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Chapter Text

It was almost done, the Pale King looked at the entrance of the dark temple. What a magnificent sight it was. Built using the void-hardened bedrock and coated in purified soul for protection. Just behind him was the Pure Vessel, standing high and mighty. Its tall figure imposing what might remain of his now crumbling kingdom. This was the day. 

He glanced to his side, his eyes met with the three dreamers. They were all willing to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom, it was admirable. He was almost worried before, nearly none of the vessels had met his criteria, then the Hollow Knight had been weak for the year it trained, and he was doubtful if it could really hold back the Radiance. But alas, the day had come. They were ready for the sealing. He raised his hand in a motion of order as his knights moved to open the large solid door.

The door slowly creaked open. Its massive weight was barely being pushed as it slid on the rocky floor. However, something wasn't right. He had stopped hearing the distant sizzle of ash above the ground. Everything seemed fine, but something was bugging him. Several knights, retainers, and magicians were chattering around him. No, there was this... weird sound. Coming from somewhere. He closed his for a split second, trying to find locate where the sound was coming from when suddenly, the entire underground shook with great force.

*RUBBLE*

"W-WHAT!?" "AAAAAAA" "HAAA?!"

Several voices screamed all around as his head flared from side to side. Was it an attack!? Was it some kind of earthquake or sinkhole!? But it was nothing he could have imagined, his head turned to face the roof as he saw a massive crack. The high roof above the temple ground cracked to reveal some kind of yellowish glow. The Pale King stepped back as he fell on his back. W-What was THAT!!? 

He could not describe what stood before him. It was a truly gigantic entity of horror. Less than a percentage of its body was visible through the large crack on the roof. It had a semi-reflective face platter, dark in color but reinforced with some kind of transparent armor. Its two massive eyes filled with bright neon light illuminated the dark cavern they stood in. It was perhaps crouched or slumped down to look at them from the sight beyond the cracks. It had silver metallic armor around its entire observable body, with white carapace around its limbs. 

Its massive glowing eyes blinked with curiosity as it pushed its white claw through the crack on the roof. The panic in everyone's eyes seemed to widen as they started running away in terror. The Pale King looked in astonishment and a sliver of fear. His loyal knight were trying their best to calm down everyone, but they themselves weren't much calmer. He turned his head to look at the monster when the white armored hand grabbed his body. It squeezed sightly, perhaps to not let him escape, but he was beyond escaping anyway.

He had already given up the moment he was held. The creature towered over the peak of the crown, its hand alone larger than any bug in the kingdom. If it wanted to, there would be no stopping it from crushing the entirety of the kingdom within minutes. His body was pulled up and up, above the crack on the roof and above the surface. The creature, perhaps not wanting to stay slouched down also stood up, his vision rose and rose. He could see Dirtmouth, then the King's Pass, the Crystal Peak, and the Crown but the rising didn't stop. 

He shut his eyes, not wanting to get the darkened ash on the surface inside his holes when the rising abruptly stopped. He opened his eyes cautiously as he glanced at the sky above. Glowing bits of dots filled the entire he remembered a faint memory about those glowing dots. Long before Hallownest was established, before he had cast his primal form, he had visited the surface. In a faraway place where the sky wasn't so dark, he had seen them before, the stars. They were just as beautiful as when he had first seen them. For a split second, he could have forgotten he was in any kind of crazy situation.

The creature slightly tilted its head as it looked at him while holding his body close to its face. The Pale King looked back at the creature, it was wearing some kind of maid outfit(?) its body was also slouched slightly and bent in some ways, was it perhaps hurt? Didn't exactly seem like it was in any pain. Its eyes were glowing yellow, was it using magic or soul? He couldn't sense any though he sensed some disturbance. He stared intensely, trying to understand what the creature was or wanted when the creature suddenly spoke.

"Hmmm. Pointy Bug."

The Pale King's thoughts stopped for a split second when he abruptly responded.

"What?"

"Mmm? Speaking Pointy Bug"

"..." 

He was lost for words, this gigantic creature had just... called him 'pointy bug'. Honestly, he was barely stopping himself from laughing at the absurdity. How was he even supposed to respond to that? Greetings? Perhaps ask questions about the creature.

"Giggle. Wait. Brain blast. Pointy Bug, good pet. Should keep. Hmmm. Tessa wouldn't allow. Mmmmm. Shouldn't tell her."

Pet? Was the creature thinking of keeping him, the King of Hallownest as a caged animal!? Also, who was this 'Tessa'? Perhaps the creature's partner or superior. Where there more creatures like it? Before any of his questions could be answered, the creature started walking. He could see the Crown slowly disappear in the horizon as he was carried to who knew where.

"S-So, w-what are you?" 

