Chapter Text
Ghost waved goodbye to their teacher. Ze’mer barely remembered to wave back, the knight still reeling from the onslaught of information the Vessels had thrown at her earlier.
Ghost was relieved that their siblings had been with them when Ze’mer had confronted them – and not just because they were proof that the Pale King had sired them instead of casting them in one of his workshops like he let everyone in the White Palace believe. No, it helped that their siblings had been the discarded ones, the “refuse and regret” as their father had termed them, and they could tell Ze’mer exactly what their lives had been like in the birthplace before and after Father had come to choose his Pure Vessel.
Ze’mer hadn’t wanted to believe their siblings’ words, hadn’t wanted to believe that the king she had given her service to could be so callous with the lives of his own children. Even Ghost themselves had been horrified by the numbers that Spikes had baldly stated. Oh, they had known that most of their siblings had died in the Abyss, but knowing that less than ten percent had survived to separate, made it worse somehow. (And out of those that had survived to separate, only five were confirmed to be alive, but that was another story altogether).
Of course Spikes hadn’t mentioned just how many of those deaths were due to The Fall compared to those who had died later from the shade-siblings, sleeping-sickness and that failed second attempt to reach the top. Though one could argue that the shade-siblings were his fault as well.
In the end, Three had lost their temper and told her that the closest tunnel to the Abyss was in Deepnest and that they would drag her to their birthplace and force her to fucking look at those millions of corpses and the shade-siblings and see if she could still tell them with a straight face that the Pale King was a wise and benevolent ruler.
Kin, in the spirit of fairness, had then pointed out that “wise and benevolent ruler” was not synonymous with “good father”, which everyone had to agree with. If Hollow had been with them, they would’ve probably said something on the lines of “a good ruler was the sort who’d put their kingdom’s wellbeing over their own family”... which would have gone down like a dying Fungoon with the rest of their siblings, so it was a good thing that they hadn’t been.
In the sudden silence that fell, Ghost apologetically pulled out the Wanted poster of themselves that Esmy had given them some time back as a “souvenir” and showed it to Ze’mer. The knight went even paler than usual at this confirmation that the Pale King really wanted Ghost dead – biological child or not. Leaf then “helpfully” added that he likely wanted Kin and Three dead too as well as the rest of them if he knew about them. They were, after all, the rejects that were supposed to have died in the Abyss.
Ze’mer had then left the building, claiming that she needed some air. Ghost thought that it was more likely that she needed to think about all the revelations she had learnt today. After a while though, they decided to check on Ze’mer to see if she was alright.
They found Ze’mer in the Fledgeling Lord’s arms, held in an embrace. Her back was to them, but the Fledgeling Lord saw them and signed to them to go away, which they did.
That night though, Ze’mer sought Ghost out to tell them that she had spoken to their friends on behalf of the king and assured them that none of them had betrayed them.
Ghost wasn’t at all happy that their father had tracked down their various friends and contacts. It made sense – especially since there were plenty of bugs in Dirtmouth and Major Crossroads willing to give information about them either in order to curry favour or because they thought that they were being Good Citizens. They still didn’t like it though they were touched that none of their friends had even tried to sell them out.
Shortly after that, Ze’mer decided to cut short her holiday and return to the White Palace, claiming that she needed to talk to Father. She promised not to tell him of their whereabouts – or the existence of their Greenpath siblings. The Greenpath Gang hadn’t been entirely sure that they could trust Ze’mer, but Ghost assured them that she’d keep her word. After all, she had multiple chances to betray their continued existence to Father over the years, and she never had.
Once Ze’mer was gone, Ghost turned back to the Fledgeling Lord’s house where the rest of their siblings were. As expected, the Greenpath Gang had nothing to worry from their father’s search. Still, they had taken leave from their jobs to visit Ghost, Three and Kin to help brainstorm ideas of how to get Father and his forces to stop their search.
Flower had brought up faking their deaths, but Ghost had shot her down. Father wouldn’t be fooled by the same thing twice. Spikes had then suggested that they bribe three bugs to impersonate them while publicly leaving Hallownest. If Father thought that they had left his kingdom, he wouldn’t be looking for them anymore. Three had shot that one down, pointing out that there were so many things that could go wrong with that plan. Leaf’s idea had been even worse – suggesting that they stay put in Mantis Village until Father and his forces forgot about them. That had been met with headshakes, thumbs-down and crumpled-up parchment thrown at Leaf.
More ideas were thrown out, some foolish and some more plausible, but no one could agree on which plan to use. By the time the Greenpath Gang had to return to their home, they still hadn’t come up with a plan to deal with the Pale King actively searching for them. It was rather frustrating and Ghost ended up challenging the Mantis Lords for a rematch in order to vent out their feelings. Fighting and winning helped, but not entirely and it took a long time for Ghost to fall asleep that day.
