Disclaimer: RWBY and Hollow Knight do not belong to me. They belong to RoosterTeeth and Team Cherry respectively.
This chapter had been planned to go in one direction, and went in another. I hope y'all enjoy that.
Chapter 10: The Dead
In my dreams I could see it...
"Yang, are you alright? Yang!"
Lady Weiss ran into the room, falling to her knees in front of Yang Xiao Long. The Hollow Knight had not known these humans for long, in truth. Even still, seeing the normally boisterous fighter crying her heart out unsettled the Hollow Knight. It could not blame her though, considering what had happened.
Of all the threats that the Knight had prepared itself for tonight, the appearance of a Higher Being had never even occurred to it. And it had been too sudden to react to. One moment the Knight had been watching the Lady Weiss taking a break from dancing with a human with hair a blue as rich as lifeblood. She'd stumbled towards the sidelines of the ballroom where the Knight had been standing, face flushed with laughter. The night had been filled with joy and laughter that the Knight had only seen once, long long ago – in the streets of the City of Tears when the King announced that a Cure had been found.
Then, as Lady Weiss began to ask the Knight a question, the Knight caught glimpse of Yang Xiao Long. Skirt flaring out as she was spun by a tall figure dressed in all black. It was only when the Knight saw the scarlet eyes that it realized things were not as it seemed.
The next thing it could remember was a flash of scarlet and crimson glyphs, the chimes of a steeple bell echoing. And it and the Lady Weiss had found themselves in a dark corridor of stone and glass, eternal rain pouring outside.
The Heart of Hallownest. The Kingdom's Jewel. The City of Tears.
Their initial confusion had lasted only till they heard the echoes of deep laughter and the sounds of Yang's screams. Lady Weiss had taken off like a bolt towards the sound, the Knight hurrying to follow. More than anything in the world, it regretted listening to Lady Weiss's order to leave its nail in the dorm room. Still, it was not without options.
When they had found the room pulsing with red light, Lady Weiss had wasted no time slamming it open, glyphs forming in her hands. The moment it had seen the Nightmare's Vessel looming over Yang Xiao Long, the Knight had let loose the Shining Dagger in its claw. At the same time, Lady Weiss plunged a frozen spear through the Nightmare's chest, screaming her defiance.
"Weiss...You're real, right? You're…?
"I'm here Yang, I'm right here."
That rage that had filled Lady Weiss was gone now. She was now holding onto Yang Xiao Long, murmuring reassurances as the taller girl held onto her like a lifeline. Her sobs had quieted to sniffles. Lady Weiss herself looked distraught, even if her voice was level and soothing. The Hollow Knight flexed its claw, missing the comforting weight of its nail, before whirling around to search the room.
It did not for a second believe that the Nightmare's Vessel had been felled.
"Yang, what happened?"
"...You're going to think it's dumb," Yang sniffed, letting go of Lady Weiss and leaning back. The markings she'd applied in preparation for the for the dance had been ruined. Running and smudged, and a fair bit of it staining Lady Weiss's shoulder. Yang blanched on seeing the mess.
"Oh shit, Weiss, I'm-"
"Enough," Weiss said firmly, taking a small purse out from the pockets of her dress, "You have absolutely no reason to apologize, Yang Xiao Long."
"But-"
"It's just a dress, Yang. You are far more important that some article of clothing."
Lady Weiss yelped as Yang brought her into a crushing hug. For a moment she looked utterly bewildered, before tentatively hugging Yang back. The two girls remained like that for a moment more, muffled rain pitter-pattering against the windows.
"I would wallow in mud and filth if it meant keeping you safe," Lady Weiss said firmly, leaning back from Yang. Yang gave a watery chuckle.
"What, and stain that pretty hair of yours?"
"Worst comes to worst, I'll just have to get a hair cut," Weiss sniffed primly.
"Ugh," Yang shuddered, gesture slightly exaggerated. Weiss giggled.
"I have always wondered what it'd be like to have short hair."
"If you're going to cut your hair, you better come to me for it," Yang demanded.
"Of course. It's a promise," Lady Weiss opened her purse and started fishing for her tools, "Now hold still."
"Weiss, is this really the time-?"
"A huntress must look impeccable at all times," Lady Weiss took out a portable light source, "Now hold still."
Yang Xiao Long made a face but otherwise didn't move as Lady Weiss fixed the markings on her face. The Hollow Knight took the moment to fully observe what the Nightmare's Vessel had done to Lady Weiss's teammate.
Thankfully the Higher Being hadn't seemed to hurt her. There were no signs of injury or wounds. The most striking change to Yang was her attire. Gone was the soft white dress she'd been wearing before. Now the bodice was the same scarlet red as the Nightmare, her skirt a dark sooty black. Even with the light from Lady Weiss's lantern, it was clear that the dress was faintly glowing, like embers in a fireplace.
"For crying out loud," Yang grumbled as Lady Weiss put away her tools. The markings on her face had been fixed as best as possible, dark lines under her eyes wiped away and smudging disappeared.
"This dress is ruined now. Thanks a lot, you piece of shit!" Yang yelled out. Her voice echoed through the darkness, and the Hollow Knight kept a careful watch for the Nightmare's Vessel. No flashes of scarlet or crimson shone from the gloom. Yet.
"We can figure out what to do about your stalker later," Lady Weiss held out her hand, the Dream Nail's glyph forming between her fingers. For a brief moment feathery pink light filled the room. Lady Weiss slashed the air with the Dream Nail.
The chimes of the Dream Nail turned sour, the rosy light flickering and vanishing.
"What-?!"
"Now there is something I have not seen in ages!"
The Nightmare's Vessel's voice filled the room, though he was nowhere to be found. The Hollow Knight prepared a Shining Dagger, forcing Soul into the shape of a weapon, and Lady Weiss and Yang whirled around so their backs were pressed against each other.
"Where are you, you bastard?!" Yang snarled, eyes flashing red.
"Show yourself, monster!" Lady Weiss demanded, her usual glyphs popping into existence.
"Monster? Why you wound me, oh pale princess~"
A dark shape rushed past the window, dimming the already dark room. The Hollow Knight threw the Shining Dagger and followed it with another, aiming towards the blur of stygian shadows hiding in the gloom. The Nightmare's Vessel laughed. The Hollow Knight prepared its Soul once more when claws closed over its throat. The Knight froze. One wrong move and it was clear that necks would be snapped.
The Nightmare's Vessel hummed happily, melting from the shadows and pressing himself against the Knight's back.
"Get off of them!" Yang roared. Lady Weiss held her hand towards them, glyphs spinning rapidly and spears of ice crackling into existence. Her icy eyes burned with a rage the Knight had not expected from her.
The Nightmare's Vessel chuckled, the deep laughter thrumming through the Knight's body. His body was near burning, the secondary threat clear.
"Such concern for the Wyrm's creation! Not that I can fault you," the Knight moved not a muscle as the Nightmare's other claw traveled up its mask before settling over its cracked eye, "What a splendid specimen you are, oh Hollow Knight! I can only imagine what you must have looked like in your prime."
"Let. Them. Go," Yang demanded. The Nightmare paused, before huffing.
"As you wish, my partner," the Nightmare purred, his hold on the Knight disappearing. The Knight whirled around, but the Vessel was nowhere to be found.
"I am not your partner!" Yang snarled into the darkness.
"You refer to your dear Blake Belladonna, yes?" the darkness replied.
"If you-" Lady Weiss began, voice frigid.
