Hollow Knight Fanfic - Honor and Blood

Chap. 34 - Silence

The peace of pain followed the chaos of discontent, and when the truth came to light, the weight of guilt in many hearts crushed both dreams and hopes.

The devastated civilian population could not believe the truth when the news was revealed to them. How they had been manipulated by hunger and the actions of a traitor who spoke false promises. As such a decision had not only cost him the lives of hundreds of his peers, family and friends, but also the life of his regent, who fought fiercely to protect his kingdom... Losing his life in the process.

Many were afraid. Terrified of the consequences of their actions. Many, at the very least, expected a sentence for the rest of their lives. Others, less optimistic, hoped to find their end behind the executioner's blade. However, none of that happened.

They were two long days of agony. Two days in which a devastated town expected the worst, while its leaders tried to find a solution to the most urgent problems. What no one expected was that it would be Sun Ce, a foreigner from other lands, the one whose voice would be the most heard among those present.

For some, a divine gift. For others, an offense to their traditions. Power, even if emergency, in the hands of an outsider.

However, the mind of the Deep Nest general did not tremble in the face of difficulties. Although he did not have the natural talent of his brother, the eldest brother of the Sun family took the necessary measures to get out of this crisis as soon as possible.

The first was the extreme rationalization of the few foods that remained, including nobles and political figures, who flatly refused at first. However, when the first middle-class nobleman was stripped of his fortune, and his house deceived and turned into a refuge for those who lost their home, it made the rest of the nobles more aware of the matter. Unfortunately, in such a crisis, the slightest act of insubordination would not be allowed... And the royal guard of Komonosu City was willing to follow the one who followed their leaders at the most crucial moments.

Second, Kaede was sent with great haste back to Sendero Verde, carrying a direct order from Sun Ce himself explaining the situation, requiring food immediately. A direct request from the nation's highest general, incapable of being invalidated, unless the Empress herself or the Minister decided otherwise. Something they did not object to, upon reading the letter that the swift warrior personally delivered into the hands of Empress Shuang. Deep Nest, he could only wait. Wait in agony.

The morning after the end of the riots, an unbeatable heart was shattered at the edge of a bed inside the Hall of War. Hornet, was not able to bear her cries, crying inconsolably at the foot of the place where the body of Herrah, the Beast, the greatest monarch that Deep Nest could ever have, lay, deprived of the right to life for simple selfish actions.

The psychological blow for the weaver in red was devastating. Unable to find comfort in anything or anyone around him. His mother, taken from his life. His sister, dying, deprived of two limbs, weak from blood loss, lay on her bed in her room. Bretta's medical care was vital to her recovery, but Ghost refused to leave her side.

The ghost had once again fallen into its mental breakdown. Choking on the guilt and helplessness of not having been able to do something. Of not being able to defeat that traitor and save Hachi. But he couldn't. Quite the opposite. He became another burden, and his weakness almost condemned him and Hachi to death.

Now, he was just another shadow in the white weaver's room. One that did not take her eyes off the dying figure, analyzing every breath, every beat of her weak heart. With a sick terror that, that last beat, perhaps it could be the last. No matter how many times Bretta herself told her that Hachi's life, although weak, was out of danger. And while a part of Ghost believed his word, another part refused to fully accept it.