Chapter 1: Know yourself

First precept of Zote: Know yourself. Know your limits. Know when you can do something yourself, and when to go get help, and when to run. If you don't know you can handle something, don't try unless there are no other options.

Have you ever fainted? Gotten light headed and blacked out? Just gotten so sleepy you fell asleep sitting down somewhere, only to jolt awake the instant that you started to tip over? Then you know what it felt like for me to wake up . . . where ever I was. And instantly I knew something was wrong.

Really, it was pretty obvious. First of all, I was being held around the waist at an angle by something that was scratching at me(quite uncomfortable). Second, my entire body felt weird, like my skin was covered in one giant scab, but without any pain. My head was too heavy and felt weirdly balance. My legs felt to short, and one of my arms was pined to my side. Oh, and I seemed to have lost my nose.

Looking around me, I saw that I was in a dimly lit, rocky cave that was constantly dripping water, a 'scratch-scratch-scratch' sound filling the room.

"What is going on here?!" I demanded. "This is not-! . . . wait a minute . . . " It was at this point that I realized that the voice I was speaking with most definitely was not my own. It was deeper. And scratchier. And had this whole . . . powerful, undertone.

It is at this point that I looked down at myself. Much of my body was covered by a blue/grey cloak, but I could see two stumpy, black, pinprick feet wiggling beneath me, as well as a moving white bar around my waist. Then I caught sight of a reflective puddle of clear water directly bellow me and finally saw what I was dealing with.

"I'M ZOTE!?" I shriek, glaring at the perpetual scowling face staring back up at me in the puddle. "WHAT IN THE WORLD?! WHY ZOTE?! IF I'M GOING TO BE A HOLLOW KNIGHT CHARACTER, AT LEAST MAKE ME . . . " I trail off.

" . . . actually, I guess being a vessel has a lot of baggage. And I wouldn't want to be Hornet, they're a girl and I like being male. I wouldn't want to have to be Cornifer, not good with maps and I'd rather not be married to someone I don't know. Iselda's the worst of both worlds there."

"I suppose Quirrel wouldn't be to bad, but he's pretty old if memory serves. I mean, he was in Hallownest when the dreamers were still up, so he's way older than Elderbug. And I don't want the body of an old recluse, so Elder's out to."

"So that would leave . . . Sly and his apprentices. I suppose that that wouldn't be so bad, as long as I didn't run into any of the other's in that category. I'd rather not have to fake amnesia just so I don't need to deal with their historical baggage! Especially whatever Oro and Mato are fighting about. Some kind of dept? Humph. I guess that in the long term, Zote may actually be the best, aside from, you know, SHOWING UP AS MYSELF INSTEAD OF SOMEONE ELSE!" I screeched the top of my lungs(or at least I assume I still had lungs), before slumping and sighing.

"Oh well. I guess Zote's not that bad. He's just an idiot . . . actually, is that even true?" I pondered. "I mean, most of his precepts are actually pretty good advice . . . and most of the ones that aren't look like side effects of a horrible childhood . . . he just lacks and form of self awareness and happens to be rather delusional. In fact, he's actually really tough!"

"I mean, he," I paused and laughed, "I mean, I am basically indestructible! I mean, 200 HP? That's nearly as much as Hornet in her first fight! It would take the Knight forty hits to beat me with an nu-upgraded nail! And they sent that massive stone door flying with one swing! . . . I mean, sure it took, like, a dozen hits to break it, but they must have sent it flying with a single swing! Kinetic energy doesn't exactly get stored in stone!"

"Yeah! I'll start fresh . . . he's basically a blank slate . . . If I develop a better sense of balance . . . and get a better weapon . . . and maybe learn a little magic . . . yes . . . I could be so strong that I'd worthy of being considered an actual boss! Who needs the eternal ordeal? I'll get into God-home the right way!"

"I'll go to the Nail-masters and learn how to fight! I'll torment that Snail-Shaman until he spills the Secrets of Soul! If I can read the language, I'll raid the Soul-Sanctum! I'll challenge the Mantis-Lords!Face the dangers of Deepnest! Fight in the Colosseum! I'll challenge the Knight! I'll face Hornet! The Dung Defender! Maybe even the Grey-Mourner if she's up to it emotionally . . . " I trail off in thought for but a moment, before my focus returns to my Future. My future. My glorious future!

"Yes . . . YES! I, ZOTE, WILL CHALLENGE THIS KINGDOMS DARK DESTINY, AND TROD IT UNDER FOOT! I WILL HELP SHAPE IT'S FUTURE! I WILL BECOME IT'S SHINING BEACON OF HOPE! I WILL BECOME A HERO! A CHAMPION!" I threw back my head.

"I, ZOTE, THE MIGHTY, WILL BECOME A KNIGHT OF GREAT RENOWN!"

'Munch-munch-munch-munch-munch-'

" . . . Just as soon as I get out of this Vengefly's mouth . . . "

AN: So, I've been working on a project for a while now, got tired and hit a road block. Started reading Hollow Knight fics over on AO3, sorting through the trash for the good stuff, read a couple of SI's, got inspired, wrote this for the heck of it in, like, and hour and a half. Not much of an idea where it's going, if it ends up going anywhere, but who knows. Tell me what you think.