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Bright.
Too bright.

That was their first thought upon entering those bronze-clad halls, filled with the pathetic Godseekers, a veritable prison for the vessel taking advantage of their greatest weakness: their thirst for battle. Was it Her light? Or the Pale Whore's light? Not that there was much difference for them. Both had hurt them equally. One stripped them of his life, the other of their innocence. One had killed them, forced them to become something entirely foreign to the rest of the populace, and would have them dance as His meat puppet in His sick, deranged plan to fuel his megalomania. Afraid of losing His Kingdom, He never once considered if losing His soul would have been a greater calamity. The other held nothing but twisted hatred for their kind. A hatred that, until Her intervention, was entirely one-sided. She had made them fight, kill, murder thousands of innocent bugs, who dared to be free-thinking, She had them bathe in guts, tear apart shells and legs, incinerate them until nothing but ash remained, maul them until what was left not even the Garpedes would devour. And what they truly hated the most was that they were enjoying it. The thrill of seeing a lesser bug cower before their nail, attempt to flee as they were hacked to bits, as they mindlessly chased what little Geo would drop out of them. The Colosseum... was that what made them attempt the Trial of the Fool? They could hardly find justifications for that slaughter.

They could not stew in those thoughts however, as Godhome, as the masked fools would call it, was full of new and exciting horrors behind every angle. The Pantheons were certainly their greatest success if they sought to destroy Ghost's will. Allowing them to revive their worst memories of death. The maggot knight. The Mantises, infected and non. The Soul Bastard. Their sister. Their sibling. Should have they really have been surprised when in front of them their twin, seemingly healed and free of those bonds, seemed to attempt their hardest to cleave Ghost in half? Perhaps not. But it was no matter. Ghost had far surpassed most bugs in sheer power, let alone what they had learned over their crusade (killing spree) through Hallownest. The tired and robotic fighting style of Hollow, though physically impressive, were easily exploitable by a more agile opponent. What truly disturbed was not the nail however. It was the chest. As Ghost had reduced Hollow to the last fragments of their strength, of their vitality, they stood up, and their thorax burst open with void. Tendrils rushed out of them, each as sharp as their sister's needle, all converging on their sibling's position. Ghost braced themselves, but that would prove useless, as the tendrils... caressed Ghost. They watched in disbelief as several razor sharp, pitch-black spikes would slowly go up and down their mask, until Hollow collapsed to the ground, and was no longer in this world. (Was this how Hollow felt on that railing? )

There was no time to mourn however, as soon after, a oppressively bright light would encompass the room (chains and seals of bindings on the floor; did Hollow dream of this?) enveloping everything in a sickeningly yellow hue, until Ghost was able to clear their vision, and saw what would be their ticket to freedom. Freedom from this nightmare world, freedom from the damage that the Gods had inflicted on their life, and perhaps a chance to heal the damage suffered by their brethren. The female goddess of light. Ghost's void rushed with emotion and adrenaline, as the moth goddess of their dreams unveiled Her form before them. For once, their lust for hemolymph could be put to a good cause. They did not let up.

When She had forced them to kill their sibling. When She had attempted to force them to kill their other sibling. When She had made advances into their mind, promising futures of peace and happiness with their siblings, she was met with the same reaction that she was now facing in person. Cold, hard steel. They followed her up, up up, not letting Her have a single moment of respite. After all, had they been granted such a privilege? They tore through her wings, delighting as orange pus and essence burst through the wounds. They burned her visage with their spells, relishing in the void-filled wounds that they left. And even as She retaliated, their rage only grew. They felt their shell colder than the top of Hallownest's Crown (the statue of her-). So cold that any regular bug would have already died. They were not a regular bug. They felt their thorax bursting with Void, yearning for a chance to feast. Not yet.

Her body was now a mockery of Her once majestic form. Filled with scratches, holes, and deep wounds filled with her ancient enemy. The Void. Ghost had never held the dim view that most bugs had about the black substance. It was what filled them with strength, filled them with the power to take back to grip away their destiny from the rule of cruel gods. And now, it was what would deliver the final blow. She collapsed to the platforms upon which they were standing, and pitch-black tendrils descended unto Her wounded form, but She mustered enough strength to still fly. Fear. They could taste it. Soon.

Soon.
She fled once more, clearly winded, and Ghost soon found themselves once again climbing towards her. She attempted to delay their progress, to stop them from banishing Her to the realm of folk stories and Grub's stories. They payed no heed to Her pathetic attempts, as every hole that She may burn into Ghost's Void was soon filled and replenished with more of it, as the familiar pale-white twin horns disappeared into a blurry mess of black and white, until They had reached the top. They were neither Ghost nor Hollow. They were Her death taken form, finally taking Their rightful meal. Pitch-black tendrils slashed Her body all-over, ripping off feathers and wings. She had nowhere to run. Nowhere to spread Her intoxicating message to. She was The Radiance and Her Death had come.

It was unusually dark in Hallownest, Hornet thought as she camped outside her sibling's prison.

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If there was any indication at all that something of monumental importance had just passed, the crushing lack of smell in the tunnels underneath Dirtmouth were certainly as good as any other. She had long traveled the depths and ascended the peaks of the ruined kingdom, and yet, never had she felt such a distinct lack of sense. In the dark and damp tunnels of her home, the sounds and screeks of bugs digging and scrambling from place to place were a comforting reassurance of life, and a cause of debilitating fear in travelers not accustomed to it. In the green expanses where she had first met them, the bubbling of acid and the refreshing smell of newly blossomed flowers was a happy lie that hid away the catastrophic state of Unn's land. Even in the most wretched of places, the basin that she knew hosted her father's body, the shuffling of the creepers and the dusty smell of rock mixed with the sickly-sweet air of infection lended a certain charm to the area, if it could be called that. For such a reason, the sudden obliteration of all of that... she almost wished that the explosion of orange and yellow that had accompanied this area before was still present. If nothing else, it was a more visible and direct threat to her well being.

Instead, it was replaced with darkness. The lumaflies still flickered about in their lamps and the ground still had that blue and gray palette that it possessed before being totally overran with infection, but the air was much thicker, more raspy, and the temple in which her sibling was locked in was so dark she might as well have been blind in it. Such a long chain of thought had distracted the princess protector long enough that when she heard the refreshingly common sound of a nail scraping the cavern floor, it jolted her back to the world of the living. Hornet rapidly turned, and her premature inspection of the previously orange vines was brought to a halt, as a large, black shape emerged from that home of darkness. From what she could tell from the shadow, it was tall. Much taller than her, or even her mother. It seemed to possess two large curved horns that emerged from a rather small head, and it's legs were thin and lanky, but still far larger than most bugs'. Where had she seen something like this before? Perhaps it was another husk guard. Many of them could be quite large after all. Or maybe some species of bipedal garpedes? But she had no need for theorizing for soon after, the creature emerged the shadowy confines of it's prison, and collapsed to the ground, it's nail heaving a heavy *clunk* on the rocky terrain.

Hornet approached cautiously the large bug, and she inspected the mask closely, the horrors that were laid bare there would burn a mark on her mind. It's mask was split in half, with a large crack through it's left half, while his "eyes" were utterly black expanses of nothingness. A Vessel? She had only seen such characteristics in that cursed species. Could it be... Had the Hollow Knight be reduced to such a pitiful state? His left arm, if it could be called that, was gone, and only a small, useless stump was left. It's other arm had large, black fingers, clearly shaped by the large nail's hilt. It's cloak was a disgusting shade of green and orange, the buildup of infection having unleashed a color best described as "muddy grass", if one was charitable. "Excrement", if they were not. It's chest was filled was filled with large wounds, some of which were clearly caused just a few moments ago as the void was still wriggling about attempting to reform. It's weapon, though it had clear signs of excellent craftsmanship in the parts least ravaged by time and the elements, was, as a piece, useless. Only their sibling's nail, when they first battled her in the Greenpath could rival the damage suffered by it. Only a bug with exceptional vigour could survive and thrive in such conditions, but the Vessels were not regular bugs after all.

She felt aching at her heart. The creature in front of her, though she only recognized from statues and coinage, was her sibling, connected by blood by her cursed father. Should she not attempt to, at the very least, salvage what little was left of her family? Ghost had killed her mother (and she watched), and though she had known for years that Herrah the Beast had died the instant that she had accepted eternal sleep, it still hurt her to be forced to sever her last connection to her home. What else was left of Deepnest? Roaming, half-infected weavers that shuffled in terror? Two bugs that had long lost their marbles, one through extreme isolation and the other through their work? The mindless Devouts, attempting to defend a queen that would never rule again (and they too failed, their masks shattered their nail). Perhaps the Hollow Knight (what an unwieldy and improper title, perhaps she'd do well to shorten it) could bring new life to her home, or at the very least, give her something to attend to that didn't involve bathing in the hemolymph of Hallownest's citizens.

She tentatively tugged at their one good arm. Though it appeared and functioned like the arm of a much larger creature, it was uncomfortably light. So light that had she carry it over her shoulder, it would weigh no more than a empty rucksack, or the backpack carried by that map-maker. That would be a terrible strategy however, if she aimed to nurse Hollow back to conscience, as dragging their damaged, exposed body over the rocky terrain would only worsen their condition most likely. Perhaps the Stag would do well? A short journey would be best. She never cared much for that town above, but she had heard that Ghost had manage to revive it somewhat. She would have them rest there until they were strong enough to walk on their own.

That nail would have to be left there however. She did not know how much they valued it's presence, but even just grasping the hilt, Hornet felt the massive weight of concentrated Pale Ore within it, and quickly abandoned the project. Thus, she tied her needle to the back of her cloak, the point aimed downwards to avoid any stabs, and with some of the silk that she packed with her in fear of a fight, she hoisted Hollow on her shoulder, tied them to her, and slowly made their way to the stag station. The journey was rather unremarkable and filled with as much silence as the room she was camped in before, but the sights as she passed by a large vertical room were, for lack of a more accurate term, terrifying. Deflated corpses of husks. Not the bloated, orange monsters of the infection, and not the healthy shapes of a sane bug, but utterly empty carcasses, with large holes where infection seemed to once fester. Was this related to the death of sense before? Whatever had happened, the infection had clearly taken a fatal blow, Hornet thought, as the thundering steps of the Stag echoed across the tunnels that stretched across the expanse of this wasteland.

Hornet heeded the old Stag "Hail, Stag. Are you free for a transport?", but the Stag quickly dropped all formalities upon recognizing their presumed passager "Drop the niceities, Princess. That bug you're carrying on your shoulder... could that be the Hollow Knight?". Hornet was clearly uncomfortable with that line of questioning but she still mustered a "It is indeed them. I promise to you that i have clear and valid reasons for their inability to move, and that i am not involved in causing them. Please, carry them to the town above. They need urgent medical assistence". The Stag clearly did not buy Hornet's reasoning, but they had long learned to not question the motives of their passengers while conducting their duties "Certainly. I will be there as soon as possible. Even my poor eyesight can clearly see the hurt that they have suffered." And with that, Hornet bid the bug farewell, as she loaded them onto the Stag's large seat, perhaps the only thing in this Kingdom that her sibling could use without awkward shuffling as the Stags were beings nearly as large as them, and the bug disappeared into the dark tunnels underneath the Kingdom. She would have to make their way to the station above to retrieve them there though, so she attempted to banish the disparaging thoughts of an accident or an ambush and untied her needle from her back.

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She was dead. More than dead. A state from which not even ashes could be gathered and buried. From which no funeral service could be conducted and flowers placed at her grave. She was devoured. IT IS DONE, the Lord thought, as they wiped what little was left of Her off Their many tendrils. NOW, TO DESTROY THE WORSHIPPER OF THAT FALSE GODDESS, and Their massive form slithered through the gathered clouds, slashing and breaking through that pitiful barrier that She had placed, in a futile attempt to stop Them from delivering proper justice upon Her. That bronze-clad fool... they were the follower of Gods, were they not? Then the God of Gods shall be laid bare upon their servile eyes.

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Why did She take so long to deliver proper justice upon that fool? Was She perhaps entertained by their pathetic flailing, by their threats of destruction? They dared not question the logic of such a powerful God altogether. They knew very well what that lead to before. She would play with that offering as long as She wished, and then She would manifest before them, and they would worship Her as fervently as they worshipped Them. No, more fervently. Perhaps that was the cause of their misfortune. Their utter lack of timidity would finally lead to their redemption before Her. That was what they thought, until the clouds above began bleeding Void, and a God superior to any that they seen before lunged at them. WITNESS WHAT YOUR ACTION HAVE CREATED, They transmitted to their mind, latching onto them with several tendrils around their body. WITNESS WHAT HAS CAUSED THE DEATH OF WHAT YOU LOVED, and a large tendril, as sharp as a needle and as dark as midnight latched around their throat, pressing as hard as the sharpest nail. WITNESS YOUR ANNIHILATION, and they felt the air escape out of their lungs, and with a loud crack, they were no more in the realm of the living.

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What does it feel like to die inside your own dream? Perhaps, a feeling akin to waking in shock and horror, but being reassured by the presence of your bed, and the reminder that what happens inside the confines of your mind cannot affect your body. Unless, of course, a God is the one to kill you.

The body of the dead Godseeker was unrecognizable. If not for the large, greyed bronze mask adorning their face, one could almost mistake it for a puddle of pure void that had somehow reached the Junk Pit. Said void was pouring out of the thorax and rapidly overflowing their confines and soon, the one who had caused this spectacle would manifest Themselves as well. Unbound, and with it's rivals weak and timid. No Wyrm or Moth would be able to stand in Their way; The first seemed to have imprisoned themselves in such a manner that it be no difference if they were dead. The second had been made short work of by their Herald. Yes, the little Ghost. What a lovely little creature. Perhaps the Wyrm had not failed entirely when he created his offsprings, for it was his plan to shephard them in Void that would ultimately lead to their unsealing.

The Lord respected the Vessel, as it had clearly risen far above their station and it held no affection towards it's demented mother or it's deceased father. It was only the obstinate love that they still held for their damned sister and rest of the fools that it had encountered during it's adventure that worried the Lord greatly. But the Lord was Patient. An inscrutable amount of time, enough for the grandchildren of the grandchildren of the last generation of worshippers to have been dissolved into dust many times over, had passed since the last time that They had any power at all. And now, all of it was within their grasp, held down by it's liberator. The Lord knew very well what the bugs thought about the Void. They knew this better than any being, higher or otherwise ever could, for it was within their very nature. They would come around. They would Have to come around.

hey did not wake in order to remain under the control of a undeveloped Grub, to have their power used by one of their many Children in order for them to pretend that there was any life outside of the Void. The Void was what had gave them life. The Void was what had gave them strength. The Void was the only reason why Ghost was not a pile of bones at the bottom of the Abyss, but was rather the strongest warrior to ever walk this realm. What had Hallownest given them? Undeath? Expulsion, mistreatment, being treated as a scientific experiment? What had the Moth given them? Death? Near-constant threats to their well being? The Lord respected the Radiance far more than the cursed Wyrm, for at least the Goddess was sincere in her objective and the path taken to reach it. The Wyrm spoke in riddles, making vague appeals to "his Kingdom" and "his Citizens", as if any of his citizens had ever obtained anything of concrete out of his worship. Sapience? Rationality? I'm sure life in the metal prison of the "City" was superior to a feral, instictual life in the Wastes, the most sincere form of living.

The Lord had reflected on the status of their home for as long as their imprisonment had lasted, but it seemed as if this far more fruitful session had come to an end, as the little Ghost had finally returned to their senses. No matter. Holding control of their body was tiresome, given their extraordinarily powerful will. But, before they would go... a little gift to that damned City would be welcomed by them. The Junk Pit was the amalgation of the waters across the Kingdom, but even the most incompetent scholar at the Archives knew that Void could travel upstream.

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What had transpired in the last moments before they blacked out? They could remember their chest bursting with void, Her being on her last legs, and their nail slicing through weak flesh... and then, nothing more than pure darkness had encompassed their mind. They were familiar with the feeling. When the Shaman had gifted them that first spell, they remembered the sheer power blinding their senses, until they had woken up outside that gate, suddenly the intricacies of that new power become apparent and easy. Had something like that transpired in the moments after their loss of consciousness? Or had it been something else, perhaps caused by Her as a futile attempt to avoid annihilation. If it was caused by Her, it was certainly unsuccessful. Any fool could feel the distinct lack of the sickly-sweet smell, even one as impaired as a Vessel. She was dead, and no one would be able to do anything about that. They were certain about it. Else, what else had their life been for? Speaking of life, what had happened to them? Their mind could still think and feel, but they could not feel their nail, their charms, their body. Were they even alive? (Had they ever been?)

They attempted to open their... eyes? They never had eyes. The eyeholes in their mask were utterly useless, if not for scarfing down the delicious sliced dirtcarver that Hornet had offered them after a spar. They had never tasted "food" having no need for it given their physiology, but they were convinced that it must be the most wonderful thing in the world if all of it was as half as good as what they tasted. But indeed, they had eyes. Eight of them, in four pairs of two each. They could feel them. They knew them. Why did they know them? Had another Shaman imparted their knowledge while they hadn't noticed

Opening their newly-acquired sensory organ revealed to them a picture that one could not imagine and think of even lucid. The Godseeker's "body" was an indiscriminate mess of black, likely Void, with spots of grey on the parts that were not overtaken yet. Had they caused this? They noticed that besides the puddle, a white, pale object was sticking out like a sore thumb. Their nail! It was still intact. Had the pale ore inside counteracted the Void's effects? If it did, it must have not been enough, for the hilt was as black as the tendrils that Hollow had shot out. The blade, fortunately, was still good. They certainly would need it's immaculately-crafted edge for whatever had caused the events leading up to and during his loss of consciousness. They tilted their head attempting to feel if they still possessed arms and- Their face. The nail reflected what little light was left in the room perfectly, and Ghost witnessed their face. Or what could be considered it. It was not them. It was not anything that they'd ever known. Was it- Their shade? How had they become their Shade? (Had they failed? But She was dead. What had killed them?)

Suddenly, the room darkened, if that was possible. Ghost felt their head explode, as if all of the void inside was about to pour outwards in a macabre display of their biology, and suddenly, a voice unknown and yet familiar to the darkest recesses of their mind could be felt inside him. "HERALD..." They did not kill a giant moth god for someone to call them that! "Don't call me that!" they shouted at no one in particular. If Hornet was in the room she would be quite concerned, but the asshole got the message. "GHOST..." Why did it know their name? How did they know their name? "Why do you know me? I do not know what or who you are". More importantly, how were they even speaking? "GHOST... I AM THE ONE WHO YOU FREED. WHO CREATED YOU." Goddamn it! How is the Pale Whore back? They mugged his corpse! "Go back to where you came from, Father! Go back to your pristinely white Palace and choke on it!" Were they even speaking to anyone? Were they discussing matters with the recesses of their mind? Had they finally lost it after all this time? "I AM NOT THE WYRM... I AM MUCH MORE. I AM DEATH. I AM NOTHINGNESS. I AM... YOU". Ghost was very tired of Gods talking in riddles. How could it be them? They were them, nothing more and nothing else. (The shade theory seemed more appealing...) "How could you be me? I am myself, and nothing more. Are you my shade? Or am i my shade?" "GHOST... I AM INSIDE YOU. YOUR EYES. YOUR ARMS. YOUR TENDRILS. YOU KILLED THE MOTH. I KILLED THE MOTH. YOU AND I CANNOT BE SEPARATE. VOID UNITES US." If Void united them... were they the God of the Void? They had heard references to it when they interrogated that enourmous carcass in the Abyss, where they obtained the Shade Cloak. "Are you the God of the Void? Why are you inside me? Aren't there better things to be inside of?" "GHOST... YOU ARE THE STRONGEST. I AM INSIDE YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE FREED ME. YOUR STRENGTH. IT HAS BROKEN THE SEALS. FIRST, THE WYRM'S. SECOND, THE MOTH'S. NOW, THE SEALS THAT YOU HAVE BROKEN HAVE LED TO MY FREEDOM. I AM EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE. YOU ARE EVERYTHING THAT I AM." Well, that's quite flattering, but Ghost wasn't yet convinced of their innocence. And more importantly, why and what happened while they lost consciousness? What has happened to the Godseeker's body? They could not give a Garpede's ass about it, but bodies do not spontaneusly explode into void. Is Hollow okay? "GHOST... YOU MUSTN'T FEAR ME. I AM POWERLESS BEFORE YOU. YOU TEMPORARILY LOST CONTROL OF YOURSELF WHILE YOU KILLED THE MOTH. I ENSURED THE FULLFILLMENT OF YOUR MISSION. THE BRONZE FOOL IS DEAD AND SHALL REMAIN DEAD. THAT IT WAS FAST AND PAINLESS WAS A MERCY THAT THE MOTH WAS NOT GRANTED." Ensured the fullfillment? Whoever they were talking to clearly knew their plans very well, and especially knew their desires and emotions very well. Not good. Perhaps... they seem to come in peace for now. And they clearly knew much more about their situation than they ever could. A peace treaty seemed to be the most sensible option. "I... are you really as peaceful as you claim? I am not sure. Every God that i have encountered has reaped nothing but suffering upon my life. Upon everything that i loved. Made me into a monster. Made me into a killing machine. Could you break that cycle? Finally reap positive changes with your intervention?" "GHOST... I HAVE NO REASON TO HARM YOU. YOU ARE THE ONLY REASON I AM STILL ALIVE. I KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE TO HELP YOU. HEED MY WORDS. HEAD TO THE PLACE OF YOUR BIRTH. YOUR REAL BIRTH. THE BODY THAT YOU POSSESS WILL ENSURE A FAST AND PAINLESS TRAVEL. IT IS MY BODY, THAT IS NOW YOURS. UPON ARRIVING TO THE ABYSS, I SHALL CONTACT YOU AGAIN. I BID YOU FAREWELL... HERALD"

They were about to flare up again at that last word, but the excruciating pain that their head was suffering suddenly faded, and the shadows around them, though still massive, faded away temporarily. Why did the God of the Void want them to visit the Abyss? It was their home turf. Perhaps, there the God of the Void would finally reveal their intentions. Take back the supposed body that was once theirs. Ghost did not know what to make of the situation, but they could feel the absolute, crushing power that they held in their current form. It was intoxicating. Their shadowy, undefined body was nearly impervious, unlike that weak mask of theirs, and their tendrils could snap the strongest nail in half. Perhaps there was nothing that the Shade Lord could do to them. It was certainly a better plan than heading up to Dirtmouth and attempting to reach their shade with Jiji. The only service that she would provide in their current form was an exorcism. And besides, the Junk Pit was the amalgamation of the Kingdom's waters. Even the Soul Bastard and his lackeys at the Sanctum knew that void could travel upstream.

