Baby Mine

Fading Father

 Ghost flopped down on the bench with a silent sigh. They had tried to reach the end of that polished marble palace so many times that they had lost count of how many times they had to claim their shade again. In the end, they had just given up and wandered Hallownest to find something, anything, that could save their cursed sibling. But all signs pointed to the other half of the broken charm in their inventory, and Ghost was not looking forward to going back.

Ghost jumped when they felt a presence behind the bench and music suddenly next to their head. "Hello, my friend!" Nymm said proudly as he played his musical bug, "Forgive me for butting in so suddenly, but you had seemed downcast so I thought a happier tune would lift your spirits!" Ghost had almost forgotten about him. After they had banished the Grimm Troupe to the Nightmare Realm, Nymm had shown up in Dirtmouth and had given them the Carefree Melody charm. While they did admit that the charm had its perks since it protected them from damage every once in a while, it was still out classed by so many other charms and combinations. There was just no reason to use the charm, even if they were fighting very strong enemies and that free damage could make all the difference.

And the real price they had to pay for it was annoying. The once quiet town of Dirtmouth was now filled with Zote shouting his precepts to the world, Bretta swooning over him, Salubra's blessing laughing overhead as she gave them soul, and Nymm playing carnival music in an attempt to cheer them up. The noise was one of the reasons that they had been underground for so long. There was so much more to do down there and there were areas that were quiet and peaceful like they preferred it. If they hadn't been born without a voice, they were pretty sure that they would have yelled at everyone to be quiet. They let their head fall forward, hoping that maybe they'd calm down after a quick nap.

When their vision came back, they were not sitting on the bench. They were standing on the outskirts of town, the remains of the stone door they broke was evidence of that. But how did they get here? They knew they had fallen asleep on the bench, so why were they out here? They walked forward and were surprised to not hear anything coming from the town. No music, no laughing, no precept number 32, just the wind howling from behind them. Had they really started dreaming of a quiet town? Maybe, but who knows what the rest of Hallownest looked like in their dream world. But just as their normal bench came into view, they saw a figure standing beside it. A tall, slender figure with crimson eyes.

Ghost fell into a fighting stance and put a hand on the hilt of their nail when Grimm chuckled, "And hello to you too, my friend." Ghost took a step back as Grimm circled the bench to stand in front of it. "You don't need to be afraid of me," Grimm said as he sat down on the bench, "I'm not here to fight. I only wish to speak to you." Ghost hesitated as they processed his words, but the smile on Grimm's face said everything. Grimm was looking at them with a small, tired smile and his bright crimson eyes seemed duller than they remembered them. Even though the situation was strange, Grimm really did seem genuine with his request. With caution, Ghost sat down on the bench while Grimm turned his head skyward.

They stayed quiet for a while, simply adjusting to the other's company, before Grimm said, "It's a beautiful day, really." Ghost looked up as Grimm continued, "The sky may be cloudy and the wind may never stop blowing, but at least you know that there are stars hiding behind those clouds. The skies of the Nightmare Realm never have calm clouds like these." Grimm looked down at the ground, "The sky was rarely ever calm and the ground would burn if you weren't used to it. And yet, life after life, we would return to that place with our fire to keep it alive. Because we knew that, if we failed, that place would be our end." Grimm looked at Ghost, "My friend, why did you banish us? You were doing so well and had gathered every flame. What told you to change your mind?" Ghost sat there for a while, surprised by what they had heard from the Troupe Master. They went through this ritual to keep their world alive? And to keep them alive, Grimm knew he had to be defeated? Was gathering the flame for Grimmchild just the troupe testing to see if they could defeat their master?

After a while, Ghost realized that Grimm was actually waiting on an answer. They thought about how to communicate for a moment before pulling out one of their maps, turning it over, and writing on the back with their quill. Grimm watched as Ghost wrote down their answer.

-Was scared- they wrote, -Wanted to protect Hallownest, but not strong enough on my own.-

"So you went to Brumm," Grimm whispered as he chuckled, "After all the fighting you do, I would have never thought that you had doubts about your abilities."

Grimm saw Ghost quickly write more on the back of their map, -Wasn't doubting! Just unsure about your ritual.-

"Hm?" Grimm tilted his head, "It was the ritual you were worried about? Did you think that our ritual was a bad thing, friend?" Grimm chuckled as Ghost nodded, "My friend, the ritual is not meant to be a bad thing." Grimm looked back towards the sky, "When the Nightmare Realm and the Dream Realm were connected, the ritual was meant to rob bugs of their nightmares. To create fear only to steal it away and let dreams take their place. But, when the realms were split, the ritual became an infamous sign of the end. An era, a place, a life, it didn't matter what ended. All that mattered was whether or not something was left behind. When we are summoned to this plane of existence, we gather the embers of what was left behind and help them burn bright in their last moments. Every flame you've gathered for Grimmchild was but one memory that will forever be remembered so long as the flames shine bright."

Grimm sighed, "However, things have become more dire. Since the ritual had been interrupted for so long, the flames of old have begun to run dry." Grimm looked down at his hands, "Even now, I doubt I have even the strength to appear before you in the waking world. Whether as I am now, or through the eyes of the child you helped raise, I no longer have the strength to do either." Grimm got off of the bench and Ghost watched him as he turned to face them, "My friend, I'm afraid that I must ask you to make a choice. As things stand now, my troupe will no doubt return to this land to take all the flame that they can get their hands on. If you wake up now, they will not stop gathering until there is almost nothing left in order to complete this ritual. However," he extended his arms, his palms open and visible, "if you strike me down now, the damage that they cause will be few and limited. Hallownest will be safe and the troupe will leave this place for good. There would be no reason to return here."

Even though Ghost couldn't show very much emotion, Grimm could tell that they were conflicted. He turned his back to them and moved away from the bench. If Ghost so chose, they could leave or kill him with very little effort. All they had to do was choose. Grimm smiled when he heard the sound of their nail being drawn. Even when they had made their choice, they still gave Grimm the option to turn and fight. Grimm did turn, but it was with a smile on his face and acceptance in his eyes. "So, I take it that this is your choice?" he said as Ghost's pure nail started to glow with power, "A fine choice. Though, may I have a final word?" Ghost nodded as they drew their nail back and waited for Grimm to continue. "After I die, please visit the outside of the village where our tents stand," Grimm said, "There's someone there who would like to meet you." Grimm watched as Ghost nodded and prepared their nail art. Ghost wanted to make sure that Grimm wouldn't suffer so they channeled as much power and soul into the nail as possible before letting that tension go. The moment the nail connected with Grimm, the latter burst into a storm of flaming rose petals, each one burning brighter than the last until Ghost was forced out of the Dream Realm.