Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A final lash dealt to the radiant being. A final scream that filled the darkness surrounding it. Dream essence bubbling away around the dying light. Then, at last, sheer black coating all of Ghost's vision.

That was how it had ended. Void seeping from the floors of the kingdom, rushing toward the Abyss. As quickly as it had risen to them, it fell back down to rest in the lake. Ghost's siblings vanished, the dreamscape destroyed. The Radiance fallen. The infection had lifted. Hallownest was, in some manner, saved.

It would be the perfect ending to a story for Ghost to return to the Abyss. To allow themself somewhat eternal rest, to let themself lie down in the lake. To fade away eventually to all thoughts and memories.

Had they not fulfilled their purpose after all was done?

Their vision returned as they awoke in the Black Egg Temple. Hornet gently bandaging the crack Hollow had splitting through their mask, holding their head as she did so. She had tears running down her own, and she was speaking softly to them. She seemed to be soothing them, in her own way, and reminiscing on how long it had been since she had seen them. How sorry she was that they had to go through all this.

Hollow was silent, but listening with intent. They were slightly nodding to what she said every now and then, to which Hornet got upset with as it messed up her progress. She suggested they sign yes with their hand if they felt like responding instead, but Hollow still occasionally dipped their head in response.

It was nice to see Hollow had rid themself of the infection and managed to live. They were not okay though, that was clear. Void ran down from their injuries and bubbled up around them. They would survive though.

To see Hornet okay, too, was relieving. To know she had lived despite the conditions of battle and the harshness of how she had been thrown.

Ghost watched for only a bit longer before turning their attention to their broken mask, split in two. Their cloak was completely torn down the middle, their charms scattered around on the ground. A small puddle of void and their soul canisters laying on the floor. Their nail dropped by the side of it.

They could leave everything like this. Have everyone in Hallownest presume them dead, leave their siblings to return to some semblance of what was supposed to be a normal life. Peace befalling the kingdom as it once was.

That was not going to happen, truthfully. There must be so many bugs led astray, disoriented and confused. Their siblings were tired, they knew. Hornet, despite all her experience as a warrior and protector, knew nothing about ruling a kingdom. Hollow was raised to only contain the Radiance, so the time spent with Pale King was nothing that would help them to rule a kingdom either.

Sure, Ghost was even further from the knowledge of how to do that than their siblings, but they might be able to help. If nothing else then at least with protection.

Ghost could not fade away now.

They may not be entirely sure what their goal would be. They may not even know what they are doing now. They do know that their siblings needed them. They do know that they should at least try to fix what was broken if it was possible, rather than throw away the chance.

They moved over to their mask, lifting it up with their void tendrils. They had experienced cracks in their mask before, but never so bad. They had never been forced out of their shell this way before either. 

They scooped up their soul canisters with a loosely formed hand which was something new. They used the rest of the soul from the canisters to repair the cracks, seaming them up carefully. Ghost finally slid silently into the mask, allowing their form to bind with the mask. They quietly fell to the floor, catching themself with their hands, unnoticed by Hornet or Hollow.

Ghost was pleasantly surprised to find they had managed to form genuine fingers now, which would make it a lot easier to hold things.

They lifted up the Void Heart charm first, grabbing their cloak in their other hand. Their cloak had looked torn and ripped before, but never so terribly. Ghost had no idea how to sew either, so that was something they would have to look into later.

For now, they used their Void Heart charm to clip it together. They began gathering up all their little charms and stuffing them in their cloak. They tucked their mantis claw where it belonged, a few relics, their now-empty void canisters, and their other trinkets.

They lifted their nail and it drug across the floor, clattering as they tried to lift it as quickly as possible so they would stop making the horrible noise. They slid it where it belonged behind them and then…

"Ghost?" Hornet's voice pierced the air.

Hollow and Hornet were staring at them with expressions of what Ghost recognized to be disbelief. Everything felt frozen for a moment, silence consuming everything. It was unsettling almost, they could swear that a pebble falling from Dirtmouth could be heard here. 

Hornet dropped the wrapping she was holding and rushed toward Ghost. Had they not known better, they would have thought this was an attempt on their life and rolled out of her way. Instead, they stood perfectly still and let her run to them.

She immediately flung them into her arms. A hand went over their head protectively and she pulled them in close. This was something Ghost had not yet experienced, something that was kind of nice. They had no idea what to do, though, so they very carefully tried as best as they could to wrap one of their arms over hers in return. It did not work so well. They immediately regretted their move when she made a choked-up sound.

Even though it was dark, they could still feel a shadow looming over them as Hornet held this position. They looked up to see Hollow who promptly swung both of their siblings into their arm.

Well this was a nice family reunion, and there was far less fighting or attempts to kill each other than usual.

"I swear your mask was… Broken in two." Hornet said in a softer tone than they were used to hearing her in.

For someone who tried to kill them twice and never wanted to help them reach the Radiance to slay her, she seemed to care a lot. She had come to help them in the end, and she did guide them to this place. They supposed she did really care. 

They looked up to see black tears leaking from Hollow's one eye which was exposed, Hornet had covered up the other with the bandage. Ghost tried to mimic what they were doing with their own eyes. It was a bit tough to do, but it quickly felt natural.

"I could not… I am… I am glad you are alive…" Hornet finally broke the hug, prompting Hollow to do the same.

"You look terrible though, goodness…" Hornet wiped at her face with her arm.

They looked down at themself and copied what she was doing, wiping the void-tears from their eyes. Hornet's expression seemed to be soft for a moment watching them mimic her but she seemed to stiffen up immediately after.

"Alright. Alright…" She stood up and brushed herself off, straightening her posture and picking her needle up from the floor behind her.

"We should… We should get out of here. Check on the citizens, see if anyone survived." Hornet said, her voice stabilized as she did so.

Hollow moved closer to Ghost and they looked up at them completely confused. It took a minute for them to remember Hollow had not actually left this temple in years, and that before that, they had not really left the palace. When Hollow had left that place, it was typically for small visits and such, It would make sense for them to be nervous.

Ghost offered their hand to Hollow and they gave Ghost a finger to hold. They looked back at Hornet who was watching with a slightly amused look. She took a deep breath to stifle a laugh.

"Okay, let's go." She said, motioning toward the door.

-

The trio of very tired siblings made their way through the Crossroads toward Dirtmouth. Ghost was surprised to see so many bugs around with none trying to hurt them. Most were holding their heads in pain, some slumped against walls, others face down in the dirt trying to push themselves up but ultimately failing. It would be a distressing sight if it was not for the fact that this was the better alternative.

Had these bugs not been near incapacitated now, they would be dead. It seemed the infection had not proved fatal for those who were living while under its possession. There were still a few of the fallen lying around, but those were ones which tried to kill Ghost and failed. Ghost did feel a bit bad when someone would cry out a name in pain, recognizing whoever the dead bug was.

Despite the occasional sad sight, there were many bugs that would half-run or limp excitedly toward each other. Some were family, some were friends. Many of them both seemed relieved and confused and also amazed when they met with one another. It was a sweet sight to see, and good to see so many still alive.

A large majority of the bugs did stare at the trio with curiosity, suspicion, and worry. It would make sense, considering how big Hollow was compared to most of the bugs. It made sense, too, because of how battered all of them looked. Hollow was still bubbling with void, Hornet had void and blood stains on her clothing, Ghost's cloak had been torn up and stained with similar things.

To anyone who had no idea what had just taken place, and no one did, they must seem intimidating. If they were not intimidating then they were definitely at least a wonder. Ghost could only imagine how three very tired, very injured bugs, one of which was giving off particles of black, would look to everyone.

So they ignored the stares.

Hollow curled their finger a little and Ghost tightened their grip on it. This must be a bit nerve wracking, especially if any of these bugs recognized them as the knight which was supposed to stay in the temple they had just left. They had a bit of a tremble to them, which Ghost tried their best to soothe but had no idea how.