However, when they woke up the next day, they found themselves with an idea. According to Ze’mer, Father was more focused on looking for them compared to Kin and Three put together. If he thought that they were dead, perhaps he’d stop searching for their siblings.
Faking their death had already been done, which meant that Ghost needed to die for real. Father couldn’t be allowed to kill them though. That moth assassin had been able to see their Shade, which meant that it was likely that Father, as a god, would be able to see it too. And Ghost wasn’t sure if they’d be able to pull themselves back from death if someone else killed their Shade. This meant that they needed someone else to kill them. Someone who the Pale King would trust implicitly. Someone like one of the Great Knights.
Ze’mer had already gone back to the White Palace and Dryya was likely at the White Lady’s side, which meant that they were both out. From what they had last heard, Hegemol was in Silver City, helping Lurien the Watcher root out the rest of the rot and training up the new sentries. Even with a disguise, there was still a high risk of them getting caught before they even got to Hegemol. Which left Ogrim and Isma, who often hung out in the Royal Waterways together. Alone. And the nearest entrance to the Royal Waterways wasn’t far from here too.
It would be better if their siblings agreed to come along and let Isma and Ogrim kill them, but Kin had told them that they didn’t think that they could pull themselves back from the dead a second time, and Three had told them before that they didn’t want to risk it, which meant that it was up to Ghost and Ghost alone.
“Problem: how are you going to get back your Shade after you get Ogrim and Isma to kill you?” asked Kin after Ghost brought up their great plan with their siblings.
“I was thinking of setting up a Dreamgate here and then putting on my ugly hat to disguise myself and make my way back to Dirtmouth,” answered Ghost. “There, I’ll use that bench closest to Confessor Jiji’s home as my resurrection point so that when Ogrim and Isma kill me, I can pull myself out of death there and then get Confessor Jiji to summon my Shade. And once I take back my Shade, I’ll teleport back here via the Dreamgate. Simple.”
Three made a chopping gesture. “Not so simple! The Ugly Hat Disguise might’ve fucking worked when no one was actively looking for us, but now that they are? Spikes already said that there were sentries at the Queen’s Station and they were demanding everybug with a hood or a hat on to briefly remove it so that they could check their horns.”
“And they won’t be checking at only the Stag Stations either,” added Kin. “It’s likely that there are sentry checkpoints all over Hallownest meant to find us. You’ll be caught before you even reach Dirtmouth.”
Ghost threw their hands up. “Then what do you want me to do? Just sit here and wait until Hollow has to seal away the Old Light?”
“Nobody said that,” said Kin patiently. “We’re just saying that you need to think more about this. You’ll do Hollow no good if you get caught.”
“Yeah, what they said,” chimed Three.
Their siblings had a point, Ghost grudgingly admitted to themselves. They needed a better disguise than an ugly hat. Perhaps they could create fake horns and stick them on their head? The sentries would be looking for a Vessel with two curved horns after all, not one with multiple horns.
“I’ve fucking got it!” whooped Three. “What if we put you in a box, wrap it up to look like a present, and then fucking mail you to Confessor Jiji?”
“Oh, that could work!” enthused Kin. “The sentries won’t be looking for you in a package, after all.”
Ghost considered this. They didn’t need to breathe so being stuck in a box for an unspecified amount of time wouldn’t hurt them. It would be rather boring though. On the other hand, it would be funny to see the look on Confessor Jiji’s face when she opened up the box to see them. They’d have to compensate her with some Geo and rancid eggs, decided Ghost.
“That is a good idea, Three,” agreed Ghost. “I’ll go ask the Mantises for a box big enough to fit me and then see who’d be willing to send me to the post office.”
“Yeah, you do that, Ghost,” said Three.
“Good luck,” Kin wished them.
Ghost nodded to their siblings and went in search of their Mantis friends.
“Absolutely not, Ghost,” stated the Fledgeling Lord firmly, arms crossed over her chest.
“Why not?” demanded Ghost.
“First of all, I find the idea of you stuck in a small box for an unspecified amount of time deeply horrifying,” said the Fledgeling Lord, raising a finger. “Secondly, it’ll take a few days for the postal service to deliver you to Confessor Jiji. Will your Dreamgate last that long? Because if it doesn’t, then you’ll be in trouble.”
The Fledgeling Lord raised a third finger. “Thirdly, what if the postal service misplaces you or sends you to the wrong location? What then?”
“I can handle it,” wrote Ghost defiantly.
“I’m sure you can, but you don’t have to,” the Fledgeling Lord told them gently. “I’ll carry you in a box to Dirtmouth.”
“That would be better, yes,” wrote Ghost. “Thank you, Fledgeling Lord.”
