They stared at the Hollow Knight for a while. The Knight had to come back - whether they wanted to or not. They had seen what would await him at the end of their quest. And yet, there was still that calling, that pull. The Black Vault called out to them. It was their purpose, their goal. Sooner or later, They would have to re-enter the Hollow Knight's chamber.
The Knight found however, that this allure had lost some of its strength now. They knew that they could resist its pull for a very long time. No, they hadn't come here for a second attempt at ending their journey - they had come here for a different reason altogether; That is, they wanted to see for their own eyes, whether or not the Hollow Knight was alive.
When they had fought it, in that previous life, it was wrapped in chains. They were suspended above them with their cloak wrapped around their body, and several layers of steel wrapped around their cloak. Then, when it had died, dark orange liquid that looked almost bronze was oozing out of dozens of wounds on its body, some of them self-inflicted. It couldn't even stand or hold its nail.
Not now, however. Now, they simply stood, back hunched over and with an idle look in their tinted eyes - weakened by the infection, but most definitely alive. They held their nail almost casually, with its tip barely touching the floor. Like it was waiting for them. The Knight wondered if they too, held memories of their previous life. If they remembered their death. Their murder.
They shivered as flashes ran through their mind. Even though it felt like it happened so long ago, they could still recall broken memories. Memories that did not belong to them. They saw the Hollow Knight looking back at the edge of the Abyss, where it had locked eyes with itself. The Hollow Knight looking up at its Father with affection.
Were these emotions a burden? A weakness? The Hollow Knight had ended up like this because they loved him, loved the Pale King. This entire kingdom fell into ruin because of the deceit caused by love. But the reason why the kingdom prospered in the first place was also because of love. The Pale King loved his citizens, so he had granted them thoughts, strength, and other liberties.
The Knight turned away and left silently. Through absorbing the infection within their sibling, they too had begun to love. They loved Hornet. They loved Elderbug. They loved the Grimmchild. And for better or worse, they loved the Hollow Knight.
It felt terrible. It made everything harder. They kept envisioning all of the ways they could die. Death plagued their mind at every second. Their steps felt heavier, like a ball and chain was attached to them. They found themselves recounting every bug and dream that they had slaughtered on their path. It must have been in the thousands. Their souls weighed down on him, but if given the choice, they would not give up this newfound ability that they had taken from the Hollow Knight.
Because it also felt amazing. To feel, to have thoughts. To be able to feel threatened, even when they themselves weren't in danger. To have their spirits completely crushed at the thought of someone else dying. It was so depressing to think about, but so liberating. How could something be both terrible and amazing, and all for the same reasons?
The Knight looked around at the Infected Crossroads. They had reached the bottom of the well, and the chains leading up to the surface were just behind them. The Knight felt something, something overpowering, whenever it looked at the infection. It was hard to pinpoint, a complicated mixture of almost everything.
The only thing they knew for sure about the infection was that they wanted to get rid of it. And that once they did, their purpose would be complete, and that they would have no reason for existing.
A pure nail, stuck to the sands of the Blue Lake.
Was this how he had felt? When he stared at his mask within the rooms of the Teacher's Archive, standing right before Monomon herself?
When he helped the would-be murderer of Monomon?
'Maybe.' The Knight thought.
They wished that they could ask him.
"That bench may be iron, but I assure you it's quite comfortable."
'Strange.' Hornet thought as she lays her needle flat on her lap. ' The old bug just stands there all day… I wonder why he doesn't sit on the bench? As he said, it is comfortable. I feel like I could sit here for a long while.'
She closed her eyes. The Knight had went down the well, to the Forgotten Crossroads a few hours ago. She debated on whether or not she should follow him, but ultimately ended up deciding to stay at Dirtmouth, for a few days longer. The atmosphere here was strangely welcoming and pleasant, and her mind felt slightly sharper. The air, though plain, was fresher than even the air in Greenpath.