"Let me assure you, pale princess, that I bear none of you any ill will. You have my word, as Master of the Grimm Troupe."
"You can't expect us to believe that," Lady Weiss snapped, voice as cutting as the Howling Cliffs gales. "Kidnapping Yang and tormenting her, trapping us here-!"
"I did nothing of the sort." The Nightmare's voice boomed, like slabs of marble falling onto stone. Lady Weiss and Yang flinched, Lady Weiss's glyphs faltering and her ice falling to the ground and shattering. As the echoes faded, a sigh was heard.
"Oh dear, I do apologize," the Nightmare appeared across the room in a twirl of flames, "I dislike raising my voice. How crude a way to grab attention! But, my pale princess, you wound me with your barbed slander. I speak the truth! I would never harm my partner, nor twas it I that stranded you here."
"Oh please," Lady Weiss began, "Why should we believe a scoundrel like you? And stop calling Yang 'your partner', it's creepy!"
"Scoundrel? Creepy?" the Nightmare gasped with mock insult, "Oh dear! And yet...Have you not told her, Yang Xiao Long?"
"Tell me what?" Lady Weiss demanded. Her glare faltered as Yang took a step back. The golden girl was hugging herself, lilac eyes downcast. The Hollow Knight watched, a grim possibility occurring to it.
"Yang?" Lady Weiss asked, eyes wide.
"I-I..." Yang stammered, "I..."
"Yang..."
"I-I didn't want any of this!"
"Yang," Weiss pleaded softly, "What are you talking about?"
"Why, that she was the one who lit the lantern."
The room was filled with crimson light. The Nightmare's eyes vertical slits as it held aloft a torch of scarlet flames.
"I cannot come where I am not invited. Yang Xiao Long was polite enough to light the way, and thus is now our contract is wrote in flames. Yang Xiao Long is now part of the great Ritual of my Troupe. Not even you can change that."
"I didn't want any of this..." Yang whispered. Lady Weiss reached out for her, hesitant, and the Knight stepped forward to stop her.
"Don't be so hasty, Knight of Root and Wyrm," the Nightmare tsked, "I know not what you've been told of me, but I have no doubt that it was nothing kindly. Ask her why she lit the lantern."
The Hollow Knight and Lady Weiss turned towards Yang. Yang, staring down at her shoes, gave a bitter laugh.
"What else could I do? Let them die? Let Rubes-" Yang choked on her words and Lady Weiss grabbed her hands.
"Yang, what are you talking about?" she asked desperately.
"...It was that No Eyed bug, in the temple," Yang mumbled, "It unleashed all of these...spirits, or something, and we all fell asleep. The kind of sleep you don't wake up from. Accept me. I...I woke up, and he was there. And...he offered me a deal."
"Yang..."
"My life for everyone elses..." Yang's laughter was mirthless, "What sort of choice is that?"
"The only choice you had," the Nightmare said gently. He continued to speak, unperturbed by the glare Lady Weiss leveled him. "Strong though I may be, I cannot bring the dead back. Yet had you not accepted my power, no doubt you and your kin would've remained asleep in that tomb forever."
"Fuck you," Yang snapped listlessly. The Nightmare said nothing and Lady Weiss took Yang's face into her hands.
"Yang, listen to me. I...am upset," Yang startled as Lady Weiss's voice rose, "I am upset that you didn't tell any of us! We're a team! We would've helped!"
"You don't blame-" Yang began.
"You idiot. You, and your sister, and your partner...Why is it that I'm the only one who thinks on this team!? Of course I don't blame you, Yang! You saved people! How could I ever be mad at you?" Lady Weiss demanded. Yang stared at her as if she'd never seen Lady Weiss before. She startled as a heavy claw landed on her shoulder, and looked up into the gaze of the Hollow Knight.
The Knight knew not the bonds of kin. Nor did it understand the sway of the heart. But it understood duty. It understood sacrifice.
As the Knight nodded at Yang, the golden fighter sniffled and buried her face into Lady Weiss's shoulder again.
"You guys..." she said with a watery chuckle.
Lady Weiss's fond expression soured as she noticed the Nightmare staring at the scene.
"You," she hissed, "How dare you take her life for your own twisted-"
The Nightmare laughed.
"Take her life?" he parroted, "What a grand notion! I have done no such thing! Her life is still her own."
"Pardon?" Lady Weiss asked. Yang held her head up and shot the Nightmare a look.
"She is of course always able to join the Grimm Troupe," Grimm chuckled, "But that remains her choice. Taking her life. What a fanciful notion! You have quite the imagination, pale princess!"
"Wait, what's this Ritual then?" Yang demanded. Lady Weiss shot her an alarmed look.
"You don't know?"
"How would I? Do you know?" Yang turned towards the Hollow Knight. The Knight shrugged. It had been told precious little of other Higher Beings that weren't...her. All it knew was the Nightmare was her equal and opposite.
"Dear me. It seems the Ritual has been maligned in your minds! Yang Xiao Long, your role was cast the moment the lantern was lit. We were eager to see the act begin, yet it seems your role needs illumination!" the Nightmare threw out his free arm, the inside of his wings glowing scarlet, "Across your lands my kin have spread, searching for an essence most peculiar. The scarlet flames that grow wild in dream. You, my friend, are to seek my troupe and claim their flames. And once you have, you must return it to me!"
"You want me to collect fire?" Yang asked, incredulous.
"Indeed! Not any flame, mind you!" the Nightmare plunged his claw into the torch's fire, "This flame is required for the most marvelous of events!"
"What event?" Lady Weiss asked carefully.
The Nightmare chuckled, tearing its claw from the flames. Carapace still red hot from the heat, the Nightmare snapped its fingers. The sound echoed across the room, and Yang hunched over herself.
"Yang! Hey, wait-!" Lady Weiss cried out as the Knight pulled her away. Just in time, as Yang Xiao Long's Soul flared. Golden light mixed with dread flames, and for a brief moment Yang glowed white hot. When the flames dispersed, Yang stood up straight, expression horrified. In her arms was what first looked like a black stone. Said 'stone' then chirruped, uncurling to reveal a black and grey grub with a face that resembled the Nightmare's.
"The birth of new life!" the Nightmare laughed, "My child is now in your care, Yang Xiao Long! They shall guide you to my kin, once you return to your realm. But there is no time to waste! This dream you find yourself in is not my doing. Outside forces beyond control have stirred and trapped you here, and already those with ill will hone in on your location. You must escape, my partner, and live!"
The scarlet torch was snuffed out and the Nightmare disappeared into the shadows just as the Hollow Knight heard the first screams outside the bared doors.
In my dreams I could see it…
The pounding on the doors tore Weiss's attention away from the...thing in Yang's arms. That could wait until later, she rationalized, later being a time period when they weren't in imminent danger. Seeing as they were stuck in Hallownest, later might not come for a long, long time.
And this was, objectively, a bad situation. No weapons. No way out. Only a single vial of ice dust and a single vial of fire dust that Weiss had brought along, just in case. Before the night had started, Weiss had felt silly and paranoid for doing so. She'd tried justifying it to herself - 'What if a candle needs to be lit? Or something happens to the ice supply?'.
Now she sorely wished she had been more ridiculous and paranoid.
"Yang," she urged, nudging the girl as the pounding grew louder. As she did, she jostled the thing. It let out such a distressing chirp that Weiss instinctively apologized, "Sorry!"
The things 'looked' at her, which was when Weiss realized it was blind – eyes not even open. Sniffing a still frozen Yang, it slowly made it's way up her arm and curled itself around her neck.
