Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wander was bored. Their father was in a meeting.

The White Palace was a large, sprawling labyrinth of adventure for the little vessel most of the time. Wander, a child of the king with two thin horns split at the tips, knew this intimately. They had explored the royal halls multiple times today already, their appetite for adventure insatiable, but even the massive structure of the palace could seem small when you'd seen every nook and cranny at least three times over in a single day (even the nooks and crannies they weren't supposed to know about; they wondered when the Pale King would realize it was Wander shoving their tools an inch further to the left each day? They couldn't wait for when that 'inch' just meant putting the tools on the floor rather than the desk)!

But today their father, the Pale King, was busy. Wander's siblings were all busy too; either they were in schooling, having a nap, or were under the supervision of their Favourite Person. A “Favourite Person” was a special title. All vessels had one of these important individuals around the palace. A Favourite Person was a special and honoured term amongst the siblings for people that they deemed were very good and fun people to be around. Some vessels picked the same Favourite Person as another sibling, and some picked a person no one else had. In the end, each sibling only ever had one that they would pick. Whether it was a guardsman, a particular teacher, or, as in their sibling Hallow's case, one of their parents. Hallow, whose horns were a little bigger than Wander's despite them being egg-mates, was happily sat in the Pale King's lap as he and one of the Dreamers were drinking tea and debating the finer points of some random political issue. Herrah always seemed more pleasant when the Pale King had a little one around, and the king wasted no dignity in taking advantage of that fact.

The Pale King was Hallow's Favourite Person. Wander, bored out of their shell, was about to start bothering their own. Now if only they could find them!

Their Favourite Person was special. Very special. Wander was the only one able to find them with any regularity; in fact, Wander knew they were probably the only one of their siblings that knew about them! Dryya, one of the knights, knew. She was training with them, after all. But she was the only one, as none of their other siblings believed that they existed, and no one else in the palace acknowledged their presence either. Wander wasn't sure they wanted to tell anyone anymore, anyways. They were a little bit greedy, after all, and their Favourite Person was the best Favourite Person of them all.

Fittingly, for being so hard to find, their name... was Ghost.

Ghost was their biggest sibling. They had eight eyes (although sometimes more or less), multiple curved horns unmatched in their regal curvature (even if the exact spread and shape of the horns shifted a little), and four terrifyingly (in all the best ways!) long, sharp-edged arms tipped in wicked claws, and a body robed in vast shadows. Ghost was, without a doubt, the best Favourite Person of all the Favourite People the siblings had. Even if Wander was one of the only ones that believed they existed. Ghost was so sneaky and amazing at hiding that they could hide from anyone, except Wander themselves of course! Ghost could even hide their void-speak and presence from the other siblings, which was amazing. Only Wander could see through their tricks, because Ghost had once admitted that Wander was special. That did mean that no one believed Wander when they tried to tell them about Ghost though. They just said some drivel about how it was 'cute' that Wander had an imaginary friend, and left it at that. Oh well. If no one believed Wander about Ghost's existence, the Wander could keep Ghost all to themself without any guilt. Can't say they didn't try, after all! Ghost seemed to like it that way, anyway.

Ghost was, as it turns out, also very shy. Hence why they were so hard to find usually. Wander could always sense when they were near, but almost never pinpoint where exactly they were unless Ghost specifically wanted to be found. They could hide in shadows after all (and didn't Wander beg them endlessly to learn such a trick)! But today, Wander realized with elation, today was one of those days that Wander was able to find them all on their own. They located them as they watched from a balcony three stories up. As they leaned against the bars overlooking the same garden with the Pale King, they just barely spotted them. Eight white eyes blinked in the shadows cast by bushes around the outside of the garden. It seemed like Ghost was watching over the meeting today, looking at the Pale King and their sibling, Hallow, with a gaze filled with nostalgia and melancholy.

Wander wanted to play. But the bestest Favourite Person of all Favourite Persons was, well, a little distracted to say the least. Fortunately this was an easy enough fix. “Ghost? Look at me Ghost!” They said through the void, poking and prodding at them with a mix of glee and eagerness. Talking directly through the void meant that no one would overhear their conversation, and Wander was a little tired of other bugs asking why they were talking to themselves.

They got something of a grumpy, “Not now,” back, along with an emotion a bit between an apology and disgruntlement. That was the nice thing about the void; you could -send- things like emotions, and even memories, if you were good enough. None of this silly 'emoting' or 'sign language' or, worst yet, the dreaded 'words' Wander was always told to write on silk-paper or slate. So slow! So cumbersome! No wonder the retainers in the castle were always taking weeks to get anything done!

Still. It seemed like Ghost was not to be swayed with words or void-sent impressions alone. They usually weren't though, so this was fine by Wander. Wander had more than enough available options. Wander reached under their cloak, and pulled out one of those favourite options. The one that always got them scolded if they were caught playing with them in the halls. Wander leaned out as far as they could through the balcony's fence, stuck their forelimb between the bars, aimed, and let go. With a muted "whunk!", the stone landed smack in the middle of the shadow Ghost was hiding in. Wander grinned at their aim. Ghost became concerned.

Then they dropped another.

And another!

And another.

Ghost began to hiss, and scold, and get angry-but-not-mean, and also get very Don't-Do-That, like every time Wander was being naughty. They especially got like that when they were being naughty on purpose, such as that one time they stole four small cakes from the kitchen. Wander had promptly given them one of said cakes, and Ghost had been less mad after that. Wander did not have cake to give Ghost this time. So as Wander continued to drop stones on their hiding place, Ghost only got more hissy, and scolding, and really-really-mad-but-not-nasty, and very much told them to, “Quit it now!” in a tone that did actually scare Wander a little. But Wander kept dropping stones, because Ghost was feeling something else and not controlling it very well.

Ghost was panicking. Panicking in the same way that three of their siblings had that one time when Wander caught them trying to steal Herrah's mask while she was asleep, and promptly woke her up to tattle on them as they stared on in abject horror.

In short? It was hilarious.

“Stop! No! Don't you dare! BAD WANDER! You'll break my cover! STOPPIT!!” Ghost yelped telepathically. Ghost was freaking out, and Wander was laughing. They were laughing so hard that they had to start smacking the bars in front of them with their free hand, making a "ting!" sound every time their claws hit, just to deal with all the hilarity they couldn't get out of their system otherwise. They broadcast utter glee to everyone in the vicinity that would hear them, and dropped another stone right between the pair of eyes that Ghost was using to glare up at them from the shadows.

