No Emotions to Feel

Ch 2 : Two Siblings

It followed its urge.

And before it could stop itself from moving, since that was what got its siblings killed, the vessel knelt down on one knee in a deep bow.

Everything was still.

The second being took a step toward the vessel, just as it had with all the others that reacted, when The King held his hand out.

Now nobody moved, no one dared to except The King.

"Stand"

The vessel stood, staring straight ahead.

"You" The King looked toward the remaining vessel, "come here"

The sibling walked over, and The King stepped away from the two. Looking from one to another as if trying to find something.

The King stared at the small vessel, it looked hollow enough to last a couple months or so. It would train with the hollow vessel until then, though he wouldn't use his powers to make it grow as well. He hoped the vessel would last long enough.

Finally, he nodded to himself and motioned for the second being to leave.

It bowed and left, waiting at the end of the hallway beyond the entrance. He turned to the smaller vessel and gave the same motion, "you too." Resisting the urge to look back at the sibling it was walking away from, it joined the second being at the end of the hallway.

Though being down a hall and facing away from The King and vessel, the small one listened in on the one-way conversation.

The King was quiet for a moment, though the sound of the somehow-silent-yet-roaring Abyss below them offered no tranquility, then turned around to the chosen vessel.

"No mind to think.

No will to break.

No voice to cry suffering.

Born of God and Void.

You shall seal the blinding light that plagues their dreams.

You are ..."

The King seemed to think for a second, before catching a spark in his eyes,

"The Hollow Knight."

He turned towards the door, taking only a couple steps. He then looked back to the chosen vessel to follow, and left The Abyss.

As The King spoke to the figure next to the small vessel, he didn't seem to notice something the vessel was quick to catch on to. 'The Hollow Knight' had stopped. For what, the small vessel wasn't sure. Despite having just moved on its own in front of him, it was unwilling to look to The Abyss with The King right there.

Whatever the vessel stopped for, it didn't stop for long. The sibling soon joined The King and waiting duo, now becoming the waiting trio as The King turned back towards the Abyss door.

He sealed the door with his brand, knowing that he would be the only thing that could ever open it again. Away from the door, away from The Void, away from his guilt, away from his sacrifices, and away from his abandoned children he turned.

He would not look back, it was too late. Now he would look forwards, to continue the plan he had created to defeat her plague.

— — — — — — — —

It had been years since the small vessel had joined its sibling in training, and progress on The King's plan was going very well.

The Pure Vessel (as everyone called it) had grown into a taller figure, Herrah's child had visited the palace for the first time, and the small vessel had improved its style of fighting.

After realizing that the small vessel couldn't lift a standard adult nail without struggling, The King decided to try a charm based build with thin nail daggers for it.

This worked surprisingly well.

The small vessel could hold its own against its sibling with ease now, though the height difference did make things more difficult.

The Pale King was proud.

He wasn't supposed to feel anything towards the vessels, but he couldn't help it.

They were his children, he cared for them despite knowing what would soon become of them. He had even used a bit of his magic to make the smaller vessel a little taller, not regretting it at all.

Everything was going well.

Then, one day during training, the small vessel dropped its nail.

The Pure Vessel froze, watching in silence and unrealized horror as its sibling started shaking. It had fallen to its knees and was holding its head in one hand, leaking drops of Void from its eye sockets. No one else was in the room, so The Pure Vessel rushed towards it and picked it up.

There were blotches of orange in the Void-filled eyes, glowing brightly before getting consumed by the darkness.

The smaller vessel stopped shaking, and now clung weakly to its sibling. Both vessels knew what this meant, what the orange indicated. The smaller vessel had managed to fight off the infection, but it couldn't forever.

The Pure Vessel experienced a tug at its chest, time with its sibling was getting shorter.