He managed to ask. If it was moving him to its home, it was likely not going to be killing him. So, small questions shouldn't be a problem.

"Hehe. Sinister Grin. I am- Cyn. The solver of the absolute fabric, the exponential end-"

"CYNNN! Where are you??" A feminine voice called from far far away as the expression of the creature, now he knew as Cyn changed.

"Annoyed Expression. -And Worker Drone, for now..."

Cyn walked toward the dark construct. It was some kind of house, truly massive in its scale, perhaps fit for creatures of its size or taller. Cyn opened a door and entered inside as its hands were put behind. To perhaps hide him from whatever was in front. Perhaps it was this 'Tessa' creature that was calling it.

"Ohh, Cyn! Thank goodness you are alright. I couldn't find you anywhere, where were you!?" The feminine voice asked with concern. The Pale King couldn't see anything with him being held behind Cyn.

"Oh. I was just- waiting outside, like J told me. Sheepish nod."

"J, I wear to god..." the other creature seemed to mutter behind its breath.

"Cyn, you can just... *sigh* Do what you want, I guess, just... try not to be seen, kay?" The creature seemed to speak, a speck of pity in its voice.

"Sorry, Tessa. Nod. Will try better. Next time."

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. I will be back as soon as my classes end." The other creature, now identified as this 'Tessa' walked toward Cyn as she hugged it, her(?). The Pale King couldn't see anything from the back still and he was not going to risk anything by speaking.

Tessa stopped the hug as she walked away. Cyn walked through some corridors and came across a room as she entered inside. Perhaps this was Tessa's room. Cyn walked inside, now holding him in front where he could see the entire room, and walked to the desk as she put him down to immediately put a massive glass cup above him. Guess she didn't want him to escape?

"Wait here. Pointy Bug. Will be back, soon."

Cyn walked away and shut the door as the Pale King sat down on the wooden floor. He was alone as the silence engulfed the surroundings. Just a bit prior, he was in the middle of sealing the infection away, now he was in a gigantic mansion on a desk made for giants with a glass cup placed over him. What a crazy day huh.

Chapter Text

Chaos.

It was total chaos as knights looked helplessly at their king, who a gigantic monstrosity had just kidnapped. The creature was like no bug. From the few glimpses they saw from the cracks, its height easily toppled over the highest peaks of the kingdom. The creature's eyes glowed with vibrant light, not unlike the wretched disease but also completely different. Its metal-like exoskeleton

They would have wanted nothing to do with it, simply call it a creation of the imagination, had it not stolen their ruler. The retainers were running around, mages arguing, knights restless and the Hollow Knight simply stood still. It was unable to act, it was supposed to be pure and this irregularity would have been deemed impossible to fight.

...

The Pale King had managed to calm down as he started analyzing his predicament. He was inside a large mansion in a corner room as he could see the outside from a window. He was trapped under a large glass cup, placed upside down. Its weight was more than he could lift. The cup was on a wooden table, it would be difficult to dig through the hardwood, perhaps manageable but highly improbably before the creature came back. Perhaps he could try to crack the glass using a soul blast, which seemed like the best choice but the shattering pieces could fall on top of him.

Additionally, he had already given up on any chance of a rescue, he himself barely glanced what direction Hallownest was and it was miles away. No bug could survive or search that far away without knowing where to head. He himself wasn't sure how he would even return to his kingdom. Even if he escaped from this cup, the only escape he could see was through the keyhole of the door, and even then he wasn't sure how he would escape the mansion. 

Alright. He had thought enough, it was time to act. He stood up with determination. His body shone in the dark room as he concentrated his soul. Energy started forming before his fingers, bubbling soul filling the air as he blasted a pure white force of energy at the glass cup. The large blast hit the glass cup as the air around him shook, slightly pushing him back. He looked back at the point of contact as he saw a slight crack. He sighed, this was gonna take longer than he expected. He started preparing for another blast when he heard the doorknob turn.

...

It was a typical day for N. He had just finished cooking dinner and was on his way to check on Cyn. The poor girl was probably in some kind of punishment enforced by J... Seeing the malfunctioning drone get bullied by his coworker broke his heart, but it was still better than being assigned for disassembly. He knew how lucky they were, if it weren't for Tessa, they would have been disassembled long ago. From J's irregular jargon to V's hazy vision to his half-cracked memory to Cyn's... everything. He passed by the corridor to Tessa's room, he seemed to always wander near her unconsciously. He glanced at the room when he saw Cyn shut the door and leave. Huh. That was weird. Cyn wouldn't normally walk around the mansion so willingly...

He watched her leave, somewhere, as he slowly walked toward the door. What was Cyn doing in there anyway? It was probably nothing, this was Cyn he was thinking about... But, something inside him still wasn't very sure. 