Their sibling, Hallow, looked towards them from their perch in the king's lap. Wander barely managed to catch a few feelings of puzzlement, curiosity about where Wander was getting all the rocks from, and then utter dismissal and denial as if Hallow wanted nothing to do with whatever Wander was up to, thanks but no, washing my hands of this, have a nice day.

The Pale King was not so dismissive. "Oh look! Little Wander, what are you up to now?"

Ghost had freaked out before, but now they absolutely FREAKED OUT when the Pale King began approaching their hiding place. In a flash they had bolted to a bush a few paces away as they desperately tried to stay hidden. Ghost could hide in the shadows, but the Pale King's glow would banish any and all natural darkness, exposing Ghost's unnatural form. Wander watched the king approach, going very still. The Pale King went to Ghost's last hiding spot, investigating it. "Is there something you wanted to show me, little Wander?"

Wander paused. They looked at the new bush Ghost was under, held up another stone, and threw it at Ghost once more as the eldest sibling shrieked blue bloody murder in Wander's inner ears.

It. was. GLORIOUS.

The same song and danced happened at least three more times. Ghost began to run out of convenient bushes or other plants to hide under. The Pale King looked a little perplexed after the second bush yielded nothing, seemingly confused about which locations Wander would lead him to, so Wander would clap at him happily whenever he got it right. The Pale King was also taking longer and longer to investigate each spot however, humming and hawwing loudly. “Oh, I wonder, maybe it is under THIS one this time! Is it, little Wander? Is the thing here?” Wander couldn't figure out why their father was making such a spectacle of the search, but whatever. It was fun! Eventually Ghost had been backed into a corner, and here, Wander paused, stone in hand. Not only were they a far way aways from Wander now, perhaps too far to throw a stone, Ghost was actually beginning to get scared in the not-fun sort of way. Not only that, there was nowhere left to run. Herrah was watching like a sentinel, her mandibles clacking in amusement under her mask. If Wander threw the stone now, it was very likely Ghost would be found.

Wander paused. They thought for a moment. And then they threw the stone away from Ghost, into the clearing at the center of the garden. It landed with a rustle of grass not far from the table where Herrah sat.

“Oh, over there now, is it? My my.” The Pale King trotted leisurely to the spot, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He stooped down and picked up the stone, Herrah watching him, as Ghost made a breakaway back to one of the original bushes. Wander threw stones at the bush again, because now Ghost had an escape route, and trapping them when they didn't have an escape would have made the game very unfair. Not fair was not fun, after all. This time, however, the Pale King did not go to the spot. “Oh dear,” he began, stretching out to his full height “I'm rather tired now. My apologies little Wander, it got away from me, I guess.” Wander's father then meandered back to the table where Herrah sat delightedly sipping her tea. Wander tried to throw a few more stones to get his attention again, but no luck. Even worse, Wander realized, they only had a half-dozen stones left!

Wander pouted, realizing that the jig was up unless they wanted to waste their last precious pieces of ammo. Ghost, meanwhile, sent both a sigh of relief and a warning. “You are in SO much trouble when I get up there,” they grumbled, unheard by anyone but Wander.

“Then come get me!” Wander yelled happily at them, not bothering to hide their void-borne call. Hallow overheard and gave them The Look, one they had perfected from watching their father. Hallow clearly felt that they were being a little bit childish and unruly. Wander respected this sentiment by ignoring it entirely, instead, dashing away so that Ghost could follow. “Hey Hallow! Come up here and play tag, too!”

Hallow did the non-physical version of blinking slowly, then sent a, “No thanks. I'm good,” through the void in response. Wander sent them a whiff of disappointment before they kept running away, entirely sure Ghost was going to follow them now that their mood for spying had been soured. Hallow was the one sibling they really, really wished would believe them about Ghost existing, because Hallow was their next-favourite sibling next to Ghost... but, oh well. One thing at a time. Getting Hallow to play at all was hard enough!

Wander ducked and dodged and snuck their way out of sight. The retainers had long ago given up on keeping tabs on Wander. No doubt they all thought someone else was keeping an eye on them, as was the case with their other siblings. But Nope! Wander could out-sneak and escape them all!

All but one.

Ghost pounced on them. Little Wander was gently bowled over by a large, playful shadow that quickly dissipated back onto oblivion, the world (minus Wander) none-the-wiser about their antics. Wander giggled and squirmed happily. They sat themselves back up, looking around for their sibling. A small little tendril of shadow, like an elongated bee's antennae, began waving around on the floor. Wander immediately set to trying to catch it, even if they knew it was literally just a shadow.

“That was quite a mean little trick,” Ghost warned telepathically. The shadow tendril began to form the true shape of their sibling, whose arms appeared to be crossed. Wander felt guilty for a moment. Then they stopped feeling guilty, because it was Ghost's fault for ignoring them in the first place.

“Play?” they asked with sign language, because it made Ghost happy when Wander made an effort to learn.

Even as little more than a shadow, Ghost's eight-eyed eye roll was all but audible. A good-natured aura came from them all the same, filled with fondness. They stuck their arm out to the side, the shadow of their hand clearly visible.

“Play,” they signed back, and Wander couldn't be happier. Ghost snuck into Wander's shadow, then immediately started to lead the younger sibling to somewhere they could cavort properly, by making Wander's shadow point the way. Wander followed diligently, because this was a tactic they'd used many times before.

Later, the retainers would all giggle to themselves about Wander's weird behaviour that day, staring down at the floor and all but running while chasing their own shadow. No one could figure out how the little vessel managed to never hit any walls, despite looking straight down...

Chapter Text

Wander was bored. But not for long.

The bestest, most awesome-Favourite-Person-ever, Ghost, was taking them on a trip. A 'learning trip' they said, because they thought it was important that Wander learn all sorts of skills about the world that they just couldn't learn properly in the palace. Or so they said. All Wander knew is that they were getting to go on a field trip, and they loved field trips with all of their void-stained heart.

For most of the siblings, field trips were very rare. The children of royalty were small, often frail, and far too naive about the intentions of others. Having been raised in a palace and spoiled rotten, many of Wander's siblings thought nothing of trotting up to the nearest bug and demanding attention. They almost always got it, too. They would get love, and hugs, and treats, and cookies, and all sorts of bugs doting on them in the palace. Not so in the outside world. Ghost had, very carefully, begun teaching Wander all sorts of cool and scary things. It started with Ghost showing them what bugs were like outside of the palace. Some bugs were very solitary. They couldn't care less about your existence if you ran up to them, but would bite or scratch if you got too close or scared them, like tiktiks. Others were mean and seemed to love making other bugs hurt and went out of their way to do it, like squits, but they weren't always smart about it. Others still, like big doofy gruzzers, were even less smart. If you got hurt by a gruzzer, it was pretty much your fault for being in their way, even if they really never meant to hurt you.

