A/N: It's time for the adventure to start picking up...
Also, I have the first 10 chapters all planned out so you can be assured I'm not just making this up on the fly.
Disclaimer: Team Cherry owns Hollow Knight. Guess who doesn't.
After showing around the two twins, they had wandered off aimlessly. Honestly, they didn't understand those two. All siblings are family, they shouldn't need to be twins to be so close. Maybe it was something they didn't understand because they didn't have a twin themselves.
Regardless, they had work to do. Pushing out the thoughts of the twins, they began focusing on what they needed to do. They needed to take care of the next batch of freshly hatched siblings. Otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble they might get into.
Being one of the older siblings, they were in charge of taking care of the younger ones. In fact, they are actually one of the first to ever hatch. They had even managed to get to the light once. Thinking back on that memory brought back some unpleasant thoughts...
The light called them. They couldn't resist its calls, even though it knew what happened to the siblings who weren't strong enough. The first time they had seen it, they were still stuck in their egg. They were spared from being forced into having to make the climb up to the top. They had also learned why the floor of their birthplace was coated in the remains of their siblings. Because they all fell to their death trying to make the climb.
However, this time, they did not have the luxury of being stuck. Even knowing the effects of the light, they couldn't resist it. Fortunately, the light seems to allow siblings to grow, and due to that, they had grown a bit taller from the light that managed to hit them back when they were stuck in the egg. They were strong enough to make the further jumps with ease, and though subconsciously they knew that they should stop, that they should help their siblings, that they shouldn't go up, they couldn't stop.
The climb passed by in a blur, their memories of the event being burned away by the light. Finally jumping the last gap, they stood in front of the source of the light. The light reached out, touching their mask. They leaned into the touch, the light somehow burning and comforting at the same time. The light withdrew their hand, and they slowly came back to their senses as the light receded.
"You are not pure, not hollow. You are not the vessel I am looking for, you are broken. A broken vessel." The light stated. The voice, somehow echoing across the expanse of the abyss but still managing to be a whisper, slowly brought their attention to the energy forming around the light.
They barely came back to their senses in time to stumble backwards, a blindingly white dagger barely missing their mask and hitting their horn. They panicked, and leaped off the ledge and back into their dark birthplace.
They had barely escaped with the end of their right horn shortened, a reminder to never trust the light again. After that, they had awoken on one of the platforms below much larger. It seemed the light that had shaved their horn had, ironically, been absorbed made them stronger. The following times the light had arrived, they managed to stay lucid enough to resist. Their overexposure had given them a sort of resistance, or at least that was their theory. No other sibling had ever survived meeting the light and being judged impure. At least, not until recently. The twins were both exceptions.
It was probably better the light was gone. Now they could live in peace, the remaining eggs hatching and their family never having to be killed off by that wretched light.
Shaking their head, their focus came back into the present. No need to think about the dreary past.
Their job as the oldest sibling was busywork. They supervised the newborns, taught what they knew (albeit not much) to the curious ones, and made sure all knew the dangers of the abyss.
It was satisfying work to them, watching over the younger siblings grow and play. Well, grow mentally. No sibling would ever physically grow again since the light would hopefully never return.
It was a long, peaceful time before it happened. It was just like any other day in the abyss. They were watching over some of the newborns playing in the pool of void, making sure they didn't swim too far away from the lighthouse, when it suddenly started dimming.
They didn't notice, at first. It was naturally dark in the abyss, so the light was blinding regardless of its brightness. A small difference isn't noticeable. But when it started dimming much more and they finally noticed it, they felt confused. Then worried. Then panicked, when they realized there were still siblings in the lake.
Acting quickly, they started beckoning the younger siblings to start coming back to the shore.
"Come back! Quickly! It's not safe out there!" They urged, but their voice was drowned out by the other confused chatter in the area.
By the time the smaller siblings heard them, it was too late. The light had completely turned off, and the void became alive. Hundreds of tentacles and limbs came out, grabbing the siblings in the void. They could only watch helplessly as the newborn siblings that were supposed to be under their protection were strangled, dragged down into the dark pit of void.
And just to add salt on the wound, their shades slowly emerged from the void. And not just the young ones under their watch. All the other siblings, unfortunate enough to be in the pool of void at the time, along with the ones that had been near the shore, had all emerged. The unprepared siblings were quickly killed by the shades, adding to their numbers.
The lack of light seemed to make the other shades already floating around more aggressive. Joining the already growing swarm of shades, the cave was quickly overtaken.
"Run!" They shouted. "Go back to the main room!" Other siblings had similar ideas.
The dark tunnels were quickly congested with siblings, all pushing their way back into the main room. They were sure some would get trampled or killed by shades in the confusion, but they had to focus on making sure they could save as many siblings as possible.
Fortunately, the shades had short attention spans. They left when their prey left their sights, and the dark, winding tunnels made for the perfect place to lose them. Many siblings spilled out into the main chamber, but they grimly noted that there were significantly fewer of them.
There was general panic and confusion as siblings awoke and wondered what was happening. Sad and anguished cries chaotically mixed with the confused and shocked voices.
Eventually, when all the shouting calmed down, and the situation was explained to all the siblings, it was decided that no sibling should go back to the void sea. They were all restricted to the main area, for everyone's safety.
