Evolution begins with an ant colony

Akun then spoke with an imposing tone as he directed his gaze at the dryads, "And now that brings me back to what I said earlier. I'll only save one of them, so choose."

The dryads finally grasped the motive behind Akun's actions and found no argument to bring to the table about whether any of this was actually justified.

The elders exchanged knowing glances, all secretly trying to decide their next course of action.

Suddenly, Princess Rinalef's voice erupted as she bowed her head and pleaded, "Please! I beg of you. I'll do whatever you say from now on. I don't care what it is; all that I ask is..." She slowly raised her head to reveal her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and tears streamed down her face.

Akun then replied with a cold tone as he narrowed his gaze, "As I said earlier, you are in no position to be making demands. Your only option is to choose." His purple eyes seemed to glow with eerie intensity as he gazed coldly at her.

Upon hearing that statement, the princess sobbed even more.

The elders then stopped gazing at each other and directed their collective gaze at Akun.

Elder Thalanor crawled towards the princess and brought her in for a hug as he patted her head.

Elder Aelorin then asked, bowing her head in a show of respect, "Young liege, what is it we could do for you that you may save both of our rulers? You simply need to state it, and we will do our best to see it done."

Akun simply replied, "I have no demands. If there were any, you all should make your decision quickly."

A bead of sweat formed on Elder Aelorin's face as she lifted her head and gazed at Akun. She then redirected her gaze at the dryad rulers, who were bedridden, their conditions growing worse by the moment.

Inwardly, Elder Aelorin mused, "How could I possibly choose? I watched these two grow since they were little—how they fell in love, how they ruled. Every moment of shared happiness. I couldn't possibly pick one over the other. It would feel like I had betrayed their trust."

The room fell into a hushed silence, disrupted only by the sobs of the princess.

Suddenly, Akun's voice broke the silence as he spoke, "Oh, something I forgot to tell all of you."

The dryads all focused their gaze on Akun as they awaited his next words. Akun's voice sent chills down their collective spines as his words resonated with eerie intensity, "Back in the original timeline, I had taken out my anger on the entire dryad tribe, completely eradicating every single one of you.

Although you elders put up a fierce fight, you all met your ends in the end." His words were a grim recount of the fates that befell the dryads in the alternate timeline.

Akun continued, his voice laced with dead seriousness, "So if you all decide to waste my time without choosing, I don't mind sending you all along with your rulers to the afterlife."

His statement mounted pressure on the already difficult situation, and the dryads now had to make a choice before Akun decided to grant them such a fate.

Akun then added, "I'll give you all 10 seconds to decide." As he spoke, a green semitranslucent clock appeared beside him. The sound of its hands ticking seemed to echo throughout the royal chambers.

Akun continued, "Once those 30 seconds are up," he paused momentarily, his voice becoming increasingly cold as he concluded, "then I will gladly be sending you all on your way."

The dryads all wore grim expressions as they knew the fate that awaited them once their time ran out.

Inwardly, Elder Aelorin mused, "So now we must make a choice, not only for their sakes but for ours as well. But I don't think I could ever make such a decision." She cast her gaze to the bedridden dryad rulers, musing further, "But if I don't, all of us will die along with them... I will end up breaking the promise I made."

Inwardly, Elder Nyressa mused, "I never thought the day would come where we would be given the choice between the frying pan or the fire. Either way, we still get burned. Either way, we still lose something. I don't think I can bear the pain of losing the people important to me again. Such pain isn't something I think I could handle."

Inwardly, Elder Sylara's thoughts receded. "To be forced to make such a decision—what we did to the young liege was truly unforgivable. But I'm sure even if we found ourselves in that situation with this knowledge, we would still make the same decision." She clenched her fists as she mused further, "We had no other choice.

If it is for the people we care about, we would do anything, even if it means we have to go against a god."

Gazing at Akun with a mix of fear and respect, Elder Thalanor mused inwardly, "Look at those eyes, so cold, so distant, like he has seen it all. He is like me but better. When my comrades were slaughtered during the Draconic War, I didn't dare think of revenge. How would a mere mortal like me be able to stand up to a god? The thought alone froze me with fear. But not anymore.

Although it took me thousands of years to realize, I can now confidently say, no matter the odds, I'll stand by the people I care about. I won't betray their trust in me by picking one over the other. No, I would rather die and be sent with them to the afterlife." He clenched his fists.

Suddenly, Akun's voice echoed, sending a chill down their spines. "5 seconds left."

Akun then began to count down, "4, 3, 2..." The Dryad elders didn't show any signs of changing their minds; they had all unanimously chosen not to betray the trust of their beloved rulers. Or so they thought.

"I've chosen to save my mother," a voice echoed from the other corner of the room beside the Dryad queen. It belonged to Rinalef, who cried as she rested her head on her mother's abdomen. Clearly sad and feeling conflicted, she had been forced to choose one of her parents over the other, but the thought of dying also terrified her.

The elders were caught off guard by Rinalef's choice, but they all wore an understanding expression. Rinalef, in a sense, was still a child, so they couldn't possibly hold it against her for making a choice.