Radiance, AR, endings and the lore

[Jdr_]

When we beat Radiance, the void within us, Hollow Knight and the siblings absorb her, probably freeing Hallownest of the infection. Then we find Godseeker and with him the true form of Radiance and this time the void really kills her instead of absorbing. And this facts just gave me so many doubts, like:

1 - Versus Radiance, the void shape that comes from our vessel is totally different from what comes out versus AR. Are we the incarnation of void/abyss of thing like that?

2 - Could the Hornet DLC be a fight to free Hallownest from the void? It is the only higher being remaining now. We have Unn, but he is neutral.

3 - The Hollow Knight is now free and don't have a duty, so I don't think really makes sense Hornet fight him, although she was in alert we don't know the sequel until next DLC.

4 - I CAN'T ignore the fact that the void monster we become looks so much like The Hunter. He is a creature that knows almost every creature in Hallownest, even Radiance. So... maybe he fought, defeat and the void absorbed Radiance once, but Radiance keep jumping from dream to dream because absorbing her was not enough? You can't dream nail him too, like HK and PV.

[GSandSDS]

There are several beings that have 6 eyes. The giant void creature is just one of them. The hunter is another. Many creatures from Deepnest have 6 eyes including Herrah the Beast. And then there is the creature in the "blue room" in Godhome. So I think, the Hunter having 6 eyes is just a coincidence.

Edit:
Okay, my mistake: The Shade Lord has 8 eyes, but every other of the mentioned creatures only has 6.

[thorin.hannahs]

Originally posted by Jdr_:

1 - Versus Radiance, the void shape that comes from our vessel is totally different from what comes out versus AR. Are we the incarnation of void/abyss of thing like that?

The 3rd ending is the knight leading the void siblings up to Radiance and utilizes his own separate void form to defeat her with the hollow knight shade allowing the siblings to absorb her.

The 4th ending the knight leads the void up to Radiance and then becomes one with the void giving the void sentience and therefore becoming the god of gods Void. So the knight is no longer the knight (hopefully) but primordial force given a mind.

Originally posted by Jdr_:

2 - Could the Hornet DLC be a fight to free Hallownest from the void? It is the only higher being remaining now. We have Unn, but he is neutral.

I truly hope the Hornet DLC is us fighting the knight who is now a rampaging god. The feels man, the feels. Pale Lady is still around but with the way the void was acting I doubt she'll be the Pale Lady for much longer.

Originally posted by Jdr_:

3 - The Hollow Knight is now free and don't have a duty, so I don't think really makes sense Hornet fight him, although she was in alert we don't know the sequel until next DLC.

Well now all the siblings who were certainly wronged and abused are apart of the knight who became The God of Gods and a force of that magnitude now has concepts of pain, anger, loss and a plethora of other emotions. He doesn't need a duty to wreck everything in his way essentially wiping the enitre slate of Hallownest clean.

Originally posted by Jdr_:

4 - I CAN'T ignore the fact that the void monster we become looks so much like The Hunter. He is a creature that knows almost every creature in Hallownest, even Radiance. So... maybe he fought, defeat and the void absorbed Radiance once, but Radiance keep jumping from dream to dream because absorbing her was not enough? You can't dream nail him too, like HK and PV.

I don't find any stock in the hunter super OP god status theory.

[Appaguchee]

Originally posted by Jdr_:

When we beat Radiance, the void within us, Hollow Knight and the siblings absorb her, probably freeing Hallownest of the infection. Then we find Godseeker and with him the true form of Radiance and this time the void really kills her instead of absorbing. And this facts just gave me so many doubts, like:

1 - Versus Radiance, the void shape that comes from our vessel is totally different from what comes out versus AR. Are we the incarnation of void/abyss of thing like that?

The shade lord absorbed us and finally decided to work with the vessels to finally kill radiance. Not absorb as the vessels do, but completely evicerate radiance.

2 - Could the Hornet DLC be a fight to free Hallownest from the void? It is the only higher being remaining now. We have Unn, but he is neutral.

