The faint scratching of pen against paper filled the silent office. The Lotus sat behind her desk, surrounded by twin mountains of paperwork that seemed to grow larger each time she blinked. Her normally composed expression was worn thin, and the tired look in her eyes betrayed just how long she had been at it.
She sighed, setting her pen down with a soft clatter and cracked her knuckles one by one. "One of the things I hate most about this job is the paperwork," she muttered to herself. "Seventy percent of it is just... nonsense. Look at this—an entire report about how hard the wind is blowing in District Nine. What does that have to do with the state of New Eridu? Or potential world-ending hollows? Or even hostile organizations?"
Running her fingers through her hair, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts began to drift as her eyes unfocused, lost in the mundanity of her eternal responsibilities.
Then, without warning, the space in front of her desk began to ripple. Reality warped and collapsed in on itself like a piece of paper folding and tearing along invisible seams. A tear in existence opened wide—and from it, Ellen climbed out.
The Lotus bolted upright, eyes wide in surprise, her fatigue immediately pushed aside by the shock of what she was witnessing.
Ellen stood before her, clad in her wanderer's garb, the red scarf around her neck fluttering despite the still air. Her presence was muted, yet undeniable—a weight in the room that bent everything around it.
"Lotus," Ellen greeted, her voice calm and even. "Can we talk?"
The Lotus blinked, slowly rising to her feet, still caught off guard. She nodded once. "Yes... Yes, of course. Please. Sit."
Paperwork no longer mattered.
The silence in the office returned after the brief collapse of reality that marked Ellen's entrance. The Lotus leaned forward, her elbows resting on her desk, fingers laced together as she regarded the woman before her with a tired but curious gaze.
Ellen stood calmly, her expression neutral—blank even—but her posture was relaxed, unthreatening. "I need to talk to you," she said plainly.
The Lotus raised a brow. "I figured as much. You don't crawl through reality just to say hello."
Ellen didn't react to the comment. "I want to become a wanderer. Leave H.A.N.D."
That made the Lotus pause. She leaned back slightly, studying Ellen for a few quiet seconds. "Just like that?"
Ellen nodded once. "Just like that. I need to be out there, doing what I can on my own terms."
The Lotus hummed, unconvinced. "You're leaving something out."
Ellen didn't flinch. "You're right. I am. But I'm not here to explain all of it. Just what matters."
The Lotus sighed through her nose and rubbed her temples. "Fine. If you're serious about this, there are consequences. You'll become an Ex-H.A.N.D, Ellen. You don't just walk out without making waves. I'd have to spin this into something that doesn't unravel everything, and even then, people will come after you."
"I'm aware," Ellen said. "If they send their best… I'll manage."
There was no arrogance in her tone. Just certainty.
The Lotus looked at her long and hard before sighing deeply. "The only reason I'm even considering this is because—out of all the damn Sections—Section 6 has always been my favorite." She gestured vaguely with one hand, the other still massaging her temple. "But you owe me. Lying to the higher-ups isn't easy, even for me."
"You have my word," Ellen replied. "When you need help, I'll be there."
The Lotus leaned back in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Before you go—mind helping me with this nightmare?" She gestured to the monstrous pile of paperwork on her desk.
Ellen looked at it, then at her. "Done."
The Lotus blinked. "Wait—what do you—"
She looked down. All the papers had been sorted, signed, and stacked neatly to the side of the desk.
When she looked back up, Ellen was gone.
"…At least I can finally go home," the Lotus muttered, slumping into her chair.
The storm clouds over New Eridu had long faded into a gray morning haze, the city below teeming with life, unaware of the quiet figure soaring above it. Ellen sat calmly atop the back of the Empress—her wyvern steed, radiant and fearsome in her celestial form. Her long white hair streamed behind her in the wind, scarf fluttering like a trailing ribbon of red, a lone streak of color in the drab skyline.
Below, the city pulsed with familiarity. She had just left Victoria Housekeeping—her old coworkers stunned by her sudden appearance. A quick reunion, quiet words exchanged in the back of the estate. She'd told them only what they needed to know: that she was going away, working on something important, something only she could do. No details. No Aeons. No Nihility. That truth belonged elsewhere.
Afterward, she had found her high school friends—those few who were still around. She spoke to them too, briefly. She smiled with them, let them ask questions she didn't fully answer. They didn't need to understand. They just needed to know she hadn't forgotten them.
Now, rising past the tall mountains and massive deserts of the Outer Ring, Ellen stood on the Empress's back as they approached the edge of a massive Hollow—a swirling abyss in the wastelands that seemed to breathe in the air itself.
The Empress shrieked once and dove.
Wind lashed against Ellen's body as they plunged downward into the gaping void, the world distorting around her. The scythe at her back thrummed gently, almost like it could sense the emptiness below.
And through it all, Ellen remained still.
Her thoughts were soft. Distant.
One day… when all of this reaches its end...
They'll be able to smile again.
Under a bright sun.
The Empress's wings flared wide as they pierced the hollow barrier, and Ellen disappeared into the dark.
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Announcement! This fanfic will be on pause for now as I now hit the wall known as burn out. I have testing all next week so there possibly be no chapters for my other story. And story I decided to start on is Re:Zero x Hollow Knight I hope yall like it when its released.
Sorry for the majorly short chapter I ran out of ideas of what else to put before I put this fanfic on pause. I didn't want to leave y'all on a massive cliffhanger so please bear with me.