'I can see why people would want to live here… Maybe even I could be content…'
Hornet shook her head. No, she couldn't. At least, not for now. She was bound by birth and honor with Hallownest, bound to be its protector. Until the threat of the infection was dealt with, she couldn't just abandon her duties. Just the thought of just running away to live on the surface was enough to make the air suddenly taste sour, and the bench feel colder.
First and foremost, she should focus on the only possible solution to getting rid of the infection.
"That little ghost…" Hornet muttered under her breath. She ignores the sideways glance that Elderbug gives her as she starts to ponder about the wandering Knight. She couldn't make any sense of what they had shown her, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she got. It was as if the Knight had experienced something that didn't actually happen.
She felt someone sit down next to her on the bench, interrupting her thoughts. She jumped up, grabbing her needle and assuming a defensive position. But when she saw who it was, she just sighed and dropped her arm to her side. "Ah, little ghost. I was thinking about your situation when you startled me."
The Knight opened up their map and held it up for Hornet to see.
Hornet sat back down next to them and took the map from the Knight. It was a surprisingly well drawn and detailed map, one that covered most of the major areas in Hallownest. Despite how far he must have traveled with it, there was little sign of wear, and the ink wasn't smudged. Various pins were stuck on it, with various symbols. Some of them she could recognize, like the ones of a bench and stag, but she couldn't decipher the others.
"Such a large map… Have you really explored this much, little one?" Elderbug commented. Hornet, having entirely forgotten that he was standing there, jumps before turning her head to glare at him.
"Do you just stand there for the entire day?" Hornet huffed. "Don't you have a house, or something?"
"I do, but I usually stand here for the chance that a traveller passes by." Elderbug said.
"You can go and rest in your house." Hornet says. "If someone passes by, I'll call you over. Now, please leave."
Elderbug looked at her with confused hurt.
"... Look." Hornet says. "It's just that I wish to speak to the little Ghost. Alone. It's nothing personal, okay?"
He sighed and turned around, muttering under his breath. As he begins to trail away from them, Hornet turned around and returned her focus to the Knight.
They were staring at Elderbug's shrinking form in the distance. "Is something the matter?" Hornet asked.
They turned back to look at her, and after some hesitation, they shake their head. They leaned over and pointed at the Temple of the Black Egg on the map. It was marked with a large drawing of the Hollow Knight's mask.
"The temple?" Hornet asked. "Do you want to go there?"
They shook their head.
"Did you go there already?"
They nodded.
"I see. And did you discover anything interesting? I'm assuming that you did, considering that you're going out of your way to tell me about this."
They nodded again, and then held their hand out.
"Ugh." Hornet shook her head. "Can we not do that? I'm getting sick just thinking about going through that again. Don't you have any other way of communication?"
They withdrew their hand and shrugged.
She looked back at their map. It really was well drawn. It looked like a map that would have been in circulation back before the infection, when there were cartographers who did this sort of thing for a living. If they wanted, then the Knight probably could have had that job.
"Hey, ghost." Hornet said. "You're not so bad at drawing stuff, are you? Do you think that you could make me a picture of what you want to tell me?"
They blinked once in surprise, and then looked down at their map. After a few seconds of pondering, they nodded and flipped the map over to its blank side. From beneath their cloak, they produced an inkwell and a quill. They began to stare at the parchment with such intensity that Hornet thought that it might be set on fire.
After a full minute passes, they finally draw a single line on the paper. Then, they went back to staring at the paper, eyes squinting slightly in concentration. The hand holding their quill trembled slightly, causing a drop of ink fell on the paper, right on the line that they had drawn.
"... Just give me your hand." Hornet said when they began to scribble out their ruined line. "I guess your skill in drawing lies in maps... and nothing else."
The look on their mask didn't change, but Hornet could have sworn that they suddenly looked sad. They glanced up at her, and then back at their drawing. With a flair bordering on being melodramatic, they slowly folded up their map and hid it back under their cloak, along with the inkwell and quill. They looked like a child who had just been scolded.
Hornet winced. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to this. "H-Hey, don't be so upset. Ghost, your talents just lie in places other than… um, creative self-expression."
The Knight simply held out their hand, and Hornet could have sworn that they had just rolled their non-existent eyes.