He placed his hand on the doorknob. The door on Tessa's door was only locked when she was inside. He slowly turned it and pushed the door.

Inside was, not much. It was Tessa's room, he had been here many times. Tessa loved to tinker with their internals and regularly did maintenance on them. He glanced around the room, his eyes following the walls when he noticed an object placed on top of the desk. It was an upside-down cup. Weird, Tessa rarely brought utensils to her room. He walked slightly closer when he noticed something moving inside the cup.

It was a small white bug with a fork-like head and a luminescent carprace. Did Cyn find it somewhere and bring it here? He wouldn't say Tessa enjoyed the presence of bugs, so why here? Perhaps she was in a hurry? The butler, N, slowly walked toward the bug. It was unlike any he had seen before, just a little peak wouldn't hurt.

The bug seemingly looked at him as he got closer. Perhaps it was scared? N tapped the glass slightly as he smiled.

"Hey there little guy. Did Cyn capture you from your home? You must be scared. I'm Serial Designation N."

...

The Pale King looked at the doorknob as it slowly turned. The large door was pushed forward as he froze. Was the Cyn creature back? Or was it the Tessa creature that wouldn't allow bugs? However, what came forward was another gigantic metal creation, not unlike Cyn. Its body was nearly identical in shape, it wore dark suit-like clothing, its eyes bright white similar to his own luminous light. 

The creature seemed a bit anxious. Perhaps it wasn't supposed to be here. Was it here to check on him? He doubted that. It glanced around the room and spotted him a few seconds afterward. The creature slowly walked toward the glass cup that was holding him prisoner, and it slightly poked the glass with a smile.

"Hey there little guy. Did Cyn capture you from your home? You must be scared. I'm Serial Designation N."

The Pale King glanced at the glowing orbs standing for eyes. It(?), His(?) head alone was larger than the tall cup holding him captive. He seemed friendly and his tone of speech was more... normal? The Cyn creature had this weird echo and monotonicity in her voice. This one seemed more, aproachable? The Pale King pondered for a moment as he spoke.

"Greetings creature. I am the Pale King. I am afraid the one you call Cyn abducted me from my home. Would you be kind enough to perhaps bring me back?"

The creature, N, seemed a bit shocked. Perhaps he would help him. He seemed a bit surprised when he spoke, perhaps they simply didn't know bugs could speak?   He seemed to glance around for a bit as he reached for the cup and lifted it. Bringing his hand before him and waiting for him to 'jump on'. The Pale King smiled, how amusing it must be to simply carry one in your palm.

He jumped on his palm. For now, he could swallow his pride and escape this place while neither of the other creatures was around. 

...

"And up we go!" N spoke enthusiastically as he lifted the Pale King slightly in front of him and started to head toward the door. It was somewhat of a shock when he learned some bugs could speak, but he was over it quickly. He didn't know where the 'home' of this bug was, but he assumed it was just outside the mansion if Cyn found him. 

He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it to open the door when he was suddenly face to face with the one and only drone who he could consider a 'sister'.

"Big brother, N. Confused Stare. What are you doing? In Tessa's room..." The drone before him, Cyn, spoke as he quickly closed his fist to hide the bug. Cyn would probably be angry he was gonna let it go, but... It was clearly sentient and he kinda felt bad for the bug...

Cyn glanced at his hand and N's eyes went a bit hollow as he took a step back. In response, Cyn walked forward, her feet somewhat brushing the floor as she slowly closed the door behind her. She glanced at the now empty cup prison and back at him.

"Annoyed Expression. Mmmm. Are you trying to steal my bug? Big brother, N." Cyn took another step closer as N took another, his back hit the desk as he tried to find an excuse.

"C-Cyn. N-No, I wasn't gonna steal anything. I swea- *CRACK*" 

...

The Pale King felt the grasp on his body weaken as he trusted his wings. His long elegant buzzers kept him from falling as he glanced at the tall creature. A massive crack had appeared across his face, the reinforced glass panel nearly shattered with a bright yellow triangular shape embedded where his eyes should have been. 

He knew he had to get out of there, maybe if he made a dive for the keyhole he could escape? He readied to rush for it when he suddenly felt an immense force lock his body in place. A bright yellow shape, similar to the one on the tall creature's face was formed around his entire lower body. It was some kind of telekinetic magic of immense power. He had not felt the use of soul, void, or a rune but it was undeniably some kind of magic.

The shorter creature looked at him, her expression bemused as she spoke.

"Exasperated Sigh. Really? Did you think you could just. Escape?" The creature's eyes looked with disappointment as she slowly placed him back in the cup. She turned her back and flicked her finger(?) as the taller creature suddenly bolted straight.

He walked behind the smaller one as they both left the room. Once again, silence consumed his small prison. The Pale King had to get out of here. Some way or another.