“You’re welcome,” replied the Fledgeling Lord. “Now, let me go looking for a box big enough for you and then we can get going.”
“I’ll help,” said Ghost.
The Fledgeling Lord shook her head. “No need, you go spend time with your siblings.” She then smiled mischievously. “Tell them there’s no need to go hunting up wrapping cloth or ribbons to wrap you up in.”
Ever since they returned to the Mantis Village, a good chunk of their time was already spent with their siblings, but Ghost got the hint. They doubted that Three and Kin would go that far though.
“Damn, here I was wondering which wrapping cloth to pick,” complained Three when Ghost told them the Fledgeling Lord’s plan.
Kin pulled out a couple of long black ribbons from their Voidspace and looked sadly down at them. “I guess I’m going to have to return these to Rose.”
Ghost stared at their siblings. “Were you really looking forward to wrapping me up like a present?”
“It would’ve been fucking hilarious,” admitted Three.
“Along with a few rancid eggs,” added Kin. “It wouldn’t be fair to poor Jiji otherwise.”
Ghost sighed soundlessly. They loved their siblings, but they could be a bit too much at times.
“Doesn’t matter anymore, now let’s get to training,” said Ghost.
Like usual, Three groaned. But instead of pulling out their nail, Kin tapped their chin. “Ghost, have you set the Dreamgate already?”
Ah right, they had forgotten!
“I’ll go set it up now,” said Ghost, stepping away from their siblings. “Be right back.”
“Take your time,” called Three.
Ghost swirled the Void in their eyeholes. Lazy sibling. They’d be sure to put them through their paces later.
Ghost set the Dreamgate near the bench and then returned to their siblings, only to find that Three had gone missing.
“They just remembered that they had a shaman thing to do,” said Kin, amusement colouring their mental voice.
Ghost sighed again. It was remarkable how often “shaman things” seemed to pop up every time they wanted to drag Three to nail practice. Oh well, they’d catch their sibling another time.
“So shall we get on with training?” asked Kin.
At least one of their siblings took nail practice seriously. Ghost nodded and they both started walking to the training grounds together. However, before they got there, the Fledgeling Lord came up to them, carrying a large shellwood box. She then placed the box on the ground and opened it.
“Get in, Ghost,” she ordered. “I want to see if you can fit inside.”
Ghost obligingly got into the box. They had to curl up a bit in order to fit, but it would do. The Fledgeling Lord then picked up the box with them inside and weighed it in her arms.
“I can handle carrying you to Confessor Jiji,” she decided. “It’s a good thing that you don’t have any organs though.”
Oh right, they hadn’t really told the Fledgeling Lord where they actually wanted to go!
It was too difficult to take out their slate in their current position, but by the time they managed to uncurl themselves and take out their slate without jiggling their box too much, Kin had already corrected her.
The Fledgeling Lord looked down at them. “Ghost, why do you need to go to the bench near Confessor Jiji’s house?”
Ghost paused. They hadn’t actually told the Fledgeling Lord the details of the plan, only that they had a plan to stop the Pale King from looking for them and their siblings and that they needed Confessor Jiji for it. Being able to resurrect yourself from death… well, it would be too unbelievable for most bugs to swallow. Ghost didn’t want the Fledgeling Lord, their first friend other than Hollow, to think them a liar.
Annnd the Fledgeling Lord was still looking at them, waiting for an answer.
Ghost sighed silently. If the Fledgeling Lord was going to help them, they supposed that they owed her the truth. And if she thought them a liar after this, if she didn’t want to help anymore… well, they’d handle it somehow.
They gestured towards the Fledgeling Lord to put them down, which she did. Then they pulled out their chalk slate and explained how they could resurrect themselves and what was actually their plan.
“So your big plan is to get yourself killed?!” demanded the Fledgeling Lord incredulously.
“You believe me?” asked Ghost.
“You being able to bring yourself back to life just by saying ‘no thanks’ to death, is not even in the top three weirdest things about you,” the Fledgeling Lord told them dryly.
“Ooh, ooh! What are the top three weirdest things about Ghost?” asked Kin.
Ghost tilted their head curiously. They wanted to know too.
“Tell you later,” the Fledgeling Lord informed them. “Back to the subject at hand: Ghost going to get themselves killed. Seriously, Ghost? Is that really the best plan you have?”
“Yes,” wrote Ghost. “Father won’t stop searching for us unless he thinks I’m already dead.” They paused. “It would be better if Kin and Three came along, but they don’t want to die, so it’ll have to be just me.”
“We could fake your deaths again,” insisted the Fledgeling Lord.
Ghost shook their head. “Father won’t be fooled by the same thing twice. And he’d start suspecting the Mantises if you bring him a bunch of fake masks. Best to have someone loyal to him deal the blow.”
“Ze’mer won’t like this,” she warned.
