After walking out of the passage, Simon realized that he had come to an unfamiliar area. Although he had forgotten the crossroads, he was already quite far away from the Shangchong Village.
It is easy to get lost without a map. Fortunately, Simon was able to ask for the pheromones he left behind, so he could at least return the same way.
Simon initially judged that this strange place was nothing special. It was just a normal area at a crossroads, sparsely dotted with reptiles and resurrected insect shells. But as he walked forward for a distance, he was surprised to find that this was actually a place similar to a three-way intersection, which could lead to three different areas.
There are usually signposts in places like this. Simon came to the high steps and found an old and beautiful signpost. The pattern on it meant hot springs, which means that the passage behind this signpost leads to the hot springs!
He took a deep breath of air, moist and clean, it must be a hot spring. Feeling itchy, Simon hurried into the passage. The deeper he went, the more abundant the warm steam became.
Light came from the end of the narrow passage, and suddenly the view became clear, and we arrived at a spacious and bright place.
The cave walls are dotted with large and small water outlets carved into horned helmets, pouring streams of hot spring water into a small pond. The warm hot spring water seems to emit a soft white light and has a pleasant smell, without any strange sulfur smell. It is a miracle of nature.
There were already insects bathing in the hot spring. Simon looked at them curiously. These insects were exactly the same as the unconscious bodies wandering around the crossroads, but they really had minds. They were not dead, but alive. They leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool, relaxed, and communicated in low voices.
There are a total of four bugs here, three of them are soaking in the water, and one is taking a nap on the carved metal bench by the hot spring pool.
Simon's arrival did not cause any commotion. These insects just raised their hands to greet him. The relaxed and contented atmosphere made Simon feel very comfortable.
He walked to the edge of the pool and observed the hot spring, and found that the spring water was actually glowing. It was indeed unique. No wonder it could restore the little knight's soul energy in the game. He excitedly took off his extra equipment and jumped into the hot spring pool.
The moment he entered the water, he felt like a piece of ice falling into hot water. The coldness of his body contrasted with the warmth of the water, and the strong stimulation made him shiver involuntarily.
With this sudden shock, he held his breath, and only when his whole body was hot did Simon let out a long breath.
It's a wonderful experience that goes deep into your bones.
Simon imitated the insects, leaning against the edge of the pool, resting his right hand on the hilt of the bone nail on the ground, closing his eyes gently, and relaxing to enjoy himself.
Unconsciously, sleepiness came over me, but I was not yet in a state of complete sleep. The world of dreams was like a golden bean in the pitch-black vision, glowing and attracting my attention.
Just as he was in this half-asleep, half-awake, peaceful and leisurely state, suddenly, a dazzling golden light surged out from the dream world like a tide, occupying Simon's entire vision. In this huge golden world, there was a sun-like light radiating a powerful presence.
Simon struggled hard to wake up, but failed. He was trapped in this sudden dream!
A mighty voice emanated from the light, "You, do you wish to return home? Believe in me! Believe in the radiance! Your wish will come true!"
Memories of the past came flooding back, and the wonderful life on Earth was vivid in his mind. Simon was completely drawn into the memories, but he still had one consciousness, that is, he wanted to resist!
Although all the good things in the past are worth reminiscing about, Simon is definitely not a fussy person who escapes from reality!
He is now a maintenance bug, a bug! Not a human! He is a warrior, not a mediocre person!
"Come on! Radiance! Defeat me, or destroy me!"
Dozens of fighters armed with bone nails hacked and killed in the memory, shattering the false imagination and revealing the radiance hidden beneath the memory.
His demeanor is sacred and majestic, and his light is dazzling, but he is wrapped in a white sphere with complex patterns, making it difficult to see clearly. One can only roughly make out the broad white wings behind him.
The pattern surrounding the radiant light has simple lines and delicate textures. In the center, there is a pure white pattern with a V-shaped shape and a crescent-shaped arc.
This is a seal.
Once upon a time, a Hollow Knight used his own body as a vessel to seal the Radiance and contain the infection.
But now it seems that there is a loophole in the seal, and the radiation is beginning to wreak havoc once again.
After resisting the erosion of the radiation, this layer of dream began to shrink and returned to the golden light spot.
But in reality, Simon in the hot spring suddenly began to slap the water, like a drowning person.
The three "bathing buddies" nearby were startled and approached Simon cautiously, wanting to see what was going on.
When a kind-hearted insect tried to pull up Simon who was about to sink into the water, he woke up, swung out the bone nail in his right hand suddenly, and the sword tip was like a brilliant meteor, but it stopped before piercing through the insect that stretched out its hand.
The insect locked by the bone nail was frightened and dared not move at all. The other two insects carefully paddled the water with their feet and quietly retreated. As for the insect taking a nap on the bench, it was sleeping soundly.
Simon opened his eyes, retracted the bone nail, and then sincerely apologized to the frightened good insect. Without waiting for the other party to come back to his senses, Simon went ashore, and without waiting for his body to dry, he hurriedly put on his equipment, jumped a few times, and left the hot spring.
"What a weird bug!" Several bathing companions lost interest in continuing the bath and sat around the hot spring to complain about Simon. They didn't notice that the bug, which had been sitting on the bench to rest, was emitting a hint of orange light from its tightly closed eyelids.
The Radiance continues to spread the plague after all.
And the destined Hollow Knight has not yet appeared.
The lost kingdom of Hallownest is about to enter its most dangerous period.
Simon is now preparing to go home. He has to make sure that Nati and Paya have not lost their minds.
…
On the surface, at the edge of Hallownest, a petite figure stood atop the Howling Cliffs. He wore a massive, pale, helmet-like mask, its main body shaped like a flattened drum. A pair of pitch-black eye sockets flank his face, and from its summit, a pair of symmetrical, inward-curving horns branched into tiny branches, like antlers or crescent moons. Beneath the mask, a gray cloak fluttered in the wind, secured with a handful of tiny bone spikes. His body was tiny, even smaller than his helmet, its black, gelatinous torso mostly hidden beneath the cloak, giving him the appearance of a large-headed porcelain doll.
He is the Knight, the protagonist of Hollow Knight and an invincible fighter.
He came to accept the call, to resolve the re-eruption of the Radiance, to fulfill his birth mission, to end his sad and bound fate...
The responsibility as heavy as the whole world weighed on his petite shoulders.
The little knight stared calmly at the dim lights twinkling in the distance with his dark eyes, then he jumped off the cliff.