(The Hat Knight)

As Hat Kid inspects the head of the Traitor Lord, The Vessel goes through another path of the gardens. Hat Kid opens up a path for Hornet to climb up to the room with the corpse of the Traitor Lord.

"Greetings, Hat Kid. You killed the Traitor Lord... well done. Uh... where's, Ghost?"

"The Vessel?" Hat Kid says looking around for it. "I don't... oh, there they are."

The Vessel comes back from where it went and heads for the exit. The royal siblings and time traveler make their way out of the Queen's gardens, following the Vessel once more. "Are we almost done, little Vessel?" Hat Kid says tired and in slight pain from her bleeding palms.

The Vessel stops walking and stands next to Hat Kid, looking up at her. She sighs, "Can I help you?" The Vessel hops onto Hat Kid's shoulder. "Oh, guess I'm leading the way then."

Hat Kid leads the way to Mantis Village and approaches the Mantis Lords on their thrones, plopping the Traitor Lord's head in front of them.

"My contractual obligations are done, It was an honor serving, fighting, and being impaled by you, Mantis Lords." Hat Kid says.

The middle Mantis Lord hops down from her throne and walks up to Hat Kid with their claw out.

"Well done, Hat Kid. You're a fierce person to have killed our brother here." The Mantis says, kicking the Traitor Lord's head. Hat Kid shakes the Mantis Lord's claw with respect.

"Well, I had some help." Hat Kid says with a nervous laugh.

"Don't care, you got the job done. Thank you for sticking to your duties." The Mantis says bowing. Ironic considering Hat Kid hates following the rules of her time traveler job. The Vessel jumps off of Hat Kid and starts walking again, forcing Hat Kid and Hornet to follow once more.

They follow the Vessel all the way back down to the entrance to the Abyss. The Vessel takes Hat Kid's dream nail off her and descends down the dark hole once more.

"Now what are we doing back here?!" Hat Kid scoffs.

"I believe I know, it's a little complicated though." Hornet says.

"Thanks, but I think I'm okay not knowing at this point." Hat Kid says.

After a short time, the Vessel comes back up to the girls.

"So, Ghost, what do you remember from your first day being created in that dark place?" Hornet says. The Vessel looks over and stares Hat Kid in the eyes. Hat Kid gives the Vessel a look of suspicion. The Vessel jumps up and hops off Hat Kid's head with a hard kick then lands back on the ground.

"Ow! What in the universe was that for?! I thought I was your favorite person." Hat Kid says, rubbing her head.

"You must have done something to wrong, Ghost."

"I can't think of a time when I ever hurt it."

"I believe the Vessel has done all it needs to in order to prepare itself to stop the infection."

"Alright cool, so where are we going?"

"To the black egg temple. We can get there quickly from Dirtmouth."

The gang journeys straight to the stag station near the remains of the White Palace. They take the last stag through the empty tunnels back to Dirtmouth.

They exit the station entrance and the Vessel takes the delicate flower it was carrying out of its body and holds it up to Hat Kid's ship in the sky. "Hmm... What are you doing, Ghost?" Hornet asks.

Hat Kid squints, looking back and forth at the Vessel and ship. "Wow... I should have tried this sooner." She says taking out her dream piercer mask.

Hat Kid puts the mask on, looking at the Vessel and hears the voice of god and void faintly say, "̷̧̓B̸̡̥͑̀ô̴̤w̶͔̦̄.̷̛͓̲͂.̴̼͈̽͛.̷̡̭̇ ̷̔͜Ḵ̸̢̆̆ḯ̷̖̎d̵͔̰̕.̷̲͕̔.̴̮̓͑.̸͍̽"̸̤͈̾

"That was very intense but... I can get a few words from your mind and it seems you want to give the flower to Bow Kid, correct? Little Vessel?"

The Vessel looks at the flower then hands it over to Hat Kid. "I'll make sure this gets to her safely." She says putting the flower in her hat.

They travel down to the black egg temple and approach the sealed door. With the dreamers' seals gone, the door dissolves and opens before them.

Hornet picks the Vessel up in her arms. "Alright, Ghost, you have done a great many things at this point. Some of which I'm sure we did not witness with our own eyes. What you are about to do, should you succeed, will possibly save Hallownest. You are an imperfect vessel... and that's perfect... well it wasn't but it is now! You have kindness, so do not do this for the reason you were created, do it for the people you care about and those who need you. Like Hat Kid."

