Hello everyone. So… if you don't get it, this is a revised version of my first book. I didn't like the first one since I don't agree on where it was taking and how the plot was moving. So I wanted a fresh start, this time I replayed Hollow Knight and have a good idea of where to start.
I'm sorry if you wanted the original but that is never coming back. I hope you forgive me and enjoy this new story.
Oh, if you like Pokemon and Fantasy genre then give my other book a try. It's based on Pokemon Empyrean and I had a lot of fun there.
Oh, BTW. This takes place in the "Dream No More" ending so… spoilers.
The sun shimmered down on the land, with large trees swaying with the wind along with leaves falling from them. The wind blew softly as it made its way through the forest with no hesitation. Leaves fell with grace as they twirled endlessly until they reached the ground.
Suddenly, the wind immediately blew up on a small area in the forest, as though something made a disturbance there. The winds twisted and turned, along with the leaves that swayed around. It grew larger and larger than it threatened to keep going.
Until it stopped.
The wind died and the leaves fell as the disturbance stopped and everything was right.
Except, it wasn't.
What originally was a small patch of grass now had an intruder. The sleeping form of a child harmlessly appeared out of thin air and seemingly unaware of its circumstances. The small child had pale white hair, seemingly covering most of his head. It wore a dirtied and ragged cloth around its neck and… nothing else. The pale and small body of the was all there to be seen with nothing covering his privates. The albino child breathed slow and content, as though he was sleeping deeply.
But, the child suddenly awoke with a jolt as eyes darted around itself in fear and adrenaline. Its breaths started heavy and confused as the child tried to figure out what is happening and where it is. Before it could move, the child looked upon himself with amazement and confusion.
What was once its former body has now transformed into a pale body with detailed limbs at the end as well as those from its feet. It noticed a weight on its head and felt a silky thread protruding there. Numerous of them that it almost wanted it off. Its breaths started to get more heavy and bated as it ran so many questions on its head.
"Grrr…" A sudden growl made the child turn to its right as 2 red dots appeared from the roots before him. The dots moved closer and soon revealed a form unknown to the child. It stood on 4 legs and had hair covering around its body, along with its tail as well. It had a long nose with large pointed limbs and sharp bones at the bottom. The beats bared its sharp bones at the child as it snarled menacingly at it.
The child stopped thinking and assumed combat as it prepared to grab its weapon from his back. But when he clutched at nothing, the child could only look at his back in disarray.
The beast took that chance and lunched straight at the child, who only dodged at a split second with a roll to the side. The beast adjusted itself when it landed and prepared to lunge again. The child tried to furiously check on how to defeat the beast when it launched straight at it again.
The child narrowly dodged again, as it eyed the beast. He must kill this beast to ensure he is alive. But how? Without its weapon, it is useless to do anything. He needed his weapon.
He needed his Nail.
THROB
A sudden pain on its chest made the child lose its breath for a second as he kneeled in pain. The feeling was so foreign yet familiar that he started producing water from its head. The wolf had enough of this small child making fun of it and will end it in on swift bite to the neck. The wolf stanced itself as it prepared to make a pleasant meal on this foolish small human and pounced.
The wolf expected to feel the soft flesh being ripped in its mouth, along with blood being spurted everywhere that it didn't notice the small black handle from beneath the child. And in that one moment, the wolf was cut in two.
The culprit; a black sword held by the small child. It heaved its breath as the nail cut through the beast easily. The child held the blade in wonder as the power it emanated felt familiar.
Before it could grasp the sense of this power, the child heard multiple growls coming from around him. Red eyes beamed at him, all with the intent to kill. The child sharpened its eyes and held the black blade expertly as the fight…
Had only just begun.
Crack…
Crack…
The sounds of broken twigs and dried leaves filled the child's ears as it walked through the dense roots. No blood was ever found in the child's body, as though it was never sullied in the first place. The albino kept walking, uncaring of any sharp stones or twigs that may have pointed at their feet. The pain before was more intense.
The child stopped as the word made him reminiscent. Before… before this… The child's mind swirled in confusion as he contorted his baby face. What was before this? What happened before? What is before? The child pulled every memory it could find, to seek the answer on why was this question so frustrating?!
The child held his head in pain and anger as he tried to remember what happened. He kneeled while clutching his head in pain and fear. He needed to know. He has to know.
What. Happened. To. Him?
In his rage and confusion, the child accidentally slipped and fell on a hard root next to him. The sudden shock of pain made the child wince and-
"The path is opened. One way or another an end awaits inside."
The child stopped all functions as the voice was heard in his head. He remembers that voice but doesn't remember who. He needs to know more, he has to. The albino looked at the root he struck his head on and, without hesitation, struck again.
"I won't be joining you in this. That space is built to sustain your likes. Its bindings would drain me were I to join."
There it was again. He remembers a bit more but it wasn't enough, he needed more. Feeling his body tremble from pain, the child decided that this strike will be it's last. With a firm grip and wide stance, the child mustered every energy it had and smashed straight into the hard wood. The root shook a little and a couple of leaves fell. The child felt the pain rushing towards his head and slowly succumbed to its pain.