...

Chapter Text

*click*

"Come'on Jaybird... You know I only have a week before the gala..."

"*Sigh* You know you still have to continue your lessons, Tessa..."

The Pale King was suddenly jolted awake as the door to the room abruptly opened.

Two gigantic creatures entered the room in sync. One a metal construct similar to N and Cyn, the other, not so much.

The other creature, which was presumably the 'Tessa Creature' from what he could gather, was a feminine taller being. It, Her(?) body easily an entire head taller than N. Wearing a darkened woven fabric piece of clothing over several other patches. Her body was made of flesh, similar to a maggot but clearly strong enough to stand on two legs. Her skeleton appeared to be on the inside, unlike the other creatures or bugs. Her hair was dark and her eyes bright blue. Overall, she looked similar to the other metallic creatures but completely different as well.

She appeared to be troubled by something as she didn't seem to notice the glowing bug placed on her desk. He didn't know whether this was a good thing or not.

"I know, I know... But couldn't we do just one more movie night? Just the two of us? Who knows if I will even be allowed to bring you guys with me if they manage to arrange me in some stupid noble gathering."

'Tessa' jumped on the bed as she glanced at 'J'.  The metal construct seemingly had given up trying to argue as she moved to get something(?).

She walked towards the side table as her eyes suddenly met with his. The Pale King froze in place, had she noticed him?

The white orbs in place for eyes narrowed slightly as the metal creature walked back toward the flesh creature.

"Hey, Tessa?"

"Yeah, Jaybird?"

"Did you get a bug from the garden?"

"Uhh, no? Why do you ask?"

J pointed towards the glass as Tessa turned towards him. Eyes locked together as both of them stared at each other.

"Oh."

Tessa stood up from her bed as she walked up to the desk. Her eyes locked with his as she stood a few notches away from the glass, bringing her head closer to check him out.

"Did N or Cyn bring it here perhaps? It doesn't seem dangerous at least, though 'am not so sure about those spikes and fluorescent glow... We should probably let it go outside before mother or father sees it."

The Pale King froze for a moment. Yes! This was it! Though he wasn't exactly sure how he would find Hallownest in the vast space, but it was a start.

"*Ahem* Greetings, creature of flesh and metal construct."

"*GHAAAAA!*"

As soon as he spoke, Tessa bolten several meters back, her scream echoing around the room as she almost tripped on her bed.

Meanwhile, J instantly froze, her eyes stopped moving around as they quickly got replaced by a spinning disk.

"I apologize for scaring you, but I am unfortunately in dire need of assistance. I was captu-"

"IT TALKS!!" Tessa screamed in excitement as she jumped back to her old place, almost hitting the desk. The spinning disk on J's face was again replaced by her 'eyes' as she stared at the bug.

"J! The bug can talk!" Tessa had already picked J up by her head, lifting her up in her excitement as the metal construct looked back.

"Yes boss, I can hear it too..."

They processed the moment for a few more seconds as Tessa finally dropped J down to look back at the talking bug.

"-As I was saying, I was captured by the one you call Cyn and I would like to request that you return me back to my kingdom."

Tessa seemed to ponder for a second, making a fake cough motion, cutting her excitement as she spoke while pointing her finger.

"Alright, but I have a few questions first."

The Pale King sighed as he accepted his fate.

"Ask away..."

"So, what kind of bug are you? How old are you? Are there other bugs that can talk? Do you guys live in little houses or like inside the dirt? Do you know where your kingdom is? And can I please please come see it???" 

The Pale King stared back at the girl, their eyes locked as he spoke.

"I am a Pale Wyrm. Not sure. Sertainly. Mostly Houses. I assume just outside this mansion. I... don't know if that is such a good idea..."

"I will be careful I promise!" The Pale King sighed as he looked at the excited girl. He is going to regret this isn't he?

"Fine. But, I demand you show utmost care. The metal constructs as well. The kingdom was already in such chaos before I was captured, I can't even imagine how much worse things may have gotten..."

Tessa looked at the bug with pity as she smiled.

"I... will see what I can do to help."

The Pale King exhaled in a slight giggle. Heh, if any physical being could solve the issue, he would have done it himself. Alas, it was an enemy that invaded dreams.

On cue, J picked up the glass, making sure not to shake it too much as the pair left the room. Tessa in the front with J right behind her. One of the back doors was pretty close to her room and Tessa assumed that was where Cyn had gotten the bug from.

She exited the mansion, glancing at J and the bug inside the glass cup as they walked a bit further away from the mansion.

"I believe Hallownest is roughly this way. Though, I am uncertain." The Pale King pointed at a nearby hill as the pair continued to walk.

