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Hornet dusted off her pale red cloak as she emerged from the cavern entrance. In recent times, the Queen's lush gardens seemed to glow even brighter than it normally did. There was nothing but a brilliant green canvas of blooming plant life extending well beyond her vision all around her.
She let a soft sigh escape her. She felt the urge to simply sit down amongst the serene landscape and bask in the beauty of its greenery, but as soon as she began lowering herself down, she quickly stopped herself.
Don't get distracted. You came here for a reason.
Hornet stood back up as she tensed her body. The absence of that horrid plague had made Hallownest a much more peaceful place, but now she worried that she was beginning to neglect her duties as its protector. She already had to convince herself to take the time to do this, she didn't need to dally any more than she had been.
She slowly tilted her head down to gaze at the flower clutched in her hand. It swayed gently in spite of no discernible breeze, its pale petals seeming to shine in the soft glow of the gardens. Ever since she had gently picked it from the ground she had been resisting the temptation to touch it further, feeling as if the slightest bout of carelessness would make the flower disintegrate in the wind.
The grave site had not been like anything she had expected it to be. Hallownest was no stranger to graves and burial sites. Countless treks through the resting grounds had accustomed her to the sight of the dead, of the graves that littered the kingdom's land. Most didn't even bear a name or title of any kind, blank slabs of stone that served as the only remaining evidence that the deceased had ever lived.
This grave was different from those, however. Amongst the endless rows of thorny vines, a single headstone stood in the middle of the room.
HERE SLEEPS THE TRAITOR'S CHILD
It had been engraved delicately into the face of the stone by hand, and the stone itself had been thoroughly polished to a perfect shine. Whoever erected the memorial had clearly visited it recently, to maintain the dignity of the deceased. Around the grave and far beyond it were countless flowers just like the one Hornet had picked, dotting the landscape with their gentle radiance like lumaflies. Though the burial site had been empty save for her, the whole time she was there, Hornet couldn't shake the feeling that someone was present at the grave, awaiting her presence.
It was only as she looked down at the flower that she noticed all of the thorns that had stuck themselves into her cloak. She kept walking as she shook her cloak a couple of times in hopes that they would leave on their own. She grumbled faintly as she finally shook the last of them free.
Despite the awe-inspiring landscape, she had never taken too kindly to the queen's personal garden. While the inescapable thorns that permeated the entire region didn't help, she mainly wanted to avoid the memories the gardens brought back. Every time she had gone here she would avert her eyes to any reminders of the queen. She had not been born of the root, but throughout her earliest memories of life, the White Lady always seemed to be present in one way or another. Given the circumstances of her birth, she knew exactly why her birth mother had never been around, and it pained her to think that not only was she gone, but the queen, her other mother, had left Hallownest behind as well.
She shook her head as she walked, clutching the flower underneath her cloak. Now is not the time for this, she thought, readying her needle and eyeing the cliff above her.
—————
It had felt like she had been surrounded by the greenery for an eternity. She had lost track of her specific whereabouts— whether this was the queen's territory or Unn's, she was not sure. But soon after she had thought this, the land seemed to be finally shedding the foliage of Greenpath ahead of her. Ahead were two paths, one she knew would lead her further down, through the crossroads, and one that lead back up to Dirtmouth. She stood aimlessly at the intersecting caverns.
When she first went to visit the gardens she had originally planned to trek back through the crossroads, if only to see how it was holding up recently. The cold and desolate air in the region had been going away as of late, but it was still marred by the remains of the infection that had wormed its way into every crevice for so long. She had enjoyed the silence that rang through the crossroads recently; all the remaining denizens of Hallownest that had been shambling through it had left. Once the plague had disappeared, to Hornet's dismay, most of them had simply wandered up to the howling cliffs to the west of the kingdom, and then to parts unknown. There was still the odd bug traveling about the caverns, or trying in vain to rebuild what they had back during the kingdom's peak, but they were few and far between.
Though now, she suddenly felt an impulse to take the path through Dirtmouth. The fading town had seen better days, or at least that's what the old bug who lived there alone for so long had told her when she first stumbled upon it. It still carried a stagnant air to it, but the town had been busier than ever recently. Unfamiliar faces had begun popping up in the various houses she presumed had been abandoned. Some, according to the elder bug, were old acquaintances who had lived in Dirtmouth before, though some even he did not recognize.
