Chapter Text
————1————
Since the Void crisis in Pharloom was resolved,the surviving bugs have actively worked to rebuild their homes,with Hornet contributing significantly.
Every day,the first thing she does upon waking is gather shell fragments and beads from the Craw'nests,then dedicate them all to the reconstruction of settlements like Bellhart.
Through everyone's collective efforts,the town gradually regained its vitality.Survivors originally sheltered in the Marrow were relocated to Bellhart,where Flick's exceptional craftsmanship earned him high regard among the townsfolk.
Sherma remained at the Songclave,tending to bugs injured on their pilgrimage. With the Second Sentinel's protection and most Silk Cocoons now inactive,the interior of the Citadel became much more peaceful.
Moreover,thanks to the Pinstress's active efforts in the Blasted Step,the number of pilgrims falling behindSignificantly decreased.
However,whenever pilgrims tried to express their gratitude to her,she would almost always drift away without looking back—it seemed her social anxiety wouldn't change anytime soon.
As for Shakra，Hornet never had to worry about her. Whether in terms of strength or temperament,she was undoubtedly a formidable warrior.
Only one bug,or rather,one mushroom, caused Hornet some concern。
That is Lace.
During the town's reconstruction,Lace often sat on the edge of the steps,silently watching everything below,lost in thought.
Although Hornet had rescued her from the Void,Lace had become extremely quiet since then.
Apart from that laugh—whether out of helplessness or self-mockery一Hornet never heard her voice again.
With the Grand Mother Silk gone,Lace lost the place she once relied on for survival, and the pristine flower field gradually withered.
Hornet once suggested she temporarily stay in her Bellhome,but Lace shook her head in refusal. Her eyes were filled with confusion and helplessness,yet she stubbornly refused any help.
Although the residents of Bellhart were willing to accept her,they were often deterred by her cold gaze.
Only Shakra occasionally comforted her like an understanding older sister.
For a period,Lace simply vanished. It wasn't until a few days later that she returned with several dull,gray scars,likely scraped by rusty metal plates.
Hornet guessed she might have visited the Exhaust Organ,perhaps topay a visit to Phantom.
Unfortunately,Phantom sought only death in that battle,giving Hornet no chance to show mercy.
But before Phantom faded away,Hornet saw an unprecedented joy on her face,as if she had been freed from long suffering,revealing an indescribable happiness.
After that,Lace often came and went unpredictably. Sometimes,she returned with a few maggots gnawing at her shell; other times,she bore holes pierced by spike traps.
Hornet didn't intend to interfere too much in her life,though she occasionally missed the child who always laughed like silver bells in her presence.
Time passed quickly in the foreign land. After Pharloom was rebuilt,the townsfolk held a grand feast,inviting the Flea Troupe from Fleatopia to join in the extravagant celebration.
Orange campfires roasted sizzling meat slabs,salads mixed with moss and leaves, and aged nectar-brewed wine—each dish tempted the guests to indulge heartily.
Many bugs tried to challenge Hornet to drinking contests,but without exception, they all lost. In the end,it was the little fleas,who spent their days soaked in honey brew,who lasted the longest.
Amid the joyous festivities,Hornet noticed a gaze from behind. She incisively turned her head,catching only a flash of white in the shadows.
"Is that Lace?"Hornet wondered.
After all,in all of Pharloom,few bugs were as brilliantly white as her.
Perhaps it was an illusion,but her color seemed less pristine than in memory—or maybe it was just because Hornet hadn't seen her in so long that her memory had blurred.
Hornet turned away,no longer dwelling on the gaze behind her.
"What are your plans now,Savior?"Mayor Pavo politely toasted Hornet.
"Since things in Pharloom are mostly settled,I plan to return to Hallownest,"Hornet stated frankly.
Although life in Bellhart was pleasant,she missed her original home even more.
"Hallownest?I think I've heard of that place from a few pilgrims."
"Isn't it quite far from here?"Pavo asked curiously.
"You have to cross a vast wasteland,filled not only with fierce beasts but also massive tornadoes,"Scrounge said between bites of grilled skewers.
As an antique collector,she was familiar with the surrounding terrain.
It was precisely these troublesome factors that hindered her desire to venture out in search of more antiques.