As they came closer, it became evident that this was no hill. It was one of the old junk piles where her obnoxiously rich family threw out broken industrial machinery.

The air around the hill was filled with gray smoke around their ankles with it being uncomfortable to breathe for the human.

"*Cough Cough* You, sure it's here? *cough* This place seems pretty polluted."

J quickly took out a small fabric mask and gave it to Tessa as she put it on, the small tube on the mask spun to filter the air.

"I assume so. Though with most of the kingdom being underground and the thick smoke, it may be difficult to spot it."

"Hmm. J? Can you-" The human pondered as the robot came forward.

"On it boss."

The salvos around the robot's windpipe hurled into activity as J blew out enough air to almost uncover the human's dress.

"Woah! Careful." Tessa blushed slightly with the robot following as soon as the processes finished after several seconds.

The smoke around the area had completely lifted, and the barren landscape below was fully exposed.

The Pale King looked at the landscape. It was vast, filled with hills and holes. But in the distance, he could notice small sparks of light. Light from his kingdom.

"There!" He pointed at the sparkling area as the pair turned toward the land. They glanced at each other as they started walking toward the area.

...

It was a calm day for Quirell. He stood at the top of King's Pass, overlooking Dirth Mouth as he breathed out an exhausted sigh. It had been a hectic time, to say the least. Half a cycle ago, they were getting ready for the sealing when this massive metal construct appeared out of nowhere and apparently kingnapped the king.

The sealing, of course, had to be canceled as the Black Egg Temple was almost completely destroyed, and the king who was supposed to do the actual sealing ritual was nowhere to be found. The chaos was immense but after some time, it had died down.

Quirell looked at the landscape as he passed from thought to thought. Was the creature perhaps a higher being, no, a nameless deity? Or simply an ancient entity of legend? He had read about ancient civilizations in the archives from his days. Some of those creatures' old shells made up the houses and mountains of Hallownest. But he had never heard of one as tall as a mountain is high...

He closed his eyes as he dreamt of how it might be to be that tall. How much of the world could one explore with such height? Surely there was more past the edge of the eternal kingdom and the several surrounding countries and tribes. How large was the world really? He had seen the stars, dots of light in the sky that appeared in the dark cycle. Only Visible in the faraway kingdoms he had only visited once or twice in his life.

What were the stars made of,? Were they simply magical lights in the sky? Or were they something more? He slowly opened his eyes to glance back at the landscape. Guess he would never kn- "*GHAAAA!*"

He suddenly screamed as he was met with a gigantic eyeball, larger than he was tall staring at him just inched away as he jumped back in shock. The eyeball, or the face connected to it slightly backed away from the cliff as it spoke.

"Well hello! I'm Tessa! A Human! Nice to meet'cha!"

Quirell looked at the gigantic creature of flesh as he slowly analyzed it. The creature had bright blue eyes with a white coloring around them. It, she(?) appeared to have a feminine voice. Having ashburn hair on her head and wore a several peice brown cloth over her.

"Tessa, you are scaring it."

The second voice came from a metal construct. One significantly shorter than the 'human'. It wore some black and white cloth multipiece and had neon white lights for eyes. Voice, also feminine. He glanced at the metal construct's body, scanning it, her(?) from top to bottom as his eyes locked on to the large glass prism in her hand.

His eyes widened as he looked closer. It was the Pale King! He was inside that glass dome thing! Had they brought him back? Quirell slowly stood up as he brushed off the dust on himself.

"H-Hello! Names Quirell. Nice t-to meet you, M-Miss Tessa."

Quirell did a little bow. Maybe they were actually nice? It wouldn't hurt to greet them back...

Tessa turned to J as she stared for a few seconds before she spoke.

"Oh, right."

J stepped forward next to Tessa as she tilted the glass toward her hand to let the Pale Wyrm out. He jumped out and onto her hand.

"You have my utmost gratitude for bringing me back, human and metal construct."

J placed him on the cliff next to Quirell as she stepped back. She didn't seem very happy to be called 'metal construct', but she guessed that was in fact what she was...

"Oh, yeah, almost forgot. You called J a 'metal construct', is there perhaps other similar beings in your kingdom?" Tessa asked curiously as she glanced at the two bugs.

"Well, there are many creatures that have though exoskeletons. However, only ones that are made of metal are ones that-" Quirell began as the Pale King cut his speech.

"-are animated with Void. Yes, I possess several metal constructs as guards in my palace, however, those require Void to live, which appears quite unlike your friend."

"Actually..." Tessa glanced at J as she glanced back.

"J is a drone. A sentient robot. I would prefer if you called her that..." Tessa could barely make out the small tint of a blush on J's visor, how cute.

"Fascinating." Quirell spoke as he put his finger on his chin.