"Me?" Hat Kid questions.

"Yes, you, I can tell Ghost really cares for you."

"Oh, haha, okay." Hat Kid says discomposed.

"Or it could just be the void in your hat." Hornet says casually.

"Oh." Hat Kid says disheartened.

Hornet returns her attention back to the Vessel. "Stoicism is your kind's burden, but it may be for the best. So get in there and do what you must to insure the lives of those around you will go on. I'm not giving you a choice, I'm just giving you a better reason to do it. I can't enter that temple or I'll die; so you're on your own."

Hornet puts the Vessel back down and nudges it to enter the temple egg. The Vessel steps in and looks back at the girls. Hat Kid gives the Vessel a thumbs up. The Vessel turns forward and enters the temple.

Hat Kid sighs, "I'm gonna go help and see this thing to the end."

"N-no, you'll die if you go in there!"

"Why do you say that?"

"The temple isn't built for any living thing except the vessels. I can't enter that place or I'll die within a minute... but maybe you can. I don't like the idea but it is your choice to go in. You may be fine with the void in your hat, but please think about not going."

"It's the one thing I'm sure about, I'm going in." Hat Kid says adjusting her hat for a fight.

"W-wait, take this." Hornet hands her web needle to Hat Kid.

"Really?" Hat Kid says excitedly.

An echoing roar erupts from the temple.

"Yes, you'll probably need it to help our little Vessel."

"I did some sewing myself back in the day on some hats so I think I can get the hang of it pretty quickly."

"Oh, and once you wrap the Hollow Knight up can you say-" Hornet begins whispering into Hat Kid's ear.

"Sure thing." Hat Kid says.

"I must ask... how did you defeat the Nightmare King?"

"He is the burning scarlet fire itself. I did what he thought could never happen to him... consume his fiery heart in darkness." She says making a fist. "We'll do the same to whatever this infection is."

"Good luck then, time traveler." Hornets says.

"I'm going to help this forbidden world, even if I can't do it by time traveler standards." With a nod, Hat Kid rushes into the temple. She runs through the darkness with bright seals to light her path. She makes it to the center where the Vessel and Hollow Knight are fighting. The Hollow Knight goes to stab itself and as Hat Kid rushes in she throws the web needle at the Hollow Knight's head. She runs around it, tying it up as the little Vessel fends off it's desperate swings.

She manages to wrap the Hollow Knight up enough to immobilize it. "Git gud! Did I say that right, little Vessel?" Hat Kid asks for no response. The Vessel pulls out the dream nail and pierces the mind of the Hollow Knight. The two vessels collapse to the floor. Hat Kid follows the little Vessel into the mind of the Hollow Knight with her mask.

Hat Kid wakes up in the bright dream world to see the little Vessel standing up on a high platform. "Peck, I lost the needle." She climbs up next to the Vessel. "So what are we looking for exactly?"

The sun grows wings and the moth god Radiance appears in blinding light. Hat Kid takes her para-nail off her back. "We've got this, little vessel, I've killed a higherbeing before you know. Stay at my side and we'll get through this."

The Radiance roars with echo. "Or maybe I'll just stay at your side hehe." Hat Kid laughs nervously.

The Radiance speaks, "Ancient enemy, and... you... you with the void on your head. You're one hard creature to infect through dreams, I shall just have to infect you directly myself." She roars, summoning radiant burning beams of light.

"Ah, peck!" Hat Kid and the Vessel jump opposite directions of each other to avoid being hit. Hat Kid dash cloaks around to avoid death. The Vessel manages to make contact with its monarch nail and cuts the Radiance's wing a little. The Radiance lets out a small roar of pain before hitting the Vessel back down with a beam of light.

The Radiance summons elegant needles and sends some at Hat Kid and the Vessel. The Vessel becomes trapped in a vertical prison of needles. Hat Kid dashes out of the range of one but the Radiance manages to stab a hole through Hat Kid cloak with another needle as her dash ends. The radiance pulls her up and she drops her weapon as her hat falls off, causing a timepiece to fall out. The radiance flies over to her, pushing Hat Kid's para-nail weapon off the platform into the bright sky, leaving the Vessel trapped behind her godly self.

The Radiance "What a shiny device. The energy this radiates is immaculate, such power in such a small amount of space. Tell me, child, how does it work?" The Radiance asks.

"Peck you! Fly into the void!"

The Radiance summons a burning beam of light and begins to burn away Hat Kid's cloak to ash.

