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The Knight was leaving the abyss that sat at the bottom of Hallownest, having obtained the Shade Cloak from its depths. It hopped to and fro from the platforms, dodging the spikes that covered them, before finally gripping onto the platform that overlooked the abyss, in a way that felt oddly familiar. As the Knight hoisted itself up, escaping the dreaded abyss that it originated from, its eyes caught the sight of Hornet, staring back at it.
“Ghost. I see you’ve faced the place of your birth, and now drape yourself in the substance of its shadow.” she said slowly.
The Knight nodded apprehensively, the image of thousands of its dead siblings lining the floor still fresh in its mind. The thought that should things have gone slightly differently, the Knight could’ve been a part of that pile. Hornet didn’t notice, but the Knight was shaking.
“Though our strength is born of a similar source, that part of you, that crucial emptiness, I do not share.”
Staring at its own claws, the Knight continued to shake. A small trickle of void dribbled out of its left eye.
“Funny then, that such darkness gives me hope. Within it, I see the chance of change.”
The Knight looked up from its claws and at Hornet. Her gaze was as cold as ever, but it couldn’t help but see the wistful dreaming in her eyes. Unlike it, her eyes showed life, not emptiness. Not emptiness like the corpses that littered the abyss. Something broke in the Knight at that moment, and it lurched forward, void now heavily leaking from its eyes, just as Hornet began speaking again.
“A difficult journey you would fa-AAH!” she started, but was cut off by the Knight’s approach.
The Knight had wrapped its arms around Hornet, face buried into her cloak, shaking uncontrollably. She was understandably startled by this, however after a moment of uncertainty as to how to react, she eased into the embrace and wrapped an arm around the Knight, the other still holding her needle. She began to rub the back of its head in an attempt to comfort the little vessel, and its shaking decreased somewhat. The flow of void from its eyes still continued, and while under normal circumstances Hornet would be angry about it getting her cloak dirty, she understood that there were more important matters at the moment.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I understand.” Hornet comforted.
Seeing the Knight so visibly distraught, Hornet made a promise to herself. She would never let anything happen to this vessel, no matter what.