The story begins long ago in the Fungal Wastes, the realm of the proud and honorable Mantis Tribe. They were a culture built on fierce tradition, martial skill, and an unshakable respect for their leaders: the Mantis Lords, three sisters who ruled in perfect harmony.
Among the tribe's elite warriors was a strong, charismatic Mantis Lord—the fourth sibling, and a figure destined for greatness.
But the fourth sibling harbored a dangerous desire: a lust for power that exceeded the tribe's honorable limits. He saw the infection of the Radience, the orange blight that seeped through Hallownest, and did not view it as a poison, but as a source of strength.
He broke the most sacred law of the Mantis people: He willingly took the Infection into his body.
This act was the ultimate betrayal. He did not seek to defend the tribe; he sought to rule over them using this corrupt power.
When the three Mantis Lords discovered his treachery, they were devastated but resolute. They refused to let the poison spread within their sacred halls.
The three sisters, putting aside their grief and their brotherly bond, united and drove him out in a battle that shook the Fungal Wastes. They named him the Traitor Lord, stripped him of his title, and exiled him from their territory forever.
The Traitor Lord fled, taking with him a small number of followers who had also succumbed to the promise of the orange light—the Traitor's Child (Mantis Traitors) and the Mantis Youth.
Driven by rage and seeking revenge on his sisters, the Traitor Lord made an unnatural alliance. He led his infected faction into the terrifying, dark realm of Deepnest. There, he allied himself with the menacing, cannibalistic beasts known as the Weavers.
The Traitor Lord planned to use the brutal strength of the Deepnest creatures to invade the Mantis Village and force his way back to power.
When I arrive, the Traitor Lord is found in the deepest part of the Queen's Gardens, waiting in the darkness. He is no longer the honorable warrior of the Mantis Tribe. He is a hulking, infected brute, his body pulsating with the orange sickness, his former speed and grace replaced by raw, frantic power.
I was led to the Traitor Lord by the ghost of his grieving lover, the Traitor's Child, who wishes for me to put an end to the madness.
"Ok...Compared to the other lords, you, my friend, need to go on a diet."
"ROOOOOAAAAAR"
In the ensuing battle, the Traitor Lord attacks with blinding speed, corrupted by the Infection. It is a desperate fight against the poison that almost consumed the entire kingdom.
When the Traitor Lord finally falls, he dies an infected, pathetic shell—a testament to a proud warrior who sacrificed honor, family, and sanity for a fleeting promise of power. He remains the most heartbreaking example of the Infection's destructive power over Hallownest's greatest souls.
I looked at Club Hed's injured body.
I went to his side to heal him, but.
"No, my friend-Cough-This is what I wanted-Cough-To die like a warrior."
"No, I will not let you die. Not this time."
"My friend, Everyone has their own time, and this is my time."
"..."
"Listen, I know this is hard for you to accept my death, but this will make you a stronger warrior in the future."
"I never asked to be strong."
"Don't say that you will need it to protect your loved ones in the future."
Before I say anything, she was dead.
"Dammit"
This was the first time I felt useless in saving someone.
In the high, dizzying expanse of the Crystal Peak, the ancient mining territory of Hallownest, dwelled a being known only as the Crystal Guardian. This creature, an amalgamation of shell and the powerful, shimmering Crystallized Ember that permeates the area, had one simple job: to protect the mining site.
When I first encountered him, the Crystal Guardian was lazy and largely stationary, often found taking a nap in a convenient shaft of light. He is a formidable but simple opponent, easily defeated if I were cautious. Once beaten, he vanishes in a puff of smoke.
Having defeated the Guardian, I was rewarded with a Charm Notch, a vital expansion to their strength. I then proceed to activate the nearby Dream Gate, a point of safe return.
Now, here is where the Guardian's fate takes a dark turn.
The Guardian, defeated and disgraced, was not merely destroyed. He was only briefly banished. When he re-materializes, he sees me accessing the powerful magic of the Dream Gate and realizes I have returned to his domain.
He also realizes something else: I was heading for another treasure.
Driven by a combination of possessiveness, embarrassment over his previous defeat, and a new, obsessive hunger for the power of the crystals, the Guardian snaps. He is consumed by the raw, chaotic energy of the Infection—that powerful, orange sickness of the dream.
He is no longer just the Crystal Guardian. He is the Enraged Guardian.
The Guardian takes up a new, highly inconvenient position directly above the Dream Gate. He is not sleeping now; he is waiting, seething, and focused entirely on destroying me.
When I use the Dream Gate to return to the area, the Guardian attacks instantly, raining down crystal beams in a fit of pure, unadulterated fury.
The Enraged Guardian is twice as dangerous as his former self. His attacks are faster, his power is magnified, and his persistence is absolute. He is a powerful vision of what a creature becomes when its simple existence is shattered by greed and humiliation.
I was forced to fight him in a quick, brutal rematch to claim the safety of the Dream Gate and proceed through the Peak.
His story is a simple lesson: even a minor failure can fuel a monster's descent into unstoppable rage, turning a lazy guard into a fierce, terminal threat driven by the desire to reclaim his power and pride.
-----------------------------------------------------
I took a bag from a dead body and put grimm in it so I can walk without anyone noticing him.
"Ready, little guy." I said as I looked at the bag.
"Paa"
I wish he doesn't make any sound when we get out.
---------------------------------------
Yeah, this is the time when he was in hollow knight only. (I made this chapter in my breaks so this is all I can do)