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Chapter Text

I had expected to wake up from my sleep in my bed during one of the worst heatwaves I have ever experienced so far in my life, maybe if I was lucky i'd have woken up in the night and enjoyed the feeling of my body not feeling like it was on the verge of bursting into flames.

What I had not expected was to have awoken in restraints and metal plating, hanging in the air by chains with an unnatural glow to them, in a room that was so dark that even suspended several metres off the ground I still couldnt see the ceiling.

I tried to move my head, only to find it unresponsive, I tried again with my arms and legs and again i had no such luck.

Ah, maybe this was one of those lucid dreams I keep hearing people talking about? Or sleep paralysis? But aside from the inability to move I didnt see any shadow-demons looming over my bed ranting about cornflakes, and I was also not in my bed, now I don't understand much about these sorts of things but aren't they supposed to take place in the same room that you're sleeping in?

So the sleep paralysis theory I made is dubious at best. But what else could it be?

It was at this moment of questioning what is going on right now that I noticed some kind of... feelings? in the back of my head,

The first was a warm sensation, coupled with what felt like buzzing, like a million different tiny sensory analogues to fire crackers or pop rocks in my head. If I focused hard enough on the 'popping' I could feel things that I shouldn't be feeling, the feeling of walking on the stone floors of a cave for instance, despite never having stepped foot in a cave, let alone barefoot. The aching of limbs that by all accounts should not exist on a human body, and most distressing of all was what sounded like voices? thoughts? Memories? That did not belong to me.

The second feeling felt far more unnatural to me, an oily, cold presence in my mind, not so much a presence as an absence of something. An absence-feeling that seemed to grow in size until it was almost impossible to ignore.

I found my head was turning without my input, at least i could finally see more of the situation I was currently in, maybe find something to distract myself with while this dream played out.

It was at this moment that I noticed three things:

Firstly was the aforementioned unnaturally glowing chains.

Second was the vague shadow of what could only be horns (or atleast what I thought were horns given the poor light in this room)

Third, and most terrifying was a benign looking symbol, albeit one that glowed with that same unnatural light.
It wasnt the symbol itself that was cause for concern, it was what the symbol represented.

The Crown of Hallownest. With the brand of the Pale King emblazoned with it.

...

...

Oh sweet fuck no.

Chapter Text

I am so incredibly fucking thankful for my delayed emotional reaction, without it I probably would've either broken down screaming and panicking or feeling some awkward mixture of excitement and dread.

Nope, I need a clear mind right now and panicking isn't going to do anything to help, if anything it might do the opposite.

I made a dumb little ruleset for 'What To Do If You Awaken In Another World', partly as a joke and partly as a 'what if?' question to keep myself distracted during long boring moments.

First step: Stay Calm. Panicking won't do anything for me here

Check, my nerves are finally calming down from the realisation and my calm is coming back to me.
Step two: Gather information, this is the most important step, forewarned is forearmed and I am not going to another world without at least 3 different plans in place.

From what I can gather from what little I am able to see of the chamber, I am currently in the head of the 'Pure' Vessel (the one enemy in Hollow Knight that I have never been able to last even 20 seconds against) in a sealed chamber, that's within a temple, in a dead kingdom of equally dead anthropomorphic insects.

But this doesnt answer my original question, 'Why am I in the head of the Pure Vessel in the first place? The only inhabbitant of their... skull(?) Aside from the Vessel themself is--'

I could feel my nonexistent blood freeze and my teeth itch.

I have, through means I dont understand, become none other than the poster-girl of the entire game (aside from Hornet I suppose?) and the singular reason for Hallownest's destruction.

The Radiance. The higher being of dreams and light, architect of the Infection.

It was at this moment that I'm willing to admit that my calm was compromised, I started panicking and struggling in my Pseudo-Existence.

Drowning in an oily ocean of the deepest black, formed into the shape of everything that was anathema to The Old Light and by extension, Me. Doomed to sit here and wait until the day of my execution, in a body that was not mine, in a world that I didn't belong to, without being able to say goodbye to those i cared about back home.
After what felt like hours of pure, pants shitting terror of my situation, I finally managed to remember the first rule I made, and slowly began to refocus myself back into a calm state, I'll think about (and subsequently break down while thinking about) my situation when im in a safer place and not awaiting my (possibly) imminent execution by void demon.

Step 3: Evaluate your options, even the most hopeless situations have atleast some illusion of choice, use those to your advantage.

I cannot stay here, in the head of The Hollow Knight I mean, to do so is a guaranteed death sentence once.. The Knight? Ghost? Whatever their name is arrives and tears me a new pie hole.

Nope, as much as I enjoyed joking about wanting to die in my early years i can't make that decision.

But then what? There isn't any other way out of the temple from what I could remember of the game, and I guarantee that the previous occupant of my... mind? has already attempted to escape her imprisonment multiple times over the years, now I may have a slightly overinflated ego of myself (they say joking in stressful situations helps) but I'm probably nowhere near as smart or powerful as an actual, honest to gods Higher Being who has lived for longer than my entire family tree.

...

Maybe I could use that to my advantage, being smaller and weaker than Her might give me a new perspective to think on, maybe a crack in a wall or something to squeeze through once I figure out how to get out of these chains (which is a whole new can of worms I have to deal with)

And speaking of cracks in the wall, I found one, weakened by age and (what i assume to be) shoddy construction, was a crack a few inches wide, almost minuscule and inconsequential to any other person.

It was the most beautiful thing I have seen all day.

With a possible escape route identified I just needed to address the giant, void demon in the room

The (Not so) Hollow Knight, my jailer and fellow prisoner, I knew better than anyone alive right now that The Hollow Knight is not a Pure Vessel, but even so I doubt they'd be willing to escape or otherwise let me leave, even if I spent years explaining my situation to them, most likely they'd expect it to be nothing more than the lies and desperate bargaining of an inmate on death's door.

I'd need to either find another way out, or engage in a war of attrition with the personification of a brick wall for several years, years that I both dont have the time, nor patience for.

'Sighing' in exasperation (Very hard to perform without a body mind you) I gave up on the Hollow Knight plan for the time being, and sought out a new angle.

It was then that I remembered the odd buzzing feeling in the back of my head, initially i assumed it was just something that normally happens during lucid dreaming. Now with the additional information I have come across, I think it's safe to assume what that buzzing is.
The Infection, either the disease itself, or those that had fallen under its sway.

It's probably a good time to mention that I found the concept of mind control, or slavery in any form to be abhorrent both in terms of resources and morals. Were it up to me i'd free the infected minds from Her influence and find a new angle of escape, however the fates seem to have a demented sense of humor, as there isn't any other way out i can see.

Nope, for now I'll need them to set myself free and find safety, then i can do the morally and logically correct action of freeing them.

But learning how to control (suppressing a shudder at that word) the infected would take time and energy, while I may have (for now) a surplus of time, I am absolutely mentally exhausted from recent events, I need to rest my mind.
With any luck maybe this is a dream and i'll wake back up in my bed....
...

...

...

The Hollow Knight was confused

D̶o̶ ̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶F̶e̶e̶l̶
The Old Light, the source of the Infection that they had been tasked to seal long ago, had begun to act and think differently than previously expected, seemingly unaware of the thoughts She had unknowingly sent to their mind, In addition to Her presence feeling different than usual.

...

Another one of her tricks perhaps?
D̶o̶ ̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶T̶h̶i̶n̶k̶

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! Sorry about the notification but i just wanted to say that i am currently working on rewriting chapter 3! I felt like it didn't hold up to my previous standards and was a brilliant lesson in why i shouldn't post at 3am. And so i took up my comically large comb and have finished rewriting the chapter to (hopefully) fit up to my standards

The rewrite will have roughly the same broad strokes, however i added a Hornet POV, made it less dark, and remembered how numbers work.

Currently giving it the final touches like dividers and all those bells and whistles but it should be dropping in about 10 minutes roughly

Again sorry for the interruption and thank you for your understanding and patience

Chapter Text

I was in, to put it bluntly, a bit of what people call 'a fucking dumpster-fire of a situation'.

Here I am, a young adult with my entire life ahead of me somehow transported to the (dead) kingdom of Hallownest, trapped in a prison specifically designed to hold me, with actual honest to gods magic being used to restrain me. All the while trapped inside the mind of a being purpose built from the ground up to contain me (or atleast my predecessor) using the power of a force of nature that is utterly anathema to my existence.

And somehow, through cosmic fuckery I understand so little about that I don't even know what I'm missing. I have become The Radiance, an actual god-like entity who's domain is dreams and light.

I am in a very strange and distressing position in life right now, but I haven't hit rock bottom yet, and I think I might've found a way out

That crack a few inches wide is currently one part of my only option of my escape.

It took practice and what felt like hours (my perception of time was already nonexistent but this internment had somehow made it worse) but I finally figured out how to - atleast partly - control the infected bugs in Hallownest. I admit I think I might be a fast learner but even this came to me far easier than expected.

I chalked this up to the mental and spiritual equivalent of muscle memory (The one good thing that my previous... predecessor? had done I suppose) and tried to commit that theory to memory to revisit later.
I'd need all of my concentration to accomplish what i'm setting out to do.

I 'sighed' (still hard to do without a physical body, but it helped to calm me down) and opened my mind. Focusing on the millions of buzzing sensory inputs, each one of these minuscule flickers representing a mind stolen by a rampaging goddess hellbent on revenge.

From beast, to commoner to noble. All made equal. All as one. Like a super-organism where every cell is its own body. And Me, its creator, its master...

Its God.

I ordered this Great Mind to direct hundreds of its cells to my prison, and to bring tools. Hammers, pickaxes, tools of construction and demolition, all for the purpose of settint me free from this prison. And slowly began to return to my limited consciousness.