'Do not get attached, its a demon, do not get attached, its a demon-'
Yang reached up as if to rip the thing from her neck when it gave a soft mew, nestling itself into her golden locks. One look at the brawler's face and Weiss realized the full extent of Grimm's dastardly plan.
The next pounding on the door almost shook it from its hinges, tearing Yang and Weiss back into the present. The Hollow Knight planted themselves in front of them, arm curled back and fingers shining with aura. Weiss began to form more glyphs, all too aware that her ice dust was already half gone.
"That thing isn't going to last for much longer," Yang warned, bringing her fists in front of her.
"I know!" Weiss snapped, shaking free some of the ice dust to form icicles.
The door fell open with a resounding crash, and the monsters poured in.
Weiss had been expecting things like vengelfies or those things from the Deepnest who had entirely too many legs and fangs to be comfortable. She hadn't been expecting the blobs of flesh that fell through the opened way. Amorphous boneless things whose every quivering move seemed to physically pain them. Their milky white eyes jostled and moved across their bodies as if they weren't properly anchored. And then, flesh peeling apart to reveal gaping toothless maws, they spoke.
"Why...Why…!"
"...Light...Soul…!"
"...Light!"
"...Brothers..."
"...Soul…!"
"...Help…!"
They groaned and cried out, even as they charged towards them like demented slugs. Weiss was ashamed to admit she froze for a moment, the cries of misery and pain filling her ears till she couldn't hear anything else.
"...Help...us..."
"...Light..."
"...Hurts..."
"...Why…!"
One of the larger ones gathered itself and hurled itself towards her. The Hollow Knight cut it down in midair, rending it in two. The Knight launched dagger of aura after spike of aura into the charging mob, impaling those that got too close with its legs. When struck, the monsters deflated like balloons. Weiss's attention from the slaughter was wrenched away by Yang and the child's cry. Whirling around, she saw Yang struggling to rip one of the monsters from her arms as it tried to consume her head. Several more were crowding her legs and she was going to fall-
Weiss moved. Glyphs whirled and icicles shot out, popping each of the monsters at Yang's feet. As this happened Weiss leapt towards Yang, snatching a shard of ice from the air and slicing the monster that clung to Yang's arm.
"Thanks Ice Queen!" Yang grinned. The thing around her neck, now awake, chirruped its own thanks.
"I told you to quit with that name!" Weiss snapped.
"Eyes forward, Weiss, there's still-"
The last of the blobs was crushed as the Hollow Knight slammed it into the ground. The room fell silent, free of the squelching and the groaning and the crying-
"-Huh," Yang folded her arms, "Made us look like a buncha chumps, eh Weiss?...Weiss?"
Weiss fell to her knees, stomach churning. Yang's arms were around her moments later.
"Breathe," Yang commanded, tone gentle, "Breathe."
Weiss did so, trying to focus on her breathing and Yang and nothing else. She flinched as a fever hot body pressed into her cheek, the thing around Yang's neck chirping. Against her better judgment she held her hands out and watched with bated breath as the thing – the child – slid off of Yang and curled up into her hands. It was barely the size of a bowl.
"It's cute," Yang admitted gruffly and Weiss giggled weakly.
"It is, isn't it….Hollow Knight," the Knight turned their full attention away from the door and towards her, "What were those...things?" she shuddered.
"Mistakes."
Grimm came into view, melting out from the shadows beyond the door. They all tensed, except for the child which happily chirruped. Grimm made no move to threaten them, instead staring pensively out towards the room's single window.
"Mistakes, bug boy?" Yang demanded. Weiss shot her a look, mouthing 'bug boy' incredulously.
"What else can you call them?" Grimm said softly, "Tell me, Hollow Knight. Do you remember them?"
The Hollow Knight, glaring at Grimm, shook their head.
"Indeed? I cannot say I am all that astonished. The scholars of the Soul Sanctum have fallen far with the decline of Hallownest."
The Hollow Knight was not the most emotive of people. Weiss would stake her reputation on the fact that they were less expressive than even her elder sister. Which made it all the more surprising when the Hollow Knight leaned forward, arm gesturing at Grimm in the clear emotion of 'What.'
Grimm laughed.
"Indeed, the very same Sanctum that housed the greatest minds this Kingdom had to offer!"
"Wait," Yang began, "Are you saying that those were people?"
Grimm turned towards them and Weiss couldn't help but shiver. Something about the way those red eyes glowed – it reminded to her too much of the Creatures of Grimm. His name certainly didn't help matters. But there was no malice, no rage in Grimm's eyes as he stared at them. Her heart dropped when Grimm nodded at Yang question.
"You're kidding," Yang said flatly. Weiss stomach turned as the cries of the – Mistakes, echoed through her head once more.
"I do not jest, my friend. Those of the Soul Sanctum meddled with the Souls of both their own kin and other creatures. The result of their experiments now skulk through these halls, living their new twisted lives," Grimm's laughed, "In that regard, they succeeded with their plans!"
"Glad to see you're having fun," Yang deadpanned.
"It's healthy to have an appreciation of life's little ironies, my friend. I have no doubt that you too will find the secrets of the Sanctum most amusing! Just remember to keep my child safe, Yang Xiao Long. It would not do well for either of you to loose your lives!"
Before they could ask him further question, Grimm melted back into the shadows.
"Smarmy bastard," Yang grumbled, before glancing at Weiss.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.
"If he's to be believed," Weiss began, "Then the bugs of Hallownest...Some of them tried to meddle with aura."
It was a subject of research contentious on Remnant. Researching the basics of aura and semblances was fine. It was how the first hunters had become, after all, playing around with aura till they learned how to manipulate it in fights. And every hunter-in-training played around with their semblance once discovered, looking up records of similar semblances for ideas.
But anything further than that – things like trying to figure out why certain semblances appeared, how they worked. Trying to find any reason that aura existed beyond it being a quality of beings with souls was heavily frowned upon. It was feared that measuring the soul would lead to modifying it.
When Weiss told Yang as much, she grimaced.
"Well look at what happened to those poor saps."
"But why would they do that to themselves?" Weiss grumbled. She handed Grimm's child to Yang, who took it with some fumbling, and searched her purse till she found what she was looking for.
"Hollow Knight!" she called, holding aloft a small pad of notes and a pen. Yang, who'd been giving the sleeping child an indecipherable look, snorted.
"Really? You brought a notepad to prom?"
"In case the Knight needed to speak," Weiss replied, voice arch. As the Knight took the pen, Weiss placed the pad onto the floor.
"Tell us all you know about this Sanctum," she demanded. The Knight knelt down and began to write. It took a dozen more pages before the Knight was finished with their explanation. Yang's tutoring had paid off but the Knight still wrote carefully, in large letters.
'THE SANCTUM. A QUARTER IN THE CITY OF TEARS. HOME OF THE KINGDOM'S BRIGHTEST. ONLY MATCHED BY MONOMON THE TEACHER. WHEN THE INFECTION STARTED THE SANCTUM'S SCHOLARS SEARCHED FOR A CURE. BUT DUE TO DISOBEYING THE KING'S ORDERS, THE SANCTUM WAS DEFUNDED. THE SCHOLARS SEALED THEMSELVES AWAY AFTER.'
Weiss stared at the notes, wishing she'd brought a red pen to underline with. Monomon the Teacher. The King of Hallownest. The Knight never answered questions about their past, always giving the same response.
'NOT IMPORTANT'
Reading over Weiss's shoulder, Yang's brow scrunched.
