A/N: "Hmm let me see here. Where are we in the story..." Pushes glasses up "Ah yes, time to meet the other vessels."
BTW the vessel's speech is short and choppy on purpose. That's just how I imagine them talking in my head.
Disclaimer: I do not own HK. I think we all already know that.
They clutched tightly to their older twin's chest as they fell. They had followed their twin when they began their ascent, something inside them wanted to stay close with their sibling. Even back when they were being crushed in the dark object, some instinct made them clutch onto their unseen sibling. Thinking back, the one time their twin left was the scariest moment of its short lived life.
They felt confused when their twin had dropped them onto their back, along with a tight pain in their chest that didn't physically hurt. Their twin had run up the platforms, along with a tide of siblings all rushing to get to the light. But they didn't care about the light. All they wanted was to be with their twin. They chased them, calling their name and avoiding the treacherous obstacles.
Siblings fell down onto platforms from above, and while it made that tight pain in their chest feel tighter, they focused on their twin. Focusing only on their twin's retreating form, they kept in stride with their twin. Getting closer and closer, they had managed to catch up to their twin at the very end. But they were still only freshly hatched and didn't have the strength to make the final jump.
They grasped onto the ledge, not having the strength to pull themselves up, and gave one more desperate cry for help. Their sibling paused, about to leave with the light, before turning back to them. They cried and cried and cried for help, for them to not leave, for their twin to not abandon them. The light beckoned their twin, but they refused to turn around. Hope exploded in their chest, replacing the empty feeling of pain when their twin had left them.
They reached out and cried louder, trying to get their attention. The light ordered their twin to leave, but their twin seemed to shake away whatever haze the light had put them in. Their twin walked back to the ledge and held out an arm. They grabbed it instantly, glad to be back in the protective embrace of their twin. However, the light didn't seem too happy. Before they could warn their sibling, the light sent a pulse of energy out and pushed them off the edge. Their twin didn't let go, pushing them into their chest protectively.
Fortunately, one of the higher platforms had caught them. Their twin had curled around them, protecting them from most of the force. They looked up at their twin, who was lying on their back.
"Twin? Twin alright?" They asked, concerned.
"...Fine." Their twin managed to get out.
"Twin hurt? Twin need help?" They insisted.
"Is twin fine? If twin not hurt, everything fine." Their twin redirected.
They shook their head 'no' in response, but they were still concerned. Flipping their twin on their stomach, despite their protests, they checked their twin's mask for any cracks or damages. Their twin didn't have the strength to resist after all thats happened. Satisfied nothing was off, they rolled their indignant twin onto their back and snuggled into their chest. Exasperated, their twin wrapped their arms around and lulled them to sleep by stroking their back.
They vaguely remember the light disappearing from above, a loud Thud, and being carried back down. But they didn't wake, not while their twin held them. They felt safe there. Protected. Warm. Comfortable. So many feelings yet not enough words to describe them. They could remember feeling their twin lie down, along with the feeling of their other siblings cuddling around them. That, combined with the tiring climb right after hatching, allowed them to instantly slip into a deep sleep.
They didn't know how long they slept, only that their twin had been with them the whole time. They couldn't feel their other siblings around them anymore, likely having already woken up and left. Groggily opening their eyes, they rubbed their mask and looked around. They were in an object, a bit like the one they had come out of but slightly different. It was bigger, and it had a larger opening.
Their twin stirred from their movement and noticed their awakening. Their twin sat up and reached down to rub just the perfect spot between their horns. They snuggled up to them affectionately, and they in turn tucked them under their chin. They didn't know how long they sat there, but they didn't care. They could've sat there for an eternity and not cared.
Eventually, however, another sibling's head popped in from the hole. They were larger than both of them… actually, their twin seemed a little bigger. They too, though a bit less noticeable than their twin, also seemed a bit taller.
"Sibling awake?" They whispered, though it would not have mattered. Void speech is clear and loud to anybody who understands it, despite its rather quiet sound. Or maybe because of it. They didn't know.
"Sibling awake." Their twin confirmed.
They looked up at their sibling in curiosity. They had two large, curved horns at the front and one small horn at the back. Their cloak was significantly longer than their body, lightly brushing against the floor. They held out their hand, a silent offer to help them out.
