As you now undoubtedly know, our seal was not perfect by any means. Our story of a Wyrm who brought a Caterpillar from the depths of the darkness of death to the light of Soul will be forgotten, and you and I will be separated once again; just like we were split before when your gifts surpassed that of any shaman. Your memory of me will even be lost to the times ahead.
You, my dear student, are the hope I have for the future, the hope of all who realize the glorious powers you are gifted with.
I mean not to boast of the powers and gifts I granted you with the creation of our seal, but even if my memory is lost, I know I am immortalized through you.
You are the greatest thing I ever achieved.
Perhaps you can bring about the unity I wished to create beside you.
Even now, as I prepare to die, and prove to those around us that I lack not the courage to die by your side for the cause you have called upon my assistance for, as we fulfill a purpose I have known of ever since I saw you again, I know you will come back someday, your moth-like form proves that to me, and I hope that perhaps I can come with you this time. I do not wish to leave your side again.
You have taught me what I know of compassion, and I continue to learn as I remain with you and everyone I have met in my life. Perhaps that great god of unity will see it fit to bring me with you once again.
But there is some advice I give you in your current tribulation. I need you to do three things for me to ensure your success. Each has importance that you will fail to understand until the end has already come to pass.
First, I need you to retrieve your staff which I left for you hidden among the crystals. You will know it, to all others it looks as though it is right in place.
Second, I need you to bring together the gods that live in your lands. Do this using the gift I gave you.
Third, you must bring what we built back to me. This is the most crucial step to your success. It may be difficult for you to accept, but I am never too far away from any questions you have.
Remember that for me, won't you?
The six-horned wyrm sighed as he finished his letter.
Writing it here was the only place she was guaranteed to find it when she needed it, he needed to remember that. It would look as though it was just another account they had written together with the words he had carefully removed. The time had come to take it where it needed to go.
But he knew he'd be dead by the time it reached there.
Vessel called out to the Hollow Shade as she walked through the dark palace.
When she heard a clatter of metal and someone scampering over, she turned to see the Hollow Knight holding a nail remarkably similar to their old one.
"I think that's just a training nail." Vessel laughs, "You'd have to get it sharpened."
She looks into their face, "Wait, where's your mask?"
They lead Vessel to the training yard and point to it in the corner.
"Ok, then where Oamri?" Vessel laughs.
They think for a moment, before pointing towards the direction of the entry and library.
"You're just going to have to show me." Vessel shakes her head, not understanding.
The armor clad shade grabs their mask and takes one of Vessel's hands, leading her to the library.
"That is a completely different taste if I've ever seen one." Vessel laughs as she spots the small shade clumsily holding a book in their tiny arms.
The Hollow Knight tries to wave to get the smaller shade's attention.
When it doesn't work, Vessel tries to think of something that might.
She smiles evilly as something comes to mind.
"You know..." Vessel jokes, "I think this room would look nice if we gave it a coat of fresh maroon paint."
The Hollow Knight catches on to the joke and shakes their head grabbing a book that is a dark shade of turquoise and pointing to the color.
"Actually, I think you're right. What if we painted the entire castle that turquoise color and made all the accents in a bright neon yellow?" Vessel laughs.
They hear Oamri drop the book from on top of the bookshelf.
The larger shade points to the smaller one and shakes their head.
"I don't think they do either." Vessel laughs, "What if we just did this room then?"
Oamri throws their book at Vessel, who doesn't see it in time because her and the Hollow Knight are laughing so hard, and gets hit in the head with it and falls over, laughing so hard she's crying.
The Hollow Knight lets out a mighty high-pitched squeak before continuing to silently laugh. This makes Vessel laugh even harder.
Oamri gets down and picks up the book, shoving it into their shaded cloak for safe keeping. They don't find any of this funny.
"I'm sorry, did you just squeak?!" Vessel chuckles to the Hollow Knight, "Is that currently your equivalent to laughter?"
Oamri looks between the laughing figures, still unamused.
"By the way we were joking about painting the library." Vessel clarifies, "I don't think I'm eccentric enough to choose those colors if I paint anything."
Oamri is, still, not amused.
"Wow, someone's a wet blanket!" Vessel sits up, chuckling.