I suppressed a shudder at the corrosive intoxicating influence of controlling the infected masses,
Commanding the infected gives a feeling of... superiority? that i can't easily describe, like a kid holding a magnifying glass looming over an ant hill, between that almost addictive feeling of power, and coupled with what I can only assume are residual traces of The Old Light's influence before her disappearance leads to an unhealthy state of mind when communing with the infected. Something I definitely don't want to do any more than what I have to in order to escape.

I'm desperately hoping that the influence goes away with time, I want my mind to remain my own.

I took a quick ten minute break to mentally reorient myself and address the final stage of the escape plan.

Without a body I will be stuck here, even if the infected do far better than expected on widening the hole and somehow manage to destroy the entire temple in the process, I will still be trapped in the body of The Hollow Knight, who will take issue with my escape attempt mind you.

I considered my options and came to a conclusion. I would have to take control of the body of an infected bug. Yet another violation of my morals that i have to swallow my pride on.

I 'glanced' at the Greater Mind and could feel the flickering embers of 325 C̶e̶l̶l̶s̶ People slowly approaching, i could feel a few of them wink out of existence as they meet their ends, whether by steep falls, acid pools or what un-infected life remained after The Old Light's rampage. I wish I didnt have to resort to this for my freedom, but it's the only way forward for me.

And if this works the way I hope it will, then their freedom will be worth the loss of life.

After a few hours of waiting for the husks to arrive, I ordered them to start looking for the crack in the wall, noticing how several husks wearing the characteristic miner helmet and carrying a pickaxe started knocking or tapping on the walls and floors, I assumed that maybe it was the husks using their old, pre-infection knowledge to identify structural weakpoints perhaps?

Either way, they found the crack. And I ordered them to start slowly widening it, inch by inch
It should probably be worth mentioning that I have been in complete silence (save for the occasional breathing of my captor) since I arrived here. And that I already had sensitive ears before my non-consensual isekai. So the sound of chisels striking stone and the sound of pickaxes were almost deafening to me at this point.

But I didnt (and couldn't) care. Because I could see that crack widening ever so slightly as time passes, there has never been a more beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life.

Eventually the crack widened enough to become a whole, roughly large enough to fit your fist through. Still nowhere near the space needed to squeeze even my old body through, but it will have to do for now.

The first step was complete, and I was feeling a mixture of giddy excitement of finally being freed, and hesitation at what i had to do next

Diving back into the Greater Mind, I took note of how many bugs there were, and of what species they were part of.

There were three hundred bugs here (Not counting the non-sentient bugs like crawlids or vengeflys), a downright minuscule amount in comparison to the total population of Hallownest, but still substantial enough to matter to the plan. In all different shapes and sizes, I saw the average pillbug, grasshopper, even the occasional mantis, the towering husk guards and sentries and so many more that I couldn't identify.

Strangely enough there wasn't any moths in the horde of bugs. But taking over the body of a Moth is both predictable, and a bad idea in terms of pure survivability

I'd have to choose my future body very carefully if I want to have a snowballs chance in Hell of making it out alive, especially considering my complete lack of wilderness survival. And so I began the process of elimination

First I made sure that the future body I would posess did not have a mind or consciousness left anymore, both to make the posession easier, as well as somewhat more ethically palatable.

That halved the number from three hundred to one hundred and fifty, as half of them still had their Will intact, albeit suppressed for now.

Second, I ruled out those bodies that were simply too large to effectively evade detection. Standing out in the ruins of Hallownest was a death sentence, especially with the so-called Protector patrolling the kingdom.

150 became 125

Thirdly was the ability to fly. The option to pick and choose my battles and the mobility would be invaluable in accessing hard to reach places to make shelter or find resources, both of which would be a life saver.

125 became 69

Fourthly was omnivory, the ability to subsist off of both plant and animal matter would give me a larger selection of food options and would mean that almost any food I come across would be edible to me.

69 became 20.

The last, but most important feature was endurance, the ability to go large amounts of time without food or water, resistance to temperatures both high and low, and a decently strong enough exoskeleton to prevent easily avoided injuries should retreat not be an option should speak for themselves on how they'd affect my odds of survival.

20 became 1.

The body I had chosen was a cockroach, they were the perfect fit for all five of my criteria and would make surviving out in the ruins of Hallownest far easier for me.

I ordered a small group of crawlids and vengeflys to scout the temple grounds to ensure that the area was safe and to make sure that a certain scholarly bug with a Dreamer's mask was nowhere to be found, (Either Quirrel hasn't arrived yet or he has moved on already) Once satisfied with my security, I closed my eyes, sighed, and prepared myself for what had to be done.

In order to escape the imprisonment of The Hollow Knight and the three Dreamers, I'd have to do something incredibly unconventional, and excruciatingly painful. Something they wouldn't expect an arrogant goddess to actually do.

Many sources in the Hollow Knight game suggest that the Infection represents the influence of The Radiance. Which is something I intend to exploit

In order to escape these chains I would need to enact my plan to the letter.

First, I would need to increase my influence in my chosen host. And because the concentration of infection directly correlates with my influence I would have to concentrate as much of the infection as I can within the body.

Luckily the infection can exist in a gaseous state, making things far easier and less messy than the alternative.

Ultimately without the infection providing an animating force for the husks, many of the bugs too far gone will die. And those who have survived with their wills intact could have been mutated to the point that their biology is held together solely by the aforementioned infection will either die, or spend the rest of their lives in immense pain if untreated.

...

This is no time for doubt. At any moment The Knight could be approaching the outskirts of Hallownest for all i know, and i don't want to hedge my bets on their reaction to my existence.

Tapping into the Greater Mind again, I pushed deeper, focusing not on the individual husks that made up the collective, but the infection seething within them, and with a flex of my will I pulled the infection out of them, every single infected bug in Hallownest released their infection in a great roiling miasma of sickly sweet rot, and directed it all to flow into my host.

Hornet thrusted her needle into the neck of an infected husk guard, idly watching as the sickly hemolymph dripped out of the stab wound, she had to make sure the giant bug was properly dead before moving on. Shaking off the constant rain of the City of Tears all the while.

Her duty as Protector of Hallownest ensured that she would have no shortage of work to do to ensure that scavengers wouldn't pick the bones of her ruined home clean of everything of value and watching over the few surviving bugs who had survived against all odds, and testing any Vessel that returned to this dead kingdom to fulfill their purpose.

The Vessels.
The last desperate hope of a dying kingdom, born of wyrm, root and void to seal the blinding light that plagued the dreams of the citizens, for only true emptiness could contain The Old Light, they thought that the Vessel was pure enough to fulfill its purpose.
It wasn't, within a few years of the Hollow Knight's sealing, the Radiant Pox had returned, seemingly stronger than ever, and Hallownest fell to ruin.

Her reminiscing about the past was cut short when the Husk Guard heaved and spasmed even despite her perfect aim, the dead simply don't stay dead when dealing with the Pox it seems.
The husk had caught her off guard by releasing a cloyingly sweet miasma of what Hornet could only assume to be the Pox in its gaseous form. She quickly retreated to a wider, safer location while the husk continued to spasm and wheeze out more of the Pox, the amount of infection in the room had reached intolerable levels long ago and yet Hornet had not succumbed to it. Almost as if it was repulsed from her by an outside force.

Her musing was again cut short by the miasma being drawn away from the room she was in, like a colossal monster inhaling, drawing up more air and Pox all the while.

It wasnt just this Husk either, across the entire city thousands of infected bugs began to seize, convulse and release the Pox into the air, forming great roiling clouds of sickly miasma that was drawn away from the city

Hornet needed to investigate what'd happened, did a Vessel sneak past her watch and seal away the infection for good? It can't have been, There was only one safe way into and out of Hallownest that she knew of. Any other entrance was either sealed off long ago or was far too dangerous for even a Vessel to survive the treacherous journey.
But that would have to wait, as she heard the groaning of uninfected - perhaps even fully cured bugs regain their consciousness.

With the infection making its way into the spiracles (surprisingly enough the bugs of Hallownest have both a pair of lungs as well as additional spiracles) and lungs of my new host I felt myself become giddy at the progress I had made. But this is both where the giddyness begins and ends.

For the second phase of the plan is one that will be incredibly painful for me, as it involves the spiritual equivalent of tearing myself apart to escape. Like removing a limb trapped under a boulder or tearing clothes that have been caught by hooked branches for example.

 In order to do that i would need leverage, something pulling at me that i could use to seperate myself.

Maybe i could use The Hollow Knight and the Dreamer's connection to me against them?

Speaking of, as the ritual progressed I felt the Hollow Knight awaken and try everything in their power to mentally hold me back, without knowing that was exactly what I needed,  like a sea-star tearing off its limbs i cut away at my power and strength, gradually eroding away my already diminished power at the same time as i felt my spiritual chains loosen and the pain grew to unbearable levels, like my entire body was being hit with sledgehammers and submerged in acid.
But I couldn't stop, I wouldn't stop, I have come too far and done so much harm to myself and others to let this be all for naught, and i knew there will not be any second chances.

I kept repeating a mantra that had became almost gospel to me in that pain.

Whatever It Takes.

As the ritual reached it's crescendo and the full brunt of the infection finally arrived at the temple grounds. I felt the Dreamers arrive, desperate to keep me restrained, calling on all of their power to support The Hollow Knight to give them the strength they needed to hold me down, it just gave more leverage for me to pull out more chunks of my essence-flesh, tearing off my wings, breaking my crown and ruining my legs. But I could see the end quickly approaching.

Just a little bit more, just a little bit further

The entire span of the ritual had taken approximately five minutes, it felt far longer but finallt the ritual was complete, my influence in the cockroach had reached the critical level of infection i needed, its lungs filled with thick clouds of infection, and my own self had been grounded down into the perfect fit for a mortal shell. All that was left now was to take over.

I took the leap.

There is not a word in the English language that could describe what happened. Like walking on a bridge of light across an endless abyss, or flying from star-lit island to star-lit island. I knew on an instinctive level that to fall would mean death. And that crossing the bridge would mean freedom, survival.

