#tmok

Chapter 13: Life and Death will always lead you into Love and Regret

You laid there awake for half of the night. Shadow Milk had entangled his limbs into every crevice they could find. His hair was a mess as well, the eyes in it kept staring at you. If you stared back at them, it wouldn’t take long for them to avert themselves. Back then, there was a signature scent that aired around him, Blueberries. There was none of that now, only a hint of cologne.

You didn’t even try and force him off. If you laying there was enough to keep him content, it was worth it. The trials would be pushed off to a later time, and he would be in a better mood.

“You’re just laying here and doing nothing. C’mooon, snuggle a bit!” Shadow Milk rubbed against your cheek.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“Not an excuse.”

“Well, you’re no fun!” He stuck his tongue out.

“Who said I have to be fun?” You turned away from him.

He sat up, leaning on his hand, “No one… But can you ever be fun? You’ve been in such a grouchy mood lately that it’s been killing the mood of the Spire.”

You brought the blanket to your face, “Wasn’t that the whole point of making the rooms and hallways dark and gloomy? To try and kill any ‘fun moods’ as you call them.”

Shadow Milk plopped down on your side, his legs dangling off his side of the bed and his head near your stomach, “Well, yeeeess… But not for you! I can make an illusion if you don’t want to look at it all if you want.”

You turned your head away from him, talking into the pillow, “I’d rather not look at a lie all the time. If I am to be wandering around here, I would rather have to look at the harsh reality of my situation.”

“Why are you so obsessed with looking at the Truth?”

You couldn’t think of a nicer answer, “Because I don’t wish to end up like you. Corrupted… Alone… And to go against every moral I’ve ever had… It’s truly a fate I don’t want.”

He didn’t say anything, only sitting up.

“I see how it is.” Shadow Milk had gotten off the bed.

He was already at your door, not even taking a glance at you, “Breakfast will be in the kitchen. Feel free to grab some.”

You looked up at where the door had shut. You POSSIBLY could have worded it better, but who cares? It was your brutally honest truth.

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The kitchen had been quiet. Ginger Brave, Wizard Cookie, Strawberry Cookie, and Pure Vanilla Cookie had been eating their fill in silence. Today’s breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with bacon, coffee was in the pot and milk was in the fridge. No matter how much you wasted it, the milk would never empty. Anyway, you had grabbed a plate and joined them at the table.

You were the first one to speak up, “So… Ready for the trials…?”

“No.” It was a collective answer.

“I am not either. I did my best to stall him, but once there is a will from him, there will be a way to get it done.” You played around with your food.

“What will happen after all the trials are completed? Is there a prize? Or will there be more mind games for a long while?” Strawberry Cookie had poked your arm.

“…”

“The games won’t end until he gets what he wants, the Souljam…”

“I only assumed. To try and pull me and the Souljam down to a point where it is unbearable, and to give the other half to him.” Pure Vanilla took a long, slow sip of coffee. Black of course.

‘The combining of the two Souljams wouldn’t do much. The Souljam is basically something where they get their power from, trying to put the two together won’t do anything. It takes the person to change, not an accessory.’ You thought to yourself.

“Are you sure there isn’t ANYTHING you can do to help us Prof? To help us escape from here? We came for knowledge but it seems we trampled into a far more dangerous situation. Does Shadow Milk Cookie really mean all those threats?” Wizard Cookie inquired.

You stared down at your plate, “Yes… He really means it.” Oh right, the other part, “I don’t think I can help much. Last time I saw him, I left him in a bad mood. I feel like I have only made today worse.”

The group grumbled, until Ginger Brave spoke above their mumblings, “How do you know he means it? Like have you seen him follow through after a threat?”

You clenched your fists, creating white marks from your fingernails. Were you really going to tell children this story? “He… He has done despicable things. To me, to innocent lives, and to everyone around him. I’ve watched him sew chaos that plunged the world into war. He even tried lying that he wasn’t doing any of it, to attempt to hold onto the little sanity he had left.”

“What did he do to you? From what I observed, he adores you.” Black Sapphire Cookie appeared in the kitchen doorframe.

“I… I uhm…” You stammered.

“Spit it out, darling, we don’t have all day.” He grinned.

You glanced around at everyone, attempting to appear confident, “He had murdered my family and placed the blame on me; thus, I gained a criminal record and banishment from my village. Once the rumor had spread across lands, I am banned from over 40 cities and towns.”

