Author's Note: I really picked the right time to do this, huh? Silksong is coming this year. I'm betting it'll be worth the wait, and I'm very excited to eventually follow this story up.

Chapter 5: Into Dreams

A somber atmosphere filled the streets of Hallownest's capital.

The incessant rain was part of it, surely. As was the sight of the long-dead husks of bugs, reanimated as mindless drones by the infection. But primarily the sadness came from how empty it was. The streets were wide enough to accommodate crowds of people and the buildings were filled with storefronts, some still stocked with items, but nobody was there.

Link wandered across the city, not really paying attention to what direction he was going, until he reached a part of the cavern with mushrooms growing along the walls, evidently near the edge of the Fungal Wastes. A hut sat on a ledge on the wall, shaped like the head of a bug with a single large horn. Smoke was drifting up out of the horn, which apparently functioned as a chimney, and the warm light of a fire shone out from the door and windows.

This being the first sign of actual life he had seen here, Link climbed the steep path up to the hut and stepped inside, where a large furnace illuminated a bug sitting at a metal workbench. He had a bulky, round body with segmented plates, a prominent horn resembling the one on the hut itself, and a large, bushy beard that hung halfway down his chest. He was tapping lightly on a nail with a hammer, and more nails were sitting around the hut.

"Have you brought me another nail to be honed? Leave it on the ground and return later, if you're still breathing," the bug said, inattentively. When Link didn't say anything, he turned his head. "Hmm? Oh. I thought you were someone else. If you're after a nailsmith, you've found one. I'm not much for talk, but if it's a nail that needs repair then you've come to the right bug."

Link thought for a moment, then drew his sword and held it up to the Nailsmith, its golden edge glittering in the firelight. "If you think you can improve it, be my guest."

"Oh, my... I've never seen a weapon such as this," said the Nailsmith, stopping his work. "What exquisite craftsmanship. The methods used to create it are unfamiliar to me; I worry if I try to improve it I may only damage it...

"Ah, but seeing this has inspired me. I see there are still other smiths with skill to match my own. The desire to forge a pure nail burns brighter within me now. Perhaps, if you ever return to me, my skill will have grown enough for me to improve on even your weapon."

"Good luck," Link said, returning the sword to its scabbard. The Nailsmith went back to work, and he returned to the city proper.

As he started wandering the streets again, he heard the sound of battle from around a corner. When he rounded it, he saw Quirrel standing over the body of a sentry husk, wiping viscera from his nail. Link approached.

"Good to see that you made it here as well, my friend," Quirrel said, when he noticed him. "Did you just come from the Nailsmith? I believe our small companion took their battered old nail there, and now it's looking as sharp as ever. He must be quite skilled, though your weapon appears fine enough already."

"That's about what he said," Link replied. "The little knight in the gray cloak is here too, then?"

"Yes, I believe they headed into that tower, though that was quite some time ago," Quirrel said, pointing up at the city's second-tallest building. "The bugs there were all obsessed with harnessing the energy of the soul, so I doubt they have any information of use to you."

"How do you know that?"

Quirrel faltered, as if he had just realized what he'd said. "I... am not sure. It seems my mind is not entirely my own down here. Perhaps I'd better return to the surface to clear my head."

"You don't know anything else about the city, do you?"

"Not that would be of help to you, I'm afraid, though I did see signs indicating someone else lives here, near the city's center. I am here only to observe, so I've not looked through the records here. Ah, but what a place this is, with rain pouring down ceaselessly, even underground."

Link nodded, looking up. He wondered how such a thing could even happen.

"I am led to believe that it comes from cracks in the stone above," Quirrel said, as if he knew what Link was thinking. "All that water lies up there somewhere. I'd like to see it before I leave this kingdom."

"Yeah..." Link trailed off. "Must be quite a view."

"I imagine so," Quirrel said, then turned to look at Link. "I am glad I get to share these sights with others. Good luck in your search, friend."

As Quirrel took his leave, Link set off toward the city's center. Just like Quirrel had suggested, he found a sign whose paint was significantly brighter and less faded than the rest of the signs in the city. It pointed to the second floor of a nearby building, and when Link made his way there, he found a similar sign hanging on a door. He pushed it open and stepped through. Inside was a cozy office filled to the brim with trinkets of all sorts, some neatly organized on shelves and others piled haphazardly. A large window on the opposite wall looked out to the city, and a wide desk sat in the room's center.

