Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with a flower in their palm.

White petals shining delicately against their void.

Ghost wasn't too sure why the flower broke so easily- the flowers from the blue pod always grew back and they couldn't cut down the weird spiky flowers from the gardens.

Still, they rumbled quietly, irked that they had destroyed another flower.

That would have made…. 15… 15 flowers they destroyed every since they met the Mourner.

She had a name, Ghost knew that, but they couldn't remember what it was. Maybe they could ask her.

…

After, they said sorry about the flower.

Ghost shimmied their way down, using their wings to safely ease their way into the tunnels beneath the grave. It was strange to enter, a place filled with huge wrapped husks and the silent but eerily unnerving wind, but Ghost couldn't be bothered to figure out why it made their void tingle so unpleasantly. The void was just as bad but it had never rang in their void quiet like this.

There was a lack of gurgling, and a lack of chirping from those tiny exploding birds that always followed them when they passed.

Good.

They darted through, dashing into void as they inched their way closer and closer to the mourner, her sobs and prayers reaching their ears far before Ghost even reached her home.

Was it her home? Wasn't it very sad there? By herself? Iselda said it wasn't fun being alone at home.

Maybe they had someone like Conifer, and she was just waiting for them to come back!

She had mentioned a meled’love. Maybe that was their name, maybe the grave was where she last saw them? Ghost would need to ask, they never saw anyone at the grave she pointed out.

They rushed towards the house, pausing guiltily at the makeshift bench. Could they really face her?

Letting out a whistle – something they had done accidentally at first – and alerted her to their presence.

They tried to walk in confidently, pretending they had completed their mission.

But she caught on quickly.

She reached out, plucking the destroyed flower from their grasp and brought it close to her face, tears falling from eyes covered by hair.

Ghost winced, shrinking on themselves as she mourned.

".....Wai. Destroyed. Again. Another rare and precious thing reduced to wilted stem. Che' does have spare...But Le'mer must know, a precious, sacred fragile flower it is. She did not want to part with it, but for meled'love, she would give all. Woulds't that quest again be taken?"

They paused for a moment, her words were practically burned in their head at this point.

Still…

Ghost nodded, holding out tiny claws ready for the new flower.

Instead she paused, looking over their form slightly.

"Le'mer," Ghost curiously looked at her, tilting their head at her words. "You deliver to meled'love, yes?"

Ghost nodded furiously, bringing out their map and pointing to the area that the grave was at.

The Grey Mourner leaned over, humming softly as she glanced at the map, brushing over their pins curiously.

"Che' cannot give more flowers, delicate and fragile, they are," She pulled up, almost in despair, as she held a new flower. "Wilted Stems take weeks to grow, and Che' has no time."

Ghost wilted, feeling guilty as they faltered. Should they wait for new flowers to grow? Should they even try?

"She has the seedling of the rare flower." Ghost perked up, curious. "however, the grounds around Che' is not for rare flowers. Le'mer-," The Grey Mourner reached over, grasping their tiny claws with hers. "You take this, grow more for me."

Before Ghost could question, there was a tiny seed in their palm, so small and twisted and colored a soft gray. Curiously they tapped the seed, chirping in surprise at the way it seemed to hum back.

"Good soil will allow it to flourish, Le'mer." she pulled back, resting the last of her flowers on their cloak. "It is just as fragile, precious, as one of its kind flowers. Take care of che's last resort, Le'mer."

Ghost curiously glanced at the flower, nodding firmly and glancing at her.

They turned to leave, ready to plant the seed for more flowers before pausing.

This was her last flower, why did Ghost need it if they could make more?

Thinking quickly Ghost turned, sadly drooping as they noticed her turned away from them, soft mourning already spewing from her lips.

They hopped forward, propelling themselves up by their wings and planting the flower in her hair, turning to dash away before she could even say a word.

They quickly aimed to exit out of the Resting Grounds, bursting through the underground and skimming past the Blue Lake.

Silently, they wondered where to plant it.

As they entered the Forgotten Roads, Ghost quickly realized where they could potentially plant it. They hopped up platforms, scrambling onto the cliffs and ledges, thankful that the infected enemies were still aiming to heal instead of attack.

By the time they reached where they wanted, the area was silent as the void. The faint whispers of the wind doing nothing to scare them away from where they wanted to go.

The Temple of the Black Egg.

It was daunting, the darker colors of blackened concrete was shiny and slick, like a warning to all to not enter.

Ghost paid it no mind, darting in and scrambling on top of the platform just before the egg. They glanced up, recognizing faintly the three faces as those three bugs that had tried to condemn them to the dream world.

They still didn't know what the egg held, but if it had someone in it then they deserved to be a little happy, right?

What was more happy than a field of flowers? Ghost was always delighted to see the flowers in Greenland and the Gardens, so if whoever was in there should be happy about the flowers… Right?

Ghost paused just in front of the marked faces, turning away from it and looking down. There was a crack just along the platform. That should do.

Instantly, the tiny Vessel brought out their weapon, curling tiny claws furiously across the handle and raising their nail high.

Clink

Chink

Clink

There was something methodical about ramming their nail in the ground, enjoying the pleasing sound of their nail swiping into concrete.

The floor cracked, more and more until Ghost could finally see the barest hints of dirt beneath the concrete.

Finally!

Ghost chirped, placing their nail back and hopping back.

Using their newly found wings, Ghost hopped up, using the extra boost to go even higher. When they reached the peak of their jump, Ghost channeled all their soul into their Descending Dive.

Slamming their body against the ground was only softened by the abundance of soul spewing out from their body, the feeling of Soul leaving them and into the air was slightly chilling, but Ghost didn't mind.

The concrete beneath them shattered, parts of the rubble darting out.

It took a second to rise, trying to ease the rumbling of their void and shaking of their mask. When they did, it was slow, looking down and urging their vision to straighten out.

The ground was cracked, a small patch of dirt slightly upturned as rubble impaled it.

Ghost chirped, elated and using their nail to fling the buried rubble away, and the bits of dirt clinging to the wreckage. Putting their nail away, Ghost crouched low, tiny claws reaching out to touch the dirt.

It was wet, crumpling beneath their claws and cold to the touch. Ghost shivered, bringing up their claw to stare at the brown substance, tilting their head curiously as they let it fall back.

Was that good? It was less compact then most dirt they had seen, and it was wet. Not warm and sticky like the infection, but cool.

They had no clue.

It could be.

Ghost hummed, bringing out the seed that was hastily stored away in their void, checking over for any cracks. Finding none, they gently pushed the seed into the dirt. It was half buried in, the gray seed practically shining against the dull brown color. They waited a few seconds, confused and curious on why it wasn’t growing.

Was it bad ground? Did it need something? How did flowers grow normally?

Maybe it needed soul? A lot of things in Hollownest needed soul.

Ghost closed their eyes for a second, gently trying to figure out how much soul they had. They only had enough soul for two spells, but that should be enough right?

Ghost shuffled back for a second, placing their claws against the dirt. They forced themselves to focus, like they were healing, but instead aimed to push it into the dirt. They were able to do it, pushing all their soul into the ground and grimacing when it drained slowly form their body, the feeling of it draining felt sticky this time around.

It seemed to work- the half buried seed began to glow white with soul, starting to crack before a stem burst out, twirling and twisting until multiple buds began to sprout.

A single flower was made before Ghost could no longer pour any more soul.

Delighted by the sight, Ghost chirped, dashing back and forth excitedly.

Before they could get ahead of themselves, they plucked the only grown flower, dashing off to show the Grey Mourner.

She had to know!

Ghost didn't notice the way another flower grew back.

Nor did they notice the stems beginning to branch out across the room.

Chapter Text

There were flowers everywhere.

A lot of them that seemed to cover nearly every inch of the temple. Ghost chirped in confusion, watching as more flowers sprouted with every step they took.

They had just come back- finally giving the grave the flower from the Mourner. The final flower the Mourner would ever give to anyone… ever.

She was like Iselda, but her Cornifer was a mantis. A mantis who was long gone. She had her own bed of flowers growing about her grave, and if Ghost were braver, they would go back to see it.

But they couldn’t they couldn’t do that to the Mourner -now gone to finally be with her lover- nor her Lover, to which Ghost didn’t even know her name beyond the Traitor’s child.

They wished they could see Ze’mer one last time, to wish her goodbye and show her the flowers they made, but they couldn’t, not anymore.

And yet, Ghost wanted to see the flowers she gave them one more time.

But instead of the small bushel of flowers they had seen when they first grew, it was twisting about, climbing the high walls of the room and covering almost every square inch save for the path to go in to the room and out of the room. It burrowed within the concrete, splintering the cool rock like substance until it was all pushed about.

The room’s temperature had dropped significantly. Not as cold as the Abyss, or the Queen’s gardens, but far cooler than any other room in the Forgotten Crossroads. It felt nice and obscenely cool on their chitin, a sense of comfort easing into their weary mask.

Thankfully, the flowers hadn’t obstructed the egg in the slightest, only protectively curling around its edges. Like it was protecting whatever was inside by holding it gently within their leaves.

Ghost chirped, delighted and placed both claws on the egg, leaning in to coo.

The flowers must have been trying to give the egg love, like Ze’mer showed love to her lover with her own delicate flower. They must know a lot about love, maybe the flowers knew enough to know that the egg needed so much love so they had to cover the room from floor to ceiling, meaning Ghost had to give them a lot of love too!

For a second, Ghost stayed there, chirping comfortably for a second.

The egg was warm, hotter than the temperate of the room, but Ghost didn’t mind. It made it easier to hug and the warmth of the egg must have been the egg hugging back.

But they couldn't stay forever, they knew that. But they didn't want to leave just yet.

There were so many flowers here, and no one to share the love they gave. The egg was all alone with no one to love them but Ghost and the flowers.

Ghost hummed, finally pulling away.

If they couldn't get anyone to come by the egg and flowers, then Ghost would bring the flowers to them.

Easy!

The flowers would give everyone a bit of love, just like it gave love to the egg! And with every bit of love they gave to the flowers, it was like loving the egg too!

Everyone was so down in Hollownest, bugs of all kinds that weren't infected seemed to no longer want to go around. They no longer had any fun.

And the ones who did made all their fun in fighting.

Ghost doubted any of them really had any fun fighting.

