Infection -Hollow Knight-

Grew Up… as royalty in Deepnest. Hornet is a Princess, the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast. But nothing from their kingdom exists anymore after the terrible Infection. With no one and nothing left, Hornet has moved to Hallownest, which is facing another deadly plague. Having seen her own kingdom fall, she thinks she knows how to restore Hallownest. But she knows she can’t cure it on her own—she will need the help of a few allies on her quest.

Profession… warrior. Hornet is determined to protect the ruins of Hallownest from threats both inside and out. She uses her speed and agility combined with her needle and thread to pierce bugs from a distance. Hornet’s weapons include spiked balls and bombs.

Relationship Status… single. After the kingdom fell to the infection, Hornet wandered the ruins alone and thought she was the only survivor. But she has recently met a new mysterious bug who wants to join her in battle.

Challenge… surviving. Hallownest has only gotten more dangerous as time has passed. Hornet is determined to not only survive but also thrive. But the power to save the kingdom is proving near impossible due to the special capabilities one would need to beat back the infection. This doesn’t deter Hornet, who stands up to those who get in her way: “I know what you are. I know what you’d try to do. I can’t allow it.”

Personality… fierce, energetic, and selfless. Hornet wields her needle with a nimble prowess, staring down any foe that would challenge her or her kingdom. Hornet may be quite small, but there’s not a more powerful guardian than her. cold-hearted, sharp, firm in spirit and body, clever in words, cautious, but deep down caring like the White Lady herself. Gloomy and unsociable.

Hornet has a black body with a white head that has two eye holes and two long horns. She wears a red cloak that covers her body from the neck to her legs. Her arms are rarely seen under her cloak, but are as black as her legs are.

WHAT IS THE INFECTION The Infection initially manifests itself through dreams, using desires and planting false hopes in the minds of bugs. Eventually, the Infection grows dominant in their minds, which are broken, and their wills enslaved. This allows the Radiance to exert control over the bugs overtaken by the Infection and make them become part of her union. As a result, they return to primal instincts and are driven mad, becoming much more courageous and aggressive. At advanced stages, they may even lose their sense of self-preservation, as seen with Belflies and Violent Husks.

Some bugs managed to withstand the Infection. The Mantis Tribe actively resist it, which allows them to retain their intellect. Bardoon resists the Radiance's allure and went to a quiet place in Kingdom's Edge to get away from the Infected creatures whose minds were lost to the Radiance.

The Infection manifests itself physically in beings in several ways, generally depending on how far the Infection has progressed. What is true for all beings who are Infected is that they release splatters of orange fluid when struck, while non-Infected bugs release white particles. The eyes of most Infected beings glow orange, although this is not true for all of them.