"Disobeying the King?"
"Perhaps the King did not want a cure to be found for this infection?" Weiss mumbled. She bit back a scream as the Knight punched the ground, looming over her. Seconds later the Knight leaned back, clearly apologetic.
"What's wrong big guy?" Yang asked, gentle. The Knight ripped a page from the pad and scrawled words without their usual care.
'THE KING SACRIFICED EVERYTHING TO STOP THE INFECTION'
"Ah..." That would explain why the Knight had reacted so badly. Taking a breath to calm her still racing heart, Weiss gave the Knight a short bow.
"I'm sorry for insulting your king. It wasn't my intention to insult him."
The Knight stared at her. Weiss noted with some worry that their hand was shaking.
"If it wasn't that, then why'd this king defund the Sanctum?"
'DO NOT KNOW. RUMORS OF FORBIDDEN EXPERIMENTS'
"It ain't exactly rumors anymore," Yang pointed out. Weiss took the notes and carefully stored them in her purse.
"All the more reason to be careful. If the Dream Nail is being...suppressed by something, most likely that something is within the Sanctum."
"What makes you say that?" Yang asked.
"Nothing concrete," Weiss admitted, "But its the only other explanation I can think of, if Grimm isn't the one keeping us here."
"He could be lying," Yang pointed out darkly.
"He could, but I don't think he is. If only because of that," Weiss said, pointing at the child.
Yang grimaced and sighed.
"Yeah. I don't think he's lying either. What a mess..."
"Yang..." Weiss hesitated, "What are you going to do with…?"
"A child is not responsible for the actions of their parents," Yang said with quiet conviction, staring at the floor. With a louder sigh, she began to tear the hem of her skirt.
"Yang!"
"If I'm going to keep this thing safe, I need both hands. Help me out here."
Together they managed to tear a long enough length of fabric to create a makeshift sling to hold Grimm's child on her back. Weiss eyed the now ruined thigh length skirt with some distaste even as she helped Yang securely tie the sling.
"Enjoying the view, Ice Queen?"
"Shut up."
Yang's laughter, genuine and light, filled the dark room, and Weiss couldn't help by smile. Just a little. The Hollow Knight, waiting for them by the exit, tilted their head the way they did when they didn't quite understand what was going on.
"Let's get out of here."
In my dreams, I could see it…
The path from the room lead back to the glass corridor. Now that she wasn't panicking over her friend, Weiss could appreciate the view outside. And what a view it was.
From the ground, the City of Tears had been eerie and just a bit unsettling.
And that remained unchanged, even with a birds-eye-view. But the change in perspective changed the very feel of the City. From high above, the layout of the city became clearer. No less alien, but understandable. There were clear divisions to the city, organic in structure though they were. And the spires that reached towards the unseeable cavern ceiling, veritable rivers of water flowing down their roofs in never ending streams. The endless rain distorted with the light of the streetlamps, giving the entire city an air of melancholy that Weiss couldn't help but find familiar. Car rides spent silent, watching the lights go by the in the dark of a stormy night.
From high above, the City of Tears was beautiful and otherworldly.
Weiss was brought out of her musings by Yang, who nudged her in the side.
"Hey!" she snapped.
"We're trying to get out of here, not sight see," Yang reminded her. The Hollow Knight was at the end of the corridor, waiting for them, and Weiss realized with a flush how long she must've stared at the scenery below.
"Ah, yes, o-of course," she cleared her throat. Yang shot her a knowing look and with one last look at the City below, they walked deeper into the Sanctum. Right away Weiss noticed a disquieting feature of the Sanctum's architecture. Above each of the doorways was a stone effigy of a bug's mask. On its own, not noteworthy. Perhaps this was a comment element to Hallownest architecture and she hadn't noticed it the first and only time they'd been in the City of Tears. But after having encountered those things – those Mistakes – Weiss felt just a bit disturbed by it.
The inside of the Sanctum was no better. Large rooms were made up entirely of grey stone. Unlike Hallownest's caverns, the stones here were carved into ornate shapes and patterns. The same pattern, over and over again, had been laid into the stone of the walls, giving the impression of some sort of wallpaper from afar. Even the occasional window, massive and wrought from glass and steel, were built with the same pattern. Weiss plastered a page over one of the wall symbols and took a lead shading of it, for later. Had she seen this symbol before? She couldn't remember.
And the book shelves. Everywhere, shelves upon shelves. They were practically built into the walls, so numerous that if she hadn't known better she'd have assumed the building was a library.
But it was a mess. Shelves broken, their contents in complete disarray. Cracks and fissures marred the stone of the Sanctum, dust caked the windows. And not a single soul was in sight.
On second thought, that was probably a good thing.
"Yeesh, this is a mess," Yang said, picking up one of the few intact tablet from the shelf. There was not a book in sight, and perhaps Hallownest did not have books. Perhaps these tablets were their closest equivalent?
"More of that chicken scratch," Yang scrunched her nose before handing it to the Hollow Knight, "Can you read this, big guy?"
The Knight took it, staring intently at it. Weiss quickly pulled out the pen and notepad, handing them to the Hollow Knight in exchange for the tablet. The stone was heavier than she'd been expecting and Weiss almost dropped it.
"Easy there Weiss," Yang called out, before Grimm's child chirruped, demanding attention from the blonde.
Weiss brushed a hand over the inscribed runes. Scored deep into the stone, the symbols were as alien as Hallownest's architecture. Nonetheless Weiss wished to desperately know what they said. She got her wish when the Hollow Knight handed her the pad. Notepad in one hand and the tablet in the other, Weiss read the Knight's translation.
"Record Aba," she began. Yang, in the middle of scratching Grimm's child's chin, paused to listen to her. "The mind limits us so. How to break past its constraints? To attain a pure focus, is it even possible?"
Weiss looked up to see the Hollow Knight and Yang staring at her. Yang was absently petting the child, frowning.
"The Knight said that these scholars were searching for a cure for some sort of sickness," the Hollow Knight nodded at her words, "But that doesn't tell us much of what they were exactly doing."
Weiss privately agreed, and looked around the room. Searching for another intact tablet proved to be difficult, even with the small flashlight she'd packed. Outside of the scant light trickling through the window, the entire room was dark. The Hollow Knight joined Weiss's search, and not needing the light, found one in short order. Weiss was not annoyed by that. She was a bit miffed when she heard Yang cheer.
"Hey, we found one over here too! Come here big guy, we want to read it!"
Grimm's child chirped with Yang's call and the Knight turned towards Weiss.
"Go ahead," Weiss waved them off, a touch irritated, "I'll see if I can't find another one."
She doubled her searching efforts, sifting through shards of shattered stones on the shelves, to no avail.
"Record Bela," Yang's voice rang out, the acoustics of the room carrying her voice far, "To manipulate a soul, reformation of the mind first must occur. Few can bear such a change. The path to true progress is littered with mistakes," Yang's voice had gone flatter and flatter as she read on. Weiss could here the disgust in her voice even as she searched underneath a shelf for any signs of more tablets. She could hardly fault her for it.
"Ugh, let's see this next one. Record Cenda...Spare thought for those consumed?"
Yang paused for a moment, the pounding rain outside the only sound. Weiss stood up abruptly and brushed dust off her dress, turning towards Yang. Grimm's child was looking up in the general vicinity of Yang's face, mewing in concern. Yang, with an expression of trepidation, continued reading. As she did, shivers traveled up Weiss's spine.
"Spare thought for those consumed. Through their grace we are evolved. No plague of mind shall overcome us now."