"But for someone like Savior,it should be easy,right?She made it all the way from Hallownest to Pharloom,"Pavo praised without hesitation.
"To be precise,I was 'cordially invited'by the Citadel,"Hornet narrowed her eyes,a few drops of cold sweat trickling down her face.
She vaguely remembered patrolling outside Hallownest when she was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of white-robed bugs,only to be captured by a rune cage dropped from the sky.
She had had enough of Pharloom's gauntlet of battles.
After a night of merry drinking with the bugs,Hornet returned to her Bellhome,soaked comfortably in the hot spring,and fell into a deep sleep on her bed.
The next morning,Hornet bid farewell to the townsfolk and returned her Bellhome key to Pavo. With tears in his eyes,Pavo said sorrowfully,"I'l take good care of this key for you. You can return anytime—this will always be your second home."
Amid the townsfolk's enthusiasm,Hornet walked out of Bellhart's gates. The moment she stepped into the Shellwood,a golden figure descended from above.
"Boshanka!Hornet wielding Needle,you don't mind having company on your way home,do you?"Shakra tapped her rings.
"Of course not,I'd be glad to have company."
Seeing Hornet didn't refuse,Shakra smiled, then glanced toward a clump of bushes and asked,"Aren't you going to say goodbye to that little girl?"
Shakra had noticed long ago that the little white girl seemed to care deeply about Hornet,though she couldn't quite decipher her thoughts.
Her eyes resembled those of a warrior who had lost their fighting spirit,yet they were far more complex.
Hornet turned her head and indeed caught a glimpse of white flashing before her eyes. "No need,let's go."
"Alright then."
————2————
The red and golden bugs walked across the sand-blown wasteland,the wind-whipped grains making it hard to keep their eyes open.
Thanks to the compass's guidance, they didn't lose their way,steadily advancing toward Hallownest.
What kind of place was Hallownest,Hornet's homeland?Shakra couldn't help but wonder.
"Tell me about Hallownest."
"Hallownest was once a glorious place,but it has been in decline for many years.I don't quite know how to describe it."For Hornet, Hallownest was a place of mixed emotions, and she found it difficult to sum up her memories of her homeland in a single word.
She remembered the teachings of her three mothersand the extravagant interior decor of her father in the White Palace.
But as the plague spread and time passed, all of this gradually faded in her heart,leaving only a magnificent shell.
Day after day,she watched over a kingdom with almost no future,guarded the unchanging wasteland,and kept watch over that lonely edge of the world.
Sometimes,Hornet wondered if it was all worth it. Wouldn't it be easier to abandon all her duties and live elsewhere?
But she quickly dismissed such thoughts.
She had to persevere. She had to wait for a turning point.
Fortunately,she eventually found a vessel worthy of her trust.
Hornet's expression softened,and she said with relief,"But after years of reconstruction, Hallownest has regained some of its vitality.I hope you can appreciate its charm."
"That's great!It'd be even better if I could find a few strong bugs to spar with,"Shakra said excitedly.
Hornet recalled the Pure Vessel she encountered at the Temple of Black Egg.
She didn't know how the Little Ghost managed to completely eradicate the Radiance,who was trapped within the Pure Vessel,without even breaking the seals of he three Dreamers.
Thanks to this,Herrah the Beast,Queen of Deepnest,Lurien the Watcher,City of Tears' master,and Monomon the Teacher,Archivist of the Archives,were all awakened from their long slumber.
When Hornet returned to Deepnest,Herrah held her in her arms for hours before letting go.
Though it was somewhat uncomfortable,Hornet had no desire to resist.
Her mother must have been terribly anxious during her absence—she needed to return and reassure her as soon as possible.
With this in mind,Hornet quickened her pace.Just as the two bugs crested a massive dune,a low,threatening growl cut through the howling wind and sand.
Hornet instantly halted,her hand already on the needle behind her back.
Almost simultaneously,Shakra shifted her stance,her ring humming clearly as she entered a combat posture.
On the other side of the dune,several pairs of hungry green eyes gleamed in the dim, sandy haze.Desert Clawmants—large,ferocious pack hunters—had spotted the two bugs as today's prey,using the sandstorm as cover.
"Looks like we have some 'friends'to liven things up,"Shakra said,her tone not nervous but rather excited.