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Pity. Or was it contempt? Hard to tell with how tight-lipped she is.

Hornet had finished climbing up the well to the small village above, and she was now basking in it's glory. The largest city left in Hallownest... a miserable hamlet of decayed buildings. There were more ruined houses and graves than functioning houses and living inhabitants here. Still, she did suppose that it served little Ghost well. Definitely much better than Hornet's solitary camps, and as much as she hated the idea of sleeping in a bed previously occupied by some lowly Hallownestian, she hated to admit that Hollow would need her by their side if any recovery was to be done. Duty over comfort, as always for the spider.

The town only had a few standing buildings. The Stag station, for one, seemed intact. She couldn't yet hear the Stag's thundering run, but that gave her more time to reflect on her surroundings, she supposed. To the right lived the map-maker couple. Map-making... as if the Princess of Deepnest would denigrate herself with such a obtuse and demented craft. Any true warrior had to know the lay of the land by heart, for when you are on the chase, there is no time to consult maps, compasses, sextants or other instrumentation, that, although tecnically impressive, impovrished the mind and weakened the body. To the far left, a shop was occupied by the merchant Sly. Hornet, in the brief period before her mother was taken away by the Wyrm's absurd plan, had heard from her that Sly was the greatest master of Nail Arts in the land, and that he had his own school were disciples would line up to be harshly judged by him. As far as she knew, none ever passed the test. Why then, would Sly abandon such a noble and ancient craft such as martials arts to dedicate himself to a lowly and degenerate job? Did he find the lust for Geo more appealing than the lust for improvement? Whatever the reasoning may have been, she was sure that they must have known what had happened in the surface much better than she ever could through rumors and inference.

Hornet entered the shop carefully, needle stashed away outside, tied to the bench, and she greeted the shopkeeper. "Hail, shopkeeper. I come to you in search of knowledge regarding the little vessel. Tell me all that you can." Sly turned his head, surprised to see a customer much taller than his usual. "Princess Hornet! How rude it is of you to not introduce yourself! My name is Sly, and i am the manager and sole proprietor of this fine establishment." Hornet wished that she could respond to that lowly jab, but she kept herself composed. "Hrmf. Sly, returning to the topic, tell all that you have learned over your interactions with the small vessel, for it is a matter of vital importance, and do not attempt to derail this conversation any further!" Sly, keeping his classic salesman's grin, leaned into the counter. "Ah, but princess... i really quite wish i could help you on your righteous quest, but you see... the small vessel was by far my largest customer and-" Suddenly, Hornet pulled on a string that she had hidden with the one hand under her cloak, and her needle came flying, positioning itself directly into her hands. "Do not play these games with me, shopkeeper! I will not bargain for knwowledge that is life and death, for me, for you and for the Kingdom!"

Sly, sensing the tension in the air, decided to give up on the proposition. "Quick to jump to conclusions, are we? But i suppose i can afford to be magnanimous after all. Ghost has afforded us a great blessing to us al!" Hornet was satisfied with her display of power, but the last sentence visibly caught her off guard. "A great blessing? Elaborate at once!" Sly smirked further. "Were you living under a rock (Well, aren't they all?)? The infection is gone! Whatever corner of the world Ghost has ventured to, clearly it had quite the effect!" Hornet was screaming internally at herself for having missed that the "blessing" was the destruction of the infection. But having witnessed it's replacement, she was rightly skeptical. "Hmm. Perhaps. But i would not dare be this positive yet. The infection may be gone, but whatever has replaced it... it is quite sinister. I have scarcely met a substance more misterious in my many travels. I know only of two other bugs that may know it well." Sly leaned in further, both for dramatic effect and out of geniune curiosity. "A misterious substance? Pray, tell, what are the bugs that are you referring to?" Perfect. Now the killing blow. "GHOST! Sly, you have derailed far too long. Reveal your interactions with Ghost this instant!"

Sly, having recognized defeat, leaned back from his previously intense stare, and began narrating. "I must admit, my memory suffer from a lack of clarity in many parts. I have been able to regain much of my previous knowledge, but a considerable part remains lost forever. I remember vividly that Ghost had first met me in that underground village, near the Blue Lake. I assume you have visited it?". "A pointless question. I know the crevices of this kingdom by heart. Continue." "There, i cannot remember anything leading up to it, but my first memory is that Ghost had attempted to get near me, and their pale, white mask is the first clear memory that i have of the near-past." "Loss of memory. Were you perhaps infected?" "Possibly. But i clearly got better! Anyway, i set up shop up here after leaving that horrid place, and i was able to sell small trinkets to the village-people for a miniscule profit." "I am not interested in the business history of your shop. Discuss your interactions with Ghost". "Right. The fellow was very quiet. In fact, i cannot remember them ever speaking. They were clearly quite rich, as they have bought out almost all of my more valuable stock. I suspect that their wealth might have been gained off the plunder of corpses". "A far more noble way than your disgusting profession. Continue". "Well, i sold them stuff like Mask Shards, Charms, keys, and strange, white objects that they seemed to be collecting." Hornet's interest picqued at that last sentence. "Describe them in full."

Well, they were white. As white as their mask. And they seemed to be parts of a whole. I had two parts, but they seemed to only buy them when they already had three. I had noticed that when combined, they seemed to look like a face with a mouth." "Soul vessels. Little Ghost was quite proficient in the use of spells (the burning, black fireball, tearing apart her chitin)". "Indeed they were. It seems that they must have used those to increase the SOUL that they could gather." "What else did you know about them?" Sly debated on whether to reveal his former association as the Nailsage, but Hornet intervened. "Halt! You were the former Nailsage, were you not? Did Ghost demand to be taught your techniques?" Sly, caught off-guard, managed to conjure up a smirk to deflect from his unpreparedness. "I had forgotten that you had seen this Kingdom before it's fall. Yes, i was the Nailsage a long-time ago, and no, i did not teach him much of anything. Their excellent form is self-taught". Hornet's ego was slighly chipped at the revelation, as she hoped she could cope with her defeats by thinking that Ghost had received advanced training. She pressed on nonetheless. "Do you know of anything else? Else i must end this conversation." "Already running away? But i suppose that you have extracted what you needed. Perhaps the cartographer would know better... and the stag".

Hornet berated herself. Of course the Stag and the map-maker would know better of Ghost's travels! Who else did accompany Ghost, after all! She was too preoccupied with tending to her ego that she had attempted to reconcile the twin missions. "Farewell, i suppose. I shall contact the map-maker next." And with that, she showed herself out the door. Was that scene necessary? The threats of violence? The harsh responses? Hornet was unsure of much she could keep this. She had to remain strong. Unmoving. Stoic. She was the Princess Protector, not a pampered noble. But for how long? Perhaps the map-maker would prove himself a less resilient target.

As she entered the small building, she found herself face-to-face with what seemed to be the map-maker's wife. Looking at a tag near the counter, she seemed to be named "Iselda". "Hail. I come here to-" Iselda quickly turned around and approched a large hammock, where a persistent up-and-down motion was clearly visible. "Corny, come on, the Princess is visiting!" The hammock suddenly shock, and a large bug suddenly fell out of it. "My apologies princess, but you find me in a regrettable state!". Hornet did not reply, but was rather watching the scene with amusement. Soon, the map-maker got themselves dressed and put on their large, rotund glasses, and approached the spider.

"Map-maker. I come here to inquire upon your interactions with the small vessel, Ghost. I know that you have met him many times, so it is crucial that you release as much information as possible here. What do you know about them?". "Oh, Ghost? What a wonderful little guy! They shared the same passion for cartography as myself. They even made their own map, basing themselves on my own, of course! But, alas, i confess i did not inquire much further into them. They have visited locations all over the kingdom, but you would learn more from consulting them, of course. Were you seeking to find them, perhaps?" "It would be preferable, yes. What is their last known location". "Ah, i would not know that. Ghost was quite... erratic in their movements. They greatly enjoyed traveling with the Stag, the Tram, but apparently they were also capable of teleportation!" Hornet considered asking about the last point, but she had learned enough about them to no longer be much surprised by it. "I understand. The Stag will be the last piece of this puzzle then. He must remember his last ride with him. Nevertheless, you have been useful in this. Farewell." Finding Ghost. Helping Hollow. Reestablishing Deepnest. Checking on the City and the Mantises. Dealing with the Void. Would she ever be able to rest?

Her thoughts were cut short by the thundering sound coming from the Stag station, and slow, rhytmic claps.

---------------------------------------------

They had learned rapidly of the power of their new form. What use was a nail for them? Their tendrils were more than enough to subjugate and kill any enemy that they encountered upon their path. If they had encountered any. The Waterways were strangely quiet. The disgusting sounds of the Flukemon, or the slow puffs of the Hwrumps were completely gone, replaced with an eerie silence. Not even while passing by Ogrim's arena did they hear their vigorous laughter. What had befallen Hallownest? (Were they the cause of this? Was the Lord the cause of this?) They never fond of the Waterways, but it's distinctive smell, it's sounds, the "unique" (Ghost would say freakish) appeareance of it's inhabitants brought a sense of relief. Of confirmation that they were exactly were they were, and nowhere else. That only the threats that they knew would attack them, and no one else. That seemed like a weak, obvious conclusion now, but it was quite the relief before... whatever this was.

Suddenly, while approaching the spiked shaft leading to the Basin, their head began to explode once more. They had learned this feeling by now, but it did not make it any less severe or debilitating. "GHOST... YOU ARE CLOSE TO YOUR HOME." Why were they pointing out the obvious? Were they not an all-powerful ancient god? "Yes, i can see that. Why have you contacted me again, Lord? Can you not see the pain that you cause me?" "GHOST... DO NOT WORRY ABOUT SUCH MODEST INCONVENIENCES. YOU HAVE SUFFERED MUCH MORE ON YOUR PATH." (Did Gods sign a contract that they would have to meet a quota every day of "Being An Asshole"?) "GHOST... YOUR FAMILY IS SEEKING YOU." Wait, how do They know THAT! "How are you sure of that? How have you learned that? What member of my family?"

please be Hollow, please be Hollow-

"GHOST... IT IS YOUR SISTER THAT IS SEEKING YOU. DO YOU WISH TO MEET HER?" Strange... giving them a choice? Why were They still keeping up with the nicities? "I suppose... yes? But what power do you possess that could possibly lead her to me?" "GHOST... IT IS QUITE SIMPLE. NOTHING THAT YOU COULD NOT DO. YOU ARE ME, AND I AM YOU. THE MAP THAT YOU HAVE LEFT IN THE PIT? IT IS STAINED WITH VOID. YOU ONLY NEED WILL IT CLEAN. FATE WILL ENSURE THE REST". They felt guilt at having their hard work (and Cornifer's!) ruined in such a way, and the idea that their mistakes could be undone was extremely appealing. Perhaps the Lord was not entirely faking it. "I... yes."

Ghost stopped in their tracks, and closed their eyes. They could feel the void around them. As if a heat map had been made, Ghost sensed it's concentration around the Kingdom. Puddles of it everywhere they traveled. An indescribeable mass below. Another large amount far to the west. That must have been the Junk Pit. They forced their mind to focus on the pristine, yellow like paper, the black, hand-drawn lines, the ruby-red pins, in a manouver similar to retracting and expanding their tendrils, and far to west, they felt the void shift to their command. Power.

(Was this how She felt?).

Chapter Text

Hornet had never been particularly knowledgeable in the art of medicine. She knew just enough for her to survive and no more. This was not due to a lack of interest but rather simply due to her education. In Deepnest, the role of doctor was strictly regulated and limited, and most warriors lacked even the most basic of notions that could save their life. While this undoubtedly limited the survivability of it's army, this was crucial in limiting the spread of knowledge of the cures to the many venoms and poisons that fueled said army. Security through obscurity. Whatever the reasoning may have been, Hornet was feeling the effects now.

Although Hollow was certainly in grave conditions before they were brought to the surface, they (if it was even possible) were in catastrophic conditions now. Hornet had barely enough time to exit the elevator to the stag station before they saw a limp, half-dead Hollow hanging on to the stag through sheer inertia. Their thorax was profusely bleeding thick, syrupy void over what remained of their torn cloak. The vertical crack in their mask had widened. Their legs were barely enough to crawl, let alone walk. They were completely unresponsive, and their chest was getting worryingly hot for a Vessel. Hornet approached them cautiously, eyeing the stag in the meanwhile.

"Princess... i fear that the Hollow Knight may not be long for this world." "I can see that, Stag. How could their conditions worsen this severely? I had not seen them wounded this badly when i had trusted them onto you. Were you attacked during your transport?" "No, Princess. The Stagways were as empty as a lifeblood cocoon after having consumed it. My pace was steady and slow, much slower than that little one would allow me to travel." What could have caused this, then? Was it a change of scenery? Perhaps Hornet had not properly examined Hollow's wounds in the darkness of the void-drenched Crossroads. That seemed like the most likely explanation. "Thank you, Stag, for your services to the Kingdom. I must ask you to leave us a moment of privacy while i tend to their wounds. Remain in this station however. I may need information from you regarding a matter of life-and-death" "But of course. Farewell then."

Hornet attempted to grab hold of Hollow's good arm, to try to drag them like she had thought of before in that temple. Hollow did not budge. Why were they all of sudden so heavy and so hot? Hornet remembered distinctly how light little Ghost was. And how light Hollow was when she had carried them to the stag station. Was their weight connected to their bodily status? And where would she even put them? She needed a spot that was safe and near civilization, so that she could obtain supplies and ensure that Hollow was watched over even while she could not tend to him. She needed...

"Halt, foul monster! I, Zote the Mighty, a knight of great renown, FORBID you from using the house of my greatly loved and recently deceased lover! I shall not allow you to tarnish her love with your vile experiments!" "Mr. Sly, please show this buffoon the terms of my lease." "Certainly. Mr. Zote, despite you having rented this real estate for nearly 14 days, i have not seen a single geo of rent come out of your pockets. The princess here, instead offers an immediate downpayment of 30 days, which is infinitely more than you have ever paid me. For what reason should i not evict you and remove you from the premises?" "Evict me, Zote? How dare you suggest such an idea, you ungrateful cur! I have destroyed the terrible infection that has plagued this kingdom for many days, and your response is to deny me a meager place to sleep? You should feel ashamed as to even consider the notion!" "I see. Princess, you may remove him from the premises and if he does not willingly go, you may torture him until he accedes to your demand. Farewell." "I, the great Zote tortured? How dare you disrespect my body with such a notion! I will fight tooth and nail this corrupt merchant and his lackey. But i must gather more strength first. When i see you again, you shall not be able to resist my wrath!". And with that, he sprinted away and down the well. "I give it 3 days until we find the body".

--------------------

With that distraction taken care of, Hornet carefully laid Hollow on the large bed in the center of the room. It was filled with stuffed pillows and the bed, although small, was wide enough to accomodate Hollow's large frame. For a moment, she stared at their body, attempting to grasp what had happened to them. How long did they endure this? (How long could they have endured this?). Hornet could not even fathom having to fight and contain the most powerful goddess in the kingdom for such an undescribeably long time. How did they cope with it? Was their mental health affected? (Could they think on their own?). What were they thinking of before she had reached them? (Did they even want her?).

Suddenly, Hollow slowly turned their body, attempting to have their thorax bleed onto the bed rather than on themselves. That snapped Hornet back to the world of the living, rather than the world of ideas. Thank Wyrm they were still alive. But she wasn't sure how long they'd survive in this state. First step would be to stem the bleeding. Hornet grabbed a large strand of silk, and she straightened it before laying it flat on a nearby table. She then grabbed a nearby piece of shellwood and tightened the silk around it, before eventually wrapping it around Hollow's large chest wound. This improptu tourniquet would certainly help far more than an open wound. She then reached under her cloak, and grabbed a vial of lifeblood that she carried around at all times, and slowly poured the thick, blue liquid over the crack in Hollow's mask.

Having done all she could, Hornet laid there for a moment, contemplating her next action. Ghost was still at large, and nowhere to be found. She was sure that they would be much more capable of helping Hollow recover. She was only acquainted with the treatment of regular bugs. Ghost? Well, if their many scars were an indication for their survivability, they would certainly know much more about healing Hollow. The stag. Ghost traveled on the stagways. The stag would remember their last journey together. Hornet slowly crept up to the door, attempting not to wake Hollow, and they pulled the handle-

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him". Sly. The map-maker. Iselda. Even that old bug. "What is the meaning of this? The Hollow Knight is in grave conditions and they cannot afford annoyances. Please let me go, i must interrogate the stag." "Now hold on there, princess." said the map-maker. "We are aware of how critical the Hollow Knight is. We watched you hang by them. Watched you stare into their eyes. Are you two related?". Why couldn't they just leave her alone? "That is not a question for you to know! Now, let me go. You are impeding my duty." "We simply wish to help them. We have no ill-intentions. You are pushing yourself far too hard. You are no longer alone in this world. You don't have to play heroine any longer." said the old bug. "I suppose that i could allow that. But do not worsen their condition any longer. Now, i must go. I cannot waste any more time with this nonsense". And with that, she shook herself off the hold of the gathered crowd and ran for the Stag station.

How could these Hallownestians ever understand her pain? They never had to witness their own mother being murdered in front of them by their supposed sibling, while they watched, powerless. (consenting to it). They never born as a result of a political arrangement with their homeland's worst enemy. They never had to watch the kingdom that they were supposed to rule fade into savagery and dusty ruins. How could they understand anything! She was halfway along those thoughts when she realized she was crying. No. No! She could not cry. She was strong and tough. She was the Princess Protector. She could not, not, not! She had to stay strong before if she wasn't strong, no one else would be. The stag. Yes, the stag! She needed to talk to the stag. She could not get wound up in emotions. She could not get wound up in crying. The time for crying would be after Hollow was safe. After Ghost was safe. After everyone was safe.

"Stag. I hope that i have not made you wait for too long. But you must understand my urgency." "Do not worry Princess. I have not heard a single call in the time that i have waited here. It seems the stag-ways are as empty as before the little one had reopened them. Speaking of which, were you searching for them?". "As a matter of fact, yes. Do you know the last station where you have accompanied them?" Hornet liked the stag. Unlike other bugs, they were direct, concise, and with a far more astute mind than their profession would betray. "It was the King's Station. I remember distinctly accompaning them there. They seemed almost bored with their slow, unattentive demeanor. It was quite unlike them. I was not able to see where they could have went from there. The Station is located in a logistical hotspot. North, there are the mansions and houses of many nobles. Perhaps they could have went there to search for an artifact or relic of some kind. East, there is a ancient, dilapidated passage to the edges of the Kingdom. I never visited that spot, but i am sure that you and the little one have. West, there is the Watcher's spire and the upper-class area of the City. I have no doubt that they have visited that area many times. And lastly, South, there is an entrance to the Basin far to the west, which leads under the City. Perhaps they could have visited that? Although i do remember that there is a station directly in the Basin." "That would discount the Basin theory, yes. Perhaps i should visit the station myself. There could be clues there to indicate to where they may have been headed. Thank you for your service Stag. Now, excuse me. Before i ride with you, i must attend to a personal matter".

And with that, Hornet ran up the elevator and climbed out of the station. The crowd outside Hollow's resting spot was now inside. They had brought him water and food. She doubted that would help much. She had seen first hand that vessels don't live as regular bugs do. They don't tire. They don't sleep. They don't crave food or water. She had once asked Ghost for a sparring match when they had met in the Kingdom's edge some time after their second fight. It lasted nearly 2 hours. By the end, Hornet was on the ground, panting. And Ghost stood besides her, upright. Their body no more or less different than before the fight. Hornet approached Hollow's almost-but-not-quite-dead body, and she mustered her mental faculties to produce some excuse that she could use to make herself feel better. "Sorry, i can't stay with you because i have to kill someone" "I have to go Hollow, i have to go bury my mother" "I'll come back later Hollow, i have to go search for the sibling that you didn't even know existed", and as she pondered, she felt sharp freezing claws on her hand.