Several things happened at once. Weiss stepped towards Yang, feeling the pressing need to regroup. The Hollow Knight rushed towards her, a shadowy blur. And with a sound indescribable, something teleported behind her. Hard chitin closed roughly over her arm and even as Weiss tried to jerk free she felt the world turn upside down, turn freezing cold and burning hot, felt herself scream as they teleported away. The last thing she saw before the world dissolved and she blacked out was the Hollow Knight desperately reaching out towards her.
In my dreams I could see it...
When Weiss came to, it was in complete darkness and bound to a chair. The chair reminded her of the ones in her father's study. Big, cumbersome, uncomfortable pieces of furniture that had loomed over a younger her. Even as she'd grown older and taller, she'd never quite shrugged off that very first impression.
She was bound to the chair by metal cuffs that had been welded into the very metal of the armrests and base of the chair. Struggling achieved nothing. She couldn't reach the pockets of her dress, and even if she could've who knew if her captors had searched her pockets. The very though curdled Weiss's stomach.
She screamed and called out for help. Nobody came.
When finally she had exhausted herself, throat hoarse and wrists bruising, and fearfully thinking that she might be imprisoned in this darkness forever - Then there was light.
Blinded, Weiss turned her head away, eyes scrunched tightly even as more tears slipped free from her eyes. Several 'vworps' heralded teleportation.
"Here she is, Master," a voice rasped.
"Hmm."
The voice was deep. Authoritative, and Weiss felt a trickle of fear. She let none of it show on her face, schooling her expression into the hard mask she'd used back in Atlas, during the endless public PR meetings and balls.
When she opened her eyes and looked forward, she took stock of her situation. The room she was in was modestly sized and bare. Nothing else stood in it aside from a lantern containing several bright firefly-like bugs, the chair, and her captors. They each looked similar – beetles without horns, wider and taller than her. They wore long dark cloaks that covered most of their body. Their two pairs of spindly legs hung underneath them for they floated in the air through means Weiss couldn't determine. They weren't using wings, if they had any at all.
All of them bore large dour frowns. Large white eyes stared out at her, and Weiss wasn't sure if the smaller dots above the eyes were also eyes. There were three of them, and the one in the center, right in front of her, was holding a strange glowing orb.
"So, you've finally awoken, our royal highness."
"Unhand me at once!" Weiss used her anger to mask her confusion.
"You certainly have your predecessor's attitude."
"What are you talking about?!"
"There's no place in playing dumb, your majesty!" the voice boomed, "I know the truth now! The truth of your origins! The truth of your tyranny!"
"Listen you lunatic-"
One of the bugs looked upwards, eyes glowing. The next thing Weiss knew, the chair had been turned on and her body was wracked with pain unlike anything she'd experienced. Her skin burned as if aflame, bolts of agony lanced through her body. Her aura flashed, trying to protect her but the chair was doing something to it, and she blanked out. When she came to, her throat was raw and scratchy, rivulets of blood seeped down her wrists. The bugs stared at her dispassionately. And the orb was laughing.
"That light!" it laughed, "There is no mistaking it! Even if you've changed your form once again, Wyrm, you cannot hide from me! Ooh, after so long...All of my work...The secrets to immortality are finally within my grasp!"
As the lunatic laughed Weiss, barely able to keep her head up, noticed a familiar pair of scarlet eyes staring out at her from the shadows behind the bugs. Before she could muster up the strength to even scowl, the eyes winked.
"There is no time to waste!" the orb bellowed, "Quickly, bring her-"
There was a deep chime, scarlet glyphs scarcely the size of embers raining over them. Just as quickly as they appeared they faded away like cinders. But the deed was done.
"Bring...Bring..." the voice of the orb faltered. Her captors glanced at each other, eyes unfocused.
"...Prepare my lab and my tools," the voice finally bellowed, "I will dissect her myself! Now go!"
As one, her captors teleported away. As they left the lantern was snuffed out, plunging her into darkness again. A moment later scarlet fires popped into existence and Grimm looked down at her.
"What do you want?" she rasped bitterly, not caring that tears were freely flowing down her face. The fear and panic that had lodged itself into her heart stuttered as Grimm leaned down and wiped away the tears with a warm finger.
"Come now, princess," Grimm soothed, "It's much too late to give up. You still have such a grand role awaiting you, I can feel it."
Grimm cupped her cheek, humming a little song, and Weiss couldn't help but lean in to that feeling of safety, twisted as the giver was.
"...You did something to them," she finally said.
"I've bought you time. I'm afraid it is all I can do for you, princess."
"What do you mean?" but even as she asked the question, she could feel the way Grimm's hands trembled. Like her grandfather's had, in those last bedridden months.
"Come, now is not the time for idle chatter. Escape while they are gone!"
"How?" she snapped, coughing as the vitriol caught in her throat.
"Your power."
"Without dust, my semblance is..." Except it wasn't, was it? There was one part of the Schnee Semblance that didn't require any sort of dust whatsoever to preform.
Grimm stood as Weiss sat back, taking several deep breaths. She tried to pull herself away from her aching body and the fear for her life coursing through her body, pull herself into that single minded state required for summoning.
She'd done it once. She could do it again.
A white glyph appeared on the floor, spinning. Slowly at first but rapidly catching speed as Weiss tried to call into being something, anything. Her aura crackled and her lungs burned, and still there was nothing. Weiss gave one final desperate push, mind blanking. The glyphs turned black and something slithered out of them.
Weiss leaned back as much as the chair would allow, blinking away spots as she gasped for air. When the static finally left her ears, she heard Grimm laughing warmly.
"Yes, yes! A fine show, oh pale princess! A fine show!"
Weiss blinked up at him and then searched for her summon. She had to look towards her feet to find them. They were a small thing, but their resemblance to the Hollow Knight was unquestionable. Same jet black body. Same stark white mask. Same dark cloak. Same everything, except all in miniature. Two horns sat close to each other on one side of their head, curling beautifully into the air. The horns on the other side had clearly been broken, and a long jagged crack began from that jagged wound towards the little knight's far eye.
The little knight stared up at her with blank, black eyes, and Weiss blinked away tears and hoped that Yang and the Hollow Knight were alright. The little knight stared up at her for a moment more before whirling around, nail pointed towards Grimm.
The threat was clear despite their lack of expression and Grimm only laughed more even as Weiss pleaded for them to calm down.
"Such a feisty protector you've summoned yourself, pale princess! Most excellent. Now run, before they come back!" With those words and another wink, Grimm disappeared in a flash. Taking the light with him.
Weiss bit back a curse, and then as a gasp as the little knight climbed onto her lap. She felt cold carapace brushing against her wrists as the little knight observed the manacles, and she tried to bite back a hiss of pain. The little knight paused before hopping off the chair. Weiss heard small footsteps in the darkness, but otherwise did not know what the little knight was doing. For an irrational moment she thought they had abandoned her, and almost called out for them when the chair shuddered.
Metal rang as a sword struck against the chair in an unending assault, till the manacles binding her retracted and Weiss stumbled from the chair. As she sat up she felt the little knight standing next to her, horns brushing against her shoulder.
"Thank you," she said. They did not respond. Getting to her feet and ignoring how her ankles complained, Weiss searched her pockets. To her delight, all of her things were still there. Taking out the bottle of fire dust, she looked down to where she thought the little knight might've been.
"Let's go," she said, before calling fire forth with her semblance.
In my dreams I could see it…
The little knight, despite their size, turned out to be a ferocious fighter.