Ghost led the way to the stag station, knowing well that neither of their siblings had the energy to leap up a well right now. When they reached the stag station the stag instantly turned to them and set foot on the platform. For a second, Ghost wondered if the stag was going to jump up and kill them. They noticed Hornet reach hesitantly for her needle.

"Little one, you have brought friends? Not that I am complaining, you know. I am just astounded." The stag spoke and Ghost watched Hornet instantly relax. Hollow moved closer to Ghost though.

"Hello old stag, I am Hornet- I believe we met briefly?" She spoke as Ghost patted Hollow's hand.

"Yes I do believe so. Protector of Hallownest if I am not mistaken? It's guardian?" The stag seemed to lean a bit closer to the platform. 

"Yes, Hornet. These are my siblings, I am sure you have met this one, since you referred to them." Hornet gestured to Ghost. "I call them Ghost, though I do not believe I know if that is the name they…" She looked down at Ghost.

Ghost gave a little thumbs up. They did not really mind that name. They also did not really mind being called 'Knight' or 'Wanderer' or just 'Little Friend' as they had been referred to before. But Ghost was fitting to some degree to them. They did appear like one sometimes, and now they really felt like one- having basically come back from the dead.

"Yes, Ghost works. And this is Hollow." Hornet gently set a hand on Hollow's shoulder.

"Lovely! I am sure you all have heard of the news? Or perhaps seen it. That awful sickness seems to have gone from here!" The stag spoke in a tone so similar to the one he used when Ghost had gone to the old stag nest.

"Yes, it is very good, after so long…" Hornet dipped her head to agree with him.

"And, I should not tell you this…" The stag paused. "Since they are going to need a bit to adjust and cannot yet join me on the tracks… But oh- I do need to share it. Some of the stags have returned back to the nest!" He cheered quietly.

"That truly is wonderful." Hornet nodded to him.

"Yes- and oh goodness I have rambled a bit too long." The stag took his foot off the platform and set it back on the track. "Where are you off to?"

Hornet looked at Ghost as if to double check some unspoken instruction. Ghost had no idea why she was doing this and assumed it to be a staring contest, which they would absolutely win. Hornet turned away quickly.

"Dirtmouth, please." Hornet said, holding a tone of polite awkwardness and shot a confused look at Ghost.

"Of course! Let us be on our way then, shall we?" The stag said and looked to Hollow, seemingly nervous about Hollow's size.

Ghost was pretty sure but not entirely sure that Hollow could fit. If Hollow tucked their legs in and ducked their head a little.

Hornet hopped onto the stag and helped Hollow up. Ghost got onto it after Hollow situated themself, looking very stiff and box-like. Ghost found it easy to fit in between their siblings and soon the stag got moving. 

It was not a long trip before Ghost was desperately running toward the platform to exit the station. Hornet called for them to slow down and they did, despite being bothered by having to do so. Finally Hornet and Hollow caught up and Ghost flew up the platform and rushed outside.

They ran directly toward Elderbug. They were excited to see how he was doing, knowing how much he struggled before with having no one. Elderbug immediately stood up straighter when he saw Ghost and then bent down.

"Look at you! Look at you!!! Have you seen everything, little friend! So many new bugs in town, and that sickly stench has vanished from the air!" He spoke with so much joy, it reminded Ghost of the time they had gifted him the flower, which Elderbug still held. He looked like he was beaming.

Ghost nudged Elderbug with a hand gently and Elderbug rested his hand on their head. Hornet and Hollow were making their way over to Elderbug as well.

"Ah! Have you heard the delightful news?" Elderbug asked with excitement.

"Yes, we made that possible- our little friend here made that possible." Hornet gestured to Ghost.

"You?" Elderbug looked down at Ghost in a bit of awe.

Ghost nodded and Elderbug lifted his hand. Ghost tilted their head a bit wondering why he had done that.

"I knew you were capable of great feats to have survived down there so long, but to… To clear all of it? All of that sickness?" Elderbug seemed shocked.

"I am not sure if the name Radiance rings any bells to you, but they have slain her, which seems to have caused the infection to disappear." Hornet told him and he looked at her oddly.

"I have only read of that old moth goddess in stories- I am impressed…" Elderbug looked at Ghost again.

They felt proud of their accomplishment if it meant he was proud of them. They started wondering what other bugs they knew might be proud of them. Maybe the nail masters? Sheo? Lemm? Quirrel?

Then their thoughts spiraled. If all these bugs were alive and well, would that mean Myla was too? They had to check and see, and soon. Maybe she would sing them another song if she was? They knew little about her but she was kind to them.

"Ah, you all do look awfully exhausted and messy though, it makes sense now that you have told me that, but you must want something new to wear, right?" Elderbug was saying as Ghost pulled themself out of their thoughts.

"I do plan on getting new cloaks made, but it unfortunately cannot be a priority until I figure out what to do with this kingdom." Hornet sighed.

"Ah… But perhaps it would be good to focus on clothing first? If you look so battered and bloody while trying to recover a kingdom, I do not believe people will think you to be so powerful." Elderbug suggested.

"I just wish my mother was here, or even Pale King. I was not a fan of his methods, but in the end he knew how to rule. Not to mention so many bugs loved him. It would be easy to regain a following. My mother knew how to rule too but she is…" Hornet trailed off.

Elderbug moved to comfort Hornet and Ghost began to wonder. None of them knew how to rule or even organize a kingdom, that was true. It would take so much trial and error to achieve it that they might fail in it all together and this would be for nothing. Not to mention, there were very few records of what Pale King even did during his time ruling, there were little to no clues around to help. Any of the dreamers could assist, Ghost was sure, but they simply were not there.

Ghost tapped their foot, trying to think and ignored all noise around them. Then they heard their dream nail tapping against their other trinkets. They lifted it from out of their cloak and threw out the blade.

If they could use this to get into dreams and places, and take things such as charms out, they surely could use it to…

They put it back into their cloak. That would be a hard feat to pull off if it was possible, and they would need something to tie each bug to the physical plane most likely. The dreamers original masks were destroyed, but maybe copies could…

They had some idea of a plan now.

Ghost moved over to Hornet and tugged on her, which she responded to by snapping her gaze onto them. They pointed at themself and then the well. They had to start working on this now, since there was no telling what could happen when every bug regained full consciousness.

"You really must go, huh? I swear, I see you for a few minutes and you disappear for days." She sighed and knelt down. "If you really have to, go then. But please. Do not do anything stupid- and no killing living bugs alright? I know your instinct."

Ghost dipped their head as a thank-you and an agreement. They walked over to Hollow and quickly gave them a tiny pat on the shoulder. Hollow looked at them for a moment and then set their hand on Ghost's head for a brief moment before removing it.

Ghost hoped Hollow would adapt to all the noise soon. Even more, that Hollow would stay close to Hornet if they got overwhelmed- maybe Hornet would bring them somewhere quiet.

With that, Ghost leapt down the well with their next purpose to fulfill.

Chapter Text

Ghost had decided they would get the least frustrating part out of the way. They drew each of the dreamer's masks on a piece of paper while heading to Deepnest. The drawing was not the best drawing ever, it was kind of crude from how rushed it had been. It also had wobbly lines since they did it while they were walking, but it got the point down pretty well.

They carried the piece of paper with a certain confidence though they felt that this might not work. They could only guess what would happen and go off their guess. No matter how unrealistic that guess was (and it was). The sooner they got this done, and most likely failed to do it, the sooner they could figure out something else.

They slid down into Deepnest at last, navigating a short way to the Mask Maker's shop. This would be either a long visit or a short one depending on if the two started a game of charades. Ghost doubted it would lead to that, but there was no telling. They moved quietly through the doorway.

Either the Mask Maker had not noticed them, or did not really care that they were there. Ghost watched the gaze of the Mask Maker, which was entirely consumed in their work. It was admirable, how trained they were on the mask in their hands. Ghost had no idea how they managed to do that without constantly looking over their shoulder.