Ghost shrugged. They’d deal with it. If this plan worked, it would mean that they and their siblings would gain more freedom. Ghost might like and care about the Mantises, but that didn’t mean that they enjoyed staying put in the village all day, not even being able to go out hunting or foraging. Better Ze'mer’s anger for a while than being cooped up forever.
The Fledgeling Lord blew out a breath. “Ugh, I’ve no better ideas. And my aunts can’t think of any either. So it looks like I’ll have to follow yours.”
Words were not sufficient for how grateful they were. Ghost hugged the Fledgeling Lord in thanks.
She patted their back. “You’re welcome, Ghost.”
She then pulled back. “I really hope that this plan of yours works.”
Ghost nodded. They hoped the same too.
Kin and Three did end up wrapping Ghost’s box. Ghost could hear them giggling and laughing through the Void while they did it. At least their siblings were having fun.
Once they were done, the Fledgeling Lord strapped the box to her back and then started walking. It was dark and cramped within, but Ghost could still hear sounds from outside and feel how the box swayed with the Fledgeling Lord’s movements.
After a while, they could hear the muffled chatter and buzz of many bugs. They must’ve reached the Queen’s Station. Ghost felt the Fledgeling Lord climb upwards and then there was a sudden rush, indicating that they were now on a Stag.
Ghost usually enjoyed being on a Stag and feeling the wind against their mask as the Stag ran onwards, but it wasn’t as fun in the box. They felt another burst of gratitude to the Fledgeling Lord for offering to bring them to Dirtmouth. If they had been sent via post, this journey would’ve been longer and more boring.
At last, the Stag came to a halt. There was a drop indicating that the Fledgeling Lord had gotten down. Then there was more walking, more muffled bug chatter and what sounded like Nailsage Sly’s voice?? Ghost couldn’t make out their conversation though.
Eventually, the Fledgeling Lord must have said goodbye to Sly because she started walking again and then their box was placed on the ground. From within, Ghost could hear the sounds of the Fledgeling Lord undoing the ribbon knots and then finally the box was opened. Ghost uncurled themselves, climbed out of the box and then stretched. Ah, it was so nice to be out of the box at last.
The Fledgeling Lord was hiding a smile behind one hand. Ghost tilted their head to one side. What was so amusing?
“I’m sorry, Ghost,” apologised the Fledgeling Lord. “But that really is one ugly hat.”
Ghost touched the brim of their hat and nodded in agreement. The only reason they were wearing their ugly hat was because Three had worried that someone might see them come out of the box. The Fledgeling Lord taking a bug with an ugly hat out of a box was less worrisome than the Fledgeling Lord in the company of a wanted bug. With luck, a bystander might chalk this all up to a Mantis thing.
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anyone else around. Ghost quickly sat on the bench and rearranged their Charms, switching Mark of Pride for Quickslash, and then got off. There! Step 2 of the Plan was now complete!
They then turned to the Fledgeling Lord and asked, “So what were you talking about with Nailsage Sly?”
“You, mostly,” replied the Fledgeling Lord. “He asked if I knew if you were alright. I said that you were, and we left it at that.”
That wasn’t all of it since she’d been talking to Nailsage Sly for more than a few minutes, but that was apparently all that she was going to give up. Ghost would pry the rest out of her eventually.
“Think you can Dreamgate us back to Mantis Village now?” asked the Fledgeling Lord.
Ghost nodded and pulled out their Dream Nail. The Fledgeling Lord quickly put her hands on their shoulders. Ghost then activated the Dream Nail, making its blade flare pink. There was then a tug and in a blink of an eye, the two of them were back in Mantis Village.
The Fledgeling Lord let go of their shoulders. shuddered. “Ugh, your Dreamgate ability might be useful, but it’s so unsettling.”
She was the only one who thought so. After Ghost had been taught how to Dreamgate, they had experimented with it in the Mantis Village and once it was discovered that Ghost could bring others with them as long as said people were in contact with them, everyone wanted to try it. In the end, it was Ghost who had to put their foot down. It might be fun to Dreamgate, but using it used up Essence and they needed every drop of it if they wanted to fully awaken the Dream Nail.
“You two are back fast,” joked Orchid, who was passing by.
The Fledgeling Lord waved her off and turned to Ghost. “So you’ll be off to the sewers then?”
Ghost nodded.
“I really hope your plan works,” she told them.
Ghost nodded again. They hoped the same too. They waved to Orchid and then hurried off towards the Royal Waterways. The faster this was done, the better.
Ghost had made a miscalculation. They had wandered through the waterways, found Ogrim’s arena where he trained with his dung balls, and discovered Isma’s grove where she was growing beautiful leafy plants, but the Great Knights themselves were nowhere to be seen.