You heard multiple comments, “Oh geez…” “That’s horrible!” “I expected it really.” “How could he do that?” “Why place the blame on them?”

“… Are you going to avenge them…?” Black Sapphire stood behind you.

“There’s nothing in my power that I could even do. Besides, it has been several centuries since it had happened… Although the information that he did it was quite new. Well- a year old by now.”

“CENTURIES!? WITCHES, HOW OLD ARE YOU?!” Wizard Cookie exclaimed.

You lightly smacked him on the head, “Never ask for someone’s age you buffoon! I’m only a few centuries old!”

Black Sapphire Cookie mumbled, “Half a millennia.” He snickered.

“I… I’m a little older than that… I feel old now.” You internally sobbed.

“If you’re old, then I’m old as well.” He ruffled your hair.

“Unc.” Wizard Cookie said.

You blankly looked at him, “Huh?”

Wizard Cookie just grinned.

Candy Apple Cookie had walked into the kitchen with a yawn, still dressed in her pajamas, “Gmornin.”

“Good morning, Candy Apple.” You started to pick up the dirty plates.

“Whatcha talkin about?” She rubbed her eyes.

“Nothing much. Just small talk.” Pure Vanilla Cookie stood up.

“Oh… Is breakfast ready yet?”

There was a collective “Mhm.”

Everyone started to file out of the room, leaving Candy Apple behind. The only noise in the Spire was just footsteps, awaiting what was to come.

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Now that you had finally woke up enough to look back on this morning, you had realized that you had made a terrible mistake. Shadow Milk was certainly going to punish either Pure Vanilla, or the kids out of anger, all because of a comment.

The only radical choice would be to apologize, but he was nowhere in sight. Not even a small area of blue eyes could give you hints. Wandering the halls of the Spire, it felt empty, as if the last resident had finally left. Candles were their normal yellowish-red, the forced gloom was non-existent, and no sound at all. You couldn’t even find a ‘puppet’ wandering the halls. Your aid was gone as well; suppose you would have to rely on your crutch a lot more now.

A sudden, but rash idea flew into your head…

‘This is the perfect time to escape! No security eyes, no staff, no Cookies, just a straight getaway!’ You grinned ear to ear.

Limping as fast as you could with your crutch, you headed straight for the main entrance. You would devise a plan to get Pure Vanilla and the kids out once you have mapped the outside area; although you weren’t too sure on how Candy Apple would react if you suggested bringing her too. You wanted her to have a normal life, to live out her teen years like a normal girl in high school, not living with one of Earthbread’s most dangerous threats.

With a large tug, you yanked on the door handle. It moved maybe a foot… But you were making progress!

. . . . . .

A black cloud surrounded the door handle, slowly crawling up your arms. You were too busy thinking of freedom to even notice. It started at your hands, up to your shoulder, and slid to the middle of your chest. THAT is when you noticed it. A sharp pain going through where your heart should be. It felt close to a heart attack, but not quite.

You tightly grasped at your chest, “Wha- What is this pain?!”

“That is the final security measure.” A voice spoke behind you.

You fell to your knees, “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

“I unfortunately can’t. The only way it will stop is a change of will and mindset.”

“Change… to the ways of Deceit I suppose…?” You balled up the rug below you.

“Something of the like.”

Maybe just thinking of lies would work. It worked in the Yogurt River of Rebirth, why wouldn’t it work now? Circling through memories, again and again, nothing soothed it. You were full on crying, begging for it to stop.

“Have you ever felt guilt for harming a Cookie?” The shadow loomed over you.

Your face darkened. Memories flashed through your head, the tribe’s people, your comrades… ⱦħē łīӻē ɏꝋᵾ ⱦꝋꝋҟ… You claimed it was for justice, but in reality… It was unnecessary. The comrade was already dead and you knew that, yet still, the attacking tribesman lost his life as well in that battle.

“What are you saying!? Just tell me the way to stop this!” You tried focusing on conjuring a healing spell.

“Do you regret… him?”

A small ball of light was conjured in your hand, placed at your chest, “I don’t have the slightest clue on what you mean.”

“Do you regret ever loving him? Do you regret even being with him? Do you regret trying to save a lost soul? Do you-“ It was cut off.

“YES! Yes! I do!” You tried wiping away your tears, the pain slowly calming down, “At first… definitely not. But once he turned against both of our morals, the things we stood by, took an oath to… It made me look at him in a different light. He was-IS a murderer, he’s murdered my loved ones, he’s tricked others into either losing their lives or becoming his minion, he’s done atrocious things to innocent lives, he’s manipulative, he’s… he’s…” The pain was gone, but emotions flooded the hole.

