Chapter Text
A warm breeze rustled through the leafy vines, passing through the balcony at a gentle pace. The vines seemed to dance, swaying back and forth in a gentle serene motion. It was moments like these, that he truly cherished. Watching the swaying of white roots in the distance, it was easy to forget the plight of the kingdom and the responsibility it laid out before them.
The Pale King stood at his favorite spot, watching the wind carry through the courtyard below, enjoying this silent moment away from the worries and troubles beyond the White Palace. A moment of peace to soothe his troubled mind from the fears of the infection and its source. It felt like time stood still, and a moment he didn't share alone.
Beside him, his Pure Vessel stood watch silently. Still growing, not yet fully reached their full potential. A teenager in appearance at best, but one already skilled with a blade and in the process of learning Soul magic from their king. The pair of them staring off silently together, sharing the same moment time and time again before. It was this place and these moments in time where the king could glance at their vessel, pride in his heart at how much they've learned and gained. Soon the vessel would reach adulthood and complete their training to withhold the Radiance's infection. The last of the chosen dreamers had finally got their end of the bargain, so it was only a matter of time till the vessel was ready.
The King glances back towards his vessel, waiting for a response as it sometimes did. Slowly, the vessel turns their head back, staring up at him with those hollow eyes.
Tiny moments like this...
Without meaning to, the Pale King reaches one hand over, offering it to the vessel. The vessel looks down, notices the offered hand and carefully, returns with their own, feeling those white clawed fingers curl into a soft embrace. Normally the king would never allow anyone but his wife to lay hands on him, but these tender moments when he would pretend the vessel wasn't hollow, that they were his child and heir, that the troubles of the present didn't exist.
He runs his thumb up and down that black hand, feeling the cool sensation of the carapace. Such tender moments, oh how he mentally and secretly wished they outlasted the tragedies. The king thought on how the vessel could of been a real child, his child. A proper prince or princess of Hallownest. So long as there was the Radiance, that reality would never come.
"Your majesty! Your majesty!"
The Pale King whips his hand away from the vessel's, straightening back up before turning around as if nothing happened. A servant rushes in, out of breath and wheezing up a storm before the king.
"What is it?! You dare disturb me in my moment of solitude? Speak now!" He states, leaning inwards at this bug for interrupting his peace.
The servant takes a moment to catch his breath before bowing before the king and vessel.
"My apologies my King! It's.. it's urgent.. There's.. a.. a... Wyrm!"
The king leans back up, confused at this statement. What did this bug mean by?
"Wyrm? What Wyrm? Are you referring to me?"
"No sire! It's... a wyrm from the wilds! A black wyrm! It was spotted surfacing by one of our sentries stationed outside near the Crystal Peaks mine, it looks to be heading for the kingdom's surface entrance!"
Time suddenly stopped, the king unable to comprehend what was just relayed to him. Of all the timings, here he had been so focused on freeing his kingdom from the slow growth of the infection that he forgotten another dangerous threat that should of been second nature.
Rival Wyrms.
Not many were left in the wider world, most spread far enough that it would be the rarest of rare to encounter two in the same place, usually those were mates looking to breed in more gods into the world and continue their existence of establishing kingdoms and conquered lands.
"Are you.. sure? I do not take kindly to liars." He warns, his fists clenched.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, your highness!" The servant bows again, fear in his eyes.
The Pale King turns to their vessel, thinking hard on what to do. The kingdom was in no shape to summon forth an army, not at this rate with the infection seeping through. Not enough bugs were trained well enough to handle a nail and shield. That meant the duty had to fall on him and his great knights. They alone had to take on the task of ridding the kingdom of this intruder. There was a moment of hesitation from him, staring down at his Pure Vessel. Was it worth bringing it along for this battle? A calculated risk to be sure, and if the circumstances had been different in a more clearer timeline, the king wouldn't dare bring the vessel along for such a dangerous task. Instead... something changes in the wyrm's mind, a split second decision that unknowingly would change his and everyone's fate.