Still, they stepped back, turning to leave. The flowers branched apart, leaving them an opening to leave the room, a single flower sticking out from the group. With a burst of delight, Ghost plucked off the flower, chirping in thanks as they exited the room.

The next room rose a bit in temperature, the air feeling warm on their chitin as they paused, chirping curiously as they stared at the flower.

Who could they give it to?

Elderbug was out of the question, he had his own flower already from the flowers the Mourner had given them earlier...

There was Bretta but…

Ghost shivered, remembering the stuffed doll that looked oddly like them.

How she had even made that so fast was beyond them, they didn’t even know why she made it.

Who else was close?

Ghost stopped, turning right from the entrance to the temple.

There was one bug, Ghost knew that could use a flower.

A very hard-working bug.

They hopped across the platform, slinking past the wooden bars showcasing the entrance to Crystal Peaks. Very faintly, they could hear the slow ominous wind build up, soft and low followed by the methodical tik tik tik, of metal biting into stone and crystal.

Ghost slowed down their walk, glancing up uneasily. What if the bug rejected their gift?

She hadn't been the same recently.

Myla had a song, she was always singing whenever Ghost passed by to say hello.

But it changed the last time they entered.

No more clicks of her pick against the stone, no more bright singing that went slightly off-tune when she rose her voice higher, not even a light hum- she had just stood there mumbling lowly.

But it sounded like she was back to normal, digging away like nothing was wrong.

But they couldn't hear her singing.

And that didn’t seem fair.

She was supposed to teach them all the songs, all the songs she knew so when they could sing right by her side. Myla knew all those silly songs, and all the serious ones too. Or her favorite song that she sung so often Ghost could remember it word for word.

It wouldn’t be the same if Myla didn’t sing with them.

They crawled over to the small opening just before the elevator, peeking at the slightly darkened area to where Myla was mining away.

She made no noise, no humming or singing and it made them upset.

Why wasn't she singing anymore?

Ghost hummed, hopping down to the lower platform, staring at Myla as they contemplated what to do.

They still had the flower to give, but Myla looked busy…

Well, Myla had always liked a small distraction, especially when it was teaching Ghost how to sing. Even if she wasn’t singing now, they were sure Myla wouldn’t mind.

So, they decided.

Ghost scrambled off, nearly slipping off the platform, before they darted over to her, chirping to grab her attention.

Myla turned and Ghost nearly froze as bright orange eyes stared at them, blank stares doing nothing to ease their worry.

She reeled her pick back, tossing the metal at them in an attempt to harm. Ghost was lucky that the toss missed them by an inch, wincing and reeling back as she pulled, throwing another one at them.

No.

No.

Why Myla? Why their friend?

She was supposed to teach them songs, she was going to help them find their voice, and together they could sing as the world moved on. They would sing even when the infection lingered, because that was all they could do.

Ghost wasn’t a fool, they knew the infection was out and about but no one was near Myla, no one with the infection could even be here! Myla never left here anyway so why had it touched her?!

It was frustrating and horrible, Myla was their friend.

Myla is their friend.

Infection or not, Ghost wouldn't trade her for the world.

Another swipe, but this time Ghost had to jump back for fear of being hit. They couldn't do that yet, they had the delicate flower.

The flower for Myla, because Myla needed love just like the egg.

Ghost hummed unpleasantly, there wasn't much they could do, but Myla needed the flower. She deserved to have this flower.

She swiped again, this time curving her pick like a nail around her body, intent on catching them off guard.

Which almost worked, had it not been for a hasty step back.

She fumbled, nearly dropping to the floor as her body moved with her swing, clumsily trying to regain balance. Ghost’s eyes widened, watching as she dropped her pick, intent on regaining her footing.

Now!

Ghost dashed forward, getting a bit too close to her before messily slipping the flower beneath her helmet. She let out a hollow shriek, shoving them back with a blunt hit from her elbow, twisting her arm awkwardly to grab her pick. Before They could move back, Myla twisted, throwing her entire weight into her back swing, the glint of metal disappearing into void.

Ghost squeaked in pain, wincing as the metal burned within their voids. They tumbled back, stumbling hard to regain their footing before dashing away and crawling on the platform just above them.

She threw her pick, sometimes of soul and sometimes with her real weapon. She grunted, aiming for them but thankfully the tiny platform seemed to block those swings, and Myla under the infection didn’t seem smart enough to get a better angle. Ghost let out a sigh of relief, leaning back to focus and build up their soul to heal the wounds she gave them.

Void curled around their body lazily as ghost peaked over the edge, tiredly watching Myla throw the pick over and over again. Suddenly she stopped, knees buckling forward with her previous swing, despite knowing of her infection, Ghost perked up in concern, chirping in worry.

She chirped back.

Slow and lifeless and deeper than anything they had ever heard before from her.

Humming softly, they continued watching Myla pace back to her mining spot, weakly holding her pick and hammering into the wall again.

Tik

Tik

Tik

Ghost sighed, letting a flourish of void curl around them as they curled on the platform, lazily watching Myla’s every movement.

Myla looked and acted the same, save for the infection still swirling around her eyes.

This wasn't fun.

That wasn't Myla.

Ghost didn't know what to do anymore, unable to really think about how to make it better.

So they didn't.

Ghost stopped thinking on how to make it better, the infection had been in the kingdom long before Ghost had ever arrived. They were sure that other’s had tried, there wasn’t any way they could work around it. So Ghost laid there, closing their eyes and listening to the natural sounds of the Crystal Peak’s caverns.

The caverns fell awfully quiet without Myla's singing, empty in a way Ghost had never noticed before. So devoid of life without her.

So Ghost chirped, using their void to make the whistles and hums.

Slowly, music started to fill the cavern, not as soothing or as smooth as Myla's voice, but enough to stop the haunting echoes of nothing to reach Ghost's ears.

Myla paused her mining, stopping the repetitive tik, tik, tik, of her pick to stand idly.

Ghost picked up their volume, trying not to wince with every crack in their hums and whistles. How Myla did this every time, they had no idea.

Ghost hadn't been able to sing before, not like this and he hoped Myla enjoyed that they truly had picked up her lessons.

Myla let out a low moan, not one of pain, but more like something was haunting her mind.

Ghost didn't let up, wishing they could sing the words she showed then instead of the beat.

"Two by…"

Ghost startled for a second, the pitch of their whistle rising for a second as they turned to look at their friend. She stumbled in place, eyes still blank but her face scrunched up slightly. They still glimmered the bright orange ugly color.

"Bury my mother…" Her voice was weird, really weird, but to the voids Myla was singing! "Eyes shut tight…"

Ghost teetered off their humming, chirping in delight.

'Not the Words,' They thought, feeling elated for a second.

Myla hummed in her place, following where they left off in their humming. Murmuring a word or two every so often.

Slowly the cavern filled with the broken sounds of her voice, scratchy and slightly wrong but still very much Myla.

Ghost wiggled to the edge of the platform, letting out a sharp chirping sound. Myla turned slowly to look at them, watched blankly as they waved goodbye and began to leave.

She lifted one of her claws, fingers twitching as if she were trying to say goodbye.

Ghost felt the surge of happiness rush up their void at the small sight.

Watching Myla fumble back, humming softly, left them with an absolutely delighted emotion they couldn't yet describe, scrambling to the end of the cavern and up the elevator.

"Bury the Vessels… Bury the Wyrm…" Ghost chirped thoughtfully as they reached the top, turning right to the crumpling platform.

Bury the vessels?

Maybe after this, they should visit the Abyss again…

Chapter Text

The sounds of the Abyss was nothing but soulless screams.

Which was odd, considering there were no souls down here.

Only shades

Ghost quietly went through the cavers of the Ancient Basin, eyeing every bit of architect around them, their void rumbling in familiarity despite nothing seeming familiar.

Sure they had gone through here once, but it was in a complete panic to run from the things in the Waterways. Those ugly worm-like creatures that screamed every time they so much as smelled something different. Running from that to a completely monochrome area wasn’t something Ghost had a chance to accumulate too, only following their void’s calling.

Now that they walked by slower, they could make out the marking and scratches along the concrete, the soul within them churning in disgust even as their void rumbled.

Ghost froze, carefully watching the branded spell begin to glow, the marking on their head began to burn ever so slightly, lighting up the King's mark on the door before it disappeared completely.

Instantly, Ghost heard silent wails and hisses of the wind. Shadow Creepers were clearly heard milling about, and with a hesitant shaky breath, Ghost stepped forward.

It took all of about two seconds before Ghost opted to turn around and sprint away, claws gripping at the wall as they clambered back up to the Ancient Basin.

As soon as they breached the top of the tunnel, claws digging into the concrete making sharp scratching noises with every desperate claw. Unable to really think of much, Ghost stayed on all fours, heaving as they glanced every which way, darting to the left and over several spike pits, aiming for familiarity.

The Abyss was terrifying in ways Ghost couldn’t quiet yet comprehend. It went far beyond the screams that rumbled in their void, or the wind that smelled stale and sharp. It was past the cold temperature that seemed to sap at every bit of warmth they could ever make, and well past the way their soul burned the farther down they went.

Ghost was not fond of the Abyss.

Low terrified chirps echoed through their chest, the sound echoing off the empty caverns of the Basin and leading to equally haunting echoes that bounced around the room. Their chirps became distorted, almost as if the Shadlings from down below were haunting them for reasons Ghost couldn’t understand.

They ignored the fading echoes, using all their moment to sump over spike pits and extra tunnels that dropped down below, bursting into a hallway and dragging their claws against the floor. Finally there was a bench, a bench that sat just before a line of spikes that stretched across the room.

Another low moaning wail, something that Ghost knew wasn’t echoing outside, but deep within themselves. It wasn’t their own mind screaming or wailing, it sounded different, like someone else was shoving their thoughts down their mind. And yet, it only happened whenever ghost entered the Abyss, voiceless wails echoing throughout their head with no signs of stopping. It wasn’t new.

So why did it frighten them so much now?

Ghost wasn't adverse to fear, they had felt it the first time dealing with the False Knight, but this was something they couldn't yet comprehend. Something well beyond any fear they had ever dealt with thus far.

They reached the bench, using all their strength to practically throw themselves onto the bench. Clumsily scrambling on, Ghost darted up, ignoring their usual sitting position to lay there entire body across metal bench. Soul instantly began to build around them, swirling against their chitin and soothing any wounds they may have sustained. It hummed warming their body ever so slightly in the chill air that occupied the Ancient Basin.