As they ran out from the room that had been her prison, running through the halls of the Sanctum trying to find Yang and the Hollow Knight, they almost immediately ran into one of the scholars. The bug, floating through the air, cried out in alarm as they spotted them. Before Weiss could call fire glyphs into being, and before the bug could do anything else, the little knight leapt high into the air and fell down onto the bug like a silent bolt of lightning. The knight's nail carved through the bug's head and they fell to the ground in a heap. Weiss tried not to gag even as white liquid pooled on the ground, and did her best not to look at the corpse as she ran past it. The little knight, silent, followed after her.
Unlike the winding caverns of Hallownest's wilds, the Sanctum had a definite structure and layout to it. If only Weiss could make sense of it. She was lucky she could use her glyphs as platforms, otherwise she'd have been near trapped due to the fact that while the Sanctum had many floors, there were no stairs.
She had no idea where she was going. The little knight showed no signs of knowing either. Sooner or later, they would stumble right into the claws of her captors and she didn't want to imagine what plans their 'master' had for her.
Weiss let out a startled scream as two scholars teleported above her. One of the scholars in turn let out a strangled scream as the little knight – she had to learn their name – launched themselves at them. As the first scholar teleported away, the other scholar's eyes glowed, orange orbs crackling into existence. Weiss pirouetted out of the way of the first projectile, scorching red glyphs forming in her hands. Jumping over the next projectile, Weiss launched the fireball at them. It collided with the scholar's third projectile, exploding in midair. Her next fireball struck truer, and the bug burst into flames, screaming.
The little knight cut the bug across their chest, ending the screams. The scholar that had vanished reappeared above them, orbs of energy at the ready. Weiss moved, creating a trail of glyphs and skating across them in time to pluck the little knight away before the projectiles slammed into it. The knight struggled in her arms, gaze intent on the scholar. Weiss could feel the beginnings of aura exhaustion – summoning had taken more out of her than she'd anticipated.
The little knight slipped out of her grasp, dashing towards the scholar just as they unleashed their projectiles. Weiss's fingers brushed against the strange cloth of the knight's cloak, and she fell to the floor as the knight evaded her grasp. Projectiles slammed into the floor around her, none hitting her. And none hitting the little knight. What they lacked in raw strength compared to their larger counterpart, they more than made up for in sheer nimbleness. The little knight weaved between attacks, leaping at the scholar. Just as the scholar disappeared with a 'vworp', reappearing behind the little knight, the knight jumped once again in the air. They're cloak glowed with shimmering light, taking the form of angelic wings that they used to propel themselves high above the scholar.
Seconds later the little knight landed, the scholar's body thumping onto the floor behind them. Weiss, getting up to her knees, started as the little knight stepped just a scant few inches from her. Empty eyes scanned over her and Weiss huffed out a laugh as she realized what they were doing.
"I'm fine," she insisted, placing a hand on the knight's head without thinking. The knight stiffened under her touch and Weiss was about to yank her hand back when they relaxed. Weiss tentatively scratched the spot behind the knight's horns, and they relaxed even more.
"We can't just sit here. We must go," Weiss said at last, loathe as she was to give up this brief moment of respite. The little knight nodded and stepped away.
"Wait!"
The knight turned around, looking up at her attentively.
"Can you tell me your name?" she asked. Her guess that the little knight was mute, much like the Hollow Knight, proved true when they shook their head. Weiss was about to stand up when she heard a 'vworp' right above her.
The green grey shape slammed into the ground between them. In a flash the little knight was knocked away, tumbling over the floor. The bug that had appeared was not like the scholars that had been chasing them so far. They were larger in every way. Limbs thicker and stronger. No cloak to hide a darker green-grey carapace so tough it resembled armor. And nothing hiding the silvery rapier in their hand.
The warrior was about to turn towards her when Weiss used the last of her ice dust in a wordless scream. Glyphs furiously spun into being, the temperature dropping as spears of ice plunged towards the warrior. The first few of her attacks struck true, scoring deep gashes in the warriors armor. The rest of her onslaught shattered against the floor, shards of ice flying into the air and bouncing off her aura as the warrior teleported away.
They reappeared above the little knight, rapier pointing down at them like the Sword of Damocles. Weiss stood to her feet, fists clenched hard enough to draw blood. What must she have looked like? Dust coating her dress, wrists and ankles bloody and bruised, shoes abandoned long ago?
"Don't you dare," she snarled.
"Do not move," the warrior said gravely, "I...We do not have to do this the hard way...But we...I shall not hesitate."
Weiss hesitated. The warrior's rapier hung lower. The little knight stabbed the warrior's legs. And as the warrior cried out, stumbling back even as they swung to sever the little knight's head clean off – as Weiss lunged forward, knowing she wouldn't make it in time, the rock behind the warrior exploded in a shower of grit.
Weiss watched as the warrior's head was crushed into oblivion by something that wasn't so much a weapon as it looked like the discarded fang of a massive beast. The warrior fell soundlessly just as Weiss swept the little knight into her arms.
"You...idiot!" she hissed, relief causing her voice to crack. The knight stared up at her, head tilted in confusion. Weiss squeezed them into a hug, not relenting even as they began to struggle. Severed them right, worrying her like-
"Ha! Just in the nick of time!"
Weiss abruptly remembered her savior and turned to curtsy at them.
"Thank you very much for saving us."
"Aw, it was nothing," the bug, dressed in drab browns, perplexingly reminded her of Yang. It was the voice, Weiss thought. Despite the barrel shaped bug being much larger than her, just a few inches taller than Yang, her voice was soft and soothing. It belied her clear strength – the fang she used as a weapon was nearly her size and yet she held it casually over her shoulder with one hand.
"A pretty thing like you shouldn't be in a place like this," her savior said. Despite the frankly absurd circumstances of her night, including being complimented by a bug wearing what looked like a cloth sack over her head, Weiss couldn't help but blush.
"A-Ah...I can hold my own, normally, but I'm afraid I'm without my weapon currently..."
"Ha! If that trick you just did was without a weapon, I shudder to imagine what damage you could do with one. You must be a truly courageous warrior to fight even without a weapon!"
"Ah, that is..." Weiss began. Before she became part of team RWBY, she had only sparsely received compliments that reeked of such sincerity. Even months later, she still had a hard time fully dealing with an honest compliment. A dishonest one, or none simply for the sake of being polite? Easy. Ruby beaming up at her while lauding Weiss's praises?
"I'm training to become one," Weiss finally said, "Some days it feels harder than others."
"And yet you screw up the courage and fight anyway. That is what it means to be a warrior," the bug said softly. Weiss gave her a small smile and a nod. The little knight finally struggled out of her arms and landed on the floor. Weiss leveled them a stern look, startling as the bug gave a hearty laugh.
"And yet another brave warrior, I'd wager! If you are anything like your little sibling you will soon enough drive your mistress to tears!"
"You better not do any such thing," Weiss threatened with a glare. The little knight did nothing, and thus no confidence was inspired. Shaking her head, she looked up at the bug that had saved her.
"You've met another like them?"
"Once, but they became a bosom friend. It was that little warrior who taught me how to be brave. But I've gotten ahead of myself! What is your name?"
"Weiss Schnee, though you can just call me Weiss."
"I am Cloth. As much as I'd like to continue swapping stories, this place is swarming with danger! These scholars are in a tiff, searching madly for something."
"That something would happen to be me," Weiss grimaced.
"All the more reason to leave then."