(Unn's a she, Grimm would be interesting to fight as hornet, The grand herald (mr mushroom) is teeeechnically a higher being) I would love this story arc, having to fight the original protagonist is a great idea. And I don't want a prequel for hollow knight anyways. (I would loooooooove more loooooooore!)

3 - The Hollow Knight is now free and don't have a duty, so I don't think really makes sense Hornet fight him, although she was in alert we don't know the sequel until next DLC.

The Hollow Knight? I doubt Hornet will fight with him, but you might have to. She doesn't know what the hollow knight looks like so she might still think he's infected. This is somewhat shaky but I suppose Hornet might rather be safe than sorry. I hope they'll have to work together.

4 - I CAN'T ignore the fact that the void monster we become looks so much like The Hunter. He is a creature that knows almost every creature in Hallownest, even Radiance. So... maybe he fought, defeat and the void absorbed Radiance once, but Radiance keep jumping from dream to dream because absorbing her was not enough? You can't dream nail him too, like HK and PV.

The shade lord with eight eyes? The only connection eyes have is that deepnest creatures are all related via the six eyes and the blackwyrm theory that the arena was a similar creater to the pale wyrm and that it had six eyes as well, and a lot of creatures nearby have more than two eyes.
#Eyesdon'tmatter.

[Appaguchee]

I forgot to add: Little to nothing is known about the hunter. He doesn't know what the infection is (Traitor lord) and that he had siblings he might have killed (forgot wich one). He isn't made of void by the way, he has the segmentational legs like bugs do. (Just in case) He isn't as knowledgeable as bardoon or midwife either.

[Jdr_]

Thank you for the answers, I love this game and theorizing about it as well. But I just can't still keep my doubts about The Hunter out of my mind. XD

Team Cherry made a game with unlimited potential, I just can't put in words how I love this game.

[GSandSDS]

Hmm, the Hunter has 6 eyes, the Shade Lord has 6... but the lifeblood creature in Godhome has 12.

Btw.: I do not hope that the Hornet DLC is just about Hornet vs. The Shade Lord. Because this would mean that in the main game we have just exchanged one tyrannic god with another tyrannic god, making the whole journey pretty meaningless. But who knows, there are so many possibilities. You could alter this idea a little bit. Let's say, the Pale King returns, and Hornet has to decide: Another age of light with the Pale King and all it's flaws, or a new age of darkness with the Shade Lord and an unknown outcome. Oh, this reminds me of the story of Dark Souls 1. ;)

[thorin.hannahs]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Hmm, the Hunter has 6 eyes, the Shade Lord has 6... but the lifeblood creature in Godhome has 12.

Btw.: I do not hope that the Hornet DLC is just about Hornet vs. The Shade Lord. Because this would mean that in the main game we have just exchanged one tyrannic god with another tyrannic god, making the whole journey pretty meaningless.

You mean making the entire story a wonderful tragedy. I personally feel great with the thought that our little knight that could becomes a tyrannic destructive force. Now if let's say The Shade Lord is not our little knight and just came into existence because of him then I don't want it or if the shade lord wants dominion rather than destruction that resets everything I don't want it. These types of endings are great because they can end in tragic loss for all where either the cycle ends or the cycle just continues. I like a good tragedy Macbeth, Wuthering Heights, Devilman, Elfen Lied and so on.

To hell with the Pale King returning, I prefer the canon where he is dead.

[Jdr_]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Hmm, the Hunter has 6 eyes, the Shade Lord has 6... but the lifeblood creature in Godhome has 12.

Btw.: I do not hope that the Hornet DLC is just about Hornet vs. The Shade Lord. Because this would mean that in the main game we have just exchanged one tyrannic god with another tyrannic god, making the whole journey pretty meaningless. But who knows, there are so many possibilities. You could alter this idea a little bit. Let's say, the Pale King returns, and Hornet has to decide: Another age of light with the Pale King and all it's flaws, or a new age of darkness with the Shade Lord and an unknown outcome. Oh, this reminds me of the story of Dark Souls 1. ;)

Shade Lord has 8 eyes (sorry I should have told that to make things less confusing) and The Hunter 6, but I still see some similarities in both. Hallownest is a fallen kingdom and that's one reason why Nightmare King came to Hallownest, he consume the flames of a fallen kingdom... probably when Grimmchild turns into Grimm/NK, so the higher beings trying to seize or destroy Hallownest, if Shade Lord want that, is nothing new.

