Fuck Normalcy

A cold breeze blew through The Dark Cacao Kingdom, as Dark Cacao Cookie stood atop his grand citadel’s protective wall. Overlooking his territory. It was a particularly chilly day. Not only from the eternal cold weather he lived in, but also of the horrific news he had received: Late at night just four weeks ago, someone broke into the frozen dungeons underneath the citadel. Stealing The Strawberry Jam Sword, and then disappeared before they could be caught. Now they terrorized the kingdom, attack civilians in the dead of night, cookies falling left and right. Their families waking up in the morning to their loved ones crumbled, if they woke up at all…

The reports began to weigh on Dark Cacao Cookie. Each life lost cutting deep into his heart, bringing back dark clouds of deep, deep grief. The likes of which he thought he had escaped. He wondered often the state of his son, Dark Choco Cookie. Praying the former prince was safe. Far away from this dangerous murderer…

He took one deep breath, before suddenly hearing a voice. Frantic and terrified, calling from the nearby doorway.

“He’s inside!! HE’S INSIDE!!!”

The king’s eyes widened in horror, as he quickly whirled around, and sprinted back inside. Drawing his sword immediately. He took no less than just a few steps, before immediately reeling. The sickeningly sweet stench of strawberry jam hit him like a sledgehammer. It was everywhere, coating the walls, sprayed across the floor, and staining several tapestries hung on the wall. Bodies laid everywhere, cookie crumbs littered like garbage. And each corpse dried and empty. As if the jam inside had been sucked out of them…

He only saw such a thing one other time. When that cursed blade first attacked his home, using his own son as its twisted puppet…

Dark Cacao Cookie shook his head, banishing the memory from his mind. As he pressed on. The time to grieve would come later, right here and now, there was an active threat that needed to be dealt with. He sprinted through the citadel halls like a hunter chasing prey. Suppressing the urge to stop and hurl out his lunch. Each step was either met with the crunch of crumbs underneath him, or the wet schplat of jam being stepped in. Clinging to his robe and shoes, staining the fabric…

He quickly rounded a corner, only to stop at once at the scene before him. The intruder stood over a freshly drained body, wearing a set of all black armor, with a strange helmet obscuring his face in shadow. The Strawberry Jam Sword was held in the stranger’s grasp, but it looked…different. As if upgraded somehow. And that gem, the sickening red ruby that was once in its hilt, was now missing…

The figure seemed to be…talking to themself. Muttering under their breath, before they suddenly raised their free hand, and gently kissed the back of it. A tender act, which caused them to shiver for a moment. Before they spoke again, voice breathless…

“Thank you…master…”

Dark Cacao Cookie froze.

That voice…it can’t be…

The king took a step back, slowly shaking his head side to side. His expression one of growing horror. His heart thumping wildly in his chest, as he tried to back away, and escape the reality in front of him. But a traitorous crunch echoed through the hallway, as he accidentally stepped on a pile of crumbs. Giving away his location instantly.

The intruder’s head quickly snapped towards the king, pausing only for a brief moment, before speaking up again.

“Hello, father…”

Dark Choco Cookie greeted, injecting false warmth into his voice. As he turned, and began to walk towards the king. Dark Cacao Cookie stumbled back, stopping just in front of the wall behind him. Dark Choco Cookie stopped as well.

“It’s been so long, hasn’t it…? I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a bad time…”

“What…Wh-What…?”

Dark Cacao Cookie gulped, his mouth moving silently, trying to form words. But he couldn’t think of what to say. What could he say? He swallowed again, trying to work some moisture into his mouth. As he tried again.

“Dark…Choco Cookie…?”

He called out, slowly reaching a hand out to his son…Or whatever was left of him.

“What…What have you done…?”

Dark Choco Cookie stepped back, tightening his grip on his sword.

“I did…what I must.”

He answered simply.

“The sword…it stole my heart, and it would not let go…I had to return to it…”

A single glance down at the sword.

“I love it too much to leave it…”

Dark Cacao Cookie’s eyes widened further, shock and despair crossing his face. Love? The sword? How could Dark Choco Cookie, his own son, love the sword? The very sword that had stolen his soul, not his heart. The one that made him attack his homeland, twisted his mind against him, and forced him to attack his own father! How could he possibly love it!?

“I…I don’t…understand…”

Dark Cacao Cookie said, slowly shaking his head as Dark Choco Cookie raised the sword in front of himself. The sword’s gem glowing not in its hilt, but in his own face…

“I doubted you would…”