Born of God and Void. A vessel, Children; hundreds of thousands created by The Pale King and The White Lady have been discarded, for the Pale King was in search of a pure vessel that would be able to stop the infection that spread across Hallownest. The Abyss, located in the deepest parts of Hallownest is where the Pale King discards his unneeded children. He had finally found this pure vessel he was looking for and so he left the rest of his children to die in the Abyss, for he had found... The Hollow Knight... or so he thought.
One little vessel in particular had also made the climb to the top but was left hanging on to the metal platform that would allow it freedom from the dark abyss. After seeing its father and sibling leave it to die, the vessel's grip begins to fail it and it begins falling; only to have some girl use it to jump up higher. The vessel is pushed aside even farther and lands on a small ledge. A bright yellow rift materializes in the darkness before the vessel. The silent vessel reaches to it and is whisked away through time and space.
The vessel appears in the bright realm similar to where the dreamer's spirits stayed. It makes its way across the sky platforms in search of something, anything. The vessel comes across a gently floating hourglass and hears a loud roar from the sky. The vessel wastes no time seeing what creature comes for it and grabs the timepiece, whisking it away once more.
The vessel pops into a world with a bright blue sky with the hourglass in hand.
"Ah, ghost!" A voice screams. "Oh wait, you're not a ghost... What are you? I think ghost fits you though so I'm going to refer to you as such."
Ghost looks up to see a blonde red-hooded girl with a mustache. "You give me an eerie vibe, little guy."
Ghost looks around to see what his thoughts tell him to do.
"Either way, welcome to my cave side home. I'm Mustache Girl but you can call me Mu... if you talk that is. What is it with me and meeting people who don't talk?" Mustache Girl takes the timepiece out of Ghost's hands but they don't seem to care. "A timepiece! Where did you get such a marvelous thing?"
Ghost stares at the Mustache Girl. "That Hat Kid doesn't like talking either, and after our little indiscretion with a timepiece; seems to have gone off the radar. That was about a few weeks ago. I haven't found any timepieces myself you know, but this will change everything. I'll make this single timepiece work like a hundred 100." She cackles maniacally.
Ghost leaves to find and explore what there is to explore. Ghost starts to explore town to see many mafia men who look pretty much the exact same. Ghost isn't confused by this though and continues walking.
Walking up to a mafia man, Ghost is curious to inspect him. "Hm, what can you do, little fellow?" The mafia man asks.
Ghost doesn't say anything, because he can't, you already knew that. Ghost is picked up by one of his horns and tossed into the water fountain. Ghost gets out of the water and onto the ledge of the fountain with his wet cloak. The mafia man laughs at the drenched vessel. Ghost spots a purple parasol on the ground and picks it up, eyeing the mafia man. Ghost shuts him up with a swing of the parasol to his jaw. "Ouch my face!" Ghost takes the parasol with him and heads down the docks.
Seeing the large sea in front of them, Ghost hops onto a boat to see what exactly a boat is. The floor beneath them rumbles and the boat begins sailing away. Ghost looks as the island they were just on drifts farther away or rather, they are drifting away from the island. Ghost has no choice but to sit and wait for wherever they're going. As Ghost is carried by the boat across the gentle crystal water for a mildly short while, they think about what it is their supposed to be doing. Something to do with fighting it's ancient enemy it thinks.
The boat docks at a desert edge with a train station. Ghost get's off the boat and heads for the ticket station where many owls are in line. The vessel waits in line to get a ticket because it assumes that's what's best. Ghost reaches the front and looks up to see an owl. "15 pons please." The owl says.
Ghost looks around in confusion then steps to the side. A mafia man moves up and pulls out green orbs, handing them to the owl for a ticket. Ghost now knows what it's got to do. After waiting near the mafia's boat for a few minutes, Ghost follows a single mafia to his room on the ship. Knocking the mafia man out over the head with it's parasol, the vessel takes his green orbs for a ticket. The mafia boat begins to head off quickly, so Ghost makes haste and jumps off the boat into the water. Drench once more, the vessel makes its way to dry land.
After making its way back to the front of the ticket line, the vessel hands over all its pons. "It's only 15 pons, little fella." The owl says.
Ghost holds out its hand and stares at the owl. "Very well." The owl takes all the pons and pushes a ticket underneath the glass window. Ghost takes it and boards the train, taking a seat next to an owl.