The Hollow Knight nods, jokingly tossing their head away from the small shade beside them.
"They have the sense of humor of a brick wall." Vessel shakes her head.
Oamri takes the mask from the Hollow Knight and slides it on, rejoining the shade in the armor.
"Aw, you spoiled our fun." Vessel stands up, dusting her pants off.
The Hollow Shade points to her, then jabs their finger up to the bedroom.
"You can't ground me! You're not my dad!" Vessel laughs.
They drop their arm and disappear for a second before bringing back a different black dress with a hood and throwing it over Vessel.
"Oh! So you already knew I had plans to go out huh?" Vessel pulls the fabric off her face, careful not to tear it on her horns.
The retreating Void being nods, walking past her and out of the room.
"And what will you be doing while I'm out?" Vessel calls after the retreating figure.
She gets the blade of the nail waves where she can see it as they disappear from sight.
Vessel just shrugs and heads upstairs to change.
The Crystal Peak felt less lively than it had when she had shooed away all those miners to help the town. She just hoped that they hadn't gotten to whatever 'staff' she needed to find. Not like their directions were very specific.
"'You'll know it's there'! They said. 'It looks perfectly normal to everyone else'! They said." Vessel mocks as she moves through the mine and examines all the crystals.
Seriously, she has no idea what it's supposed to look like.
There had to be some sort of clue right?
Right?!
Maybe she should've thought about this more before she decided to come look.
Instead of pursuing an impossible idea, she wanders over to an abandoned and crystal filled group of golems, once used to mine what they are now consumed with.
Sitting down she began to ponder what she might be looking for.
Meanwhile, the King had gone to pursue their own mission. [Yes, I will continue to refer to them as king, despite them both being genderless.
I keep writing he and realizing it a paragraph later ok?!]
They had gone to Greenpath, knowing the one they were looking for had gone there. A nailsmith who could forge a Pure Nail.
It had taken a good half hour to track down what they would undoubtedly need, and a lot of bribery just in case it helped convince them.
They knew of the way and had decided to walk part of it, considering it is quite rude to barge into someone's house.
Climbing up and over the passageway with all the thorns in it, in a somewhat cramped way due to their size, they managed to get to the Nailmaster's house unscathed. ...I mean Paintmaster's house.
They knocked on the side of the open doorway, unsure if they'd fit.
"There is no door for a reason. You are welcome to come inside." Came a strong voice from inside.
Time to see if there was a predicament!
Managing to slide through the narrow doorway sideways to not clang their loud armor against the walls, they immediately failed at not hitting the doorway by their horn bashing into it, making a loud bang.
"Oh, are you alright." Nail— Paintmaster Sheo asks, turning to see the struggling figure.
"Perhaps we should help them and make the doorway slightly larger next time." The Nailsmith laughs.
"Well it's not common you find though larger than ourselves." Sheo shrugs, "What brings a warrior here to our humble home?"
The Hollow Shade answered by setting down their nail and the massive pile of pale ore they had brought with them.
It is fortunate that there was just a stock of the stuff lying around in the castle.
"Hmm, it appears you request the services of a well trained forger." The Nailsmith says thoughtfully.
The armored vessel nods.
"I do have the skills you need, but it will take quite a bit of time if you intend on having me bring this nail to its finest of states. Do you...?" The Nailsmith examines the nail thoughtfully and turns to its owner before watching them drop the massive bag of geo they had brought with them.
Sheo laughs, "It appears they thought of everything."
"It seems they have. And fortunate for them too, I assume they are aware that this nail was not sharpened to be in a proper fight. My tools are outside in the back, though you are welcome to stay here while I work." The Nailsmith picks up the ore and nail and carries them past the Hollow Shade.
"Would you like to paint something with me?" Sheo asks them.
They pull the mask off and Oamri takes it and carries it to the middle of the room before setting themself to guard it from paint as the Hollow Knight excitedly nods.
The silence is filled with Sheo chatting with the silent Hollow Knight while Oamri reads their book.
"You are welcome to join us you know." Sheo tells the little shade.
Looking up from their book, they show the Paintmaster their clumsy arms and seeming lack of hands. It is very hard for them to turn pages without missing others or almost closing the book. Like trying to do everything with your fists.
