"Athera." The silence broken between Munelra and the tiny creature is shocking to the female Hollow.

"Hm?" Humming out, she asks for the Hollow to repeat itself. "What was that?"

"Athera." Again, the Hollow repeats itself, leaving Munelra to contemplate the meaning behind its words.

Soon, Munelra speaks again. "Is that your name? Have you thought of one?" Athera is a word that has no meaning as far as Munelra is concerned. Living for a few centuries, she is certain that she'd recognize the name of someone or even the meaning behind most words.

The small Hollow is more talkative than usual. This is becoming a recurring thing over time, however. "Maybe." The small creature isn't sure if it wants to be called Athera for the rest of its life. What if it gets tired of that name? Would it just come up with something else? Who would it even tell that name to? Only Munelra would be alive to speak about it, with the exception of enemies who are more powerful than it and temporary allies such as Uintos.

"How... you name...?" For the first time in its life, the small Hollow formulates more than one word. A broken sentence, but still something more impressive than one-word replies. It wanted to know how Munelra got her name.

Thinking about the past, Munelra shrugs. "I've never thought about it, really. One day, I was born, and eventually, a name came to my head." The same cannot be said for every Hollow. Some are given names while others take them. It's different for everyone.

While its understanding remained minuscule, the lance-wielding Hollow understood the answer enough to nod its head. It accepted that it may one day get a name naturally. Athera may be a name that it likes, but it might just be something spawning after meeting so many named individuals. It is still given nicknames by everyone it meets.

"You shouldn't need to concern yourself with a name yet, pet. You've got to become strong enough to survive in this world on your own before you can do that. You'll be like the other named meals that fall victim to other Hollows. Rid yourself of human thinking for the time being."

The prospect of naming oneself is seen as 'human thinking' in Munelra's eyes. It helps hammer in the notion that not Hollows are monsters incapable of rational thinking. Some of them are much closer to humans than they'd hope to realize. The instinctive creations of 'evil' still carry ideals that mirror the humans who they oftentimes look down upon.

"Thinking about things like names and mercy are one of the things that end up getting you hurt. I don't want that for you." It still hasn't understood what brought Munelra's sudden interest to life. The female Hollow was an enigma to it. When it is on her head, it can feel an awful amount of power resonating through it, like there is a connection between the two of them.

Munelra is more powerful than any Hollow that it's faced so far. Uintos, Numb-A, and even the Gillian — her power stood in a league of its own to theirs. It cannot understand why, though. Maybe it had something to do with her appearance.  

"That aside, pet, I've got a question for you." As if to ease the inevitable boredom that comes from wandering Hueco Mundo, Munelra decides to give the small cub something to think about. "Where do you think the other Hollows in the desert are? The ones who don't fight, that is." 

The small creature is shocked by the mention of Hollows who don't fight. The idea of non-combative Hollows existing in this world so far is nothing but a shock to it. "I take it you've been to the human world once, at least. If you've gone, then you'll have seen humans walking around and living normal lives without violence, unlike our kind." 

Nodding in agreement, the Hollow recalls how it thought that humans were strange for fleeing from the rain and the darkness. They were much different from Hollows in that aspect. They had odd devices that carried them, ones that it confused for animals at first. The way they traversed the world without fear of being attacked by a larger predator made it even more curious. They lived much different lives than Hollows.

"Hidden away from the chaos of Hueco Mundo, there are cities filled with Hollows. They're Hollows who seek peaceful lives — Hollows who weren't strong enough to survive by hunting." Addressing the power of the Hollows is important to Munelra. She isn't sure if the lance-wielding Hollow will be threatened by the presence of other Hollows should ever they come across one of these places. It may try to kill and consume everyone in its path. This is not what she wants for it, at least not at this moment.

"I want to show you one of these places. I want to show you the life that you may be able to live, should you choose it. Fighting isn't everything you have to do to survive in this world. While it's beneficial, there are other options. You can just sit back and relax... Relax before you cross that torturous threshold." 

It didn't know what the threshold that Munelra spoke of was, and even with this lack of information, it felt that it was important. Munelra was giving it a warning in a way — that is its speculation. It can't read minds, unfortunately!