"I'd love to, I would, but I have two friends who I've become separated with. Have you seen them around? A girl who looks like me but with golden hair, and a bug that looks like them?" she asked, gesturing towards the little knight. Her heart sank as Cloth shook her head.
"I can't say I have, I'm sorry. Tell you what though! It'd be safer to search for them together. We can use my tunnels to slink around this place undetected. What say you?"
Weiss looked down at the impromptu hole in the ground that Cloth had emerged from. While she couldn't see far into it, no doubt it'd be rough and a bit of a cramped space.
"Lead the way," she said. Anything to try to avoid the Sanctum's forces.
In my dreams I could see it...
They managed to avoid the Sanctum's forces till the Mistakes caught their scent.
Cloth's tunnels were just large enough for Weiss to walk through only slightly hunched over. For the first time in her life she was glad she was on the shorter side. She didn't suffer from claustrophobia, but one didn't have to if they'd been forced to escape mad scientists by crawling through small stone tunnels.
But she didn't have to crawl. And the little knight happily walked right behind her, nail in hand. In front of her, Cloth happily hummed, brushing aside the occasional piece of rubble.
"Did you dig all of this?" Weiss asked, amazed. The tunnel walls were covered in gouges and scratches, and Weiss couldn't imagine what strength it must have taken to dig through solid stone like this.
"Yup! We cicadas can dig through just about anything, if we put our minds to the task," Cloth said proudly.
Weiss gave Cloth what she hoped was a surreptitious look. Atlas hadn't had cicadas. Weiss had only first seen them in Vale, when Ruby had literally dragged her towards a tree after Weiss had complained about 'that infernal racket'. Cloth didn't look like those cicadas. Perhaps, underneath all the clothing…?
"Mind you, this place is probably one of the more...uh, dangerous places to dig like this," Cloth admitted sheepishly.
"Why do you say that?" Weiss asked warily.
"We're high up above the City. No bedrock under us, so gotta be careful where I dig." Cloth tapped a wall, placing a hand on the stone before producing a low buzzing sound. Weiss wasn't sure what had been accomplished, but Cloth seemed satisfied. "Thankfully the Sanctum's got thick walls. Can't imagine why."
"I can think of a few reasons," Weiss mumbled, gently brushing her free hand against her wrists. It was hard to see the full extent of the damage with only the light of her electric torch, but no doubt it would require bandaging later.
"I already know how to get down to the City," Cloth continued, "All we got to do is find these friends of yours. Any idea where to start?"
Weiss thought for a moment.
"Go towards the sounds of battle," she said at last. Left together, there was no doubt in her mind that the Hollow Knight and Yang would be tearing through the Sanctum with absolutely no regard for stealth.
"Hmm," Cloth put her hands against the walls and froze. Weiss and the little knight stood still, not wanting to disturb whatever she was doing. After a moment Cloth jerked a hand away from the walls.
"Oh wow, your friends seem angry."
"You can hear them?"
"It'd be difficult not too..." Cloth trailed off, putting her other hand back onto the wall. Weiss held her breath as Cloth concentrated. If the cicada had a brow, no doubt it'd be furrowed. Behind her the little knight turned around, nail held in front of it.
Just as Weiss was about ask what was wrong, she heard the whispers of the Mistakes echoing through the tunnels and getting louder by the second. She whirled around, torch light shinning down the tunnel just in time to see the first quivering tendrils of the Mistakes turning the corner of the tunnel.
"We have to go," Weiss began, the groaning growing louder. Cloth seemed frozen in place and the little knight would've barreled towards the Mistakes had Weiss not grabbed their cape.
"Cloth!"
"R-Right, come on!"
They ran, the Mistakes hot on their heels. At some point Cloth had taken Weiss's hand, and Weiss had taken the little knight's hand, and the little knight waved their nail around as they dangled in the air, pulled along by Weiss and Cloth. If the Mistakes were intimidated, their desperate cries and groans didn't indicate it.
"We're about to head into a dead end!" Cloth yelled grimly over the din.
"What?!"
"Don't worry, I got a plan! I'll just dig straight up! Better than fighting them cramped up here!"
Weiss couldn't argue with that logic. She only had fire dust left, and she wasn't about to have them suffocate to death.
The dead end reared its ugly head, and Cloth immediately went to work carving the ceiling away. Grit and dust and stone flew everywhere as she madly dug, and Weiss took a step back with a cough. The horns of the little knight pressed into her leg and Weiss turned around. Her torch, with its bright beam of light, illuminated the mob of Mistakes rushing towards them. There were so many of them trying to squeeze towards them that they had seemed to meld together into one cacophonous wall of flesh.
"Cloth?" Weiss asked, voice cracking and heart in her throat. The little knight fearlessly stared down the Mistakes and didn't charge at it. Weiss was thankful, because she knew that if they did, the little knight would soon become a little streak smeared across the stone.
"Just a moment longer!" Cloth shrieked.
"We don't have a moment!" Weiss snapped, throwing her hand out. A glyph formed over the wall of flesh, bulging and cracking as the weight of the Sanctum's Mistakes pushed against it. It shattered in seconds and Weiss formed another glyph. Spots were flashing across her vision – her semblance wasn't meant to be used like this and she was already running on low aura as it was.
Just as the glyph barrier shattered once more and the wall of flesh surged towards them, Weiss felt a hand close over her arm and pull. With a strangled shriek, Weiss found herself pulled up and out of the tunnels, into a pitch black room. Seconds later the little knight flew out of the tunnel with their glowing wings, and Cloth collapsed her creation just as the first Mistakes were reaching out of it.
They all stood there for a moment, breathing. Weiss's torch had gone out and she slammed her hand against it, annoyed. This was supposed to be a hunter-grade device. The light feebly flickered for a moment before turning on. A brilliant white light cut through the darkness, and illuminated the corpses.
The room was full of them. Piled so high that they reached the ceiling. It would've been a mountain, if there hadn't been more than one pile. The dried out husks of bugs, dead for who knew how long. Exoskeletons grey and brittle, empty eye sockets staring out at them. Weiss, frozen, felt bile creep up into her throat. Cloth's shriek seemed far away. Someone was tugging on the hem of her dress, but Weiss couldn't tear her eyes away from the dead.
From the darkness between the bodies that even the torch light couldn't reach, grey flesh began to seep out into the light. At first she thought they were Mistakes. Then, as the blobs of flesh floated into the air like balloons, Weiss snapped.
Cloth, who had been watching the blobs of flesh crawling out of the bodies and from cracks in the floor with great alarm, didn't notice Weiss's ire till she began to glow with a white light. Cloth stared in alarm as Weiss's aura flared around the girl. Even scuffed, dress caked in dust, arms bruised and scabbed, hair tangled like a rats nest, Weiss appeared like a warrior straight from Hallownest's legends. Her hair glowing stark white and her eyes turning the colour of ice that never froze. The little knight looked up at Weiss before turning towards the mob of enemies and focusing their own soul.
"Light…!"
"Soul…!"
"Light…!"
As the Sanctum's darkest secrets cried out and converged on Weiss, she thrust out one hand. Glyphs spun into existence. In her other hand, a vial of fire dust sparkled like firelight. The cork went pop.
The flying blobs practically dissolved, falling to the ground in fiery explosions as Weiss unleashed her attack. Those ground bound Mistakes not caught in the ensuing fires caused the dry corpses catching a flame were attacked by the little knight, who charged right into the flames to take out stragglers. Things that were once bugs, both flying and not, kept oozing out of the darkness, madly charging at them even as Weiss formed fireball after fireball. Cloth, shaking her initial panic, launched herself into the fray with a mighty cry, trying to put out the ravenous fires as much as she was trying to squish their attackers.