It was Hollow's hand. They had turned their mask and were now staring at her. "Are you alive, Hollow?". With the faintest of movements they felt their massive hand tighten their hold slightly. "I'll come back for you later. Please be safe."

Hornet stood there, holding Hollow's hand for a moment, before running out the door.

-------------------

The Basin was about as miserable as Ghost remembered. A massive cavern filled with the most pathetic of creatures. Of course, the most pathetic of all was the Pale Whore located in the east of the area, polluting it with his depravity. They wondered what they should do with the Palace Grounds. There was very little of substance left there. Besides the ruins of the White Palace, what reason was there for them to allow that scourge on Hallownest to remain there? As a reminder of the father that they never had (That they preferred not having at all?)? As a reminder of the most despicable monster that mind can conjure? As a warning sign to any would-be upstart monarchs? None of the reasons were good enough for Ghost.

Their massive form slithered through the crack that they had passed through before in their smaller body, and they entered the Palace Grounds. They approached the body of the dead Kingsmould. Why were you still alive? Why you, out of all things, survived the fall of this den of iniquity? The residual void inside the Kingsmould tensed for a moment before relaxing. "Lord, please kill me. I have failed you". Ghost felt that voice. Metallic, and yet almost... child-like. Who spoke? It certainly wasn't them. It wasn't the Lord of Shades either. Their voice was deep, commanding, and had a distinctive reverberation.

Was it the Kingsmould? Ghost attempted to speak through the void, as they had before when speaking to the Lord. They thought of the White Palace. Formed. Intact. As disgustingly white and pale as the days where He was still alive. There, hundreds of guards could be seen on every tower, gate, door, even the damn bathrooms. And near the main gate, a pale white... being, holding a sickle-shaped boomerang, their face pure black. They were this. A machine. An automaton. A creation built exclusively to (kill) protect. No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. They were not a vessel. They were slaves. Void, tortured until it bent to it's creator's will.

Ghost felt an overwhelming river of rage pour through their mind, and with a swift strike of their tendrils, what remained of the mould was shattered into thousands of pieces.

Chapter Text

Hornet had never traveled the Stag-ways before in her life. There were very few, if any stag stations in Deepnest, and the ones that she did know about were scarcely visited. It seemed that the only segment of the population interested in foreign trade were the Weavers. Their prestigious silk was highly durable and sought after as a writing support, far outstripping competitors such as stone tablets, especially in the overbearing Kingdom of Hallownest, where it seemed that their hunger for silk far surpassed that of any other Kingdom that the nomadic Weavers had encountered. However, despite benefitting from such a profitable and valuable export, most of Deepnest had never wrote a single word in their entire life, and due to the ad-hoc nature of the army, writing was primarily provided by more resilient stone. Simply put, the amount of information that could written on silk, although greatly superior to any other, was not needed for such a decentralized army or state.

Hornet was still deep in thought, when suddenly, the Stag skid to a halt right outside the stop for the King's station and the inertia would propel her to fall flat on her back. "My apologies, Princess. I should have warned you of the dangers of being not properly gripped onto my body when i stop." Hornet quickly managed to clean herself of the stone dust gathered on the edge, and she replied with "It is no matter. You have gotten me here quickly, and you deserve commendation for your excellent job. Now, you may go. I must investigate this station most throughly". The stag bowed quickly, and disappeared into the Stag-ways.

She knew that this was the last station that Ghost had ever visited, but nevertheless there were few, if any signs of their passing. Before the destruction of the infection, Hornet could count on the trail of bodies that they left in their wake, but now, that was no longer a viable metric. The Station was quite large, even by Deepnest's standards, with multiple platforms, exits, and various docking and merchant locations located through the entire station. Taking stock of the various exits, she estimated the possibility of Ghost having left through each exit.

• Northern exit->Upper-class area and house. She highly doubted Ghost would visit this, as there was very little of value inside the mansions, besides, perhaps, some valuable relics, although Ghost had already pillaged so much that she doubted they were hurting for more Geo.
• Eastern exit->Antique tunnel to the Kingdom's edge. Also highly unlikely. There was very little left for the vessel to do in that area. She had heard that they had even completed the Trial of the Fool. The Nailmaster residing there was asocial and disliked by them. (They also apparently hated the "Primal Aspids" with a burning rage).
• Western exit->west side of the City. Could be possible. There was a relic-keeper there that was often visited by Ghost. However, since the Nailsmith had long abandoned his old forge, she thought it unlikely that they would head there and stay in that area for such a prolonged period of time.
• South-western exit->The Basin. This looked like the most likely location. Both the Palace Grounds and the Abyss were locations that Hornet knew meant a lot to Ghost. The Abyss, most importantly, housed their siblings, that they suspected may have tried to visit.

It was decided then. Hornet stepped out of the large station house, and headed into a large open area. There, there were massive bodies of deceased sentries, ones far larger than common foot soldiers, likely due to the prosperity of the district. This would confirm her theory that the death of the infection had resulted in the death of all infected beings. But if that was the case, how was Hollow still alive? (Don't leave me. You are the only one left).

As she approached the tunnel leading to the Basin, she however noticed something strange with the nearby sewage water drain. It was dark. This, in a ordinary patrol would be nothing out of the ordinary. The water actively absorbing light, and emitting strange dark particles however, was very much out of the ordinary. She determined to investigate this further. Perhaps the Nailmaster's hut, located near the main sewage drain of the City, would be a good location to inspect the water. As she traveled there, she passed by several large buildings and structures. The Watcher's spire was eerily silent, with even the scuttling nobles being long-dead. The houses nearby the Hollow Knight's statue were in similar conditions. More dead bodies and more silence. (Would there be anyone left?).

The Hollow Knight's statue seemed to be in the same conditions she had left it with after her second encounter with Ghost where she unveiled her plans to him. She supposed that, at the very least, the statue was correct in it's proportions. Many had assumed it was exaggerated, much as the King would depict himself as much taller than he was truly, but the large height of the Hollow Knight had became apparent to Hornet ever since their first encounter. She inspected the crest. She had not read it before, as she was in a hurry in her one and only visit of it. She could not get past the first sentence before she had become visibly angry. While Hollow was locked away fighting a goddess, the best that these bugs could do is worship him! They were nothing but a puppet from the very start! What was the point of all of it? Hollow had failed, due to no fault of their own. The King had failed, and all fault was His own. The White Lady participated willingly, willingly, in the entire atrocity without batting an eye! And She now fled away, hiding in a nook so well hidden not even the Princess Protector had found it, while Her children were sent to the slaughter, one by one. Infected. Killed. Discarded. (She had helped in that). What was the point of the City any more? Why did she even fight for anything! There was nothing left in this Kingdom. No inhabitants. No meaning. No literature, culture, religion, art, music, science, mathematics, engineering, life! And yet still she killed for the Kingdom. She traveled from it's tallest peaks to the deepest pits for the Kingdom that had rejected her. That had killed her mother.

She thought of Hollow. She thought of Ghost. Why did they go forward? They had much less to live for than her. They would never be accepted into society. They would never be accepted into anything! They were beasts, monsters, freaks of nature born out of the experiments of a mad tyrant. And yet, they went forward. And yet, they lived. They lived, because they knew that they had each other. Because they knew that if they stopped, there would be no one else to pick up the pace. Because they knew that even in the darkest of days, hope is a tough motherfucker.

She had to go forward. She had to continue. For Hollow. For Ghost. For everyone who had died for her. And for everyone they had killed in the pursuit of those goals. With her newly steeled resolve, she ventured forward. The Soul Sanctum lied above, but she had no interest in visiting that mad-house. What rather interested her was the relic-keeper. This would discount any possibility of Ghost having been there. After a short elevator ride, she found the merchant hiding behind their counter, as if they doubted Hornet's sanity.

"Halt there! Reveal yourself, or get out of my house!" Hornet quickly raised her hands and waved, while reassuring him with: "Silence merchant. I come in peace. I wish to do you no harm. I am Hornet, the Protector of Hallownest. I come here on official business". The merchant, though shook, emerged out of his hiding place. "Princess Hornet! What an honor. I am Lemm, an antiquarian of ancient relics of the kingdom. Excuse my rude introduction. After the infection had disappeared, i could not feel safe with the thick, killing air around, and the massive dead bodies laying scattered." "It is exactly with that purpose that i come here for. I have good evidence that one of your customer, a short bug with two pale horns and no mouth, which you may know by the name of "Ghost" was a frequent customer here. Is that not correct?" "It is. But Ghost was more of a supplier. I do not sell anything here, and i never will. And besides, Ghost hasn't visited me in nearly two weeks! I wondered what dirty hole they are now searching in..." "That is what i am doing. But two weeks... if i can recall, the infection had been destroyed nearly a week ago?" "Indeed. But whatever the killing blow may have been, the replacement is not something i would have wished for willingly. Now, if you don't have any relics to sell, get out! I do not offer housing, even to royalty." "Hmph. It's no wonder that Ghost has never visited you. Even the merchants of the surface have more manners than you. Farewell". So the Basin theory seems certain now. They should make their way back and-

What.

My God.

Hornet collapsed to the ground, at the sight of the sewer's state in the City of Tears. There was nothing left. The "water" was entirely replaced by that same thick, syrupy black liquid, oozing black particles off it. Void. All over the capital.

Chapter Text

Void.

There was Void in her lungs, chasing the air out of her, choking and crushing her attempts to breathe.

There was Void in her eyes, blinding her with the same aggressiveness with which it devoured Her light.

There was Void all over her body, cutting wounds and gouges into her cloak.

There was Void in her siblings, that protected and empowered them to challenge the higher powers that had dictated their lives.

There was no Void in her heart, for she was not born of it.

What caused this? (It merited it. The City. All of it. Burn it down, destroy it, build anew on what ashes are left) Hornet was stronger than most bugs, but she could not handle the void's crushing pressure. She had seen what it did to the bodies of those who were exposed to it. All living matter was utterly destroyed, and their dead, lifeless bodies would expel the black liquid from their pitch black eyes. (Just like Ghost, just like Hollow, just like she would in a moment). She attempted to get up, find any grip, any spot not utterly flooded with the substance, but she could not take a few steps without feeling like her life was being forcefully expelled from her body, as if all the hemolymph would pour out in a orderly manner from her flesh and she would be left as a lifeless husk. Another body claimed to the City, and the horrors that it hosted. Was this punishment? Was this retribution? Was the void retaliating against it's former oppressor? If it was, why was she being claimed as a tribute (She deserved it. She had killed just as the King had)? She had to get up. She could not stay here. It would kill her, and she had promised, promised that she'd come back for Hollow. Come back for Ghost. Come back for everyone. Her mother had given her life so she could live. Void, black liquid pouring into her, twisting and turning her insides, choking, strangling, killing her...

The first thing she remembered was a hand caressing her mask. Was she finally dead? Mother, was it you? Please stay with me, i have failed... It touched her mask. Ice cold.

Hollow?

Hollow!

Hornet felt a wave of overwhelming relief (and love) over her. They had recovered so quickly. They attempted to grab a hold on their hand to get up, stop laying there, start moving again, but the hand suddenly turned away, and she could feel it motion against it, and she could not find a new appendage to hold on to before sleep again overtook her.

The first thing she remembered was the white. Of their mask. Of Hollow. She was laying in a makeshift bed fashioned out of cloth that Lemm had been willing to give away as an act of charity for Hornet. How bad was she feeling for such a personality to feel generous? Most of her former strength had returned, and without scars it seemed. Was it all a dream? Was the void never there in the first place? But how could Hollow's newfound strength be explained? She had seen them, laying on a bed, tourniquet over their chest, left arm eviscerated, mask cracked, and yet now they were, nursing Hornet back to safety and healing her. She attempted to twist her head right. Her cloak, or what was left of it, was irreprably damaged and stained black with void. Damnit. Finding a new one of the same quality, design, and size would be exceptionally hard, now that there were no weavers to take requests. Her needle was similarly ravaged by the liquid, with only a few spots of concetrated Pale Ore not being utterly absorbed by the void.

She had to get up. There would be no good in laying there. She was fine! She was healthy. She was strong. She was the Princess Protector. She struggled against the thick cloth, before she could untangle herself from her prison, and while attempting to check her body for damage, Hollow entered the room. The tourniquet on their thorax was gone. Not "removed after it had healed". Not "infected and thus replaced", but gone. Absorbed, reformed, devoured. Their cloak was now pitch-black and not even the slightest stain of orange could be seen. Their arm and mask were still damaged, however. It seemed that whatever had restored them, could not even heal such profound damage.

They slowly approached the now-naked Hornet, who felt a tongue of shame at presenting herself in this way in front of her sibling, but they did not seem to mind (or understand). She struck before their body language could say anything. "Hollow". Their sibling squared up to attention, just like how He had trained them to. "Are you okay?" They violently nodded, with an air of "Why are you asking this? Weren't you the one laying in bed?" "What happened to me while i was unconscious?" They mustered all their knowledge of sign and social cues to attempt to communicate all that they could. It was a mumbled mess of "Found", "Helped", "Hope you are well". Communicating with them would be harder than she thought. "Wait, can you write? I know standard Hallownestian. I could teach it to you". Hollow felt undecided, and the nod that she received was weaker than she hoped. "Do not feel forced. I am well aware of the horrid treatment that you have suffered, and i do not intend to repeat it unto you". It was wordier than she had hoped, but it got the message across.

----------------

Only a few steps remained. The door to their home was in front of them. What was left of it, anyway. A long time ago, a time when they were still weak, when they were still mortal, they had been able to open the seal by showing it the mark of the Pale Whore. Part of them was grateful that they lost their previous body, if for no either reason than that horrible mark was no longer burned on their shell. They would serve no gods. Honor no beings. They lived only for themselves and for the ones they cared about. Because they knew that nothing else had ever lived for them.

They passed through the large door easily, and soon, they were hanging off the railing of the Abyss. The railing.

("Hold me! Don't let me go" they shouted, before they had realized that they had no voice to cry out for their suffering. Their twin got smaller and smaller, disappering from their vision until not even their pale horns could be seen.)

Hollow had betrayed them here. Killed them here. Why did they still care about them?

Why were they thinking of them right now?

Why were they thinking if they were okay?

Their vision became a blur. Past and present melting together. Small and large. Tall and short. Just born, and in prime form. Where were they?

Hollow?

Hollow!

HOLLOW!

They were alive. But where? Where were they? Why were they not there? Why could they never be together? Those would had conspired against such a proposition could no longer protest. Why were still searching? (They didn't want you. You wanted to kill them, knew that it would kill them, and yet you persisted, you payed no heed to your nail cutting into their void).

Again, all that they could see was void. Burning itself on their vision. As if a heatmap of where all of the black substance was. Bending to their will. Allowing them to see where no eye could. The City flooded with it...(It was a mercy. They could do much worse. They would do much worse) The Junk Pit flooded with it...(and nothing of value was lost) The Black Egg Temple flooded with it...(She had hurt them, made them bleed all that was inside of them until nothing was left) And a puddle in Bretta's house. Who could this possibly be? They attempted to sense the void there more clearly. A feat impossible if not for their crushing power.

Who was it?

Zote? Bretta? No. It was family. It was Hollow.

They could feel themselves screaming. But no sound came out, for they had long known that they had no voice to cry suffering. And yet, their mind reverberated into Hollow's. They were shook to their very core. Ghost felt Hollow's fear. Hollow's confusion. Hollow's panic. Who was it? They sent any and all positive emotions and feelings that they could think of through their connection. I love you. Please come back. I want to help you. I want you to help me. Please don't go. I will never lose you ever again. They felt fear. Confusion. But deep inside, a small twinkling of happiness. They focused on it as much as they could.

Where are you? I need you. I want you. Please get well. Please. You have to get well. There is someone dying. She is dying. Ghost felt a deep chill as they sent those thoughts. The moment they felt a small twinge of Hornet's thoughts in the void, they had gone to the worst conclusion that they could think of. But there was no time for compromise. Thank you. I want you. Please visit me again. They reassured as much as they could, before their vision faded again, and they found themselves staring at the barren soil of the Abyss.

Chapter Text

"Now, please try writing your name".

Hollow turned their head in confusion, thinking about the quest that they'd just been given. Their... name? Father had never given them a name. They were only referred to by adjectives. The Pure Vessel. The Hollow Knight. Hollow. The last one, assigned to them by Sister was quite different, however. It was a mark of endearment. Of family (Of what they never were). Perhaps they should use that. They had no one to assign anything to them any longer. They did not know where they could find Father or Mother, or even their twin, despite having felt their connection and having not-spoke to them the day before.

"Hollow"

Sister narrowed her eyes and squinted at the silk that Hollow had been practing the alphabet on. "Are you sure you want to take that name? It is one that is no longer befitting of you, and forced upon you rather than freely picked". Hollow did not budge in the slightest, and instead scrawled underneath it:

"Hollow"

This was a name that they could settle on. One that was a mark of love.

------------

The Abyss.

The location of their birth. And the death that led to it.

Quite ironic isn't it? This cursed world did not seem to find much amusement in it, however.

Throughout the bloody path that they had carved through Hallownest, they had never found an area quite like the Abyss. It was what they had always wished. Eternal quiet. No bugs to kill. No earthly matters to attend to. No deities to worship or face the wrath of. Just themselves, and their (true) family. That was what they hoped it would be. Instead, it was just as deadly as what was above it. Filled with the Shades of their fallen siblings. Filled with Void that did not recognize them, and treated them as well as they treated any other outsider.

Total, unfliching brutality.

It was that.

Now, neither of the two were true.

They hastily moved from platform to platform, dropping further and further. They could see the pit. The open-air mass grave of their siblings. One that not even the most destructive and unrelenting wars could produce. They no longer felt much at it's sight. They had long accepted that part of their life. They had grieved, and they exacted justice on what had caused this. Now, it was just one of many horrors that they had experienced. (it was not even close to the worst thing done to one of their family). Wading from discarded mask to discarded mask. One of those could have been them. They could have been one of those.

No longer.

It was quite a long while ever since the Lord had contacted them. Was this not they wanted out of them? To visit the Abyss once again? Why, then, were they forestalling this for so long? Was it all an hallucination, one conjured by their mind in an attempt to relieve them and lead them to the place of their birth, in vain hope that it would help them? If it was, they must give credit, for it seemed very convincing at the time of it's occurance.

But one thing that they were absolutely certain (they were not) was not a cruel trick, was the "conversation" that they had with their sibling. They were alive. They had to be alive. Perhaps they could contact them again... at the very least, until Them would make their intentions clear.

------------

"So. After you had seen me unconscious, laying flat on a pool of void, you pulled me out of it and carried me over to Lemm's and nursed me back until i could regain consciousness that first time?" "Yes. I was quite worried when i had first seen your conditions, for i had only seen them in corpses of those who were on the brink of death. Sister, fortunately they had warned me of your grave danger before it could come to the worst. For i fear that a moment too late would have been too much for me to save." "Wait, Hollow. Who is they? Who had warned you? The stag? One of the villagers". "No, Sister. It was my twin. You have already made an acquaintance of them, for you have encountered them many times, in both your dreams and in the waking world, just as i have."

Ghost? But... how... were they?

The revelation would hit Hornet far harder than Ghost's nail ever could. They visibly staggered before attempting to steady herself on Hollow's shoulder. Breathe in. Focus. This is what they were here for, right? To find Ghost. This is why they had even visited the City in the first place.

(They were linked together, tightly, deeply. You can never reach the same bond).

"How did they contact you? Did they visit you in your house? Or was it another method, such as telepathy?" She already knew the answer, so why did she even ask these horrible, no-good, questions?

"Neither of the two. It seemed that Ghost had been able to obtain power far larger than they previously possessed, and that they could transmit their thoughts and emotions through the intrinsic bond that we possess, as children of the same God. I could never equal such a feat, even in my prime form. If i attempted it, i could only do it from a close distance, perhaps 4 or 5 nail's length away. Across the Kingdom? It would be impossible." (There was no shame, no envy in that line. It was simply a matter of fact.) That was certainly an unique ability. She did not know of any other species who possessed something close to it. But, as it should have been to her after so many revelations that could be explained with the simple mantra: the void worked in mysterious ways, and very much did not care about the sensibilities of bugs who had more conventional bodily fluids.

"So, you can receive and send messages through this link, but it is impossible for you to open it once closed. Only if Ghost wishes to open it once more such a communication method become relevant". "That is correct. I had talked to them while laying in the bed that you have constructed, Sister. I had recovered much of the strength previously lost, and their great warning granted me the reso-." As Hollow carefully inscribed those words on the silk scroll in front of them, their pen began to waver and stagger, before they dropped it entirely, collapsing to the ground in agony as they clutched their chest.

"HOLLOW!", her sister cried, as she jumped into action at the sudden pain that they were suffering, but they would soon calm, as Hollow steadied themselves, and managed to firmly grip her, pulling her into an impromptu hug. They were freezing-cold, just as she remembered. Why then, could she not let go of them?