It made Ghost want to smack themselves. Of course Ogrim and Isma couldn’t be in the Royal Waterways all the time – they had to be either in the White Palace or roaming about Hallownest looking for them and their siblings. For all Ghost knew, they could be hanging out with Hegemol in Silver City. Whichever it was, they definitely weren’t here.
Ghost did one more circuit in the Royal Waterways just to make sure and while they did come across a few Infected Flukes, which they cut down, Ogrim and Isma still didn’t appear. In the end, Ghost went back to Fungal Wastes and caught the first Mantis they saw, which turned out to be Bramble, and told them to tell the Fledgeling Lord and their siblings that Ogrim and Isma weren’t around, but they’d be staying in the Royal Waterways until they showed up.
Ghost continued to wander the Royal Waterways, slaughtering Hwurmps, Pilflips and any Infected Flukes that they came across. At least they were slowly replenishing the Essence they had lost while experimenting with the Dreamgate in Mantis Village. Eventually their patience was rewarded when they heard Ogrim’s booming laughter coming from a tunnel ahead.
Finally the moment was here! Ghost quickly reminded themselves not to use any of the moves that Ze’mer had taught them. Or any of their Mantis-taught moves either. No, they were to strictly stick to their Nailmaster training and perhaps use a few spells since Ze’mer had mentioned that the Great Knights and Father already knew about their time working for Chortle.
…Perhaps it was a good thing that Ogrim and Isma hadn’t been in the Royal Waterways when Ghost had first entered because it had given Ghost time to practice sticking to Nailmaster techniques.
Annnd it sounded like Ogrim was now going further away.
Ghost clenched their fists. They could not let the essential part of their plan get away. They tipped back their head and cast Howling Wraiths.
There was a pause in the chatter, and then footsteps were heard coming their way. Ghost waited and at last, Ogrim and Isma emerged from the tunnel. Their eyes widened when they saw Ghost.
That was their cue. Ghost turned and started running.
“Wait!” called Ogrim. “Second– um, I mean, Ghost, don’t run!”
Ghost ignored him and ran into a tunnel that they knew led to a blind alley. As expected, both Ogrim and Isma pursued them. At last, they reached the blind alley. They were now “trapped”. They turned around to face the Great Knights who… were approaching them as if they were a poor little tiktik caught in a trap.
“There, there,” cooed Isma. “It’s alright. You don’t need to be scared, we won’t hurt you.”
That was the exact opposite of what Ghost wanted.
“His Majesty just has a few questions about Soul Sanctum, that’s all,” added Ogrim. “After that, you can go back to your usual life if you want.”
Suuure. Riiight. It was more likely that their father would send them on a one-way trip to the afterlife. No thank you.
Ghost drew their nail. Since neither Isma nor Ogrim were trying to attack them, it was best to go on the offence. They launched themselves at Ogrim who quickly evaded them.
“There’s no need for aggression, young Vessel,” called Ogrim. “We are not your enemies.”
No they weren’t, agreed Ghost. But they really needed one of the Great Knights to kill them if they were to get their father off their back.
They launched themselves at Ogrim again, but this time Isma blocked the blow on his behalf, launching Ghost back with a vine. Ghost then switched to her, but she evaded their attack, dancing away from them.
It was the strangest fight that Ghost had ever been in, with all parties restraining themselves and not really trying to hurt each other. Also, Ogrim and Isma were doing more dodging than attacking. The most irritating part of the fight were Isma’s vines. She kept sneaking her vines on the ground, trying to grab their legs, and Ghost had to use Descending Dark each time to burn the vines away.
As the fight went on, Ghost concluded that Ogrim and Isma were never going to kill them. Not unless they got really aggressive, which they didn’t want to. Ogrim and Isma were, after all, Ze’mer’s friends. Also, Hollow was quite fond of them and would be upset if they were hurt.
Ghost stopped fighting and let Isma’s vines grab them around the legs. They then reversed their grip on their nail.
Oh, this was going to hurt.
Isma’s eyes went wide. “Wait!” she called.
Ghost plunged their nail into their mask. There was a sharp burst of pain, and then–
Darkness.
“Come home…?”
No, sorry.
The darkness clung to Ghost, constricting around their limbs as if mimicking Isma’s vines. Ghost struggled against it. No, they were not going to lie down and stay dead! They had made a promise to Hollow and they. Were. Getting. Up!
Ghost pulled free of the vines of darkness and then all of a sudden, they found themselves sitting on the bench of Dirtmouth. They looked down at themselves. They could almost still feel the darkness constricting around their arms and legs though there were of course, no marks at all.
What was that? The darkness had never been so aggressive at trying to keep them before this. Was this change because they had suicided? Or had they passed a threshold for amount of deaths allowed?