About Pale King, I prefer him dead. You know, Radiance was the ruler before him, he gave a conscience to bugs and freed them from the basic instincts, but all the bad things that happened in Hallownest were his fault. I also think he was alive until his charm, king soul existed. In the moment we turn it into void heart, he no longer lives. The king's brand in our knight is gone too, soooooo... farewell Pale King.

Now we have Pale King dead, Radiance dead, NK as grimmchild or banned from Hallownest, depending on your choice and finally, Shade Lord, having nothing to possibly stop him to do whatever he wants. After killing Radiance we don't know if he has another goals like turning everything back to darkness or he just vanished.

Also, one more thing came into my mind now: If Radiance is dead, the infection is gone, right? And without any higher being to beat Shade Lord equaly, Hornet and maybe the Hollow Knight are the only ones who can do something to beat ot seal him (maybe Sly and the 3 nailmasters too?).

[GSandSDS]

Hmm, the Radiance first imprisoned and then destroyed... is this the reason why the world Hollow Knight seemingly has no sun?

[Appaguchee]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Hmm, the Radiance first imprisoned and then destroyed... is this the reason why the world Hollow Knight seemingly has no sun?

Radiance is pretty mad throughout the entire game (the whole... plague thing...) so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume she just noped giving hallownest light.

I don't think that if the shade lord turns on hollownest that they have a chance. Radiance is beaten by her opposite form, shadow. There's no more light to stop the shade lord, and no anti-vessels to contain the shade lord. Things look very grim for our dear hornet and the hollow knight, I think it might be a sort of race to get to the edge of the kingdom and escape, or delve deeper into the abyss looking for a solution. Whatever it is as long as it's not a prequel and pale wyrm and black wyrm stay dead then I'm happy.

OR IS IT! I forgot the delicate flowers. It might be that you have to retreat to the traitors den, and try and cleanse the void. Dryaa might be reincarnated as a void construct and we might finally get to defeat her finally. And the white lady is still alive, so she might be a hope, but the pale beings where never as powerful as the divine light and dark. Personally I think this is the most likely event that will happen. (or at least what I now want to happen.) Team cherry wouldn't have done stuff with the delicate flowers if they didn't have more screen time in the coming future. I'm sure it will be interesting nonetheless.

Can't wait!

[Jdr_]

Imagine you taking the delicate flower into specific points of the Abyss while the mad void hunts you the entire way... Oh God noooooooo! XD

Also, we still have a void heart deep into our birthplace. Maybe destroying it or dream nailing it with Hornet will do something (she has a dream nail or perhaps a powerful weapon too, right? She was able to create a way for us to Hollow Knight dream).

[Appaguchee]

She probly find it near the godseeker's corpse. I can see it unfolding before us!

[bobime, dorime, demomium]

Originally posted by Jdr_:

It is the only higher being remaining now. We have Unn, but he is neutral.

Isn't Grimm still around? Grimm cannot die. When you complete the Ritual, he is resurrected. The White Lady is also a Higher Being.

[GSandSDS]

Hmm, known more or less active "higher beings" aside from the Shade Lord:

• Nightmare King (recently reborn and still not grown-up OR banned)
  
• Unn (almost inactive, sleeps most of the time)
  
• White Lady (aka Pale Queen; restrains herself out of shame for what she did)

Well, I think that is basically it. All the other higher beings are either dead, missing or their fate unknown.

[Appaguchee]

Or of course unable or unwilling to help.

I recently found this artwork and now really want it in the dlc: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1518432561
It's just such a painful moment for the hollow knight, and it's such a great addition to his tragic tale.