Hollow's brief respite soon ended, as their vision slowly dissolved, first struggling to see the outlines of objects, then the shapes of said objects, and then the colors of each object disappeared into a vague soup of grey, then pitch black. When their vision had returned, they were with their sister once more. And there was someone else with them. But not with her.

It was their twin.

Are you okay? Are you happy? Hollow could not do much more other than reply with reassurance of their current well-being. It was extremely hard to do that even, given the immense distance between them.

Is she okay? Did it hurt her? Hollow could feel that they already knew the answer, so why did they ask terrible, no-good questions?

Void-almost-dead. Void-stop-her.. From the other side, they felt a mix a confusion and guilt. Did they feel fault for her personal injuries?

I will help. Make sure she is not hurt anymore. Please do not let her leave us. Please do not leave me. They were uncertain. Almost teetering on the wording. But nevertheless, Hollow responded with gratitude and happiness.

Thank. Never-leave-again. As they sent that final message, they felt colors once again bursting into their retinas, as their imprisonment was finally finished, and once they turned away for a second, they were gone.

Chapter Text

Hornet almost regretted having held Hollow in a hug for the entire period of their communication with little Ghost. A healthy vessels' body was infamously cold to the touch, likely a result of the concentrated void, and she was now forced to cower near a fire for any warmth that she could find. (A small part of her liked the cold. Liked the source of the cold.) She wondered if it would be this painful every time. If Hollow would have to suffer this immensely simply to talk like any other bug to their twin. She wouldn't get an answer standing around and theorizing, so she prepared for the impending conversation with her sibling.

"Were you contacted by Ghost, Hollow?". They were standing upright now, the horror of just a few moments before having fully faded from their memory, and they slowly approached the table that held the silk scrolls that they had used to practice and communicated with, and began to write. "Yes. They were standing in a place far darker than any i remember. I remember that they had almost appeared into the room that we are now in. They have spoken to me."

Hornet mustered all the pride in her body to get up from the cozy fire so she could actually read what they were writing. Their writing style was quite unusual, and she had not seen it among any other bug. Hornet did not write much, especially in Hallownest's script, but what she did write was layered in the same formal and dignified tone as her speech with any common bug. Ghost... she had not seen their personal writings, but they were sure that they were quite capable of it. Judging from their attitude, they had likely learned the script from outside the Kingdom, and it was likely as utilitarian and direct as their "speech". Hollow was unique, however. They never taught how to write in the Palace, for the King feared that allowing the most basic of self-expression would have ruined the Vessel's "purity". They had, however, quietly observed the letters and missives of the many courtiers and nobles in the Palace, and thus their writing was highly reminiscent of that elegant, high-brow style.

After quickly scanning the text before her, she only had one question, and for once, it was quite valid. "What did they say to you? Were they standing in the Abyss, perhaps?" Hollow should have expected the question, but it still required substantial brain-wracking to arrive at an answer. "They asked me of my personal well-being, and i responded affirmitevely. Then, they asked of your own personal status, and i best transmitted across the link the images and emotions of that fateful encounter with the void. They were quite afflicted with guilt and anger over the occurance, and seemed to promise to help against the void, in whatever manner it may be. I then bid them farewell."

It was really quite simple. There was nothing complicated or ambiguous about the encounter, and yet some part of them still wished to obfuscate what had really transpired, the real meaning of it, despite the fact that they trusted the recipient utterly.

She was quite intrigued by the transcript in front of her. They would help against the void? She knew to some extent that Ghost seemed to have gotten a degree of control over the black substance. Did they manage to make it retreat, or somehow not hurt them? "It is really quite interesting. Hollow, would you mind if you accompanied me on another trip to the western side of the City? I am certain that something of great importance must be located there, and i am afraid that without your presence something as terrible as my first passage through that area may occur." She had already known the answer to that question, but she felt satisfaction nonetheless when Hollow wordlessly nodded "yes".

The preparations would take only a few minutes. Given how both of their weaponry was now ruined, and how it is was quite unlikely that they would to engage in conventional combat along the way (and even then, she suspected Hollow may be more than enough for them), they only packed some essentials; Food, water, camping supplies, and a second cloak in case the one that they were wearing would be somehow damaged.
They departed soon after, and the initial journey to the area was uneventful, until Hornet reached the doorway which led to the offending area. Fearing a similar outcome as before, Hollow instead opened it and went ahead first, and it was only after Hornet saw their hand signal was she able to pass through.

The area looked no better than before. Really, it was even more flooded than before. But the void that was there was quite a bit more... docile than before. It did not emane the dark particles or fumes that nearly killed the spider, neither did it lash out at intruders under form of sharp, pitch-black tendrils, and neither was it aggressively taking over every living tissue that it could find. Instead, it aggressively repulsed itself away when approached by either sibling. Quite curious indeed.

"Clearly, whatever action Ghost has taken, it has been quite successful. The void here seems to be no longer aggressive. We should still proceed with caution." Hollow nodded, and they soon found themselves in what was formerly the path to the Nailsmith's hut.

Formerly, because there was no longer a path, and there was no Hut, Nailsmith, or nails.

Rather, it was a messy stew of black and grey, with only a few precious islands of solid terrain to stand on. The air here was incredibly thick, and the pressure was so crushing that every step felt like an accomplishment. They nevertheless waded through the hazardous terrain as one would through a treacherous swamp, and they managed to find a small, yet still accessible tunnel that led even further below. The void seemed to seep from there, for it was utterly filled with it.

"That seems like the source of the infestation. I do not know where this tunnel leads precisely, but it is likely connected to the Waterways due to it's location", Hornet commented. Descending down said tunnel was not eventful, as it was more of the same. Thick air, very dim if any light, utterly flooded with the black liquid, with the three characteristics increasing as they went further into it. Eventually, it abruptly ended, and led to the left. "This seems like the end of it. I certainly hope this wasn't in vain", Hornet remarked. Hollow was very much not worried about such a circumstance, for the entire travel had strongly reinvigorated them. They were not sure what it was, but traveling through the flooded tunnel only strengthened their body, rather than testing it. The exit led to a large, pitch-black room. If it was very hard to see before, it was utterly impossible now. "It's incredibly dark in here. I can't seen anything beyond a nail's length from me. Hollow, are doing better?"

How could they even be expected to reply if she could not see them?

Instead, they let their actions speak, firmly grasping Hornet and placing them on their shoulder, for the room was as clear as a mirror for them. Hornet panicked briefly, before settling down, and she almost enjoyed the feeling of disempowerement. Perhaps she really didn't have to be the heroine every time. She did not want to have this experience persist any longer than before any bug at all could learn of it, for she was certain that her reputation would be utterly demolished by it, and she was eventually dropped off when Hollow stopped in front of what seemed to be a particularly concentrated puddle of void. She was not sure what was so interesting about the feature, but as she was deducing what could Hollow mean by this, she saw their hand suddenly glow white, and a small soul dagger being emitted from it, landing near a spot to the west of the puddle. (They were also capable of Soul magic. What limited her, then?)

She understood quickly, and as she approached the spot, she had a large piece of paper enter her vision. A map.

A very complete map.

A map utterly perfect and unstained by any of the void besides it.

A map that looked to have some writing on it.

Their map.

Ghost's map.

"Hollow... do you see what i have found?". She turned, expecting Hollow to respond, but she saw them crouched on the ground instead, clutching their chest tightly.

Again?

She quickly ran to assist them, but she stopped short when she saw them get up quickly, no longer suffering from any pain, it seemed. Hollow's vision once again faded entirely, and a pitch-black ambience entered their vision instead.

Are you okay? You are near me.

Why were they asking again? And they had deduced the affirmation by noticing the significantly lesser pain and strain that communicating with them took.

Yes, i am fine. Where are you, then?, they replied.

I am in our home. The Abyss. Please come. I need you.

The Abyss... (Them hanging off the ledge, holding out their hand. Their link was far tighter then, and hearing their thoughts of hope and desperation was a stab far greater than they were willing to admit. They had to do it. Had they?) I will reach you. But i do not know how. The door to the Abyss had been sealed by Father.

They felt a distict, sharp anger at that last word, directed not towards them, but at their shared parent. Their twin clearly had a distinct opinion about them.

Don't worry! Where you are standing, there is a hidden tunnel near the south-east. There, it will lead directly into the Abyss. That must be how they got around Father's seal. They did not know of such a tunnel, and were frankly quite embarrased that such a thing could escape their parent.

I will make sure to come, and bring Sister too. Be safe until then

There was no reason to add the last part, they knew their twin was far stronger than they ever were, but a part of them overpowered their rationality, and it found it's way regardless.

Thank you. Stay safe. I love you

(They already knew it. It was the other side that did not love them as they loved them).

And with that, the pitch-black of the Abyss, was replaced with the pitch-black of the Junk Pit.

Chapter Text

It was only by reading their map that Hornet had truly a sense of how through Ghost's exploration was. The paper was nearly entirely filled out, with very few blank spots left. It was intricately detailed, displaying the nooks and crannies that even the spider was not aware of. It also seemed to be peppered with various markings, some made out of metal and affixed directly onto the map, while others were simple ink marks drawn onto it. Her assessment of their writing was correct; it was very much unusual for a native Hallownestian due to lacking the usual fancities of formal writing, and was instead a highly utilitarian style, almost short-hand in it's utter imcomphrensibility.

She attempted to trace her own path to the map using it; She started up north, where the town was labeled "Dirtmouth", and followed the path of the stag to the King's Station.

There, she traveled west, where it seemed that Ghost had throughly explored the noble quarters, including a large building named the Pleasure House, on which Ghost had scribbled unreadable obscenities. Moving wet, she saw that the Nailsmith's hut had been labeled with several numbers, likely the Geo demanded by it's occupant for his services. The path to the large area in which she found herself, however, was not present on the map. Her initial thought was that Ghost had never discovered such a tunnel, but given how it was very unlikely that the King would let a tunnel to the sewers be open right in front of his city, she attributed it to simple forgettance.

Whatever she had discovered on the map, it did not particularly expedite the process of searching for Ghost. That was until Hollow fully recovered from communicating with their twin.

Hornet still could not see very much in front of her, so she offered them the backside of the map that she was holding (Hoping that Ghost did not mind to write on. Hollow proceeded to scribble this: "Sister, i know where they are. They have spoken to me. They are in the Abyss, there is a tunnel leading to it in the south-eastern corner of the room." The Abyss? But... She definitely could not travel there. It was already pushing it traveling in this pit of void. She was certain that leaving the Abyss alive would be impossible. Hollow, on the other hand... "Hollow, i must ask of you another favor. I cannot travel to the Abyss myself. I am forced to entrust the task to you. But... i fear that you may not have the fondest memories of that place. Are you willing to visit the Abyss?"

(Yes. Don't go there. Leave it sleeping. You won't have to face the twin that you killed)

"Of course i will. I wish to be re-united with them as much as you wish to. There is no doubt otherwise" "Thank you. I will make sure to wait for you at the Stag station in the King's Station." A part of her wished to hug them, but she could not muster enough courage to do it before they disappeared from her vision, and she was forced to venture back to the surface.

---------------

Why were they taking so long? Not Hollow, of course. They were sure that Hollow certainly had a good reason for taking such a long time to find them. They were certainly not in the most accessible location, after all. But, still, they had gotten tired of sitting in the Abyss with their massive form, doing nothing. Why couldn't the Lord contact them? Or any other damn god? They were sure that they could take them now. (They wished for it. They wished to be able to sink their massive tendrils into His form, ripping, tearing, mauling, killing).

And yet, they waited. They began to analyze the many masks that laid around them. Each, a dead sibling. Each, one sibling that could have been them right now. (They never could. They did not have it in them). They were getting quite tired of the new body that they had been left with. It was more powerful than anything in the bounds of their imagination, but it was certainly not handy or subtle like their previous one. How could they even be expected to live with such a form? They did not wish for it, and was rather forced unto them by someone who they had never interacted with. The body of a god... they spat such inanities. They were a slayer of gods, and would not reduce themselves to such absurdities.

----------------

The tunnel that Hollow was now exploring (trapped in) was almost certainly the oldest thing that they had ever seen in their not-life. It was riddled with signs and simbols, almost certainly road indications, all of which were written in a script that only a scholar of the Archives could have any chance of decipherying. They were not that. They were not meant to even think of such a possibility.

They were not meant to think.

And yet, here they were, doing such an act.

Would Father disapprove? Almost certainly. But he had long exited Hollow's life. And his hold on their heart was far weaker than the one that Hollow held for his siblings. Their thought were interrupted by the sudden appeareance of what seemed like a large, sealed door, that was clearly forced open and closed shut many times over. It was the door that would lead to the place of their birth.

The Abyss.

-----------

Ghost had felt the arrival of their twin long before the gate would have opened, but they could not attend to it, for other matters had their attention. They was "standing" the best that they could by the door to the Lighthouse, that they remembered visiting and turning on. It seemed that the light emitted by it had suppressed the void of the Sea, making it docile, and allowing Ghost passage forward to obtain the Shade cloak.

A strong impulse within them recoiled in disgust at such a thought, and before they could suppress it, a tendril shot out of their body and directly slammed into the large lamp containing the lumaflies that powered the Lighthouse. The glass easily shattered with a horrifying sound, void and shards killing many of the flies and shutting off the light.

What was that? Was it the Lord? No. They were not able to control them. (They would never allow such a thing. They were certain of it.). They had to control their anger. They could not let it boil to such an extent. And yet... the destruction brought joy and relief to their entire body.

Perhaps the outcome was desirable.

They could not reflect on it, however, for it was cut short by Their arrival. They felt it. Their own body shriveled and shook to it's core, every tendril weaving erratically, and their head burst with void and power, as if it was to explode into a thousand pieces right there. Soon, a voice would interject.

"GHOST... YOU HAVE REACHED THE PLACE OF YOUR BIRTH. WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

Again, with the cryptic questions. Had they not settled this matter long ago? Did the years of imprisoning that the Lord claimed to suffer give it short-term memory loss as well? "Why is such a question relevant to my mission? I will not disclose my own thoughts to an unknown stranger"

"GHOST... I AM NOT A STRANGER. I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN YOU. FROM THE START. FROM THE DATE OF YOUR BIRTH. BUT, NEVERTHELESS, I WILL EXPLAIN MY MOTIVES"

They most certainly did not know them from their birth. The only faces they could remember from those cursed days was Hollow, the Pale Whore, and an indiscriminate mass of siblings.

"What is it then? I am not interested in running errands for a god, for i wish to live my own life, free from the interruptions and interventions of any higher being" "GHOST... I SHARE THE SAME GOAL. I ALWAYS HAVE. YOU DO NOT WISH TO KEEP THE BODY THAT YOU POSSESS, DO YOU?"

How did it know? Well, the answer to that was simple if they seriously believed that the Lord was inside of them, but still.

"I suppose so, but what do you propose instead? I could not return to my previous form, for my shell is permanently lost, left in the realm of Dreams, which does not exist any longer."

"GHOST... THAT IS NOT A CONCERN. I AM CAPABLE OF CREATING A BODY FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN THE ONE THAT YOU PREVIOUSLY HELD. THAT YOU PREVIOUSLY DESTROYED. ONE THAT WOULD FIT YOUR STRENGTH MUCH MORE ACCURATELY"

Creating a new body? But from what? They definitely were not going to use any of the masks left here, they were far too small. Having their immense power be left in such a small body was extremely painful, and they had already experienced such a thing. "How would you come to such a body, then? I do not wish to return to my previous form, for it was far too small to properly contain my power, and i do not see larger masks here."

Was that laughter!?

"GHOST... YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SUCH A PROBLEM. I WILL ATTEND TO THE PROCESS ENTIRELY; YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. I ONLY WISH FOR ONE THING IN RETURN."

Here it was. The bargain. What would it be this time? For Her it was the bug's free will. For the Pale Whore it was worship and his laws. For Unn... they were not certain, but they were sure that would have a catch too. Seeing that they did not reply, the Lord continued.

"DO NOT WORRY. IT IS A VERY SMALL THING, AND IT WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR LIFE, OR THE ONE OF YOUR FAMILY IN ANY WAY. I SIMPLY WISH FOR ME TO REOBTAIN MY BODY ONCE I MADE YOURS."

That's it? That seemed awfully moderate and kind for a god. They were certain that there would be catch. There always was.

"How can i receive any assurance that you would not attempt to use the body that i would give you to attempt to assert your rule over Hallownest? I do not care much for the Kingdom, but it's fall would affect the ones that i love as well." "GHOST... IT IS BECAUSE, I HAVE NO POWER OVER YOU. YOU HOLD THE POWER WITHIN YOURSELF TO KILL ME. TO IMPRISON ME AGAIN. PERMANENTLY. YOU COULD DO SO RIGHT NOW. I WOULD RISK MY ENTIRE BEING IF I WAS TO VIOLATE THE TERMS OF OUR CONTRACT"

( There was much truth in their words, but also much lying. It was still a better ratio than what most bugs offered )

Would they really accept this? It seemed to be a relatively safe offer, and they were sure that they could handle the Lord if they had decided to go rogue, but they were still uncertain. Every god had hurted them, without exception. Even the relatively benign ones had only brought misery to his life. How could they trust this one? Had they truly learned nothing?

They felt anger surging through their body at the thought of rejecting.

They would keep this body.

The body of a God.

They could never forgive such a thing.

How could they ever approach Hollow with their heart in peace knowing that?

They had to do it.

"I accept, but only, and strictly on the terms that you have offered to me. I will punish any deviation from them" They felt remorse writhe within them, but they suppressed the feeling, and waited for the Lord's response.

"IT IS EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE. I SHALL ATTEND TO THIS MATTER THIS INSTANT" .

Did they make the right choice?

-------------

Hollow had finally managed to force the large gate open. It was far better defended than it looked at first, and not even Soul magic had forced it open. It required much pushing and shoving, instead, to finally break open the seal on it. They were in.

The Abyss.

(Go back, you still can. You will find nothing but misery here)

No. They had to proceed forward. Otherwise what had they done all that work there for? Getting out of their bed. Saving their sister. Learning to communicate with her. Tracing their twin. Would they give up on the final step? They wouldn't.

The Abyss looked much changed from when they had first seen it, in the fateful days of their birth. It was much darker, even compared to other areas that they had visited. They were sure that any regular bug would have gone blind from the sheer complete lack of light. Fortunately, they were not a regular bug.

Walking on the masks of their fallen siblings, Hollow felt a strong sense of guilt. Crick-clack. They had to keep their weight constant and steady, or they risked shattering a mask.

They had already done so.

This was their fault. They had done this. They had failed in everything from the moment of their birth.

They had failed to save their twin.

They had failed to be what Father wanted.

They had failed to contain the Radiance.

And now they were failing to not desecrate their shared birthplace.

Hollow had to get away from those terrible thoughts, and so they forced their vision forward and up. Among the rocky terrain, they saw a deviation from the standard pattern. Something... pale and white.

Please, Wyrm no.

(Yes.)

It was large, curved, and as long as Hollow's, perhaps even longer, and it sported 6 pairs of horns, for a total of 12, three on each side. The horns were sharp and pointy, and emerged from the mask in certain pattern, with the top horn having a u-shaped caving.

(Just like their mask)

Their eyes were pitch-black, and under them, they could see a massive body, perhaps even taller than themselves, covered in a cloak even darker than the surronding enviroment.

They possessed two large arms that emerged from their shoulders, with massive fingers.

The legs were thin and long, making their massive posture even longer than the biggest of great-nails.

(Just like them.)

It was not an enemy.

It was not a stranger.

It was family.

Their two minds and bodies, connected on a deep, and fundamental level, only had one thought each, antagonist and symbiotic of the other.

Ghost.

Hollow.

They were home.

Chapter Text

If someone would have told them that in their future, they would meet again with their twin, now free and uninfected, after striking a deal with an ancient deity of the void after reliquinshing their body to them and in exchange obtaining one more accurate to their true age, they would have certainly stabbed them, for such ravings were reserved to the ones most strongly afflicted by the infection.

Nevertheless, such a chain of events had just happened.

Ghost had not gotten particularly used to the new body that they wielded; it was neither reminiscent of the small form of before, and neither of the godlike, unformed cloud of void that they held a few moments before. That it did not take long for Ghost to feel the raw power that it held, that was before imprisoned into their child-like form, was quite encouraging. But said musings would be put to a halt for now, for reunion with their twin was their foremost mission now.

They were right in front of them, were they not? Everything that they had ever wished for was finally accomplished. The Pale Whore's kingdom laid dead and buried, it's inhabitants having either throughly forgotten of Him or lying dead. She was gone, and would never return. (The pain that they inflicted on Her was a small fraction of what She had inflicted on them, but it would have to do). The only person that they truly cared about was freed and safe.

It did not feel like they had won, however. Why? (You already know why. Them.).

No time to reflect on that however. Hollow was right there, and their form had fallen quite sloppy... they would be critically vulnerable to the most debilitating of manouvers.

A hug.

They felt the air shift beneath their legs, and, drenching themselves in void, they dashed forward, emerging out of it with their arms outstretched, quickly encircling Hollow's form. Their (now) shorter twin had no appropriate counter-measure prepared, and the hug was delivered at maximum efficacy.

Despite both of them being utterly mute and incapable of speaking, that gesture spoke more than thousands of scrolls could.