"Never seen you on the owl express, what brings you?" Ghost looks at the owl in silence like usual. "Yea that's alright, you're like that kid that never really talked either, wonder what happened to her."
The train gets on it's way and begins rolling the rails. The intercom light turns on and the Conductor's recorded voice begins playing. "Welcome to the Owl Express. I am the Conductor, and you will refer to me as such. I know during some recent times the train has been used as a movie set for crime and action. But I assure you passengers that those days are over... just kidding, but due to legal reasons they will be shot when all passengers are off the train. Although I talk smack about some of yea peck necks, I appreciate your patronage. Thank you for riding the Owl Express." The intercom light turns off.
Ghost relaxes for a bit as its cloak dries. Looking up to the sky for guidance, the knight sees the sun and gets a weird feeling. A hard booming blast is heard by everyone and the train shakes for a moment. "I thought the conductor wasn't doing any more explosives!" The owl cries out.
Two small masked cats enter from the back of the train and draw everyone's attention. "You owl heads are being robbed by, ouch!" One of the little cats says before getting hit over the head by a new large regal masked cat.
"Simpleton! Don't reveal who we are!" The large battle scarred cat looks up at the confused crowd of passengers. "Old fashioned yet decently modern technology, impressive, nothing like the metro cat light rails. I hear the mafia put some rare jewel on this train, and I want it! Who knows where it is!?"
She looks around the room for a voice to speak up but no one does. "Guess it's time for aggressive negotiations." She picks up the owl next to Ghost and holds her claws to his throat. "You will be our hostage, little owl, you seem like a regular on this train, did you see any mafia vault come aboard.
"Why don't you just explore the train and find it." The owl says in fear.
"What a stupid answer." She goes to scratch his throat but is hit in the ankle by a small object.
"Who just earned a death wish!?" She yells turning around with a crazed look in her eyes; looking back and forth for who hit her as her cat minions get scared themselves. She looks down to see Ghost with its parasol in hand. "Hahaha, what is it with children using umbrellas as weapons, what are you? Some kind of wanna-be knight in a wet cloak! Laugh with me, minions." The 3 cats laugh at Ghost who just stands there.
"The knights going to stop you hooligans." The owl says.
"You're something brave owl... and stupid." The big regal cat drops the owl and begins hunching over, talking slowly, "But I'm more concerned with the knight that Hit ME!" She lunges low at the Knight who jumps back in time to dodge and starts running.
"Minions! Watch the passengers! I won't let another mute problem child escape my grasp!" She starts sprinting on 4 legs after the Knight. The Knight heads to the back of the train quickly and climbs up the ladder to the top.
The cat crawls up the ladder following the Knight with haste and is met with a bonk to the head of the Knight's parasol. Ghost backs up slowly as the cat claws its way up and slowly approaches the knight. "You're definitely mute since you haven't screamed, so I think I'll tell you who I am. I am the Empress of the Nyakuza Metro and I-." The Knight stares in silence with it's semi-wet cloak blowing in the wind. The Knight runs away again as the Empress is talking but has nowhere to run except straight across the top of the moving train. The Empress sprints once more with all her energy and manages to catch the knight in her claw. She holds the Knight to her face. "Now, where were we, my mute friend?"
Ghost headbutts her nose with its hard shell head. The Empress meows in a sharp pain and holds her nose; dropping the Knight. "Ohh when I get my hands on you I'm gonna rip that hard head of yours open!"
Evading the Empress, the Knight manages to make it to the front of the train and enters quickly. A bird sits in the control seat. "It's just not the same without the lassie being the star... she never asked to be paid, and that's good business; ey!"
The Knight tugs at the bird rapidly. "Watch me feathers! Oh wait a minute who are you?" The bird asks.
The Empress bursts through the door and the Knight hides behind the bird. "Oh you're here to audition for the train heist western aren't you, cat?"
The Empress stops in her tracks with eyes widened as she hears police sirens approaching.
"Oi why are the police on me train?" The bird says.
The Empress stops looking so tense. "Umm... yes, I am here to audition." She says with a smile under her mask.
"Great scar makeup I must say, and what about you, little fellow?" The Knight looks back and forth and the solace Empress and train conductor.
"Oh you're here to be the mute desperado. Ever since that quiet lassie hit the big screen, mute protagonists have been trending in the bird community."
The Empress rolls her eyes and mumbles, "I swear everyones an idiot."
"Wow, you're both in character already, that's what I call dedicated acting. I'm the Conductor as you all know." The Conductor says.
The three head to the back of the train to see what the police sirens were about. All the witnesses are off the train and the police grab the Empress.
"Wait a moment, crows, she's an actor." The police cats and crow agents release her. The conductor continues talking with the police chief about what happened while the Empress and the Knight look at each other with blank stares.
"Boss, help us!" One of the cat minions being arrested calls out to the Empress who decides to ignore him. "Useless minions, allowing the police to be called." The Empress mutters to herself.
Once the commotion is over and all passengers are off the train, the conductor begins auditions. "Alright! I want you two to improvise a fight scene. Here, take these gun props and do something."
The Knight and Empress get in a battle position. "Aaannnddd action!" The Conductor calls out.
The Knight and Empress pretend to shoot at each other while taking cover. The Empress starts to charge towards the Knight who throws the prop at her. She swipes it aside and grabs the vessel and it hits her in the face with it's parasol.
"Eyy that looked pretty real." The conductor says surprised.
The Empress drops the Knight who starts running around and evading her. "Ahhh enough of this!" The Empress say's running to the train carts in the back.
"That was great you guys, you're both hired." The Conductor says.
The Knight chases after the Empress till he finds her trying to pick the lock of a vault with her finger. The Knight charges and hits her over the head just as she pops the lock. She back hands the Knight and sends him flying into the wall. "Why is it always the quiet ones that cause me problems?" The Empress finds the jewel she was looking for and walks over to the Knight who is just staring at the Empress. She puts the jewel up to the Knight's face. "This is worth so much money that I could buy this train if I wanted to."
The Knight hits her in the face once more and grabs the jewel, trying to run to the front train cars but the Empress quickly blocks the front door. "This is as far back as the train cars go, now you're all mine, little creature! Funny... if I hadn't chased you to the top earlier, I would have noticed the vault was in this cart." The Knight tightens its grip around the jewel and looks around for options. "Give it to me and I'll let you live." The Knight runs to the side of the cart and jumps out the window with the jewel. "Nooooo!" The Empress rages. The police sirens return. "One of those owls must of talked, I gotta get out of here."
The Knight tumbles down the dusty cliffs protecting the jewel in its arms. After much wear and tear at its cloak, body, and shell; the Knight lands in the darkened purple trees of Subcon Forest. After lying in the purple grass for a few minutes, Ghost gets up and starts wandering the forest with jewel in hand. Ghost notices the little purple people who are stalking it. Their bright yellow face makes them easy to spot as they creep around the jagged trees. Ghost continues walking till it finds a purple lake filled with the aura of souls. Ghost puts its hand in the lake and begins absorbing the soul power. It begins to focus and its body gains its strength back from the soul power.
Ghost is pushed into the lake by a purple minion and drops the jewel on the ground. Ghost struggles to move its legs in the thick purple substance. The Knight starts flailing its arms and parasol for something to help it.
The purple minion laughs, "Haha look! It doesn't have a voice to cry suffering."
Ghost begins to struggle even more in the ooze as purple liquid hands begin to rise above its head.
"I've never actually seen the hands take a victim before." The minion laughs evilly as Ghost is about to be pulled under.
A large noodly ghost comes flying in and pulls the Knight out of the lake and puts them on land. "You guys! We promised Hat Kid we wouldn't steal anymore souls."
"Sorry, boss, I must've not got the memo."
"Ugh, fooools." The large ghost pulls the knight into a purple realm where many lost souls float around. The ghost zaps the Knight with some otherworldly lightning. "You have no soul, little buddy, who took it? Oh I do apologize, I would have returned your soul if you had one. I'm the Snatcher."
The Snatcher brings himself and Ghost back to Subcon forest. "You must be petrified, little buddy, what's your name?"
The Knight looks around and picks the jewel it previously lost back up.
"Don't talk? Not a problem, come with me so I can find out what you are." Snatcher and the Knight head to the Snatcher's tree home. Searching his bookshelf for a book on creatures, the Snatcher doesn't find anything useful. He turns around to see the Knight sitting in his chair. "Oh no you don't!" Snatcher pulls the Knight off his chair and takes him outside. Well there's plenty of books in my old home... how would you like to go get them!? Hahahah!"