A strange bug was sitting behind the counter. He had a red shell with fur around his neck, and his white head had tendrils which hung down to the floor like a long beard, as well as two curved horns in the middle of his forehead, with the lower one being longer. He looked up from a stone journal he was reading when Link entered. "Aye aye. Come searching for rare items have you? Well hands off! This collection is mine and I won't be selling to grubby wanderers."

"I've got enough rare items as it is," Link retorted.

"Oh? You're not a scavenger after Hallownest's treasure, then? You've certainly got the look of one. No doubt you've left plenty of corpses in your wake with those weapons you carry."

"It's a dangerous place out there."

"Hm... Alright. I don't know why, but I feel I can trust you. My name is Lemm. I am a scholar of this kingdom's history."

"Great!" Link exclaimed, in what was the loudest he'd been since leaving Termina. I guess she really wasn't messing with me, he thought. "Have you ever heard of a kingdom called Hyrule?"

"I've never seen any other kingdom mentioned in writings from Hallownest," Lemm answered. "In fact, the bugs of the kingdom believed theirs was the only civilization in the world."

"Oh," Link muttered, dejected. "Why would they think that? Didn't bugs come to Hallownest from across the world?"

"It was a belief spread by the king to encourage bugs to worship him. Perhaps those who knew better were encouraged to stay silent by some means. Now, is there anything else, or are you going to get your damp self out of my home?"

Link was taken aback by the sudden hostility.

"What? I said I trusted you, not that I wanted your companionship. I've got work to do, so if there's nothing else you need, out with you."

Link frowned. "You set your shop up in a place where it never stops raining, and you complain that I'm damp?" he said under his breath.

Going back outside to stew in his frustration, Link found a fountain in the middle of a square. It was large and impressive, towering over him, and at its top stood four statues: a central figure, surrounded by three others. The outside figures were covered completely by cloaks hanging down from masks on their faces—the same masks that decorated the black egg in the Crossroads above. The central figure also wore a cloak, though with embellishments, and its head was fully visible. It looked much like the red-cloaked bug, although the insides of its horns had some jagged protrusions. A plaque on the side of the fountain bore an inscription:

'Memorial to the Hollow Knight.

'In the Black Vault far above.

'Through its sacrifice Hallownest lasts eternal.'

Evidently not, Link thought. Sacrifice, huh...

"Again we meet, Link," came a voice from behind the fountain. The red-cloaked bug walked around it and into view.

"So you know my name already. Mind giving me yours?" Link asked.

"I am Hornet, protector of this ruin. I had not expected you to make it this far. I thought you would fall to the infection long before reaching this place, tempted in your mind by some secret desire that led you here. That makes two I've underestimated in recent time."

"Who's the other?"

"The little ghost you met in Greenpath," Hornet answered.

Link crossed his arms. "Is there something here that Lemm hasn't found, or did you send me here knowing I wouldn't find anything?"

"Both. There were indeed other kingdoms that Hallownest knew of, but that knowledge would not be found here, within reach of the common bug. However, I know nothing of this 'Hyrule'."

She certainly knows a lot, Link thought, crossing his arms. "Who are you, really?" he asked.

"That is none of your concern. What I will tell you is that what little of this kingdom's history I do not know is passed down by the keepers of the burial grounds above."

Link squinted at her.

"I am not misleading you. I apologize for having done so before, but my duties have imbued me with an abundance of caution. A terrible thing is happening here. You should find your way home before then."

"Well, that's the first time I've heard you say something nice," Link said. "Alright, fine, I forgive you... Above here, huh?" He looked up at the tops of the buildings. Some were built against the cavern wall leading back toward the Fungal Wastes, while on the other side of the city the ceiling lowered, and one of the towers rose up to meet it. "Thanks, I guess," he said, before heading in that direction.

His path took him into what seemed like a wealthier part of the city. It was gated off from the rest, and he had to use his hookshot to get in. The insides of the buildings were filled with richly colored fabrics and finely crafted artworks, and the husks there wore extravagant clothing but were quite weak, though there were towering soldiers with huge nails patrolling throughout the area. After getting into a fight that left him with a sizable bruise on his shield arm, he tried his best to avoid them.

The streets eventually led him to a Stag Station, though its lower level was flooded and unusable. The upper level did have a functioning platform, though, so Link opened it up with Geo just as he had before. He rang the bell, and the stag soon appeared.