Ghost supposed everyone had different instincts.

Ghost pulled out the paper they had drawn on which was now crinkled, even though they had rolled it up. They opened it and double checked to make sure everything was as it should be. They pulled out a bit of geo to place on top of the paper.

They had never had a need for any of the wares sold here before. They had a mask- or face- of their own. They had never sought for something new- and now they were going to request something that might make them stupid (but that did not matter to them). 

Ghost slid the paper and geo onto the counter carefully. The Mask Maker stopped with such an abrupt manner that made them wonder if they were going to be attacked. It was a long moment of silence before they lifted the piece of paper with one hand, tucked the geo away, and pulled out instruments.

Ghost sat and watched the maker go to work, still admiring the focus. How had they survived so long without ever looking over their shoulder? Without looking away from their craft? Ghost was not even sure the Mask Maker ever had a door . They continued to watch the masks slowly take shape while a tingling of a new emotion hit them, something similar to regret or worry.

They hoped that all their efforts would prove fruitful. If they turned up nothing with all this, they would have wasted all this time- and now geo- for nothing.

The Mask Maker beckoned them forward and Ghost moved toward the counter. They slid the masks over the counter with a gentle push. Then they locked eyes with Ghost for maybe one of the first times ever.

"I make faces for those who have none. I make faces for those who wish to change their own. Never, in so long my working years, have I been asked to make faces for those who have already gone. I know not what your intentions are, I hope they are not sick. This seems vile to do, to make things such as this for those who can not use them. To waste craftsmanship. But something tells me to do this. Do not waste my kindness on misdeeds." The Mask Maker spoke for maybe the longest time Ghost had ever heard them speak.

Ghost lifted the masks and dipped their head slowly. They assumed that to request a mask of the dead was something taboo, like drinking lifeblood (which they had done anyway). They would not do anything awful with these though. They hoped, at least.

If this would not work, they could give each mask to the people they were most important to. Herrah's to Hornet, Monomon's to Quirrel… Now that they thought about it, Lurien did not exactly have a pupil or a child or anything like that. They could try to give it to one of Lurien's servants? Maybe the one in his tower? If all else failed they could put it on display somewhere in the city. 

They looked back only once before exiting the shop to see the Mask Maker had already picked up another mask to work on. They seemed to resume as though Ghost had never been there at all.

-

Ghost walked off the platform of the Hidden Station. They had rested the masks they carried on the bench, knowing well no bug would traverse this way. The stag had left the second they jumped off to heed the call of another bell. They grabbed their dream nail and moved toward the exit. This was the arguably harder part of their challenge.

They approached the very broken, near unrecognizable corpse of the kingsmould. They knew full well what was inside it's memory, what little it had left now. From previous experience, they had a feeling this would be their final chance to see the palace as it was. After the path of pain and the general climb to the king's throne, they would not miss it.

Ghost drug out their dream nail and swung it against the old guard. Their vision was consumed by pale light, blinding them for a minute. When it cleared they were standing on the floor of the atrium in the White Palace. It was quiet for now, aside from the murmurs of the king's royal retainers. 

They moved up toward the moving platform, quickly making their way across. The sound of saw blades and rising spikes gave them a new emotion, but one they could not place. They climbed up as quickly as was possible for this horrible place. 

Fumbling through thorns, sharp spikes, sawblades, and various moving instruments of what felt like actual torture. The further they went the further they noted to themself that if ever there was another palace built, it would have significantly less of all these things. Preferably, absolutely zero of any of these things would be present.

They finally reached the top after a longer struggle than was desired. The king was exactly where Ghost had left him last, on the floor. Cold and lifeless. They wondered what truly had killed the king, perhaps the void had come to claim him. Considering the state of his palace, it was the best they could assume.

They moved toward him with a little hesitation, they hated to look at him. They did not have good feelings about him for personal reasons, but they knew he was at least capable of ruling. If so many bugs loved him, then he must have at least been a good king.

They needed something from him now though. They just did not know entirely what. They stared at him for a long time in the growing silence. 

Finally they grabbed a hold of one of the spikes on his head. They felt odd doing this but it did not really matter. They lifted it but quickly realized that was not going to get them what they needed. They set a foot on his head and pulled with their hands.

A crack split lightly and echoed around the room. They felt the dreamscape shake underneath them. They needed to hurry up with this. They worked harder to break this small chunk off as the dream began to fall apart.

The crack split farther and farther down his head. Finally, they heard a loud pop and fell backward toward the floor. The dream shook for a final time before it completely fell apart.

They woke up in shock, jumping up and backward immediately and nearly tripping over the ground. They got their bearings straight after a moment and shook themself to resituate themself. They looked down at their hand and then immediately threw whatever was in it before they thought about it. Regret.

They realized they had just thrown a very important spike. It worked! And now it was laying haphazardly on the ground! Oh dear.

They quickly moved to pick it up. They paused to look at the now entirely unrecognizable kingsmould. It was barely identifiable before, and now it seemed to be a puddle with no form, even the armor crumbled. It was entirely useless for dream hopping now. Something about the sight of it was almost sad. They could not linger on that though, they had places to be.

They picked up the spike of the floor and walked purposefully toward the stag station. It was so close to time to see if this would work or fail horribly. The possibilities of the outcome were limitless. They could simply fail, or succeed. Or they could potentially fall into a coma. Or they could accidentally destroy all their surroundings. Or various other possibilities.

Either way they were definitely going to get hit over the head by the Seer if she found out what they were doing. They knew well that she would.

They lifted the dreamers masks from the bench they had set them on and moved back out of the room. To avoid running the risk of destroying something important, they should do it here, where everything was already ruined. 

They had learned a new trick to help them with their lack of extra hands from their battle with the Radiance, too. They lifted each mask up by a void tendril and spaced them each a bit apart. With the void so close below them, it was easy to let them rise from the ground. They also held the shard of the kings skull by one, feeling a bit anxious around while doing so though they were unsure why.

They lifted their dream nail in their hand. Now it was time to potentially give up everything they worked for. They drew the blade and lifted it up, slowly dragging it through the air around each mask. They infused the blade with soul as they did so, watching the circles that followed them into dreamscapes fill the air. They thought for a second that they might be asleep but continued to do this potentially stupid thing anyway.

They held the dream nail upward as if they were going to hop to a dream gate. The soul grew brighter, the circles around them spun quickly and began to pulse. Ghost tried to focus their own mind on each of the dreamers and the Pale King. What they looked like, what they sounded like, what they were . Each mask began to glow with a certain color. Green, deep purple, blue… And then the shard had a faint white glow.

They finally thrust the nail upward and immediately they were thrown backward. A loud sound similar to the chime they heard when they would enter dreams or exit them. They got knocked out.

-

"-None of us know, okay? Stop asking." A voice became audible as Ghost's vision began to return.

"I think that thing is waking up, should we go?" A different voice spoke.

"I recognize it, hold on, are you awake, little thing? Are you alright?" Yet another voice said, but directly to them.

The feeling of something touching their arm was what ultimately woke them up. They jumped dizzily to their feet and focused on whatever had been touching them. A large… uoma? It looked nothing like uoma. No, that was Monomon.

Oh, wait.

Behind Monomon was a large spider, something that, in Ghost's mind, resembled a lampshade, and a fork. On closer inspection it was Herrah, Lurien, and the king. It had actually worked! They had done it! They realized a little too late that they were involuntarily bouncing with excitement.

The four beings in front of them were staring in confusion. Monomon had a bit of concern mixed in her face but that did not really matter.

"You all realize that if we are alive and here right now, and awake. We have failed. We have just released the infection! Ha! Is that funny, or am I going mad!?" Lurien spoke up as if he had not even acknowledged Ghost at all, his voice had a quiver of worry. The sarcasm in his voice was well-defined by his panicked grip of his mask.

"I am aware." Herrah sighed and rubbed her forehead with two fingers.