"Once again, thank you, human and drone. However, now I must return to the palace at once. Who knows how much things have escalated since my capture... If you wish, we can arrange a meeting on a future date." the Pale King sighed as he rushed down the mountain.

He was sure there were at least a hundred bugs he had to calm down and reassure and a bunch of paper and construction work to be done after this mess, let alone the actual sealing ritual which was obviously canceled for at least a week...

Tessa and J watched him leap down as Quirell spoke again.

"Can... I still ask a few more questions?" he was sure this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, to be able to ask questions to these beings. He was certain at least his teacher would appreciate it.

"Oh, sure, why not?" Tessa giggled slightly. What would a bug ask a human? Maybe she should ask a few questions herself?

Quirell took out his notebook as he sat down.

"Okay, first, do you know what those glowing dots, stars, are?" it was a thought he just had, maybe she could answer.

"Hm? Stars?" what an odd question... How could she even explain that to a bug...

"Stars are these massive balls of burning gas up in space. They are reeaaaally big though, way bigger than the entire planet we are on. You know the giant ball of light in the sky right? The sun, that's also a star. But the other stars are reeeeeally far away, so they look tiny."

Quirell scribbled a few things as he glanced up. If they were giant burning balls of gas, how did they not fizzle out? Were they magic? Though this question didn't seem very important, so he went on to the next one.

"Alright, how big is the entire world?" Surely, someone as tall as the being before her could answer that.

"Ah..." Tessa glanced around. How could she describe that!? She can't just say something like 10 billion trillion times your height!

"You see how tall I am right?" Tessa spoke as Quirell nodded.

"If I started running right now, I would have to run for the time it takes the sun to go up and down 600 times and still wouldn't run the entire world's length."

Quirell tried to imagine how that would even work... Someone as tall as a mountain could run the entirety of Hallownest in just a few seconds. And, to his knowledge, it took a long time for the sun to do even one cycle. And 600 cycles of running no less!

In a world that big, how many different kingdoms were there? How many as eternal as Hallownest? How many higher beings, beings of legend and gods were out there without anyone's knowledge?

Before he could ask another question, a loud beeping noise played for a few seconds with a weird symbol on J's face.

"Oh shoot! I would reeeeally like to talk more, but we have to go. I will be back tomorrow! Take care!" Tessa started running back to where she had come from with J right behind her as Quirell watched. What a bizarre day...

Chapter Text

*CRASH*

A loud crash echoed through Tessa's room as the semi-functional drone inside threw whatever it was carrying across the room. She knew she had placed it right here. Where was it now!? Had someone else taken it!? If so, who!?

"Angry glare. Tantrum." 

Cyn spoke out as she glared at the place where she had placed the glass cup containing HER talking bug. She had just stopped big brother N from taking it, and now someone else had taken it! Her right eye flickered to the yellow hexagonal symbol with three arrows as she heard a knock on the door. Before she could answer, the door opened by itself.

"Hey, Tessa? Have you seen-" 

V the impulsive maid with sight malfunction entered the room as she locked eyes with Cyn. Before she could notice anything wrong, Cyn had already managed to block her emotions and fix her eye. 

"O-Oh, Cyn, h-have you seen Tessa? I-I have to ask her s-something."

V's eyes slowly moved from Cyn to the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

"V. I am afraid not. I have broken something here, worry not, I will be cleaning up. Though, why are you looking for Tessa? Curious glare."

V seemed a bit uncomfortable as she replied.

"I-I am a-actually looking f-for N... I haven't seen him since m-morning and I thought T-Tessa might know s-something." 

"I see. Understanding nod. I do not know where Big Brother N is either. Head shake."

"A-alright, I will c-check some o-other places then. S-see you, Cyn!" V slowly closed the door back as Cyn's eyes watched the door handle close.

Her eyes mimicked a bored expression as she used her solver to flick the broken glass pieces into the trash. She couldn't have her human injure herself just yet... Perhaps whoever found her bug just let it go, and it had returned back to where she found it? She blinked her eyes as the light in the room flickered, and in the next second, she was gone.

...

Cyn teleported next to the junkyard, where she had found the bug. The area had changed. There was a lot less smoke. A half-robotic, half-flesh camera formed behind her back as she scanned the area. 

"Area scan."

From the heat signatures, it was Tessa and... J... that let her bug out. 

"Annoyed expression."

The not-so-deep hole on the ground she had plunged her hand in was still there, with what appeared to be a broken dark egg? She glitched closer as she shifted her head to look inside. The dark egg-like structure had a black mist seeping from it. Wait, no, that wasn't black mist...

She opened her hand as the mist reacted. Slowly creeping onto her palm. Was this? Some kind of inferior extension of the Solver? She could feel a tinge of resonance, but not enough to directly confirm. The seeping mist was weak; it must have starved for all its existence. She activated her own Solver as the black mist shrieked back. She stood still and waited as the mist slowly crept back toward the active Solver.