"My dash cloak!" Hat Kid cries out.

The Radiance gives out a small roar of pain as a Shade soul hits her in the back and she drops Hat Kid while also releasing the Vessel of its needle prison. "No reviving for you, vessel. My light that shall burn you will make sure of that." The Radiance says as she focuses her attacks on the Knight.

Hat Kid picks up her void hat and tosses it to the Vessel. "Hope this helps!" She yells out. The void hat lands on a horn of the Vessel's shell. Hat Kid picks the timepiece up from the floor and throws it at the Vessel, cracking it on the Vessel's head. "Better unpredictably lost than in the possession of you, Radiance."

"Worthless maggot!" The Radiance yells, knocking Hat Kid over the edge and into the bright sky below.

Hat Kid awakens in the temple next to the sleeping entranced vessels.

"My body feels like it's on fire, I can barely breathe…" Hat Kid thinks to herself as she struggles to get up. She begins crawling to the exit and Hornet sees her crawling for survival. Hornet rushes in and tries to help her up. "Ow ow! Just drag me... please." Hat Kid says coughing up infection.

"Noooo! Not you too. Bow, I failed you, just like I might have everyone in Hallownest." Hornet says, continuing to drag Hat Kid until they make it outside the temple.

"Ahhh, it hurts inside." Hat Kid says shaking, her face a look of anguish. Hornet holds the girl's hand as she shakes in pain, her mouth dripping infection. "I'm so sorry it had to end like this, kid, in pain and suffering."

Back inside the body and mind of the Hollow Knight, the Vessel continues it's battle for Hallownest against the radiance. The Vessel, now with more void unified to it, and unpredictability of a timepiece's sands on its shell, shade cloaks around with teleportation.

"I don't fear you, darkness!" The Radiance yells. She watches carefully at the Vessel's random teleports while sending elegant needles and beams of light to hunt the darkness.

The Hat Knight teleports above the light god and descending dark slams her into the ground then continually stabs her in the back. She roars out in immense pain then throws the Hat Knight off and teleports to the highest point in the sky she can. She looks below her to see her bright sky being filled with black void, increasing in mass and rising exponentially.

"I will not be killed and forgotten because of a pathetic, imperfect vessel!" She spots the Hat Knight ascending with teleporting speeds. After pointless attacks at the Hat Knight, She comes face to face with it. The Hat Knight stabs and digs its monarch nail deep into the Radiance.

The Hat Knight then cracks its shell open, becoming a powerful shade of void. Void tendrils from below grab and hold the Radiance in place. The Hollow Knight's full shade appears and begins tearing the Radiance's sun core open. The Void Knight joins in and maliciously mauls the Radiance's sun core.

"Curse you! Curse the god and void that spawned your kind!" She cries out as her sun core and body are torn apart and she is dragged into the sea of void below her. The Void consumes her alive and in torment. The timepiece power, lost to the void.

Just outside of the black egg temple, Hat Kid lays dying on the floor. "I-I'm hearing voices again, guess this is it." She says.

The voice speaks to Hat Kid's mind. "̶͕̓P̴̠̈́͆ṙ̶̝͔o̶̮̚t̶͈̣̐͌e̵͇̫̎͐c̵̺̑ṭ̷̯̑̚.̷͖̥̽.̶̡̲͑.̶͔̠̂ ̸̯͒͛K̷͓̑ỉ̸̝l̷̡̛͆ḽ̵̱́̂ ̷͇̄L̸̢̬̆͠i̴̱͓̓̏g̷͇̙͛͝h̵̝́t̴̯̟̉̉.̶̡̋̌.̴̜̜̈.̷̟͂"̶̤̻̌̇

The void on her hat begins transforming to mist and flowing into her mouth. After a few moments, Hat Kid jolts up coughing out liquid void and vomiting the rest out.

"Hat Kid! Are you okay?!" Hornet cries out in tears.

Hat Kid coughs, "I-I think I'm alive... I'm alive!" She starts laughing maniacally like the Snatcher.

"Good to see you're still insane, kid." Hornet laughs, wiping her tears, giving the severely traumatized time traveler a hug."

"I need to go on a vacation." Hat Kid says with a small laugh.

Void shoots out violently from the temple and stops after a minute or so. Hornet walks into the temple and Hat Kid follows. They find the shell head of the Vessel cracked open on the floor with a liquid void dripping out.

"Oh peck! Is the Vessel dead?!"

