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.]

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  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.]