There was a wail somewhere deep within the Abyss, echoing through the ancient Basin and to Ghosts own ears.

Ghost shivered, chirping uncomfortably as they reached within their void, blindly grasping for something to hold onto. Out came a single delicate flower, the stem instantly twirling around their claws as it glowed, lighting up their dimmer surroundings.

They had brought one in an effort to feel just a tiny bit braver whilst heading down the ravine. Too bad it didn't work, the flower couldn't stave off the absolute fear racking their body.

They grumbled, chirping uneasily as they brought out their map in their curled up form. An unpleasant effort to distract themselves.

The Abyss was just below them, cracks and unfinished planning from areas Ghost couldn't quite make just yet. Whether it be from a closed door or from a lack of trying. Ghost didnt care.

Chirping, they noticed a portion of their map unfinished in the Ancient Basin, one from the ledge on the literal opposite side Ghost had fled too, and something past the spike pit Ghost currently sat next too.

They tried to remember what they had seen, and when nothing came up they noisily crumpled their map back into their void and glanced over.

With a great deal of relief Ghost whistled, crouching down and letting the power of their dash wash over them in rays of pink. Feeling the familiar hum within the soles of their feet as the gems within them practically glowed in a familiar power.

With the Crystal Dash it was far too easy to breach the spike pit, halting harshly before they hit the sudden spikes just at the end of their dash.

Honestly, the spike trap was far better than the Abyss at the current moment.

Ghost hopped across, heading towards the forgotten den of the two horned Vessel they had fought.

Curiously they chirped, inching their way to go find the paths they had marked and missed, but something called out to them.

A wail, one unlike the ones from the Abyss.

And yet so similar as well.

Ghost was prepared for the indescribable fear to wash over them, waiting for the aches that would rumble across their body.

It never came.

The wail seemed to call for them, begging them to come and wishing they would. But it wasn’t pulling or demanding, a simple brush against their own void questioning if they would come.

With a brief puff of acceptance, Ghost clambered past the tunnel they were about to fall into, instead breaching their way towards the den.

Upon entering, Ghost found the two horned vessel laying limply against the floor, bubbled infection sparking and flowing through their broken mask.

Wincing, Ghost stepped forward, a claw gently held out.

Before their eyes they heard another gentle wail, swirls of white surrounding their fallen brethren and popping with terrifying ease.

That…

Ghost stepped back, feeling their eyes widen.

Essence?

Like the essence that Seer was referencing? Wasn’t that only in the roots?

Ghost chirped, dashing forward and curling their claws around the white glow. Shivering when it curled around their claws, whisking away without a sound. It was so very cool, so different from the void as it felt like something soft continuing to drag across their skin, not unlike their cloak but softer.

Ghost knew that some creatures had essence, they could hit other things with the so-called dream nail and hear the thoughts of others but never had they showed that essence beforehand.

Was this because the two horned Vessel was dreaming? Did dreaming bugs have this essence too?

Cautiously, Ghost pulled their claw back, letting the white of the essence follow their void for a minute.

What would it be like to enter the mind of a sleeping bug? Would they have all their things? Would it be something new?

Ghost hadn't had many- if any- dreams, and they were curious.

Deciding against all odds, Ghost carefully placed down their more valuable items, a single piece of pale ore, some Geo and the Delicate Flower they had thought to bring.

They should have their nail, and they're charms wouldn't disappear.

At least they hoped so, buying and finding them all again would be a pain.

Ghost hobbled back, stomping their feet rather loudly. They gently dragged out their nail, turning to face the Vessel just a few steps away. Crouching slightly, the pooled their power into their nail.

What would happen?

Well, only one way to find out.

They growled, void and soul swirling around their arm as dream essence began to curl around their body. They clutched their nail within their claws, focusing and guiding all essence to build around it slowly.

A marker appeared on the very base of the nail, the number 15 showing up feebly before essence curled around their nail. Forming the familiar shape of the Dream Nail.

Their once familiar weight of their nail lightened considerably, as if they were no longer holding it. The essence began curling around the metal, elongating it and glowing a pristine white that somehow managed to be brighter than their own mask.

With a hasty swing, Ghost aimed it at the vessel.

Amongst their swing, they hit the flower, bouncing it feebly across the floor and on top of the Vessels head.

Before they could make a fuss, their nail passed through the vessel, a bright light encasing their vision before it went dark.

When Ghost opened their eyes, they were back in the dream realm.

Except there was no super glowy Seer to show them how to leave.

They let out a hard trill with their void, grumbling irritably when their trill echoed back.

How the void do they...??

Ghost peered over the edge of the small rocky platform they were on, trying to peer down. A smaller platform rose up just a jumping distance away, another smaller platform appearing below it.

Ghost glanced around, those platforms had first appeared when the Seer had helped them, does that mean….

They couldn't see her, and Ghost wasn't even sure the Seer was aware of where they currently were.

But still…

Chirping, Ghost hopped down, following the platforms down onto slightly bigger platforms and then..

A room.

Ghost traversed the hallway just before it, noting the near grayish tone barely light with gold, claws clicking against the marble. It was much warmer than their own chitin, smooth to the touch despite all odds. They pulled away continuing down the small hallway into the bigger room.

It was empty, large and mostly empty. Ghost could vaguely make out the gentle pulsating of infected bubbles, they could also make out a thin veil of white that seemed to press them away.

They chirped, waiting for their echo to come back.

There was none.

Shifting uneasily, and gripping their nail, Ghost stepped forward.

Suddenly, they heard a chirp, low and cautious, much like Ghost had sounded when they learned how to make noise.

Ghost swiveled in place, nail pointed high and ready for anything, eyes tracing an empty room

Another chirp, alarmed and wary as a thump echoed from the wayside of the room.

Turning again, Ghost raised their nail, intent on hitting whatever was trying to scare them.

With their nail raised high, Ghost froze.

The twin horned Vessel was staring at them with equally surprised eyes, nail raised in defense as they stared at Ghost.

"Vessel." Ghost startled, a loud shrill chirp echoing their void as they fumbled with their nail, unable to stop it from clattering onto the floor.

They froze, eyes unmoving and unsure of how to go on.

The twin horned Vessel lowered their own nail, blinking as they tilted their head.

"Vessel." They stepped forward, faster than Ghost could process before dropping their own nail and placing their claw on Ghost’s mask.

Ghost couldn't stop the flinch, nor the full body shaking that seemed to erupt from their frame. A low fearful chirp echoing their void.

The other Vessel chirped, closing their eyes slowly and seemingly smiling at them.

They leaned down, gently bumping their masks together, ignoring the small 'clink' that followed.

"Kin." The voice rumbled, and Ghost had a startling realization that they were speaking.

How?

Ghost chirped, raising up their claws and slapping them slightly against the Vessel's own mask.

They didn't mind, the chirps echoing delightedly across their form that made Ghost's own void rumble in delight.

"Sibling." They admonished, gently lowering their claws. "No hitting."

Ghost looked at them dumbly, curling their head back and forth as they chirped again in question.

It may have taken the two horned Vessel a few seconds to understand what Ghost was trying to say, as they quietly pointed at their mask.

"Speaking?" Ghost nodded and they waved a hand across the room, ignoring the white speckles of essence that Ghost had missed prior. "Dreaming, Speak in Dream only. Chirp in Dream only."

They turned to Ghost sadly, head dipping.

"No Voice."

Ghost startled slightly, reaching out blindly to grip their claws within their own.

Those words were so familiar.

Why?

"Ss...Ssspeeeek." The words sloshed awfully out of their own throat.

Like something that just didn't belong to their body.

"Speak." The Vessel nodded, curling their claw gently around Ghost's own. "Found."

"F..Fuh-- Fuuh-ow-nd?" Ghost repeated slowly, blinking up at them as they guided their left claw onto the center of the Vessel’s chest. “K-kuh-in.”

Vessel nodded, once again seeming to smile at Ghost as they wrapped their body around theirs.

"Found." They repeated. “Found, Ghost.”

Ghost froze, feeling the warm rumble of their siblings void was odd but nice. Gentle claws wrapped around their body, and even gentler arms held them close and tight.

What was this?

Why did it feel so warm?

Ghost carefully wrapped their arms around their sibling, their void rumbling in tune.

Almost involuntary, they shut their eyes softly. Their chirps becoming low and rumbling evenly within their void.

"Hug." Their Sibling breathed out, arms tightening for a second. "Warm."

"Wuh-or-m." Ghost repeated, feeling the rumble of their void start to turn oddly.

Their body shook, a sudden overwhelming feeling drenching their body, far different than fear or anger or happiness

A low chirp, small and longing, echoed their throat, startling their sibling for a second.

"Okay." Their Sibling soothed. "Okay."

Ghost wavered, struggling to pull in this odd flux of emotion as they gingerly pulled away, blinking to rid the burning of their eyes.

"Oh..Kay." Ghost repeated, reaching up to rub their eyes. "Ohkay."

Sibling grinned at them patting their mask and leading them to the sealed off wall.

"Wake." The vessel pushed against the wall, cracking the seal and letting it burst in a shift of light.

Ghost could instantly see in dredges of infection, unease building up as they reached over to grasp their siblings claw.

Unable to think of a word, Ghost chirped, rumbling uneasily as they glanced back at the opening.

"No." They shook their head sadly, glancing off the aide and pointing to the opposite side of the room.

Ghost turned, letting out a shrill chirp that faded almost too fast.

There was infection bubbling up on the opposite side of the room, festering as gobless infected beings reached out, clawing at the ground.

A faint screech echoed and Ghost saw a large white bug out of the corners of their eyes, the feeling of warmth, of desire, suddenly emerged strongly in their gut.

Sibling placed a claw on their chest, pushing them back and away from the infection, hiding them from the bug demanding them of something.

Ghost blinked, shivering and glancing at their sibling as they held out their nail.

"Fight." They rumbled, giving them a sparing glance. "For Sibling."

Ghost rumbled uneasily, gripping their unoccupied arm and glancing back at the infection.

The same infection that ran rampant within the corners of Hollownest.

The same one that took Myla.

And the one that had apparently plagued their sibling long before Ghost could even remember.

Ghost felt their void rumble angrily a seething hiss beginning to build up as their soul clashed against void and essence.

Sibling looked at them worriedly, claws splayed out and gently easing them back.