Rebirth.

I awoke gasping, twitching and coughing as my mind tried to reorient itself against the seemingly endless sensory overload I was experiencing. It felt like hours, of just breathing, twitching and wheezing and feeling myself in a body that had did not belong to me. I could feel the rigidity of my shell against the cool stone floors. All four arms moving without my input, my new wings buzzing incessantly and my antennae flop about flaccid and gracelessly, luckily my eyes still seemed to work as they had used to before my arrival, which honestly was a god-send (snrk) because learning how to use compound eyes would be one task too many, I was already swamped with option as is.

Regardless after i had managed to finally regain control of the body (I still feel uneasy saying that it's mine now) standing up on legs I was not accustomed to, I took one step, stumbled and fell flat on my face, apparently I forgot to realise that cockroaches in this world had different leg structures than humans, it started off with a snort, then a chuckle and finally full blown laughter at my situation.
I had escaped The Hollow Knight and a sealed prison designed specifically to contain a higher being. And i tripped over my own feet like a dumbass. 

The laughter that came out of me was not one I recognised as my old voice, but was still filled with joy nonetheless.

After I had finally stopped laughing i made sure to do a headcount of my (former) Husks

150 Husks that had lost their will from the infection had died, as I predicted, without the infection acting as the animating force for the Husks they simply collapsed once the infection had left them and died.

The additional 150 bugs with their minds still intact were still alive (albeit heavily scarred from the infection's influence) and unconscious, I almost thought they were comatose with how deep they were sleeping.

Alone with my thoughts I began to realise what the actions i had taken meant to me in terms of ethics.

What I had done was a violation of almost every moral I had, the freedom i have given them won't be enough to apologise for the actions of my predecessor, i have a feeling that nothing will, but I have to try anyway.

With the last dregs of my energy I commanded the infection to reanimate the dead husks, and ordered them to first gather those still alive into the temple to keep them safe, second, to fix the hole in the wall that i had used to escape, and finally to start digging graves.

I may not have known them for long, but they deserve a proper burial atleast. Without them i would still be trapped.

Once the husks were buried I cut off my connection to them, and finally let them rest,
With the deed done and all of my energy spent, I collapsed like a tonne of bricks and slept like a log.

Chapter Text

*crawls out of a porta potty wearing a full clown outfit* Hello everyone! I'm sorry again for the announcement but i just wanted to say that i'm looking for a Beta reader to help streamline the fic, correct any grammar errors i make, and to help prevent me from making another version 1 incident. If you're interested in this dumb little fic and want to make it less dumb then you can find me over on tumblr, the link to my account is below this.

Speaking of writing: Ch4 is almost done, just needs polish and beta'ing 

As always thank you for your patience and i'll see you next time

Tumblr

Chapter Text

I awoke with all the grace and subtlety of a sleep-deprived teenager on a school day (As in, none whatsoever) and felt aches and pains in my back and legs. It's times like these that my awful sleep posture comes back to haunt me, and it didn't help that my bed was harder than usual.

Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, I idly scratched my head, and instead of feeling hair on my scalp I felt a hard shell-

Wait…

As I came back to my senses, I realized where and what exactly I was. 

I was inside the Black Egg temple, amongst a group of thirty to forty bugs, in Hallownest,

I was a Higher Being possessing a cockroach, 

and had just hours ago been trapped in the body of The Hollow Knight.

The idea of this being a dream is growing far more unlikely with every moment that passes.

From what I can gather, everyone else is still unconscious, which meant there was an opportunity for me to figure out my new body, and to ask myself a question that will be bugging me (snrk) for quite a while, being: 'Now What?'. 

On the subject of rediscovering how my body works, Have you ever tried to move a muscle that you didn't know existed until a few minutes ago? That was what trying to figure out my wings and antennae felt like to me. But thanks to old muscle memory, and what I can only assume to be either gut feeling or instinct, I finally figured out how to use them. (or at the very least use them enough to not embarrass myself in social situations) 

Being able to fly will be beyond me for now. I can't risk waking up the other Bugs with the noise and having to talk to them and risk fumbling in a social environment I know nothing about. 

My legs, at least, were both easier to figure out, and harder to properly use. Not only were these legs using the Digitigrade style of walking (similar to dogs or cats) which necessitated an entirely different walking style, but for some ungodly reason my 'feet' were instead replaced with two grasping claws. (If i'm remembering right they're called Tarsus or Tarsi) 

This meant walking was made a thousand times more complicated, as each step required me to release my grip on the floor, move my leg and then lock my grip again. But with practice (and the occasional stumbling and falling on my nonexistent ass) I rediscovered how to walk again, mentally patting myself on the back all the while.

And speaking of patting, last and honestly least were my arms, all four of them.

By the looks of things, the creators of Hollow Knight took some liberties and made the bugs more anthropomorphic in the game, with only two arms and two legs. However, in this world, the more conventional insect body plan of 6 limbs (four arms and two legs) was used instead. Luckily, my hands were not replaced with those wretched Tarsi, and were instead the average hands I knew. Just with only three fingers per hand and some kind of sharp implement on the ends of the fingers. (claws? Most likely for climbing if i had to guess?) Brilliant. 

Now, with at least somewhat of a basic understanding of my new biology, I could now address the elephant in the room.

What do I do now? Should I stay here and help these bugs and try to make a name for myself that doesn't have The Radiance clinging to me like a bad smell?

Or do I leave them, and learn as much as I can about these bugs (and myself) from a distance until I feel that I am ready to talk? 

Both have their pros and cons:

If I stay I would be just another face in the crowd, but it would be easier for anybody looking for me (and there will be people looking for me) to find me. I could try to make a name for myself and make myself appear different from The Radiance, but again, that could draw undue attention. And I don't want Hornet's needle in my skull.

But if I left, I'd have plenty of room to hide. Hallownest is still in ruins and it could take months for anyone to stumble upon me, giving me plenty of time to prepare myself. But it would also mean that food, water, and the resources essential to my education could be scarce. I doubt I'd be able to learn how to read or write out in the wilds. On top of that, I have very little survival knowledge as it is, I don't know how to make shelter or hunt food. Hell, I haven't even been camping in years, and that was with modern Earth luxuries, for crying out loud! The most I knew is that some mosses were edible for humans and that eating mushrooms is a gamble that I shouldn't take. I didn't want to have to live off of moss and sleep in the cold for months on end.

Both sides of the scenario I made in my head had made excellent points, and the idea to leave came very close to winning me over. However, I made a very important decision.

I will do whatever it takes to help these people. I will make a name for myself that is not haunted by the spectre of a dead goddess, and I will not cower away from-

"Are you alright over there?" called out a feminine voice.

And just like that, all of my bravery was shattered and evaporated in an instant. If I could sweat in this body, I would have probably flooded the room already, and my startled yell (more like a short scream) was the opposite of dignified. 

I turned around and saw a pillbug whose chitin was mottled with old pus stains and scars. She was wearing the miner's helmet and a backpack, signifying that she was a miner before the Infection took hold. She appeared startled from my (totally dignified i swear) scream, followed by a look that I could only guess was apologetic. 

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to ask if you're okay? You've been jittering in your seat for half an hour now, and everyone's already left," the pillbug stranger told me.

I'd been ranting to myself for thirty minutes straight, and probably would've kept ranting if she didn't interrupt me. If I could die of embarrassment, I absolutely would've in that moment. 

Clearing my throat, I came up with an excuse to my weird behaviour that'd probably make sense given the context. "Ah, uh, yeah I was just coming to grips with everything that's happening right now. I'll get going soon," I said to her, desperately hoping that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity. 

"I'm guessing you're not from around here, are you?" 

They say the gods give the silliest battles to their funniest clowns. I just wish i wasn't one of the clowns. Panicking internally I said the first thing that came to mind. "... No?" 

...

I want to shoot myself in my stupid fucking mouth so badly right now, it's unbelievable.

Surprisingly, she didn't seem irritated about my fumbling, and just laughed it off.

"Ah! You were a tourist or travelling merchant before the Pox, weren't you? I could tell from the way you talk, your robes, and your lack of a mask. Which, speaking of..." she reached into her backpack and pulled out an old mask and handed it to me.

It was a cracked and almost featureless mask save for the two eye holes, the aforementioned crack near the right side of the head and the polycerated horns, of which two pointed straight up in a V shape and two smaller curled downward towards the chin. Sort of like a four-horned goat, now that I think about it.

"You're going to need a mask. Bugs 'round here don't like seeing other bugs without a mask on. Something about 'concealing our beastly nature' or some other tripe like that. It should fit you just fine."

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" I asked her, glancing up from my 'new' mask, trying and failing to make eye contact. (I was never good at things like this.) 

"Some other bug would probably say 'it's the right thing to do', but truth be told, you remind me of my sister. She was always an anxious wreck when talking to strangers, before the, y'know..." She grew silent before getting up from where she was sitting and making her way to the entrance.

"Anyway, my name's Eri. Wish I could say we met in a more 'dignified' way, but between the Pox and everything else, 'dignity' can jump out a window. And you are?" She said with a polite questioning tone.

I internally panicked and spoke the first name that came to mind. "Xerxes, my name is Xerxes," I blurted out.

"Well, Xerxes, if you ever want to chat, you can find me in Dirtmouth. It's not the most creative or fancy-sounding name, I admit but you won't find a town as welcoming and as warm as this one. There should be a well with a chain that you can climb. There used to be an elevator, but the town was on a budget before all of this happened, hard times and all that. It's been good talking to you," she spoke before leaving me alone in the temple. 

...

Success?

Chapter Text

After the encounter with Eri, I dusted off my robes (I need to find a way to clean these) and made my way out of the temple, looking back at the Dreamer-sealed entryway to the chamber of the Hollow Knight. 

I wished I could do something for them, but as it was right now, I both didn’t have the means to free them nor a plan to deal with them. They might still think that I and The Radiance are one and the same (Which isn't exactly wrong) and attack me, and I knew for certain that fighting them, even in a weakened state, was a death sentence for me. 