"Summon forth the Great Knights, my vessel and I will accompany them to handle this intrusion. Prepare my armaments, I fear this battle will be of one deadly affair." He commands, waving a hand to dismiss the servant.
"Yes, your majesty!" With that the servant hurries away.
The king takes this moment to gaze back at his vessel. The vessel turns to look back at him, as if out from instinct. Never had they been in a battle this intense. It was one thing to practice with the Great Knights and grow in strength, it was completely the opposite when dealing with a higher being such as a wyrm.
"Dear Vessel, I would not ask you to fight this battle if I did not believe there is a victory for you. However, if you prove capable in this battle, then it is truly a testament to your purity and a symbol of hope to our kingdom."
The Vessel merely stares, as it should, waiting by their king. Secretly, they craved to just go back to the balcony with him, stand by him... hold hands again if in secret. It stands perfectly still as that white hand reaches over, stroking their mask, caressing it ever so softly and without meaning to, lovingly. They would have no idea this would be their final moment together in this room.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Out of the question! How could you just decide to take on this battle without consulting me on the matter? Are your knights not good enough?"
The White Lady paces back in forth in front of her husband, who's arms were outstretched as servants prepared him for battle. Having shed his robes and cloak, the king was clad in shining silvery white armor, wiggling slightly in place from adjustments in fitting. His wings all spread out in full glory, shimmering with that touch of silver sheen in the light while a special back plate was attached.
"My Root, this is far more dangerous than just simply having my knights handle it." He tries to convince her, but she would only halt in her pacing, staring him down.
"Dangerous? It's the Blackwyrm for Godhome sakes! You've told me plenty of stories of your previous life, what your kin are capable of, I know where this is going! Please, I beg of you my Wyrm, don't go out there! What if you can't win? What then? We'll be exiled from the kingdom or worse!"
The King lowers his arms, adjusting the fit on his bracers before relaxing his wings against his armored back. He gazes up to the White Lady, seeing the worry in her eyes. It pained him to see her like this, but she couldn't understand. This was something as old as time could remember the wyrms. They always fought, always claiming kingdoms for themselves and guarded them as greedily as their other winged and legged kin have guarded their treasure hoards deep in monstrous mountains, far away from any bug's memory alive today. An ancient instinct the king had no will to ignore. It must come to past.
"My love, my precious Root. I promise you I will return victorious. I have secured this kingdom, I can continue to keep it safe. The vessel will be accompanying me as we-"
"You're bringing the vessel as well!? Have you gone mad, Wyrm!? What about them? What if something happens to them and you can't save them? How will the infection be stopped? Oh Wyrm I don't want to go through with the plan all over again!" The Queen panicked, blue eyes filled with fear and worry.
The king could only sigh, bowing his head slightly to his wife. He could feel her fear, her concern. Indeed it was a calculated risky move to bring the vessel along, but in his chest he felt the vessel could do it. If they could defeat a rival Wyrm, then the Radiance stands no chance.
"I understand your fears, but know that if the vessel is successful, it will truly give hope to our people. To defeat a Wyrm, takes quite of bit of skill. It is no easy victory but one earned will prove they can withstand the Radiance."
He takes her hands into his, tenderly leans in to kiss them. How could she say no to his eternal love for her?
"I promise you my Root, for I can see our Vessel victorious. They will survive."
The White Lady sighs softly, reaching down with a branch to caress his smooth face. The King leans into the touch, only to shift away to dismiss his servants out of the room. Once alone, does he return to the affections of his wife. He suddenly feels weightless as a branch reaches down to pick up his body, pressing him closer to her chest into a loving embrace.
"I will await the news of your victory, my Wyrm. I love you as the night sky loves her stars."
"And I you, Root. Nothing shines as bright as I do in this dark world than my love for you."
The pair remained in that bond, sharing in the close embrace of one another, a rarity in these trying times over the kingdom. Shame it would never be..
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The winds of the wild howl over the Eastern side of the kingdom's borders on the surface.