The child slowly closed his eyes and dreamed.
The darkness shrouded around it, not leaving a single glow of light. It was like an endless void of black that seemed to go on forever. But it didn't stop it. It kept walking, uncaring about its appearance. It walked towards the other side, the path illuminating along the way with strange symbols and runes unknown to it. Soon, pillars like it glowed brightly, shimmering a pale light around, acting as a guide of sorts in these dark tunnels.
Finally, it found something. It was a large round shape that seemed perfect to rest. Without delay, it sat there as it felt the lost energy returning back to itself. When it looked around, it found a small reflection and saw itself.
It was a small creature that had a black body and a tattered cloak. The only defining feature it had was the large mask on its head. This mask had 2 large holes for its eyes and elongated horns at the top. It never knew why it grew horns but shook away the thought.
The Knight of Hallownest looked at its reflection and stared deeply into it. And after a few seconds, it got off the comfortable makeshift bench and stared at the end of the corridor.
A putrid orange glow with zits laying about. It beckoned it. Wanted it to come closer. Needed to kill it to ensure no one would ever forget it.
But it was time to rest. For it, and its siblings. Once and for all.
The child slowly awoke, blinking softly. The pain and shock were all gone as he finally figured it out. Slowly getting up, the albino child looked up to see a brown ceiling above him. He looked around to see he was in a small room with a desk and was currently on a soft, large bench. This confuses him as he last remembered walking in the deep roots and…
The realization made him widen his eyes as memories that were once forgotten had now flooded his mind intensely. His breath hastened and water poured immensely at his side as he remembered it all.
Although the pain was short, it still felt agonizing to the young boy who heaved heavily in shock.
And just when he had enough, a door nearby opened, and out came a strange creature. The creature was garbed in all purple, like those in the City of Tears, and had 2 glasses on its face. She walked into the room and gasped at seeing the young boy awake.
"Ah, your awake." The purple garbed creature spoke. "I was worried that you actually died or couldn't wake up again. How are you feeling, Shiro-chan?"
The child looked in amusement at the name the creature gave it. A look of surprise as the child touched its face to feel an odd sensation around it. It was a sort of mushy and soft that cannot be described and fiddled with it for a while.
The purple creature giggled cutely at it. "What's wrong? Is this your first time seeing a beautiful onee-chan?" The child could only look blankly at the creature. "It looks like your well. When we first found you, your head was bleeding so I nursed back to health here in the base. Is your head okay?"
The creature attempted to touch Shiro but instincts forced him to jump back to the corner of the couch and summon the black nail from before. It formed at his grip as the blade pointed at the purple creature.
The garbed bug immediately stood in defense as a weapon was aimed straight at her. She didn't know that the albino child didn't want to be touched and did it like second breathing. She had to resolve this before that Teigu could harm him.
Before she could do anything, Sheele felt someone behind her and a familiar gathering of magic. She immediately dreaded it as there was only one person that could gather this much power so quickly.
"Mine, stop!"
The child wondered what was happening when he saw a bright light envelop him. The pain that followed forward made him faint, as the dreams welcomed him again.
The room was filled with an orange mist, with some zits lying around as this was where it should have been contained. What was once a room of solitude now became a dueling ring.
The small figure of the Knight was pushed back and dug its weapon on the ground, preventing it from going further. It looks back at its enemy as it stopped on the ground harshly.
The figure was daunting, easily dwarfing the Knight with its own black body. Its large cape dangled loosely on its arm and the large broken nail on the other. Its mask was more elongated and elegant, but instead of the black holes like the Knight, it was filled with a putrid orange and the middle section was cracked.
This was the Hollow Knight. The Pure Vessel.
It roared loudly as it ran straight at the Knight, nail in hand and slashed downward. The Knight dodged at the last second but saw the nail coming straight at it again. Drawing its own weapon, the Knight deflected the large weapon away from the HK and ran straight at it.
The Hollow Knight merely grunted as the chest suddenly sprouted orange zests. Suddenly, a torrent of condensed liquid fired and landed a blow to the Knight.
The Knight stumbled a bit from the hit as that made HK teleport near it and swing its nail again. The Knight deflected each blow and charged a Nail Art. Energy flowed around it and with its Charm, The Knight dashed straight at the HK and unleashed the Dash Slash.
The blade made contact with HK's Nail as it broke all of a sudden. The sudden shock from the HK's mask was evidently seen as The Knight charged another Nail and used Cyclone Slash. The Knight spun rapidly and sliced against the HK multiple times before landing. The Hollow Knight kneeled in defeat as the Knight had won.
But then, the infection started to go beserk as the zits in the HK's chest started to expand rapidly. The Hollow Knight let out another scream as it attempted to quell the infection. Before it could end it, a long needle pierced its crack and Hornet soon came after. She then cracked open the shell, revealing an opening for the Knight to exploit.
And after a look from her, The Knight dove head in.
Into the dreams of the Hollow Knight.