Shaking myself out of my internal conversation, I stepped out of the temple and into the cavern surrounding it, noticing the buried Husks as I did so. I entertained the idea of simply reanimating a few and going off into the wilds of Hallownest before quickly quashing it.

I had a job to do for these bugs. I didn’t know how I'd accomplish it, but I would soon enough. 

My first step would be to venture up to the Crown of Hallownest and find the Pale Ore and the statue of The Radiance. 

Even if She was dead, I felt like I still had things to say to her. 

With a rough goal in mind and a direction set, I first made my way through The Crossroads. I idly watched bugs work to rebuild the infrastructure of Hallownest before coming upon a well. Despite never seeing it in this life, it was a welcome sight to see. 

Noting that this was as great a time to both practice my ability to fly as well as find a secret, I tried to tap into that gut feeling and intuition that'd helped me rediscover how to walk. 

I never really understood what this 'intuition' was or where it came from. My best guess was either residual muscle memory from the body I possessed, or a product of the Infection (Which Eri called The Pox?) bleeding experiences and skills into my mind over time. 

Regardless, I spread my wings and began to flap, noticing the lack of progress. I tried to jump in order to provide the necessary thrust, and was suddenly catapulted into the air towards my target. 

It is at this time that I'd like to admit that I am terrified of heights, and even more so at the concept of falling. Considering the age-old saying of flying being 'just falling with style' I was not handling this as well as I should've.

Grabbing onto the ledge and scrabbling my way up in blind panic I felt a sharp pain in one of my hands and was able to find enough leverage to pull myself up into the secret room, still hyperventilating and shivering in my shell all the while curled up in a ball. 

After regaining some semblance of dignity, I stood back up and noticed the cause of that sharp pain. A sharp rock was embedded into the palm of my upper right arm (still not used to the extra limbs) and noticed the... blood? Hemolymph? Slowly trickling out of the wound. 

Orange, Infected Hemolymph that is. 

Noting that cutting myself or getting otherwise wounded would cause nearby bugs to panic and draw unwanted attention to me, I tried to pull the rock out of my hand, muttering curses through clenched teeth (if that saying even applies anymore considering my mouthparts) all the while. It finally fell out, spilling hemolymph onto the floor and staining my hand with orange fluid. 

I tried looking for something to clean it off, perhaps a rag a nearby body was carrying, or even wiping it off on the inside of my robes, before I noticed something. 

The Hemolymph on my hand was flowing back Into the wound, and my hand began reknitting the wound. I watched in awe as first the muscle, then the outer layer, and then finally the chitin exoskeleton slowly knitted itself back together. 

Being formerly of The Radiance, I might not ever be able to use Soul or Focus, so this regeneration (Kind of like a built in Hiveblood Charm) would come in handy (snrk) when I get into a scrape with another bug. 

I wondered if I could heal my wound faster if I concentrated hard enough, and sure enough, it did. While not as fast as I had hoped, it still sped up the regeneration by a considerable degree. 

With my hand fully healed, I made my way over to the empty shell, which clutched an object that may come in handy later: 

A Seal of Hallownest, an official symbol of the Pale King and his Knights. It could help me to get into social situations that would otherwise be incredibly difficult for me. Plus, it could also help justify any difficulties with my body as 'eccentricities'. 

And worst comes to worst, I could always pawn it off to Lemn when I find him. 

With my prize secure in my robe pockets, I braced myself for more flying. Luckily, it went far smoother than before, and with only a small amount of panic and scrambling for leverage,  made it up the well and into Dirtmouth. 

Ah, Dirtmouth. The Fading Town. A cozy little place to kick your feet back and just relax. 

I was half expecting Zote to be there, looming over me and sneering or on another delusion of grandeur, but no he was nowhere to be found. 

Standing back up and brushing myself off (making sure my mask was properly fixed onto my head, don't want to make a bad first impression) I made my way into the center of the town. 

Fading was an understatement. This place was practically deserted, with all of the houses (save for Iselda and Cornifer's home, Sly's shop, Bretta's home strangely enough and what I assumed to be Eri's house) dark and decrepit. 

Nearing the center of the town, I discovered the all-too-familiar bench, and the single kindest Bug in Hallownest-Elderbug. 

"Ho there, traveler. I'm afraid there's only me left to offer welcome. Our town's fallen quiet, you see. Everyone has retired for the day. I didn't see you coming from the old bridge, so that must mean you came from the well, just like young Eri?" Said Elderbug upon noticing me.

"Yes sir. I came from below the well, and speaking of Eri, how is she? I met her before," I replied, being nothing but polite for this old bug. He honestly gave me the 'Kindly grandfather' vibe, and I've been raised to respect my elders. 

"Oh, sir? How polite of you, young lad! Ah, yes, young Eri is fine. It was certainly a surprise to see her back from the well, as it's been years since I last saw her, but I'd even say she hasn't aged a day if it weren't for those odd spots in her shell!" Elderbug exclaims before suddenly remembering something. 

"Oh, how rude of me! Bugs around here call me Elderbug." 

"My name is Xerxes, I'm kind of new here. Is there a place for me to stay and rest? It's been a long day, and I have a feeling it's going to be longer before it's over," I said, all the while feeling like the slimiest, most vile creature alive for asking something from this kind old bug. 

His response surprised me. "Of course! Just pick any of the houses that don't have any lights on, and I'll find where I've put the keys." 

Doing just that, I chose a modest, unassuming-looking house near the centre of the town for two reasons: 

First was to make for a shorter commute to both Sly's shop and Iselda and Cornifer's home (the latter of which I predict I'm going to visit frequently for maps). 

The second was to appear as uninteresting as possible to any person looking for me, whether it be Hornet, The Dreamers (who I know are still alive) or any other bugs I may accidentally turn into lifelong enemies. 

Shaking myself out of my internal monologue, I noticed Elderbug hobbling towards me, using a cane to support the left side of his body. 

Handing me the key to the home I had chosen, Elderbug spoke to me.

"Welcome to Dirtmouth, Xerxes. I can give you directions for the town, as well, if you need them." 

I shook my head. "Not at the moment, Elderbug sir, thank you for your generosity. Please let me know if there's a way to repay you." I said. 

"Don't worry about it! Honestly I'm just happy to see more friendly faces about the town. I'll be by the bench if you need me," Elderbug said before hobbling back over to the bench. 

I unlocked the door to my new home and stepped in. All things considered, with the lack of maintenance or repairs of any sort, the house was in very good condition. Still, that didn't matter to me at the moment. No, I had my eyes on the one thing that mattered to me most at that moment... 

An actual bed, designed for sleeping purposes. 

I unceremoniously collapsed onto the bed, noting the almost heavenly soft covers and drifted to sleep almost immediately, not even bothering to remove my mask.

Chapter Text

It is often said that the Radiance is known only for her creation of the Pox that destroyed Hallownest. However, she was once so much more than that. More than a mad god hellbent on revenge. More than just the architect of a civilisation-ending plague. 

She was a Higher Being of Light, Memory, and dreams. She was the Sun, providing boundless light, warmth and energy to the bugs who called her their creator. But when those wayward bugs were enticed by an even closer pale light, they abandoned her, and in her rage she revealed the symmetry of the Sun. 

The same object that provides light and warmth can also burn and destroy. Desperate to avoid her impending extinction, the Old Light clung to those last few worshippers, turning their worship into a sickness that could be spread to others. 

I was not her. I may share the same soul-flesh as her, I may have dominion over light, memory and dreams, but I will never become her. I will do everything in my power to right her wrongs.

Every night as I sleep, I am exposed to the dreams and memories of countless thousands of bugs in the realm of dreams. The dreams of a civilisation in its rebirth, of nobles squabbling over scraps of power, the working bugs relieved to see their families again, and old sentries recalling the days of their training. Smiths and artisans working metal, stone, parchment and wood into beautiful shapes, scholars both mundane and magical pondering the cause behind the sudden disappearance of the infection, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could witness the dreams and memories of others I recognized:

Bretta seeking love; Sly remembering the three nail-masters he trained and looking upon them with pride; Iselda bored, but content with her life with Cornifer; Hornet searching for her father, believing she is not ready to assume the role as Queen of Hallownest yet, even if she was a better leader than she thought she was. The Dreamers, disoriented and slowly re-awakening to a kingdom that had not survived intact, yet had still survived nonetheless.

And finally, the Hollow Knight. Believing they had failed to contain a monster, believing that everything that they and Hallownest had done was all for naught. I felt their pain and I wished I could help to soothe it, show them the Hallownest that they saved, but I couldn't risk it, not yet.

I only watched from afar for the time being, fearful of my power and the fragility of mortal bugs. I was like the Sun in the sky, providing warmth and light like my predecessor before me.

But this time I will not discriminate.

I am Xerxes

And I am the Light Reborn.

Waking up from my rest and blinking the fatigue out of my eyes, I took note of what my plan was for the day.

First was to get to know the other members of the town, then say hello to Eri and thank her for the mask and directions, and then finally make my way up to the-

It was at this point that I remembered that this body had been wearing the same, unwashed robe for years now. It was still caked with dust, infected hemolymph and pus, and the smell was far from pleasant to me. 

Quickly adding in a mental note to prioritize finding a way to clean these robes, I took the time to tidy up most of my new home just in case someone planned to visit.

Luckily for my incredibly lazy self, bugs don't seem to constantly shed dead skin cells like humans do, and as such there was only a small layer of dust that had to be wiped off of the table and chairs.

With my first task of the day complete, I moved onto the second most important, cleaning myself up. It wouldn't do to appear as a diseased wretch (ignoring the fact that I literally exist as a sentient disease at the moment) to any bugs I might encounter, as the embarrassment alone would probably be enough to kill me. 