With one last shake the vial went empty. At the same time, the last groan of a Mistake was silenced by the little knight slamming down onto it. Weiss took gasping breaths, and the red haze in her vision refused to clear. It took Weiss a moment to realize it wasn't clearing because the room was actively on fire. Cloth was desperately trying to smother the flames with her club. Weiss took a step back, eyes wide as she observed just how much of the room was on fire. The dry carcasses of the bugs were proving to be excellent fuel for the growing flames.
She didn't notice the shaking ceiling till Cloth, in the process of putting out one flame among many, looked up.
"What?"
The ceiling exploded inwards, pieces of stone and glass raining onto the ground. Weiss would've been crushed if the little knight hadn't slammed into her. The two of them tumbled across the ground, and were pulled further away from the deluge of debris by Cloth. The three of them sat there, wide eyed in the case of Weiss and Cloth, as stone settled. The forever rain of the City of Tears washed away what little fire that hadn't been buried.
As Weiss watched, stone shifted and revealed-
"Yang!"
Yang and the Hollow Knight, looking just as battered as Weiss felt, whirled towards her. Yang's dress had been torn and burned further, bruises covering her legs. Despite all the damage, the child on her back seemed perfectly fine, if distressed judging by its high pitched whines. The Hollow Knight was pressing their hand over the side of their chest, where a painful looking burn had blossomed.
"Weiss-!" Yang began.
With a 'vworp' like a thunderclap, the most massive bug Weiss had ever seen popped into existence. He looked like the Sanctum's scholars but ten times bigger. His dark blue cape was ratty and tattered, its dark purple ruff barely held together by a shining gem. His horns were covered in that same blue cloth, one of them broken and oozing white blood.
"Die!" the voice from the orb bellowed, before slamming into the ground like a comet. Weiss's heart caught in her throat and stayed there even as Yang and the Hollow Knight managed to dodge out of the way. Because the moment the Sanctum's Master slammed into the ground he'd disappear, reappearing in an instant over her friends and plummeting towards them. In the fury of his endless barrage, he hadn't noticed them in the corner.
"We have to do something!" Weiss cried out, before darting forward to grab the little knight. They madly struggled against her grip, eyes trained on the Hollow Knight. "We need a plan!" she said firmly, even as every part of her screamed to go and help Yang. Her friend wasn't dodging as fast as she knew she could, exhaustion no doubt dogging at her steps.
"If we try to go out there, we'll be crushed!" Cloth cried out. Nonetheless she held her club out, not backing away.
Weiss thought madly.
"As soon as he gives us an opening," Weiss began, "I'll launch you at him."
"Launch?" Cloth squeaked.
"Can you do it?" Weiss asked.
After a moment, the cicada nodded.
"I can do it," she said, voice barely quivering. The little knight leapt onto Cloth's shoulders as Weiss placed her hands onto the floor. This would've been easier with gravity dust, but she had to work with what she had…
The very room seemed to shake apart as the Sanctum's master crashed into the floor, again and again and again. Yang dodged madly to and for while the Hollow Knight dashed and teleported out of the way. Finally with one last almighty crash that almost squished them flat and did send both Yang and the Knight tripping and falling, the Sanctum's master teleported above them.
"You!" he boomed, looming over them. Tens of crackling projectiles formed around him, orbiting madly and multiplying by the second. "I am so close! So close! My dreams will be fulfilled! Our salvation from the Infection! Without the King's jealousy to stop me...Indeed, as soon as I get him back into my clutches, I shall use his soul to save us all!"
The Sanctum's master's eyes glowed. Just as he was about to send his barrage of projectiles into a still recovering Yang and Hollow Knight, a trail of glyphs shone into being. Seconds later, Cloth slammed into him.
Her club crashed into his thorax, crushing his scream. The little knight had leapt from Cloth shoulder and cut across the Master's eyes. As the large bug fell, his body was punctured by several shining daggers from the Hollow Knight.
"My...immortality..." the master croaked out as his body fell to the floor.
Yang watched, wide eyed, as Cloth stumbled on her landing. The large bug looked at the corpse of the master for a moment before laughing. Slow at first, but then louder and louder till it was a hearty guffaw. The Hollow Knight was staring at something that looked suspiciously like a smaller version of them with different horns. Before Yang could fully process this all, something slammed into her, latching onto her with a vice like grip.
Something turned out to be Weiss.
"Yang!"
"Weiss?" Yang yelped. The smaller girl said nothing, hugging her tighter, and after a moment Yang returned the embrace tenfold.
The rain fell.
"I thought we had lost you there for a moment, Ice Queen," Yang croaked out at last.
Weiss sniffed and pulled away enough to scowl up at Yang. Part of Yang's heart broke at how brittle that scowl was. And when she caught sight of the wounds across Weiss arms, she felt rage like a blast furnace ignite in her belly.
"Yang, please. He's dead," Weiss whispered as Yang whirled around to look at the corpse of the Sanctum's master.
"Good," Yang spat out.
"Good indeed," Weiss chuckled bitterly. For the first time, Yang noticed how many bodies surrounded them, and her heart sank.
"No way..."
"He was a monster," Weiss said dully, glancing at the master. Her eyes grew wide and Yang had moved in front of her before she saw what Weiss had seen.
Aura leaked out from the corpse. Rather than pooling with the blood puddled around the body, it dripped upwards. Against the rain, both mixing like oil and water. The soul didn't fall all the way into the sky. Rather, it congealed into an orb above the master's body.
Neither of them had ever seen anything like this. Tentatively Yang reached out towards the glob.
"Yang," Weiss began, arm around Yang's waist and a wary expression on her face.
Yang's fingers brushed against the blob. Aura, foreign and strange, flowed into her. Yang jerked back as the aura flowed through her body. Her muscles remembered a technique, even if her brain didn't.
As abruptly as it flowed into her, it suddenly exploded outwards. Aura whirled in the air and coalesced. In a flash, the Sanctum's master stood above them all.
He plummeted towards them with one last bellowing cry.
Yang tried to pull Weiss closer, blindly trying to protect the smaller girl.
Weiss's hand shot forth, the Dream Nail flaring into being and cutting through the Sanctum's master as he slammed into the ground.
He screamed, exploding into aura and glyphs.
And the ground, already weak, collapsed under them, sending them plummeting into the darkness.
In my dreams I could see it…
You promised me I would live forever!
That voice...was it never there…?
The records/lore tablets in the Soul Sanctum are, in game, listed on strange glowing machines. For the purposes of narrative, our heroes stumbled across the 'paper' copies of those lore tablets.
I had to explore the Soul Sanctum a lot to be able to describe the setting. It's such a strange place when you look at the minutiae of it all. As terrifying as the Deepnest is, the Sanctum is creepy in a whole nother way. And with that beautiful organ music (I'll admit, that organ reminded me a bit of Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time).
It is never said in game how much of the Sanctum's actions were known by Hallownest. The way I see it, if the King had disagreed with the Soul Master's ideas on how to defeat the Infection, then he would've sent the Knight in if he had ever found out what the Soul Master had actually done. Thus, in this fic, the Sanctum sealed itself away after the King publicly defunded them. The King assumed they would starve to death, and he and Lurien were too busy too look into growing reports of missing people...
Partway through writing the Mistake's dialogues I vividly remembered Fullmetal Alchemist.
Thank you all for reading! Tune in next time for: 'The Kin'