"Leave." They chirped softly. "Radiance wont hurt you."

Radiance? They heard that name before.

Ghost glared at the infection, seething in rage.

"No huh-ert no one." Ghost nodded, turning away from their Sibling.

They inched towards the door, nail drawing out. Pausing for a quick second, Ghost glanced back.

"Bye Sssib-ling." They cooed out, waiting for the same farewell.

Sibling turned to them, void rumbling in pitch.

"Bye Ghost."

Ghost had no chance to look at them, questions rumbling from their void before they stepped through, the light of the dream realm flashing before their eyes quickly, the circles of the essence disappearing.

When Ghost awoke, they had gentle body aches and a sharp numbing pain around their arms, the place where they're mask pressed against the floor was unpleasantly cold.

Pulling up, Ghost watched as their sibling lay still, their mask broken like before, but their eyes were closed.

Carefully, Ghost reached over and began patting their mask. The infected bubbles were practically boiling out of their cracked mask, as the infection slid out of their closed eyes.

Their void rumbled, and carefully Ghost packed away all the items they dropped, reaching for the flower that was now caught between their Siblings horns. They looked peaceful despite the infection, and for a second Ghost really wanted it to be gone.

They could have a Sibling, another one like Hornet, and more than just a shade.

‘Kin,’ The name rumbled in their mind.

Ghost pulled back, letting their void rumble as they brought out their nail, clicking at the ground before turning away. Their void went from soft gentle rumbles to angry thrashing.

The infection.

The Radiance.

That was going to disappear if Ghost had anything to do about it.

Chapter Text

There was music.

Music that didn't belong to the surface.

Ghost perked up, curiously chirping as they followed the sound outside the stag station.

They had originally come up to buy some charms from Sly but now…

Ghost eased their way around the bench, pausing for a moment to contemplate sitting. Pushing away from the cold metal, they continued their trek, curiosity tugging at their void.

Elderbug was there, staring in shock at the odd red things in front of him. It wasn't normal, at least not to the senior bug.

Ghost stood by his side, pausing, gripping Elderbug's cloth and tugging on it, trilling softly for his attention.

He didn't start, nor did he make a move to look at him, instead placing his claw on the top of Ghost's head and patting it softly letting it rest.

"Ahh! Look there! Something strange and sinister has suddenly appeared!" Elderbug's claw gripped at nothing, scratching gently against Ghost's head. "Ugh, it fills me with dread. I think it best I try to ignore it."

Ghost chirped, glancing back at the red buildings with slight trepidation. They had the urge to dream nail the elder, but decided against it.

He had made it rather clear what he thought of the strange building.

Ghost walked forward, letting go of the fabric in their claw and letting Elderbug's claw slip off their head.

The music steadily grew louder, different sounds they had never heard before but sounded oddly pleasing.

Two large bugs stood at what seemed to be an entrance. Long necks moving slightly as masked bugs stared at them, red eyes following their every move.

If Ghost was a lesser bug they would have been afraid.

Instead they chirped, patting one of them on their leg and walked into the entrance they stood by.

Nothing would be as scary as the Ancient Basin in their eyes.

Well that and Flukemon's, but those bugs were just creepy.

The entrance to the strange building was dark, a deep scarlet red painting the walls and every corner they saw. It reminded Ghost so much of Hornet and yet they couldn't pinpoint why it was so… different.

Ghost chirped, startled when the noise of the music got louder. Eyes turning to stare at a strange bug with fluff around their chest and an odd contraption in their claws.

It… looked like a bug?

Shivering, Ghost walked forward, hoping the stranger could see them and chirped.

Said stranger looked down, duller red eyes glancing at them dismissively.

"Mrmm, You called us?" The bug huffed, jutting his head to the right. "Speak to Master."

Ghost blinked, glancing to where they pointed to and stepped forward to get their attention.

The bug didn't seem to like that, very aggressively jutting his head to the right again.

"Speak to Master." He repeated lowly.

Thrusting their claws up, Ghost stepped back, carefully walking to where they pointed.

They walked backwards for a few minutes, waiting until they could no longer see that stranger before abruptly turning and dashing down the hall.

'Nope, Nope, Nope.'

That bug was scary, and Ghost didn't want to deal with them anymore.

Dark tunnels suddenly became bright, nearly blinding Ghost and causing them to trip, slamming face first into the first odd room that they had seen.

The lights went dark for a second, startling Ghost to flare up slightly, their claws digging into the ground as soul flared about them uncomfortably. Two round orbs of light danced about the room, but turning to stare at it wasn't really helping so Ghost refused to stand. Crawling on all fours, they felt a strange twist in the air, scrambling back just in time to see a strange bug appear in a puff of smoke.

Their mask was weird, black marking appearing across their face slitting down their eyes and a blackish cloak surrounding their frame. Red eyes eased open, bright cherry red eyes staring at them in amusement.

"So, it was you who called us." The bug rumbled, leaning over to flare their cape out a little, red suddenly flushing around their body as they bowed. "Well met, my friend. Well met. I am Grimm, master of his troupe. And you are…"

He trailed off, claw peaking out to wave at Ghost.

Ghost stayed in their crawling position on the floor, staring wide eyed at Grimm.

He was tall!

They let out a low chirp, carefully rising up to their legs to wave a curious hello.

"Vessel?" Grimm hummed, stepping forward and kneeling to meet Ghost's eye. "Is that what you are?"

Vessel? That is what they were, a Vessel. That's what everyone called them.

But Hornet called them little ghost, so Ghost was their name now.

Now how to tell this to Grimm with no voice to speak.

Ghost tilted their head side to side, a so-so gesture in their movements. They let out a chirp, low and echoing within their void to mimic a haunting sound.

Grimm startled, eyes wide as his head snapped back.

"What a haunting melody." Grimm murmured, red eyes tracing their every step. "Like a Ghost… is that your name little one? Ghost?"

Ghost nodded, chirping brighter and patting his still outstretched hand. The Troupe master glanced at his claw, carefully outstretching all his fingers for a second before closing it tight. A softer look in his eye when he glanced at Ghost again.

"The lantern has been lit, and your summons heeded." Ghost turned their head slightly as Grimm pulled back, jutting an arm out as if he was introducing something. "A fine stage you choose, this kingdom fallowed by worm and root, perfect earth in which our ritual will take place."

Ghost followed his hand movement for a second, vaguely realizing that he meant Hollownest.

By worm and root?

What did that mean?

He droned on, and Ghost had half a mind to listen in again when a shift of air fluttered behind them.

Ghost darted forward, rounding around Grimm and clinging to his robes, eyes staring at an area that seemed to be the same as before.

Grimm stopped his speech, pulling his robe slightly to get a better look at Ghost, raising an eye curiously.

"Is everything alright, my friend? You seem startled…"

Ghost glanced at him, chirping lowly and pointing at where they once were. Before Grimm could ask another question, they let their void bellow out slightly, mimicking the sound of strong winds ringing in their ears.

Grimm let out a small chuckle, tilting his head and seamlessly walking forward. Ghost inadvertently followed, still clinging to his robe for a second before letting go, stumbling back just as Grimm rounded the area.

The fabrics on his shoulder brushed across the area, until he rounded to face Ghost revealing a casual red-tinted chest.

"Like you, the child plays key role in this task." Grimm raised his hand, letting his fingers snap. "Only with it by your side will the flame, and my kin, reveal themselves to you."

The chest glowed red, humming as flames peaked around the edges. Ghost scrambled back, startled at the sudden hissing before it snapped open wide. The inside was lined with a red fur, tinting black closer around the edges. Ghost carefully stepped forward, grabbing onto the edge of the chest and hoisting themselves up to see what was inside.

There was a baby in the chest, tinier than anything Ghost had ever seen. The creature hissed slightly, using its tendrils to fly up ever so slightly. Now that they weren’t obstructed by the shading of the chest, Ghost could make out the same black markings on their face as they had with Grimm, darker red, almost black, eyes staring at them irritably.

Ghost watched wide eyed, wincing when they practically slammed their head against Ghost's mask before they slipped back, darting into Grimm's robe and hissing.

"My child," Grimm tutted, instantly quieting the tiny creature.

Ghost ignored it, ignored that wanting feeling that suddenly filled their chest uncomfortably. Instead they glanced back down, finding something shiny at the bottom of the chest.

Reaching down to grab it, they were greeted with an oddly shaped charm with a face on it. It's eyes were closed and sort of looked like a mask.

"Charm." Ghost darted up, surprised at the tiny voice that followed, blinking slowly at the tiny creature that peeped out.

They pointed their tendrils at it, chirping loudly.

"Charm!" They repeated.

"It is my child's charm, Young Ghost." Grimm nodded. "While you wear it, they will teleport to you and help you seek the flames needed."

A charm to teleport.

Grimm's claw closed around Ghost, gently forcing them to cover the charm within their void. Ghost glanced up, staring at red eyes that looked upon them favorably.

"The flames will help them grow, and they will become a part of you as well." A grin entered his face as he rose tall, Grimm's child flying up to their father's height. “Entrusting my child, with a child. Oh what cruel irony.”

"When you are ready." A shift of air, and Ghost suddenly shivered as they both disappeared, leaving them alone in the big empty room with nothing but a charm in their claw.

Uneasily, Ghost stepped put, letting their cloak drag behind them as they passed the stranger in the hall and the two creatures in the front entrance.

They passed by Elderbug, who was still uneasily glancing back at the tents, clutching his flower.

They sat on the bench, leaning back as soul festered around them, gliding against their void in an effort to find wounds. Ghost pushed that away without a thought, gingerly bringing out the few charms they had.

It wasn't many, just a small amount they had managed to find or buy. Except the one Grimm gave them was shining undeniably bright.

They hummed, fiddling with the charm and glancing at the flatter edge.

Grimmchild. It was marked with undeniably pretty writing, twirling about easily but still very clearly letters that Ghost understood. Letting a claw glide over the small ruts, Ghost carefully placed it on their charm notch, switching it out for their once useful Soul Catcher charm to their newly acquired Grimmchild charm.

Instantly, that same odd feeling came back, Ghost hardly needed to glance up to know that Grimmchild had come as planned.

They hopped off the bench, blinking when Grimmchild floated after them, small chirping noises echoing their mouth as they followed.

Glancing back Ghost watched as they shied away from them, carefully doing their best to keep up.