Exiting my home and remembering to lock it, I made my way towards the central cornerstone of Dirtmouth, the bench. (I jest, I meant Elderbug) 

Making sure to put on my most polite and Respectful tm manners, I approached Elderbug.

"Ah, Ho there Xerxes! It's good to see that yesterday wasn't just a hallucination in my old age! What can I do for you, young lad?" He says, chuckling to himself from the jab at his age 

"Hello, Elderbug! I just wanted to know if you know where I can find water, or something to clean these robes with? I feel absolutely filthy at the moment, and I can feel myself getting filthier with every moment," I replied.

"Ah, of course. You obviously know that the well is… predisposed, for the time being, but there should be water pumps near your house. You chose a good one, by the way. Being closer to the pumps saves on walking, and it's a sturdy old place! I'm surprised it's lasted this long actually!" 

Elderbug told me where the pumps could be found, and backtracking, I found a container for water and a basin for washing both my robes and body. 

Once I had filled up the container and found the washroom in my home, I took to emptying out all of my pockets and placing them by the side.

Hallownest Seal, house key, geo satchel, knife. A spellbook containing information on Soul and it's Magic, more loose geo-

Wait a minute. I don't remember picking up half of these things. I'd have remembered the spellbook at least. could these be from this body's past life? Were they some kind of magic user or member of the Soul Sanctum before the collapse? (For my own sake I hope not) 

Shaking away that train of thought, I got to work cleaning my robes, body and mask in order to make myself look less decrepit. Wouldn't want to risk being stabbed simply for looking like a still-walking corpse after all I've been through.

Approximately 30 minutes later, I glanced at myself in the washroom mirror, noting how my shell seems to almost shine now that the dirt and filth had been cleansed. My robes looked as clean as the day they were made, shining a brilliant red or crimson, with two gold coloured ribbons hanging from the front of the robes where my mask ended and robes began. 

The horns of my mask were still in that familiar polycerated shape as when I first saw them, with a pair of the horns pointing upwards to the sky in a V shape and 2 smaller ones curling and curving downwards towards my chin and neck. 

After putting my robes and mask back on, and everything else back into my pockets, (I marvelled at how amazingly soft the robes were. I theorized that maybe it was a custom order made by a weaver from deepnest, as their silk, if properly manufactured, would put the clothes from Earth to shame) I made my way back out of the house and onto the 3rd (and so far, most exhausting) task of the day. Talking to strangers. 

Initially, I was planning on talking to Bretta or Iselda over Sly, as I thought I had no geo, and didn't want to waste the shopkeeper's time. However, upon the discovery of my geo satchel, I made the decision to peruse Sly's wares.

Entering Sly's shop, I made sure to mentally prepare myself for the single greatest and most grueling battle of all.

The battle of commerce.

"Ah! A customer, welcome, welcome! What can I get for you, sir?" Sly made the first move, expecting an easy target.

"Hello, Are you selling anything for self defense?” I threw out the bait, acting as a clueless bumbling idiot with more money than IQ.

"Ah, of course! I have this longnail here, it's very well crafted and cared for." Sly took the bait, offering an old worn nail, covered in some kind of polish to hide its blemishes and imperfections. It probably would've been only slightly more effective than the old nail that you would use in the beginning of Hollow Knight. 

But it's better to have a shoddy weapon than none at all, especially in Hallownest.

"How much are you offering for it?" I ask, preparing myself for the bartering equivalent of a war of attrition. 

"I can sell it to you for 300 geo, sir. Now, that price may seem like a lot, but this is a well crafted longnail." Sly fires off the first offer for 300 geo. Unacceptable. I had 450 geo, and 300 for a relic is out of the question. 

"Uff, that seems a little too much for me. Would you accept 100?" I make my counteroffer, expecting that he will decline.

"100 is too low. This is a well made nail sir, best I can do is 150," Sly counters. He may be a great nailsage, but he is a middling-level merchant (for now at least) and he has never known the stubbornness of a customer until now.

I prepared my final offer.

"Sir, you may have not noticed, but the infection is over. Bugs are waking up again, and as such, competition will be fiercer than ever in this new world. However, this also means that there will be a higher number of potential customers entering Dirtmouth in the coming days, and if the prices are too high, then that's potential profit lost. This old nail would be lucky to sell for 90 geo. I can buy it from you for 140. Significantly higher than market value. 

“It's better to have less profit than no profit at all, good sage." Speaking of his past is a risky gambit, I admit, but one that might pay off.

After a tense moment, Sly chuckled. "You drive a hard bargain! 140 geo it is." We exchanged the goods, and Sly spoke up again. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, …?" Sly said with a searching tone.

"Xerxes, and likewise?" I replied. 

"Sly, though I expect you know more of me than you let on," he chuckled.

"I'm not one to judge. We all have to try new things eventually," I laughed with him. 

"If you want to know how to swing that nail properly, come find me, and bring geo," Sly offered. 

"Thanks for the offer, Sly. I'll consider it once I come back." 

Exiting the shop, I made a beeline(snrk) for the bench, and unceremoniously plopped down on top of it.

I haggled with the slippery merchant of Dirtmouth and came out with an almost 46% bargain. A major victory in my eyes.

Checking my geo satchel, I counted how much I had left.

310 geo, and a nail that is as average and unassuming as it can be.

Small victories like this add up over time. 

Dusting myself off and clipping the nail sheath to the inside of my robes, I made my way through the town and out past the well.

I remembered an elevator that would help me to skip the beginning parts of the crystal peaks, along with many a headache. There was just one problem. 

For some ungodly reason, the engineers and architects of the crystal peaks came to the brilliant conclusion of not designing a way to call down the elevator from the ground level, effectively forcing me to go the long way around.

Unless, of course, I think outside the box and come up with an unconventional solution. 

Digging through my robe pockets, I found my book on soul magic, and tried searching for the solution I needed.

Luckily, the spellbook was in alphabetical order, so it took only a moment to find the technique I needed.

A Look at Teleportation: Benefits and Uses.  

I admit, I was feeling nervous and giddy about this whole thing. On one hand, teleportation would be an incredible advantage in any situation, but on the other hand, the idea of screwing up the teleport and ending up trapped in a wall somewhere is enough to keep me up at night.

But it's either take the risk, or go the long way around.

Eventually, my laziness overpowered my fear, and I tried to prepare myself for my first teleport. 

I remembered that the Radiance was capable of teleporting during her fight in the game, but whether it was by using dream magic or soul, I don't know. (something to ponder on later) 

Calling on my 'Intuition' and combining it with the knowledge in the spellbook, I was capable of finding the metaphysical location of my Soul reserves. Even diminished in power as I am, I could store and generate massive amounts of Soul and use it as I see fit. (I guess I have both Soul and Dream, but no void. And all the Pale King’s knowledge of it is locked away from me, as he never succumbed to the infection…)

I envisioned drawing from my Soul reservoir like water from a well. Forming it around my body, I envisioned the location I would teleport to.

With a final sigh to soothe my nerves, I let the built-up energy flow into the teleportation spell. I was surrounded in a faint golden glow, and then I suddenly found myself several meters off target. Apparently, I had neither gauged the travel distance nor the energy usage properly.

As is tradition when it comes to heights, I panicked and started flailing and flapping my wings. After a brief moment of terror, my hands and Tarsi found purchase on the ledge of the elevator.

Apparently, on top of being as deliberately inconvenient as possible, (without outright adding a toll to use the elevator) they also had the infinite wisdom and foresight to make the elevator activated through weight instead of a lever or any other mechanism.

I say this because once I found leverage on the elevator, the sudden weight of my body must've been at the threshold needed to activate its mechanisms, which gradually lowered the cabin, (and me, desperately clinging onto it) down towards the ground. The moment I felt solid earth beneath my Tarsi, I scurried into the cabin of the elevator and tried to think happy thoughts, as I swore the elevator was going slower on purpose. 

Eventually, I finally reached the second entrance to the crystal peaks, completely forgetting about the pitfalls of crystals that you would ordinarily have to cross using the crystal heart.

The crystal heart I didn't have yet. 

Sighing to myself and muttering curses under my breath, I prepared myself to cross the first of many long corridors with pitfalls and certain death, before I quickly stopped to remember something.

These crystals are theorized by the community to be related to the Radiance in some way. They could give me the advantage I'll need in combat, and if worst comes to worst and there is no secret relation to me, I'll still have some pretty cool-looking crystals. 

Pocketing a handful of the crystals, I glanced back over the death pit. I'd most likely have to expertly parkour through it, risking life and limb (even if the limb can be healed) and taking up time that could be better spent on other things…

… Or I could try teleporting again. Trial and error is how people have learned for centuries, after all, and as said before, I am incredibly lazy. 

Preparing myself to teleport, I drew the soul from within my reservoir once more. The power buffered with the effects of the crystals, focusing it like a lens focusing light, and as the power built to the required levels, I once again let it flow into the necessary patterns for a teleportation spell. My vision was filled with a brilliant golden flash, and before I knew it, I had successfully teleported for the second time today.

I was practically ecstatic over this, but because the universe doesn't believe in the idea of letting me have nice things, I quickly realized the situation I was in.

First, Cornifer, his back up against the wall and bleeding heavily.

Second, the group of three Vengeflies.

And finally, the third problem, the Vengefly king currently buzzing about.

They most likely settled here when the Husks had either died off or regained sentience and left. 

With a screech, the king ordered the Vengeflies to mob me while it waited from afar.

This was not a good situation, to put it bluntly. I didn't know enough about using my nail to deal with 3 Vengeflies and their King, I didn't know any offensive spells, I didn't have the time to learn said offensive spells, and running away was out of the question.

The only option I had left was the infection. 

Dodging the Vengefly lunging towards me, I gathered the Infection in my lungs and aerosolized it, before releasing it out into the surrounding air.

As time marched on, the air quickly became suffused with the Pox, giving it an almost sickly orange hue as still more Pox bellowed out from my lungs. 