Standing at the edge of a cliff, the Pale King held his ground, his vessel now clad in armor of their own, by his left side. Behind them, the king's most loyal and noble Great Knights, Isma, Dryya, Ze'mer, Hegemol, and Ogrim. Each knight held their ground, weapons in hand. They stare out into the barren wilds below, waiting for a sign.
"It's quiet..." Hegemol mutters, lowering the heavy mace close to the ground to save strength.
"Too quiet..." The Pale King whispers back, only feeling the cold wind of the wilds blowing in his face. His hands flinched, claws nearly clinking on one another, anxiety building up.
Minutes passed by and still no sign of the Blackwyrm. Each knight took the position of scanning everywhere from every angle in case of a ambush from behind. Still, nothing to indicate the intruder's approach aside from a entrance and exit tunnel just close to the horizon. While the knights kept visual, the king remained in his far off stare, eyes focused on one point, seeking with his magic, waiting.
"Hah! It would seem the brute has withdrawn after seeing the might of our band of knights!" The voice of Ogrim laughs, sticking his chest out and slams a claw against his armor.
The ground immediately shakes violently, all party members bracing themselves from falling. As quickly as the ground rumbled, it dies down much to the confusion of the group. The King hones in on a particular section of rock and dirt, watching tiny pebbles tremble before dancing feverishly.
"There!"
The ground erupts, breaking away as a shimmering black mass rockets into the sky. It climbs for the heavens, coiling back on itself before it's terrible armored head turns to face the group. Four eyes stare down, and the great god roars out, shaking the ground for miles. Segmented scales laced with sharp points on either side, a multitude of small spikes randomly jutting out from various plates along its back, and a twisted tail that ended in a plume of 'hair' as dark as ash and soot could only belong to one great being.
The Blackwyrm.
The King takes a step back, staring up at this monstrous foe. He keeps his stance, but deep down inside, he wanted to run away. If he was still in his original form, he'd have a better chance, but in his new, much smaller form, he gave up bestial strength for intelligence for all bug kind. Even now, the desire to run was kept in check, not just for being in front of his knights, but for his own ancestral instincts he couldn't transform out of.
The Blackwyrm set its sights for the king, recognizing that pale glow. Seeing what form the Pale Wyrm has taken after its absent in the outer world, the kin roars out, and lunges for the king.
"Attack!" The king shouts, and his hands flexes outwards. Emitting from his palms, appears a set of nails made entirely of Soul and he immediately takes flight to avoid the gaping maw crashing into him.
At once the knights attack, sending all they had against the massive Wyrm's bulk. The Pale King stays in the air, swinging his soul nails for the face, only able to cut shallow grooves into the beast's shell. Hegemol takes a swing of their mace, landing a great blow to one segment of scale enough to distract the Blackwyrm from the king. It roars out, and attempt to smack the knight away with the side of its head.
Dryya whips out her blade, dashing as fast she manages, and jabs it into a soft exposed section between plates on the creature. Another roar, and the wyrm's tail flings around, banging the ground to dislodge the weapon, and slams dangerously close to the young knight as Isma rushes in to offer aid. It goes for her, gaping mouth inhaling air in hopes of sucking in the knights one by one into its maw.
Leaping into the danger, the Pure Vessel stands against the wind current, and with some concentration, unleashes four soul daggers from their right hand. The weapons rocket forward, injuring the wyrm enough for it to rear back, roaring enough that it could be felt all the way to the Crystal Peaks.
"Excellent job, Hollow Knight!" Ogrim couldn't help but praise the vessel, standing its ground still as Dryya and Isma clear away to heal and regroup. Taking his turn, Ogrim balls up for a dive attack, digging through soft dirt before launching himself into the air, tucking himself in before slamming against the wyrm's bulk.
The knights continued their attempts, but none of it seemed to deal any real harm towards the Blackwyrm. Its eyes only cared for one thing: The Pale King. It roars in anger, whipping around trying to get its maw around the flying king, only to receive swipes of his Soul nails for it's trouble. It whips around, following the king and lunges every time, head digging into the ground. Sometimes a knight would get too close and nearly go down with the wyrm's head, only for it to receive a barrage of attacks.