Ghost paused, huffing slightly and turning to the child, tilting their head when they floated back away from them, giving them a wide eyed look.

Instantly, Ghost mimicked the sound of fire starting, a harsh blow of air and pointing at their map.

"Fire." Grimmchild supplied, leaning over their head to point at a few places, eyes glowing red for a millisecond as red illusionary marks appeared on the page.

Ghost turned the page, confused for a second before nodding, chirruping in thanks. Grimmchild chirruped back, butting their heads together softly.

Ghost drew back a grin and walked forward, ecstatic when Grimmchild opted to fly just a bit above them.

They hopped back into the Crossroads, getting rid of the attacking bugs with relative ease.

"FIRE!" Grimmchild would scream, and squeak something mighty right after.

Nothing ever happened, but they always seemed pleased when the enemy would scramble away in terror.

Ghost chirped, amused and delighted when Grimmchild would chirp back. They eased their way to the Temple and walked into the Black Egg room.

Grimmchild's noises slowed to a stop, amazed and enamored by the amount of flowers that seemed to crawl up the room.

Ghost let them be, chirping softer as they reached to grab a new flower.

They plucked a random one, gently letting their claw linger as they pushed a soft burst of soul, letting a new bud quickly take its place before leaning back.

Turning, they blinked in surprise at the baby Grimmchild caressed themselves in a bed of flowers, small shakes easily wracking their body.

Ghost let out a croon, walking forward to hover just behind their new friend. Grimmchild didnt bother to chirp back, just burying themselves deeper in the flowers.

They chirped again, and this time Grimmchild swiveled to look at them, odd marks marring their face and very different than the black marking already there.

Ghost tilted their head, raising their flower to them.

Grimmchild looked at it curiously, sniffing obnoxiously loud before their eyes danced back to look at Ghost. They raised the flower a little higher.

"Mine?" Ghost nodded.

The child stared at it curiously, poking the flower with their nose. Ghost stayed still until Grimmchild finally ducked their head, letting Ghost place the flower on their back.

"Thank you." They purred, butting their head against Ghost's, softer this time.

Ghost chirped back.

It didnt take them long to gather the first flames, the small… Grimmkins were fairly easy to beat once Ghost got a rhythm going. Grimmchild, however, was absolutely no help and they grumbled about it as they walked back to the closest Stag station.

"No Fire." They would hiss, landing on Ghost's head to lay. "No fire."

Ghost made their void sing with fire noises until Grimmchild laughed.

"No fire." They'd repeat, this time amused and happy as they poked ghost with their tendril wings.

By the time, they made it back into the tent the strange bug was still there, looking at them curiously.

"Brumm!" Grimmchild shrieked, flying over to dart around the odd bug.

Ghost chirped at them, waving in greeting before continuing past Brumm and onto the big room just past him. The room was about as empty as before, except now, they had Grimmchild chirping beside them.

Grimmchild squealed, just as the air shifted, Ghost had half a mind to step back before Grimm appeared, absolutely looming over them. Red eyes boring into their void, and rumbling lowly.

Ghost let out a squeak, leaning back at the sudden intrusion.

Grimm just as quickly disappeared from their view, appearing a few feet away much to Ghost's shock. They stumbled, regaining their footing just enough to look at the Troupe Master.

Grimmchild squeaked, circling around Ghost to hover just beside them.

Grimm's looked on in appraisal, humming brightly. His hand darted out, red flames twisting about his fingers and swirling almost comfortably down his arm. Immediately, the lights in the room dimmed, flickering ominously.

Ghost let out a small squeak in discomfort, keeping their eyes trained on Grimm whose eyes glowed red in the dimming light.

"I can feel it," Grimm rumbled, voice echoing in the room around them. "The warmth of the flame you gathered together."

Grimmchild squeaked, rounding forward slightly and pushing said flames out. The reddish glow of the fire was no where near as bright as Grimm's, but it swirled around their friend just the same.

Amongst the red glow, Grimm grinned.

"A masterful opening act!" Grimm began to walk toward them, throwing both arms out. "The air hums with excitement. Dear child, you've done so well. Let your fire burn even brighter!"

Grimm darted out to caress Grimmchild's face, fingers curled just underneath their chin. Grimmchild chirped, a strange rumbling noise echoing their throat as they nuzzled against their father.

The fire surrounding them soon completely curled around Grimmchild, the only thing Ghost could see was their faint outline. They squeaked uneasily, claws reaching out to grab their friend.

Neither of the two even glanced at them.

The fires finally began to slowly slither out, dimming for a fraction of a second before it exploded outward. Ghost chittered, surprised by the faint warmth of the flames brushing against their mask.

Grimm chirped in surprise, leaning back to stare at his child.

Grimmchild went from a small tiny baby to about twice their prior size. Tiny fangs peaked out from their mouth as their tiny horn split in two. Their body stretched out, the tendrils of their wings fanning out longer as a tail curled from beneath them. Tiny black paws waved around, before they perched on their fathers arm.

The once delicate flower on their back fanned out, red spilling into the middle of the floor.

Grimm crooned in surprise a delighted grin dancing across his face as he eased Grimmchild down. They were barely shorter than Ghost, and Ghost wondered how it worked.

"Beautiful, yes." Grimm stepped back, clapping his hands together. "The child has grown, from idle youth to deadly companion. About these dangerous lands, his aid will no doubt be welcome."

Grimmchild chirped, standing on wobbly legs to round Ghost as is, his wings flapping feebly to help.

"Ghost!" Grimmchild grinned, reeling back onto his back paws to place his two front paws on their cloak. "Limbs! Have Limbs, like you!"

Ghost chirped, nuzzling against his head happily.

"My child." Grimm leaned down, "What is that on your back?"

Grimmchild turned to look at their father in time with Ghost looking up and tilting their head curiously.

"Flower!" Grimmchild grinned, twisting around Ghost before settling by their side, plopping down rather loudly. "From Ghost."

Grimm smiled nodding his head and passing a look at Ghost.

"So much like your mother." He crooned out lowly. "Now off with you, there are still many a flames to be collected!"

Mother?

Grimm disappeared without another word, the flickering lights finally stabilizing. Ghost had no chance to act, squinting slightly and uneasily.

Mother…

Maybe Hornet would know?

Ghost wandered out, gripping their nail and slowing down to let Grimmchild find his own footing and getting used to his new appendages.

Maybe Grimmchild needed a name, like Ghost!

Ghost chirped, nodding at their plan.

A new name for Grimmchild, and to find their Sister.

This would be fun.

Chapter Text

They went to Deepnest.

At least, Ghost sort of hoped that Deepnest was the right place to go.

The last time they had seen their sister was in Kingdoms Edge, and they could vaguely recall her mentioning going back home to Deepnest.

Or maybe she needed to go through Deepnest to get home?

Damn, Ghost really should have been paying more attention.

They slid down another wall of nothing, hissing when spikes bit at their chitin. They felt a burst from their void, wrapping around their form tightly and pulling them through to a safer area. Grimmchild chirped beside them, nuzzling against their burning wounds in worry.

Ghost hissed back, rubbing against their side and continuing their trek, clambering onto another wall that led into another similar edge.

Except-

Splash

There it was!

The hot spring in Deepnest was a blessing in disguise as far as Ghost could tell, soothing and far more appealing than the creatures that aimed to kill them within the caverns they had to traverse.

Grimmchild was also a great companion to have as a whole throughout this part of Hallownest, providing extra light with their flame and a backup for those worms that scrambled behind Ghost.

It was great and nothing would convince the vessel otherwise. But looking closely, Ghost could tell that this whole thing was wearing on their friend. A nervous twitch to his tail as it thrashed angrily beside them in the water and dark red eyes darting back and forth as the darkness around them threatened to snuff them out.

Ghost crooned, slightly, standing up and letting the water from the springs slosh back down. Grimmchild blinked at them, hastily standing up and following them towards the bench next to the spring, claws clicking against the cool concrete beneath them, then pinging against the metal of the bench. They both clambered on without another word, sitting down in relief and leaning against each other. Ghost crooned, delighted by Grimmchild’s warm temperature, squeaking delightedly when Grimmchild began to rub against their mask, a warm rumble echoing his throat.

Quietly, Ghost opened their void, breezing past some of the items and focusing on their assortment of charms. Grimmchild crooned, butting against the charm that kept him there. Ghost let in a shaky breath, and without another thought, pulled out their Grimmchild charm.

Grimmchild jerked back in surprise, tilting his head in confusion for a second. He crooned one last time, butting his head against Ghost before he teleported away in a red flame.

Instantly the room dimmed, and Ghost felt a tug of dissatisfaction at the sudden lack of companionship and warmth. Quietly, they added their Soul Catcher charm back in, hiding away all their items.

Ghost stood up from the bench, wading through the springs and off to the left. They could bring Grimmchild back later in a safer area, right?

There had to be another bench somewhere on the other side of Deepnest right?

Wrong.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!

Ghost wasn't sure what it was but for some reason, they just couldn't find that next bench to heal.

They let out a low wail, smacking their nail furiously against a wall.

There were so many mean bugs around, from the weird floating spider things that followed them around whenever they just passed by an area to the stupid Stalking Devout's that just hit way too hard and no.

Ghost wasn't having a good time, and the number of spikes in Deepnest was starting to become ridiculous!

They grumpily clung to a wall, dashing off to land on a, hopefully, stable platform. It seemed sturdy enough, and now that Ghost was walking closer, they could make out the beginnings of concrete that lined the top of the walls and floor.

They chirped, dashing forward in a desperate attempt for something new.

The floor behind them gave way.

Ghost glanced back at the spiky pitfall and let out a sigh of relief, they were lucky to have avoided it altogether.

Clambering out the door, they found nothing but platforms suspended by silk, buildings resting on those platforms and embedded into the wall. It was easy enough to hop onto them with their wings and claws, scrambling into the buildings to try and find something.

The first one was empty, the second one…

Not so much.

Ghost chirped in greeting, glancing at the oddly masked creatures in hopes of asking a question.

"Why don't you have a seat, little one, you look mighty tired." A soft voice rang out from one of them, claw vaguely gesturing to the bench in the middle of the room.

Had Ghost been an older bug, they might have recognized that was a big old no.

But instead, Ghost happily took on that invitation, scrambling onto the bench with a small chirp of thanks.

As soon as they sat correctly, Ghost instantly knew something was wrong. Their claws were stuck onto the metal and their legs could no longer move. They tried wiggling, whistling in distress as it pulled at their skin painfully.