But then there were those like The Hunter.

Wander had been poking at a dead squit in Greenpath, Ghost watching from the shadows, when it happened. There'd suddenly been a huge rustling of bushes, a snapping of branches, and a whoosh as their elder sibling moved. Wander had turned around, squit body in hand, to see a stare-off between their favourite big sibling and some sort of massive, six-eyed bush of a monster with spindly black legs and multiple massive teeth. Wander dropped the squit. The atmosphere had been utterly intense; the wildlife going silent as dust and leaves settled down from where plants had been knocked into the air by the massive ambusher's charge. Even as innocent and curious as they had been, Wander had known that there was something Very Dangerous about this new bug. Ghost flared up, the intruder flexed their claws, and the two sized each other up with silent intensity.

Wander did what they did best, and wandered forward to get a better look. Ghost was only a couple of paces away after all, and the new bug only a couple more after that. They looked up at the big, new bug with cautious curiosity. Ghost unconsciously placed a hand between Wander and them, gently sliding the smaller child underneath themselves protectively. The other bug chuckled, and backed off.

“A fearless little one. Perhaps a hunter like myself? Perhaps a hunter like you. Teach this little one to stalk, to kill, to understand. I look forward to their potential.”

The big creature slowly backed off, apparently having decided that the confrontation wouldn't be worth it. They gave Wander an almost fond look though, and their tone belied respect and curiosity more than anything. Wander decided that they must be a good bug and tried to sneak around Ghost to get a better look, and Ghost actually allowed it. Though still defensive, they'd clearly realized that this wouldn't come to blows. Wander figured Ghost was probably just nervous about the fact that they'd been seen by a sentient bug. Ghost always made sure to keep their field trips a secret, after all, because their father didn't like his children adventuring off outside the palace (a failed raid on the gatehouse, and a severe lecture to them and the other nineteen siblings that had been in the raid, attested to that fact very well). Still, the two vessels respectfully moved away from where they'd encountered The Hunter, and that field trip ended sooner rather than later (much to Wander's disappointment).

Wander had learned a lot about different types of bugs on that particular field trip. The Hunter was a rare type of bug, it seemed, that was incredibly dangerous if you didn't have their respect. Wander thinks they like that type of bug.

However, today's field trip wasn't about learning about other kinds of bugs, fun as that could be. Today was something entirely new. It was about swimming.

Wander knew about the City of Tears. They'd heard about it from their Mother and Father and many of the retainers, and really wanted to go there. So wet! What was rain like? Were all the buildings big like the palace? But Ghost said there were way too many people there for a field trip, so Wander wouldn't get to see the city quite yet. That didn't mean that it wasn't the first place Wander thought of when Ghost told them they were going to learn to swim.

“Are we going to the city? Can we get to see the city!?” Wander had asked, but Ghost had shaken their head.

“No. But we are going somewhere else just as cool.”

Wander had been utterly ecstatic. Somewhere else just as cool? Oh, they wanted to know! So they pestered and prodded at the elder sibling for answers. But Ghost was silent and stoic as ever, even a little unsettled for some reason, so Wander patiently waited until the actual event to see just where they were being taken. On the day of the trip, Ghost pulled them into the shadows (just like they'd practiced, and Wander was very proud of their sibling,) and they swiftly traveled through many corridors, under an extremely thick and sturdy door, and into a new but very fun place. The size of the natural structure spreading out before them blew Wander's mind.

The Abyss. Was. AWESOME.

It was so deep that you could stack two whole palaces in there on top of each other and still have room for more. It was so vast that you could toss a rock and hear the echoes rebound for a full minute. It was so dark that you couldn't see ten paces in front of you, so every step showed something new. And it had void, so much void, that Wander felt like their mind was drowning and cuddling in an eternity of their siblings, but more silent. More... absent.

Wander was elated. But Ghost felt... sad?

The smaller child looked up at their sibling in concern and confusion as they looked around, nostalgia and melancholy reflected in their demeanour. Their elder family member soon waved Wander's concern off. Instead they scooped up their happily shrieking sibling and, with Wander snugly holding themselves between their horns, jumped into the darkness. Using exaggerated leaps and bounds that made the younger bug wobble precariously on their perch, Ghost jumped and wall-bounced and leaped their way into the darkness below. Shadow creepers skittered away like over-sized tiktiks, occasionally tipping themselves over the edges of platforms and holding on for dear life. The pair came to a sudden stop right above a black sea. Wander looked at it and knew, they immediately knew... That they needed to jump into it. Immediately. And so they did. With a void-sent yell of joy, they launched themselves off their bigger sibling's horns and straight into the darkness below with a silent sploosh.

Ghost, above, still seemed a little out of sorts at the moment. They kept looking around, as if expecting to see something else but not finding it. Wander thought that they were being rather silly, being nervous when there was all this awesome void to float in, so they dutifully sacrificed one of the many stones that they'd hoarded (because it was fun to throw things and stones were the best things to throw), chucking the large pebble at their sibling. The stone clipped the tip of a horn, then clattered onto the platform. Ghost was sufficiently distracted by this, glaring down at Wander. It was quite a stern look, but there was a glint of trickery in the gaze. Wander immediately knew that they were, without a doubt, going to get it.

Ghost launched themselves off the platform with a calamitous splash. Wander was launched out of the void with the vessel version of a yelp, and tumbled right back down. They went under for a moment, then bobbed back to the surface because thankfully, being made of void meant you were pretty buoyant. Maybe Wander should have worried about whether or not they could float before jumping into an endless abyssal sea, but oh well. Hindsight.

Speaking of sight, they couldn't see Ghost. Where did they go? Wander tried to look around, but they had absolutely no idea how to control their direction. They whirled and flopped and flailed. It was a good thing Wander had no sense of shame, because they were bobbing and tossing themselves about in a most embarrassing manner. It felt a bit like being a bit of tuber getting boiled and churned about in the kitchen's over-sized stew pot. They had absolutely no control whatsoever. They somehow managed to get themselves completely upside down before their sibling, laughing at their expense, took pity on them and came to their rescue. After that, Wander was taught how to paddle around, then to stroke properly for speed, and, their favourite, to float on their back lazily and watch the creepers scuttling about overhead. Then, once the basics were learned? Play time.