"Are you also aware this is one of Pale King's vessels? One of the ones that was supposed to be thrown in a pit? To be sealed away for eternity? And it is standing right in front of us. Bouncing even." Monomon was saying with a little bit of amusement in her curiosity.

"Nothing was supposed to get out. I thought you promised they would remain down there?" Herrah had an aggressive tone but did not display her anger physically.

"Do not look at me as if I know why it is here- I do not even know why I am here! I am pretty sure I was…" Pale King's voice trailed off.

Hearing his voice without it being something about being a hollow knight and sealing away blinding light for all eternity was an awfully strange thing. It was not exactly off-putting, but it was extremely odd.

Ghost lifted their dream nail off the floor while the group continued to bicker. The blade still drew out, but it was extremely drained of essence. It flickered once and then twice when it opened but remained stable after. Seer would not be too happy with that, they noted as they put it away.

Ghost had not thought this through actually, now they had no idea how to get these much larger beings to follow them to the stag station. Could they even ride the stag? Pale King absolutely could, probably Lurien too. Those two were pretty short. Maybe they could fold Monomon in a certain way and curl Herrah up.

Ghost clapped their hands as hard as they could to make some noise to gain their attention. They had been listening to these four argue back and forth about their theories and hypotheticals as to why they were here- and for too long . They watched the beings' attention center on them again.

They pointed toward the stag station and motioned that they go toward it. The four beings stood in silence and just stared.

"You want us to… Go with you somewhere? To that?" Monomon had a squint and looked in the direction they had pointed in.

Ghost nodded quickly.

"That sounds like a terrible idea-" Lurien was saying but Monomon quickly shut him up.

"You do realize they may be the only thing that could help us get to the bottom of what happened right? Which includes why we are here, at the foot of a broken palace, when we should be seals to the door of the temple. They could help us." Monomon whispered, looking over at Ghost every now and then.

Lurien looked from Ghost to Monomon to Herrah to Pale King.

"She is right." Herrah nodded.

"No matter how much I wish I could disagree." Pale King added to Herrah's sentence.

"Scholars." Lurien grumbled, which was taken as an agreement.

Ghost led the way over to the stag station with the dreamers following them. They were whispering to each other but they did not care enough to know about what. They rang the bell and shortly after the stag came sliding in. His eyes immediately widened as he saw their guests.

"What are-" He went to say but Ghost pointed vigorously at the map.

"To the point we are then! I will figure it out on my own." The stag said quickly as Ghost leapt over onto the seat and motioned for the beings to follow them. 

The dreamers and the king did was Ghost had instructed, and they heard Monomon whisper something about the stag not being infected. There was wonder in her voice, a delightful wonder.

As each was settled, they were off to Dirtmouth.

-

Ghost got off the stag and began moving toward the lift. They had the dreamers and the king follow them up. Maybe they should have gotten someone like Hornet to watch this happen, because now this would be hard to explain. It was at this very moment Ghost decided they would have to eventually learn proper sign language and also how to write correctly. That would help a lot in conversation.

They walked out of the stag station to be immediately picked up by Hollow who held them like a bag full of rancid eggs. They stared into Ghost's eyes and they could only guess that this was their way of saying hello. The two would definitely have to work out something less awkward for a greeting, and something that did not involve slinging Ghost around.

Then they got dropped on the ground abruptly which hurt a fair amount. Ghost stood up and brushed themself off to notice Hollow had caught sight of Pale King and the dreamers and was now entirely frozen. They sort of lowered themself into a sitting position as they watched the king. Ghost slid around them to get Hornet's attention.

Clapping worked pretty well to get anyone to turn in their direction, they were learning. Hornet locked onto Ghost and moved toward them. 

"You are back! I thought I would not see you for another-" Hornet froze looking over them at last. "... Millennia." She muttered and moved forward slowly. 

"Mother?" She said quietly as she approached Herrah.

Herrah was staring at her daughter with a very delicate state of emotion. She looked on the verge of tears, like any more words might make her break the cold expression she wore. Hornet reached out a hand and Herrah slowly took it.

"My daughter…" Herrah said in barely a whisper. "You have survived and… You have grown." She rested one hand on Hornet's forehead.

The other two dreamers watched the mother and daughter reunite, Monomon watched with a happy look, but Lurien just seemed annoyed. Pale King and Hollow, on the other hand, had their gazes locked on one another and neither made a single motion to get closer. The looks they gave each other held so much tension it felt like you could trip over it if you walked between them.

Ghost moved over to Hollow and put a hand on their side, to which they did not react at all. Pale King seemed unable to break away from staring at them. It felt like either one of them might lunge at each other at once.

Herrah and Hornet had changed focus to look at Hollow and the king, so had Monomon and Lurien. Everyone was watching the two, actually. The entirety of Dirtmouth had never been more silent, even in the height of the infection.

"You failed." The king spoke quietly, every word he spoke was laced with a harsh disappointment. 

Hollow stared at him.

"You failed." The king repeated as he took one step forward as if he was about to fall. "You could not contain her, so you left. You left and put… how many bugs in danger?" 

"It was not their fault, you cannot blame them for it." Hornet moved between the king and Hollow.

"Then who am I to blame? Perhaps myself, for even thinking it a possibility? For wasting my time?"  his tone was bitter.

"It is you to blame for not trying another solution, or for picking such a cruel one. We all know you were desperate, you do not have to try to justify your actions." Hornet sent a glare toward him.

"Why am I here? How am I here? How are any of us here?" The Pale King redirected the conversation.

"That is a good question." Hornet looked at Ghost. "How might that be?"

Ghost tapped at their mask, then pointed at the dreamers and the king. They then llifted their dream nail in the air and wound soul around it like they were going to do it again, though they quickly stopped before they could. They tilted their head slightly and put the dream nail away. 

Hornet looked at them, still slightly confused.

"You took their masks… and used the dream nail and some soul?" Hornet tried guessing their mime and Ghost nodded quickly.

"Well, that is your answer." Hornet turned back toward Pale King.

"I do not know why it matters anyway, I do not know why I asked. It is over! It was all for nothing! My vessel failed, the infection has surely taken over! We are all doomed anyway!" The king's voice rose as he spoke. 

"The infection is gone." Hornet said shortly and everything went quiet again.

"What?" Monomon was the first to speak.

"Did… They succeed?" The Pale King's tone changed 

"If they succeeded, they would not be free, and none of you would be here." Hornet responded plainly.

There was another long moment of silence. Ghost walked forward and felt as though their footsteps were louder than usual. They stopped beside Hornet and looked up at her.

"Hollow failed their original purpose, yes, but they held out long enough to let one of your other vessels find them. They fought their way through this kingdom and managed to cut down the Radiance. When they managed to tire Hollow, I helped to immobilize them while this little one used the opportunity to reach the Radiance." Hornet put a hand on Ghost's head.

"Ghost of Hallownest." She nudged them slightly.

"THEIR NAME IS GHOST?" a new voice shouted in shock. A very familiar voice. The kind of voice you run to immediately after you hear it. Quirrel's voice.

Hornet stared at Quirrel as he came running over with… What seemed to be… Lemm? In tow.

"I suppose…?" Hornet said, in a bit of shock and confusion. "I named them that… They respond to it and- I mean. You like that name?" She stared at Ghost, asking them this question for a second time.

They yet again gave her a thumbs up.

"Aww that is a sweet thing! I have been calling them… Uh… Little Wanderer, or Little Friend? The Knight sometimes… But that seems like a good name for them! And- they did all that you say? Ehm…" Quirrel paused as he realized what exactly Hornet had said.

"My scholar? Monomon spoke in a trembling voice and Quirrel jumped and turned. Then he froze in his spot.

"Madam?... You are…" Quirrel quickly turned and shook Lemm, who had been quietly watching in amazement until now. "I AM NOT HALLUCINATING? RIGHT? LEMM?" His voice was loud and full of panic.

"No! No, stop shaking me! I see her too, we all do!" Lemm shouted and grabbed Quirrel's hands and threw them back at him.