They glanced at the other bugs, desperate to ask for help, only to feel the pit of their stomach drop as they shuffled closer and closer.

They couldn't even squeak in horror as thick silk painfully wrapped around their torso and one bug struck out too fast for them to follow.

Ghost was out like a light.

When they woke up, they were wrapped in silk while suspended into the area. For a second Ghost wanted to panic, but they could feel the way the silk jostled at every move and their claws were now free and somewhere around their chest.

Angrily they thrashed about, using their claws desperately to try and tear into the string. Inch by inch they could hear the strands pull and break apart with a soft plink, feeling vindicated when it burst around them with little fanfare.

Ghost winced, slamming to the ground on their knees and barely managing to jut their arms out fast enough to prevent their mask from clicking against the floor.

The Lumafly on their side flitted about, brightening the room just enough to where Ghost could see. And that wasn't saying much since the walls seemed to have been covered in silk with a narrow passageway off to their right was all they could really see.

Ghost chirped, perking slightly at the echo as they rose to their feet.

There was no way out but to the right.

They crawled into the passageway, listening to the sounds of the caves, acutely aware of the way creatures scuttling beneath them and loud-soft breathing above.

Couldn't be too bad right?

Wrong-

Wrong wrong wrong.

Ghost was starting to hate Deepnest, the amount of stupidly strong bugs that just popped out of the Darkness wasn't exactly fun.

Angrily, they shot out a quick succession of Vengeful Spirits in a desperate attempt to keep the Devout's away from them.

The creature fell by the second one, growling in pain as it slithered back into the recesses of the cave, far away from sight and maneuvering through the silk that seemed too thick to even bend.

Ghost ignored it, chirping uncomfortably as they made their way around the labyrinth that was this cave. It was a tiny bit annoying to keep having to backtrack and fight the Devout's, but it was some form of entertainment.

At the least, it wasn't driving them insane.

Finally, they saw light, a gentle glow that betrayed the darkness of the actual caverns. Soft and so very unlike Ghost's Lumafly Lamp.

They chittered, whistling to see if anyone was there.

Of those bugs that trapped them here, to begin with, were there, oh Ghost was gonna have a fit.

Luckily, there was no sound, and with a gentle wave of their nail, they could hear the echoes of the nail hitting something harder than silk.

More confident, Ghost walked forward, scrambling to bask in the warmth of the new light.

Except… someone was laying there.

With a terrified squeal, Ghost dashed back, falling to all fours as they hid behind the wall they had first burst out of.

They stood there for a few seconds, breathing lightly but quickly, thankful that the noises in their throat died in that second.

Ghost wasn't afraid of the creature.

But to the Void, they did not have enough strength or energy to fight whatever was there.

Hearing no noise, Ghost peaked out, surprised that the bug hadn't begun to chase them.

The body hadn't moved, not even shifting to the side by their noise. As if they weren't really alive.

But Ghost could see it, the way their body gently moved as they breathed, the barest tensing of their muscles that seemed to only last a second. And they could feel the Soul gently encasing their body.

That bug wasn't dead- so what gives?

Feeling slightly braver than before, Ghost walked forward, slower and keeping their claw on their nail. They shuffled their feet, dragging them to make obnoxiously loud sweeping noises to show that they were there.

The bug never moved.

Ghost chirped, dragging their claws away from their nail, gently reaching out to poke the bug.

Something stopped them.

A barrier…

Ghost pulled back, whistling for a second and propelling themselves higher with a single flap of their wings and trying to land on the bug.

Their paws hit the barrier, the sound of the crystal clinking against something rung loudly around the area. The barrier glowed bright white, strange symbols beginning to leak into it.

And as if someone were there, Ghost felt as if a claw had gripped their chest and slammed them onto the floor.

There was no one, and the bug beneath was still very much asleep, but Ghost was positive someone had slammed them down.

They hissed, standing up and ignoring the way their head stung in pain.

What the Root!

Ghost hissed again, scrambling to their feet and puffing out their chest almost obnoxiously.

The bug didn’t move.

They huffed, contemplating walking away.

Well….

Ghost did have a dream nail, and it didn't hurt to try and see what people were thinking at the moment… right?

Without another thought they focused their soul on their nail, watching as it swirled into a dream catcher and began to focus on the point.

Perfect!

With a squeak, they jerked their arm out, slamming it into the sleeping bugs’ side, delighted by the lack of barrier.

They really hadn't expected the wave of dream essence lulling them to sleep.

Oops.

Blinking slowly, Ghost was introduced to a world with golden light. Warm, comforting, and so very different than the harsh orange lighting their Sibling was forced under.

Strands of silk held them up comfortable, much like Bretta's own bed back in Dirtmouth but softer and swaying to the side every so slightly.

Ghost blinked, again, gingerly moving out of the bedding without much issue. The silk swung back and forth and only stopped moving when Ghost frantically landed on the floor, claws pressing against the side.

As soon as it stopped its swaying, Ghost looked away, enamored by the strange things littered on the walls, and even stranger objects littering the floor.

"Hornet." A voice rang out, just a bit away off to the right.

They froze, blinking owlishly at the new strange voice. Ghost silently tiptoed over, pressing themselves against the wall and holding their breath.

“Hornet.” The voice called out again.

Curiously, Ghost walked towards it, chirping as they passed a series of open doors. Looking into them, there was nothing but black, much different than void and almost like a barrier.

The bug that was sleeping was standing there, tall and regal. Whoever they were, they walked around radiating power and grace.

They turned, facing towards their direction, but not actually looking at Ghost, face twisting in slight annoyance as they cupped a claw around their mouth.

"Hornet!" They called again. "Spiderling, where are you."

There was a giggle from behind.

Ghost swiveled in place, pressing themselves against the wall as they stared at the bug behind them. Familiar horns came into view.

Tiny horns…

Hornet crawled on the wall, but she was tiny. Her shawl draped over her entire form, her nail was absent, but Ghost knew who she was regardless.

She couldn't have been taller than Ghost, maybe their size, but she was still towering above them by clinging to the silken walla with ease.

Hornet tilted her head back and laughed, her mandible popping out from beneath her mask. Quickly, She brought up two claws to smother her giggles, showing her other four limbs still clinging to the wall.

"Hornet, there you are!"

Ghost tensed in surprise, darting to the wall without a sound. Hornet perked from her place, curiously looking around from the wall before jumping off.

She landed right in the open door, twisting about in confusion as her shawl dragged across the floor.

"Mama?"

"I got you!"

Hornet squealed as the big bug swooped by and grabbed her, squeals of delighted laughter echoing the room around them.

Ghost furiously ignored the surge of something swirling in their chest.

The bug- Mama?- began to walk away, with Hornet tight in her claws. Nuzzling and coddling their delighted sister without even a glance back at them.

Ghost watched for a few seconds, before following after them at a slower pace, passing by bug after bug that Mama had elected to ignore.

Now that Ghost was looking their faces seemed blurred, the bottom half of their body subtly flickering and nearly unnoticeable had they not been paying attention.

Slowing to a stop they chirped at one of the bugs, reaching over to grab them but they flickered away without a sound.

Ghost chirped again, frustration clear in their movements as they angrily waved a claw.

Sighing, they turned back, noticing the distance between Mama and them.

Panic swelled into their chest before they rushed forward to get closer, coming into view as Mama turned to face them.

The entire Dreamscape shifted as if something had shaken everything. The sudden shake caused them to trip and with a squeak Ghost was suddenly slamming into the floor.

"Vessel…" Mama whispered, and Ghost barely had a chance to look up before Hornet suddenly shifted out like the other bugs.

The realm shifted again, this time harsher and tossing Ghost around like a pebble. The entire dreamscape went from a warm yellow to a harsh white. Looking up, Ghost could see two other unknown bugs by her side, one in a similar cloak to Ghost's own but longer and the other with green tendrils like Ooma.

They all looked… really familiar all of a sudden.

Mama looked on in concern, subtly covering up the confusion and panic settling in her eyes that were trained on them like a Devout.

Suddenly Ghost tensed, feeling a claw settle on their shoulder loosely, as if the bug that had done it, hadn't wanted to touch them.

They looked up frantically, breathing heavily at the strange pale bug by their side. They spoke, voice low and detached, and in a way that Ghost was sure they hadn't wanted to be there.

"This is the Vessel." The bug spoke, white silken robes somehow standing out in the now white dream realm. "They will be the key to lock away the Radiance."

Radiance, that name just kept popping up more and more, and frankly, Ghost was sick of it.

"They!?" Mama spoke, loud and angry, twisting away from Ghost to glare at the bug by their side. "They are a child-"

"It is a Key." The bug quickly corrected, voice oddly detached as they brought up a claw. "I am used to dealing with Sentient beings, not a mindless thing."

Mindless?? Ghost was pretty sure they had a mind, aiming instead to glare at the bug that insinuated otherwise.

"It looks like a child." The tendriled bug floated forward, tentacles curling as they hovered just above them. "How are you so certain that they are mindless?"

"Do not question our king-" the other bug with the cloak snapped, turning their body to seemingly glare at the tendriled one.

"They are made of Void." With that, the bug by Ghost's side managed to silence everything. "Made of Void to not have a mind or a voice, made with god to have a form. It is nothing but a tool, I can assure you three of that."

The silence rang out for a bit longer, and Ghost slowly turned to look at Mama in confusion.

Should… should something be happening?

As if she read their mind, Mama let out a sigh.

"Does it have a name?"

The pale bug stood silent, eyes tracing the floor and looking at them. The claw on Ghost's shoulder tightened momentarily.

"Just Vessel." He spoke, pulling his claw away.

Ghost grimaced angrily, jerking away from the pale bug.

Mama followed them, head-turning as they stomped a distance away from the group.

"Ghost!" They barked, stomping their paw. "Name- Ghost!"

None of the bugs seemed to care, instead of focusing on the spot they once were. Except Mama was looking at them.

"Vessel?" She said loudly, eyes squinting to stare at them.

Instead, Ghost shook their head, feeling the anger beginning to burn in their chest as Soul festered on the very edges of their void.

"GHOST!" They shrieked, a fluster of soul bursting into a howling wraith angrily.

The entire area around them warped out suddenly, becoming nothing but static before it snapped into place. Hornet appeared by their side, tall and as old as they knew she was.

