Chapter 34 Pastia and Xu Lingzhao's Past
Xu Lingzhao felt the warmth emanating from Matriarch. She rested her chin on her shoulder and looked at the people following behind Matriarch with her big eyes. Everyone had a smile on their face and the same antennae and wings. For the first time, she felt what it meant to be one of her own.
In this warm atmosphere, Xu Lingzhao unconsciously relaxed, her thoughts gradually drifting. Just as she was about to doze off, she felt someone gently patting her back, and Matriarch's gentle voice came: "Basilissa, we're home."
"Hmm? Home?" Xu Lingzhao rubbed her eyes. She looked at the domed building in front of her. The snow-white walls were covered with ivy, and the white and green were adorned with small pink flowers. She took a deep breath. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers mixed with the pine scent of wood dried in the sun. Every house had flowers planted in front of it.
Under the arched corridor, several children were resting on wooden benches, while adults nearby were weaving flower baskets. The whispers and rustling sounds reached Xu Lingzhao's ears. Her mother led her through the corridor, around the corner, until they stopped in front of the largest house.
Matriarch gently set her down, took her hand, and pushed open the door. Fresh bouquets were laid out on the table, the floor was smooth wooden, and sunlight streamed in through the windows. Xu Lingzhao looked around the house carefully. Matriarch carried her to the dining table, where a plate of yellow pastries sat before her.
Xu Lingzhao smelled the sweet aroma of the pastries. She picked up a small piece with her little hand and chewed it carefully. It was sweet but not cloying, and delicious! Just as she was enjoying the food, Matriarch reached out and wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Meeting Matriarch's gentle gaze, Xu Lingzhao smiled.
In the days that followed, Matriarch sent her to school to be taught by a pastor. Xu Lingzhao learned about everything in the world. Her classmate Luna was the girl who had run towards her by the stream that day. On the stage, the pastor earnestly explained the knowledge about flowers.
Luna put her little hand to her mouth to cover her mouth as she spoke: "Basilissa, let's go catch butterflies later!"
Xu Lingzhao kept her eyes on the textbook, but listened attentively to her words: "Butterflies?" She thought for a moment. There were so many beautiful butterflies here. She wanted to catch a few of the prettiest ones to give to Matriarch. She turned her head slightly to nod at Luna and then looked at the priest who was explaining with great effort.
She rested her chin on her little hand, wondering why her life felt so unreal. Every day, she went to school, and after school, she would go home and have her mother cook lots of delicious food for her. Her mother would then take her to fly over the nearby flower field or read with her on a bench.
Xu Lingzhao's hand unconsciously touched her braid. Her mother would braid her hair in different ways every day. A slight smile appeared on her lips. She liked her life now, but she always felt that there was a gap in her memory that she could never fill.
The deep, resonant tolling of the bells rang out. The pastor bowed to them, picked up his books, and left the classroom. Seeing this, Luna grabbed Xu Lingzhao's hand and ran outside, excitedly shouting, "Oh! Dear Basilissa, I found a beautiful sea of flowers yesterday when I was flying low, but it's a bit far away."
As Luna spoke, she took Xu Lingzhao's hand and began to fly low. A gentle breeze brushed against their faces, and Xu Lingzhao felt Luna's golden hair lightly brush against her cheek. She turned back and continued, "So I have to hurry and get back before sunset!"
Xu Lingzhao smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling as she replied, "Okay!" Flying low, Xu Lingzhao brushed past many butterflies, their warm light shining on her. At that moment, she felt like a little elf; perhaps they were elves? Her mother told her that the place they lived in was called Passia, meaning—peaceful beauty.
Everywhere you look, there are many children following adults to collect nectar in the sea of flowers to make pastries. If the pastor's explanation is theoretical knowledge, then collecting nectar with their mothers is practice! Xu Lingzhao remembered that Matriarch said he would take her to plant flowers in a few days. People living in Passia cannot just take nectar but must also give back.
Every flower deserves careful care. Xu Lingzhao squinted as he looked at the sun that was hovering in the sky. Passia had no cold winter, only warm sunshine.
“We’re here! Basilissa!” Luna’s breathing was a little rapid, and a blush crept onto her fair skin. She pointed to the sea of flowers in front of her and said to Xu Lingzhao.
Xu Lingzhao followed the direction of her finger and looked at the cluster of flowers. Upon closer inspection, each flower was in full bloom, especially with many golden butterflies perched on them. It was very beautiful. Xu Lingzhao unconsciously walked forward, wanting to gently stroke the fluttering wings of a butterfly, but the next second it flapped its wings and flew away.
"Hahahaha!" Luna's hearty laughter rang out. She said, "These golden butterflies can only be caught with mental power, and we can only have mental power when we reach adulthood." She crouched down and pounced on a pink rose, placing her fists in front of Xu Lingzhao: "Guess if I caught it or not."
Xu Lingzhao pouted, her chubby cheeks puffing out slightly, her golden eyebrows furrowing slightly. After thinking for a moment, she pointed to Luna's right hand and said firmly, "This one!"
Luna chuckled and opened her right hand, which was empty. She blinked slightly, put her hand behind her back, and then took it out again after a while: "Guess again!"