"I'm back." "I love you". "You're not running away from this". "Let's enjoy this moment while it lasts". "Guess who's the small one now". Whatever Hollow felt the most, Ghost was not sure. They did not care about it. They did not care about anything in this world right now, besides their current interaction with their twin.

----------------------

The two vessels stayed locked in that position for what must have felt like a time even superior to the Hollow Knight's imprisonement, but the moment would have to eventually end, and it ended with Ghost making a graceful retreat and withdrawing their arms from Hollow's chest. The first to speak, surprisingly, was Hollow.

Sibling... you have returned

Did they think them gone? It would take something much stronger to kill them, especially in their current state.

I was never gone, and when i was, i returned as soon as i could.

What happened to you? My last encounter with you was in the realm of the dreaming, where you were much smaller. How have you grown this much in such a short time?

A reasonable question. But how much should they tell them about the Lord? They were unsure how well they would take Ghost defaming them. Not that Ghost cared much, to be honest, but what they did care about was whether it would affect Hollow and the ones they cared about. They opted for secrecy. Best not to alarm the populace, or what was left of it.

I had lost my previous body when i killed Her. The void was able to create me a new, more powerful one after i returned to it.

They really did hope that Hollow did not question how they had managed to get to the Abyss without a body, but it would have to do.

But how did you acquire the mask, then? None of the vessels known to me had such a large and unusually shaped mask.

That's the million-Geo question, is it not?

The Abyss merged together parts from the masks of our fallen kin. It is regrettable, but they were long dead, with no hope of ever coming back

Ghost did not see anything particularly wrong with such a course of action. They had avenged each and every one of their fallen breathren with their actions. It seemed only fair that they could take advantage of their remains. Whether Hollow saw it the same way... hard to say.

Given how they were not responding, however, it seemed that they did not have questions left, and Ghost held their pitch.

Well, Hollow. We should make our way back, shouldn't we? Wouldn't want to leave Sister hanging, after all. Do you prefer the path through the Basin, or the path back that you took?

Hollow seemed to snap at the sudden question, but after some short thinking, they replied with: "I would prefer to go through the Basin as it would be a shorter journey."

Very well then. I'll lead. Do you still possess your wings? The climb back up the Abyss may be painful without them. Hollow turned their head down and did not reply, but they were clearly in deep thinking.

(They did not possess wings. That was on purpose. They were removed. Not by Her. By Him).

I can sense your discomfort. I can also see that you are missing an arm. She must have took it from you. But i am sure that it can reconstituted. The void is capable of many miracles

Again, Hollow seemed in clear discomfort, but they steeled themselves and proceeded forth, following Ghost until they were facing the large Sea of Void that was the distinctive characteristic of the Abyss.

Did you never try swimming in void? Figures. Our "father" was not much for connecting with his children, or at all, really. Jump inside. It will be just like a hot spring, but better. I hope you have had those...

They teeteered on the edge, filled with uncertainty. Were they really to trust their twin on all matters? And besides, the two were clearly different. There was no indication of what the void could do to Hollow, not to mention that they were still heal-

Suddenly, a splash of void tossed by Ghost, who was now submerged waist deep in the substance hit Hollow directly in the mask, seeping down in a humilation that would scar them for the rest of their life.

Oh, it's on now.

----------

Hornet scarcely believed the sheer volume of things that Ghost had carried on them. They were certain that not even if they were solely dedicated to carrying them, they could not bring even a quarter of the total amount of items that they possessed. Besides the immense amount of geo, of which most were worthless due to have been stained indelibly with void, they found well forty charms, of differing shape, designs, and sizes. They could even see a few of Deepnest construction. They also inspected the nail of their sibling, or what was left of it, as half the blade was submerged in void for many days and had dissolved away. It was nothing short of magnificent. The construction was immaculate, with the Pale Ore perfectly intertwined with the steel to create a weapon far deadlier than almost any other than she had found. Even her own needle, despite it's exquisite construction, did not approach the same level of sheer craftsbugship. They almost regretted not pillaging the corpses of their enemies for Geo as Ghost did.

Clearly, such an habit had come to fruition. Another item which she found very distinctive was a large journal of stone tablets, each seeming to mark a different inhabitant of Hallownest. She could not make out the font very well, for it was clearly very worn, but it seemed like it said "HUNTER'S JOURNAL". Since by now, Hornet had become the foremost expert in deciphering Ghost's writing, she had not trouble seeing that Ghost seemed to mark the key characteristics of each creature, as they hunted them.

And... wait, was that... HER?!

Knowing that she was listed on her sibling's journal of hunted creatures was however by far not the worst discovery she would make that day. One of the charms that she spotted was quite distinctive from the others. It had two bright red eyes, and two horns protruding from the center. Quite curious. It did not resemble any of the other charms that Ghost seemed to hold. Feeling curious, she attepted to fasten it to her cloak, as she saw Ghost do. Suddenly, with a red flame and a flourish, He appeared.

No.

Please no.

She had suffered enough.

Why did this charm in particular have to be saved from the void!?

Hornet attempted to remove it as fast as she could, but not before she would have to enjoy the company of the Grimmchild for several hours straight.

Somehow, Ghost felt a spike of anger far larger than any seen before, directed towards them that they could not pin down, but were certain existed.

Chapter Text

Wading through void was an experience like no other. Well, for any bugs not made of the stuff, it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because they'd die after attempting it. However, even for those forged from it, it was quite unlike a nice, refreshing hotspring. Liquid void was incredibly cold to the touch, practically freezing. It was quite thick, and it took considerable effort to shift your body around. It also slided off things that it was not interested in while leaving no trace of ever having even been there. Lastly, splashing it felt more like throwing a rock than water. All of these attributes made it a perfect liquid for splashing fights, as the two vessel twins could now attest. After a couple of hours, they had both been utterly spent (or as much as a vessel that does not suffer from exhaustion can be spent), and they slowly waded out of the sea.

Ghost helped their sibling out, who was still not used to the thick liquid, and quickly, they would be in a shock as they laid down, and suddenly, their left appendage was healed entirely.

Sibling, what has happened to my arm? I can again feel it. Has it healed?

Why do you think i had you swim in the void? The terrible punishment that it taken has healed away the wounds. Or err... lack of them. Rather, try standing up and flapping the wings on your back.

They indeed tried doing that, and found their back considerably heavier, as pitch-black wings had taken root inside them, and with considerable effort, they were able to flap them lightly. It shook them, but it was progress.

It will take them for them to fully heal, but with your other arm back, it should be much easier to climb out. Do you want to go first? (They were newly hatched grubs, they had no idea what was up. What would await them at the top. They raced each other, and at the end, the winner would receive a miserable life of pain and torture, and the loser would receive a miserable life alone and wandering.)

Certainly.

They made their way over to the large amount of platforms that lead up to the door out of their birthplace, and began to climb. With their large stature and long arms, it was quite easy to move from platform to platform, and before long, they were both a jump away from the railing that lead to their separation.

Do you still remember that day?, Ghost transmitted to Hollow.

(You do, and they will make you pay for your sins. For what you have committed. You betrayed your family, your true family for a god that never loved you)

Quite well, i fear. It is one of the most regrettable days of my life, and i do not wish to speak of it any longer.

More forceful than they wished, but it was still a serviceable answer. Ghost, sensing the fear that had taken hold over their twin's body, paralyzing them utterly, dropped the matter, and jumped first, easily reaching the top with their large wings.

It was their time. They took a good jump, and they now they found themselves hanging off the railing. But unlike their utter failure, their twin quickly held out a hand and helped them get up. (Humbling you, once again. Your time of punishment will come).

Their little parkour challenge was over, and they would soon emerge into the still-incredibly dark Basin.

-------------

I can understand your concern, but i do not honestly see much of an issue with it. There were no bugs there, no life left. What difference was there if it was covered by void, or covered by bodies?

The two had emerged into quite an heated argument when Hollow had inevitably pointed out that the Basin was far darker than the days before and during the infection, likely due to the large amount of void in the area. Ghost was quite skeptical of their worrying, and did not, frankly, care much. For all they cared about, all of Hallownest could be swallowed whole and they'd be fine as long as they could be with their twin forever. That was their only objective in life that they were now certain about.

The plight of the poor, weak bugs in the City did not interest them in the slightest, especially when they were the ones who most worshipped the Pale Whore who had inflicted unspeakable pain upon them and their siblings.

It had created quite a rift between the two, as Hollow was instead rather passionate about rebuilding the City and repopulating it, as they saw it as a way to perhaps satisfy their Father beyond the grave. If they could not (and did not want to) accomplish their primary mission, this secondary goal could be enough. Time for discussion was however quite short, as the two would soon arrive in the City of Tears, through the tunnel that led to the Basin.

It had been a long time since they'd been there. How little had changed...

No matter. Their sister was sure to be waiting. They had both known how terrible of a tactical and strategic decision it was to leave their sister waiting after they'd promised.

The large corpses of the dead sentries were quite suggestive, were they not?

Quite the foe they were? I remember how i feared them when i was so much weaker... Ghost thought of.

Yes, the sentries were certainly one of the toughest foes i'd faced in the Palace. But they were still not much compared to the Knights., their twin replied.

I doubt that they would be much of challenge, even unarmed. I had faced one of them in my own time, the beetle one. After i had learned his gimmick, he was quite easy to put down.

You shouldn't get too cocky, twin. It is the first step to failure.

Why shouldn't i get the right to? I have slain foes much more impressive than some decrepit knights of a Kingdom that could not even complete the tasks that they were assigned. Only one is left alive, after all, and he spends his days in a literal pile of shit.

They knew it was a low blow, but it was far too open for them not to do it. Hollow wanted to reprimand them very, very much, but they held themselves from after realizing that no good could come from it.

---------------------

The trip to the Station was as short as they had remembered, only difference being that the threats to their wellbeing were slim-to-none. Nevertheless, they had to steel themselves and enter the Stag station with the maximum concentration, for the encounter inside of it was far stronger than any God.

They found their sister sitting down on the floor, a large pile of (their!) items laying near her. Their map... their charms... even their nail... and wait, was that Grimmchild tossed in the nearest sewage drain?

Suddenly, their sister lifted her head up, and steeled herself with a look that to a onlooker would indicate that was currently planning the most effective way to put a needle through their chest repeatedly, but they were by now experts in deciphering her stiff persona, and could tell that she in was much more distress than they ever were.

"Hollow. And... who are you? I assume you come in peace, for they have not already disposed of you. Reveal yourself, or leave at once. I do not wish unknown bugs to spy me or my family."

Still unchanged, it seems. But how would they indicate that they were the sibling that she knew? Perhaps with their spells... As Hornet waited for a reply, they suddenly lifted a hand up, and aimed at the walls of the station, and before anyone could blink, a large, black ball of void and SOUL erupted from their palm, smashing and incinerating the nearby column.

Clearly on edge, Hornet jumped, but she had already known deep down that was a clear indication that they were who they knew far too well. Who had beaten her twice and offered her mercy. Who she had attempted to kill twice and offered no mercy to. The one to who Hornet had given a name for they themselves did not possess one.

Ghost.

"Ghost... i see you have returned. Have you grown as large as Hollow, then? Your horns are certainly reminiscent of your younger self." They wished to reply very much, but they had to first remind her that they had no voice to cry suffering, and such could not communicate in any way. and so they made a X sign on their mask, to indicate that they could not reply.

"Oh, excuse me, i may have forgotten about that. Perhaps i should get around teaching you sign language. It would certainly be much easier and less time consuming than carrying around paper. Either that, or telepathy, but i have no knowledge of the second."

Telepathy does sound pretty fun, doesn't it? But writing, and sign language would have to do for a time.

She handed them a silk scroll on which Hollow had written before (A terrible writing style, far too dispendious of ink and time), and quickly scribbled: "HORNET, I HAVE RETURNED. I HAVE ACQUIRED A NEW BODY, FOR MY OLD ONE IS LOST FOREVER. I HOPE THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN WELL IN MY ABSENCE".

Unfortunately, they had not held a single item in their hands that required fine-motor skill in many days, and as a result, it came out as a messy splodge of ink, that was utterly unreadable, even to Hornet who had gotten quite used to their... strange writing style over the past few days. "You will certainly need some practice. Perhaps wielding a nail once more could help you. But for now, we rest. It is quite late, and i have not slept in quite a long time. ", and she slowly backed away, searching for the makeshift bed that Hollow had fashioned when they had saved her from certain death.

That just won't do, sister! I come back, and your first instict is to go to sleep? At least let us sleep together, we have suffered too much. They approached her sister, and pointed at the bed, and then at them and Hollow, then holding out their hands to indicate a "together" motion.

"I do not have enough space for such a feat, and i do not wish to sleep next to a pile of ice. You may sleep together, but not with me".

Worth a try. Hollow, who had remained out of the conversation thus far, followed Ghost, who grabbed a large piece of cloth laid out on the floor that they'd picked up in the Kingdom's Edge to avoid the biting cold of the area, and laid it out on the cold, rocky floor of the station, and before long, the two vessels laid dormant, together, on in the King's Station.

Chapter Text

It was quite unusual to see one's body change so much in so little time. Hornet certainly did not experience something like that in her life. She had, in fact, a relatively conventional growth cycle of molting, growing significantly bigger, eventually outgrowing your current molt and molting again, until she eventually settled into her current form, which served her well for much time. And yet, the vessel (the sibling) that she met first in those mossy grounds, which she originally lorded over being nearly twice their height, was now the tallest of their family. Even taller than Mother, perhaps. (She did not remember much about her, only a large figure with many arms that held her steadily, before she faded away into the confused tones of her home).

Whatever it was that made Ghost grow much larger, their height was now much more reflective of their true power, she supposed. Even though they had long surpassed her, how they could still find room for improvement was far beyond her. Admittedly, her more conventional body structure, though effective, paled in comparison to the ones of their siblings. Their void let them draw upon immense power, made them nigh-unkillable, and allowed them to fight endlessly without rest or break.

She hated to admit it, but she was no longer the protector of Hallownest. She was not the protector of anything, really. If her siblings could defeat her easily, what could she protect? Perhaps, it was finally time to retire the bloated title...

Hornet's reflection eventually came to an end, as she woke up after the longest sleep of her life, one that felt very real unlike any of the other sleeps that she experienced during her life. Unlike the ones while the infection was still in full swing, she felt extremely lucid and rational, even in her dreams. Thinking of it, did she even dream?

Whatever has happened, the effects on the Kingdom are nothing less than monumental. And the only person able to answer her questions, was again, Ghost. She should wake them up. She slowly fell of the makeshift bed that Hollow had constructed during her improptu hospitalization, and wandered over to the station, where Ghost should have been sleeping.

The cloth that they were sleeping on was far too large for a single bug though, even for one of their size. Why didn't they fold it?

She slowly unraveled the cloth that imprisoned her sibling, and as Ghost woke up she-

Hollow?

They had slept together. They were clearly in deep sleep, their mask lodged against Ghost's.

(You should have slept together. Like a family. But you were too selfish for it)

Whatever the matter with Hollow was, she had come here for Ghost. She wanted some serious questioning from them, especially as she knew very little about the void, and they by far the most qualified person that they could think to talk to. Perhaps the Archives would also hold some knowledge for her, but that would require serious inquiring into, and Ghost was far easier to talk to.

"Ghost, please wake up. I need you for questioning".

Why did her sister have to be such an hard-ass even when they were sleeping?

They made a motion indicating that they were awake with their massive fingers, and slowly raised themselves out of their cloth bedframe-and-mattress. They then made a substantial effort to get up, until their entire body was upright.

"Good. Now please follow me. I will walk you through the basics of sign language, so that yesterday's charade with writing will not be repeated. I will be teaching you Deepnest's sign language, for it is the only one that i am familiar with, due to the many inhabitants of said kingdom that were uncapable of hearing, and i was thus taught it from a young age."

Sister really needed to get to the point far more. What was this constant meandering? They almost felt a tongue of fear into her body. What could have caused this? ( It was them. Who else could it be? ).

Still, they supposed learning a new language could be quite exciting. Perhaps they could even help teach it to Hollow...

--------------

Where was Sibling?

They could not feel them next to them. Their pale-white mask was a light in the darkness of their sleep. Had they left already (They left because of you. You are the cause of their misery, do not forget).

They really had to stop those incessant negative thoughts. They only ramped after they had visited the Abyss to search for them, and they were getting increasingly difficult to ignore, as they only presented themselves more intensively as time went on, and especially when they were close to their twin. Were they the cause of it?

No. That road would only bring them suffering. Their twin had healed them. Made them stronger. Gave them back their arm. Gave them back their wings. Gave them back their life.

They had to remain with them. It was the least they could do, given the immense good that they done for them. And besides, they were likely discussing the happenings of the last days with Sister. They should go talk to them.

They managed to get out of the cloth that Ghost had laid out so that they could both sleep together (Just to humiliate you further, to show you the hatred that they had for you).

After getting out of bed, they wandered their way towards Lemm, where Sister was likely residing, as always. Of course, taking such a path put them straight into the path with their statue. The statue of them. The statue of what they were (What you couldn't be, because you had failed from the start).

They were almost mesmerized by it. It was quite remarkable in it's construction. The horns were quite similar to their own, despite the difficult shape. The proportions were also quite correct, despite the vast majority of citizens believing them to be exaggerated. The lower part of the cloak, as were the pauldrons were also similar to the ones that they were before the sealing. Before they...

Failed.

Immeasurably.

Utterly.

Completely.

They betrayed Father.

They betrayed Mother.

And they had to be saved by the Sibling that they had willingly murdered. That they turned a blind eye to. That they let fall down, deep into the dark abyss where nothing came back (And yet you still walk, as if nothing has happened, and as if you were not at least partially responsible for the utter ruin that this Kingdom is in. That your home is in. Do you feel no shame).

No.

No!

They had to get away. They were starting to feel sick staring at that damned statue. It was not them. It was not them. It was NEVER them!

Before they knew it, they were sprinting away at full speed, only stopping when the sound of Hornet's voice reprimanding their sibling could be heard, snapping them back to the world in which they were living in.

Chapter Text

The Lord did not expect Their herald to be so stubborn as to almost refuse such a generous and kind-hearted offer. The time spent among the bugs of the surface had let their true sympathies lie dormant, clearly, but they had come to reason, regardless. And the Lord knew, that in order to restore the glory of his reign, they would be one of their closest allies, whether they wished it or not. The Lord knew that they would resist such a proposition fiercely, but they were a simple mortal, and all mortals folded eventually when the ones that they love the most are hurting. Especially that other vessel.

Their twin. The Lord knew that they were the key to the puzzle, to crack the herald's impressive will. Impressive, yes, but no will could resist their methods. Especially since their herald was far more amenable to their goals than their twin. Their twin had their mind poisoned, corrupted, destroyed by the Wyrm, and now deluded themselves into thinking that the Wyrm and the Root were their progenitors.

As if.

If the Wyrm had his way, the twin would have been still locked away in that pitch-black chamber, and the herald dead at the floor of the Abyss, both as living testaments of the Wyrm's cruelty. The Lord knew that there was much to be done, but that the current state of things satisfied them greatly. It was only a matter of time, and the Lord's patience was absolute.

------------

Learning sign was easier than Ghost had thought. It was clear that the language had been intentionally devised to as simple to teach and understand even to ones not fluent in it, as Deepnest had very little need for a more complete language, and instead favored adoptability and ease of use. And besides, it was quite fun to see Sister teach them something for once that didn't involve stabbing each other with nails and needles, or some boring odd story about weavers. Maybe, they could get used to this.

What they were not used to, however, was their twin being in such intense mental distress. Who had hurt them?

Hollow came running into the room that Hornet had turned into an impromptu classroom, clearly panicking and in great anguish. Ghost tried to communicate with, try to see what was wrong with someone who seemed so utterly serene a few hours ago.

Hollow, what is wrong? Has someone attacked you?

Hollow did not reply. But Ghost knew, felt, saw the cause of their pain. The statue at the fountain. That damned statue. Clearly, it had reminded them of their miserable past, and induced them into panic. (Tear it down. Destroy it, smash it into a thousand pieces, burn it until not even the grey is left)

Hollow, did the statue hurt you? Did seeing the statue remind you of your past?

Again, Hollow did not reply. But Ghost knew that they're non-reply was nothing more than an affermation of their hypothesis. They would do anything for their twin.

Anything.

"Hornet, i will go outside and destroy the statue. It hurt them", Ghost tried signing, but such a declaration was far beyond their skill, and only the "destroy" part came out clear. Nevertheless they ran out the door, and found themselves in the presence of that miserable block of stone.

------------

Hornet had known for long not to question their sibling's... questionable tendencies, but even this was beyond the pale for her. What could have possibly caused this? They knew Ghost and Hollow shared a way to communicate through Void, she was well aware, but Hornet did not know how she could even ask what was wrong from Hollow, given that they had not yet learned sign language, and they were clearly in no position to write even the simplest of phrases, as the terror that they had been overtaken by when they entered the room had not yet disappeared. They had to follow Ghost.

------------

Hate. Anger. Rage.

