Chapter Text
For the first time in what seemed like forever, the Temple of the Black Egg lay silent.
It was a silence that Hornet was entirely unaccustomed to. For as long as she’d lived, she had heard the Hollow Knight’s muffled screams emanating from the Temple’s center. Even when no one else had seemed to hear it, the cries of the Vessel were a constant echo in her dreams.
And now, it was over. The Hollow Knight was gone. The deity that had caused the plague was slain, and the infection that had raged through Hallownest had vanished. In truth, she’d always doubted such a feat could be accomplished, and she was relieved to be proven wrong.
Below her feet, on the temple floor, was the broken and cracked mask of the godslayer. It was all that remained of her half-sibling now. Whether it was dead, or simply returned to the Void, she did not know.
Hornet knelt down, and ran her hands gently over the mask, thinking fondly of the little ghost she had met, not too long ago. Despite its supposed lack of will, it had accomplished its task with an unwavering resolve.
Rest well, Ghost of Hallownest. We are all in your debt.
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Days passed, then weeks. Hornet was not keeping track. She had spent her time wandering through the tunnels aimlessly, searching for survivors of the plague. At times, she would offer assistance to those in need. Other times, she would prey on the smaller bugs who were not gifted with the spark of intelligence.
As she settled into her new routine, Hornet eventually managed to find a permanent house in the village of Dirtmouth. It was first time since her childhood that she’d truly had a place to settle down. Yet even still, she spent far more time wandering the tunnels than she did in her own home. Dirtmouth was… barren, was the only word she could think to describe it. Nothing seemed to happen within its boundaries.
What didn’t help was the reverence that everyone else treated her with. According to the village elder, she was the closest thing the kingdom had to a ruler now. Princess, was the word he had used.
She didn’t know how to feel about that word. A princess of a decaying husk was hardly a princess at all.
Nevertheless, she continued her patrols. She had a responsibility to… something. Perhaps not to Hallownest, as Hallownest was long dead. But it was a responsibility.
One day, Hornet’s routine patrols brought her to Hallownest’s Crown, the highest point of the Crystal Peaks. The very precipice of the kingdom, wrapped in dense fog and a perpetual wind. Just beyond the Crown was a massive cliffside that continued upwards as far as the eye could see — into the place known only as the Forsaken Lands. It was said by her father’s devotees that the Forsaken Lands were an endless stretch of wastes devoid of all life. No bug had ever ventured into them, and lived to return.
Old folk tales of what lay beyond Hallownest were not her concern, however. What concerned her was what she had found here, at Hallownest’s Crown. She had never been to this place, but she had heard from other wanderers of something here, something most troubling.
It was a village. Or rather, the remains of one. The architecture was foreign, and covered in strange glyphs that glowed of their own accord. On the far side of the village, looming over a cliff that overlooked Dirtmouth, was a statue.
A massive, deific, moth-like statue.
Hornet looked up at the figure, and cursed under her breath. Of course that accursed god was brought back here. Of course it happened here, right above the village she now called home.
She was so lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice the rapidly approaching footsteps. By the time such sounds had registered in her mind, they were already right upon her.
Instinctively, Hornet reached for her needle. But before she could draw her weapon, something struck her on the head. In an instant, her entire world was blotted out by a flash of intense pain.
As she lay on the ground, Hornet briefly caught a glimpse of her assailants. Their forms were blurry, made indistinct by the searing pain in her head. But she could just make out three bugs, looming over her. A massive black beetle, a bee of regal stature, and slender bug cloaked in black and orange elytra.
“Are you certain this is who we’re looking for, Brier? She looks… puny.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. She smells of the Pale Ones’ blood.”
“And do you really believe she’ll bring this Second Reckoning crap or whatever?”
“Irrelevant. I made an agreement with Father Veritas. Do you question his orders, Rosha?”
“No! No… of course not. Just… Oof! Foda-me, she’s way heaver than she looks. Carnus, help us out here, will you?”
“Of course! Anything for you, friend.”
The voices trailed off into nothingness. Just as she lost consciousness, Hornet could feel her body being lifted off the ground, and carried off to parts unknown.