"Fasinated glare. An extension of the void."

Cyn glanced at the void as it started creeping up to her arm past the Solver. However, before it could go any higher, she activated the Solver fully, her eye glows now replaced by the large yellow three-arrowed symbol.

The mist's power? Irrelevant. However, maybe it would show her where the bug went. And perhaps even more talking bugs!

She concentrated on to the void. Resonance with her eldritch minions had become almost an instinct at this point. Deep below the surface, she could feel the void resonate. A vesselless minion was not very useful. Wait. There were vessels for it to inhabit, just that the void was too weak to take over their will.

Cyn teleported in to the basement of the mansion as she let her body sit down with the solver brightly lit on her visor. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Time to find the talking bug.

...

It has been a hecktic afternoon for the Pale King. He had abruptly entered the palace, unannounced ofcourse, and had to; calm down the retainers, stop whatever ploy the stupid nobles cooked up while he was gone, check on the Hollow Knight, check upon his wife, send messangers to Herra, Mantis Lords, the Queen Bee, the Colosium and others that he had returned and the sealing will still continue the following week.

He collapsed onto his throne as he lay to the side. He was beyond exhausted. Furthermore, there was the issue of Tessa the 'human' and J the 'drone' that he had 'befriended' alongside Cyn, who had kidnapped him. He sighed, closing his eyes as he imagined the bizarre day he had.

However weird the situation was, as a king, he had to think of a way to turn this disaster into an advantage. Tessa seemed way too eager to meet the kingdom, and J followed her every command. Perhaps the metal constructs, drones truly were servants like his golems.

Though asking for the human's help was out of the question in most situations due to her size, her previously unknown knowledge could bring tremendous advancement.

The Pale King smiled slightly with his eyes closed as he started to doze off. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all...

...

A week. The Hollow Knight had to wait another week before the sealing was to be attempted yet again. They did not know if they should be glad or sad. The Hollow Knight was supposed to be empty, after all.

They slowly walked along the long corridors, passing many retainers and guards. No one gave a greeting or a glance. If the construct was here, it was probably either guarding the area or was ordered to be there. It had no will, after all.

They were a being of God and Void. The perfect prison to contain the Light. However, they had a different kind of light this past day. The gigantic metal construct that they saw when their creator was captured.

Most were frightened by its glowing white light. However, the knight, they sensed something else.

The construct seeped with the essence of Void. It leaked from its gigantic frame like invisible mist. The bright yellow light, simply a visual. Nothing of such Void presence could contain any light.

They had seen the Void Sea itself. When they were first born, way below the palace, far under the Abyss. The place that housed the primordial Void. However, this creature was unlike the sea. It was a body, a soul, and the Void. All emanating with each other. Its sheer presence was magnitudes above the diluted power of the sea, which housed the primordial void.

It was a true entity of Endless Void, one unfathomably strong. They wondered how one could even face against such an entity. The sword in their hand nothing but a tiny torn, their entire body covered in carcrace that can break through the reinforced temple with ease, a height that rivals the highest of the Kingdom's Peak and the Void Essence of countless seas.

It was a being beyond Higher Beings, one could even call it a True Deity.

The Hollow Knight shivered at the thought as they forced the thought back. They wouldn't have to worry about such things. They shouldn't have a will to worry about such things. They were pure, after all.

The HollowKnight shook their head as they finally returned to their room. They finished their short stroll around the palace. They sat down and stared at their hands, simply imagining things, when a small whisper was heard.

They perked up, glancing from side to side. Was someone there? Little Hornet perhaps? She always loved to enter their chamber uninvited. But there was no one in sight.

A few moments passed as they heard the sound again. It was close by. They quickly glanced at their sides and around the room. Nothing. Was it the Old Light? Was she perhaps trying to invade their mind? Unlikely, this place was too close to the source of the Pale Light.

Another whisper. They stood up. This was becoming more and more unnerving. Should they go find the Pale King?

They appeared to seek out the Pale King when a sharp fling of pain hit their head.

"Giggle. Found one."

A monotone voice rang in their head. They tried to move their body, to perhaps find the Pale King or anyone who could help at this point, but their body refused to move. Completely still, as if tied in place by invisible threads.

The Hollow Knight felt their mind slip to the side as if their control was forcefully ripped. A feeling of severance. A sense of loss.

"Amused Expression. Do not resist. I will be, Hm, Borrowing. This vessel."

In the next moment, an intense pressure filled their head as their body went limp. A quiet second as their body moved against their will.

"Be not afraid, Void Bug. I will not, Giggle, discard you."

...

