Work Text:
Heat,
pain, pain,
bright, too bright,
blinding,
hot,
hurts,
Hurts,
HURTS
They awoke with a start, head shooting upward in panic and frantically looking around as if to see they were still safe. The vessels shoulders sagged with relief once they realized where they were. That’s right, they stopped by Dirtmouth to rest safely. As they took their surroundings in once more they noticed someone was missing, more specifically, Elder Bug. Normally he would stand by the bench but currently he was not there. Perhaps he was sleeping, it did seem late. They wouldn’t know, though. It always looked the same in Hallownest.
Speaking of sleep….what was that? A soft orange glow and a sharp pain in their body...or rather...a sharp pain in the void their body consisted of. Something similar to when they got too close to the Temple before they fought their sibling. It was...rather strange. The vessel felt movement from the top of their head before they were thrown into darkness.
They still felt the bench beneath them and the warmth from above so it wasn’t as if they just disappeared. Moving a hand to what covered their sight, they found it to be a wing. Ah. The Grimmchild they have been tasked with watching over. Carefully, they lifted the child off their head. It made a noise of disagreement, not liking being moved from its makeshift bed. The vessel was always a bit put off by the warmth the child gave off. It was so different from their own ice cold body. It made them feel a bit numb when in contact with them. Perhaps their head was warmer though since it wasn’t made of void.
They hesitantly set the Grimmchild back on their head before turning to glance at the red tents in the distance. They should visit sometime…. Without a second thought the vessel turned and darted for the well. Back to their dream...bugs have not dreamt for so long...perhaps it wasn’t a dream? Perhaps it was a memory instead? But whose memory? Surely it wasn’t their own? It felt different somehow...whatever it was..it was concerning.
Ghost has never felt fear. Not when they fought Hornet, not when they fought The Hollow Knight and not even when they faced the Radiance. But this...it struck something in them. Something that they were less than comfortable with.
Getting to the Temple was easy, there were no more infected husks to wander and attack anymore so it was simple. Nothing seemed...different with it. It was the same as always. Perhaps the White Lady knew…? Or maybe Hornet knew..tracking her down would be rather tricky. She travelled so much, nearly as much as Ghost, but she was much faster. She looked for threats meanwhile Ghost simply looked for things to hit its nail against and all the secrets Hallownest might have.
Perhaps she was with their sibling in the city of tears. Hollow seemed to like it there. Maybe it was a favorite of theirs when they were still a young vessel. The vessel darted towards the opening of the well, climbing out quickly and entering the stag station. They pulled their map out and pointed to Kings Station before climbing on the Stags back. They were practically burning with curiosity.
The ride there was quiet, as expected. The vessel couldn’t speak and the Stag seemed to prefer the silence. They made a gesture to thank the Stag before racing out of the area and towards the pleasure house. Hollow often sat there to listen to the ghost sing.
As Ghost assumed, Hornet was there with Hollow, changing the bandages wrapped around its shell. The only indication that Ghost got that Hollow saw them was the way they tilted their head. Ghost walked further into the room before tugging lightly on Hornets shawl. She did not jump when they did. She was totally and completely not surprised. She tilted her head down to look at them. “Hello, Little Ghost. Is there a reason for your visit?” She questioned as she finished rebandaging Hollows wounds. The smaller vessel nodded and tried to figure out how to ask her.
How does one indicate they had a dream of the searing heat the radiance once gave off? Putting both of their hands together they titled their head and brought their hands closer to their face to pretend to be sleeping. “...You were..sleeping..?” Hornet questioned which resulted in a quick nod from Ghost. They had forgotten the Grimmchild was up there and had slipped right off. Whoops.
They carefully picked the child back up and gestured to them. “The child?” Ghost shook their head and pointed to the red of the bugs underbelly. “Red? No..fire?” A shake again. “Heat?” Ghost nodded before taking their dream nail out and, after setting the Grimmchild back onto their head, pointed at it. “You...dreamt of heat?” A nod again. From behind Hornet, Hollow made a gesture to their wounds. In a way, they asked if it was the Radiance. Ghost paused before nodding slowly.
It seemed to be her. She is the only one with that kind of intense heat. “I see…” Hornet muttered, setting her hand to the bottom of her mask. She seemed to be thinking. Hollow looked nervous. Bugs had long since stopped having dreams. Not until the Radiance showed up and even then the dreams led to the bugs infection usually. But the Radiance was gone now..so what could this mean? She had no way to return now that the void had her under control.
“A nightmare.” Hornet broke the anxious silence. Both vessels tilted their heads in confusion, Ghost making sure Grimmchild did not fall again. “A nightmare. Before, when bugs could dream, some had nightmares which were dreams but in a twisted way. It brought out their worst fears.” Ghost seemed to think about it. It did seem like that but that didn’t explain why the void felt in pain. It seemed so real. Tiny inky tears began to show in the corners of their masks holes.
Sensing their siblings' distress, Hollow reached out and gave them a gentle pat on the shoulder since their head was covered. Ghost, despite it not being much, seemed to relax a bit. They were safe. The tears that had almost fallen disappeared now. “Worry not, Little Ghost. The infection has vanished and will certainly not return.” She gave the vessel a small pat on their horns. They simply nodded before turning to leave, feeling a bit more relieved.
They wandered quietly towards the Stag station again. They might as well visit the Grimm Troupe now. Perhaps they should grab a few delicate flowers as a gift. Yes, it would be a nice surprise. Or at least they hoped so. They pulled out their map, making a path. They would head to the Queens Gardens, then follow up to Greenpath and then to the Forgotten Crossroads and finally back to Dirtmouth. It’ll be much easier now that they won't have to worry about attackers at every corner.
Riding the Stag was once more a silent trip, somehow the shaking from the Stag helped them to relax. Thanking the Stag once more they headed for the traitor childs’ grave. They carefully picked about 9 delicate flowers. They stored them inside their body, being entirely void had its perks.
They followed their set path, being careful of the spikes that were at every corner. It wouldn’t do to have the 9 flowers in their care break. Their journey was short and soon enough they stood in front of the giant tents. They quietly entered the tent Divine was normally in. “Oh! Little lovely, little lovely! What a nice surprise, yes, yes!” She grinned, turning her full attention to the vessel. They simply pulled out one of the flowers and handed it to her.
“Oh my, oh my! Such a delicate thing, a gift for me?” A nod from Ghost seemed to make her happy. “Thank you, thank you little lovely! Such a lovely gift it is, it is!” The vessel gave a nod, turning and exiting the tent. What else were they supposed to do? They couldn’t say anything so why not leave?
The next two were quick. They set a delicate flower in front of the two Grimmsteed that were positioned outside the tent. Both gave a happy nod, with Ghost returning one. Next up was Brumm, who seemed very happy to receive a gift from the small summoner. “Mrmm...Thank you..” He even stopped playing his music to look at the flower closely. As always, Grimm was inside.
He must have been thinking because Ghost was able to catch them off guard. “Good evening, small one. What can I do for you?” It was confusing. The ritual was practically complete. What more did they want? The thoughts were shut off immediately when they handed him a large white flower. It was almost as big as their head! How had they even kept it safe?
“Ah…” He stared at the flower, in slight confusion. “Thank you, child. For the gift.” It was picked so delicately..It would certainly live for a while. The vessel nodded, running off to drop a flower by the Grimmkins. He offered a small smile. Truly, it was a pleasant surprise.
Ghost reached up, placing the last flower they had picked on the Grimmchilds back. Now everyone had one. They hoped they liked them.