. . .

Proceeding with Munelra's plan, the duo traveled for what felt like a few days. The flow of time in Hueco Mundo is difficult to keep track of since the world is under the passage of an eternal night. 

In the distance, from Munelra's head, the small Hollow spots a multitude of structures past the hill that they rose up. Below, dunes and structures made from condensed bricks and items of sand hold Hollows within them. The Hollows, even from afar, are too weak for the small creature to notice. Already, it feels that there are only several Hollows who are on par with it in terms of power progression in this village.

Power was not what enthralled its attention, however. The actions of the Hollows inside kept its eyes trained on their lives. The Hollows here were not fighting, they were having conversations. Chatter tolled out the closer that the two grew to the village, and it was the equivalent of a culture shock to the little hunter.

"This village is called Sannox, the name doesn't carry much weight to it as far as I know. Nevertheless, it's been a haven for many Hollows that gave up on trying to survive in the wasteland." Munelra explains to the creature on her head. 

Silently, the small Hollow stares out at the village, both intrigued and disinterested. If compared to the human world, then there is nothing different from this village and the city of humans that it'd fought in before. They are helpless spectators to the dangers around them.

"I've come across it everyone once in a while, and I've even spoken with some of the intelligent Hollows here. You should rest easy knowing that there is an Adjucha in this village." The word Adjucha is enough to dissuade underestimating thoughts from the small creature's mind. Instinctively, its developed mind has grown to comprehend at least the surface-level danger of an evolved Hollow.

Munelra chuckles, seemingly detecting the shift in the creature's opinion. "Come, I'll let you experience the village before you think too strongly of it. Surely you're capable of thinking by now, aren't you?" The small creature jolts, feeling discomfort at the remark. 

"...Thinking...!" Audibly, the Hollow argues with Munelra. It is undoubtedly thinking, and capable of doing so! It might've survived thanks to its instincts, but when put to the test, it has shown that it can think and rely on both its body and mind! It's taken offense to Munelra's words.

"Ha! Yes, you're right. Forgive me, I'd forgotten just how much fighting you've done, pet. Just a few days after being born, no less." Sympathetic, Munelra offers a sincere apology to her miniature companion. Her apology soothes its irritation enough to allow them a peaceful entry into the village.

Once they entered the village, they were immediately greeted by other Hollows, all of whom were still larger than the lancer-wielder, even though they were undeniably weaker. The various shapes of the Hollows left it memorizing the advantages that each Hollow in the village could hold in battle. Some of them had long arms, meaning that they could attack their opponent from a distance, even in hand-to-hand fighting. 

Other Hollows had wings, soaring through the night sky without restriction. At some point during their introduction to all of the villagers, the small Hollow tried using its tentacles to shape a pair of wings and take flight. Needless to say, Munelra saved it from landing face-first and cracking its mask. 

. . . .

Munelra's claim about speaking with the intelligent Hollows of this village was a total understatement in the creature's eyes. 

Every Hollow in this village knew her name, calling out to her the moment they saw her towering stature. There were other Hollows who were just as larger as Munelra who indulged in poking at the lanced Hollow on top of Munelra's head, but those interactions always ended in someone's finger being stabbed. 

Small as it may be, the lance-wielding Hollow is a ferocious predator! Munelra would say something along the lines of, 'Ahaha! I warned you, don't poke the hive!' 

Poking aside, the small creature was fascinated by the lifestyle of the weaker Hollows, if only for a short while. It'd never expected Hollows to live with each other so peacefully. There were little signs of conflict among the group, they were all close with one another. The connection between Munelra and the inhabitants of the village was great enough to dwarf the brief connection she'd forged with the small Hollow over the last few days — even if she kept referring to it as 'Pet'. 

Attempts to speak were made by the small creature every once in a while. It didn't get many words out, but it was enough for Munelra to translate what it intended to say to whoever it was speaking to.

Discovering that it wasn't the only creature that lacked a full understanding of its identity was reassuring. The lance-wielder found other Hollows without names who couldn't come to a conclusion about their futures. All of them decided to continue living without names for the time being but would adopt one when they felt it was the right time. 