The child awoke suddenly as he breathed hastily. More of his memories started to resurface the more he was close to death. Before he could think anymore, the child found himself in the room once more but was chained instead. He tried to move a bit but found resistance in each attempt.
"Don't bother. And if you summon your Teigu again, I will cut you down instantly." A voice in the room made the child look only at the darkness. "You will answer to me now."
The albino child merely looks at where the voice is coming from, unaware of what's actually happening.
"Let's start with something basic. First, what is your name?" The voice asked.
The child did not respond. He did feel a thin wire around its neck, pushing against it, and the feeling of a blade about to slide in.
"Don't think you can get away without answering. I have my ways of making you talk." The albino child blankly looks at the voice as he was unfazed at all. "Looks like you still have some courage left. Fine then, if you won't tell me your name then I'll just ask questions where you have to tell me are true or not. Get one of them wrong and… I don't think I need to say more."
Even the child knew what to do. Complex answers were not exactly ideal in Hallownest anyway. He nodded and the thread loosened a bit as well as the blade.
"Good boy." The child then heard footsteps coming from the voice and out came a silver-haired creature with a mechanical limb. "If you can do this, I'll give you a candy. Alright?"
The child nodded again. The silver creature then grabbed a chair nearby and sat on it as it made itself comfortable.
"Do you know where you are?" Shake.
"Do you know who we are?" Shake.
"Do you know the Capital?" Shake.
"Do you know a Teigu?" Shake.
"Do you… have a home?" The child paused and laid his head down. And after a while, he shook his head. The silver creature let out a long sigh and continued.
"Why did you try to kill Sheele?" The child tilted his head, as though is asked 'Who?'. "The one who took care of you. You used your Teigu against her."
The child briefly remembered before. He remembered the purple creature and the kindness she gave to him. But he never wanted to hurt her. She took care of him and was surprised to see her about to touch him.
The albino shook his head. "What? Are you saying you don't remember?" Another shake. "Then what? You didn't want to hurt Sheele?"
And for the first time, he nodded. The white creature took a moment to assess the information and stared down the child before her.
"Alright." The creature then stood up from her seat and walked to the door. "I've determined that you're not lying. We'll talk tomorrow so get some rest." And with that, she closed the door, leaving the child alone.
The child felt the threads and blade disappear instantly. He felt no one else and merely looked around the room. With nothing else to do, the child decided to sleep as he felt his dream nearing its end soon.
The memories that were forgotten have now been waiting for the Knight to remember.
The landscape was wide and open. Only fluffy objects appear everywhere, with some coming close to touch it. The bright orange and white light filled the entire area with a glow powerful enough to seep into everywhere.
The Knight looked up and saw the source of the light and climbed nearby platforms to confront it. When it came to the top, it drew its Nail against the being and challenged it to a fight.
The light shifted and moved in an unusual manner before the being revealed its true form. It suddenly teleported that the Knight found what it was fighting against.
A gigantic being, filled with white fur on its body and ending on its head. Arms consisted of multiple, pale tentacles that moved energetically. What were legs were 2 pronged blades that were longer than the HK's nail. And at the top sat a 3 pronged crown with the being face just 2 orange holes.
The Radience, a Higher Being, appeared and let out a gluttonous roar.
The Knight merely looked onward as the fight would not stop until one was dead. With Nail in hand, it dashed straight at the Higher Being to end this.
Once and for all.
Sheele looked worried as she paced in her room, back and forth would she worry about what would befall Shiro. The constant negative thoughts plagued her mind as she tried to calm her mind and heart on what her boss said to him.
Before she could descend further, the knock on her door broke the silence as she rushed open to see Najenda there.
"Shiro-chan is he…" Najenda cracked a smile and that gave Sheele the confirmation she needed. "Thank goodness. I was so worried that he might be the same as Akane."
"Yes. Lubbock did a fine job on it. I should give him a reward soon." Najenda placed her fingers on her chin as she came up with several things to reward him. "However, he's not out of the woods yet."
Sheele tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sure you know it. That boy has a Teigu." Sheele immediately became crestfallen. "No way did a boy like him pass without getting so much as a scratch on him here. And Mine saw what he did to you."
"I already told you that-" Najenda put her hand on Sheele's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. I believe you. A boy like him will have likely have a mistrust of humans. But when I confronted him about it, it seems he didn't want to hurt you." Sheele felt relief and guilt in her heart to hear the humility of a child. "Get some rest, Sheele. We still need to decide on what we should do to him. And I need Night Raid for this."
Sheele smiled and nodded. Najenda nodded as well and left the girl to herself. As Sheele prepared to sleep, she was reminded of how cute Shiro was and the joy of taking care of someone again.
'I will take care of you, Shiro-chan. I promise.'
And that's that. I wanted this kind of setting of sorts as the whole "Neutral Knight" wasn't working for me so I settled for this. Hope you guys like this premise.
Also, for real. Check out my other story, Empyrean. It's a Pokemon/Fantasy story. It's based on the fangame, Pokemon Empyrean. I really liked it and wanted other people to check it out.
Thank you for reading and hope you have enough patience.