A mixture of those three emotions were the only thing that was left inside of them. Every other thought or feeling totally washed away by a tidal wave of destruction. They felt their void quivering and ready to strike at any moment. Their body as tensed up as when they fought any serious opponent. Their mind as empty and focused as when they killed. They had to it.

(Kill it. Destroy it. Let your anger direct your strikes)

They had no weaponry with them. As if that would be any problem. Their own body was their strongest weapon.

They had to do it.

Their thorax dissolved into a vague mixture of void, and several razor sharp tendrils shot out, each tearing apart the statue piece by piece. Each falling down with a terrible sound, now unrecognizable and stained pitch black. Soon, all that was left was the foundation.

Suddenly, a bright red shape appeared on their vision, and it was far too late for them to retract their tendrils when they had already done the terrible deed.

Hornet.

Sister.

Sister!

No. No!

They could not lose her.

They did not want to lose her.

They would not lose her!

It was just a wound. Just one of many wounds. Surely it would heal (void wounds never healed, and they left deep scars on the body while they festered).

Ghost ran over to their sister's scarred body, witnessing an horror that not even Grimm's worst nightmares could conjure.

Her distinctive red cloak had a large crack running through the center, where their tendrils had sliced through with reckless abandon, and beneath that, her thorax had a large diagonal wound, that was bleeding profusely.

No!

Chapter Text

Ghost had seen, had known the effects of the void on the bodies of those who were not born with it. Death. Complete and utter death. That husk in the Queen's Gardens, that held the key to that deranged Tower, bleeding void out of it's eyes, body as cold as their own, life utterly drained from them. The Lighthouse keeper in the Abyss. They did not know exactly what caused his death, but they strongly suspected that the void may have fooled him into turning off the light that suppressed it. Even themselves, when they inflicted the same grievous wounds that now their Sister had suffered (at their hands) using their powerful spells, originally pale white with SOUL, but after their empowerement, as black as the Sea of Void.

Why had they done this? They did not wish to do this. They never wished to hurt their sister, or to hurt their twin. And yet, they did so anyways.

What had caused this? Could they not control their own power? No. They had long gone past that point, had they not? They could, at will, forge their void into the sharpest of spikes or the most comforting of beds.

Had someone else controlled them? (The Lord lied, they were always lying, he was a god-). No. They could not get controlled by Her, by Him, or by any other god. Why should a long-dead god from an unknown time, left imprisoned for far longer than any bug alive would remember, be able to control them? They, who had slain foes and beasts far stronger than anyone could imagine?

They had slain the Mantises. They had slain the Guards. They could slay the Knights. They had slain Her. They had slain their sister. They had slain their twin.

Sincerely, it was far easier at that point to simply list the beings that they did not have to raise their blade against than those they did.

Ghost had long been desensitized to the horrors of combat, to see the bodies of their opponents torn apart, slashed, utterly destroyed, but what they were carrying, what they had caused, was not a fight, not an attack, not an honorable duel.

It was a murder.

Worse, a fratricide.

They felt sick all over their body. What good would this power be if they still could not live in peace? Who had caused this? The rage that they felt towards whatever it was behind this could have reduced the entire Kingdom to ashes if channeled into a flame.

They had to push forward. They could not stand there and contemplate their crimes. They had plenty time for that.

She could still be saved.

She had to be saved.

Ghost quickly grabbed her sister's unconscious body and held it in their two hands. It was cold.

Please, no.

I don't want this.

I never wanted this.

Damn it!

If there was a training dummy like Oro's near them, they could strangle the hay until it compressed into a single yellow block.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them towards the improptu classroom where their sister was teaching them just a few moments before, grimly remembering that Hollow was there.

Hollow.

That was why they had destroyed the statue.

(it was th-).

No. They would not even consider that line of reasoning. Wherever it came from, they crushed it quickly and without mercy.

Hollow was hurting. What had hurt them?

Their past. Of course. It always had been their past. And what was left of their past?

The City, and it's worst offender had been annihilated, though at great cost. The Palace was utterly destroyed. If the Pale Whore was dead or not, they could not care, as it would make no difference given they conditions they found Him in. And besides, they had destroyed the only entrance into that dreamscape. (Good.) Dirtmouth did not arouse any feelings, they knew that. They already confronted the Abyss, together, and it had gone remarkably well. Perhaps they could remember that area as a place of happiness and healing, rather than the pain of their birth and abandonment.

Fog Canyon and the Mantises were utterly irrelevant. The Queen's Gardens-

The Queen's Gardens.

The Queen's Gardens.

Her.

She had attempted to fool them with Her honeyed words, trying to convince them of replacing the Hollow Knight.

Of killing Hollow.

And despite claiming that She felt much remorse, She had done nothing to stop the infection. She was one half of their parents. One half of the whole that had killed them. Why did She even continue to exist? To live?

She had to die. She was a goddess. She could not be allowed to continue to exist. They had to purge every last bit of the Kingdom that killed them. That had killed their twin, and had now killed their sister. Only Her death would bring peace to Hollow. Only Her death would bring justice to the millions of Siblings that did not make it (they were weak, pathetic, compared to them, but that did not justify the taking of their life). It would be a quick and merciful death (Just like their shells, cracking and breaking immediately upon contact with the bottom, shattering on impact). She did not hold much power anyway. It would be a easy kill.

She never loved them. She never loved Hollow. She never loved Hornet. Why would She? To love was antithetical to a God's very being. They were held in worship for their power, for their utter detachment from the banalities of life. They obtained their power from their worship. Mortals, from their nature, skill, training, ability, life.

Ghost was neither. Hollow was neither. Born from the union of two gods, and yet able to learn. To improve. To overcome. To conquer. And now, wielding their fearsome strength, they would finally bring down the gods that had destroyed their life. That had destroyed their very home, family, and nature.

It was time.

Hollow should not come. Ghost did not need the help, and unlike Ghost, Hollow could not face their past with the cold, focused detachment that they wielded. They had to recover. Their sister had to recover. Hollow would heal Sister, and Ghost would destroy the final source of the evil in the world. The final source of pain in the world. They could not know. They were still far too attached to their parents (they had to root out that attachment, root and stern, tear it out, a small pain for a great relief), and if they were to know about their mission, they would suffer even more. They would need to stay here, and help Sister.

Hollow was crouched near the table that Hornet had been teaching Ghost, and was clearly in deep apphresion over the current image in their mind of their twin carrying their unconscious sister on their shoulder. Ghost carefully picking their words, stated this:

Hollow. I know you are hurting, but Sister has been greatly wounded, and i fear she could not live for much longer if she is not healed as quickly as possible. I am sorry, but i cannot stay with you and help sister. I have to go, and complete a mission that i have assigned myself. Please, stay well, and i will return when i am finished.

Hollow, who had in total silence, simply listening to their twin's thoughts, had many questions, but they were cut short when Ghost laid down their sister on the table, and took off her cloak, revealing the deep wound in her thorax. Hollow almost had to look away to avoid facing the horrors. Ghost then laid a hand on her wound, and with a small exertion, nearly all of void present within the wound suddenly converged upon their massive fingers, as if being recalled by it's master, and the wound now bled white, the same as the one of a healthy, uninfected bug. Hollow witnessed the procedure as if observing a miracle, and when Ghost proceded to then deeply embrace them they were utterly unprepared for the motion.

After a few seconds of them holding each other close, Ghost quickly dissolved into shadow, reappearing soon after, and disappearing into the winding hallways of the city as they fled.

Chapter Text

Why did Sibling run away? For a moment, they felt their love, their embrace, and their reassurances of never leaving them again, and a moment after, they had fled. Had they done something wrong? (Of course, for what other reason could they flee?)

Their emotional state was also quite different from the one that they had met before they ran outside and carried their Sister's body with them. Unlike the volatile, emotional state that they possessed, it was... almost cold. As if they knew exactly what to do and why to do it. Their mind had fully converged upon a single objective, a single goal, and any interruption was to swept aside.

As for Sister... what had happened to her? Her wound was quite unlike what any of the bugs that presided in the City or the surronding areas could inflict. Such deep and terrible cuts could only perhaps be dealt by the Mantises if they were able to line up a proper hit. And the black liquid in the wound... void? Of course, there was void underneath them, having mixed with the sewage water, but her Sister was not the type to fall into water unless something else had filled her wound with void. Could it be... them? (No, and why would you even suspect the only one who even cares about you?).

Regardless of whoever it might have been, their twin had been able to simplify the situation immensely by absorbing the void in the wound. It was certainly survivable now. But substantial help would have to be administrated.

Hollow attempted to recall how Sister had assisted them after she had carried them to that bed in the village above. They remembered a long white bandage, one wrapped around their chest... perhaps one of those could serve useful? But they had no knowledge of how to make one. Father had deemed it not useful to their mission after they had been taught how to focus their SOUL to bind their wounds. Father... (You have forgotten about how much you've failed and are now attempting to evade your rightful judgement? Ghost has left for a reason)

No!

They had no time for stewing in their reflections. They had to help Sister, now.

They had to Focus. Father had long remarked that their own affinity with SOUL only had rivals in the King itself. They had to put it to good use. Hollow laid one of their hands on Hornet's cold body. Warmer than before, but still worsening. They concentrated themselves entirely on their Sister. What were their memories of her?

(Her first arrival at the palace. So small then. Almost as small as their twin's original form. And yet already her prowess showed. She was very much a bug of Deepnest, and did not care much for the rule of the King who she barely considered a father. She never met them. Or if she did, all memory of their interactions had been expunged from her mind. Was there a difference? She would have easily recognized them in the Temple if she had any memories at all. And yet, they had known her. Through the pained sighs of Father, and through the sweet words of Mother. They had to go forward...)

(When she had carried them to the village, did she know they were related? Almost certainly. They had met their twin, and they no doubt had been able to communicate, with their "unique" style and methods their relation to them.)

(Focus, they had to focus. They had to focus on her cloak. On her mask. On her intact and healthy body. Her sharp, grey needle. The pale silk that she carried on her at all times, that she likely was able to generate naturally due to her nature. They had to focus...)

They did not realize at the time, but large bursts of SOUL began to eminate from them, and wisps of pure white energy began to close and heal the wound that had pained Hornet, until nothing, not a even a scar had been left where a deep slash once before was.

They were still deep in contemplation when they felt a warm claw brush against their arm.

Sister?

Sister!

"Hollow... is it you? It is quite difficult to tell... you look quite similar to Ghost now, do you not?".

That is how twins work, yes. But they should not judge Sister's logical deduction here, she was clearly in deep shock still. Hollow finally opened their not-eyes, and saw that their Sister, which they feared dead upon first arrival in the room in which they were residing, was alive.

--------------

They were beginning to regret not informing their twin. They had promised themselves to never again leave them. To never again have to abandon them. And yet, their own ego had made them break it. Their mission was clear and just, for certain, but why could Hollow not be informed of it? They were sure that if they did not agree with it, they loved them too much for them to actively attempt to stop it. (But did they? Would their brainwash-)

No! They utterly refused to accept such an idea. In their mind, Hollow could never disappoint them, and could never make them stop loving them. They continued to love them even they were the last obstacle before they could kill Her. Why should they stop now?

This was all for Hollow. It had always been for Hollow, it was never about them. Their issues with the Queen were resolved, and they did not care enough about her to actively seek her downfall. It would have been a more befitting death for her to rot away in that prison, just like the children she slaughtered. They had to do it.

The path to her soon-to-be grave was easy. They would up north into the Storerooms, and take the Stag to the station in the Gardens. From there, it was only a matter of climbing that hellscape of thorns. There was no need for dialogue, just as there was no need for dialogue with the Pale Whore, or with Her. A simple murder. No, a mercy killing. No one of any importance would care about her death, just as none had cared about the death of the Radiance, or at least, had any negative feelings to her death. She may be a God, but they had already killed many of those. Slowly. Painfully. With no mercy. Their sister confessed to them that she had entirely planned to kill them in their two duels had they not been strong enough. And now, the same fate would befall all of those that had wronged them and their family.

And besides, what is a God to a non-believer?

-------------

"But then, if there was no other spectator to the destruction of the statue, who had inflicted that terrible wound upon you?" How could she put it in a way that wouldn't alarm their sibling too much? Simply stating it outright? Skirting around the meaning by mentioning the void? No. They were more than familiar with Void. Much more than she could ever be even with her sharp tongue.

"Hollow. I know this will hurt you greatly, but the one behind my temporary state of near-death, is your twin. Ghost."

The room fell silent. Not a single could be heard inside it. Time slowed as if wading through the Abyss of Hollow's despair, like a traveler would through a treacherous swamp. Hollow's mind refused to process and accept the factual truth of the matter.

Why?

How?

They were utterly destroyed by the revelation. Everything that they had believed so far, the neatly laid out lie that their twin had laid out before their escape, now untangled.

"Why would they do such a thing? They did not hate you. They never did. Neither did they hate me. Was it perhaps an accident?" "I am afraid i cannot lay out a clear reasoning for it. Only questioning them could yield a meaning. And given that they have fled... that would be easier said than done. You have stated that they told you that they were on a "mission"? That would almost certainly be located outside of the city."

Hollow attempted to reason with their brain for a moment as if to scrub every corner of it for any hint or clue towards where they might have been headed, or any contradictions that they presented with their usual character. They had embraced them. They had wished them a temporary farewell. Their voice... Cold. And determined. And deadset on a goal.

"Sister, i may have a hint towards their unusual attitude. They were quite secretive, and did not confess the true reason behind their absence. They had never done so before, neither with them nor with Sister, from what they could remember. Almost as if they did not want either to discover it." Hornet was still for a moment, thinking about what that character may have meant about their intentions. What could Ghost not want their family to discover? The list was very narrow. They did not have many secrets that she could think of, and revealed them openly and without difficulty. What if they were to commit an act that they did not want either to know about? Like a... murder.

Chapter Text

They remembered their treck through the Gardens. They had already visited their home by then, but the enemies residing inside the area were many and quite threatening, even for them. Large, infected mantises, spike-covered husks, giant bug-eating plants...

The destruction of the infection certainly affected the Gardens much better than in the other locations.

The Gardens were almost completely quiet, if not for the faint sound of a few mossbugs scuttering around in the grass and moss. The much more aboundant population of Greenpath seemed almost to colonize the fertile land. Unn's presence, now strengthened, ensured that a much more substantial portion of the original population remained alive after She was destroyed.

Something inside of them, deep within their heart, however, was revolting in disgust as to what they were planning and executing. Hadn't they had enough of murder? Surely, after having killed so many, they could let their blade rest. Surely, there was no need to spill more hemolymph. Surely, they were sane and did not revel or enjoy the killing.

That was what they told themselves, when they were relaxed and in control. But in the path that they had taken, neither of the two things were true. Their concentration was utter and complete, and they did not have much control left. They did not lose it to an external entity, as one would assume, but to the deepest and most intimate parts of their being. They were, after all, a being of Light and Dark, of SOUL and Void. When they were first born, this dichotomy was not apparent as they had not yet visited their true birthplace.

There, such a mix would form.

The void deep within them, that they had kept at bay for so long, roiled in anger and confusion at the Gardens. Too much light. Her light. It had kept the Void from flooding and taking back what was once theirs.

Damn it!

Ghost could not proceed in this state. They could not have their mind distracted and fighting amongst itself on the correct course of action. They had reached this conclusion independently, and when in full control, had they not? No Higher Being had affected them. It was their choice, made for Hollow's wellbeing, and none other.

They just needed time to rest, time to think. They had reached the Shade gate that indicated the passage that led to the Queen's prison. How quaint to think that these before proved to be an insourmantable obstacle for them. Now, they could fashion that void into a javelin into the heart of their if they so wished. They attepted to sit by the gate, enjoying the relaxing presence of void, and having sat down, opened their internal space where they had been able to put their many personal items before. What was inside?

They felt the thorax beneath their cloak open, and out came a veritable bargain sale of accessories, items, weaponry, and tools.

There was their map, first of all. They had spent very long on it, and were quite happy that it was still intact and readable, although when they turned the backside, they noticed writing on it, which seemed to be Hollow's. They were quite surprised that Hollow could muster the courage to write on their map. They always seemed so hesitant, so uncomfortable, so scared when it came to having to make decisions for themselves, especially ones that involved their twin.

Their nail was also there. Or... what was once was their Nail. It had spent so long near void, being corroded by it, that it was utterly useless by now. No matter. It was far too small for their size, and they no longer needed any weapon to fight, after all. Their body, their nature was now their strongest weapon. One far deadlier than the sharpest of nails.

Their charms were also there. The few that could be salvaged, anyway. Grimmchild was likely lost forever. And most of the charms were utterly useless, as their strength was greatly decreased from before, due to their much greater power and size.

Fortunately, it still seemed like they were filthy rich. The amount of Geo that they had collected was truly astronomical.

There wasn't much else left, besides...

A King's Idol.

The King-

Instinctively, before they could think about the action, a tendril shot out of their arm smashing the idol into silvery-pale pieces on the ground. They then kicked the head down as hard as they could, watching the pure head of the Pale Whore fall and hit with a loud crash the floor of a lower platform.

Good riddance.

They could no longer waste time now. They had promised Hollow that they would come back soon. The time to relax would be when they could embrace Hollow and their sister together, and live together for the rest of their lives, no God or Being with the strength to destroy their happiness remaining. They would make sure of it. They would ensure it now.

They repacked their many belongings inside their void, and crossed the gate.

------------

"The first location that we must head to, and one that will be the most useful to our search, would be the Stag Station. Ghost was on good terms with the Stag, and they clearly trusted them very well to keep secrets. They were, however, quite outgoing with me when i was forced to question them on Ghost's location the first time i sought them." Couldn't Sister please be quiet? They already knew about the Stag. They had used the Stag to save Sister. Father had told them about the Stag. And they currently needed as much time to think and reason as they could. Ghost's betrayal had hurt much more than the sharpest of nails through the torso ever could.

Perhaps, the negative thoughts that had afflicted them for so long were simply trying to protect them (Yes, and you always tried to defend your poor little twin. How pathetic you are. )? It was either that or Ghost sincerely cared about their wellbeing, ando now they were trying to tear them down.

Neither option was appealing to them.

They needed to find them. (Something inside of them, not external, recoiled at the thought at to what their twin was planning to do that they were unwilling to let their twin know.).

Soon enough, the empty Stag station had been reached.

They had just realized that they had no way of ringing the bell with the sufficient sound to alert the stag, wherever they may be. Hornet had long abandoned her needle as it had been utterly destroyed by the void's corrosion, while Hollow's nail was still there, in the Temple, in no better state. Banging on the bell with their bare claws would only hurt them.

Hollow attempted to think of a solution. When they were still in the Palace, Father had taught them much on how to manipulate the massive SOUL reserves that they possessed. One of the techniques that they were taught, as a fighting-spell, was one to create several SOUL-daggers to throw at the enemy. Perhaps, if they just extended the blade and hilt, so they could hold it...

They concentrated their entire being into attempting the spell. They had not cast it since they were locked inside the Temple, and they thought that they would be extremely rusty, but unlike any expectation, the nail materialized nearly instantly, and exactly as they wished.

Almost as if they had used the spell recently.

But against who?

No matter. The problem was solved, and soon, the thundering steps of the Old Stag came to halt as they skidded towards the Station. "Ah, the Princess. And the Hollow Knight. You both seem in good form. Where must i take you?" Sister stepped closer, as if she feared he would not hear the words well. "Stag, it is not a matter of transportation that i must ask you about. Rather, one of person. In the last few hours, has Ghost, the vessel, visited the station? And if so, where have you brought him?"

The Stag looked almost surprised for a moment, but quickly readjusted themselves, remembering that their late service was nothing less if not unusual. "It is not proper for a Stag to discose the location of the passengers that he has transported. But, i suppose you are my superiors, if any chain of command is still left, and i am still a citizen and servant of the King. The not-so-little one anymore headed for the Queen's Gardens."

The Gardens?

"Excellent. Take us there as fast as possible".

While Hornet uttered those words, Hollow was in shock and disbelief.

The Queen's Gardens.

The Queen's Gardens.

The Queen.

Mother?

Chapter Text

(Tendrils lashing out at Her, tearing her apart, as She struggled uselessly. Her fur covered in the terrible pitch-black fluid, utterly scarring her, spikes of void easily punching through her body. It was just as She enjoyed killing those who She had infected. And She was now suffering her own methods being turned against her. To feel your body to no longer be your own. To feel as if you are wandering in the empty expanses of your mind, no limbs or organs to obey you no longer. Once the Void took something it never let go of it. The Void was patient, methodic. It had endured an imprisoment so long, a defeat so burning, and yet it's resolve was unchallenged. Utterly unbreakable and as strong as the day it was first defeated. Such a strong mind was the fear of all Gods, as it could oppose their demands of worship, which was the very lifeblood of their existence.)

And now, the one who wieldied it's powers most effectively was not a being exclusively born of it. But one forced, revived into it. One that blended the SOUL of the Wyrm and Root with the Void of the Sea. Black and white. One would think that it would blend into a grey, as one's vision would portray the mixing of the two colors, but such an event never happened. The two halves fought over the control of it's host. The rational part, born of the Wyrm and Root, held dominance in moments of clear mind and goal. The irrational part, born of the Sea, held dominance in moments of confusion and anger.

Both had served the Vessel well.