Except she was surrounded in a dim grey light, festers of black surrounding her bottom half, bleeding into the white light.

The other bugs appeared by Mama's side, the pale bug facing away from them all wings twitching slightly as their head dipped low.

"What-" Mama hissed, surprised as she stumbled back.

"Those are the dreamers, little Ghost," Hornet spoke, glancing at them. "And that," her needle dragged to the Pale bug. "Is the King."

The Pale Creature turned to give them a stare, eyes glaring ever so slightly.

"Do not give them a name, Hornet." He spoke gruffly. "They are not sentient like you and me."

"They deserve a name for the sacrifice they will make to this Kingdom." Hornet snarled, claw twisting as silk began to slowly encase her arm.

"Giving it a name will lead to its demise." The bug sounded softer, broken. "Please, my daughter, do not allow them to suffer the grief of sentience."

The Dreamers faded away, as did the King. Just as he mournfully looked upon Ghost's small form.

"Father-" Hornet slammed her needle down. "You're foolish to think the Vessel has no mind."

The black inky light that surrounded her legs curled upward, encasing her in the inky blackness and dispersing out, leaving nothing and no one behind. Slowly, the brightness of the dream realm dimmed out for a fraction, turning back to the warm yellow it originally was.

Ghost turned around, trying to find a new bug anywhere, but there was nothing in sight except the golden platform they were standing on and white curled pillars just a bit away. Turning, they could see Mama sitting there.

She was shaking, face twisted in pain as she bobbed her head up and down.

"Hornet…" Mama choked out, claw reaching over to grip her mask. "My daughter."

Ghost shifted, uncomfortably, swaying side to side unsure of what to do.

"Mama." They swallowed, reaching a claw out.

Her head snapped open, eyes wide and in disbelief.

"What did you call me?"

Ghost tilted their head in confusion, mask scrunching up slightly.

"Mama?"

"Do NOT call me that!" She snapped, rising up to her full height in a swift motion, causing Ghost to stumble back. "I am not your mother!"

Ghost hummed uncomfortably, shifting slightly nervously.

"Name… Mama?"

Mama blinked in confusion, all six eyes squinting at them.

"Are you telling me your name is Mama, or are you saying my name is Mama?" She tilted her head to the side, keeping her stare on them.

Ghost bobbed their head, pointing a claw at her.

"Mama." They repeated

There was a brief puff of silence, and slowly- loudly- Mama exhaled, collapsing onto herself without another word.

Ghost chirped in surprise, claws darting up as if they were trying to catch her from a distance away.

Instead, they closed their claws tightly into a fist, nervously glancing back and forth.

What to do?

Without a thought, Ghost sat onto the floor slowly easing their void out to see their collection of items they could still move.

There wasn't much they could give to help Mama at the moment. No food, no water, no lifeblood seeds either.

And no flower.

Ghost chirped in dismay, taking out the fallen leaves still clutched in their void, feeling their soul dampen at the sight of the wilted petals.

They had been so keen on bringing one everywhere they went, that Ghost had forgotten the most important thing…

They were fragile.

And now it was broken.

Ghost huffed sadly, glancing up at Mama who was still clutching her mask in disbelief.

Maybe they could-

No.

Last time they had a seed to plant, not a wilted petal.

Maybe if they-

Slowly, Ghost pushed soul into the barren stem, focusing closely on the single petal still fruitlessly clinging to the tip.

It pulsated softly, a rush of white warming it’s color before it slowly started to rise.

Ghost squinted harder, they only had enough soul for two spells, so they really needed to make this count.

The essence in the Dream Realm hovered around the pulsating flower, buds beginning to appear on the stem and glowing in a warm yellow.

The flower bloomed.

It had a warm yellow center, fanning out and spotting white near the tips. The veins of the flower curled around the whiter spots, creating an almost Dream Essence-type look to it.

Ghost squeaked in success, holding the flower tall and forgoing their now lack of soul magic. Without another thought they rushed forward, patting Mama on one of her legs and waiting for her to look at them.

She pulled back, Mask marred slightly in water and claws scraping gently against her mask. She gave them an odd look, blinking rapidly as she glared at them for a moment.

"What? For the Last time, I am not your-"

Ghost thrust the flower closer, stopping her speech altogether.

"Flower." Ghost chirped, relinquishing their hold of the stem when Mama wrapped her claws around it. "Happy?"

Mama delicately brushed her fingers across the petals, eyes misting up slightly. She pulled back one of her claws, admiring it from the side.

"Happy?" She repeated slowly, blinking before looking at them.

Ghost closed their eyes happily, letting a warm rumble escape their void like Grimmchild did when they were happy.

She let out a laugh, half-broken and half relieved. Mama reached out with an unoccupied claw, brushing gentle fingers across their scalp.

"Not yet, but better." She smiled, then closed her eyes. "I think… I think it's time for you to go little Ghost."

Ghost tilted their head in confusion, eyes darting back and forth in worry before they reached out to grip her arm. She smiled at them, patting their mask slightly before pulling back.

"I'm not entirely ready… not yet. But I do want you to succeed." She breathed out slowly. "Our time has come to an end, I and the others did the best we could, and it wasn't enough," Her breath hitched for a second. "But you, Ghost, will be the one to complete what needs to be done… you've made it rather far, and I hope you can give my daughter and our people the peace they deserve."

Ghost watched as she closed her eyes once more, bringing the flower close as a subtle burst of soul surrounded the both of them.

They felt their vision swim in essence, a burst of gold suddenly giving way to dark shadows barely illuminated by their lamp.

Groggily, Ghost stumbled up, swaying side to side as they turned to face the sleeping bug.

She was still there.

And the flower was wrapped around her claw, pulsating a gentle white.

Ghost chirped in delight, tiredly reaching over to pat her side.

Their hand never hit a barrier.

Sighing exhaustedly, Ghost let Mama sleep a little longer, curling by her side and letting their dreams take them away.

It couldn't have been more than five or ten minutes when the sound of someone sitting reached Ghost's ears. They jerked up quickly, surprised rumbling echoing in their throat as they glanced around.

A pair of familiar horns caught their attention.

Hornet sat just a bit away, the illumination of the lamps barely catching her in the darkness.

Her shoulders shook ever so slightly and Ghost was almost certain she didn't feel well.

They scrambled forward, stumbling off the stone tablet and slamming into the floor.

Hornet twisted slightly, probably having heard them wake up.

Ghost tumbled for a second, urging tired limbs to push them up before they slowly eased their way to their Sister's side.

Hornet said nothing, bringing up a claw to brush at her mask slightly.

"So… You've slain the beast…" She lifted her shoulders, jutting her chin out as her eyes fluttered close. "And your head towards that fated goal. I'd not have obstructed this happening, but-" Her entire demeanor fell, curling in on herself as her breathing stuttered for a second. "It...It caused me some pain to knowingly stand idle."

Ghost watched as the water fell from her eyes, pooling to the edges till it slowly dribbled down her mask. Not thinking, they reached over to grip her cloth, tugging it lightly in confusion.

She snorted slightly, bringing her claw up to smudge against the water that was marking her mask, giving them an unimpressed look through the water.

"What? You think me stern but I'm not completely cold." Hornet tugged at her cloth as if trying to wrap it closer around her shoulders. "We do not choose our mothers or the circumstances into which we are born."

Ghost bobbed their head, not fully understanding what she meant.

They tugged at her cloak again, leaning against her side.

Instead of pushing them away, she leaned on them, water dribbling down her mask faster and faster.

Silently, they let the water plink against their mask, unsure of what more to do.

They wondered where Mama had gone- they were certain she hadn't just disappeared

Chapter Text

Ghost spends days looking for Mama.

They’ve searched Deepnest high and low the moment Hornet left to mourn properly, chirping loudly in hopes that Mama would hear. They knew that she was around, alive and well and just somewhere.

Finding her was somewhat like chasing a ghost, and they were sure they knew exactly what being a ghost was like.

It took many days before Ghost eventually gave up, scouring through Deepnest was taking its toll on them and the Lumafly lantern wasn’t exactly the company they wanted. Squeaking out in tired defiance, Ghost opted to spend their time on the tram and search a new area.

It was hard as void to get over here, there had to be a way out, right?

The Tram wasn’t broken on the bottom like it was where they met Cloth, gentle lights and the creak of metal a subtle change that was welcomed.

Squeaking, they gleefully hit the button on the right, jerking back slightly at the harsh tug of metal and the screech of something awful. Painfully, they stumbled back, rubbing the sides of their mask as they waited till it stopped.

The Tram was so different than the Old Stag. The old man had a lot of stories to tell Ghost through their trek, but the Tram was hauntingly silent.

Especially with other bug’s corpses resting against plausibly soft chairs.

Ghost wasn’t willing to take the chance.

The Tram slowed to a stop with another harsh screech of metal, jerking ghost forward slightly. They waited a beat, then another, before they moved.

The doors slid open much quieter, the smell of the ancient basin practically thrumming against their mask.

Mama couldn’t be there.

Well she could… but Ghost doubted it. It didn’t look like anyone but the voided bugs were down there, and they didn’t seem to like strangers company.

They moved forward, thinking of just clambering up to the City of Tears when a spot of white drew their gaze.

The button was still shining. Now on both sides.

Ghost chirped softly, walking forward and glancing around. Hesitatingly, they tapped the button.

Like before, the Tram doors closed and Ghost was tossed back, squeaking out in irritation as it revved forward.

Still, they hadn’t known where this thing would go, chirping as they silently waited for the doors to slow and open.

Sure enough, it slowed to a stop, opening up to a new place where Ghost hesitantly stepped out of.

The place was musty, much worse than the waterways where the cool water had given fresh air, the Flukeworms were smelly, but even they had a radius.

This whole place just smelled musty and slightly suffocating, sure Ghost could breathe just fine but that didn't make the smelliness okay!

They walked forward, making sure to note the odd ways they would inevitably scribble onto their map, void inching across every bit of it until they could find a bench.

The quill was useless without ink, but Ghost had a void that remembered well, and it was Cornifer’s fault for not giving them ink!

Or maybe he had, and Ghost just never bothered to buy it.

Whoops!

It didn't matter, Ghost's map wasn't big enough for this area, so maybe they could look for Cornifer and ask. He was always so nice to Ghost, and even taught them how to count after they bought the first map!