Quirrel slowly faced her again. Monomon had her tentacles coiled back as if she was afraid to touch him.

"How wonderful it is to see you again…" She said to Quirrel with a warm voice and Quirrel's eyes seemed to widen.

"Agreed." He tilted his head slightly to the side in a fond way. 

"Ah, reunions…" Ghost heard Elderbug say quietly from somewhere behind them.

"IS NO ONE ELSE SHOCKED THIS TINY THING SAVED HALLOWNEST WHEN MY FINEST VESSEL COULD NOT?" Pale King yelled desperately and flung up his arms.

All the attention turned to Hornet who let out a frustrated sigh and threw her hand against her head.

Chapter Text

Hornet had finished explaining the whole event to the entirety of Dirtmouth while a few interested individuals wrote down the recounting. Ghost had to mimic a few of the events that went on with them and the Radiance, where Hornet had not seen. She did a good job of telling the story even though she was no story teller, and had never had to recount something so big of an event before. Pale King had been holding his head in his hands as if he was having a headache.

"So that's it? It all failed and…" The king shook his head. "Well I guess it didn't entirely fail." He turned to Ghost and then away again.

"I'm sure you can live happily knowing, at least, that the goddess you despised so much is dead and your kingdom is saved… Even if the one you intended to be the one to save the kingdom did not entirely do it themself." Hornet said with a tilt to her head.

"Besides, without Hollow we would not have been able to reach the Radiance as it was. In a way, they did not fail at all. They were very much successful in her defeat. The one who had sleign her was of your blood, too, if that is any tribute.” Hornet added after a moment of thought and the Pale King looked at her with almost an absence of emotion.

“I suppose that is true…” The Pale King stopped and gave Hollow an almost fond expression. Hollow seemed to recognize it, Pale King quickly broke it to think of something else, however.

“So, is that really all that-” The king stopped as his eyes fell on a structure toward the edge of Dirtmouth. “Gods, tell me that is not what I think it is, or that I am in fact hallucinating.” His voice held a tone similar to ones bugs held before they would start a fight.

“The Troupe tents? Oh, that is unfortunately not a mirage, or your brain playing tricks on you.” Hornet said with a deep sigh.

“What is your problem with the Troupe?” Quirrel, who had been talking quietly to Monomon previously chimed into the conversation.

“Annoying-” Hornet said, getting cut off by the king, “Frustrating, unreasonable individuals, who proclaim themselves gods of nightmares, for which they are- especially my nightmares . They are some of the worst, most disgusting, annoying, and despicable-” He was ranting before a large plume of flame appeared in the center of the odd gathering.

“I did not know the king was alive, nor did I know he would come back to talk badly about those who are right across town. How rude.” Grimm said as the flame burned away to properly reveal him. He was looking indirectly at the Pale King.

“To be perfectly fair, I did not know you were alive either, nor did I know you were in my kingdom… Again .” The Pale King rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

“Oh wonderful, they know each other.” Herrah spoke with a frustration-heavy tone.

“Yes and how is that? How is it that they know each other? What is their history?” Lurien was asking quickly in a sort of desperate way. “You sure ask a lot of questions.” Monomon said as if she was noting something.

“We were not friends if that is what you are wondering.” Grimm said, narrowing his eyes at Lurien. Lurien seemed relieved for some reason, but also insulted.

“In fact, far from it, you were one of the most annoying bugs in my entire kingdom. Constantly babbling about your ritual, even when I was not the one who lit the torch and…” Pale King trailed off. “The ritual.” he muttered.

“Oh yes, that took place, at last. Your uh… That one…” Grimm pointed to Ghost. “Lit the torch for us and proceeded to do the dance to feed the child. It was bothersome to keep the child around that long without someone to properly feed it, you know.”

“My kingdom was falling apart , I was busy with my own children, you could have easily fed it yourself instead of waiting for someone to come do your errands for you.” Pale King told him off. “Besides that- they did the ritual for you ?” he turned to look at Ghost.

Ghost gave a nod, feeling like they were watching some kind of dramatic opera play be performed right in front of them. They had just been listening to everyone yell at each other and been taking in the conversation. It was kind of awkward, really.

“Yes, they completed the ritual- mostly anyway, well…” Grimm paused. “I guess they do not need to anymore, something strange occurred after the Radiance, clearly, had fallen.” he was saying. “I am not dead, so it is proof enough that something extremely odd happened.”

“What do you mean?” The king stared at him with an unwavering gaze.

Grimm motioned toward Ghost who had no idea what this meant. Ghost looked blankly at him, hoping Grimm would be more specific about what exactly they were supposed to do. This was taking a while though, as Grimm was still seemingly waiting for something.

“The charm.” Grimm finally said with a sigh and motioned again.

It did not seem that hard for him to say instead of giving a vague motion.

Ghost pulled out the charm and noted it had changed since they last had checked it, now the eyes on it were the pink-ish red color of Grimm’s eyes, and the top was red. They did not really think about it but equipped it anyway, looking toward Grimm as they did so.

A small burst of flame appeared in front of Ghost and, for a moment, it felt like they were seeing double. It was as if a tiny version of Grimm had appeared and not the bug Ghost normally associated with the charm. Aside from being smaller than Grimm and having a… tail? The bug was almost exactly like Grimm.

“What the actual-” Hornet went to say before Herrah shut her up and the king said. “It… Looks exactly like you.”

“Well, I supposed they are supposed to look like me, they would be my replacement- I am supposed to be dead. They actually are not supposed to be in this stage either, with the legs and the arms and the speaking-” Grimm was saying.

“I can talk.” Grimmchild announced as if it was a big achievement.

“Yes but you are not supposed to be talking until you reached another stage- which clearly you skipped, ehm… GC.” Grimm said while shifting his gaze from them to the ground.

“And you are supposed to be dead.” Pale King said with a long pause.

“Yes, I am, that is what I do not understand. I can only imagine it has something to do with the death of the Radiance, especially being that she is- or was- a goddess of dreams.” Grimm said with pauses multiple times. “It does not make any sense to me but that is the only thing that changed, that another god fell.” he shrugged.

“Wonderful, I will now have to pray every night that there are not two nightmare gods roaming my kingdom, and that there is only one and his child.” Pale King sighed deeply.

“This is fascinating! I wonder, too, how it works- or what caused the change. It would be an interesting study.” Monomon was saying, clearly more in thought than she was in the conversation. “Well- in theory it would be an interesting study. I do not think we could ever know, being that the situation is over with, and that the information we would gather would be virtually useless now.”

Grimm watched her for a moment as GC trained their eyes on Ghost and stared at them. It was an odd type of stare and Ghost could not tell if GC was staring at them in a friendly way or a threatening way. They hoped it was in a friendly way.

“So you really did all I heard you did, when I was not-eaves-dropping?” they finally said to Ghost in something of a monotonous tone. Ghost nodded, they assumed GC meant the ordeal with the Radiance.

“I am mad that you did not take me with you.” GC said with a squint.

Ghost could hear others talking but was now trained on what GC was saying to them, which was frustrating since there were so many voices to focus on now. They regretted bringing all these people here in one place. They shrugged at what GC had told them, what did GC expect them to do anyway?

“Well, I guess I should be happy it is over? I guess.” GC said and turned back toward the group which was still talking.

“- Please silence your petty disagreements and arguing! It does not matter now, the kingdom needs to be focused on now, and what are we going to do about it.” Hornet had raised her voice to get their attentions.

“I intend to take my place on the throne again with my-” The Pale King went to talk and then abruptly stopped. “My Root… Where is she? Did she fall to the infection?” he asked quickly.

“Maybe she died, if she did there is no reason to mourn for her or look for her remains. Although I know you loved her, it would have occurred quite a while ago.” Lurien suggested with a tone Ghost did not exactly recognize.