But one would have to ultimately conquer and crush the other. Bathing in the Sea itself, it's true home and parent, only reaffirmed the dominance of the Void. It's powers, great and many, were not limited to simply combat, but encompassed the being's entire existence.

Ghost is the God of the Void.

And their ascension would be affirmed in the final severence from it's roots. Ironic then, then who would they kill now was the utter opposite of what they would become.

------------

Ghost felt a shiver running down their spine as they crossed the Shade Gate. Who had placed it there? Why did it exist? What being could harness the void in such a way? The Pale Whore certainly couldn't. They had never posed themselves this question, but they found themselves intrigued by the idea. Perhaps that ancient civilization that Lemm was always running his mouth about? They certainly seemed to have a certain... affinity with the void.

However, the time for a through archeological expedition to their ruins would be far later. No, now was the time for the final reckoning. One final struggle.

The climb back up to that padillion where they had long-ago killed the leader of the infected mantises was as painful as always. Walls and ceilings of razor-sharp spikes and vines, while they had to struggle through rickety platforms to finally reach the top. They felt a certain degree of nostalgia observing the spot where they had witnessed Cloth give away their life to kill the Mantis Lord. Why had they done such an act? Ghost could not understand. Although difficult, the battle was far from the deadliest they'd ever encountered. All that they truly knew, was that their target was in clear sight. The prison of vines and moss where the Lady kept herself. Finally.

They approached the entrance with a steady pace, until they heard the distinctive sound of a razor-sharp nail slicing the air. They could recognize that sound even if they lacked the ability to hear altogether from the simple shifting of pressures. They easily backstepped away, before the perpetrator behind the attack revealed herself.

"Halt!"

Oh, so they could speak now?

"Move away from the sacred resting spot of Her Majesty this instant!".

They even gave orders!. How quaint.

"Reveal yourself, or i will not hesitate to kill you, like the rest of the mantis scum that attempted to defile this holy ground."

They backed up their threats with direct evidence! It seems the Pale Whore did something right after all. Turning up their head, before hidden beneath their pitch-black cloak, they enjoyed tasting the fear seeping into the heart of the Knight they now faced.

"You are... no. I-"

Stuttering? Could they not think of the next line? Had their brainwashing not been through enough?

"I do not know what you are. You resemble strongly the Hollow Knight, but you surely cannot be them, for you do not carry your nail, and your equipment is not proper. Whatever you may be, exit this instant! I am sworn to defend this land until my last dying breath." That explained it. If Hollow had to train and fight daily with these buffoons, no wonder they feared social interaction. No matter. Yet another kill that they would have to add...

As the Knight they faced awaited their response, not knowing that they would never get one, Ghost dissolved into shadows, pure void slicing the air, until they reappeared, poised to strike, and with a tendril (chitin and bone cracking, like the horns of a small child falling falling falling falli-), easily tossed away the annoyance.

Only one hit. They would finish the job.

The-would be attacker, now bleeding profusely from their thorax, attempted to steady themselves, and to muster any strength to get up, but they could not, as the last image to remain in their retina would be one of a ball of pure black crushing her stomach and head together, and incinerating it, until all that was left was a black, burning corpse.

Fierce Dryaa, risen again to defend the Queen she was sworn to, now failed the only task she had been assigned.

------------

Entering that large structure into which their Mother was located was far less dramatic than they thought it would be. It seemed like the Lady would go out with a whimp. They steadily crossed over the entrace, and climbed through the narrow passages. After a final drop, they found Her. She was there. She was still alive. They would end her. They would-

"Ah, another one like the previous one has arrived. Or, perhaps, the one like before, with a different state of being. Why did it seek me? Had i not given it all that i could? Perhaps not even my best attempts at apologizing for the horrible deed that i have committed must have not been enough to satisfy the one that is now standing in front of me."

She seemed... content? Why? Why does She not fear her impending death? Why does She not cower away at the sight of a being that could crush her, tear apart her roots, reduce her into a mere corpse, another dead body claimed by the Void. Could She not feel the hatred utterly encompassing them?

"Perhaps it simply wished to finally wish a final goodbye to the one that it has brought into the world? If so, be quick. I do not wish any more time to spent on useless talk. I am sure you have your good reasoning for what you are about to do, and it is time for the Kingdom to rest. Go on now. I know i cannot oppose you in any meaningful way, and i do not wish to if i had the strength to do it. What purpose may have been left for me in this life has been fulfilled. The Kingdom is safe and recovering again. That horrible plague has been annihilated by a force foreign and intimitely familiar at the same time. Do it, then. Or do you lack the will for it? It would certainly be a noteworthy occurance.".

They could walk away. They didn't have to do this. What good could killing their mother do? Killing Hollow's Mother? None of their siblings would be happier with this outcome. None of them would gain back their life. None of them would get justice from it. There was still time left. They could just go back to the Stag Station and go back to their family. Hollow. Hornet. They were waiting for them. Not for the Pale Whore. Not for the Lady. Not for anyone else.

They had to-

(Their heart pulsing. Their eyes being flooded with black. Hatred flooding back, as if the temporary halt on the control that it held over them had been finally destroyed. They remembered their siblings. All of them. Dead. One by one. Methodically. They could not let Her go. They could not let Her go. They would not get manipulated by a God-)

(DO IT, GHOST. THE ROOT IS YOURS. IT IS SHE WHO WANTED TO SEE YOUR TWIN DEAD AND FORGOTTEN. IT IS SHE WHO WANTED TO SEE YOU DEAD, AS SHE SAW THE REST OF YOUR SIBLINGS. YOU CANNOT HELP HOLLOW, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO IT. YOU CANNOT TRULY BE FREE, UNLESS SHE IS DEAD. LET THE HATRED GUIDE YOUR WEAPON. LET HER FEEL YOUR ANGER.)

(The Sea, swirling, moving, as if a storm was brewing within it, despite the lack of weather. Void uniting and dissolving, creating larger shapes and breaking into smaller ones. A mind, strong and clear as Pale Ore hovers above it. Another, one weaker but more ancient, filled with the secrets of an era that would never exist again, crafts the body that would be the host of them. As the void forms into a solid shape, the first mind enters the being, filling with it's resolve. With it's will. And yet, the other mind is patient. It would have to be, given the enormity of time that had passed since Their sealing. The other mind listens, and waits.)

Flashes of white and black, razor-sharp tendrils snapping and crushing roots, easily tearing and mauling Their opponent. The one was is now no longer They who they were before, but are more. More than a simple Vessel. They were who had surpassed the strength of Gods, despite not being one themselves. They were the one who had, without mercy, slaughtered so much of the population of Hallownest without thought or remorse. Despite it all, their mind remained simple, mortal, vulnerable. And the most ancient and deadliest of the Gods had finally bested it. They acted as One, divided no more. They were neither Bug, Nor Beast, Nor Vessel. They were a God, and they had come to retake what They had lost.

---------------

Dark.

Too dark.

That was the two siblings' first thought, upon entering the Queen's Gardens.

Chapter Text

Neither of the two siblings had ever been to the Queen's Gardens. It was quite distant from the Palace or any of their previous homes, and there was no real need to ever visit it. Besides, it was forbidden for any common bug to enter, as it was the home and retreat of the Queen of Hallownest. Hollow certainly had never seen it; they had not seen much outside the Palace, the Abyss, and the few areas that they had been to with Sister. Hornet knew of the Gardens but never ventured into them, knowing well of the extreme danger inside, especially that of the infected mantises which had flooded the Gardens.

Despite their collective ignorance, they were certain that the creeping darkness and void in the Gardens was not business as usual.

After thanking the Stag for the rapid journey, the two siblings got off the large seating, and took in the air for a few seconds. Fresh, natural, smelling of newly-bloomed plants. Perhaps they were not too late to see what had occurred there. Hollow, on their hand, had strangely enjoyed the journey much more than they thought they would, as the near constant negative thoughts that had plagued them ever since Ghost's return had finally been quiet for quite a while. Whatever had happened, it was perhaps positive in at least one aspect. The vessel took the first steps, exiting the station that their twin had opened a long time before.

Outside, they saw a soothing ambience. Widespread greenery, thorns, vines, that contrasted with the pale white and gray of the platforms and ledges that dotted the area. The population seemed to entirely be composed of inoffensive visiters from Greenpath. Colonizers, or simply retaking their ancestral land?

The path to take was uncertain. The area, although not vast, was filled with crevices and tunnels that their twin may have gone into. They knew that, despite it's throughness, their map was not an absolute 1:1 recreation of the material reality on the ground, and the many smaller passages were often left out of it. And besides, their twin had taken it with them. Perhaps, a sign of their passing could be found?

As Sister often remarked, they were like a hurricane wherever they wandered, breaking, entering and destroying all in their path, and not just the living beings. Nevertheless they would have to persist. (A small part of them was afraid, and begged for them to run away. It was not too late. Their twin was no longer there, they never were there, and if they fled they could still be happy, preserve their good memories).

They followed closely behind Sister, eyeing the ground where they landed on as they hopped from platform to platform. Nothing.

Sister, having noticed their strange behaviour said: "Are you searching for something in particular, Hollow? If you do know something that i do not, please tell me now, as any advantage that we may acquire is crucial."

It was on occasions like these that their lack of an easy method of communication really hurt them. They should have learned sign, like them, but it felt like every event that had occurred after they woke up in that make-shift bed with their sibling had been carefully laid out to impede their learning of the language. They did not believe in destiny, or fate, or any other religious elements, as Father had taught them that supersistion and fanaticism was the realm of the Radiance, while logic and reasoning, that of the King.

Perhaps, their twin's cynicism could have been explained by their utter lack of faith in any god, neither that of Light and Dreams, and neither that of Science and Reason.

As they were ravaging their mind for memories of their sibling, Sister suddenly perked up at the sight of a potential hint. A small, smashed apart idol of Father. Who had dared to do such an act? They were sure that Father would have likely punished any with the most severe of fates, as he often did to those who refused to obey the laws of the Kingdom, an action which he saw as akin to defiling his divine nature itself. And who would even possess such an object? It was a rare and precious luxury, only seen in the houses of the rich noblebug in the eastern part of the City? Who had even ventured into that area?

They knew who. Only one bug perfectly fit the criteria.

Their Sister had picked up on their thinking, and utterred: "This relic was almost certainly Ghost's, as i do not know of any other bugs who carried it around. For what reason could they destroy it, however? They had been content to contain their hatred until they were sold to the relic-seeker for so long... clearly something out of the ordinary had happened to them."

Strange indeed.

Following the pale-white shards led them to a large, vertical, gate-like structure constructed out of void. Given it's careful craftbugship and seeming like it was far more ancient than the ledge on which it rested, they deduced that such an obstacle was not created by the Void. Of course, however, it still proved a serious problem, as now, only one of the two siblings could continue the search, as there was no way that the hemolymph-filled Hornet could cross the barrier.

"I know what you are thinking of Hollow. Indeed, it seems i'll have to halt my journey here. I will wait by the gate while you search what lays beyond it. Good luck." They remembered that when they had first met their Sibling in the Abyss, they had given them a gesture of affection by enclosing them with their arms wrapped around their thorax, and that they offerred such a gesture to Sister too, but she had rejected it. But now, Sister deserved it more than ever.

Just as they had seen their twin do, they dissolved into shadows, wrapping their large arms around Sister when they reappeared.

(They had not properly planned the gesture, as they were nearly three times the height of their Sister, and they had to nearly crawl to get to her height)

"Hollow, please- thank y- you're really cold, let me-"

No, Sister.

It felt nice. They had never experienced such a nice feeling of warmth as was eminating from Hornet's body. When their twin embraced them, they were as cold as themselves, and much of the warmth came from the gesture instead.

They wished they could have stayed like that for hours, days, the rest of their life. But, after they could clearly see their Sister shivering, they eventually let her go.

Her normally-sharp tongue was quite silent, and Hollow would cross the Shade Gate wihout a single sound being heard.

Chapter Text

Black.

Void swirling in Their vision.

Utter darkness.

Had They finally died?

Had Their time come to an end?

No.

It was just beginning.

They had realized it. They were a God.

Nay, they were the God. Their throne had been built on the broken shells of Their many adversaries, of their many kills. What difference was there between Them and the Lord? The Lord had only helped Tem. They had guided them to their home. Made Them a new, much stronger body. Made Them finally meet again with Their twin. Guided Their hand, ensured that They did not fail at the last moment and let the Goddess that had killed Them and Their siblings live.

They had never lied. They were one and the same. They were Ghost and Ghost was Them. It was always the Void. The Void was the only thing that truly allowed them to live, to conquer, to kill. Everything else was an afterthought. It was only the Void that betray Them had never. They should have never feared It. Or, as Hollow wished, stopped it. Why should they stop something that was their very lifeblood? Theirs... and Hollow's.

Hollow.

(Deep within them, a small part of their body wished to stab itself, tear their thorax apart, let it all bleed on the floor, to eliminate the intruder inside it's body.)

All of this was for them. All of it. None of it was ever planned or thought out for anyone else. Even Hornet. Hornet may have been their Sister, but she was not of the Void. No. She had no place with Them. They had to cut all their roots with the Wyrm and the Root. This last root was Hornet. She had to leave, immediately. They would not accept her presence no longer.

No. They only needed Hollow. And Hollow needed Them. Only Them. They did not need the Root, or the Wyrm, or even the Spider. They did not need anyone else. Those three had only brought misery on them. Why then, did Hollow still love them? Could they not realize the pain that they'd suffered exclusively because of them? Ghost only thought of their greater good. Only thought of Hollow's wellbeing. Ghost, no matter how They changed, still held a profound and personal affection for their Twin. One that perhaps could never be broken. Not by Them, not by Hollow, and certainly not by any God. And yet, Hollow's stubborn insistence on maintaining the well-being of the City, of it's inhabitants only angered them. They could never bring themselves to hate Hollow. If such a fate was ever reached, They were not Ghost.

They were not the Vessel with the horns that split down the middle, born alongside the Vessel with horns that elongated from the side. And yet, ever more that prospect seemed certain. Hollow had to be convinced. They could not bring themselves to see Their twin in pain caused by Them. It was a fate far, far worse than Death. They had survived Death many, many times. They were intimately familiar with it's feeling. But the pain? The heartbreak that They'd suffer? It would break them. The City? To be destroyed, torn down. Let the Void feast upon what inhabitants may have been left, and the structures shall remain only as fleeting ruins of a Kingdom that lost. Lost to an ancient evil, lost to One of the same blood as it's King.

They had to tear it all down. Nothing would be left when They were finished. The Wyrm had destroyed Their home. Destroyed all of the good that They ever knew. And now, the same fate He would suffer. If only He was still there to witness it...

-------

Where was Sibling?

So far, their exploration efforts had been utterly dry, and all that they found wandering the Gardens, were scattered pieces of the Idol, and a few blackened vines and plants, clearly having been affected by the Void. Not good. They would need to find a solution to the Void's creeping influence eventually. But first, they needed to find Sibling. Where could they have been headed?

Fortunately it seemed like the path that they had taken did lead to somewhere. They stumbled upon a large structure, pale-white and grey, with several windows outlooking a large egg, or perhaps cocoon like structure. Perhaps Sibling was looking for something in particular? A new weapon? A friend that they'd made? They certainly hoped it was nothing sinister. Climbing out into the structure, they felt a distinct thickness in the air. Void presence was particularly thick in this place. Good thing that Sister did not come. They did not want her to end up like that horrible scene in the City. They spotted an exit to the left of the structure, leading towards the strangely-shaped building. They quickly crossed the doorway and-

What?

No.

(Their stomach stumbled and roiled in pain. They felt every part of their body speak in unison and wish for nothing less than to cower away and flee. If they did not know that Sibling may have been there and was waiting for them, they would have already began to vomit out their own internal void.)

Fierce Dryaa? (No, she was the strongest Knight, no one could defeat her, even they sometimes los-)

Her body was black. As black as midnight. As black as the body of a fallen warrior struck by powerful SOUL magic, charred and burned. As black as the void. (Their mind knew it was their twin to be the one to have killed her, but they struggled to even accept the fact.

)

They felt sick only thinking of whatever she may have suffered. They felt their legs buckle, and they struggled to even walk all the way to the cocoon-like structure. They felt weak to their very core.

They could not give up now. They had promised Sister. They had to contin- Suddenly, a bug as tall as themselves, perhaps more, and with two, slanted, pitch black eyes emerged from the cocoon. Sibling?

No. It was not them.

What were they saying? It must be Sibling. They knew of no other bug with the same characteristics. As far as they knew, they were the only two vessels still alive. And yet, they did not feel like Sibling.

Who was there? (Run away, this will be your demise, your death, your destruc-).

Their not-sibling stared at them for a few seconds. Hollow stared them back. Everything looked just like how Hollow had last seen them. Back when they had embraced them just before they had fled. It was Sibling?

Sibling soon stopped with the staring contest, and ran up to embrace them. But Hollow had prepared. Had practiced. Had proven their technique against their Sister. And they were able to formulate an effective response, countering their hug with one of their own.

For a moment, all was well.

And then they noticed it.

Cold. But unlike Twin's coldness. They did not feel their affection. They could not feel their love.

They felt not-sibling's thoughts in their own mind. Their voice...

Commanding. Stern. Not the unsteady, emotional voice of their sibling.

They felt as if they were going to explode. The pressure was mounting and mounting, and all they could do is watch in horror. What had happened to Sibling? What had happened to Sibling? What had happened to S-

Hollow, i know you have missed me much. And i too did. But you must know, that i was busy with my own mission. Finally, that damned White Lady is no more. She will no longer torment us, Hollow.

Hollow's heart froze, and they collapsed to the ground, raising a large dust cloud around them.

Chapter Text

Why?

Why would Sibling do this?

How could Sibling do this?

When did Sibling do this?

They knew to answer to all three questions. That did not alleviate the incessent pain that they were feeling.

Hollow was overtaken by a tidal wave of grief, sorrow, and even anger. It felt quite new. They did not usually feel such a strong emotional response to the traumatic events around them. And yet, the revelation of the death of their mother had finally made them snap, like a weak twig being crushed by a claw. They felt the world around them collapse in blurry lines of green and black, grey and brown. Only one thing escaped the loss of focus. Their sibling's pale-white mask.

(For the first time in their life, they only had a single thought occupy their mind, and it was not imposed by a foreign entity. Kill. Avenge.)

They knew very well that it would be a rash, imprudent, and suicidal decision. And that they could not do it. Just as their could never bring themselves to kill them.

At least, the Sibling that they knew wouldn't.

Whoever was inhabiting the body of their twin was not their sibling. They were certain about it. More certain than they'd ever been about most things. And they had to get out, now, for they felt a creeping sense of dread even simply staring at their mask. Empty, and black, just like the void. The twin that they knew certainly didn't match these attributes, but the one that had killed their Mother...

They attempted to level themselves up. They could not stay on the ground. They had to run, and tell Sister-

Why do you feel so much anger at the death of one who had procured so much suffering upon the both us?

Because she was our Mother, and as their sons, we should be grateful that she had ever brought us into the world. What sort of inane monster would dare to kill their own kin?

She is not our kin, and never was. She was a murderous monarch who made us simply to use as weapons, as tools against the Moth, the one who wished to destroy her Kingdom to reclaim Hers. Our true birth, and the state of being which you now hold is the one which occurred in the Void. After we died, we were born again. Stronger. More durable. Unchained to their weak, limiting biology. Sibling, we are monsters. And we always have been. We do not eat, drink, or sleep. We fight with techniques unknown to the most knowledgeable of scholars, and can live freely and happily in places that others would consider living hell.

(Part of Hollow agreed with was being said. They wished to end their incessant suffering. Give up. Let go of their misery. Embrace their sibling again. Even if that meant severing all ties with the outside. What good had other bugs ever done to them anyway?)

(Sister. The Stag. The villagers. They could never give in. No matter how convincing their not-sibling may be, they knew it was not them. The debate that they held was not the friendly discussion of opposing thoughts that Sibling had with them while they exited the Abyss. It was an ultimatum. A subtle threat. The sort of speech one would give to convince the other to turn a blind eye to their crimes.)

How can you speak like that when Sister risked her life to find you again? You should know better than me, better than Sister, better than anyone else, the good that the people of this Kingdom had for you. I do not know know your stories, your adventures. But i do know that you have traveled far, and met many. And that all that i know speak of you only with praise and kindness. Whatever may have have happened to you, Sibling, you are stronger than anyone else. You are stronger than me, you are stronger than Sister, you are stronger than any other being that i know. You can either continue upon your genocidal path, kill all that stand in your way, and destroy all the good that is left in this world, and leave it as a empty ruin, fit only to be scavanged through, or you can let go. Let go of your hatred. Forgive, and forget.

(Not-sibling was shaken for a moment, as if something inside attempted to free itself, but they returned to calm soon after.)

To do so would be to betray all of our siblings. Me. You. The many dead left in our home. Would it not be? No matter. I do not require that you are an active assistent in my mission, only that you do not interfere. I hope that i can see reason, and let your sibling do the work that has been so wrongly delayed for so long. I know that when it will be done, the roles will be reversed, and you will be the one asking to be reunited.

(Sibling would never say such a thing. They would never be so openly rude to their twin. They could swear that it was Sister for a moment speaking. No, not even she would be so harsh).