With a slam of its tail, the wyrm manages to knock away a section of mountain rock, tumbling for the knights.
"Watch out!" Hegemol calls out, using his mace to deter some flying rocks from coming close to the group.
The Pure Vessel gazes up, watching their king dart around like a mad wasp, just out of reach of the Blackwyrm to hand blow after blow. Yet, something wasn't right. No matter what their attacks just wasn't fazing the monster. They look down at at their free hand, before looking back up. The moment the wyrm's head lowers in order to follow and track the Pale King coming in for a low swoop to drag their nails across the underbelly scales, a volley of Soul daggers fly from their hand, only to stagger to the ground.
Using so much Soul was getting to them, slowing them down. They had barely any training with Soul magic, so their attacks were possibly weak at best. They had to try, for the king's sake, for the kingdom's sake.
One of those soul daggers manages to hit the wyrm in one of its eyes. Reeling back, the wyrm shrieks, shaking its head side to side, pewter colored blood ebbing from the mask socket. The Pale King halts his attacks, watching to see if the beast retreats.
Instead the air suddenly feels charged, everyone's armor feels tingly to the touch and tiny pebbles begin to rise. Then the king realizes what is about to happen.
"Look out!" He shouts, flying out of the way.
The Blackwyrm's mouth crackles to life, black lightning dancing around its maw until it turns on its foes, releasing a deadly blast of electricity, so powerful it carves into the very rock. The knights barely had enough time to dodge the attack, rocks falling into piles, some charged with a purplish black glow. Now it has its attention on the vessel. It didn't know what this puny thing was but it could smell the Pale Wyrm's blood in its being and it must be destroyed!
It rears its head back, practically ignoring the Pale King going for another swipe at its massive neck. Another charge of electricity and the beast fires it towards the vessel. In response, they dash out of the way, rolling into a rock pile. They stagger back up, looking tired and in need of more Soul soon to continue their magic attacks, their nail art just not performing to the best of their abilities.
Another blast, and the vessel dodges the beam again, only to hear the pained screams of one of the knights. They couldn't tell who it was, the world was buzzing and spinning. They had to get back up, had to keep fighting. Brandishing their nail, they swipe the air, proceeding to challenge the Blackwyrm to one on one combat.
This only infuriates the godly beast. It accepts this challenge, if it means squashing this pathetic excuse for the Pale Wyrm's spawn. Snuff out the small light then the big one. It attacks, slamming its head into the rock, shooting up spears of lightning at its command, spinning towards the vessel. In return, they dodge and weave, leaping from rock to rock to avoid getting hit. They swing their nail, putting damage on the Blackwyrm before dodging out of the way. Another head dive attack, met with a rapid swing of the vessel's nail. The battle rages on till one looks weary from fighting.
The beast snarls, going to try and simply engulf the vessel in its maw. It tries to dodge out of the way, but with little space to work with, they could only watch hopelessly, spotting the electricity forming inside the mouth, a deadly blast to be sure. Nothing could escape this...
"VESSEL!"
The young Hollow Knight watches in stunned silence, the pale light of the King flying for them so hard, his wings appeared like mere blurs. It was a scene played in slow motion. The Pale King arrives, his Soul nails disappearing so he could use both hands freely. The pair exchange glances, both of worry and fear. The Pale King was a coward at heart, but his love for his vessel, his child, overcame that cowardice in the most critical moment. His hands grab for the Vessel's white cloak, and in that moment in time, the pair stare into each other eyes more closely. The world might as well have been frozen in time, the blast of the Blackwyrm's beam erupting at what was perceive as a snail's pace.
Then time caught back up, and the Vessel was flung away into the underside of a rock leaning up against another to form a shelter. All they could hear was the explosive boom, a flash of white light and roar of rocks falling alongside the Blackwyrm. The world swam in their head, vision fuzzing until at last they submit to their unconsciousness...
But not before witnessing the pale light go out, forever.