The Hollow Knight becomes insistent, and drags Oamri over to a blank canvas.
The smaller shade looks confused at their sibling, who gestures them to start.
"What are you doing dear?"
"Well, they won't give me a staff since I'm not a proper shaman, so I thought I'd just make my own!"
"Oh! Then why the crystal?"
"I find it helps me focus Soul better."
"If I may make a suggestion. If they claim you aren't a proper shaman, why don't you put a spiral on it to prove you are?"
"I don't know... I'm not very good at this..."
"I know it will look great dear, you just have to do what you think is best."
Vessel looked around the golem after sitting there for some time and immediately groaned.
Of course it was right there!
WHY WOULD IT BE ANYWHERE ELSE?!
A tall crystal staff with an end jabbed into the ground and a sharp spiral on the other end. It was somewhat hidden in sharp crystals like it, and would blend well enough in that you wouldn't think anything of it, if you weren't looking for it.
She pulled it out of the ground, which was much harder than she thought it would be because she underestimated how long it had been there. It probably looked a little different than it was supposed to when it was placed there.
"You'll know it when you see it." Vessel groaned, realizing that they were right.
Oamri looked at the canvas they had basically finger painted.
Sheo smiles, "See it looks wonderful."
The Hollow Knight grabbed a thinner brush and began to trace many of the shapes in black, revealing the actual image.
A brown and pale landscape with a pair of dark blue wings.
Both shades look at each other and it's fortunate that the Nailsmith came back before Sheo had time to question it.
When Vessel returned to the castle, still a little salty, she found a small Oamri losing horribly in a duel with the Hollow Knight, who now had a Pure nail.
"Oh ho ho." Vessel admires them and they both drop their weapons, with Oamri literally dropping theirs, in what looks like relief to see Vessel, and the Hollow Knight lowering theirs, proving their excitement in the fight. "That's what you guys were doing!"
Oamri points to the staff.
Vessel holds it up so they can both see it, "Probably the best friend of a Soul wielder. I guess I need to figure out how to show this the respect it deserves."
The Hollow Knight points at Oamri then at Vessel.
"You want us to spar...?" Vessel laughs, seeing how the small sibling froze in terror at the suggestion, "Sure, why not."
If Oamri could cry they would.
Today was a strange day in the City of Tears. No one really knew why, it just felt like today was totally unnatural. Something sinister was in the air and no one would be prepared when it finally decided to be made known.
People nervously shuffled around the streets and went about their day. But something was definitely going to happen.
In the evening, it finally struck.
The streets were eerily quiet as they silently filled with people waiting to hear from the one they wished to make their king.
One lone Kingsmould stood guards over the Stagway. The Hollow Shade had activated it because of Ellie's information. It was the only place it could be considered normal and that the monarchs had knowledge of what was going on.
Ellie was hidden in the crowd. It's pretty easy to blend in when there's silence.
They all were waiting for Regal, who had come to the city earlier that day by being smuggled in by his followers.
When the mantis did arrive, it was in hushed tones that he told them of his plans.
"We try to remain secret of these oppressive creatures that bind our freedoms. If we wish to overthrow these vermin then we must destroy them at their source. We must slay the Voidheart." [Me: cringing while writing this.]
They of course, underestimate the might of the Kingsmould.
It is important to mention here that while "Regal" prides himself on being a fierce warrior, he does not actually fight with his followers. He allows them to do all the work for him, while he runs off to hide. This will be important later.
Also I'm not saying he's a wimp. He's not. I'm saying he allows the littler people to fall for his cause.
When the small force attacked the station guard, they were met with the violence it was, literally, made to perform. People were slaughtered for approaching it with ill intent and the others who had come did not know of the danger as they headed down to the Ancient Basin with a cry of "Down with the Wyrm!"
To this, Vessel would laugh and say, 'I don't think they know why they're called "Higher Beings".'
But I wish to put this into perspective:
Here you have a tiny angry mob of mostly untrained civilians attempting to take down the strongest guards that have ever existed in Hallownest.
You remember the pain those things were from playing the game?
