
The last Monarch Ant.
And his future weapon.
*****
Now that the bond was established, Alistair stood up and turned to Sera.
She was still sitting atop Noctis, seemingly content to stay there forever.
"Sera," he said, crossing his arms.
She blinked up at him.
"Off."
Her tiny mouth formed a pout.
"Mine."
Alistair sighed.
This child…
Still, she reluctantly slid off the ant's back and walked over to him.
Once she was close enough, he gently tapped her forehead with two fingers.
A soft golden light enveloped her—
And she disappeared back into his Spirit Mark.
****
With Sera back in her mark and Noctis settling down into a quiet resting position near the desk, Alistair finally turned his attention to getting ready.
Today was another day of lectures and training, and now that he had bonded with his beast companion, he had even more to work on.
He quickly changed into his academy uniform, adjusted his coat, and grabbed his books.
Then, with one final glance at Noctis, he left the dorm—
To Be Continued…