Chapter Thirty-One: The God in the Light
20 minutes later...
The ruins of the Hive were quiet now.
Not peaceful — never peaceful — but still.
Broken resin walls glistened faintly, reflecting the pale glow that seeped in from the cracks above. Vire sat slumped against a pillar, binding her arm with a strip of cloth. Neither of us spoke. There was nothing left to say.
Then the air shifted.
It wasn't wind — it was deeper, heavier, like the world itself had drawn a breath. The glow from above brightened, pouring down in threads of gold until it swallowed the shadows whole.
Vire's head snapped up. "Jess…"
I already knew.
The hum in my veins rose to a pure, ringing note, one I had only ever felt in old Hive stories — the kind whispered about in awe, in fear.
The light touched the ground before me, and from it, a figure stepped forward.
It wasn't the Queen.
It wasn't any Hiveborn I'd seen.
It was… more.
Their form shifted like water — sometimes human, sometimes insect, sometimes something vast and unknowable. Their eyes were endless, and when they spoke, it wasn't with a voice but with truth.
> "Child of the Colony… you've walked your path to its end."
I couldn't move. My knees wanted to fold beneath me. "I—" My voice cracked. "I failed. She's still out there."
The figure's gaze softened.
> "She will always be out there. But the battle for your soul is over."
"I don't understand."
> "You were never meant to live and die in the Hive. Your blood carries its mark… but your heart belongs elsewhere. There is a life beyond this darkness. A life meant for you."
The light around them flared, warm as sunlight on skin.
> "Go to the human world. Find the one who will teach you what it is to be free. Find the one who will love you… not as the Hive commands, but as your own heart chooses."
I shook my head. "Love? Now? After all this—"
> "Yes. Especially now."
Something inside me trembled — a thread pulled taut. I thought of the endless tunnels, the Queen's voice in my head, the constant hunger that wasn't mine. Could I really leave it all behind?
Vire rose unsteadily. "You're just… going to take her?" she asked the god.
The figure's many-shifting face turned toward her.
> "Her path is no longer yours to guard. She walks under a different sky now."
Before I could answer, the light spread beneath my feet, warm and soft and terrifying. My chest tightened.
"Vire—"
Her jaw worked, but she nodded once. "Don't waste it, Jess."
The god reached for me — not with hands, but with something deeper, pulling me upward.
The Hive's scent vanished. The air changed.
And then I was standing on solid ground beneath a blinding blue sky. Grass brushed against my ankles, and somewhere in the distance, I heard laughter.
The world smelled of bread baking, flowers blooming, river water running.
For the first time in my life, there was no hum in my head.
Only my own heartbeat.
I didn't know where to go.
But the god's words lingered: Find him.
Author's Note
Hey readers,
I just want to apologize for the recent plot change. I know it may have caught some of you off guard, and I truly appreciate your patience.
The change felt necessary to give the story more depth and good ending and I hope you'll stick with me as it unfolds.
Thank you for understanding.
ISLADREAM❤️