Tribal

19

Ghost woke up in a cold sweat. He hadn't fallen asleep in a long time; he had forgotten what it felt like. For a short second, he wondered if he had died. He looked around and saw Acacia sleeping, wrapped around his waist. She was cute. He immediately purged the thought from his mind. He slowly moved her arms off of him and stood, careful not to wake her up. He stood. She was still sound asleep, and he walked into the entrance room.

He noticed a butterfly passing by, pushing a cart of food. As she passed by the door, she knocked, and Ghost placed his disguise back on and opened the door. "Hello, breakfast is here." She handed Ghost two bags of food. "One for you and one for the lady." With that, she left down to the next room. Ghost shut the door and walked to the bedroom where Acacia had still been sleeping. When he entered the room, he saw her hands reaching out to the place he had been. She was moving around, trying to find him. He gently shook her awake.

"Acacia, food is here." Acacia awoke groggily. She perked up when she smelled food and sat up completely. "I can't remember a time I slept so good," Acacia said, looking towards Ghost who had handed her the food. He didn't need to eat after all. He could not starve. Food had no affect on his body, and he didn't feel hunger at all. There really was no point in eating unless for the taste.

"I can barely remember the last time I slept at all," Ghost said while polishing his nail. Acacia looked to him with surprise.

"You don't sleep?" she asked curiously.

"I don't eat either. Never needed to. Things like food, water, sleep, things that all regular bugs do to survive I don't. Not because I can't or anything, I just don't see any point in it. Food doesn't affect my body at all. The only thing I get from eating and drinking is taste. I never grow tired, so I don't need sleep either." Acacia looked at him with envy.

"Wish I could just live off of nothing," Acacia said in a pouty tone.

"You really don't. The trade-off is far too great," Ghost spoke of the fact that most vessels are genderless and cannot produce offspring. They do not have voices until they mature, and gaining these things takes time and patience. Hollow had created a gender for himself using magic. Once created, though, it could not be changed. Ghost thought of using magic to solidify his gender, but he never had a reason to. Most referred to him as "he" anyway. The only thing he would gain is the reproductive organs associated with his gender. He saw no point in needing such a thing. He would never use it anyway. Hollow decided to do so because he was king. As a king, he would need an heir eventually. Better to gain the required organs sooner rather than later. He was drained for days after the spell was cast. Permanent spells tend to do that.

"I suppose, but still, can't help but feel slightly jealous," Acacia said. She was getting quite comfortable around him. She didn't mind. After all, he was the only one who she could talk to. They were likely to become comfortable with each other sooner or later. Ghost chuckled.

"I can't truly blame you. Vessel strength grows depending on their age and proximity to higher beings. I am older than Hollow, but considering he held the Radiance for so many years and spent a majority of his childhood near mother or father, he was in very close proximity to higher beings all his life. If it weren't for his pacifistic worldview, he likely would ruthlessly rule all of Hallownest. None could stop him after all." Ghost was glad his brother hated violence and preferred to find peaceful routes to peace. After father spent all his life trying to forge a warrior strong enough to oppress the Radiance, he refused to be so violent. So he became pacifist, and it works mostly. Only a few times has he ever drawn his blade, all of which were in self-defense. Despite his just and fair rule, he was a kind king. But his rule was not without complications. There were a few assassins every so often. Most were dispatched by me, but there have been three times where Hollow had to use force himself.