The first thing the pair did, once Wander was sufficiently good at swimming, was a game where they tried to knock the creepers off into the sea. “Practicing aim” was always a lesson Wander liked, so they applied themselves with aplomb. It was especially fun to learn to aim while floating! Wander threw stones and Ghost cheated by summoning void tendrils from the sea itself to block Wander's shots. Three creepers were knocked down before the rest got the message, fleeing speedily. Well, speedily for a creeper, which was to say, not very speedily at all. Next, Ghost tried to teach Wander to aim their jumps and properly land in the water, but with a twist; Wander would try and jump past Ghost, while Ghost would try to catch them with one of their four arms. It had to be a different one each time though, which Ghost said was good practice for them, too. Wander didn't bother with technicalities. They just got really good at yeeting themselves off a platform. There was a certain glory to be had from learning to launch yourself really fast off a cliff when you wanted to, and Wander just KNEW they were going to make a few retainers go gray in the antennae early once they figured out some more colourful applications for the skill. It was super fun when Ghost tripped up on figuring out which arm to catch them with, too.

After that? It just turned into a splash war.

When Wander asked, Ghost said there wasn't really a lesson to be had with splash wars. They were just fun. Wander thought Ghost was wrong though, because learning what a splash war is was a VERY important lesson, if you asked them. Everyone should be taught splash wars! Ghost just laughed.

After a while, Ghost seemed to perk up a bit, an aura of mischief emanating from them. Wander was immediately intrigued, and began to follow as their elder sibling swam into a tunnel. Keeping up with them was a little hard, but every once in a while Wander was able to jump out onto one of several outcroppings of rock strewn about that rose above the black sea's surface. A couple had some spikes on them though, which Wander vehemently decided were No Fun At All and dutifully buried several sections of spines with some of the rocks they had stored up. The loss of ammo was well worth the hilarity Ghost exuded when they saw what Wander was up to (and also a little embarrassment for having not thought of that themselves). They watched as their elder sibling swam further past a big, tall building that felt, if Wander had to admit, a bit eerily familiar for some reason. The architecture reminded them of their home at the palace, yet much.... darker. Distracted as they were, they didn't notice their sibling disappearing into the void until too late. They didn't have too much time to be worried, though, since Ghost was soon back at the surface. But this time, they came bearing a gift.

“It's called the Shade Cloak,” they said, “and it's very, very special. It can be our little secret!”

Wander took the cloak that was offered, a little weirded out. Why would their sibling give them a cloak? They put it on anyways after clambering up onto a platform. Then they swirled around in it, feeling something decidedly right about the deceptively light fabric. Then they followed a prompt from their sibling, and-!

Oh. So THAT was why it was called the Shade Cloak.

Wander fell in love. With an utterly evil screech of glee, they set to practicing with it immediately. Ghost, once again, laughed.

Being that there was a lot of void in their shells, the children of the Pale King were extremely hard to tire out. Still, after an unknown length of time jumping and dashing with their new Shade Cloak, then splashing about some more in the void sea, Wander knew they were tired. Without a doubt, they were utterly exhausted, spent, wiped out, kaput. It was a very good day when Wander could find themselves completely out of energy. They listened to the skitters of the shadow bugs far overhead, the echoing sounds oddly deadened by the silent looming of the massive crevasse above. They heard the noise from a rock breaking off of a platform as it was dislodged by an errant creeper. Clatter, clatter, clatter... clatter... then silence.

They only realized that they'd been falling asleep when they were awakened by their sibling landing on a ledge of some sort. Ghost was holding them carefully, cradling them close to their body with one of their great arms. Wander weakly waggled their hand towards a pretty blue butterfly they saw perched on a vine nearby.

“Play?”

The butterfly didn't respond, seeing as it probably wasn't a void creature. Ghost fondly held Wander out just far enough that they could touch the little blue thing as it glowed softly in the void-choked air. “Maybe you can play with it later. It's been enough for you for one day.”

Wander had to admit defeat at that. All they wanted right now was to be snuggled up with their other siblings, warm and comfy and asleep in the palace. They felt movement as Ghost took them home, felt watched over and safe. They dreamed a little, perhaps, of blue butterflies and many eyes gazing at them fondly. Sleep took them happily and soundly after a long day of exploration. In the middle of the night, Ghost settled them slowly and carefully into bed next to Hallow, who subconsciously reached out for a snuggle. It was quiet. Life was good.

Next morning wasn't quite so quiet as half the palace staff tried to figure out how Wander had snuck back into their room despite it being locked, but that really wasn't Wander's concern.

Chapter Text

(AKA I have had a long day, I am very small, and I have no stones, so you can imagine the stress I am under.)

Wander was bored, and mad. Very, very mad. And they were about to make that someone else’s problem.

Their agile form flitted down the halls of the White palace, ducking between the legs of retainers and guards alike. Despite their hollow shell, there was an unmistakable glint of determination and chaos emanating from their eyes. Not a single staff member who saw them dared stand in their way, terror twisting their antennae as they ducked to the side to avoid Wander’s dark intentions. The young child brewed and boiled and passed them all without a second thought. None of the castle staff dared sigh in relief however, not until the danger had well and truly passed and Wander was out of their sight, taking their atmosphere of capricious cruelty with them. They had been spared… Barely. But it would not last forever. They wisely fled, if not for their lives then for their sanity, and word soon spread around the palace.

Wander was on the hunt.

To say that Wander’s antics were legendary was an understatement; their pranks and plots were rightly feared. Maids and nobles alike retreated at their coming, which, Wander had to admit, did offer some balm towards their current irritation. Perhaps their next prank involving the castle staff could be a bit more forgiving than usual. Maybe. Anyways, that was a problem for future Wander. Current Wander had a much bigger quandary.

They were out of stones.

Stones were one of their favourite things. You could play games with them, throw them as a distraction, or even hit some of the stuffier nobles or sentries and watch them get utterly baffled about what had whacked them or their weapon. They’d even hit the back of Ogrim’s head recently and the yelp of surprise, as well as the beautiful bell-sounds of a fully grown bug in armour clattering down the stairs and literally bowling into a pack of nobles, had been worth the reaming out later. Best chain reaction EVER. They afforded themself extreme brownie points for flattening both Father AND Mother in that particular cacophony of confusion. However, after that event, ammo had been hard to come by. Everyone in the palace now gathered and disposed of every stone they could get their hands on, as requested by the Queen. As such, Wander's stones were often taken as soon as they were thrown, which made finding more a harrowing task. It wasn’t long until they had no ammo left at all. Mother’s wrath about the incident was nothing to sneeze at.

Speaking of their mother, she was due a little revenge for her extreme punishment. Taking away any and all stones was a SERIOUS offence in their books.