"Don't underestimate them.Their claws can easily tear through shell,"Hornet calmly warned,her sharp eyes scanning the approaching shadows.
Before she finished speaking,the first Clawmant screeched and dove down!Hornet moved like lightning,gracefully sidestepping the attack while her needle flashed coldly,precisely piercing the Clawmant's membranous wing.
Shakra,on the other hand,was more direct. Facing another attacker,she charged forward instead of retreating,her rings striking down with immense force.A dull thud echoed as the beast was smashed into the sand.
The battle erupted instantly.Golden and red figures flashed and weaved through the sandstorm.
Hornet's needlework was precise and deadly,like dancing in the fierce wind,each strike aimed at a vital point.
Shakra's fighting style was full of power,her ring whirling with overwhelming force,every block and counter carrying destructive momentum.
They fought back-to-back tacit guarding each other's blind spots,deflecting attacks from all directions.
Sharp claws clashed against hard shells,beastly roars intertwined with the sounds of weapons cutting through the air.However,just as the pack was about to be defeated,a sudden change in the world made all other sounds seem insignificant.
The wind stopped.
Not an ordinary lull,but a suffocating,dead silence.
Even the fierce Clawmants ceased their attacks,restlessly stirring,emitting fearful whimpers.
Shakra shook the sand off her ring, asking with distrust,"What's going on?"
Hornet,however,sharply looked up at the distant horizon,her pupils contracting beneath her mask.
A massive gray-yellow funnel connecting heaven and earth was forming,devouring everything in its path at an alarming speed.
Sand and stones were swept into the sky, thundering with a roaring boom—a devastating sandstorm tornado was heading straight for them!
"It's a tornado!Find cover!"Hornet shouted urgently.
The previously intense battlefield instantly dissolved.The surviving Clawmants scattered in panic,but their speed was futile against the wrath of nature.
"There's a rock wall over there!"Shakra pointed sharply at a protruding weathered rock layer not far away.
Without hesitation,the two bugs sped toward their only hope.Behind them,the tornado's roar grew closer,like the howl of a giant beast.
Its powerful suction began to pull at their bodies,fine sand lashing their shells like whips.
They threw themselves into a shallow recess under the rock wall,pressing tightly against the stone.
Almost simultaneously,the destructive storm swept past!The world plunged into utter chaos and darkness,leaving only the deafening roar in their ears,as if the entire wasteland were being torn apart and regroup.
Shakra clung desperately to a protruding rock,while Hornet drove her needle deep into a crevice to anchor herself.They could feel the ground trembling beneath them, massive stones easily lifted and then heavily dropped onto the sand.
After what felt like an eternity,the all-consuming roar gradually faded.
As the two bugs ventured out from their cover, the scene that unfolded before them was breathtaking, even for ones of their vast experience.
The landscape had been completely altered.
Dunes were flattened,new ravines appeared out of nowhere,and though the sky had returned to its dim yellow hue,it was still thick with dense dust.
"Tch,what a 'welcoming ceremony,"Shakra said,brushing off the thick layer of sand on her,trying to find humor in the situation.
Hornet remained vigilant,quickly checking her compass and scanning their surroundings."Our route is completely disrupted.We must reorient ourselves quickly—the wasteland will be even more dangerous after a storm like this."
The two warriors exchanged glances,both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.The journey home was never meant to be smooth.
They adjusted their stance and set off again,their figures steadfastly disappearing into the vast, disaster-stricken,perilous wasteland.
However,neither Hornet nor Shakra noticed that,on the other side of the all-consuming fury of the sand，a lone white figure was following their trail from afar,her heart filled with equally complex emotions.
When the tornado struck suddenly,Lace had almost nowhere to escape.
Unlike Hornet and Shakra,who had the rock wall for cover,she was in an open stretch of sand. The deadly suction instantly seized her light body. She tried to anchor herself by stabbing her weapon into the sand,but it was futile.
Amid the dizzying whirl,she was swept high into the air like a pure white petal in the storm,vanishing instantly into the chaotic,dim depths.
The last thing she saw was the two rapidly shrinking figures—one red,one gold—below her before her consciousness was swallowed by endless darkness.
And all of this was perfectly masked by the tornado's roar.