Empty all along

The problem

After some years a new kind of "infection" had taken some of the population of the kingdom, because it was just a lesser sickness with some effects like some coughing and slight twitchiness,we just thought that it wasn't deadly in any way so we kind of forgot about it that was the biggest mistake of all

This infection had a plan it was the lingering will of the last ruler of Hallownest and it had a plan to infect all of it's taken realm, and after that to activate the hidden potential of being a "ruler"

but the Pale king saw through the plan of this being and began to take actions he gathered the 5 most strong fearsome and greatest knights throughout Hallownest, bugs of great renown, they were

Fierce Dryya

Kindly Isma

Mysterious Ze'mer

Loyal Ogrim

Mighty Hegemol

these bugs were put as idols, as saviors, as defenders. They were put throught a harsh trial called the "Path Of Pain" to see their worth and they defended all of Hallownest

But at the times that they were most needed they weren't there... well there was one of them who stood up out of the king's rules Dryya, she had stated that if everything fails she will abandon her friends and go with the queen to protect her.

many say that behavior like this were the defender's biggest weakness the king thought of something... something horrible.