You probably had a Pure Nail by then and they still took like four or five hits to kill them, with their strikes still doing probably double the damage to you that you did to them. I believe two of them are even different minibosses, one in the palace and one right outside. Then the two at the end of the Path of Pain [which by the way, I'm sorry if you died to those because I didn't have to experience your misery] are there because they kind of suck to fight, adding to the pain you have to endure.
The little vessel [you] is an experienced warrior who deals with these sorts of enemies everywhere they go.
These are literal civilians who barely even know how to fight. There is a reason that in I'm pretty sure it was... part 1 I said that one of the Kingsmoulds could hold off basically everyone in the kingdom. Because it's not unrealistic. They are that powerful. And that many people in Hallownest are untrained civilians.
To say that this is a fight between these poor people who serve a person who does not even care that he has sent his followers to their deaths, and these armored weapons that were literally made to ward off actually dangerous intruders is an exaggeration.
Think of it as a warm up exercise for the Void soldiers.
It's not pretty if you're a civilian.
In other words, there is so little ruckus put up that the sparring Void beings in the White Palace don't even know that people were on their doorstep until the next morning.
It is just a total manslaughter, or bugslaughter in this context I guess... The people don't even reach the entrance to the Palace, or the King's Station, before they are dead.
Deader than Jacob Marley is at the start of A Christmas Carol!!
Ok that one only works if you remember that Dickens makes a point of explaining that Marley is very, very dead... but the allusion still works!
I DON'T EVEN CARE THAT IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS!
Why am I stressing what a horrific scene this is?
Because I don't actually want to write people who could've easily not died in such a gruesome way getting, basically, sliced in half and their remains getting left there as their killer moves on to the next one.
These people didn't need to die! And that is the saddest part about the whole thing!
They chose the side that doesn't have super well trained Void soldiers who can cut through angry crowds like how scissors cut paper.
Maybe they should've listened to people who actually understand the history of Hallownest.
Well it doesn't matter now because they're all dead.
Really, really dead.
Wow that was rant. I'm sorry.
Moving on then.
Ellie had gone home and told Beth of the stupidity of these people. Both of them knew Vessel and the Hollow Shade would be fine. Their concern was how many had died to the hands of these guardians.
The answer will always be a mystery because as soon as the slaughter was finished the bodies were all disposed off.
The King and Queen didn't even hear anything had happened until the bee and firefly came and told them what happened.
They weren't surprised by the story, but it did hurt that so many people showed so little competence in their abilities.
By the way, Ari had been staying in the Stag Nest to get time to recover. He was in no danger. Just thought that maybe you should know that.
Neither of the rulers said anything about their activities the previous day. There was no need to drag anyone else into their matters.
Once the two had left, Vessel went to visit Stardust and talk about what happened. The Hollow Shade did not go with her. They had other business.
Oamri lead the way through the Howling Cliffs. While the winds were fierce, they would not stop the two from locating the corpse. The Hollow Knight was using their nail to steady them.
Even when they share the same body, they have two different minds. They can act apart, even when together.
'Should be here... Must be here...'
'Sand is deep. Buried too far bellow?'
'Can't be. Need to find it.'
After a few minutes of shoving their nail in the sand, they finally hit something far below them.
'Found it.'
They managed to disappear beneath the ground and into the empty shell.
'Hollow...?'
'Rock.'
'Oh.'
Clearly they were somewhere in the middle of the carcass, with no way of telling what end was what, but they had the time to explore the place.
Vessel sighs as she finishes telling the moth what happened.
"If I had to guess..." Stardust says seriously, "That was his plan, but I believe he would've wanted at least one of them to die to you instead."
"I wouldn't be shocked if you're right. He must've underestimated the strength of the ancient soldiers." Vessel laughs sadly.
"He'll be coming for the two of you himself next." Stardust says sadly.
"I have confidence in my source of information. I doubt he will do anything himself unless we call him to." Vessel sighs, "He doesn't seem like the type to realize that the best way to do something is to do it yourself."
"That is clear by the fact that no one has really seen him." Stardust nods.
"And perhaps he should read a little more about Higher Beings and learn how the Void actual works." Vessel laughs softly.
"You're not as ok as you're acting." Stardust says sternly.
"Well what am I supposed to do, get frustrated enough that I actually do end up killing someone else?" Vessel asks sadly.
"You've always been stubborn enough not to realize that when faced with a problem, there isn't just the solution you've solved every other problem with. It's ok to ask people for help, that's why people who make choices for a larger whole have advisers. You're more powerful than the rest of us, probably more powerful than any being who's ever existed, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself." The moth reminds her.
"But what am I even supposed to do?" Vessel says quietly, "I don't remember the last time I was this scared."
"Perhaps instead you should ask the Void the questions that decide what you do with it." Stardust suggests.
Vessel doesn't say anything.
"You have a lot to do, and I am very busy. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I've got to get back to work." Stardust exits the room, leaving Vessel alone.
...I am never too far away from any questions you may have...
Why had this guy thought of everything?
When the Hollow Shade returned, they found Vessel curled up on the bed in the bedroom.
They sat down next to her.
"Can you leave me alone?"
They respond by pulling her into a hug.
Vessel grumbles as they hold her.
They make no movement to let go of her.
"You do know people are going to be upset over what happened..." Vessel breaks the silence again after a moment.
Silence.
"...I don't know what we should tell them..."
The silence resumes.
Vessel starts to try to say something else, but stops herself when she hears her voice crack.
The armored siblings pull her closer to them.
They just stay there in silence for a moment before Hollow Shade finally let go of her. They had somewhere they needed to go.
Vessel makes no protest when they leave the room. She just goes back to the position she had before they came in.
Queen's Gardens were about as thorn filled as they were before, possibly even more so.
Knowing where to go was one thing. Actually getting there, a different thing all together.
Crunching through the greenery, the Hollow Shade made a note to make a better path later. Right now they just needed to reach their destination.
Not that she'd probably be very happy to see them...
Finally making into the dwelling, they gave up entering the tiny hole and just appeared before the Root.
The White Lady seemed a little startled when they appeared.
"I... my child?"
The armored being lays a hand on her bindings which then show the Seal that bound her.
"You feel like the Vessel, but not quite so... you are not the Wyrm either, you would've spoken to me." The pale being reasons.
A soft cry comes from the two shades. They seem to try to say something to here.
"The sound informs me of your presence, but my clouded eyes still leave me dull as to who I speak."
They trace the tall horns that are on their head on her bindings.
"If you are indeed the child I believed you were when you first entered, for you still feel similar to how I felt them for so long, then perhaps you should know that I bind myself here on account of what we did to the others. If I seem a prisoner it is by my own choice that I am."
A soft cry once again.
"But your voice seems to betray me in that thought. Perhaps I am mistaken to believe that in the event that you'd return you'd seek me out. I am partial responsible for your failure. The wyrm that was once one of you has greatly changed the idea I once had for Hallownest. Perhaps he was right to discern the writings of that ancient one before finally tossing that cursed stone back to the place he found it."
They remain silent.
"He deciphered it's text from listening to what the moth's claimed she said. He realized that parts of her speech were similar to that of the writing, but once he discovered what it said he refused to speak of it any longer, even finding a way he could dispose of it with the rest of them. He realized that by granting that soul the means of rebirth, we had both blessed it with our gifts, for that is what the ancient one meant. Had we not, the cycle would not have continued, and the Soul within the stone would've been devoured by that substance.
Now that is the only way that she could know death. To return the blessed Seal to the place of her rebirth."
Oamri splits off from the Hollow Knight.
"So there have been two of you with me, disguised as one. You still do not feel the same as the others, perhaps you both lack the shells you were born with."
The Hollow Knight lets out a broken up cry.
"You still try to speak to me... but I lack the ability to understand."
In their pained cry the once pure vessel manages to let out a single word.
"Mo...ther."
Vessel looked around the Dream Realm.
Where was that giant beast when you needed them?
It's a little funny that she could never find them when she actually wanted to talk to them.
"Let's see..." she looks around, "Actually never mind they're probably somewhere in the Void sea below." She looks down at the blackness and sighs, sitting on the platform, watching the gray sky of the once golden realm.
She wouldn't find them unless they came to her.
What she hadn't expected was to doze of in a Realm of Dreams.
"Hey, my jokes are funny!"
"Not... really..."