But they'd have to wait and find him, the mapmaker always liked hiding in odd places to avoid the infections. Ghost wasn't sure why or how it hadn't got to some bugs, they didn't really understand most of it, and the tablets with well-written history were sometimes confusing to them but they never remembered when going by all the adults.

Gentle paws tapped softly against stone as Ghost pitter-pattered their way through. They could hear the moving bugs on the floors.

They didn't like that, they liked to grab and bite and hurt!

Ghost jumped, avoiding the first set and rumbling in anger as they saw the next.

Stupid crawly bugs!

Using their wings, they flourished over to the other side, neatly careening against the wall and digging their claws in, rumbling as they began to slip. With a small squeak, Ghost began to climb, freaking slightly when the wall began to rumble, the sound of buzzing wings catching their attention.

They turned their head, blinking slowly at the odd brown creature lazily bumping into them.

Their fur was nice and soft, but their wings made a jagged cut across their arm, causing Ghost to hiss as they hastily moved up the wall.

They jumped over the edge, their wings flaring up in a defensive position as they crawled back on all fours slowly, void slowly dripping down their arm and pebbling the floor as the odd bugs came closer and closer.

One spirit later and two claws across the face, the bugs fell without a sound. Ghost shook as they tried to take in what had happened, focusing their void on their arm in an attempt to stop their void from spilling.

They crawled forward, sliding down the wall and feeling it rumble again as if holding Ghost was almost too much for it.

Almost.

With a small squeak, they began to throw pieces of the rock around, wedging their nail in between the small rocks as they wondered if anything was behind. It felt breezy enough and had an odd smell that Ghost had never encountered before.

The rocks crumbled down, barely giving Ghost half a second to crawl through the sudden open space. The smell of something sweet and warm was tantalizing enough that Ghost was hard-pressed not to follow.

The king's brand radiated warmth on the back of their skull, something Ghost had yet to get used to. And yet, it radiated a familiarity with the place around them, despite Ghost having never once seen any of these hallways.

The Hive- that's what the sign said- was a place of awfully loud creatures. They were able to discern some of the citizens' species thanks to the book Hunter had given them. Hiveling, Hive Soldier, Hive Guardian, and a Hive husk, all of them attracted to their white mask, hissing and buzzing at them to leave.

But they seemed less inclined to attack them once they noticed the flowers in Ghost's arms. Seemingly leaning over to smell it, nuzzling against the flower and Ghost before buzzing and floating off.

Their wings still hurt, still cut into Ghost until they were bleeding void and hemolymph across the floor, the ache of the wounds make Ghost pause enough to force soul and void to patch up what was injured.

It took longer and longer each stop, Ghost didn’t want to hurt any of the strange bugs, but they were hurting them far too much. So they dived and hid and cried as much as their little voiceless body can handle.

Everything hurt, and a part of them wondered if they can just go back and sleep on the bench they found in this strange sticky stuff.

But they don't, so Ghost kept walking more and more, deeper and deeper.

The bugs they meet are hostile, they don’t care about the flowers, they don’t care about Ghost. They buzz and slash and make Ghost drop Hemolymph and void, and everything is starting to get fuzzy and dizzy and they are just too tired to deal with it anymore.

Finally, there’s a reprieve where Ghost can lay down on the floor and just rumble in sadness to take time to heal and just wait.

Their body hurts, and the smell of the cave was starting to hurt their head.

There better be a way out and soon.

They only had enough energy to heal just a few of their wounds, groggily getting up and stumbling further.

Something was off.

There was an opening.

Ghost peaked out hesitantly, the smell of sweetness was overwhelmed by the smell of muk.

The smell of decay.

Ghost knew that smell.

Their mind was overwhelmed with images of bees, yellow and black, and the faintest tuft of white that reminded Ghost of the moth lady up in the graveyard.

"Vespa… what happened…"

Ghost winced back, screwing their eyes closed. They took a moment to breathe, opening their eyes gingerly as they glanced about warily, spotting a bug in front of a larger one.

Far too large to comfortably move around!

The other was-

Ghost squeaked as Mama turned around, walking over almost happily as Mama's eyes widened.

"How did you get here?" Her voice wasn't as rough as before, and it wasn't as angry either, just confused as Ghost gripped onto one of her many legs.

Ghost rumbled, butting against her angrily, mostly irritated that they had spent so much time looking in Deepnest when she was here! In this strange place!

She seemed confused that Ghost didn’t say anything, only looking back up to the bigger bug.

The journal didn't have anything to say about them, Ghost knew that, and it was frustrating.

This bug was so big! And they were sleeping.

Not for long.

"This is Vespa," Herrah breathed out in the midst of Ghost brainstorming, eyes closing. "This is the queen of this land, young Ghost."

Ghost chirped, glancing at the area she was nestled in, grimacing back.

"She will not last long like this, even if she does awaken." Herrah sunk down, one claw pressed against Ghost's head. "I fear that… I fear that the Radiance has taken her, my… My dear, I'm so sorry."

There was a flower in her claws and Ghost hastily tugged at her.

"Young one-" They cut off Mama hard, pointing at the flower with a squeak and back to the giant bug lady named Vespa.

She gave a slow eight-eyed blink.

They didn't know what she was thinking, or what she was doing, but the flower was taking away her magic, her soul, to revitalize the flower.

Not enough for her to notice, but enough for the pretty thing to stay alive.

They chirped aggressively, yoinking the flower out of her grasp, and clambered down the honey hardened chasm.

They could hear Herrah calling and could hear her voice grow distant.

Wow, this bug was really big!

They clambered on, irked by the way the bug's Hemolymph grew slimy and sticky with every accidental nick Ghost gave them. Sickened to their void with how stiff they felt.

But they were alive, and Ghost hoped the flower helped them realize that being alive was more worth it than dying.

Finally, they made it to where Vespa's arms were crossed and her head hung low, moving through the tuft of her fur that was beginning to smell awful.

Still, Ghost wiggled down, gently carding their claws through her fur and slipping in the flower as deep as he could manage.

Ragged breathing reached their ears and Ghost cooed, patting at her carapace.

Sleep.

The ragged breathing grew softer, enough where warm air was beginning to brush across Ghost's mask. It tickled in some ways, eliciting a small squeak before Ghost jumped down, back towards Mama.

Wings flared out just moments before they hit the ground, rolling cleaning before straightening up with their arms raised.

Hornet had clapped and commented on their landing one time, so maybe Mama would too.

"GHOST!"

They jerked back, stumbling as a nail came millimeters close to clipping across their mask.

"HZZT!" The strange bug roared in dismay, flipping back dramatically before crouching low.

They were jerked up, squeaking in shock as Herrah brought her blade down, pinging harshly against the other bug's smaller weapon and flinging them back.

Herrah heaved slowly, giving Ghost a sideways glance.

"A warrior must never leave their guard down!" She snapped, surging forward and jerking to the side as the bug appeared behind them.

Ghost blinked, watching the bug stumble back and inhale, letting out a scream that had Hivelings flying high around them.

They jerked forward, orange liquid spilling from their lips.

Radiance.

Their void went cold, and anger began to burn against the back of their mask.

Whoever that bug was, they were infected, infected, and not going to survive the assault if Mama kept up.

Hivelings buzzed on by nicking Mama as she cursed and brought up her nail for a feeble block, jerking forward as one slashed at her side.

Ghost huffed, leaping out of her arms, and took careful track of their inventory.

7 ruined flowers and no soul.

Damn.

They brought up their nail and swung at the small Hivelings, darting them away with practiced ease and keeping a careful eye on how much soul they were collecting.

They only needed a third of their container.

"Ghost, get behind me!" Herrah barked as the other bug swung forward.

Ghost scoffed silently, darting to the side and nailing the bug across their back, leaving a large welt that hemolymph spilled from.

Herrah balked and the bug screeched, forgoing Herrah in an effort to hit Ghost instead.

They darted forward with a fervor, nail primed and prepared as they slashed desperately, each one getting sloppier as Ghost picked through their defense.

Finally, Ghost clipped their side, running their blade through the bug's fur and snipping a good chunk off, ignoring the cry as the bug fell to their knees, clinging desperately to the orange stained hemolymph as if it would help.

Mama stepped forward, nail raised high in an effort to end them but Ghost shook their head.

"They will heal and come back stronger," Mama argued. "We must finish the job."

Ghost stood firm and shook their head once more, nail flicking against the orange infection.

Her eight eyes wandered to the infection, face twisting in disgust. Her claw flicked a splatter of hemolymph onto the floor, right next to the wheezing bug.

Ghost winced, crooning softly in apology as they brought out the wilted petals of the flower they had.

"I'm afraid a full flower is better for a burial," Herrah whispered lowly, but Ghost only squeaked in defiance.

With a burst of soul, they entwined their magic within the petals, letting a bouquet of flowers grow within their palms. it was much easier the more Ghost did this.

With a triumphant squeak, they settled seven of the flowers within their void, letting a single one lay in the claws of the bug still gasping slowly. With another burst of magic, they helped heal the cut on their side, enough so it wasn't spilling hemolymph everywhere, before glancing back at Mama.

Her face was drawn in, oddly. A shaky breath slowly eased its way out of her lungs.

"You…" Her voice was somber, almost withdrawn. "You really are your mother's child."

Ghost chirped curiously, tilting their head.

She gave a hesitant smile, resting a claw on their head.

Ghost was shown glimpses of a tall bug with white roots. She was very pretty and very bright!

"I wish you could have met her." The words were quoted but seemed to echo in the chamber. "Lets… let's leave, let the dead be."

Ghost rumbled, glancing towards the bugs with an odd amount of determination.

The chamber smelt less and less like death and decay.

They smacked Mama's leg and pointed at the ground, moving towards the exit.

Herrah blinked slowly.

"You… want me to stay?"

Ghost nodded, glancing at the two bugs laying deathly still but still breathing.

They needed someone, someone more than Ghost, and a familiar face.

Ghost didn't know any of these creatures, didn't remember a single face or name.

But Mama did.

She knew them long before she went to sleep. She knew them when they were moving and alive and a friend was what they needed.

Herrah hesitated, glancing around before giving a terse nod.

"I'll try," It was a hollow promise that Ghost knew she wouldn't keep. "Be safe out there?"

Ghost smiled at her, the best way they could.

With that, they turned and left.

Maybe it was time to read into the City of Tears, hopefully, they had more history written down than any other place.