No Emotions to Feel

Ch 19 : The Palace Grounds

(note: just a heads up, this next stop on the feels train has a small content warning: panic attack)

After reuniting with its sibling, who now had the name Hornet, the vessel learned what had happened.

Decades.

The vessel had been gone for decades.

According to their sibling, after 'The Sealing' (the vessel ignored its headache and didn't ask about it) there were years where everything seemed perfect. The infection had stopped spreading and everyone tried to go back to their normal lives. Hornet had left Deepnest years later to go train in The Hive, and eventually earned her name. But apparently the infection broke out again. The wave of infected caught Hallownest off guard, to the point where the Pale City had closed its gates to prevent anyone from entering. It did little to help. In fact, the city was hit the worst.

The Five Great Knights had been split up as well, each being needed to help in different ways. But Hornet never saw them again.

The only place seemingly unaffected by this was Dirtmouth, though most residents still died or left the town. Otherwise everything had fallen into decay or got reclaimed by plant-life. The Pale City even got renamed. Over time the large ceiling finally began to show why building a city under a lake was a poor idea, and was called The City of Tears ever since.

Hornet then got a conflicted look on her face, but how could the situation possibly get worse? It was a look of both guilt and anger, and whatever was on her mind she was clearly debating on whether or not to say. She looked at the vessel for a short while, and finally made up her mind.

"The White Lady left The King before things even got bad..."

Hornet gaged the vessel's response, or lack thereof, and continued,

"and the day the infection broke out again, The King disappeared."

The vessel stiffened, staring at Hornet in disbelief. What? Wait no. There was no way. But she wouldn't lie to it, right? Then why...

Hornet grimaced at the vessel's reaction, at the fact the vessel even had a reaction. Maybe telling them was a bad idea... but then again they'd find out at some point anyways.

The vessel turned around, and took out its nail. It roughly etched something into the ground then shot off down the path, leaving a surprised and worried Hornet behind.

It would get to the palace through the Pale Ci- no, the City of Tears. The closest gate was Hegemol's door. The vessel's vision started to blur as it rushed out of greenpath. It focused as hard as it could on where it needed to go, no, it couldn't focus at all. Only the years of training and Isma's blessing kept it safe as it ran as fast as it could. So what if it collided with an Ooma? So what if it hit some thorns?

The vessel finally saw the City's gate, it lay past a pool of acid but that didn't matter. It could dash across the small platforms or swim.

The gate was closed, just as Hornet had said.

But it had to get through.

It kept dashing towards the closed door.

It needed to get to the palace, and this gate...

It launched itself at the solid surface

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The vessel's mask turned as dark as its body as it phased through the door, Void lashing out in agitation.

It stumbled and collided with the floor as it came out the other side, looking up to see a hallway. Not only had it been forever since it used that trick, but it was hurting. The cut in its arm got worse and the new injuries from the journey bled darkness into the air.

The vessel crouched to heal for a split second before running again. It quickly found itself outside, dodging through streets of infected guards and husks.

Hornet was right, it now rained in the city.

It finally found the elevator that lead down toward the palace, or what remained of it. Whatever, the vessel jumped down the elevator shaft. In its rush, it almost impaled itself on the pointed top of the broken elevator at the bottom. But it was close now.

The vessel dashed across the remains of a bridge, ignoring the fact that the King would never let such a necessary path collapse. It ignored the King's tramway, laying empty and abandoned. It ignored the large increase of darkness in the air. It ignored it all.

With one jump it was on the path to the palace. And with one final dash it would see-

...

nothing but ruins.

everything was just...

gone.

... how..? how could this happen? just how many years? The King- but he- no. It didn't make any sense. how could it? But he was a Higher Being- what could have possibly- It didn't understand. Hornet's an adult now, does she understand? But so were the great knights and they're all gone. Everything is different- no, everything is just- why?

The vessel's figure once still from the shock, started shaking.

A piece of rubble catches its attention. The broken lamp-piece once resembling the king now looks hauntingly familiar with only two prongs. A memory flashes in front of its eyes. A figure, tall and still. A mask with two horns and void eyes... a sibling...

Hung in chains...

The Sealing... which means...

The vessel tried to take a step, it needed to get to the crossroads immediately but...

Its too late. Its vision is blurry. its focus is crumbling into dust. The floor is dropping out from under it and the walls are closing in- what walls- there's nothing here- there's an expanse of empty space- it's suffocating- it can't breathe- it could never breathe- its bleeding- its mask is breaking- everything hurts- it can't sense anything- it needs to go- Pure-

It was too much.

It was all too much.

The Void in its body spasmed and burst out.

The vessel collapsed.

(note: yeah so the vessel's been gone for a while, and things are pretty bad now. I'll see you guys next 16th!)