Ghost tried desperately to sign to the group, which was not paying them any attention, that she was, in fact, alive. This failed, as the King kept muttering to himself and looking desperately at anyone except Ghost to answer his questions. Ghost looked toward GC, remembering that they once had gone together to see her. GC took the hint.

"She is alive, me and- uhm. Ghost. Went to see her once." GC said loud enough for the King to actually pay attention to what they were saying.

"She is? Where is she?" The King asked quickly, seemingly more excited about this information than anything else that had happened at all.

"The Queen’s Gardens. Kind of obvious, right?" GC answered with a slightly rude connotation to the way they said it.

"She… Did not move from there. This entire time." The Pale King said slowly. "She did not move."

"She is a giant root, where would she go?" Grimm interjected.

"Shut up at once." The King waved at him to shut him up and then looked toward Ghost then to Hornet, Hollow, Herrah sort of awkwardly, Monomon, Lurien, and then back to Ghost.

"I need to see her, make sure she is alright." Pale King said quietly, as if asking Ghost to be his secret tour guide or something.

"What about getting the kingdom in order? Am I the only one that cares! There are hundreds of bugs out there who have lost their friends, families- some who have even lost themselves ! They need guidance more than you need to see your wife again." Hornet was yelling now, clearly getting tired of whatever was going on here.

"Why can someone not cover for me? I can be back in just an hour or so and then come to aid. It has been years since the infection first sprung and people have been without guidance that long, why should one hour change anything?" The king asked.

"Maybe she is right, after all, there are so many bugs that need guidance, my king. You should stay and help." Lurien said in a very kind, almost fake, tone.

Quirrel, Lemm, and Monomon were in the same position as Ghost, awkwardly watching a group of people argue. Ghost realized it had been a while since they had given any thought toward Hollow and turned to look at their older sibling, who… appeared to be in a sleep-like state. It was boring to watch this many people fuss over small things, or just turn every topic into an argument regardless.

"-You could just send Ghost to retrieve her and stay here to help the citizens." Herrah said loudly.

Everyone seemed to turn to them. Ghost did not want to do any more errands but did not really object or care. They guessed this is what they signed up for by not just returning to the void at the end of the battle.

"I suppose that could work… Couldn't it?" The king said quietly and then nodded to Ghost with a wave of his hand as if to send them off.

"Would you take GC with you? I think they need to get out and stretch a bit. They have been… Running… All around the troupe." Grimm asked Ghost in a kinder way.

Ghost shrugged and turned on their heels toward the stag station with GC in tow as the loud, obnoxious fighting continued. They felt their mask might split in two if they had to listen to any more rambling anyways. They hoped this would be quick, relatively quiet, and easy, knowing fully well that none of those three hopes would come true.

-

Ghost and GC arrived in the Queen’s Gardens rather quickly, which was a relief. It was oddly quiet, many of the bugs that usually lunged to attack them or shoot spines at them were lying on the ground. It was strange to see so many of these once threatening bugs immobilized on the ground, holding their heads as if they were dizzy. Due to the fact that so many of these bugs were disoriented, confused, and tired, they paid very little attention to the two as they made their way through the garden. Even mantis petras made no moves to stop their progression, which made this almost boringly easy.

It was mostly quiet, which was odd too, aside from the beeping of platforms falling and the sound of plants swaying. Normally when they took GC anywhere there was nothing quiet about a trip. They guessed GC had learned to be more silent now that they had grown a bit more.

“So, this is really weird isn’t it?” GC broke the silence.

Well, it was not a bad kind of noise to hear. Maybe it would do some good to hear someone talk for a while, without at least 6 people screaming over each other at once.

“You know it is kind of nice, not having to be on guard, or having to fight every single bug you pass… Right?” GC asked, which was a question that was easy enough to respond to.

Ghost moved their hand to signal an agreement.

There was a long period of silence again as Ghost climbed their way through the path, followed closely by GC. They were getting close to where their mother was, it was just a short climb away. GC had stopped in their tracks and Ghost realized the sound of their footsteps had fallen short. They turned around and GC was staring at them.

“Is this going to be hard? I mean, how do you convince her that her husband- who she is pretty sure is dead- is alive? Plus without a way to directly communicate with her.” GC lacked a bit of emotion in their voice when they asked.

Ghost shrugged. It might be, but they had faced more challenging things before than going up to their mother and telling her that her husband was alive.

“I guess that is a good response.” GC began walking again.

Ghost made their way down the, slightly ridiculously long, hall toward the White Lady. There was a slight hum that carried through the room as they came closer. Ghost slowed to a stop in the room and looked up at her. Her gaze was empty but she turned her head to face Ghost and GC with her head slightly tilted.

“Something has happened I think you are behind it, child. The air has been cleared of its sickly nature, the people here seem less hostile and more confused. I do not know what you have done, but I believe it is a good thing.” She spoke slowly. “I do not know why you return with that demon. It seems… to have grown… Perhaps you and it have made friends.”

Ghost looked to GC and moved their hands to try to mimic talking. They did not really know how to communicate what they needed to get across with her.

GC seemed to understand.

“I think that can be explained but we need you to come with us to uh… Dirtmouth, uhm… The Pale King wants to see you again.” GC said and looked at Ghost with a shrug.

“Oh, I see.” The White Lady swung her head upward faster than Ghost thought she would have. The way she spoke reflected her pain at what had just been said. She did not believe them and she made it obvious.

“You traveled from wherever you were, climbed a perilous path, all to get to me, to tell me a painful lie.” She had a laugh in her voice but it was not a happy one. “It is cruel to lie about my Wyrm being alive, it would be more cruel if I was dumb enough to fall for it.”

“I am being honest, I do not know how he is alive, I just know that he is! I guess your uh. Your…” GC looked at Ghost for a second. “Your child… would know better than me.”

“Can you admit to this harmful game before this becomes worse. To uproot myself would be abandoning my own bindings, which is what you are asking of me. For? For what? To chase after a ghost that I know has been dead for years?” Her eyes seemed to be watering as she continued to stare at the ceiling of the room.

“Well he was dead, I think it has something to do with soul and essence? Like the dream stuff.” GC had their eyes closed. “Maybe? That is what I overheard. I was eavesdropping.” They said more to Ghost than to the White Lady.

“You come bearing no proof of his living. You can say all you want but I trust no word that comes from you, nor any sign that comes from the other that stands before me.” She shook her head.

Maybe it would have been a better idea to bring the Pale King. Despite the fact that he did need to start working with the civilians, helping others, and establishing his place as the king again. There was no way she was going to believe what was being told to her unless there was evidence of him living. That, too, seemed impossible. She was blind, therefore any writing of his would be useless unless she had some odd sense that told her it was written by him, and without his voice there was not much to provide as a clue to her.

“You just have to trust me, I mean, us. You can go back to digging your roots in the ground if I am really lying, which I am not.” GC said in a more frustrated tone. This was getting annoying.

“It is not as simple as you think. I would have to sever those roots and force myself into a smaller form. It is painful. It is…” She trailed off.

“Well what would you like me to do? I cannot just drag him here. Ghost- er- your child cannot just drag him here! He is very busy, you know, reestablishing… whatever that means.” GC looked like they were getting tired just standing here.

Ghost tried to think of their options, but really, they had none. The dream nail would not work in this situation, aside from proving to her once again they could look into other’s minds. They could not uproot her themself, obviously. Threatening her was not going to work either, since it was obvious they did not want to hurt her really, and she would be able to sense that. Now that it was thought about, there was one thing that could change.

Ghost signed over to GC as rapidly as they could trying to mimic a sense. GC clearly had no idea what they were doing. They tried to make it more clear, drawing different forms of senses in the dirt, which GC seemed to slowly be understanding. “Oh, hold on.”

GC looked back up at the White Lady as Ghost stood up from their very poorly done dirt drawings.

“You have great senses, you even know who is standing right in front of you when they do not talk and you cannot see them… So can you sense him? Potentially? I mean, if you can sense the infection clearing… Surely?” GC was almost taunting her.