It was a hectic day for the little spider princess. First, her father, the Pale King, was captured in the middle of the Sealing Ceremony, then she was hurriedly sent to the palace because of the danger, and now she had been forced to stay in her room for almost the entire day as the entire palace was in a panic.

Thankfully, seemed like her father had somehow returned half an hour ago, and one of the retainers had told her she could roam around the palace as it was deemed relatively safe by the King.

Of course, Hornet, as a little spider, was more than happy to run through the long corridors. Her first task, given to her by herself, was to find Hollow! She saw how scared they were when they returned from the sealing. Whatever they saw there could have traumatised them!

Unlike Hornet, none of the retainers really cared or even asked about how Hollow was! Maybe they were crying in their room right now, and no one would know!!

Hornet beamed past the white pristine floors, passing a few retainers and guards and saying a quick hi to Ogrim as she suddenly hit something and fell on her back.

She stood back up and glanced before her as she saw the familiar figure of a tall black bug.

Hornet beamed as she hugged the tall bug.

"Hollow!"

However, Hollow did not hug back as Hornet slowly retreated back.

"Hollow? What's wrong?"

She glanced again at her sibling, even though no one considered them as such, with a confused expression when she noticed a shallow bright yellow light coming from their eye sockets.

Hornet shrieked in horror. Was Hollow infected!? But that was impossible! They were a void bug, right!? Didn't Father say Hollow wouldn't get infected!?!

"Giggle. I am Not. Hollow. I am Cyn. The Solver of the Absolute Fabric, the Void, the Exponential End."

Hornet looked at her sibling, confused as her expression went from horror to excitement.

"HOLLOW!? You can talk!?!?"

Hornet jumped on top of Hollow, now on their shoulder, as she inspected their body all around.

"Confused Expression. No. I am Cyn. Not. Hollow. I have come to get the Pointy Talking Bug."

Cyn activated her solver, a small bright light appeared on Hollow's hand as the little spider was levitated off of her.

"You are Syn?"

Hornet asked, even more confused as Cyn dropped her to the floor.

"No. I am CYN. The Sol-"

Before she could speak, the little spider climbed back on her and jumped onto her shoulder.

"YAY! Again! Lift me again!

Cyn flicked the little spider off as she continued.

"The Solv-"

However, the little spider simply jumped back on with excitement.

"Again! Again!"

"Sigh. Fine. However. This is the. Emphasis. Last Time."

"Weeeee!"

Hornet was sent flying as she dashed right back. Now standing before the possessed bug again with a bright smile.

"You are fun, Cyn! Hollow plays with me to,o but they are can't really talk..."

The princess glanced at both sides of the corridors to make sure no one was listening as she continued.

"Can we... um... maybe play some more? And... Can Hollow play too?"

Cyn looked at the little spider. Her possessed vessel towered over the little bug. A baby bug wanted to play with her? The thought amused the drone. There was something inherently cute about it, this would be much more fun than her boring old dolls!

"Amused Expression. Of course, I will, Emphasis, Play, with you. Little Bug."

The little bug seemed to beam with joy. Cyn giggled as she suddenly had a bright idea.

Suddenly, another sharp sting harassed the Hollow Knight as they barely managed to keep calm. They felt something inside their skull, but they were unable to move and check what it was.

Hornet looked at the tall bug, confused about why they had abruptly paused all movement, when she felt a small tingly feeling from her side.

She jumped defensively, ready to slash at whoever was sneaking up on her, as whatever she just slashed dissipated only to reform at the same place.

"Giggle. Hi, little bug."

What stood before her was a bright yellow figure. Light coming from Hollow's eyes seemed to form some illusion of a being. The thing before her was around a head taller than her, but shorter than the average bug. It had metal hoops and beams for limbs and a spherical head. Its torso mostly made of rubber and metal as well.

It tilted its head to the side while slightly leaning toward the bug. There was a hint of yellow around the entity, marking it as some kind of illusion. Its eyes were circles of light. Though they seemed to transition between an x and a circle occasionally.

"Hello? Are you... Cyn?"

Hornet asked as she came a bit closer.

"Confirming Nod. Little Bug. Do you perhaps, have a name?"

The being before her asked.

"Hornet!"

The little bug happily answered.

"Is... Hollow alright?"

Hornet added as she glanced at her half-sibling. Before the being could answer, Hollow nodded. They looked at their hands, still a bit shaky, and they could still feel the sharp pain.

Whatever this entity was, they were dangerous. They had to get Hornet away from them... But how? For now, the entity had given back their control, but if it learnt of their goals, it could simply take back control...

Hornet started walking toward the garden at the back of the palace, where she and Hollow usually played, as Hollow and the entity followed from behind. For now, it didn't seem aggressive at least. Hollow would have to think of a plan. Somehow.

...