In this society of Hollows that'd lived a longer life than it, the lance-wielding had many of the questions it'd developed during its travels with Munelra answered. Names for many of the Hollows who bore them were things that came to them naturally. There are exceptions to this, such as those who were given another by someone else, but the majority of Hollows who have names thought of their own names.

The Adjucha of the village was notable. Munelra introduced her as Nelliel, a horse-looking Hollow. The green stripes of fur covered across the Hollow left a lasting impression on the lance-wielder, the colorful accents on her body leaving it momentarily captivated. 'Ah-ah,' Munelra had tutted at it when she saw it staring at the horse, 'you can't go falling in love with someone at first sight!'

It might not have had a good understanding of love, but the small Hollow was immediately annoyed by the implication that it was falling in love with something. Munelra's teasing sparked a fierce look on the small creature's face, one that successfully put a halt to her teasing. "Ah, sorry, pet. I didn't think that you'd get so offended." 

Nelliel only chuckled at the display. Their interaction was brief, but Nelliel's presence made a lasting impression on the Hollow, for certain.

. . .

"She... strong." After a long day of exploring the village, Munelra carries the Hollow on her head as the two exit the village. Maybe they'd actually been there for a few nights now. Thoroughly impressed, the Hollow could admit when it met someone strong, now that it was capable of limited speech. Nelliel's power was superior to Uintos's, an impressive feat in its mind.

"So, you're getting a good sense of who's strong and not, pet? Good, that means you're getting used to your new power, you're growing. It'll take some time, but eventually, you'll be able to do what everyone in that village can do." Munelra's words leave the implication that the Hollow is falling behind even in contrast to the inhabitants of the village. It doesn't stop to think about it, since Munelra quickly strikes it with another inquiry.

"So, do you think that you'd enjoy living in that place? Living like how they all do, in peace, waiting?" Munelra's tone changes. It is more serious, carrying no hint of her usual playful nature. Though she cannot set her eyes on it, the small creature can feel her gaze baring upon it. "Waiting for the inevitable end, while barely progressing yourself... It's peaceful, truly a stark difference to how you've been living."

"If you choose to live like that, I'll drop you off here. I'll return you to the village and even stay with you for some time. I won't eat you like I said, instead, I'll leave you to live your life how you wish in this sanctuary." Her words sound genuine. Munelra is offering to leave the small creature in this village, a place where she believes that it is safe. 

Living in this village doesn't seem like a bad idea. It's peaceful, and it's defended by a strong Adjucha.

All of the pros considered, living a peaceful life doesn't sound very pleasing after the hardship that the creature went through. "No..." It speaks, the answer is clear. Munelra, who's understood the creature better than others, is silent for a while. Maybe she was dissatisfied by the answer of the Hollow, or perhaps she was just shocked about it speaking so much. The latter is just too unlikely, especially with the time she's shared with the Hollow.

"Well then," Munelra breaks the silence with the sound of her footsteps. "I won't nag you. You've made up your mind." By the sound of her voice, the Hollow can sense the joy in her voice. Munelra was happy that her companion, whom she'd forced to accompany her, didn't desire to stay in the village. 

"There are not many things in this world to enjoy, but since I cannot leave, I wish to show you what I can." It was odd that Munelra was very intent on showcasing the wonders of Hueco Mundo to the creature when she'd obviously met other Hollows before.

Even taking everything into account, continuing to travel was a very charming idea. It was better than sitting around bathing in the sand. 

"We'll keep doing the same thing for now then, throwing you into battles so that you can learn to fight, eating after you've won, and then continuing with our endless walk. Fun, no?" 

Shaking its head, a soft chirp comes from the small Hollow on Munelra's head. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that her miniature companion had just chuckled at her joke. "I'm really washing off on you, huh?" Munelra follows up with her own chuckle.

Content with their journey, Munelra and the unnamed lance-wielding Hollow continue their walk across Hueco Mundo's wasteland. 

All the while, elsewhere, a robed skeleton sits on his throne, utterly unamused by life. The relevance of this skeleton? Nothing, yet, he carries no relevance for a great time... Or so it'd be a lie to say.