Every fiber of his body told him to run, to turn around and never return to that sinister place again. Let him seal the entrance and collapse the cavern so that no one could ever again see the horrors that lurked in the depths of the earth. But her mind was stronger, her will unbreakable. He appeased all his fears only with his resolution, and entered the black jaws of pain and grudges from the past.

The path to the bottom of the abyss was by no means an easy task. There was no elevator, or a simple stairway to use. Unstable rock fragments protruding from the walls were the only available means of reaching their destination. A path that would have set anyone back, but thanks to his agility and skills, Hornet was able to reach the platforms.

Hornet used cobweb tendrils that she produced herself to reach the farthest platforms, while she swung from one place to another thanks to the strength of her ebras. After all, Hornet was a weaver, and not just any weaver, but Herrah's heiress. The matriarch of Deep Nest.

After the hard descent, Hornet was finally able to reach firm ground, although it was not firm, nor was it ground. Under their feet were thousands of masks piled up, forming a gloomy layer that did not allow them to see the earth or the rock on which they rested. But Hornet knew the truth, those weren't just masks. Those were the corpses of his stepbrothers who, unlike the Hollow Knight or the knight, were unable to find their way out of the abyss. Although most of them had already died even before they were born.

Hornet could not be calm. A strong sensation of danger ran through her entire body, forcing her to be alert with her needle in her hand, but there was nothing around her, except the dim light of a flashlight that she carried in her free hand. He looked around but found nothing, only thousands and thousands of corpses piled up, and only the huge structure of an imposing lighthouse that stood out from the sea of ​​death.

The beacon was on, focusing its intense light on a black sea, similar to the substance he drank and nearly took his soul. He approached slowly, looking around for any unexpected enemy, but every signal he thought he felt was nothing more than a product of his own paranoia. He stopped on the shores of the black lake, the void itself in its primordial state. But something was really strange.

There was no wind. And even the slight breeze that managed to slip through the entrance was immediately swallowed up by the gloom of the abyss. Still, the blackwater lake was slightly agitated. Restricted. As if it wanted to explode. As if it had a will of its own. Was the powerful light from the lighthouse the only thing decimating his nature? But if that was the case... Why was the epicenter of the disturbances just below Hornet's shadowy reflection? Was he calling her? Or did the void itself yearn for something more?

Then he knew. The void was calling for her. He was calling for the Kingsoul. I wanted it. I wanted him. It was as if those black waters were crying out for me to give them the amulet. What happened next seemed completely illogical.

Hornet stopped just at the edge of a platform that directly overlooked the black lake. Looking down, as if in some kind of trance. Oblivious to the world around him. And without notice. He dropped into the black waters.

There wasn't a splash. There was no sound to indicate what was happening. Her body simply sank slowly into the black water, tendrils of the gelatinous substance rising to engulf her further and further into the depths of the void. And after several seconds, his body completely disappeared.

Seconds passed... Minutes... Hours... Days... No one could tell. Hornet was not aware of time, nor of space. His body simply floated on an endless tide, with no course or direction. His mind seemed to float beyond the mundane plane, reaching to see things he could neither understand nor explain. I didn't feel pain. I didn't feel hate. I didn't feel sadness. All her emotions seemed to have completely vanished. Was this death? Was this what eternal rest felt like? Was this peace, this serenity even possible? Or was this just an illusion? A farce?

Suddenly, his body began to writhe. He could feel every fiber of his being compressed to atomic levels, only to be stretched and reshaped. I felt physical pain like never before, and indescribable mental torture. Was so much suffering even possible? So much anger... So much rage? These sensations were not hers. This pain that I felt I had not experienced before. Whose was all this contempt and anger?

The lake of emptiness began to stir, despite the radiant light that dwarfed any attempt to devour everything. That dark mass was not just matter, it was a living being, a divine being. A being beyond all comprehension. More plague than the White Lady, more ambitious than the Pale King, more powerful than the Radiance. It was pure emptiness, claiming its right to rule over Hallownest. And from among its black waters a being without equal rose. His most promising champion. The one who would claim his victory. The one who would carry the Void Heart on her chest. Hornet.

Hornet rose from the black waters with a majesty never seen before. Bigger, more powerful, more divine. She had the bearing of a true monarch, a gift from himself to his champion.

Hornet: - What... what happened? - He asked, but got no answer.

I was confused. It felt like they had experienced years of eternal agony, but only a few seconds had passed. He looked in amazement at his new body, while admiring the splendor of his maximum power. He felt unstoppable, unbeatable. He felt that he could defeat as many enemies as dared to obstruct his path. Still, he could feel his true self within her. His goals had not changed, his desires remained intact. Was this being so benevolent? Or did he just have other plans? Breads Hornet couldn't imagine.

For better or worse, Hornet could now see an opportunity to defeat the Shining once and for all. No more vessels, no more Hollow Knight, no more Radiance, no more suffering.

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Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Temple of the Black Egg, time began to play against the butterflies. Many fell from fatigue, their strength depleted by the onslaught of the Radiance. Containing him in that bubble of lifesage was consuming every last breath. It was only a matter of time before their forces were consumed, and the Radiance was freed.

Mina was doing her best to revive her comrades, but even she had already exhausted her own strength. The two sentinels who were still conscious watched helplessly, unable to do anything more than carry the butterflies that had collapsed in exhaustion to a safer place. It was then that Quirrel arrived at the outskirts of the temple, carrying a huge backpack with who knows what stuff inside.

Sentinel: - Master. What are you doing here? -

Quirrel: - I've come to help. -

Mina: - You shouldn't be here. Come back immediately. You will not be able to resist the Radiance. - But Quirrel was shocked by such beauty.

Quirrel: - I... Uh... I... -

Mina: - Hey. Are you listening to me? It is not safe that you are here. Came back. -

Quirrel: - No. - He said as he dropped his backpack to the ground. - The queen ordered me to come help. I don't know what I can do. So I brought everything that came to mind. Take. - He offered him a vial with a viscous and yellow liquid inside.

Mine: - What is this? -

Quirrel: - Honey bee. It will help them regain some strength. You have one too. - He offered a jar to the sentinels.

Sentinel: - Thank you, master. -

Quirrel: - Give it to your companions. They should recover shortly. -

Quirrel rummaged through his things again, pulling out dozens of vials with various substances inside, until finally he reached for a large spool of thread.

Mine: what are you doing? -

Quirrel: - It's knitter's thread. I'll be able to create some seals to contain the Radiance a bit longer... Done. -

Quirrel made a figure with the weaver's thread, and when it was finished, it began to emit a certain light in the shape of a pattern, while a kind of barrier imperceptible to the common eye formed around it. Mina could feel how the Radiance's influence diminished even a tiny part of its totality, but in those times any means was welcome.

But the Shining was only one of the problems. Suddenly, the earth shook violently. Something bad had happened. Quirrel and the sentinels grabbed their weapons and turned toward the cavern entrance. Their instinct told them that death itself was closing in on them. And never before had they wanted so badly to be wrong. Ahead of them, a horde of wild insects pounced on them. They were too many. There was no way they could stop them all. Dirtymouth had fallen. They were doomed.