No sibling knew why the lighthouse had turned off. The door at the top was sealed shut, nobody could go in to see what was inside. Maybe if they could get back in there and turn the light back on, they would be able to access the sea again. But with all the siblings scared and anxious, it was best not to bring up the idea of investigation.
Right now, what all the siblings needed was rest. Then included. Finding an egg with some space, they quietly climbed in.
Once the day's events and consequences had finally settled in, they quickly collapsed onto the sibling pile formed in the egg from both the emotional and physical exhaustion. Quickly being cuddled to by some of the other siblings, they let their mind wander from the physical plane of existence.
They slowly came back into consciousness. They didn't know how long they slept, not why they had awoken before their siblings. However, a quiet skittering sound caught their attention.
Slowly and carefully shaking away the still sleeping siblings cuddled around them, they climbed out of the egg's opening. Looking around for the source of the noise, they saw something moving in the shadows.
"Sibling?" They called. When there came no response, they became worried. Had a shade wandered into the main area? If so, they needed to take care of it before it harmed one of the others.
Grabbing a mask off the floor and holding it like a club, they got ready to swing it. Slowly getting closer and closer to the skittering, they finally got a good view of the creature. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.
There, standing over one of the eggs in which six newborn siblings lay sleeping, was a horrendous creature.
It had six legs, all of them black as void and spindly to the point where it looked like it might snap in half. It was thin and sharp at the ends, giving it claw-like appendages. It had an orange sac on the main body, barely being protected by more black bones. The orange sac itself reminded them of the light, but it burned hotter with rage and felt twisted.
It had a hunched spine, with sharp spikes poking out the top and a tail bone at the end. But the worst part was on the neck. It craned downwards at an odd angle, and on the head was a familiar figure.
It was a perfect replica of them. The monster's face consisted of their own upside-down form hanging off the end of their neck, like a puppet. Every detail, even down to their shaved horn, was on it.
They dropped the mask and stumbled onto their back in shock. The monster, hearing a noise, looked back and noticed them. Shock and fear froze them in place, as the creature reared its head back and SCREAMED.
Every sibling in the area jolted awake as the creature picked up the egg and started skittering away. Broken out of their trance, they gave chase to the creature.
The confused and scared voices from their siblings could be heard echoing around them. But they ignored them, they needed to save those siblings from that monster's grasp.
Behind them, they vaguely noted the older twin chasing after the younger, which had apparently decided to join them in the chase. But they had tuned out most of their surroundings, focusing on their objective. They had to save those siblings. They wouldn't let any more die. Not on their watch.
They had been put into a white robe, one a bit too long for them as it draped across the marble floor. They were following the light down the empty hall. Others had called the light "Pale King," but pale did not adequately describe their blinding brightness.
According to the light, they would be meeting others. They didn't know who, but they were fine with that. Meeting new bugs seemed fun, as all the ones dressed in white here weren't the greatest for company. Stopping in the hallway, the light motioned for them to stop.
Standing across from them was the tallest bug they had ever seen. Even including the light's crown, the bug across from them stood at more than twice the light's height.
However, standing next to that hulking figure was a bug not even half their own height. They looked similar to both the light and the large figure. But something felt off about the smaller one. They felt… familiar, like a sibling. But not quite.
"Herrah." The light spoke.
"Pale King." The now identified Herrah responded. She turned to them. "I see you've brought the vessel, as requested. I wanted Hornet to at least meet their sibling once."
Sibling? They were a sibling? That answered a question but brought up ten more. If they were correct, and Herrah was the parent, does that mean she was their mother? And if Hornet was also the child of the light, did that mean the light was their father as well?
Before they could ponder any longer, Hornet ran up to them and looked up at them. Examining them for a second, she puffed up like a Hwurmp to look more intimidating.
"Big bwothew isn't scawy like mommy! Spidews are scawiew!" She proclaimed. "Big bwothew needs to be scawiew to be cool like mom! Not lame like daddy!"
Herrah snickered in the background while the light made an offended noise.
So Herrah was their mom, considering she was their sister's mom. Same with the light being their father. It only made sense. Looking down to their now identified little sister, they examined her.
Their newly introduced little sister was so adorable. Was this what it felt like to have a little sibling? The constant need to pick her up and protect her innocence from the horrible world?
They left all their siblings back in their dark birthplace, and had never truly gotten the chance to interact with them. But their sister was so small and innocent, they could've just picked her up and cuddled her right there.
Which they did. Kneeling down, they picked up Hornet from under her arms and hugged them tightly to their chest, tucking her under their chin. Their sister let out an indignant noise and they pat the back of her head placatingly. She started wiggling in their grasp desperately to escape their cuddle, but they wouldn't lose so easily.
However, they were so entranced hugging Hornet that they didn't see Herrah's shocked face nor the Pale King's expression of dread.
A/N: So that was Broken Vessel's perspective at the beginning. That means they aren't the Pure Vessel. Keep guessing.
Also NO! I DID NOT INSINUATE THAT HORNET WAS VOID, so save your ranting comment. I only insinuated that the vessels could feel the kinship.
Also, I might get backed up because there is mother's day, homework I didn't finish, editing on the chapter, expanding the roadmap a bit. Basically, the next chapter might take a bit longer to complete.