Filled with the self-righteous fury of a child denied, Wander stormed towards their mother’s chambers, thinking of a suitable revenge for the slight. The sound of a music box guided their way. Slinking through surprisingly empty halls, their ire peaked as they clambered into one of many secret passages and crawled through a no-doubt unintentional tunnel that led to their Mother’s chambers. Wander surveyed the area, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Much to their disappointment, Mother wasn’t there. The lights were dim, which seemed to indicate that no one intended to be in the room for a while. Yet, for some reason, the music box had been left on.

Wander’s anger abated at this, curiosity taking over as they investigated. Mother was usually very good at turning the instrument off, so why had the music box been left on? Carefully dropping into the space, they maneuvered around the room’s oversized furniture. It wasn’t long before they found the cause. Hidden in the shadow of a great chair, their eldest sibling slumbered peacefully. Ghost was completely merged with the shadows, of course, so for anyone else but Wander, it would have been impossible to infer their exact location, yet the unusual dimness of the room was an obvious giveaway now that they had time to consider it. They almost felt bad that they were about to disturb this gentle slumber.

“ Ghost? Ghost… ?”

Their Favourite Person shuddered and blinked, eyes opening menacingly. Their stark white gaze glared around the room, the area darkening further as their unnatural presence strengthened upon awakening. Soon those eyes drifted to stare at Wander, and the darkness retreated somewhat. There was a fond but tired appraisal directed at the younger sibling. That appraisal became more intense once Ghost realized how upset Wander was, “ Wander? What's wrong? ”

Wander gazed up with all the fury, indignity, and despair of a child treated unfairly. “ They took my stones! Mother has taken away all my stones, and I can’t find any more. Mother must pay. Do you know where she is ?”

Ghost reared back, sharing Wander’s indignity at the offense. “ What? Your stones!? ” They slowly raised themself from their sleeping position as the shadows that formed them shifted and writhed, “ That is a little extreme, isn’t it? They are your favourite toys! ”

“ I know! But they’re gone !” And that’s when Wander’s anger suddenly left them, the true emotion that had been driving it coming to the fore. Wander started crying, a profound despair emanating from them, and Ghost immediately gathered them in their many arms. Ghost knew what had caused the punishment, of course; they’d actually fallen out of the shadows laughing at the catastrophe. Thank heavens all the nearby retainers had been too shocked and distracted by Ogrim’s wailing to notice the massive black mass that gracelessly plummeted in a heap, smacking clumsily into the ground after it had dropped from the silhouette of a chandelier. Ghost also knew that a couple of people had gotten hurt, but not seriously enough to warrant such a severe punishment. They pondered and huffed as Wander silently sobbed, the song of the music box soothing them both.

Ghost couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, the White Lady didn’t fully understand how much Wander valued their stones. Maybe she was trying to curb Wander’s pranking tendencies, or protect the retainers, who knew? But, willingly or not, she’d overstepped with her choice of punishment.

Parenting was very hard; Ghost couldn’t be mad at her for trying to help. Being an older sibling was hard enough, much less being a parent to more than seventy tiny bugs! Mistakes happened. Ghost, now that Wander’s cries had lessened somewhat, decided to try and help settle things, “ Well, I don’t know where she is now, but I can help you look. What are your plans once you find her ?”

“ I’m gonna… Gonna… ” Wander sniffed, clearly having not thought that far ahead. But then they brightened up, staring at the music box, “ Oh! I think I'm gonna take something of hers and hide it in the Abyss! Something precious! Then she’ll never find it again! Just like I’ll never have my stones again! ” they wailed. They picked up the music box, the poor thing creaking in their overly firm grip.

Ghost immediately snatched the box from their hands and set it down on the chair. They knew exactly what Wander wanted; to make the White Lady feel as they did, so that she’d know just how badly they’d been hurt. They also knew that this could lead to a rift in the family that would never heal. A ‘scritch for a scratch’ quickly went to ‘an eye for an eye’, which would quickly turn into 'a life for a life'. Mistakes had been made by the White Lady, definitely, but Ghost would cut off this series of mishaps before it had even the vaguest chance of getting too severe. A family that willingly hurt each other so deeply was not much of a family at all, and the last thing anyone wanted was for Wander to strike out on their own and abandon the palace. Ghost knew, firsthand, just how much Wander was capable of if properly incensed, and they also knew how independent Wander could be. They would be a fool if they didn’t see the potential problems coming from a mile off.

The White Lady was definitely going to pay for this, of course. But not like this. “ Let’s not take this out on the music box, ” they began gamely, “ I have a few better ideas .” Wander stiffened to attention instantly. Ghost was Wander's Favourite Person, after all, and as such, they would always have their ear. Ghost made sure to never break this trust, of course; That would be a grave mistake. They had made more than enough of those in the past for the both of them. “ The first plan ,” they continued, “ is to show them all that taking away your stones won’t work, no matter what. ”

“ How do we do that? ”

“ We go on a field trip, and another, and another if needs be, to get you more. Maybe we even get things other than stones! That way they'll complain less about your rocks, since the alternatives are worse. The other part of the plan, the hard part, is to make her realize that she hurt you and make her apologize. Now, how we do that, I don’t know. Talk to her, maybe. ”

“ A field trip?!” Wander perked up, “You’ll take me on a field trip ?”

“ I’ll take you MANY field trips ,” they confirm, “ but we’re going to see if we can’t talk this out first. Okay? If you’re feeling better, we can give it a shot. ”

“ ...Okay, ” Wander promised, and so they headed off. It took them some time to find her, of course, and by then Wander had calmed down somewhat. They were still anxious though, so Ghost went and hid in the nearby shadows to silently support their past self as they approached their parent. “Mother?” They signed hesitantly.

Once they had her attention, she turned to them and asked, "Yes?"

“ I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt, but I’m very sad,” Wander repeated the motion multiple times to get the message across, “ very sad very sad very sad, without my stones. Can I please have them back?”

The White Lady looked genuinely upset, but softly shook her head, “I appreciate the apology, but I’m sorry Wander, no. No more stones.”

Wander looked stricken, “ No stones!? Please, stones !” they gestured, their shaky little limbs making the motions hard to read.

“I’m very sorry, my dearest. But no. No stones.” Ghost stealthily watched her as she said this, her tone truly sorrowful. She stood her ground regardless, and in a way it made sense. Giving up on a penalty or punishment was not a good way to teach consequences to a child, especially not when more children were watching the affair, curled up in their mother’s branches or looking in from the sidelines. Not a single one of them dared make a sound at this exchange.

