III

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Hollow curiously inspected the different areas Hornet lead them through, one being of mushrooms and now a dark place filled with cobwebs.
"This was my home. Before my mother..." she paused, Hollow floating closer to her.
"My mother died. It is much more silent than I remember." Sentimental feelings began to pierce through her stubborn mind, fighting against her emotional urges she continued forward. They descended further into the dark catacombs of the ominous Deepnest, finding a large empty room with a closed entrance. She entered with Hollow close behind. She stuck her hand into the neck of her cloak, feeling around then pulling out a pass. She slid it into a stand then withdrew it. The sound of churning gears clicked as the large entrance roared open with a functioning tram squeakily making its way through, pausing in front of the two. The doors opened, Hornet looked up at her sibling who tilted their body as they inspected the odd contraption.
"Never used a tram? The Weavers were not happy about our father's use of trams in Deepnest, I suppose I do not have much of an opinion on them as I use them myself occasionally. They are quicker transportation." Hornet walked inside, walking over to a lever and pulling it down. The tram began to sputter then rumble back towards where it had originated. Hollow stared outside the windows, seeming astounded by how fast it worked and the places that passed by. Their reaction even caused Hornet to smile. The tram eventually stopped, they exited and continued to tread towards Hornet's goal. Hollow felt a sudden feeling of familiarity to the ancient, cold area as they continued onward.
"This is the place in which you were born among your many siblings; the Ancient Basin." Hornet carefully stepped over the corpses of black armored insects, Hollow eyeing them as they passed by.
"I do not know if you recall of this place, as I'm assuming you were quite young." They reached down to the deepest depths of the ancient kingdom, standing in front of a large entrance that had once been locked up. She recalled the Knight making their way down after their final battle; the final test. They bore the King's Brand, not of pride but of a goal which she found peculiar. The thought of the brand reminded her of her own, she self consciously felt her back. Before taking a deep breath and walking closer inside she paused. Hornet turned to her half sibling who was so clueless as to what their shared father had done. She felt guilt nag at her, they had come this far yet she wondered if this was the right thing to do. To subject them to the atrocity and who their father truly was. As much as she despised her father due to her own experiences she knew that Hollow loved their father. Her father may have neglected her existence, but it was clear to her he truly loved Hollow. Then again, they were chosen to be sacrificed for the infection. Nothing but an empty vessel to be thrown away, but they were imperfect. Contrary to their name. The contradicting thoughts raced in her mind, wondering what was morally right. Due to her deep thoughts she had not realized but Hollow was floating past her.
"Hollow—wait!" Hornet outstretched her arm and watched them pause before they peered over the ledge, turning back towards her. She hesitated, her arm slowly falling back down. Hornet then followed Hollow and stood next to them.
"I do not know if you want to see this. I do not know what you will think of it... I regret bringing you here—I was caught up with my own frustrated thoughts." Her head slowly sunk down, releasing a breath.
"I apologize for my selfish cogitation." She could hear her sibling slowly float in front of her, she raised her head and stared into their blaring white eyes. Hollow gave her a gentle nod, she blinked surprisingly.
"Do not imply I had not warned you—I will say. Another thing is-is that I cannot go down there. I am not... built like you." Hollow tilted their head then nodded once more, they walked to the ledge. Hornet took in a breath before crouching onto her knees and looking down, Hollow following. Below, carcasses of the aforementioned armored bugs rested peacefully amongst more uniquely familiar corpses.
"Our father... did this." She spoke, her voice slightly shaking as the sight never ceased to not bring shivers up her spine despite being very headstrong and brave. She turned to Hollow who was almost frozen where they floated, their eyes were wider than they had originally been. She watched as they suddenly burst downward, floating over to a broken shell of their sibling. They appeared to try to touch it, noticing their fingers shaking.
"Hollow!" Hornet felt panic rise in her as they appeared to go deeper, regret stabbed at her. She needed to do something before they got out of sight, she quickly climbed off of the ledge but felt herself falter. With a gasp she realized she had slipped, falling helplessly off of the metal platform. She tried to reach for her needle but it was partially stuck in her tattered cloak, time felt as if it had slowed as she was falling face first. She caught a glimpse of Hollow with a horrified expression, unknown if it was from the sight of the perhaps millions of their dead siblings or Hornet falling into the mass grave that welcomed her. Hornet watched as the platforms flew past her, she could see the piles of her half siblings becoming bigger and bigger as she approached. She suddenly felt something quickly embrace her tightly from behind, trying to pull her away from her fall but they too were failing due to her momentum. She knew it was Hollow as she could feel her cloak burning from their void-molded body. She felt them suddenly flip over, making their positions switched so now she could see the world above leaving. Suddenly the feeling of impact accompanied by the sound of echoed voices surrounded her as she watched large void particles disperse from below her. Hornet was partially paralyzed due to the impact that was slightly cushioned, unable to move due to the shock. She forcibly regained her strength, frantically she got up and looked about for her sibling that had disappeared.
"H-Hollow?!" Hornet helplessly exclaimed, looking at where she had landed. The ground was stained with black, she quickly looked around. The entire area was unfamiliar as she had never been this far down. She knew why she avoided it as suddenly she could hear voices echoing around her. The place felt strangely sticky along with generally hot. Hornet grabbed her injured mask, shaking her head as she fought off the disembodied voices. Suddenly a burning sensation made itself known, specifically on her back. She quickly tore off her cloak, observing it she could see it was in absolute tatters. It had been torn, ripped and now burned from the void. She knew she should have fixed it, now there was barely anything left of it. She fell to her knees, hating her own self pity that pierced through her injured mind. This was all her fault, now she was trapped down here unless she had the courage to scale her way out. Hollow was gone, diminished into nothing but the thick void fragments floating eerily though the air that began to choke her organic form. Despite the danger, her guilt became curiosity.

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⏰ Last updated: Jul 28, 2020 ⏰

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