Ghost shook themselves. There was no point about theorising about why it had been different coming back around this time. What was more important was getting their Shade back!
They put on their ugly hat and marched up to Confessor Jiji’s house and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
Ghost knocked even harder on the door.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming. No need to bang on my door so much,” came Confessor Jiji’s voice.
Phew! Confessor Jiji was at home, after all. If she hadn’t been, they would’ve had to wait outside her house for who-knows-how long. And they really didn’t want to do that. Unlike other bugs, Vessels did not get sick. But being without a Shade was the closest they could get to it, making them feel dizzy and floaty.
Confessor Jiji opened the door. “This had better be good–”
Ghost immediately presented her with two rancid eggs.
Confessor Jiji’s eyes immediately lit up. “Well, I’ll never say no to my favourite food.”
She grabbed the rancid eggs and put them into her pouch. She then stepped aside, letting Ghost enter her house.
“I know why you’re here,” declared Confessor Jiji as she moved towards the centre of her room. “You’re here because you wish me to retrieve your regrets, yes? I can see it. A dark stain surrounded by pipes and running water. It cannot be washed away, though…”
Ghost nodded. Yes, that was right. They needed their Shade back.
Confessor Jiji did her chant and their Shade materialised, blowing out all the candles in the room as they did so. Unlike the darkness, their Shade acted perfectly normal as it tried to attack them. Ghost killed it and absorbed it back into themselves.
Shade retrieved, Ghost waved goodbye to Confessor Jiji and walked out of her house. Once they were out, they pulled out their Dream Nail and activated the Dreamgate. In a rush of pink light, they were back in the Mantis Village. What a relief! It looked like that once activated, a Dreamgate could last… well, to be honest, Ghost had lost track of time in the Royal Waterways, but it could definitely last that long.
They suddenly found themselves being grabbed by Three and Kin who hugged them fiercely.
“Thank the darkness you’re back, Ghost!” said Kin. “We’ve been so worried!”
“Yeah! Especially after you fucking died and took longer than usual to come back,” added Three. “What the fuck was going on there, huh?”
“Stop smothering me and I’ll tell you,” replied Ghost.
While they liked hugs from their siblings, they didn’t appreciate being squashed in between them. And Three and Kin were absolutely squashing them with how fiercely they were squeezing. Also it was unpleasantly reminding them of the darkness restraining them while they’d been dead.
Both Three and Kin eased back from the hugs, though they still remained in contact with Ghost, as if they thought that Ghost would disappear if they weren’t holding onto them somehow.
“Just how long was I gone anyway?” they asked.
“Ten days,” answered Kin.
Ghost winced. They hadn’t thought that they had been wandering the Royal Waterways for that long.
Three then poked them. “Now answer the question: what the fuck happened there, Ghost?”
Ghost told their siblings everything – about them wandering the waterways, their fight with Ogrim and Isma, having to kill themselves and then their time in death before they finally managed to pull themselves out and get Confessor Jiji to summon their Shade.
“From our perspective, you blinked out for quite some time,” said Kin, once Ghost was done. “We were starting to wonder if something had gone wrong with the plan and that the King had killed you.”
“Yeah, it was even longer than the first time you died. It was such a fucking relief when you popped back up,” chimed Three. “Poor Hollow must’ve been fucking freaking out though.”
Ghost winced. They’d have to apologise to Hollow for scaring them. Later. Once they saw Ze’mer again.
“Anyway, I think that the difference is because you fucking killed yourself,” continued Three. “Old Death must’ve been so confused, thinking, ‘oh, this poor fucker really wants to be dead, huh? Lemme hold them tight. Wait, why are they struggling so much? Why do they suddenly want to return to life when whatever shit that happened was bad enough that they decided to kill themselves?’”
“Luckily, Death seems to like you since they still let you return to life,” added Kin.
“That, and our baby sibling here is plain fucking stubborn,” agreed Three.
Ghost gave their sibling a hard stare. They were determined, not stubborn!
Unfazed by their stare, Three put their hand on Ghost’s head and rubbed them between the horns, causing them to let out an involuntary purr. Kin’s hand then joined Three’s, making Ghost purr even more.
“You did well, Ghost,” praised Kin.
“Yeah, now we have to fucking wait and see if it paid off,” added Three.
Ghost nodded as they succumbed to the rubbing. Their siblings were right. Now they just needed to wait until Ze’mer returned to the Mantis Village and informed them on how the Pale King had responded to Ghost’s “death”.
When Ze’mer finally returned to the Mantis Village, she stared at Ghost as if she had seen, well, a ghost, but then when she realised that they were really there, she let out a cry and raced towards Ghost to embrace them.
“Le’mer!” she cried. “Che is so glad that you’re alright!”
Ghost hugged her back. They were glad to see her too.
