sunbox | say hello, honey i'm home

say hello, honey i'm home

The Egg, the Palace, the flickers of the Abyss were all they truly learned, even that little scorched out with Light; flickers of memory from the Infected and Fath--the Pale King's World Sense left behind are all the knowledge they have of Hallownest.

They're uncertain where they are.

Too green to be the Crossroads, where they had begun. Unn's lands. The White Lady's gardens. Somewhere else overgrown.

They've been dragging their body through the tunnels for quite some time. Most is a blur. Dig claw or Nail into the ground. move forward. Keep moving. Ignore the cracks and gouges in their torso.

After some time, it comes to them there is no reason to do this. They have no goal. They have little understanding of where they could go, or should. A creature with a mind would stop at this realization, but the Hollow Knight is not meant to have one in the first place. Therefore, its shortcomings matter little.

Presently, they've stopped, resting their head on a ledge. There are thorns on the ground beneath it. They cannot move forward here.

...This is a perfectly functional place to rest.

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[Was it truly over now? It took so long to awaken that they did not know anymore. Although there was one thing for certain, the Hollow Knight was no longer here, and all the sorts of things that might imply.]

[Hard to say what drove the tiny bug to come all the way to Greenpath, but something did not seem quite right when they arrived. Far too quiet than usual, and tracks etched into the moss itself. Something must have come through here and recently, something that didn't seem to belong.]

[Best (Or worst) thing to do was to keep following the marks until it lead to something, even if they were in no condition to fight. And of course the marks had to lead right into thorns. So many, many thorns.]

[But they could see a figure at the top, if they could find a way to reach there. The figure wasn't moving so that put away most of the fears that this would turn violent. But there was still plenty of other things to be concern about.]

[Finally, they made it across. Tentative about whatever it was that laid in front of them.]

[They hear tiny footsteps.

Mosscreep. Tiktik. Crawlid. Shardmite. Many smaller bugs sound like that, memories of each seeping into their traitorous mind as if their own.

A potential, if minor, damage increase, if they're attacked. Which does not matter. They failed their purpose; that purpose is obsolete. They should...they...

They shift their head minutely, assessing behind them with their good eye.

And then their head jolts up, though it hurtshurtshurts.

A Vessel. A Sibling. Here. Alive.]

[They picked up the pace. To find the Hollow Knight here of all places, no longer infected by the looks of it, and yet somehow in even worse shape than before.]

[This was really not a place to stay though. They won't last like this. There had to be someplace else to go. To take them.]

[It felt strange to be this close to their sibling after everything that had transpired, and yet, here they were; and being mindful enough not to directly touch the wounds. ...They still had a bit of soul left over, they never tried to focus it into another but there was always a first time for everything.]

[It won't regenerate what has already been lost, but it might do something, even if a little, to close the rest up. Make it better.]

[Disbelief and lifetime habit of do not think means the Hollow Knight doesn't understand, for several shaky moments that feels like years, what they're meant to do.

Their sibling has not burned. Their sibling, any sibling has survived the terror their own failure made of Hallownest. The battle they had rings in their mind, but the result was drowned out by Her screams and their own pain-fear-rage-triumph.

This makes them feel so horribly strongly, but they aren't sure how to identify what. They likely should not try.

Soul, freely given. They roll to their side, resting on their good arm, and drag it into themselves.

It's...uncomfortable. What they once used for Soul, the Light from their father for attacks and healing, have been scorched out by the Radiance's Old Light instead. Their body is unpracticed. They are a much larger vessel.

It doesn't matter. They have had worse. Their sibling must have reason to be helping them.

They Focus, and the many cracks along their torso begin to knit back together from the furthest point back.]

[Honestly they didn't have much of a reason at all, other than it just seemed like the right thing to do. They were also one of, if not the last, full sibling they knew still alive.]

[But they also did not know what to do next either. It looked like transferring the Soul worked but that was all that they had currently, and they looked pretty worn out from doing so. ...Either that or it was from having to pass the thorns or they hadn't fully recovered themselves.]

[...They should go look for more. Bring more. But they shouldn't leave their sibling alone either. What exactly to do...]

[They had an idea, then rummaged through some pockets(?), and out pulled just a couple of charms; some of their most defensive ones. Carefully they placed them down for their sibling to take. That should be enough to buy more time.]

[Just sit here and wait, they'll be right back.]

[And with that they walked back towards the end of the ledge. Suddenly, sprouting a multitude of white insectoid wings for a few moments while descending back down.]

[There is always a purpose. They have failed their first and most important one, but tools without reason are discarded. They may not understand--and it is not their place to--why or what, but they will be told eventually.