With their now larger size, their twin held them to their chest with one hand while using their other to grab the offered arm. After their sibling hauled them both out the hole, they could now get a better view of their home. They only had a few glimpses when they woke up before having to chase their twin, and they weren't focused on their surroundings at the time. A chill went down their back when they realized the ground was coated with hundreds of masks of their dead siblings. They snuggled closer to their twin, searching for their protective presence.
They patted their back reassuringly, and they continued their journey. They followed the large sibling, who navigated through one of the tunnels.
"Siblings need to know area. Siblings need to know what to avoid." The sibling stated. The sibling leads them into a large open space, with a giant lighthouse shining down onto a lake of black ooze. They gripped their twin tighter, afraid they'll run off and abandon them again. Their twin hugged them, reassuring them that they won't leave again.
"Void is peaceful here." Their sibling said, pointing at the pool of the now identified void. "Light keeps void calm. But without light, void becomes violent. Do not approach void not shone by light." Their sibling warned.
Their sibling then pointed to some black shadows floating around. They looked and felt like siblings but… twisted.
"They attack if near, hurt you when touched. Stay away." They warned again. "But otherwise, home safe. Sibling can go wherever they want." The sibling said, walking away.
Their twin followed them, letting them go wherever they wanted. But really, nothing seemed interesting here. Sure, it was safe and comfortable, but nothing pushed them to explore this place. They just wanted to spend time with their twin.
They wandered back through the winding tunnels, their twin's presence always right behind them, reassuring them that they wouldn't get lost in the dark paths. Somehow managing to remember the way back, the tunnels opened back up to the tall shaft. They glimpsed upwards to where the light had appeared before, but their twin just shook their head.
"Light gone, door appeared. Siblings say light took sibling. Light not coming back." Their twin comforted.
They snuggled into their twin's side, seeking their reassuring presence. They started to nod off, and despite having already slept three times recently, their twin's presence put them at ease. Their twin picked them up, and they wrapped their arms around their twin's neck to support themselves. They were carried into another round object, this one occupied by a few siblings.
When they lied down, the other siblings instinctively cuddled closer in their sleep. Surrounded by family, they quickly drifted to sleep.
The Pale King stood over the Pure Vessel. They had two sets of horns sprouting out the sides of their head, and their size was slightly larger than the others since they've had more exposure to his light.
This was the one. The one which would seal the infection, and save the kingdom. After the last vessel had turned out to not be pure, they had put this one through extra harsh tests to make sure.
Just thinking about the memory brought back unpleasant feelings.
Despite what many thought, he was not heartless. He felt pain killing the impure vessels, but he needed to ward off the weaker of heart. Those who could be scared off aren't pure. And this vessel… he tested it, made sure it did not react to anything. But still, it went back to help its sibling up.
However, just as he was about to impale them both through with a soul dagger, the bigger one embraced the smaller one. And that's when he noticed it.
'They're twins.' The king realized.
He hesitated. He shouldn't have, he's a king, he's had to cut losses and make tough decisions before. Despite that, he couldn't bring himself to kill them. Before, it was so easy to just brush it off. Brush them off and say the void hollowed them, that he shouldn't feel bad because they're already dead. But seeing it in front of him… see that they have emotions… see that they're his own children... he couldn't do it.
So instead, he summoned soul and blasted it forward, knocking them off. Whether they would survive or not is unknown, but he felt better about not outright killing them.
At least now he wouldn't accidentally rely on a faulty Hollow Knight. He'll have to test the next one more thoroughly, though. He wouldn't want to accidentally seal an impure vessel.
Continuing to stare down at the Pure Vessel, who managed to pass through his extra strict tests, he finally focused back into the present. Turning away, he sighed.
"Go make yourself presentable. We have visitors, and the dreamers wish to see the one which they shall jail." He demanded.
He didn't know why he added the second sentence. It's not like they needed reasoning, they only needed commands. He guessed he just rambled on a bit to soothe his nerves.
He sighed and turned down the hall. He needed to get to his workshop, where it's nice and quiet. Busy himself with mindless work.
He turned and walked down the hall, not noticing the 'Pure' vessel straighten up upon hearing they have visitors and walking away with an extra pep in their step.
A/N: Just some setup for the next chapters, not much going on. Also. I tried not to make PK look like a complete asshole, just a slight asshole. While the ends don't justify the means, and I definitely don't agree with his methods, there was a reason PK did what he did. He isn't completely heartless, otherwise he wouldn't go through so much trouble trying to save his kingdom from the infection.
Also, who thinks they can guess which vessel the PK chose? It's actually not that hard.