2026 Star Festival Prompt
Fire Ant Fiasco (14) : Fire ants are an unfortunate part of summer, but this year they're worse than ever. It's bad enough that they're so plentiful, but their bites also burn far more intensely than usual. What begins as a sharp sting quickly spreads into a sensation that feels like liquid fire running through your veins. The heat can become overwhelming. Some victims compare it to a severe allergic reaction; others insist it feels as though they are overheating from the inside out. Skin may flush, muscles may ache, and everything can suddenly feel unbearable. The effects are painful, but never lethal. Cold showers, ice packs, frozen treats, and air conditioning can provide temporary relief, but there is no known cure beyond waiting it out. For some, the symptoms fade within minutes. For others, the feverish sensation can linger for hours. No one knows what's causing these unusually aggressive reactions, but you should probably be extra careful outside this year.
Having been homeless a lot of his life, Leiko liked to think that not much bothered him when it came to nature. Or, really, when it came to much at all. So when he reached down to pick up a shiny gold star charm from the ground and got bit by a fire ant that had been crawling across it, he didn't think much of it as he blew the little creature off his thumb. At least until the bite began to burn much more intensely than Leiko ever remembered any ant bite ever burning him. How odd. Weirder still was not only did the pain not stop or even lessen, it only got worse. His blood felt like it had been set on fire because his veins burned so badly. Leiko felt like he was overheating at his core.
He tried to go indoors and stand in front of a fan and then an air conditioner. Each time, they brought a little relief, but only for a short duration. The young man wondered if he was running a fever. What on earth kind of fire ant had bitten him? Was there Destiny City's magic at play again? Had the thing been a youma of some kind? The Negaverse had never really struck him as particularly scary before, but he was beginning to rethink his opinion of them. Surely they hadn't sent such a creature to attack people on purpose, had they? Especially if it was attacking civilians because then they might have easily attacked other Negaverse agents without realizing it.
The blond gasped as his light skin flushed and he found it difficult to move because his muscles ached. He supposed that wasn't too different from joints aching when one was sick, but the symptoms were still too different. Going to lie on a couch with a fan aimed directly at his face, he stripped to the barest of his clothes, but still, he got dreadfully little relief. He had never felt anything like that particular fire ant's bite before. He wondered if he was dying. Everything felt so agonizing he almost wished he were dead.
Just when he thought he couldn't bear it any longer, however, the intense heat seemed to begin to fade. Leiko was shocked to realize his whole ordeal had only lasted around an hour. It had felt like an eternity. Jumping up from the couch, he went back outside and searched for where he had found the gold star charm and the ant that had been crawling on it. Then he found the ant's nest - an ant hill not far away - and quickly ran off to the nearest art store.
When Leiko returned, he had yellow duct tape and black sharpies which he used to write 'caution' all over the yellow tape. He made his own caution tape with both materials and taped off the little ant hill to make sure people didn't accidentally step on it or even go near it if they could help it. Whatever was wrong with those ants, he didn't want anyone else getting hurt like he had.
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