Ze’mer held them for a few more minutes before finally pulling away. Ghost didn’t expect the hard slap that followed afterwards. They rubbed their cheek as they stared at her. What was that for?
“Che is very angry at you, me hon,” Ze’mer told them. “What were you thinking, faking your death like that in front of Ogrim and Isma? Do you know how upset they are? Isma was still crying about it when I left!”
Ghost tilted their head to one side. They didn’t understand why Isma and Ogrim would be so shaken by their death. The two Great Knights hadn’t seen them since they had left the White Palace years ago, and even before that, they couldn’t be considered close. Had they gotten into trouble with Father about this?
Ze’mer sighed. “Le’mer obviously doesn’t understand. So che’ wants you to think very hard about why Ogrim and Isma would grieve your apparent death.”
She then shook her head. “Anyway, che’ found out why nym’king wanted le’mer’s head so badly. Apparently, nym’king’s foresight showed him that le’mer is going to break the seals on the Black Egg.”
Ghost nodded. While they were hoping to fully awaken the Dream Nail before Hollow had to seal away the Radiance, if it came to that, they absolutely would break the seals.
Ze’mer did a double-take. “You are? Le’mer, why?”
“I am not going to let my sibling languish in a prison forever!” wrote Ghost. “I’m going to kill the Radiance and free my sibling.”
“How?” demanded Ze’mer.
Ghost pulled out their Dream Nail and briefly waved it about before returning it to their Voidspace.
“I got this Dream Nail from the Seer,” they wrote. “It’s not fully awakened yet, but I’m working on it. And once I’ve done that, I’m going to use it to get into the Dream Realm and kill the Radiance.”
Ze’mer put her head in her hands. “Le’mer, you cannot just stab the ancient god of light and dream to death.”
“Watch me,” wrote Ghost, underlining the words for emphasis.
They paused. “Father didn’t foresee that I was going to fail, did he?”
“Nooo…” admitted Ze’mer slowly.
“Then I have a chance :D,” continued Ghost.
Ze’mer rubbed her temples. “Was this le’mer’s plan the entire time?”
Ghost nodded. It wasn’t really. Initially, their plan had been to grow strong enough to fight their sibling for the position of the Hollow Knight, but their plans had changed after their reunion with Hollow. Still, it was easier to nod than to explain that.
Ze’mer groaned and continued to rub her temples. Ghost waited patiently for her verdict.
“Fine. Fine!” she at last burst out. She then pointed a finger at Ghost. “Che will choose to believe in you, Ghost.”
“Thank you,” said Ghost.
Ze’mer dropped her hand. “But seriously, Ghost. Did you really have to fake your death in front of poor Ogrim and Isma.”
“Father wouldn’t have believed that I was really dead – unless it had been witnessed by two deeply trusted bugs who genuinely believed it as well,” answered Ghost. They paused again. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Ze’mer sighed again. “Yes, nym’king has ordered a stop for the search for you though che’ can’t be sure about your siblings.”
Ghost rocked back on their heels, pleased. It was well worth killing themselves in that case. Now they could go hunting for more Essence. Hooray!
Ze’mer glared at them. “If le’mer plans on faking your death again, do it in front of Lurien.”
Ghost wasn’t planning to kill themselves again, but they solemnly nodded anyway.
Ze’mer then snapped her fingers. “Ah, I almost forgot!” She rummaged around her satchel and pulled out three envelopes. “These are for you.”
To be more accurate, only one of the letters was for them. The other two were for Three and Kin respectively. Ghost thanked Ze’mer, slipped Kin and Three’s letters into their Voidspace and opened their own letter. Unsurprisingly, Hollow’s letter to them was full of, “Ghost, what in our father’s name just happened?” and “do you know how worried I was??”
Ghost winced. They’d have to send an apology letter to Hollow later. They nodded to Ze’mer and then went in search of their siblings to deliver their letters.
Three and Kin turned out to be repairing a roof, but they jumped down when Ghost hailed them and told them that Hollow had sent them letters. Well, to be more accurate, Three jumped down while Kin glided down. Not for the first time, Ghost had to stomp down on a flare of envy. It wasn’t fair! Why couldn’t they have inherited Father’s wings as well?
Three put their hand out. “We’re here, now fucking gimme Hollow’s letter!”
Ghost obediently handed their siblings the envelopes. As one, their siblings opened the envelopes and put their hand to the drop of Voidblood on the enclosed silk parchment.
“Oh, this is a good one!” remarked Three. “Ghost, come closer and take a look!”
Ah, a story about Little Sister’s latest antics. Well, Ghost was always up to read stories about Little Sister. They immediately came closer to Three, reaching out towards their letter.
Bonk!
“What was that for?” demanded Ghost as they rubbed their forehead.
“Hollow told me to fucking give you that on their behalf,” Three informed them.