“I can see, but your lies will end here, understand?” She told GC and then moved her head. “Something is different, I can… Tell that…” She was quietly talking to herself.

“I- We- are not lying.” GC said. “Are you convinced enough to at least try to go see him.”

“Every bit of my being doubts you, and questions my own senses. Perhaps I have gone mad from being here so long.” She was telling them with a slight tremble in her voice. “To prove myself sane, I will. I will follow you to see for myself. I ask that you give me a moment, though. I will be out in a bit.” She dismissed them.

GC breathed a deep sigh of relief and thanked the gods under their breath before immediately turning on their heels and walking out. Ghost followed them relatively slower, hoping this would not end horribly. They also hoped that this would not take as long as it felt like it was going to be. When they reached the end of the tunnel and exited the shelter they were reminded of the White Lady being unaware of the death of her guard. She was bound to find out in just a few moments, and Ghost hoped that would not be too heavy a discovery.

“That was exhausting, I do not know about how you thought of it. She is one hard bug - or… root? To convince.” GC began talking to them and drew them out of their thoughts. “Imagine how surprised she is going to be when she finds out he is really alive and she just wasted time.”

Ghost just stared at them, not really knowing how to respond to that. They nodded, since that would pretty much end the conversation, and any other response would probably result in more small talk which they really wanted to avoid.

After a period of time, their mother finally emerged, seeming much smaller than before, but still giant. Her head turned in Dryya’s direction and she looked down for a moment. She seemed upset, but also like she did not want to mention or acknowledge what was in front of her.

“Lead me to my Wyrm, or where he is supposedly.” She said to Ghost and GC. “If I should be lead to my death because of this, I suppose that is my own stupidity.” She added, more quietly, as if neither of them would hear.

Ghost began to retrace their footsteps to Dirtmouth

Chapter Text

Finally, after a long period of slightly awkward silence, Ghost, GC, and the White Lady had finally made it to Dirtmouth. Ghost let their mother walk in front of them as the group moved closer to the Pale King, who noticed them coming almost instantly. White Lady picked up the pace and moved faster toward the King. As soon as they were close enough she picked him up into her arms in a large hug.

It seemed almost everyone had left. Lurien was still there, but Herrah, Monomon, Quirrel, and Lemm had all vanished off for whatever reason, most likely to fully comprehend what exactly happened. Hollow was just barely visible from behind a building where they seemed to be helping some bugs. Grimm was back by his tents, looking through an old scroll it seemed. Hornet was sitting on the bench watching the Pale King and White Lady with an expression usually reserved for looking at the most foul cluster of rancid eggs. She noticed GC and Ghost’s return too, pulling herself up and moving toward them.

"I assume you have noticed everyone has mostly split ways?" Hornet said as a greeting. "In short, Monomon, the pillbug, and that Relic Seeker went off to the archives to try to see what remains of its state-... Though I have reason to believe that pillbug already knows of the state." Ghost could see all the broken tubes of acid, tubes they broke , in their mind. "-Herrah, my mother, went off to check on Deepnest and will find me when she is sure the borders are safe- and the residents are mostly calm. Hollow wants to help some civilians, and Grimm is still trying to figure out what happened… To that one." Hornet pointed at GC.

Ghost looked over to Lurien who was watching the Pale King and White Lady with an unusual look. He seemed almost upset if Ghost had to guess what that expression was, but it was hard to read on Lurien. "Oh, Lurien has not left because I guess he wanted to spend more time with the king. It is kind of sad though, I am starting to wonder if he just does not have any friends to get back to or something." Hornet gave Lurien a look of pity.

Ghost knew for a fact Lurien had a few friends that dwelled in the city, even if only a few who served him in the spire, so Hornet could not have been right. They did wonder why Lurien seemed to want to stay so close to the king, though, not that it was especially important. Lurien stood up and walked off from the Pale King, now that his attention was especially trained on the White Lady. He made his way over to the Stag Station in a sad fashion and Ghost watched him go without a word.

"Well, that is that. I suppose." Hornet watched him wander off, too.

Ghost turned to GC, who had been following them and standing fairly absent-mindedly beside them for a while. They pointed toward Grimm at the farther end of the town. GC looked to them, then to Grimm, to them again, and finally moved toward the troupe tents. Ghost watched them go and waved goodbye. Surely they would meet up again later, for whatever reason, if for no reason other than because of the charm Ghost carried with them.

"I do have to ask a question, actually. Nothing that needs an immediate response, I believe, but something I need to ask regardless." Hornet says and turns to them. "Earlier, the name. I have called you Ghost for a few reasons, mostly because you stalk people silently, only noticeable if you look in the corner of your eye. Other reasons too but you are most likely aware of all of those. Is that truly a name you want to bear?"

Ghost looked at her for a long time, then transferred their gaze to the ground. They stared at a small rock resting on the ground for a few moments before looking back up at her. They shrugged.

"What?" She stared at them with a both confused and slightly displeased expression. "What is that supposed to mean? It is a yes or no question, really. What am I to make of that?"

Ghost shrugs again. Hornet stares at them for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, if they cared enough to be made uncomfortable by an especially long stare. To be truthful, Ghost went by so many names it did not particularly matter what they were called. The Knight. Wanderer. Little One. Little Friend. The Vessel. Ghost. It was all the same, it got a point across, it was just a word and not a word they really thought hard on. 'Ghost' was fine, 'Ghost' was a way to address them, 'Ghost' was a little more traditionally name-like than 'The Knight' too. It was adequate, better than some other names or things they'd been called.

"I know you approved of it earlier, in some manner. I did not know if you had a particular name you chose- or that someone else chose, considering that pillbug seemed surprised about a mention of a name." Hornet says. "Which. Come to think of it, I remember that bug at the… Nevermind. The question at hand."

Ghost wanted to be able to tell her his name was Quirrel so she would stop referring to him as 'the pillbug' but they would have to learn the whereabouts of paper or something to write on for that to happen. There was not really a way they knew of in which they could spell the name out for her. She would figure it out in time, surely. Now she was still focused on this name question. "Is it really something you care to be called?"

They did not know exactly how to respond in a way she would understand. In a way that expressed that they had many names and they had no need or reason to care what she called them. It was a good name for them anyway. They tried to figure out a proper response but they ended up just shrugging again, from lack of a better way.

"Do you truly not care? You would not rather me call you something else?" Hornet says, again. Ghost nods. She fixes her gaze on them for a while before quietly saying a brief 'ghost it is then' and turning away.

The Pale King and the White Lady are back in Ghost's focus and they are no longer exclaiming excitedly at each other and are standing side by side, muttering things about the kingdom. They did not care enough to listen closely to what words were being spoken, but wondered how odd this must be for every bug in Dirtmouth. The King, according to recountings, rarely was seen- even more rarely seen in a place like Dirtmouth . From a civilian's eyes the infection disappeared suddenly, now the King and the White Lady are standing openly in a public run-down and abandoned-looking town after not being seen for many years, and the Hollow Knight was out of the Black Egg Temple. Confusing for sure.

Ghost now turned to the well, finally removing the Grimmchild charm and tucking it away with the rest. They should get a proper sash for their charms soon. Something to note for later, certainly not something they wanted to do now. They made their way toward the well, without really thinking about it, almost instinctively drawn to it. They heard Hornet move as if to stop them but by the time she reached them they were standing on the well's ledge and they turned back briefly.

"You are leaving too?" Hornet says, and they nod. She pauses, as if she wants to tell them to do something in particular. She looks over her shoulder at Hollow, then back to Ghost. "Alright. I suppose you never stop having things to do, or places to wander. Do come back and help rebuild soon- or find somewhere in Hallownest to clean up. That would do some good." Hornet says and turns away.

Ghost leaps down the well.