"Link, we stand in the King's Station!" the stag said as he arrived. "Named of course for the King of Hallownest, he who ordered the building of the stagways and stations. The King never rode the stagways himself, but I've heard he was a glorious bug to behold, bright and radiant in visage, so much so it hurt to look at him."

"Good for him," Link said. "Do you know anything about a burial ground somewhere above here?"

The stag nodded. "Yes, the Resting Grounds... Passengers traveled there to conduct rituals for those who had passed on. The station is still closed though, so I cannot take you. You will have to find the way there on your own first. They are not far, though, if my memory serves."

"I figured. See you there, then."

The stag thundered back down the tunnel, and Link left the station. It connected directly to the tower that reached the ceiling. A few floors above, past rooms full of the husks of wealthy bugs, was a large lift, its chain stretching up and out of sight. Link pulled the lever, and with a rattle the heavy machine started upward.

At the top of the lift was a short rising tunnel. A crooked sign marked the edge of the city's jurisdiction, and only a few paces further the paved stone making up the cavern's floor gave way to a pattern of mask-shaped tiles, which also adorned the walls and ceiling in places. Short pillars with spirals carved along their outsides lined the path, which wound upward until it came out into a large chamber, eerily still and quiet.

The space was filled with tombstones of all shapes and sizes, so densely packed that it was difficult to navigate. The mist that pervaded the chamber didn't help, and Link thought several times that he saw it briefly form into the vague shape of a bug's face. He was slowly making his way across when something fell from above, landing in the middle of the cavern and disturbing the mist. He approached, and saw the little knight, seemingly no worse for wear from the fall. It looked at Link, then around the cavern, and started walking.

Link followed. "You're an odd one," he said, more to himself than to the Knight. "Why did Hornet call you a ghost?"

The Knight, as before, gave no answer.

They continued through the misty cavern until they came across a strange monument on a raised platform. In the middle of the platform was a round stone altar of sorts, bearing a plaque, and behind the altar were three pillars, each one bearing one of the masks that adorned the black egg near the entrance to the kingdom.

The monument loomed over the rest of the graveyard, visible even at a distance. Link went ahead of the Knight to inspect the plaque's message:

'To protect the Vessel, the Dreamers lay sleeping.

'Monomon the Teacher, in her Archive, surrounded by fog and mist.

'Lurien the Watcher, in his Spire, looking over the city.

'Herrah the Beast, in her Den, amidst the deep darkness beyond the kingdom.

'Through their devotion, Hallownest lasts eternal.'

A lot like the message on the fountain, Link noticed.

At that moment, the Knight stepped onto the platform. Immediately, floating glyphs of white light appeared, around the platform, along with a faintly visible globe of force.

Link quickly turned around and ran to the edge of the platform. The barrier was solid, and even striking it with his sword did nothing. "We're trapped," he said.

The Knight seemed unconcerned with the situation, and merely stepped into the center of the platform to look at the altar and the pillars. Moments later, the barrier dissipated, unleashing its energy in the form of an immense pressure that pushed in on the two wanderers and prevented almost all movement. Link grunted in pain as his sword fell out of his grip and he collapsed onto his knees.

Three voices called out in unison, sounding distant and dreamlike: "Go no further, little shadow."

They continued speaking, no longer in unison, though Link couldn't tell them apart: "What compels its climb out of the darkness? What compels its return to this sacred kingdom?"

"Hey, wait-" Link stammered, barely able to speak.

"A call from beyond the Seals? By the Vessel, or by that captive light?

"Would the Seals break? They cannot be undone.

"But the Vessel weakens. That plague springs anew. They must be undone.

"Yet still our Seals remain. Our duty holds."

"What are you-" Link rasped.

"It must be cast away.

"Our duty holds. It shall be done."

Three ghostly figures appeared in the air above, though Link could barely see them, only making out that they were each wearing one of the masks on the monument.

"Wait! I didn't do any-"

The figures reeled back, unleashing more energy, pressing in tighter from all sides and lifting the two of them into the air. In seconds, Link's vision began to go dark, and the last thing he heard before he drifted into unconsciousness was "Fade away, little shadow. Fade away, and let us sleep in peace."

When Link awoke, he was lying on his back, looking up at a pale orange sky. He groaned, then stood up, finding that he was standing on a stone platform suspended in the air. More platforms drifted by in the distance, some with pavilions on top, along with dark clouds, huge metal dream catchers, and lampposts. A soft yellow light pervaded the entire view, originating from a sun that seemed impossibly distant. The Knight was on the platform with him, and awoke at about the same time.