“You still didn’t have to do it,” retorted Ghost, still rubbing their forehead.
“Yeah, you still didn’t have to do it, Three,” echoed Kin, pulling Ghost to face them. “Now Ghost, let me take a look at your poor forehead.”
Ghost dropped their hand to their side, and then–
Bonk!
Kin quickly danced away from them once the deed was done. “Sorry, Ghost,” they laughed. “But Hollow asked me to give you one too.”
Ghost rubbed their forehead again as they glared at their sibling. Stupid siblings! They didn’t have to do as Hollow told them to!
…Hollow must be really upset about their death for them to ask this of Kin and Three. Ghost reminded themselves to write a nice apology letter to them.
“Any-fucking-way, what did Ze’mer say about your plan?” demanded Three. “Did it work?”
“Ze’mer said that Father stopped the search for me though she can’t say the same about you and Kin,” answered Ghost.
“Makes sense,” remarked Kin. “Still, it’s best that you don’t leave the village until things die down a little more, Ghost.”
“Yeah, there might be some sentries out there who haven’t gotten the fucking memo about you yet,” chimed Three.
Ghost sighed silently. Their siblings had a point. They still didn’t like it though.
Ze’mer was rather cool towards Ghost during her stay in the Mantis Village, being still angry about them using her friends in their plan to get Father to stop his search for them. Ghost couldn’t muster much regret though. So Ogrim and Isma might have gotten a little traumatised by seeing them commit suicide. Father had been planning to permanently kill them – all because he didn’t have faith in their ability to kill the Radiance. The two things were not the same. Still, despite her anger, Ze’mer agreed to carry the Vessels’ letters to Hollow. Ghost waved goodbye to her and hoped that she’d have gotten over it by the next time she visited.
They still wanted to get out to find more Essence, but the Mantis Lords had agreed with their siblings that it was best to stay put in the Mantis Village lest an overzealous sentry catch sight of them. Best to wait until the sentries and the rest of Hallownest forgot them in favour of the newest big story.
Ghost still didn’t like it though.
A week after Ze’mer had left the Mantis Village, Third Uncle showed up again. To Ghost’s surprise, he approached them, put something in their hand and said, “Forgot to bring you this on my last visit.”
“This” turned out to be a Charm.
“Its name is Soul Eater,” explained Third Uncle. “My gift to you as a reward for killing the Soul Master. It’ll greatly increase the amount of Soul gained when striking an enemy with your nail.”
Ghost turned the Charm over in their hands. So a more powerful version of Soul Catcher, huh. Pity it cost four Charm Notches. Still, it could come in handy. They used their chalk slate to thank Third Uncle before slipping the Charm into their Voidspace.
Third Uncle then turned back to Three. “Anyway, I don’t know what’s gotten into the Pale King, but for some reason, His Majesty’s decided to call off the search for you weird grubs.” He sniffed. “You’d think that a god wouldn’t give up that easily.”
“Ghost faked their death,” replied Three. “It’s nice to know that Kin and I aren’t as important to him though.”
“Good for us that he plays favourites,” added Kin, mental voice coloured with amusement.
Ghost swirled the Void in their eyeholes. They could have told their siblings that. Even before they had left the White Palace, it had been obvious that Father had favoured Hollow over them.
“Ghost faked their death, huh? Good for you, grub, that the king bought it,” said Third Uncle, turning to face Ghost. He then turned back to Three. “Anyway, now that I’m here, let’s get to shaman training.”
“Fuck yeah!” cheered Three. And they led Third Uncle off to the Fledgeling Lord’s house for privacy.
Ghost and Kin exchanged a look.
“So what are you going to be doing, Ghost?” asked Kin.
“I’ll be training the Mantis Youths as I agreed, but tomorrow I’m going to set off to get more Essence since the sentries won’t be looking for me anymore,” answered Ghost. “How about you?”
“I’ll be working with the eldest Mantis Lord to finish my headdress and then tomorrow I’ll be heading out as well,” replied Kin. “I’d like to see if the Seer is doing alright.”
“Looks like we’ll be leaving Three behind in the village then,” said Ghost.
Kin giggled. “Honestly, I think that they’ll leave with Third Uncle once we’re gone. They won’t want the Mantises challenging them to fights once we’re not around.”
Ghost snickered. Their sibling had been doing their best to dodge challenges, even to the point of resorting to hiding behind Ze’mer when she was around. Luckily for Three, Ze’mer was chivalrous enough to protect them from the Mantises.
Ghost nodded to their sibling before turning towards the training grounds, a bounce in their steps as they walked. They loved the Mantises, but they couldn’t wait to be out collecting Essence and hopefully, finding interesting bugs to fight. They’d love to see their other friends as well. Ah, they couldn’t wait until tomorrow!