At first the Vengeflies slowed down, and then they were paralysed, and then finally brain death occurred once enough of the pox had made it to their central nervous system.

The King, however, was made of sturdier stuff than the others. Although paralyzed and rendered flightless, it still tried to bite and snap in mindless impotent rage. 

Drawing my nail, I thrust the tip of the blade into the space between the chitin plates in the neck of the beast, severing its spinal cord and finally killing the Vengefly King.

With my first 2 problems rendered null and void, I now turned to the third.

Cornifer, map maker extraordinaire and possessing an almost eldritch ability to appear in places he shouldn't belong in. I was honestly surprised to see him in such a sorry state, unconscious and bleeding out onto the floor. 

Calling on my intuition, I examined his wounds, absentmindedly sucking the infection in the air back into my body as I did so.

As it is now, he would die from blood loss in less than five minutes. Leaving him is out of the question, and the nearest help was back in Dirtmouth, the task fell onto me to save him.

Pulling out my knife, I pricked the palm of my hand and willed the infected hemolymph into Cornifer's body. It repaired the damage, regenerated lost tissue and fluids. When he was finally stable, I pulled the Infection back out.

With Cornifer's condition stabilized, I decided to stay with him until he regained consciousness, feeling exhausted after today's events.

Maybe a 30 minute nap would do me some good? 

Chapter Text

It was at this moment that Hornet decided that she had enough of politics. In fact, she hated having to navigate the political climate of a Hallownest in its rebirth. Between coordinating rebuilding efforts, making sure food consumption did not exceed production, navigating the court of intrigue between bickering nobles, trying to identify the cause of the Pox's disappearance and attempting to find the location of her father, she barely had enough energy to stand.

Exhausted did not even begin to cover what Hornet was feeling at that moment. As the daughter of an immortal Higher Being, she was never expected to take the throne, as any catastrophe capable of killing her father would certainly have killed her as well.

All this led to her being woefully unprepared to lead the reconstruction efforts. While it was going smoothly (more than smoothly in fact), She was exhausted, both mentally and physically.

"-And that's why I believe I should have ownership rights to that store instead of that inbred wretch!"

"A more immediate problem is the lack of food production. Our best estimates suggest that we only have a few months before we will have to begin rationing" 

"Has anybody heard from Deepnest?! We're running out of parchment, and without it, the bureaucracy will slow to a crawl!"

"-Where is the Pale King?!"

Tuning back into what felt like the hundredth (Temporary) council meeting of the day, Hornet stood up from her seat and began issuing out commands, visibly frustrated and exhausted at today's events.

"Prioritize food production, ownership rights are not relevant to council meetings, we have not heard from Deepnest, and the Pale King is missing. This council meeting will be on hold as I take a break to clear my mind. If the matter is absolutely urgent, leave it as a message." Hornet declared. Slowly, the council members began to exit the premises.

It was a relatively small building in comparison to the great audience halls of the White Palace, and was made as the meeting grounds for a conglomeration of Hallownest's most influential surviving Bugs, whether they be nobles, merchants, bureaucrats, or builders. 

Of course, this led to a lot of chafing and friction between the council members. The nobles were disgusted at having to work with 'common Bugs' and the common Bugs could not stand the sneering of the nobles.

 Once the council members had left the premises and the doors had been closed, Hornet collapsed back into her seat and visibly deflated, trying to massage her aching head through her mask.

She needed a break before she started breaking shells. Whenever she was stressed, she often used to journey up to the Crown of Hallownest, as the walk allowed her to clear her mind, and the silence of the locale was almost soothing. Of course, this was before Hallownest fell to ruin, as every waking moment after the collapse was spent protecting Hallownest's corpse from scavengers and the flawed Vessels answering the call of The Hollow Knight.

A trip to Hallownest's Crown would help clear her mind and do her some good, right?

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waking up from my short nap, I checked on Cornifer's condition. Luckily, the healing had left no visible signs of the Infection's influence. In fact, in less than a few hours, he'd be even healthier than before he was injured!

It was at this moment that Cornifer began stirring from his unconsciousness. Of course I didn't have time to chat with him, and neither did I have the energy for it, and so I left a note detailing what had happened to him (leaving out any mention of the infection, and replacing it with magic instead to explain his rapid recovery) and guiding him to the elevator from which I came from. Hopefully that would be enough. 

With Cornifer safe, I dusted off my robes and continued my ascent to the Crown of Hallownest, which was almost entirely deserted aside from a few vengefies. (Most likely the cured Bugs had brought their dead with them) I also discovered a Geo mound on the way up, totalling my geo count to 600. 

I always wondered what Geo was. The game only told us that they were made from the fossilized shells of Bugs, so where did it come from? Is new Geo still being produced in this new Hallownest?

Snapping out of my questions, I realized I had completely forgotten about the Crystal Heart, and made a detour to grab it. I wish I could say it was some grand adventure, but between my magic and the lack of opposition, it wasn't all that interesting. 

When I finally reached the golem(?) That contained the crystal heart I needed, I tried to pull it out of the construct, only for my attempt to fail miserably. After a few more failed attempts of wrenching the heart out, I stood back and thought of a solution and an observation.

Vessels are way stronger than the game predicts if they're able to pull out the crystal heart with only minor difficulty. 

Of course, I both didn't have a Vessel nearby to control, and neither was I willing to control one.

And so, instead I looked to the Infection in my body, remembering how it could mutate and alter the infected Husks into new forms, enhancing their strength and resilience all the while. 

Of course, this was a risky move. Alter too much, and I'd be disfigured until I can heal the damage. Not alter enough, and it'd be a wasted effort. And so, with bated breath, I began to direct the Infection within my blood to reshape my body. 

First, I disabled my nervous system to prevent a pain response, and then I began to alter my muscles and improve my strength considerably. Finally,  I began shaping and changing my shell to accommodate the strain of the enlarged muscles. Once the process was complete,  I reactivated my dormant nerves and examined my handiwork. It was an approximate 60% increase to my strength. 

 With my new strength, I reached into the heart and pulled, only to end up pulling too hard and almost stumbling over the cliff. 

With another reminder of my crippling fear of heights, I stood back up and examined my prize. It was a power core of a mining construct, utilizing the secrets of the crystals to generate the immense amount of energy to fuel the machine. A work of magical and engineering genius for a society on the verge of an industrial revolution. 

After I finished examining the core, I began channeling energy into it, converting it into raw kinetic force that launched me forward at terrifying speeds. I was prepared for it to be fast, but not this fast. I also didn't know how to turn it off, and had only figured it out literally moments before I was splattered against the wall.

Shaking after having yet another moment of pure pants-shitting terror, I backtracked up the mountain, and finally, I reached the Crown of Hallownest. I could see the statue of The Radiance, and at its foot, a chunk of pale ore. My prize for this trip

Pocketing the ore, I felt like I had to talk to the statue, to rant at it, for no other reason than because I needed the stress relief. 

"Hello, Old Light ," I began to speak. "You've definitely made a mess of things, haven't you. Infecting an entire civilization, killing millions, and enslaving the survivors. And for what? Because your worshippers chose a better god to follow? And look at where it's gotten you, trapped in the body of a hollow Vessel, The Queen of A Broken Kingdom. Oh, but you didn't care about that, didn't you? No, you only cared about something as petty and childish as 'revenge', about spitting on the works of beings greater than you, of tearing them down to your level so that others may share in your pain.

But that's not even the worst part. You left Me to pick up your pieces and clean up your mess instead of taking responsibility for your actions. I had my whole life ahead of me! I had a family, and while my life wasn't interesting, I was where I belonged! And you tore me away from it!  I don't know what's worse, whether you simply died and I was there to fill the shoes you left behind, or you have switched places with me, stealing My life and walking around in My skin."

My blood was boiling, and I felt the familiar itching sensation of an impending sensory overload, but I didn't care. I had been bottling up my emotions for days now, and I needed the release. 

I continued to rant, unaware of the billowing of a red cloak hiding behind a rock at my back. 

The outside world quickly started to feel like it was ceasing to exist for me. It was only me and the statue at this point.

"You were never a god! You were a child wielding infinite power with all the grace of a hammer! You were a butcher, a slaver, a murderer, and a vile piece of shit! And I have to take the fall for you! I have to work to clean up my name! Looking over my back for knives in the dark, knowing that at any moment I am in incredible danger of being exposed and killed for Your crimes!" 

The corner of my mind not frothing in rage or in the midst of a sensory overload noted that I was surrounded in a brilliant golden glow, far from the sickly orange of the Infection or the Radiance, and shining with all the heat and light of a newborn star. The stone around the Statue was melting and shifting as my radiant aura lashed out at it like a solar flare.Yet still, the Statue persisted, and would continue to persist .

It was unaffected by the heat and the light, almost taunting me with its existence and serving as a permanent mark of shame for my new life. From the moment I first opened my eyes in this world, I was haunted by the specter of this mad Higher Being. 

As my anger finally cooled back into neutrality and the itching twinges of a sensory overload passed over my body, I fell unconscious, unaware of the shadow of an Old Moth hovering over me. 

Chapter Text

When I finally woke up from my rant, I felt aches and pains all over my body. I was exhausted and my vision was blurred. Perhaps whatever had happened at the statue during my outburst had damaged my eyes and body? Anyway, at this moment, I was essentially crippled and in unfamiliar territory.

Willing the infection to begin mending my body, I tried to take note of the location I was in.
First, I noticed that I wasn't lying on the cold stone floor of Hallownest's crown.
Second, I was laying in a bed or cot, which Implied someone had found me.

Willing the infection to heal my eyes first, My vision slowly began clearing up, and with a fresh pair of eyes (snrk) I looked around the room I was in.
Well, now I knew who had found me. On the other hand, I was not prepared for this encounter yet.

I was in the room of none other than the Last Moth and holder of the Dream Nail, The Seer.

What I was even less prepared for was Hornet of all Bugs to be there, sitting a distance away from my cot with her trusty needle by her side.