Still, she clearly didn’t fully realize that a line had been crossed, not even as Wander pleaded, promising not to throw stones at anyone anymore. They begged for their stones back, again and again. Even as it became clear that denying Wander like this was breaking her heart, the White Lady held her stance. It was a completely understandable decision on her part. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. Their mother tried to distract Wander, turning to her side to where a plate of cookies was placed. She offered some to Wander, “No stones, Wander. No. I’m sorry little one, I really am. I know it’s hard, so I made these for you. I love you so much, and I’m sorry." The cookies were Wander’s favourite, baked fresh especially for them. The other children looked at the cookies, and at Wander.

Wander looked at their siblings. They looked at their mother, then at the cookies. Then Wander turned around without another word and swiftly left.

The moment Wander turned the corner, Ghost whisked them into the shadows. Wander broke out sobbing the second everyone else’s eyes were off of them, and Ghost knew that their Mother was also stricken by the encounter. But as fond as they were of their parent, Wander was their top priority right now. They always would be. Their younger sibling wailed and cried and sobbed and screamed in the darkness, upset at the injustice. Ghost helped them block out the confused inquiries of their fellow siblings, knowing that Wander needed their solitude after the affair. Wander wanted nothing more to do with their mother, or the siblings crawling all over said mother, or the palace, or anything else , and Ghost obliged. With a surge of shadow that they made no effort to hide, they took Wander away from it all.

……….

Elsewhere in the palace, the Pale King froze in terror as he felt the void react.

He rushed to his feet, overturning half a dozen decrees and letters and who knows what else that he and Lurien had been reviewing not moments prior. The Watcher yelped, caught a tottering cup of tea before it ruined a declaration covered in still-wet ink, then stared at his liege with worry. But the Pale King was already halfway out the door, eyes darting about the halls.

“My king-!?”

“Something is afoot!”

The monarch rushed out of the room to find the source of the void’s sudden surge in power, flinging his senses across the entirety of the palace to locate the disturbance. He concentrated as best as he could as he ran down the halls, poor Lurien failing to keep up with his pace. He stretched his awareness to the limit, tense and nervous, yet found nothing amiss. Absolutely nothing. Even less than nothing, as the normally cloying presence of the Shade Lord seemed to be gone from his halls. But this knowledge brought the Pale King no balm. It only bred suspicion and fear; with such a sudden and noticeable exit, what could possibly have occurred? Worse yet, as the Pale King recovered his senses, another crisis was thrust into his face. His beloved wife, the White Lady, was utterly distraught as she stumbled down the corridor, tears in her eyes and wailing children in her arms and at her heel.

“My dear-!”

“Oh what have I done!” She cried piercingly, “What have I done!? It’s my fault!” Pale, glowing droplets fell from her cheeks and splattered on the ground. “Wander is missing!”

The Shade Lord’s absence was all but forgotten, the horror of a lost child taking its place, “What?!”

“We agreed on no stones,” she continued, barely noticing his reaction, “you and I agreed! No stones! We were wrong! Wander, oh Wander, I’ve never seen them so upset! I tried to offer them cookies and they refused! They left the room! By the time I went after them they were already gone! I can’t find them! None of us can find them!” She wept openly before him. More and more of their children arrived at the scene, the Pale King only now noticing that there had been a call to arms echoing through the void the entire time. Hallow rushed into the hall as well, though they soon screeched to a halt by slamming into their father’s back. Clearly the call was enough to wake them from their slumber in his study.

The royal pair both looked at Hallow, who had grabbed their father’s cloak and was nodding at them all determinedly. The rest of the children went quiet, relieved. Hallow was perhaps the best-connected of them all to their sibling, Wander. Hallow would be able to find them!

Hallow concentrated. They called.

But nothing answered them.

Stunned silence reigned, even Hallow shocked at the lack of response. Soon there was a massive wail from every single sibling, a resounding yell through darkness so strong that it made even some of the non-void retainers shudder from where their charges had dragged them into the hall. The cries continued, echoing throughout the entirety of Hallownest and then some. Panic resounded. Then, only then, was there an answer.

“ Leave me alone! ”

Hallow called harder to their sibling. So did all the others, clamoring at the connection.

“ GO AWAY!! ”

The bond slammed shut, dizzyingly so. It snapped, blocked off and impenetrable. There was nothing left after that. Nothing remained but the silence after a slammed door.

……….

“ Go away! ” Wander sobbed again, but Ghost had already shuttered the connection once more and nuzzled into the top of Wander’s mask.

The pair were at the top-most layers of the crystal peak, the pink glow from innumerable crystals bathing them in soft and glorious light. None of this light reached Wander, who was held tightly in Ghost’s embrace in the shadowed corner of a tunnel. They were curled over and around Wander, stroking and soothing their younger sibling as they writhed and cried in such emotional distress that it brought them physical pain. Wander was heartbroken.

“ I said I wasn’t going to throw them at people anymore! I asked nicely and I said I was sorry! I promised! I was sorry! I’M SORRY!! Why?! Why was that not enough! ” Wander hollered, misery soon returning to the mindless fury that had brought them to Ghost in the first place. “ Why? Why why why why WHY!? ” They slammed their tiny fists into Ghost’s chest, clawed their arms, flung themself onto the gritty floor, bit and tore and broke everything they could touch. Ghost weathered the tantrum gamely. Anger could be just another expression of grief, and young little Wander was not experienced enough to deal with it. Not so secretly, Ghost hoped that the child never had to become acclimated to such sadness.

Still, it clearly had to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Ghost reached up, breaking off some crystals from the wall. They handed these to Wander, and didn’t even have the time to fully open their claws before their younger self grabbed the delicate objects and shattered them on the floor. They kept doing this for a time; Ghost continued to break off crystal chunks, or find a few crumbly rocks, and let Wander wreak havoc with the gems and shards. Five minutes of screaming and destruction later Wander had nicked themself, which made them flop to their bottom to inspect the wound. This opened the floodgates once more. Wander sat and cried for nearly a full hour as Ghost curled around them. The elder sibling caressed their sides, kissed their wound better, gently massaged their sibling’s heaving back. They churred their own sorrow, and did whatever they could to comfort Wander in their current state. Soon the wailing subsided to heaving breaths, the little bug having thoroughly tired themself out with their display. A strange calm washed over them both now that the crying has ceased. The small child sighed heavily, finally poking their head out from Ghost’s embrace to peek at the many crystals of the peak. Long, jagged formations point down from the walls, the ceiling reflecting a magenta glow on the smooth, rounded stones of the floors and walls. Here and there, small pieces of metal or machinery barely peeked out from underneath clusters of bright minerals. It was peaceful here. Peaceful, new, and mostly unexplored. Ghost nuzzled Wander once more.