She caught herself lost in thought again as she flung her needle into the ceiling of the cave above. Where had those people been before they went back to Dirtmouth? Had they meant to leave, or did something make them? And why had they all returned so suddenly?
Perhaps, this was the little ghost's work, or maybe—
She froze at the sound of her own thoughts as soon as she landed on the cliffside. Suddenly, she didn't feel like getting lost in her thoughts like she always did anymore, as she continued up to the surface.
—————
A small cluster of lights in the distance guided her to her destination. As soon as Dirtmouth came into view, so too did the old bug who kept watch over it, standing exactly where he always did. Some days she felt like he had committed himself to standing there for the rest of time.
Though, something was different. No, nothing was different about the elder bug himself, but he was holding something. It almost looked like—
She squinted as she took a closer look at his hands. Her suspicions were confirmed, he was holding a flower. Not any flower, but one identical to the one she still had tucked under her cloak, sporting the same soft, delicate glow. He gave only a brief wordless glance at her with a soft grin. Hornet had been through the town far too many times, especially in recent days, that they had no words left to give each other. A part of her had hoped that they would continue talking to each other, but despite the ample opportunites for her to speak first, for some reason, she never could.
Elderbug wasn't alone in Dirtmouth today, however. On her way past him, one of the houses gently swung its door open, and from within emerged a portly bug, a pile of loose papers tucked under his arm. His proboscis twitched slightly once he laid eyes on her, and he adjusted his small, round glasses before speaking.
“Hmm? Ah, hello there. Haven't seen you in a good while.”
Hornet only now slowed her pace when hearing him talk. “I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid we aren't acquainted.” She spoke flatly, not wanting to get wrapped up in idle conversation. He simply chuckled. “Ah, I suppose we've never actually spoken to each other, have we? I've seen you around more times than I can count, but you were always in such a hurry. I could never get close enough to you to get your attention.” He adjusted his glasses again. “My name is Cornifer, seasoned cartographer. ” He patted the papers in his hands as he said the last part. Hornet squinted. Who would a cartographer be selling to in a place like this? “I actually just finished my work here in Hallownest only a few weeks ago.” Cornifer added, as if reading her mind. “Me and my wife Iselda set up shop here only a year or two ago. Frankly, I never expected to finish mapping this whole kingdom out so quickly.” He chuckled again. “I never would think I'd be saying this, but I think I might actually miss this old place.”
Hornet's stern expression softened. “Oh, are you leaving soon?” She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt forlorn about someone she had just met. Perhaps she had gotten so used to seeing real people in Dirtmouth, that it saddened her to think that one of the old houses would go back to being empty and abandoned.
“Oh yes, actually.” Cornifer answered. “If all goes as planned, we expect to be gone within the next day or two.”
“You should reconsider.” Hornet's signature sternness returned. “The lands beyond Hallownest are dangerous and unforgiving.”
Cornifer let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, don't be so worried about us! We've been traveling between kingdoms almost our whole lives!“ He chuckled one last time as he let the door close behind him, walking past her. “Alright, you take care now miss... erm,”
“Hornet.”
“Well, you take care now, Hornet.”
—————
Just past the outskirts of Dirtmouth was that old well, that had been there as long as she could remember, likely much longer than she had even been alive. She took a brief look down into its depths before leaping down, swiftly sticking her needle into the side of the wall to slow her descent, before landing with a soft thud.
The crossroads.
She had to admit, after so many years spent watching over Hallownest, the rocky blue stretches of the crossroads were almost a comforting sight. Even as traces of greenery emerged from the craters and winding scars in the rock left behind from the infection, it still remained in the static, unchanging state it had been in since the kingdom first fell.
She could be alone here, with only the distant pitter-patter of Tiktiks and Crawlids to keep her from total isolation. Her footsteps rang out in the caverns as she navigated them, as if the ground beneath her feet had been hollowed out.