"Alright, let's get this over with." Hornet said. She grabbed their hand and -
The Hollow Knight, suspended above the ground in chains.
Just looking at it caused an ache of sympathy to appear in her heart. How deep in suffering it must have been, tied up like that with nothing to do except feel the infection boring a hole into your brain. With nothing to think about except the knowledge that soon, they would falter. And when they did, they would fail their only purpose in life. It wasn't fair.
Then, they vanished. In the Hollow Knight's place was Ghost, standing before the inner chamber of the temple. There was a glaring orange glow coming from the chamber, but she could see a faint outline. An outline of the Hollow Knight, barely able to stand, but standing.
The Knight turned away and left the temple. When they were outside, they made a bee-line towards the well, where they climbed up swiftly. When they reached the top, she saw herself, resting at the bench, deep in thought and with her needle laying on her lap.
They pulled away, and she nearly doubled over from the sudden vertigo she received. Her skull pounded fiercely, and the familiar sense of nausea filled her stomach. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. The sickness passed, much quicker than the last two times she had gone through this ordeal.
'Maybe I'm getting used to it.' Hornet thinks. 'I hope so.'
She opened her eyes and looked to her left, where the Knight was sitting. They glanced up with her, anxiety, anticipation, and worry bubbling behind its mask. They had shown her the Hollow Knight, chained up on moment, and then freed the next. What did that mean? She didn't have a clue.
"... Ghost." Hornet said. "I know that you feel lost about what happened to you. I know that you want my help… But truth be told, I am as confused as you are. I do not know how to decipher these visions you are giving me."
They blinked, and then bowed their head down.
"I'm sorry. If I knew of a way to help you, then I would." Hornet said. They stood up from the bench and looked towards the well, trying to not feel guilty about them. It was hard - ever since their sudden change in behavior, Hornet found herself becoming more and more attached to them; For better or worse, they were the only thing she really had in Hallownest. Both of her parents were dead, and all of her other siblings were also dead (some slain by her own needle). She had spent most of her life protecting Hallownest in solidarity, so she didn't even have any friends, or acquaintances.
A shiver ran through her spine. She didn't have anyone else in this world. Every sane bug that she has met since the infection, she had either attacked or avoided altogether. This sudden realization sent waves of cold shock through her body. Was she really so alone?
Something tugged at her dress. She looked down to see the Knight, looking up at her in worry.
"The only friend I have is a mute vessel." Hornet mutters. "Who is my sibling. Great."
They recoiled back, as if struck.
"Ugh, no, I didn't mean anything bad by that." Hornet groaned and shook her head. Why did she always blurt these things out? First she had hurt Elderbug, then the Knight. It was like there was no filter between her mind and her mouth. "It's just that I've never felt so useless before. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"I'm supposed to be the protector of Hallownest, but what's the point in protecting a fallen kingdom?" Hornet asked bitterly. Images of her life began to flash in her eyes. She had spent a countless number of days, weeks, months, stalking Hallownest's underground, and for what reason? To hunt lost vessels who had found their way up from the abyss? "I can't even go inside of the damned temple without feeling like my soul is being drained. I'm so-"
The Knight jumped up and stood on the bench, so that they were almost eye level with Hornet. She stared at them, mind trying to process what they were doing. Then, before she could react, they leaned forward and wrapped their arms around her body tightly.
"W-What are you doing?" Hornet stammered. Her face suddenly felt like it was burning. Even though their touch was cold, it still felt comforting, somehow. "Are you… hugging me?"
They pulled away and nodded timidly.
"I… Okay then. Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but… why did you do that?"
They shrugged, and then pointed at her.
"You did it because of… me?"
They nodded.
Hornet stared at them in wonder. Then she sighed and sat back down on the bench, in which the Knight did the same. They were definitely the strangest vessel that she has met, showing capability of expressing genuine compassion. Did they inherit that trait from when they defeated the Hollow Knight? Or had they just hidden it from her all this time?
"Alright Ghost, I won't give up just yet. Show me some more, and we'll see if we can figure out what happened in there."