-

Grass brushes against Ghost as they traverse through Greenpath, it had been a while since they had bothered to pay it a visit. Sizzling acid and the sound of the gentle sway of plants growing out of the cracks in the rocks surrounded them. With each step they jingled a little bit, from slightly misplaced trinkets they had tucked away on them. It was odd, passing by the bugs that usually leaped at the chance to attack them, so docile now. Most were sitting with their heads held or staggering to wherever they were headed.

It was still hard, despite their peaceful stances, to not draw their nail and run forward to cut the bugs down. Instincts now built into their mind were hard to abandon, now having to remind themself constantly that this area was just as safe now as the Mantis Village. These were no longer mind-consumed husks. These were now bugs with their own thoughts, feelings, and mostly nonviolent intentions. There was not a large amount of talking, and few conversations were being held. Most likely due to the headaches the infection had left many with when it faded away.

Ghost kept heading forward, toward the acid lake where Unn could be found much farther back than the dock. They kicked leaves up behind them no matter how careful and light their steps were. For some reason everything seemed greener than when they had been here before.

They stepped onto the metal platform, passing by the room where they met Quirrel once. The bug that was once standing on the edge of the lake was gone now. They made their way to the edge, looked down, and froze. They watched the bubbles rise rapidly to the top and sat down without really realizing they were going to sit down. They looked out into the vast expanse of the acid, off to where Unn lied. They watched a distant rock with a plant growing from it fall into the acid. The stone sank but the plant was eaten away rapidly.

The silence was nice.

There was a dim reflection Ghost could see of themself. It rippled with the bubbles as they flew up to the surface, obscuring it. There was an odd desire to hit the reflection or drive their nail through it. Not that they couldn't, they had Isma's Tear. They could hit their reflection as much as they wanted to.

The silence was okay.

They shifted their position a bit and went to look farther out again. There were trickles of light coming from the cavernous roof. Plants covered all the distance and not a single soul walked through them or around this lake. The fizzing of the lake felt quiet and the plants even quieter. Things began to feel darker.

The silence was unbearable.

They fell backward.

White palace walls nearly blinded them as they walked in-line with all of their siblings doing the same. Forming a near endless line, walking in perfect sync in pairs of two and slowly filling a room. When each pair got to the door they would split ways. One to the left, one to the right, and find their place beside whoever came before them. As was done every day. When the last vessels turned to stand facing the center of the room, the door on the other end flew open. 

The King and two of his kingsmould walked in, gazing upon the sea of nearly identical faces with an unwavering and regal stare. He looked closely at the lines, finding it pleasantly perfect to the right. Turning to the left he froze and locked his gaze on one vessel who was ever so slightly off center in its row. The King moved closer to the vessel and stared down. The vessel quickly straightened its posture and slid back into place.

The King did not move.

The vessel seemed to begin to shake anxiously, a display not appreciated by the King. He looked toward the kingsmould with a nod. The kingsmould moved toward the vessel and the vessel went to grab its practice weapon. Not fast enough. The vessel was lifted easily by the kingsmould and it marched toward the door the King came from.

Lately many vessels would disappear like this, with a nervous or fearful motion or shake being the last memory any others had of them. It would be the last they were seen. Who knows where it was that they went. A chime rang through the room and all vessels instinctively turned toward the door they had entered. The King had a certain bell in hand. It was a signal to begin training, and today's training: acid tolerance.

Ghost sat up quickly. Looking around them, the lake still fizzed with acid. They stood up, trying to piece together what had happened and where they were. They must have fallen asleep. That was the only logical explanation. They turned to leave the dock and go back the way they came, but stopped by the building where Quirrel had met them.

They entered the building and moved over to the bench, sliding onto it, wondering if it might have been better to fall asleep here rather than on the metal dock piled with leaves. They looked toward the roof for a moment and contemplated exactly what drew them to this spot in the first place. It was not like they came here to sleep, or to see a certain bug. They could have gone anywhere in Hallownest, after all. It was safe now. Maybe there wasn't really a reason they came here, maybe they just felt it was comfortable.

They shifted and heard a jingle.

Ghost pulled out the charm which they had carelessly thrown in with their other charms, rather than keeping it in its designated place. It had been making the worst jingly-tapping noise whenever they walked. It was the Grimmchild charm.

They thought for a moment, then equipped it, and watched the plume of flame appear in front of them.

Grimmchild was staring at them with something between curiosity and malicious intent. It was probably sleeping in the troupe tents before Ghost so rudely summoned it through the charm, thus the glare they were met with. Silence fell between both of them for the first time in maybe the entire time that Ghost had known Grimmchild. Ghost fidgeted with the charm.

More silence.

"Hi?" Grimmchild finally spoke. The fact that it could speak now was still a little surprising since Ghost had never known them to speak before now. Unless mewling and growling and crying and screaming was speech. Ghost waved a 'hi' back and the awkward staring contest continued.

Ghost picked the charm up between their hands from where they had it placed and put it in their palm. Ghost then lifted it toward Grimmchild slowly. They were not entirely sure what they were doing but they had an idea of what would happen.

"What are you doing..?" Grimmchild looked at the charm and made no motions to pick the charm up from their hand. Ghost pulled their hand back and offered it out again. Grimmchild stared at them without understanding. Then there was tension in its gaze.

"Is this supposed to represent you rejecting the charm? Do you want to get rid of me? Are you sending me away?" Grimmchild's voice sounded absolutely full of an emotion Ghost didn't entirely know the name of but knew was a negative one. Ghost tried again, pulling both their hands toward them, holding it in front of their chest for a moment, then pushing both their hands out with the charm cupped in them. Grimmchild seems to relax the smallest bit "A… Gift?"

Ghost nods quickly and offers up the charm again. Grimmchild reached out but hesitated. Its eyes are locked on Ghost and it twitches. "Why are you giving it to me, even as a gift? What is the point- the meaning?"

Ghost pointed to the Void Heart charm they wore clipped to their cloak as if some kind of display. It was what symbolized what Ghost was, in a sense, or what they came from originally. They imagined something similar would be of the Grimmchild's charm. They also imagined it would give Grimmchild more freedom. After all, it would no longer need to heed a call since no one would bear the charm but it. Grimmchild reached forward and took it, seeming to understand what the gesture meant.

Grimmchild held the charm in its hand for a moment and then clipped the charm to the newly fashioned cloak it had obtained, which looked almost identical to Grimm's, but almost a warmer gray. It looked up at Ghost with an absent minded and crooked smile, seemingly searching for words. It must be hard to remember all of the words, considering the rapid expansion of its vocabulary as of late.

"Thank you." Grimmchild dipped its head, Ghost didn't know what to do so they just nodded. There was another long pause of silence and Grimmchild looked like it had something to say but didn't know if it should. Ghost stared at it while it looked around as if to distract itself from the presence of Ghost.

"Weird question. What happens if you don't want to be or do what you're made to be and do?" Grimmchild broke the long silence.

Ghost stares at it, unanswering. 

"What if I don't want to be another Grimm? What if I don't want to be known as 'Grimmchild' or 'Grimm Jr.' for the rest of my life?" It says in response to the silence.

Ghost stares silently, unmoving.

"What if I want to be something else? Do I really have to be a troupe master? Couldn't I be a warrior? A smith? Couldn't I be called… I don't know… anything! 'Spout' or 'Muffin' or something like that- and go live in the City of Tears forever?" It continues.

Ghost stares, pauses, and thinks it over, then nods. Yes, Ghost could imagine that would be possible. Though they have no idea why its asking them of all bugs, who did not exactly rebel and fulfilled the purpose they were made for through and through. Well, mostly.

There is another very long silence. There is a rustle of grass somewhere nearby. Fizzling acid echoes around outside, muffled by the walls.

"I have to go to. I have things to think about. Uhm. Thank. You?" Grimmchild says and dips its head. Ghost nods and watches it disappear into flame, leaving them by themself in an empty building. They should travel to the City of Tears, or the Archives, or the Mantis Village, anywhere that could make them useful.

They slid off the bench and left the building, glancing back only once to stare at the roof, before quietly walking off.