She walked fast, there wasn't much sightseeing to be done down here, especially compared to the likes of Greenpath and the gardens. Among the rocky plateaus and patches of pale grass, the only sights worth noticing were the occassional glimpse of artifical structures. Metal signs and posts stood unyielding in sparse clusters around the crossroads, no rust or other corrosion apparent on them despite their visible age.
Soon, her destination came into view. A vast, intricately designed dome structure dominated the wide corridor it stood within. Each part of the structure was segmented, like that of a bug's body, along the sides. At least a dozen jagged horns branched out from either side of it. The entrance was flanked on each side by two large windows. At one point, the temple had a near-blinding light radiating from both the doorway and windows, but now there was only a dim beam of light shining down from above to illuminate the room.
Above the doorway were effigies of three masks, carved into the wall next to a large crack that ran through the structure's entire front facade. One mask in particular she averted her gaze from, opting not the dredge up the long-buried emotions it awoke in her as she slowly walked into the temple.
It was her first time within the Black Egg Temple since that fateful day, and the corridor before her was mostly what she remembered. The only illumination within the pitch blackness were faint whispers of light coming from the bits of essence hanging in the air. As she walked, the oppressive darkness only seemed to grow, as if the temple was rapidly expanding around her. A part of her worried that the soft glow of the essence around her would fade and leave her in complete darkness. She knew it was an irrational thought, but it seemed more and more convincing as the corridor continued to stretch on.
It was only then that the temple's main chamber decided to reveal itself. A cold wind blew past her from an unknown source within the room ahead. She shuddered from the sudden cold as she took the first step inside. As her eyes finished adjusting from the darkness, familiar sights came into view. The vast atrium was illuminated by an array of lanterns hanging from the ceiling, fragile lumaflies still fluttering around within them. The ceiling seemed to stretch up into endless darkness, as if the temple had pierced a hole directly in the ground above it and up into the night sky. In the center of the room was a wide, shallow puddle of inky blackness, still flowing and seeping into the cracks in the ground.
Standing in the center was a narrow stone pedestal. Atop it was a stout figure that it hurt to recognize. It stood with its head tilted up, its two hollow eyes fixated on an invisible presence above it. A small horn sprouted from its head on each side, with jagged edges on the tips. Its small body was draped in a ragged cloak that billowed out behind it, and a sharp nail was clutched in one hand at its side. She braced herself as she saw what was below the statue. At the foot of the pedestal was the little ghost's mask, shattered in half. After all this time, it hadn't been so much as touched, still lying exactly where it had first appeared.
Just above it, something had been engraved carefully into the stone.
HERE LIES THE KINGDOM'S SAVIOR
THROUGH ITS SACRIFICE HALLOWNEST LASTS ETERNAL
Hornet didn't take her eyes off of her sibling's remains as she slowly pulled the flower out from under her cloak. Somehow, the dim light of the temple made it glow even brighter.
She pulled her gaze away from the shattered mask as she approached it. It stirred up a feeling in her she couldn't exactly describe, and breathing briefly became harder whenever she looked back at it. She reached a trembling hand down to the grave and gently laid the flower on the floor in front of it. She was careful not to brush her hand against the mask, as if simply touching it would desecrate it somehow.
She took a deep breath and allowed her eyes to shut for the first time since she arrived. As she slowly opened them, the specks of light surrounding the flower seemed to dance in the air more vigorously, and soon the specks began to extend outwards around the statue. Her eyes widened as small vines appeared from seemingly nowhere, gently wrapping around the stone pedestal. From the vines emerged small buds, and those buds soon blossomed open to reveal more flowers, gradually dotting the space around the statue.
The vines didn't stop, however. Soon, they stretched outwards and coiled and twisted as they pleased, with more and more flowers blooming as they went. Once they stopped, the entire chamber was basked in the warm glow of the flowers, the light glistening on the walls and bouncing off the black pools of void on the ground. The lumaflies had merely been dim flickers of light floating around in darkness, but now they shined brilliantly, as if the flowers had shared their light with them.
Hornet took a step back as the temple lit up. She wanted to say something, to marvel at the brilliant lights before her, but no words came. Instead, she simply dusted off her cloak, gripped her needle tightly, and turned away, looking around at the dancing lights around her as she left the temple.