“ You meant what you said ?” Ghost began, breaking the silence, “ No more throwing stones at people? ”

“ No. Not ever ,” Wander replied. “ Never. ”

The large shadow tilted their head. They paused, then chuckled, “ Not even if they deserve it? ” There was a hint of cheek in their tone.

Wander stared at them and then, because all of their negative emotions had been well spent by now, giggled a little, “ Well. Maybe if they deserve it… ”

Ghost was heartened at this. Wander was a bit heartened, too. It was the first sign of recovery. “ In that case, we’d better make sure your aim is still good. Come on. I know someone who really, really, really, really deserves it ,” They smiled, taking Wander in their grasp as they moved slowly but surely to the top of Crystal Peak. Their path was meandering and relaxed, although Wander still occasionally stopped to sniffle and cry as they suffered the after-effects of their breakdown. Because there was no need to rush so high up on the mountain, Ghost was all too happy to take their time, even stopping to paw at a particularly interesting crystal specimen. There was no one to see them here. No one to halt them as they explored at their leisure. Their younger self frequently asked them to stop, fascinated by all the pebbles and crystals, of which many were pocketed to play with later. The various ores quickly replenished their depleted supply.  

When the pair finally got to Hallownest’s Crown, Wander cautiously followed Ghost to the edge of a cliff, where a large statue lay slanted and decaying over a precipice. It was a statue of the Radiance, long forgotten and abandoned, as she should be.

Ghost looked at Wander. Wander looked at Ghost.

Ghost promptly picked up a small boulder and launched it, shotput style, into the statue’s face. With a nasty crack and a shifting of rock and dust, a small piece of the carving was knocked clean off. “ Twenty points for the face ,” Ghost declared solemnly.

“ Fifty for the eyes !” Wander shouted back. A pebble plinked off one of the statue’s brows. The game began in earnest. Rocks, dirt, and even the occasional crystal were launched at the effigy, bits of rubble breaking away after every few hits. The horns were knocked off, the carvings defaced until the eyes were unrecognizable, and the left wing was shattered as the aged and damaged stone gave way under the assault. Not done yet, Ghost and Wander clambered to the top of the carved pillar and started leaping, slamming their (not-inconsiderable, in Ghost’s case) weight into the poor structure. With a final, horrid crack , it gave way. Only a few hours after the initial stone’s throw, the statue crashed onto the mountain's peak. Wander and Ghost rested after the effort, making themselves content by sharpening their claws on the vandalized idol’s remains. Further gouges were worn in the stone, and some extra bits of cobble were knocked down the cliff (a few pieces even rolled their way into the town of Dirtmouth, much to the confusion of its residents). There was but a pitifully small amount of the structure left untouched after the initial assault. Wander remedied this oversight immediately with a spiteful flinging of dust. The elder sibling laughed at the display.

“ Feeling better now ?” Ghost asked.

“ Yup .” Wander said cheerily as they smacked the unrecognizable face some more. Insult to the statue’s injury, if you will. “ I needed that. ”

“ I'm kind of glad I never got around to it earlier. Been meaning to wreck this thing for a while, ” Ghost chirped. Then they looked at Wander a little more solemnly, “ So... Do you think you’re ready to go back yet ?” Wander went quiet at the inquiry, hugging themself. “ It’s perfectly fine if you’re not. There’s plenty we can still do .”

“ Maybe… just a little longer ,” Wander admitted.

They chuffed, “ Well, that’s probably for the best. I’ve only checked that your aim is good, after all. There are other skills to work on !” Ghost curled around Wander, nuzzling them affectionately, “ Now. Let’s go elsewhere. I have an awesome trick to show you… ”

……….

The Fungal Wastes was a solemn place. Despite the smooth landscape, the gentle lights, and the soft mushrooms, the locals were a strict sort. Whether it was the shrumal warriors who guarded their offspring zealously, or the guardian mantids and their ever-vigilant poise, the moist air and fierce denizens of the Fungal Wastes were never to be underestimated. The rounded structures and comically placid funglings were a poor warning for the sizzling acids and other dangers in the area. Spores floated by in glowing motes, one landing on a Mantis who stood guard not far from the entrance to their village. That, alone, was little to be concerned about.

The clatter of metal was another thing entirely.

There were two adults stationed there, both of which became rapt with attention at the noise. They stared into the distance, straining to hear if the sound would repeat. They attempted to discern if it was just another trick of the echoing caves, or an actual cause for alarm.

They heard the squelch of mushrooms. Another clatter. This was no mere fluke.

The first mantis, Adelfus, started forward, signalling for her companion to cover her back. The duo crept forward, cautiously investigating the noise. The poof of spreading spores led them around several twists and turns. It was past the last one, near a rather dark dead end, that Adelfus finally located the source of the disturbance. Stealthily peeking around a corner, she spotted a small bug with a large, pale head as it bounced on some mushrooms nearby. Within its paws glinted a magnificent weapon. A nail of the purest kind, masterfully crafted.

With the way it tumbled and bowled itself over, using the sword to whack the fungi and send itself skyward, Adelfus was honestly shocked that they heard no cries of glee from the tiny insect. If she didn’t know any better, the miscreant was acting like those new-hatched youngsters who had barely learned how to fly, only to realize just how exhilarating it could be to ram full-speed into a mushroom from the air and get rebuffed backwards twice as fast. The mantis duo looked at each other, blinking. So far it was harmless behaviour. Neither of them recognized the bug doing the bouncing, however, which was somewhat alarming since this was their territory, and they should have been familiar with all who lived within it. They nodded to each other. Adelfus went forward towards the strange insect and their glinting nail, intent on chasing the intruder out with her own lethal pair of weapons.

It was a good thing the other mantis had stayed back. The moment Adelfus stepped close enough for the intruder to notice them, the shadows moved. A massive black blur filled their vision. They barely had enough time to see the enraged, protective glow coming from multiple pairs of eyes before the darkness itself launched at them.

Adelfus was a younger adult, admittedly. As a matter of fact, she had lost her wings only two seasons ago. That being said, she was rather out of practice when she was suddenly sent flying.

Her fellow guard let out an unbecoming shriek when they saw Adelfus thrown right back up the tunnel whence they came from. The rapid flight ended abruptly at a wall. Chunks of mushroom and clouds of spores exploded outward from the unceremonious landing site. Adelfus stuttered, groggy from the impact. The shadows surged again, but the other guard wasted no time or dignity in beating a hasty retreat. They yanked Adelfus up to her feet and the pair ran as fast as they could back to their tribe to warn them.