She didn’t seem to have noticed I was conscious yet, so I moved my eyes to not look directly at her. I heard that people often have something akin to a 'sixth sense' that tells them they're being watched, and while I didn't know if Bugs had something similar, I didn’t want to find ou-

"Ah, so you're awake." Hornet said, suddenly breaking my train of thought.

I was in immense danger right now. I was one mistake away from being impaled on the wall and left to rot.

Willing my body to hurry up with the mending, (Why does it seem to be taking much longer than expected?!) I prepared to distract her with small talk, making sure to use my most polite language all the while.

"My apologies, I don't know where we are. I think I may possibly have a concussion. Could you please tell me where I am, Ma'am?"

I don't like using the word ma'am, as it smacks too much of 'M'lady' and I'd sooner lock myself back in the Black Egg before speaking that word. But between potential cringing at a later date or possibly being killed by a Bug who is built like a steel mill, I had to make sacrifices.

"You are in the Resting Grounds, the graveyard of Hallownest, where the dead are laid to rest. We do not need to indulge in beating around the bush, as I know what you are," Hornet said, her voice neutral and betraying no emotion I could identify.

I froze in my cot, internally screaming and making peace with my incredibly short life.

I couldn't run, as she obviously would have expected and had planned for that. And on top of that, if I somehow DID manage to scramble out of the hut without being caught, she was probably faster than me, even with the Crystal Heart.

I obviously couldn't fight, as Hornet had been killing Husks and Vessels for a very long time and is a literal demigod. I would be fucking murdered in less time than it takes to blink.

Hiding is out of the question, as she'd find me almost instantly.

My only option was to talk. Something I was not very good at.

Steeling my nerves, I began to speak.

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

"I heard all of it. I am assuming this 'Old Light' was the source of the Radiant Pox?" She replied.

"Yes. She was the creator of the Pox, and architect of Hallownest's ruin. The reason for rampage was her childish ego and her unwillingness to let her worshippers choose who to believe in. Her desperation became an infection, a final last gasp of an increasingly irrelevant God unwilling to adapt to change." I replied, feeling my irritation towards that dead god rise.

"I see, and what is your relation to her? If this 'Old Light' being the creator of the Pox is true, then you clearly knew much about her." Hornet replied, suspicion growing in her voice.

"None whatsoever. I detest everything she stood for. And for what she did to me," I replied.

"Aaah, so the New Light is awake?" The Seer’s voice cut into the conversation.

“Yes.” Hornet replied simply, her voice cool and collected.

Looked like everyone was aware of my presence now. And as such, I could finally explain my situation to them.

"Truth be told, I do not belong here. In this world, I mean. I hail from a different time and a different world, and even a different species to the Bugs of Hallownest."

Opening my mind and concentrating on visualizing my thoughts, I began to explain as much as I could.

"I was born approximately 20 years ago to a species who called themselves humans, a bipedal species possessing two arms and two legs with an internal endoskeleton. We did not understand the concept of Magic, or Soul, or even Higher Beings. Many of us believed in it, of course, but we couldn't truly confirm if such concepts existed.

Without magic, My kind instead began to study the sciences and laws of the universe. With our knowledge of the way the universe works, we created great wonders of engineering, but also weapons of mass destruction. We were the only sentient species on our world, and as such, we dominated the land and spread to all corners of our world, domesticating or exterminating any life harmful to us and even altering the very planet itself. Without any Higher Beings to influence us, we grew and developed until we understood so much more of the universe around us. We harnessed the energy of the smallest foundations of all matter, learned to understand what causes sickness and how to treat it, and even took our first steps beyond our world, exploring the void of space.

But we were a divided people, and as such, we fought each other often. We committed and continue to commit atrocities over resources, ideology, culture, or even just simple animosity.

I wish I could tell you of what happened next, if we overcame our animosity and continued growing as a species, but approximately one week ago, I was brought here against my will or knowledge." I explained my story the best I could, doing my best to highlight both the good and bad parts of mankind, in as much of an unbiased fashion as I could.

"Interesting, but that does not explain the power I feel around you, the feeling one gets only when a Higher Being is near. Nor does it explain the sudden disappearance of the Pox, and your... outburst on the Crown," Hornet responded.

"Why or how I was brought here I am unsure. But somehow, I have been forced to take the place of the Old Light, trapped within the Hollow Knight.

“I found my way out of the temple by consolidating the Infection into a Husk with life or sentience left within them, and by weakening myself enough to 'take the leap' to a new body.

After I made my way out, I made the decision that I would help Hallownest grow, heal, and eventually stand on its own again in order to atone for my predecessor's atrocities."

The revelation had silenced Hornet's doubts.

"So the New Light seeks to atone for the crimes they did not commit," the Seer spoke up, curiosity in her voice.

"It's more than that, good Seer. A side effect of my position is that I am forced to absorb or learn the memories of those infected who have expired. Every night, when I sleep, I am barraged with the dreams of millions of Bugs. I want to help them, I want to heal Hallownest. And most importantly, I want to find my home and my people," I replied.

"Hallownest does not need heroes anymore, New Light. It needs leaders, bureaucrats, farmers and builders," The Seer replied before continuing. “The greatest good you can do for this kingdom is to work within it. Hallownest is rudderless without the royal family, and even I know that good Hornet is strained by current events."

I did not like where this was going, and neither did Hornet by the looks of things.

"I suggest that maybe you should try working as Hornet's adjutant-assistant," the Seer said, dropping a bombshell onto both of us.

"What!?" both Hornet and I exclaimed in unison.

Chapter Text

Hey Y'all! I just wanted to say that im currently running out of steam when it comes to writing The Light Reborn and i feel like i should probably take a break before it evolves into full blown burnout. Plus i also underestimated my tunnel vision when playing Metal Gear Rising and picking up Monster Hunter (Bought before i wrote the first chapter but didnt play yet)

This hiatus SHOULDN'T (Emphasis on 'Shouldn't') last longer than 2 months at most to get it out of my system and to give myself some time to get some motivation and draft up what will happen next with Xerxes and the world of Hallownest (I didn't actually expect to get this far in terms of a fic)

For now though, this is where the story is put on hold. Thank you to everyone for leaving kudos and reading this dumb little fic (140 kudos! It just keeps growing!)

And most importantly, thank you to EvergreentheIceLeafDragon, my beta reader and editor who has to read the raw garbage i write and process it into something more visually pleasing. And thank you to House_of_knives for giving me the inspiration to write this fic in the first place!

This whole fic has given me a new respect for other (Still not gonna get used to this) fic writers

Xerxes' story isn't over. There'll be politics! Intrigue! Kicking Nobles around! Romance?! (Not really lmao, can barely write dialogue let alone romance) But that's for the future.

As always have a good one and thank you all for reading! And sorry for the interruption.

Chapter Text

“WHAT?!” both Hornet and I exclaimed in unison.

“What about the risk of my identity-”

“I doubt it’s a good idea to work with-”

My mind was whirling with all the ways this could go wrong.

Not only have I never been in a leadership position at all in my life, not even leading a school presentation or anything of the sort and being the person who contributed almost nothing to the presentation, but there was also the fact that exposing myself to the public would increase my chances of being found out! I'm not exactly sure what they'd do to me upon such a discovery, but I'm certain it wouldn’t be very pretty.

On top of that, neither Hornet or I trusted each other. As far as she knew, I was lying and actively planning to stab her in the back, and from what I could gather, I would have best described Hornet's physical status as somewhere between 'Amazonian Demigod' and 'Built like a Brick Shithouse' and I just KNOW that the moment I screw up in any capacity or appear suspicious in any way, I'm going to have my shell cracked open like a coconut crab and beaten within an inch of my life.

As both mine and Hornet’s protests filled the air, the Seer held up her hand. “I know of the risks, but hear me out. First, Xerxes. You want to fix the Old Light’s mistakes, correct?”

I nodded.

“Well, there’s no better way than this, my boy. And even if you have no experience as a leader, Hornet does. She can help guide you.

“And as for you, young lady-” She turned to face Hornet.”You’re overworked and understaffed. Having the power of a Higher Being on your side could be a very useful tool, and if what he said is correct, then he might know of things that we don't. We may soon have solutions to problems we previously thought impossible, or at the very least, a fresh new perspective of an outsider.

I chose to speak up again, "What if someone finds out about me?"

"As long as you aren’t acting stupid and flaunting your power in public, then it would take a miracle for the average bug to discover you. Higher Beings can be hard to find if you're not prepared, and even if they somehow figured it out, they wouldn't know the full story. They’d most likely just assume you’re an entirely different, unrelated Higher Being.”

Nodding, I sat back down on the cot and turned to Hornet.

While I couldn't see her face behind the ivory mask, I could tell that she was conflicted. Not just due to this decision, either, but because of something else. Something I didn't know about.

After a moment of silence, she finally sighed.

"Alright. You’re right. I can't rebuild this kingdom, not on my own. " She angled herself to face me. "What is your name? I can't keep calling you 'Old Light', especially not in public."

"My name is Xerxes. Or, at least that's the name I'll be going by for now."

She nodded. "My name is Hornet. Now, come along, Xerxes. We’ve got work to do," she said, striding out of the room.

I made to follow her, but the Seer placed a hand on my arm.

"One last thing, New Light." She reached into her robe, and after a few moments of rooting around in it, pulled out a talisman.

At the top, there was a structure resembling a dreamcatcher, glowing softly. Extending from its bottom was a small handle, just long enough for my hand to grasp.

The Dream Nail.

"Consider it a gift, a reminder, and an apology. I have a feeling it will help you in the times to come."

I hesitated, drawing my hand back. "I- I shouldn't, I don't feel like I deserve it-" I began, but the Seer interrupted me once more.

"Just take it. I have a hunch you'll be needing it more than I do."