Xu Lingzhao didn't hesitate this time and chose his right hand again—this time it was definitely right! But Luna burst out laughing, revealing her pearly white teeth: "Wrong!"
Luna spread her hands out in front of Xu Lingzhao, both hands were empty!
Xu Lingzhao felt she was being teased, glared at her playfully, and then pounced on Luna, throwing her onto the flowerless grass. Luna, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! Get up!"
Before Xu Lingzhao could even comprehend what was happening, Luna pulled her up and carried her into the air. Her gaze swept over the sea of flowers, and the blush that had appeared on her face from her earlier laughter vanished instantly, replaced by a look of utter despair. There, Luna and Xu Lingzhao saw a species they had never seen before: enormous creatures with snake-like bodies and sickle-shaped forelimbs, covered in hard, dark red carapaces. Their head structures were terrifying; instead of prominent eyes, they had three pairs of deep grooves that gleamed red. Their mouthparts were four fangs shaped like scimitars.
As it roared with its mouth open, the black slime that dripped from its mouth burned the flowers. The sound waves entered Xu Lingzhao's ears, causing her to feel fear involuntarily. What was most deadly was that it could jump, and jump high and far. Luna, carrying Xu Lingzhao, could not keep up with its low-flying altitude.
The moment it lunged at them, Luna pushed Xu Lingzhao away, and the two separated in mid-air. It missed its target and its roar grew louder as more monsters appeared and continued to attack them.
Six-year-old Luna and Xu Lingzhao flew erratically in panic. Xu Lingzhao's eyes were filled with tears. She felt a sharp pain on her back, and then the world spun around her. She was tackled to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna in front of her being tackled to the ground as well. The monster opened its blood-red maw, and just as its fangs were about to touch her...
She abruptly closed her eyes, but the expected pain did not occur. Xu Lingzhao opened her eyes with trembling hands, and a golden barrier appeared before her, blocking the monster's attack.
Xu Lingzhao's gaze swept past the monster. She saw Matriarch appear in the sea of flowers with a group of adults. They were holding weapons. Golden light shone between Matriarch's eyebrows. She looked at the monster with cold eyes. Xu Lingzhao saw a wisp of golden substance enter her own brow.
She felt her fear subside and her tense mind relax. She slowly lay down on the grass, her eyes wanting to close as if they were covered in honey. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was Matriarch holding a long sword and beheading the monster.
Xu Lingzhao slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark, and moonlight streamed through the window onto her face. She turned her head and found Matriarch lying beside her, asleep in her arms. By the moonlight, Xu Lingzhao looked at her mother. She had fair skin, delicate features, and an oval face that showed no signs of aging, but radiated maternal glow.
Her gaze was so intense that Matriarch's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes to meet Xu Lingzhao's gaze. She sat up slightly and turned on the bedside lamp. She stroked Xu Lingzhao's cheek, her tone filled with self-reproach rather than blame: "Baby, it's my fault for not protecting you."
Xu Lingzhao shook her head, her childish voice ringing out in the room: "Mommy, it was me who wanted to catch butterflies." She paused, "How is Luna? Is she hurt?"
"Luna is fine, but you've hurt your back." Matriarch's gentle voice reached Xu Lingzhao's ears. She leaned down and gently kissed Xu Lingzhao's forehead: "Don't worry, you'll get better soon."
Xu Lingzhao nodded and snuggled closer to Matriarch's arms: "Mommy, what were those monsters today? Why have I never seen them before?"
Matriarch sighed softly, her eyes filled with disgust: "That's a type of Zerg called a Hydralisk. All Zerg are cosmic bandits, invaders from another dimension. We thought our planet's coordinates were discreet enough to avoid being affected, but we never expected..." She didn't finish her sentence but instead gripped Xu Lingzhao's hand tightly: "Mom will protect you."
Xu Lingzhao nodded as if she understood, and reached out to smooth Matriarch's furrowed brows: "When I grow up, I want to protect Mom too!"
Matriarch's eyes filled with smiles again. She nodded slightly and looked out the window: "You have to go to school tomorrow. Sleep a little longer, baby. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mom." Xu Lingzhao snuggled back into Matriarch's arms and closed her eyes.
As Matriarch sensed Xu Lingzhao's breathing gradually becoming steady and even, she lowered her eyes. The Zerg Queen could not directly come to this plane where they were, but she controlled a massive Zerg army and, like the Hive, possessed a hive consciousness. Every Zerg was the Queen's eye.
She knew that from the moment the insectoids appeared in Passfia, her carefree and beautiful life was gone forever. Fortunately, the bee race, each adult bee, possessed powerful mental strength and two sides to their own body, having both a human form and a bee form. However, their race was like a grain of sand in the universe.
Unlike other groups that have grown large, their numbers are far less than the Zerg army led by the Queen.
Matriarch looked down at Xu Lingzhao in her arms. Even if she was in a hopeless situation, she would protect her only bloodline. She was the only pure-blooded queen bee.
As long as Basilissa lives, the bee colony will never perish.
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Author's Note: [Rainbow praise][Rainbow praise] I might update more based on the rankings from now on! [Sprinkling flowers]
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