The darkness stayed behind as they fled, letting them leave with little more than a warning bellow, but both mantids felt those eldritch eyes boring into the back of their necks long after the danger had passed.

……….

Wander laughed uproariously as they watched the mantis pair run away. Ghost huffed and stomped, savaging a few tiny mushrooms in their wake as they sauntered back and forth in a territorial display. It was an unnecessary action, seeing as the guards had long fled and Wander no longer needed protecting, but it made them feel better about being spied on.

“ That was funny !”

Ghost turned, whuffing gently in Wander’s direction. “ Well. Yes. I guess it was. But we’d better move before they return with reinforcements .”

Wander nodded, then awkwardly shuffled. Their happy, relaxed demeanour became strained. “ Yeah. You’re right. Um… maybe… ”

“ Home now ?”

“ Yeah. Home now. ”

“ Alright then ,” Ghost nodded sagely. They carefully coddled Wander and their old pure nail (now gifted to their younger sibling) within their arms. “ Just make sure that you hide the nail and don’t take it out unless you’re sure you can conceal it again later. I don’t have any more if you lose this one .”

Wander nodded emphatically, fully aware of the honour and responsibility of owning their new weapon. That it was a gift from their Favourite Person, one so valuable at that, made them extremely determined to keep it safe. Ghost was pleased with this, of course. Wander was certainly mischievous, but they had a solid sense of duty when it was required.

The pair soon arrived at the palace. Wander hesitantly crept out from a hidden corner of one of the family’s many gardens. The White Lady was close, on the other side of a gazebo, and was the reason they’d been dropped off in this particular spot. Ghost could tell that their younger sibling was extremely hesitant, worried about how they were going to interact with their family after the stunt they’d pulled. They gave Wander a subtle, friendly push from within the shadows, and reassured them that things would be alright.

A gardener saw Wander first. The poor bug was covered in scrapes and had a few thorns stuck in their shell from where they’d just emerged from under a rosebush, apparently searching for something.

“You! By Root and Wyrm! There they are! It’s Wander! Wander!”

The gardener’s yell echoed throughout the garden, and probably a few hallways too. The young voidling barely had any time to react before a scream arose from the White Lady, who was already running as fast as a plant could to the source of the call. “Oh! Wander! My Wander!” The pale goddess fell to the ground in front of her child, weeping in relief as she swept her babe into her arms. Wander squirmed, beginning to cry as they started to echo their mother’s sorrow. “Oh my Wander. Oh. Oh you’re all right!” She hugged her child tightly, berating and worrying all at once, “My child, never do that again! Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry! Don’t ever do that again! I’m so, so sorry! I was so worried!”

Wander patted her arms and snuggled into her cheek a little, although still reserved in their actions. “ It’s ok ,” they tried to sign, “ I’m ok. I’m sorry too. I just needed some time to think.”

The White Lady retracted herself from the embrace slightly, looking down at Wander.  It was a long and pregnant pause before she spoke, “No. No, it is not okay. I didn’t realize how important your stones were to you, even when you tried to tell me. I took them away from you and didn’t give you any chance to get them back. I denied you completely, even when you apologized.” She shuffled around a bit and offered, to Wander’s amazement, a few small, round rocks. “I am truly, deeply sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Wander cried in earnest now, shoving themself into the Pale Lady’s chest. Their hands shook as they sloppily signed, “ Forgive yes. No throw stones at people, promise. Sorry love you, sorry sorry.”

More siblings had arrived by this point. They all piled up, grasping and clinging to their mother and Wander. Hallow rocketed into the pile out of nowhere, scattering a dozen of their clutch-mates as the Pale King also rushed through the garden, tripping over a paving stone in his haste.

Ghost retreated into the shadows. They’d done a good deed here, and they knew it. They were proud of their parents, for learning and apologizing for their mistakes. They were also proud of Wander, for forgiving them. And of themself, for helping stop a potential disaster in the family.

……….

Just under two weeks later,  Ghost was even more proud of themself. They were also rolling on the floor in a cupboard under some stairs, laughing their backside off.

Wander had started dumping crystals in the halls. Crystals that absolutely no one knew where they had come from. Even worse, they’d discovered that hitting the crystals with a pure nail made beautiful, chime-like sounds that echoed throughout the palace. The guards were flummoxed, the maids were baffled, the nobles were all but running circles in confusion, and the royals had just come across a good dozen crystals (and a few live tiktiks, somehow) strung across the barrack windows in a primitive garland tied by Knotty, one of the siblings somewhat more… influenced by Wander’s overall antics.

Hegemol wandered into a ballroom, tracking the sounds of crystals being struck, when he spotted Wander bouncing a few pink shards off the tip of a glorious pure nail. Noticing that they had been had, Wander stared. Hegemol stared back. Hegemol then let out a measured holler and dove for the weapon. However, the knight was unsuccessful in grabbing them as Wander dove through him to escape. Completely caught off guard, Hegemol stared at the place where Wander had been, before quickly turning around to try and grab the culprit. Sadly it was far too late; Wander was already gone in a flash of shadows from the Shade Cloak. A chase ensued. Despite Hegemol’s unnerving competence at tracking the child down, the nail itself had disappeared without a trace, nor could he figure out how Wander had manipulated the shadows to dodge him in such an eerie manner. The knight, having no other option, reported the incident to the Pale King. He was not amused to hear of the development.

“Wander had a nail?! Where did it come from!? I am very certain we made sure to secure the armoury from the children!”  the Pale King muttered worriedly.

Hegemol sighed resignedly, “We indeed secured the armoury, of this I am sure, but they had a nail regardless. I, too, would like to know where they obtained it, as I doubt it was from our collection."

“Not from our collection? Where else in Hallownest do you think Wander could have acquired a nail?! It must have come from our armoury! I doubt they snuck out of the palace and found one!”  the Pale King raved, frustrated and fearful for their child's sake.

“It can’t have come from there. Their nail was pure. We have no pure nails of that size in the-” 

“Are you serious ? A pure nail? Do you mean to say that my child has not only gotten their hands on a weapon, they somehow acquired something as dangerous as a pure nail ?!”

“It was quite well forged,” Hegemol stated wistfully, “I am extremely curious where they got it...”  

“…Wyrm dammit. Trying to get Wander to hand that over is going to be a nightmare.”

“Did you just use your own name-”

“Yes.”

"…Really?"

“Hegemol, I would kindly request that you cease questioning me at this time.”

Ghost continued to silently howl. By the Abyss below and the skies above, this was glorious . Being the imaginary friend to a sibling like Wander certainly had its perks.