Slowly, I grasped the dream nail, and felt an incredible warmth flow from me to the nail and back. In an instant, both the Dream Nail and I were engulfed in a brilliant pink flash.

Once the light died down, I looked down at the object in my hand. I had an odd feeling of Deja Vu, like I’d held this nail before, despite the fact I’d never used it in my life.

"Best not keep a young lady waiting, New Light, especially not the princess of Hallownest,” the Seer said, looking back up at me with a smile.

Giving a quick nod, I hurried toward the door, but hesitated at the entrance.

I turned around one last time. “Thank you, Seer. For everything.”

Not wasting a moment longer, I exited the room to find Hornet waiting for me on a nearby railing. (Wait, I don't remember there being a railing in the game…)

"Ah, so you're finally here. Come on, then. We're going to take the Stagways back to the City. Then, once you’ve been introduced to the rest of the Council, we’ll be heading off to Deepnest.” Hornet said briskly, hopping down from her perch.

"Can I ask why we’re going to Deepnest first, Princess?" I questioned, trying my best to match her walking speed.

"We will need to verify the condition of Deepnest and its people, and see about renewing old trade deals and reestablishing diplomatic talks.Otherwise, we'd have to resort to writing on stone tablets and loose cloth, which takes time," Hornet explained.

I nodded in agreement, processing what she just said.

Almost every complex civilisation needs something to write on in order to keep a headcount, manage resources, collect taxes, and (most importantly) store information. Deepnest's silk exports can both provide parchment and clothing materials, and if we also gain stronger diplomatic ties from this, we'd be killing two birds with one stone.

My internal musings were cut short by Hornet ringing the Stagway bell, soon followed by the sound of a Stag running at full speed down the tunnel, a carriage drawn behind them.

"Ho there, Princess! Where to?"

"Take us to King's Station." Hornet commanded, handing over some Geo.

"Climb in back and we'll be off." The Stag gestured his head to the carriage, and we clambered in. Hornet took the closest seat to the door as I took the window seat, silently praying that this ride won't be as bumpy or chaotic as depicted in-game.

Once we had both seated ourselves, the Stag took off in a pace somewhere around the speed of 'Crack-Addled Spider Monkey'. Luckily, despite the shell-smashing speeds we were enduring as we hurtled through the Stag tunnels at the comfortable land speed of 'Yes', it was nowhere near as bumpy as expected.

After a few moments of silence, I pulled my gaze from outside the window and to the resident demigod sitting opposite me, and asked the question that had been plaguing me for a while.

"How many?" I asked.

"Sorry what?" Hornet tilted her head in confusion.

"How many survived? How many Bugs are our responsibility, are in our care now?" I elaborated.

"Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I'm hoping the number will provide some motivation, some drive, something to remind me of the consequence of failure. Those lives depend on us now. Our actions in the future will decide the fate of these Bugs, for better or for worse," I explained. I always felt like I would perform better as a leader if I envisioned the people who I would control over, to give me some sense of responsibility to them.

A moment of silence passed as Hornet did her best to remember.

"... Our records are outdated, but our highest population count was roughly 30 million Bugs, which included Deepnest and the Mantis Tribes. I expect only half that number to still be alive by now," Hornet responded, her tone solemn.

"While I can't promise I will be able to be a good leader, I swear I will do everything I can for Hallownest. I will rebuild it with my own two hands if I have to, brick by brick, street by street," I declared, completely forgetting about my second pair of hands.

"It sounds like you have a lot of hope for Hallownest, Xerxes," Hornet pointed out. "Even though you have never met the common Bug."

"They say hope can move mountains, Princess. And empathy is one of the strongest things any Man or Bug can experience. It's what separates us from common beasts, and allows us to come together in the face of disaster," I replied, remembering how the first sign of civilization is a healed femur, a proof of empathy, compassion and trust in others.

Our conversation was interrupted by the carriage coming to a halt. We had already made it to the King’s Station.

"It seems we have arrived. Now, come on Xerxes. It's time to get to work," Hornet announced, leaving the carriage.

I exhaled through my mask and mentally prepared myself for what I would see.

Chapter Text

Stepping out of the carriage and following Hornet, I took in the sights of the King's Station in awe. 

Even eroded by time and infection, the station was still the largest and most populated stag station in likely all of Hallownest by this point, and it showed. I could barely move without bumping into another Bug (the thought of anyone being able to see through my identity making me suppress my shudders all the while) and stuck close to Hornet to keep myself from getting lost in a sea of chitin. 

Once we had finally entered the City proper, I was surprised to find out that it wasn't raining as I had previously expected.

"Princess, I've heard about the City of Tears before, but is it not supposed to rain?" I questioned, still referring to Hornet by her title to try and sound more polite. 

I may be a Higher Being with control over the Infection, but I'm confident that if properly motivated, Hornet would wipe the floor with me in a fight. And antagonising my future employer is a horrible idea in general. 

"The cavern the City was originally constructed within was directly above a vast reservoir of water that slowly leaked into the porous rock and came down as rain, giving the City of Tears its name. Nowadays, the porous rock has either been replaced or maintained by the Menderbugs, and is currently on a schedule." Hornet replied automatically, making it clear that she had said those exact same words to plenty of other Bugs before me. 

"I have to say, that's incredibly interesting in my opinion. We didn't come far in terms of artificial weather or weather-control in general, due to the fact we mostly lived under the open sky," I said, trying and failing to suppress my curiosity for the world of Hallownest. 

"I'm surprised that your kind did not have access to this, considering the other feats you have shown and told me about." Hornet responded. I imagined that behind her mask she'd raised a nonexistent eyebrow at me. 

"Oh no, we understood the concept behind artificial weather and even used it on some occasions. It's just that it was in its relative infancy by the time of my... relocation, and remained incredibly expensive and not all that effective," I replied, hoping that I didn't accidentally get this fact wrong.Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be able to live with the embarrassment... 

Hornet simply hummed in affirmation. 

After a few moments of relative silence, we stopped in front of a pair of large double doors.

"We've made it to the Council hall. It's a temporary residence for emergency government services, and will also serve as your residence for now. I will introduce you to the other councillors tomorrow. In the meantime, I suggest you prepare yourself for meeting the vilest creatures in Hallownest, Nobles." Hornet dryly remarked, catching me off guard with both the dry humor and the revelation. 

Quickly nodding, I stepped through the large entrance into the Council Hall (which was more akin to a mansion than an actual government building).

After a moment, I turned around. 

"You don't happen to know the directions for this place, do you?" I questioned. 

Shortly after that incredibly awkward tour, I made my way from my quarters to the private bathhouses, eager to wash off what felt like lifetimes of grime and dirt, not to mention properly clean my robes.

As I climbed into the hot water and started cleaning, I pondered Hornet's previous words. Namely, the fact that I'd have to deal with Nobles, a h nobles, the vile, obese, lecherous, bottom-feeding overfed swine who got their position purely through being lucky enough to be born into a rich family. 

To put it bluntly, I despised everything that nobles stood for, and for good reason. 

Stamping down that rant before it escalated, I idly marvelled at the shine of my shell. You would think that it was metal with how brilliantly it shone, the white patches on my carapace were quickly fading, and the glow in my eyes was almost imperceptible now. I'd appear as a totally normal Bug if nobody knew of me. 

As I was getting out of the bath, a series of knocks interrupted my train of thought.

Quickly putting my robes back on, I stuffed my belongings back into my pockets (double-checking all the while to make sure I didn’t miss anything) and finally affixing my mask back on. Exhaling, I opened the door, only to immediately see an overweight Bug squeeze and force his way through it. 

Judging by the weight, the lack of manners, and the excessively gaudy clothing, I was definitely in the presence of a Noble. 

I quietly made my way out of the bathhouse, so as to avoid any unnecessary confrontations (yet). 

"Filthy commoners," I overheard the noble mutter, either underestimating my hearing or overestimating his subtlety.

I couldn't verbally fire back, at least not yet. Not without ending up in deep shit with the council and with Hornet, and currently, as I may very well exist on her mercy, I am not eager to throw that away, gritting my nonexistent teeth behind my mask, I made my way out of the bathhouse and towards my quarters for a nap and to keep myself from snapping back at someone.

Fucking nobles.

Chapter Text

Hey Everyone I have bad news
For about 2 weeks now i have been struggling with the worst writers block i have ever experienced, i feel crushed under the weight of responsibility that i have as an author to these two fics (T.L.R and Project Grógaldr) that any and all attempts to write simply fall through

I never intended for any of these fics to be so long, i expected at most 10 or 20 people to look at the first few chapters, shrug their shoulders and move on. To see that hundreds of people are invested in my work is both flattering and straining on my mental health, and so i tried to extend them for as long as i could. Once writers block hit and my motivation and passion for creating these worlds ended i was left with only that feeling of not being productive enough and brought back the memories of my old college experiences, I cant handle the feeling of responsibility and with my passion fading i have to address something thats becoming increasingly obvious

I cannot continue writing, and as such i will be making an announcement.

The Light Reborn and Project Grògaldr will no longer be worked on, and I will be putting the works up for any to adopt

To my editor and beta reader EvergreentheIceLeafDragon, thank you for your boundless patience and willingness to work with me during this time, without you my first ever fic would've died in its first 5 chapters, and my 2nd would never have come to be.

And to You, the readers who picked up my fic, and enjoyed it, bookmarked, commented and kudos'd, thank you for allowing me to get this far in writing, Im sorry that I couldn't hold onto that motivation.

Writing The Light Reborn helped me to understand what fic writers go through during the writing of these chapters. And it helped me to understand what writers block feels like, i understand if you are disappointed or irritated by my announcement and radio silence.

All of you helped me to create these worlds and put my thoughts to paper but im afraid that its time for me to change and to try something new.

Perhaps someday, in the future i may rediscover that passion for writing and either begin working on the fics again, or start a new one should my first and second fics be adopted.

Once again thank you all for your boundless patience and understanding. And I will see all of you again as a reader instead of a writer.