Hollow, having managed to get up, quickly exited the opening where the encounter had taken place, and ran downwards from where they had came.

------------

She had been waiting for quite a few hours by now. She would be significantly worried, if she did not know that their siblings were far stronger than any bug left in the Kingdom, far stronger than herself. She suspected that an encounter similar in form to the one in the Abyss had taken place, and soon, the two twins would come back reunited.

Her shock, when only one of them came back, and with a worried step, was quite large.

After Hollow had crossed the gate, Hornet quickly checked through their cloak, to spot any marks of wounding or battle scars. She did not seen any, besides the few procured by the treachrous enviroment.

What then, had transpired? Was their twin perhaps located in a different area? She handed them a large scroll of silk that she had intentionally brought to comunicate more difficult thoughts with Hollow, and they soon began writing.

Sister, it is terrible. Oh Sister, it is so terrible. I have managed to find my sibling, but although they might seem exactly as one remembered them, their mannerism, mode of speaking, intentions, dialog-

In their hurry to transcribe their thoughts, Hollow was writing sloppily, in a disordered manner, leaving large ink blots and letting them drip down on the scroll. She quickly halted their claw, and made them take a deep breath, or as much as one is possible without lungs.

"What do you mean by "mannerism" and "mode of speaking"? Are they more formal? Informal? Filled with rage? Or with sorrow?"

"Neither, Sister. They are much more... commanding. Much less emotional. Much less kind. Much less like... them. They do not wish for my well-being or embrace me. They were much more stern in their style. It is the exact opposite of the one that i remembered."

Worrying indeed. A part of her suspected that they may have been infected, but that possibility was so far removed from the realm of possibilities that not even the down-right terrifying prospect of facing their sibling shook her. It must have been much worse. They needed time. Knowledge. Help.

"What they did state in their dialogue?"

"It may have been flowery and sophisticated, but it ultimately served a distinct purpose. They wanted to convince me. Convince me to help them further their goal. It was unclear what it may have been, but given their initial act, it is almost certainly a grave threat to many, perhaps even you."

Hornet's heart skipped a beat. They knew (they thought they knew) Ghost would never be able to muster the will to harm Hollow, or her. And yet... "If it is not too heavy of a question to burden you with, what was Ghost's initial act?"

"They... (Hollow hesited on the wording, and the void inside their eyes twirled aggressively, as if remembering a memory that they could never face again without being submerged in sorrow.) killed our Mother. The Queen".

Chapter Text

Dread.

Sharp, creeping dread.

That was the one emotion that could best describe the emotional state of Ghost in it's current form.

Their encounter with Hollow... it was nothing less than a disaster. Why were they so mean to them? They didn't want to be so mean. They only wanted them to be happy. All that they had wished for so long, was that they could be happy, together, and forever. Nevertheless, they hoped that it would lead to a good cause.

Else, they thought that they never reconcile it with the rest of their life ever again.

Ghost's mind felt strangely full and confusing exiting the Gardens. They never felt in such a way since... well ever. That was a large benefit of being made of void. It was remarkably easy to stay concentrated and focused for long periods of time on a single action without tiring themselves. And yet, now they felt nothing less than utter chaos, as if something or someone else was having a breakdown inside of their body.

Whatever it was, they really wished that it stopped this damn instant, as they would need a clear mind for what they were about to do.

They could not let any of them live. The Radiance had failed in subjugating them. The Wyrm had failed in subjugating them. Deepnest had failed in subjugating them. And yet, they would be the ones to finally crush their civilization into dust. As one would with a bitter pill: crushed into powder, and swallowed. Same they would need to do to finally leave in peace. Crush the remaining inhabitants into dust, and let the Void swallow their civilization. They knew this. (A small part of them was enjoying themselves thinking of the many that they still had to massacre).

It was all for the greater good. It was all for Hollow. It was all for their Siblings. For what other reason had they done this, otherwise?

For their ego? To satisfy their own bloodlust and fulfill their twisted power-fantasy? To serve a God in their pursuit of power?

(And yet, deep down, they felt that all three of those were a satisfying description of the situation)

They had to move. They could not stand still. Standing still only brought them to start questioning what they were doing. Only brought them to think of Hollow's words. Only brought to think of their terrified pale-white mask...

They were just misled. They didn't know, didn't experience what they did.

(Were they?)

------------

Hollow certainly did not enjoy what they had been assigned by Sister, as the place that they were now visiting only brought memories of It.

The Sealing. The Dreamers. The door. The three masks. The pitch-black temple. The Goddess. They had fail-

No. And even if they did, that was no reason to despair in their failure.

Especially now that failure would lead to consequences far worse than any seen before.

They had failed before, and there was Sibling to save them.

If they had failed now, there would no one left to oppose not-Sibling.

The mere thought of it was enough to send them spiraling.

And yet, they continued. Was it simply inertia? Did their psychological programming directed towards making them inclined to follow orders and authority naturally guide them towards letting Sister command them? Or was it something within, that, having seen the absolute bottom in that Garden, now only wished one thing.

To end it. To finally make someone, anyone happy. To finally make themselves worthy of their existence. Of their sentience. Whatever it might have been, it was enough to finally encourage them to soldier on with an iron-will.

If they failed now, if the world came crashing down, if the windows shattered and creatures from beyond the wildest of imaginations tore them to shreds, they would die with a smile on their mask.

For they were living.

And the ghosts of their past did not make a single dent in their willpower, even as they entered the Archives.

-----------

Hornet's heart was beating.

She had felt fear before. It was not an unusual sentiment for a hunter to possess, especially one originary of the treacherous Deepnest.

But never before had she felt such overwhelming terror.

This was a threat much different from the ones she'd faced before. Not a slow, lumbering beast to hunt. Not an impersonal enemy to contain, like the Infection. No. This was a foe that was fully familiar with her. Knew how she talked. Knew how she walked. Knew how she killed. Knew her.

When she had fought Ghost near the King's shell, she had stated that she would not hesitate to kill them if they were too weak, and that she expected them to do so as well. That they had let her live was a mercy.

One that she knew would no longer be afforded to her.

Suddenly, movement. They seemed to slowly make their way into the Fungal Wastes, passing by the decaying corpses of the many infected mushrooms and similar creatures that previously dotted the area. The pungent smell of bubbling acid, the strong sense of pollen in the air...

She had never given much thought to the region. Besides when she had stumbled upon them while she embarked to visit the capital, the journey was utterly unremarkable. She had known that a tribe of Mantises that were not subject to the Infection was present in the south-eastern portion, but she was particularly fond of the inhabitants. Given the utterly brutal treatment and inane treatment that they'd given to the bugs of Deepnest, even those who visited in peace and harmony, she did not care much for them.

And yet, she still felt anxious about their presence.

Why?

The journey continued. They passed by a large door that had been sealed by the Mantises. Two were clearly holding watch over it. They approached.

Hornet could not hear the chatter very well, but it was enough to make out the words. They seemed to ask for their name, and that they could not trespass on their territory. She knew they would not reply as they were incapable of speaking but-

Before any of them could react, a razor-sharp tendril shoots out of their chest, impaling and crushing together the first mantis's thorax, and spraying white hemolymph all over the ground.

Her heart fell.

The other Mantis hesites for a split second, before attempting to strike them. Their sharp arms fly out, hitting them squarely in the thorax, getting partially caught in their pitch-dark cloak.

Ghost did not react, and a large, pure-black fireball emitted from their claw proceeded to incinerate and kill the mantis instantly, leaving another corpse.

My Wyrm. My Wyrm. My Wyr-

She had to run, she could not stay there, she would di-

What would they do after this?

The Village. The Mantises.

They would do to them what they had just demonstrated.

Hornet's heart was pounding so hard she felt like it was going to burst out (Like Ghost's tendril, killing and maiming with reckless abandon).

Chapter Text

It felt quite strange to research their own nature for Hollow, but it was clear that the activity was giving fruits. Despite the research into the Void being quite limited due to Father's secretive nature and desire to avoid mass hysteria from the knowledge that they were experimenting with the substance, archaeological and historical research into the nature of the Ancient Civilizations was quite through. After a certain bug who seemed to live in the Archive (He had a... beret? Or was that a hood? They could not quite tell) explained to them the nature of Monomon's shorthand, obtaining the relevant information was quite fast. And what they had learned was none other than a treasure mine of knowledege.

In the most ancient of times, before Father, and when the Radiance still limited herself to her race, the Ancient Civilization was by far the most powerful and expansive state to exist in Hallownest. They had highly developed cities, filled with architectural wonders, and their research into SOUL far outstripped the one of the Soul Sanctum, as clearly shown by the versatility and utility of the Soul Totems that they created and now littered the Kingdom.

More relevant to the current debacle, however, it seemed like the Ancient Civilization, like all states that they knew of, worshipped a Higher Being. And the one that they'd chosen was the Void.

(Shivers run down their spine. Was that what Not-Sibling wished? To reclaim their entire kingdom, and to tear out all that had wronged them before? Collective vengeance, targeting indiscriminately for a crime that none of the living had committed.)

Though they knew not of the God that seemed to lurk in the Void, and instead worshipped the Sea, and the substance itself, it seemed that Not-Sibling did not mind the arrangement. Armies, empowered by the god that lurked in the deepest recesses of the caves beneath, easily crushed all opposition.

That was, until, Father arrived to the Kingdom.

Father, due to their nature as a being of Light and SOUL, was able to tear through the immense defenses. After the other Higher Beings inhabiting Hallownest, from the Radiance to Unn had formed an informal coalition against the Ancient Civilization, they were utterly decimated, and their great state was no more.

Deprived of all followers, Not-Sibling was left isolated and powerless, and they would retreat in pain and agony to the deepest recesses of the Abyss. Where they would lay, for an immeasureably long amount of time.

During their voluntary imprisoment, they witnessed all that occurred above. The downfall of the Radiance. Father's Kingdom. The infection. the Radiance's resurgeance. And Sibling's final destruction of Her. They waited, and observed. They did not react, when Father let his newborn fall and die in the Abyss where they lurked. They did not react when Father constructed the large lighthouse to facilitate research into the Void. They did not react when Sibling finally accepted their traumatic birth, and channeled the Void's power to destroy the Goddess that they hated with every fiber of their being.

They did, however, react in some way between that moment, and Sibling's... change. When they did, they could not know, and the only one who possessed such knowledge was currently plotting their sister's death.

They really did hope that Sister would be safe and secure. They felt extremely anxious leaving her to track down Not-Sibling. They were sure that Not-Sibling could not and would not harm them.

They were not so sure about Sister.

Additionately, their mission seemed unsuccessful at finding Not-Sibling's weakness. Sure, they now knew for certain that whatever affected Sibling came from the Void, but there was no solution to it that they'd discovered. No spell, or tactic, or technique that they could adopt. They could not try to defeat them in combat. That was for certain. And they no doubt surpassed both of them in the manipulation of SOUL. What could they do?

(There was nothing they could do...)

Perhaps they just needed time to reflect and think about their findings. After all, with the Radiance's death, there was no more danger in closing their eyes and dozing off to the world of the sleeping.

After scouring the area that they'd found the tomes that they had been meticously gone over for the past few hours, they eventually found a small makeshift bed, clearly made before the fall of the Kingdom, by some scholar who seemed to be sleeping near his research. It was quite small for them, but they still made themselves comfortable, and let themselves, for the first time since they had slept alongside Sibling, relax themselves.

And then, dreams did not come.

Nightmares came instead.

They found themselves in a crimson-red area, filled with fluttering... wheels?

Where were they?

Wait.

Oh, my wyrm.

Please, no.

The Dream Realm.

The Radiance.

No no no no...

(Both their arms tensed up. Every drop of void stood at attention, as if the moth goddess of dreams would appear at any moment to continue their torment. They could not do this. Was their entire life from the moment that they left the temple a dream? Sibling, Sister, the void, the Abyss, all a dream? Just to torture them further? They could not allow it. They could not continue. They had to fight-)

With a puff of red smoke, a tall, moth-like bug, teleported near them.

Who?

Wait...

They stood out opposite from each other, both scanning the other. Hollow was taller by quite a bit, but Grimm was by far the nearest bug they'd met besides Sibling that they did not have to tilt their head to look to. They seemed to have bright, red eyes, and a long cloak that covered their entire body. Could they speak?

"I am sorry that i must make your acquantaince at such a perilous time, but i am afraid that you could not succeed further without my assistance".

They could most certainly speak. But who were they?

"I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Grimm, of Grimm Troupe fame. I believe that your sibling is familiar with myself, but judging from their current state, they would not state positive things about me."

Their manner of speaking was refined, courteus, like a practiced formula. Yet, they did seem to be geniune in their worry. They had never heard of such a Grimm before, but they certainly had their questions.

"Wondering where we are, and why i contacted you among the millions, billions that sleep at any moment? Oh, my friend. My reasoning is rather practical and extremely self-interested. Here, we are in the realm of Nightmares, governed by the Nightmare Heart of which i am it's herald, it's spawn, it's being".

So they were not a Higher Being, but they were created by one? Sounded awfully similar to their status.

"I am perfectly willing to help you with your current... mess, but it is, of course, at a price. No merchant can sell his wares for free, you see. I wish only of one service done to me."

Hollow was rather afraid. They had already been entangled in the messes created by Higher Beings no less than three times. They did not wish for a fourth.

"You must bring me back my child."

Chapter Text

They had known that sensation before. That of utter dominance. Crushing power, overwhelming the most sturdy of opponents. And nevertheless, They had felt it slip away from them each them. To think that a sharpened nail would have been enough to defeat Her...

Their innocence was almost cute in how much it was utterly incorrect. That was not power. A nail can give power. Grant strength to those that would lack it. It cannot do more.

Their strength was of a higher level entirely. It was a strength born from the hundreds of tribulations, trials, and challenges that They had faced. It was one that they had to forge, each painful step after painful. Every step ever since They had hatched, so long ago, solely inclined towards up. Up, to reach Sibling. Up, to get stronger. Up, to understand what They did not know. Up, to kill Her as she miserably fled.

Sister spoke and lived a similar life, that she did, but what she could muster at the best of times was not enough to defeat Their weakened, young, childish form. Their Sibling was more impressive, but even They were felled by Them. What would the Pale Whore think? That They had picked the wrong vessel? That They should have never gone with the plan in the first place? That the only course of action was to burrow away and evade Their fate entirely, perhaps fleeing to virgin lands with Their most trusted servants and sychophants?

Whatever they may think, it was of no importance. They were dead. No, perhaps worse. They had been forgotten. And soon, no trace would remain to mark their existence entirely. Fading away...

They did not care for the Mantises. They were ultimately collaborators of the Pale Whore, and their line was to end too. Just as the ones of many others had already did. The slaughter was needed. (bathing in the hemolymph of the mantis that They had obliterated, tasting their entrails, letting Them shower unto the floor freely, as to let the other mantises accept their fate. They had defeated the Lords already, and they were nothing more than a mild nuisance. It seemed almost comical the ease with which they carried out their mission)

As They reflected on their tasks so far, and what the Lor-They would prepare for next, Their mind wandered, as it did in times of rest, to their family. Sister. Hollow. What would they think of this?

(Why did they still love her? She had hurt them. She had attempted to kill them. She had attempted to kill them. She had attempted to kill th-)
Their mask, overwhelmed by the repeating images of their do-or-die duel near the corpse of the Pale Whore, felt as if it would split apart at any moment and spill the void inside onto the humid terrain of the Wastes. They had to stop. They had to stop thinking. Why were they still thinking about her?
("Funny then, that such darkness gives me hope. Within it, I see the chance for a change.")
Hope. Hope was the domain of Her, they could not give hope, hope was present in Dreams, and dreams were dead, they always wer-
("A difficult journey you would face, but a choice it can create. Prolong our world's stasis or face the heart of its infection."")
They had done so, and now they could break the stasis. They just had to continue, had to get up, breathe, and stop thinking of sist-
(Her carrying Their tired, doomed body through the rubble, laying Them down softly on the ash outside and fleeing the scene before questions could be asked. Did She lov-)

No, she did not. She was not of the vo-
(They would not do, they would not do it, Hollow would not take it, Hollow would not take it, Hollow would NOT take it)
They were letting her manipulate them, she was a spider, that's all they were good for, their silver tongu-
(No. They could not do it. They Would not do it.)
They were bleeding, thick, soupy void dripping down through their mask, every crack reopening, their eyes struggling to stay open, their legs as brittle as shellwood, and every negative thought gathered in the back of their mind flooding through without mercy.
Get up. Get up. Stop thinking.
(They would not they would not would no-)
Their left leg finally crumbled under the pressure, and their mask soon met with the ground, and with a resounding smash, they lost consciouness once more.

Chapter Text

Waking up after their encounter with Grimm felt as if they had just escaped their pitch-black prison once more. It was a rather weird situation to be certain, but they had experienced events far out of the ordinary by now. And besides, was their entire existence not unordinary? And really, what was the "ordinary" in these odd times? When the infected shambled through the Kingdom without a mind, or perhaps when Father gave birth to them and their doomed species?
If that was the routine, they'd much rather break it.
No. They had never lived the ordinary. A time before the infection, before the void, before anything. When life in the Kingdom was fair and simple, when you did not have to fear that the next day might never come, because a deity far above your own strength would attempt to kill you, or worse. Their entire existence was a symptom of Hallownest's anormality.

Anything to move forward, really, was more than welcome. And Grimm, besides, had presented himself rather well. They did not seem profoundly ill-intentioned, as many other Higher Beings seemed to be, rather, simple self-interest. I help you, and you help me.
That's certainly a much more equitable deal than most bugs, let alone Gods would offer.
Not that the task at hand was not daunting. They did not know of Grimm's child. In fact, they did not even know of Grimm.
And the only person who would offer information straight from the source, well...

Sibling. And they were not itching for another confrontation.
(They were scared. Scared of what they would say, would think, would do to them. What they saw in that mask was not the kind-hearted twin that had embraced them. It was a calculating, strategic, and profoundly evil being, one that actively attempted to move their home towards the worst possible state it could end in. They had nothing to fear from them, they would never hurt them, and they would live happily and in peace if the Void was allowed to conquer all unopposed. They were a Vessel. And why, then, did they continue to fight against?)

Perhaps Sister would know? They were sure that Sister had seen many of Sibling's possessions before, and she was the one who had carried them to their temporary home. If Grimm's statement about Ghost cherishing Grimmchild dearly was true, they were certain it would be with them.
And if nothing would come out of Grimm, well...
The Abyss was always an option. Who would know best about a deity, than those who had worshipped it? They would save it for last though. They did not wish to engage them on their home field.
First step though, was finding Sister. She had stated before they had divided their tasks that they would meet again at the Queen's Station. The Queen's Station. The Queen.
(No no no don't think about it-)

Misery had overtaken them once more. The brief bursting anger that they had experienced at the revelation of their Mother's death had already vanished. And now only Sorrow carried that line of thought. It was rather hard to believe. Their Sibling. Their Twin.
When had their strangeness started? Perhaps, when they departed suddenly and only a brief explanation? No. They were still Sibling. No matter what their thoughts might have been, Hollow was certain it was them.
What they knew, was that between their re-union near Mother, and their sudden exit, something had gone terribly wrong. And what they had also noticed, was that the near incessant negative thoughts that constantly plagued them when near Sibling had also vanished during that same time-span.

Were the two related?
They had read in their research that the God of the Void often did not take any specific form or body, manifesting itself through the Sea itself, or acting through a conduit of void. They were certain it was not the first option. The Sea itself, instead, seemed almost indifferent to the struggle. Utterly neutral, and with no thought or mind. (As father wished)
So it must have been the second one. It was not an unusual action for a god to take. When had the Radiance truly and properly shown her form? They doubted She even possessed one. Father too preferred to show the more amenable and smaller body that he created rather than the massive body of the Wyrm that he was. What form had they then taken? Placing themselves in the God's mind, they reasoned what would be the most convenient vessel for their mind. One that was ideally rather powerful in their own right, as to avoid it being destroyed. One that could move at a steady pace and through most enviroments. One that would not object to the violation of their personal freedom.

Of powerful beings in Hallownest few were left. Sister was one, but she did not possess Void in any form, it was unlikely that she could even fall under the control of anything besides her own will. Other Higher Beings were to be discounted too, for their essences were far too different to be controlled. Who was left, then? Themselves? They were certain that they were not being controlled, as they felt no issue within themselves. And if they were controlled, why would Grimm contact them? No, only one was truly left. And their mind drew the details itself, as it was deeply familiar with them.
Two large diagonal horns forming a pale-white mask, with branches forming from the sides. Two, large, eye-holes, as black and empty as void. A large, indescribeable pitch-black cloak that covered nearly their entire thorax. Four long limbs that nevertheless granted them otherwordly strength and stamina. Standing as tall as themselves, and perhaps even more.

Oh my Wyrm.
They had already known the answer from the start.
They had always known the answer. The different voice. The attitude. The behaviour. The language.
They were simply afraid to know. As they always knew. Too scared and too afraid to let themselves sip the bitter drink.
Their Sibling.
Sibling.
Sibling.
Their Sibling was the one being controlled.
When they finally seen Sister near the Stag, the embrace that they gave her surpassed the ones that they experienced and given ten-fold.