This established, they will not keep moving. Damaging their body will make them further unfit.

The Hollow Knight watches the wings appear, and are very nearly startled.

...They take the implied order once their sibling is out of sight, putting the charms on. A blue one that coats them in...something which takes the pain away somewhat, and another that seems to do nothing.

They have few charm notches. The Pale King decided they had no need.]

[They managed to collect more, opting to go for the strange stone altars and avoid as many bugs as possible. Now that all of them should be coming back to their senses too.]

[It's not that long that they returned, struggling to get to the tip top of the ledge again but overall in better shape then how they left. They had plenty more Soul to give this time around and just enough for themselves. Already they went back to work with transferring it.]

[It's hard to know just how much was exactly needed, at least enough so that the Hollow Knight could move again. As it is right now, they're too tired to make another trip, and decided to flop down right beside them. They really hadn't thought any of this through.]

[Just need a bit of a break for now, they'll figure something else out soon.]

[They gather their strength. Their body protests too much Soul use, which they ignore and force Focus. It doesn't heal well, but they should do so now instead of waiting for their form to heal over time--or more likely, fall apart.

Most of it goes to their stump of an arm. This isn't entirely intentional. At least their cloak rubbing against it won't make them twitch.

Sibling sits beside them. They do not let themselves wonder why, and lever their body up until they're mostly sitting as well. Pain crackles through their chest, but less. If they allowed themselves to examine their emotions, there would be some surprise to it.

They angle their head, watching Sibling with their functioning eye without seeming to. They are not meant to make eye contact like a true bug, but if an order comes, they should not miss it.]

[Still siting. They are relieved that their actions did managed to help the Hollow Knight...somewhat, even if it wasn't exactly perfect. Given the cracks and scars it barely looked like any progress was made at all.]

[They sat there and watched curiously, even if their sibling might've been going out of their way to purposefully ignore them. They weren't too bothered by it.]

[But curiosity was getting the best. They kept looking at the crack just above the Hollow Knight's eye. They remembered it was there when they fought, and apparently it still never recovered even after all that healing.]

[Pretty much what any toddler might do, they gently reached up high to touch it. How long had such a thing been there and also why hadn't it gone away yet??]

[Also now might've been as best of time as any for the Hollow Knight to see that this nameless vessel also had a mark of their own. A very noteworthy royal one at that. Not that they were trying to keep secret about it.]

[They do not move, no matter how much pain they expect. An attack would be impractical after trying to heal them, but revenge would hardly be unexpected. They failed despite being one among hundreds of thousands chosen.

It isn't. It's only a touch.

Despite not knowing their sibling's reason, they lean forward to allow them easier access.

Their eye snaps to a very familiar mark, and this is what makes them flinch.]

[They flinch too, perhaps even more aggressively as they did not know what the panic was about. Whether it was something they did or something was happening.]

[It seemed best to just not...get in the way at the moment. What was that for?]

[They did wrong. They should not have done that. They force their body still until aches burn along their back, chanting inwardly do not do not do not do not--

--but the Pale King's symbol is still there, and with near-true mindlessness, the Hollow Knight's stare follows it as their sibling's hand pulls away.

Should not be there. Should not be possible to be there. The brand that was His and His alone, put onto Void. And if it is here, He...he is...]

[Somehow they hadn't put it together that this was about the brand. At least not until they kept staring at their hand even after they tucked it away.]

[...Right. It was a very distinctive crest, and they would know it better than most.]

[Well, this is awkward.]

[They hesitated, but inevitably revealed the brand once again. Not too sure how they were going to take it.]

[They hold back from a flinch this time.

Of course the Pale King is gone. He would not have relinquished kingship to anyone, let alone a Vessel; he would not have disappeared from Hallownest if there was a chance to recover it from his Vessel's impurity.

Do not feel, do not think, do not speak--

They've failed. It's obvious how terribly they have failed. They lost in battle against this other Vessel, who had an up-close look at how badly the Hollow Knight is ruined.

Everything within them screams against the effort of simply lifting their hand to point to their sibling's. At the Brand. How--?]

[There was no easy way to explain it. Not without a voice. It's almost impossible.]

[It was not like they had much of a choice. Just as Hornet said, if they wished to learn the truth, there was no other way. But only once they proven to be strong enough to carry it and the burden it holds.]

[The Pale King was gone, presumably it had been so for quite some time now. They know not of the details since it must've happened long before they returned. It didn't seem like it really mattered one way or the other, and yet...]

[They slumped further on the ground. A subtle gesture of guilt, sorrow, perhaps even sympathy that they couldn't really say anything on the matter.]

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say hello, honey i'm home

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thk: is huge mess in the head

thk plz

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