Hornet picks up her needle off the temple floor. "Yes, but this was most likely going to happen. The void and infection from the walls has dispersed. I… I think it's all over now. The suffering of the kingdom is over."

They leave the temple back to Dirtmouth and find freed denizens crawling out of the well. Hornet and Hat Kid sit down on the metal bench, battle worn and tired... but mostly Hat Kid is.

Hat Kid sighs, "A shame the Grimm Troupe has left the kingdom, I really wanted an extra final goodbye with Snappy. You know, Hornet. I met the king of Hallownest with the Vessel."

"You what?!" Hornet shouts. "How?!"

"In the white timerift, he was alive and he didn't want to leave. He said that his daughter would make a great queen over him if she was still alive."

"Oh, I'm sure she would..."

"Yeah, she would." Hat Kid says, staring at Hornet with annoyance."

"What?" Hornet asks.

"You're the king's daughter, I'm not dumb."

"You don't have to make me look stupid!" She smacks Hat Kid in the back of her head. "How did you know?"

"Ow… You're princess of Hallownest. It wasn't hard to piece together."

"Oh, you're right... now I feel stupid. I will take responsibility and be queen."

"I myself don't exactly like responsibility, that's why I'm not trying to be on the TTA council like every other TTA member."

"Maybe you should try and take responsibility and try to join it, but that's just my opinion. Hey... the void... it stayed on your hat when it should have all returned to the Abyss with the infection gone." Hornet says with confusion.

"That's okay with me at this point." Hat Kid says.

"You are far too okay with these dangerous things happening to you."

"Well... it's not like I or anyone else can go back in time to stop them from happening hehe."

Hat Kid looks at her timewatch and sets it for memory wipe; to wipe others memories of herself in order to ensure that time doesn't go haywire. She looks at the happy spider on the iron bench sitting next to her. Thinking to herself, "Hahaha, yeah right, like I'm gonna do that. Peck your policies, Tim."

Hat Kid stands up. "Hornet, my dear spider friend, it's been an honor saving this kingdom with you. It's time I head back to my normal duties as a time traveler. Goodbye Hornet, I'll actually miss you. I don't think I'll be coming back here so tell everyone I said goodbye."

Hat Kid gives Hornet a hug goodbye. "See you in another time." They say simultaneously.

Hat Kid laughs, "That's my line... Don't take it." She says with a serious look.

Hat Kid walks back to the area below her ship. She takes the nail art badges off her hat and buries them in the dirt. "These techniques may have helped me stay alive but they were savage. I don't want to be a ruthless killer, hopefully in time I can forget such techniques. After all, I'm just going back to my regular time traveler duties." She teleports back up to her ship.

Hat Kid comes to Bow Kid and the energized Mustache Girl sitting on the main room bean bags.

Bow looks to her as she teleports in. "Well... did you do what you needed to, Hat Kid?"

"Indeed I did, friend... indeed I did." Hat Kid sits down with them and takes the delicate flower out of her hat and gives it to Bow Kid. "This is from the Vessel... who is no longer with us."

"How beautiful, delicate, radiant even." Bow says.

"Do not! Use that word. Anyway, Bow... have you thought of what we're going to do with little Mu here?"

"Actually I have." Bow says.

Mu chimes in, "How come you guys get to decide what happens to me? I'm a free willed human. I never-"

Hat Kid cuts her off. "Hush, the older kids are talking."

After some private discussion between the time travelers, Bow tells Mu what's going to be done with her.

"Mustache Girl, the small test I did on you earlier confirmed that you have a sense for timepieces. It is in the best interest to take you to the TTA since you are a danger to yourself and others. You will be locked up for your crimes and-"

"Woah! What!" Mu blurts out.

"Hold on, I'm not finished. You will be put in the TTA educational correction prison program, where you will be trained to be a time traveler and help bring balance to the universe. Shouldn't take more than 6 years, then you're free to travel and collect timepieces or take another career type to serve the TTA."

"That sounds awful! Hat Kid, let me travel with you and we can overthrow the TTA. I know you hate them. I read your diary."

"I- uhhhh..." Hat Kid says.

Bow Kid stops her before she continues. "We're getting totally off track. Hat Kid, set a course for the TTA."

"Without pleasure." Hat Kid says pushing some buttons. "I can't believe I almost died multiple times for others... haha. Who have I become? The ship darts through space, set for the Time Travelers Association headquarters, away from the saved and recovering kingdom of Hallownest.