"Oh, but they are too. You just wouldn't recognize a joke of it hit you in the 5,000 foot long body!"
"Please, I'm not that long."
"You might as well be."
"I'm a proud 4,267 feet thank you very much."
"Wow... way to spoil my fun yet again!"
"Come dear, you're still laughing."
"Heck yeah I am! Haha!"
Vessel snapped back to the sky as she found a large group of shades staring down at her.
"Oh, hi guys." Vessel sat up, using her lowest pair of arms to support herself.
One of the shades touched her horns and she turned to look at them.
"What?"
The small being reached up and touches their own, as if trying to compare them.
"Yeah, my horns don't look like yours." Vessel says sadly to them.
The others seem to crowd around to get a look. Perhaps they hadn't really seen her before.
Which was possible considering Vessel couldn't remember them. Though, there were tons more siblings than she could probably keep track of. It's possible that she was the one who had forgotten them.
The group seemed fixated on the differences Vessel had from themselves; her arms, her face, and even her legs.
"Alright. Alright!" Vessel laughs after a moment, "Do you guys want something?"
They all stare at Vessel before glancing around at one another, they didn't seem to know how to answer.
One of them took charge and pointed into the sky, confusing Vessel, before they also headed in that direction.
Following them as best she could, Vessel was at a loss for what they had meant. She also really couldn't follow them up much higher. There are some cons to being somewhat unaware as to how to move through the Realm.
Eventually one of them came back down to help her by making platforms.
When she reached the place where they had led her, Vessel immed recognized the Crystal Peak.
"I'm confused now..." Vessel says, looking around at the vibrant pink translucent rocks.
One of them pointed to a rock.
"I'm still understanding..."
They tap the crystal and listen to the quiet sound it makes.
"I.... What?"
The siblings now realized that this isn't going anywhere...
Somehow Vessel is impressed that what took the longest for them to realize is that they were unable to explain what they wanted.
Getting a better look at the scenery, Vessel realized that she wasn't super familiar with area.
Sure, it looked like Crystal Peak, but there was absolutely no mining equipment, so Vessel wasn't even sure anymore.
Not only that, the crystals seemed to sing louder than the faint whispers that miners had spoken of. Each had a different pitch or song, as if people were speaking inside them.
Did their strange power come from soul?
Did these crystals accomplish so much with the life force of others because they had grown in its presence?
Could they bend Essence as well due to the similarity it had to that inside it?
Maybe she should try to see if there was a book on this at a library...
Attempting to pull the Soul out of the rocks, she brought her hand up and watched as a light seemed to move through the crystal before striking its tip and moving back, producing a loud note that all the siblings seemed immediately interested in, crowding around Vessel and gesturing excitedly to the crystals.
"Do it again?"
Excited nodding and bobbing.
"Ok then."
Beth sighs as her and Ellie finally finished up from the rather stressful day. It had probably been way more stressful for her, but Ellie seemed exhausted.
Not only had they gone to the Palace and told the royals of the events of the previous day, but everyone had become restless and, as they all stayed in the Hive, things broke due to carelessness and anger.
Beth knew that the way couldn't keep this up. The nerves of the Hive were resting on her, and she had never been more scared that the mantis would turn his foul intentions on the Hive. With their Queen afraid, the rested acted as if they were trying to defend from some invisible danger.
Ellie was already asleep, but Beth just couldn't. There were hundreds of things keeping her awake, and none of them seemed to have clear solutions.
The queen bee tried to think of something else to calm her nerves and found her thoughts resting on the other kingdoms Vessel had spoken of.
Beth hadn't met them, and there was no doubt that they were much more capable than she was when it came to her leadership skills.
Perhaps she should consult them. Perhaps the tribe of mantis knew more about the threat itself whereas Ellie definitely knew the most about what was going on.
It was too late to go immediately, it would seem as though they were attempting to attack. Tomorrow, first thing, Beth decided she would finally meet the others.
——————
[Wow this is starting to wrap up...
I only have a few monstrous chapters left to write before this story is actually done, since so much happens in each one.
But don't worry! I have something else I want to put in here as well.
I may or may not have come up with another idea sort of using these characters by reading an abridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Lol, an AU of an AU.
So when this one is done, I may put that in here! :D]