Infection

"The bugs of Hallownest were twisted out of shape by that ancient sickness. First they fell into deep slumber, then they awoke with broken minds, and then their bodies started to deform..."

- The Hunter



The Infection, sometimes referred to as the ancient sickness, bright light, or the plague, is the main antagonistic force in Hollow Knight, leading to the deaths of thousands of bugs and ultimately the downfall of the kingdom of Hallownest.

Arrival of the Pale King
Before the arrival of the Pale King, the Moth Tribe worshipped their creator, a higher being called the Radiance. After the kingdom of Hallownest was founded, the Moths turned their backs to the Radiance and started worshipping the Pale King instead. Over time, they ended up forgetting about the Radiance.

First wave of the Infection
However, the Radiance was not entirely forgotten, as memories of her still lingered. Eventually, bugs started to have dreams about the Radiance. This caused the Infection to appear for the first time. It started to manifest itself as bugs struggled against the Radiance's influence and tried to suppress it. The bugs of Hallownest tried all sorts of tricks, rituals, and prayers to stop the Infection, but none of these methods worked. Even the Five Great Knights did not know how to defeat a formless enemy such as the Infection.

The Pale King decided to use a Vessel to seal the Radiance away which would stop the Infection. These Vessels were the Pale King and the White Lady's children, born in the Abyss with Void inside their shell. The chosen Vessel would be unaffected by the Radiance's influence, and would therefore be able to seal her indefinitely. In the end, the Hollow Knight was judged to be pure and chosen to become the Vessel who would seal the Radiance.

Second wave of the Infection
However, the Hollow Knight turned out to be impure, tarnished by an idea instilled. Despite that, they were eventually sealed with the Radiance in the Temple of the Black Egg. Since the Hollow Knight was susceptible to the Radiance's influence, the Infection returned after some time, quickly devastating Hallownest and plunging the kingdom into ruin.

Hallownest remained in ruin for a considerable amount of time until eventually the Hollow Knight's shell started to crack, amplifying the Infection and causing corpses to be reanimated.

In-game events
The Knight returned to Hallownest after a call went out from either the Radiance or the Hollow Knight. After the Knight kills one of the Dreamers or acquires the Monarch Wings, the Infection from the Black Egg spreads and intensifies. Many creatures in the Forgotten Crossroads become mutated, bloated, and dripping with Infection. Blobs of Infection block various paths and a sharp sickly smell hangs in the air.

During the Hollow Knight and Sealed Siblings endings, the Radiance and the Infection are sealed inside the Knight. In the Dream No More ending, the Radiance is consumed by the Void, stopping her influence on the dreams of Hallownest's inhabitants and putting an end to the Infection.

If the Knight defeats the Absolute Radiance in the Pantheon of Hallownest, the Absolute Radiance is completely destroyed by Void given Focus. As a result of this, during the Embrace the Void ending, Hornet watches vines of Infection shrivel up and lose their colour, thus marking the end of the Infection.

Mental
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.

Physical
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.

In later stages of the Infection, the body of the Infected being starts to deform. Their body becomes distorted, with orange growths covering their body and sometimes their entire body swelling up with Infection. Orange gas may also seep from the growths. While Infected beings may be weak by themselves, the Infection grants them strength and empowers them.

Besides its direct effect on bugs and creatures, the Infection manifests itself physically in other ways. Corpses can be reanimated by the Infection or by Infected lifeforms such as Lightseeds or flies. It can also create single-celled lifeforms such as Infected Balloons. Lastly, the Infection can manifest as growths, vines, and noxious gas which cover the caverns.

Trivia

 * The Infection apparently has a sweet smell and taste.
 * Despite being plants, the Fool Eaters and Gulkas are also Infected.

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