“Do you still love him? Even after everything?”

“…Yes…”

“Hmph.” There weren’t footsteps, but you could feel whatever that was had left.

You gazed down at your hand. Your fingertips were stained black at the tip, then faded to your skin near your palm. You tried wiggling them around to see if you had any loss of feeling or touch, thankfully not. Whatever that thing did, you only hoped it would wash off.

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It didn’t, but it was time for the trials. So, you had to keep quiet about the matter as there was no clear chance to speak up about it. You grabbed an old pair of black gloves to hopefully cover your fingers.

You stared at your crutch from your desk, thinking. It was still a medical grade issue, but it was getting wore out by the amount you used it. Suppose it’s time to swap it out for another one? Or perhaps a cane instead?

An idea flew into your head.

The Fount of Knowledge’s staff. Before his corruption, it was used daily as that is where he held his Souljam. The Souljam is a divine gift given by the Witches themselves, a promise to Cookie-kind, an unspoken oath to serve; displayed right alongside its user in a grand gold staff. You remembered a day when visiting the Fount that he had allowed you a special liberty not given to any mortal Cookie.

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The Fount had plopped down into his office chair. The two of you were in his more… secret… office, away from all the demanding Cookies. It was there that he was more than comfortable to speak his mind. The office was placed in a more secluded area of the Spire, but was easily accessible. It also had a large window in the back of it as well!

He had been complaining about a random Cookie that aggravated him that day, “So this young mistress had come here to seek information about a school project… BY THE ACADEMY I OWN BY THE WAY!” The Fount had slammed his fist on his desk, clearly being fueled by anger as of the moment, “Do you know what she asked me? Go on, ask. Ask. Ask. Ask. Ask.” He pestered you, who had become a victim to his daily yapping session.

You were sat on the opposite side of the desk, “What did she ask?”

The Fount laughed angrily, a chuckle if you will, “She- She asked-“ He burst out into a laugh, but pushing through to speak his words, “She asked if I could basically do the whole thing for her! It’s something for testing week as well too! If I do it for her, she would basically pass with a 100% since I’m the one who created the damn test!”

He then continued to point out all the features of every stupid person he talked to until the sun had set. You had quite literally watched it go down until the cosmos in his hair resembled the wall length window behind him. It was like one of those classes you took during your college days. Where you had a small piece of paper, or a canvas, and tried to match it almost exactly to your background image to make it seem like the painting wasn’t even there. You did almost fail that class if it weren’t for some of your more experienced classmates to teach you a few tricks of the trade.

“-so you see, the Souljam has been acting up lately.”

“Huh?” You had zoned out.

“…” The Fount had blankly looked at you, “Did… Did you just not hear what I said?” He looked almost disappointed that you missed out on his rant.

“I heard some of it. Then I got distracted by thinking of paintings.”

“Would you like us to paint?”

“Not right now. Your voice is calming and I’d like to hear more.”

“Oh!” He held his face in his hands.

“Something about the Souljam?” You leaned your head on your hand.

“Ah yes!” He coughed, clutching his staff, “The gold beneath my hand starts to warm up occasionally. I thought it was just overuse of holding it, thus making it warm. However, this isn’t like one of those, it’s almost a BURNING hot.”

“What are usually the circumstances for it?” A simple inquiry.

“It’s normally when I’m talking to other Cookies.” The Fount had gazed at the Souljam.

“Perhaps a lie being spoke to you? Or misinformation of knowledge being spread?” It was all hypothetical theories being thrown out there.

“Try it. Lie to me, or- or just say something that’s entirely false.” He gripped the staff tightly.

He wouldn’t yell at you for small white lies, right? Afterall, he DID tell you to lie to him, “The grass is blue. The sky is green. Fire is cold. Ice is hot. Coffee-“

“Don’t disrespect Coffee like that… Although continue.”

“Books are made to be used as air. Pencils write like quills. A clock moves backwards.”

You had noticed that he had pulled his palm away from the staff occasionally, only allowing his fingers to hold it upright. Then he swapped the two out. It definitely was burning him; he just didn’t want to admit it.

Light Milk Cookie had chuckled, it had been rung out like honey, “Continue! These are funny!”

You glared at where his hand was, “Bags can’t hold things. Light is dark. Dark is bright. On means off. