Baby Mine

Prelude

        Ghost's footsteps echoed around them when they reentered that hidden chamber. The crimson hue given off by the torches only remind them of the nightmarish Grimmkins they had just slain. "All for a little noisy hellspawn and their showboating father," they thought bitterly as Grimmchild mewed hovering behind them. They knew calling the larva a hell spawn was a bit much, but they were still bitter about how many times Grimm killed them and the trouble that the rest of the troupe was giving them. They were glad that one of the flames were easy to get, but they knew that this "ritual" would be too much for them in the end. That's why they were here, in the chamber of the Nightmare Lantern with the musician of the Grimm Troupe.

        "So you followed me here, to where the Ritual began," Brumm said when he noticed Ghost, "You would join me in breaking it then?" Ghost stared at him with empty eyes as he continued, "It is painful to defy the Master, but our harvest... it profanes this dark, quiet Kingdom. This once, I would see the Ritual fail." Ghost watched as Brumm raised his staff high, "Mrmm.. Now! Let us destroy the anchor, and banish the Master. Never shall he return here again!" Brumm brought his staff down with a destructive force before breaking the brazen that kept the lantern's coals contained. Ghost hesitated only a moment when a small gout of fire erupted from the brazen before swinging their nail. With every strike, the fire shone bright and angry, roaring at them to stop their actions. But they didn't care about that. They cared about Hallownest and putting a stop to the infection. If this creepy troupe was making this worse, then Ghost was more than glad to put an end to this ritual. With one last nail swing, a giant pillar of fire erupted from the brazen. Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed them and a piercing screech echoed all around.

        When they woke up, they were alone. No mewing, no movement, no warmth. They looked up to see that the flames and Grimmchild weren't the only things missing. Brumm and the entire Nightmare Lantern was gone, and all the smaller torches ran cold. Almost like they were never burning at all. Ghost took a peek in the small room beyond only to see that the corpse that started this whole mess was missing. If it wasn't for the staff on the ground, no one would have even known that there was something here. They looked into their charm pocket and discovered that there was one missing. The charm notches that held the Grimmchild were empty, and the charm was nowhere to be found. Curiosity and worry welled up inside their shell as they quickly made their way back to Dirtmouth.