"What was that? Where did they send us?" Link asked. "Why did they send us here?"

The bug simply looked up at him with its empty eyes. Link felt anger boiling up in him like it hadn't in some time.

"Here I am, just trying to get home, and you get me stranded in another different world. They were after you! I don't have anything to do with this! Hornet called you a ghost, they called you a shadow, just what are you?"

The Knight's blank response just goaded him further. He picked up his sword from where it was laying nearby and swung it at the Knight, who, in a blink of the eye, pulled its nail from its back and blocked the attack with enough force to send Link's sword flying. It nearly fell off the side of the platform and into the endless sky below, but Link managed to reach out and catch it by the blade. It bit deeply into his hand, and he shouted in pain, dropping it back onto the ground.

What am I doing? he thought, as blood dripped from his hand. He sat down on the edge of the platform and gripped the wound with his other hand, then sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't blame you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Some hero I am.

The Knight, of course, gave no indication that it cared.

A moment later, what looked like a huge moth made purely from light appeared before them. It hovered just out of reach for several seconds before floating away. In its wake, a set of steps formed itself from the rubble floating in the air. The Knight began to follow them, and, after a moment of consideration, Link did as well.

The moth led them up and across several of the platforms before reaching one with a large statue in the middle depicting a cloaked bug with a head that also resembled a moth's. The moth stopped before the statue and waited as the Knight approached. Link was trailing quite far behind on account of the pain of his injury.

"What a terrible fate they've visited upon you. To cast you away into this space between body and soul," he heard the moth say. Its voice had the same distant and dreamlike sound as those of the ghostly figures, and Link could hardly make the words out.

The moth continued. "Will you accept their judgement and fade slowly away? Or will you take the weapon before you, and cut your way out of this sad, forgotten dream?" It then vanished, and in its place it left a small glowing object.

Link finally made it to the statue as the Knight was reaching out for the object. The light faded, and he saw that it was a sort of lens: a circular, stained-glass mosaic mounted on a metal handle. When the Knight touched it, a blade of light extended out from it, then began radiating energy in all directions. Link felt a pressure similar to what he'd felt at the monument in the graveyard, but the Knight looked unaffected.

"Wait!" Link shouted, realizing what was happening, but he was too late. The Knight vanished in a flash of light, leaving him behind.

The pressure abated, causing Link to fall forward. Grimacing, he raised his head back up to look at the statue, hoping for the moth to reappear. When it didn't, he rolled onto his back with a groan and stared up at the sky. His hand was still bleeding, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Is that it, then? he wondered. The great hero Link, dying alone, with only a handful of people to remember him? I was hoping to go home and finally rest, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Oh well... I guess this counts as resting too...

Suddenly, he felt an excruciatingly painful burning on the back of his left hand. It was in the exact same place where the Triforce of Courage had once resided, as if his very soul was reminding him not to give up. He jolted up with a shout, but the pain was over as soon as it started. I can't even die in peace, he mused.

He stood back up and took another look at his surroundings. No other platform in sight seemed to have any sort of distinguishing factor like the statue, and on top of that, the steps had collapsed when the moth disappeared. He rubbed his head as the dizziness worsened, then had a sudden realization. He retrieved the lens of truth, which, like the object the Knight had taken, was a circular piece of stained glass attached to a handle. It was a magic artifact capable of seeing through illusions. When he peered through, he could see the platforms and the things on them, but the sky appeared black, and the other strange things that floated in the air were gone.

So this whole place isn't real. Definitely a dream, then, Link thought. His head was swimming now. Well, whatever. I have a dumb idea. He held the lens aloft, the same way the Knight had, and concentrated on it as hard as he could, trying to will it into manifesting a blade like the strange object had. It didn't work and the mental strain of trying caused him to collapse to his knees, nearly passing out entirely.

Exhausted, Link leaned his forehead against the statue. "Please... come back," he pleaded. "I just... want to go home..." The moth didn't reappear, however, and he could feel his consciousness starting to fade.

In a final act of frustration, he smashed the lens against the statue, shattering it and sending the shards flying. To his surprise, though, they didn't tumble off the edge of the platform into the sky, but rather stopped in midair. Glowing motes of energy, the same as those that the strange object had given off, flew into the shards from all around, suffusing them. Then, the shards flew back onto the handle and the lens repaired itself, though with a dream catcher mosaic pattern instead of the eye design it previously bore. Shining with power, the lens manifested a blade of light, and Link's vision faded.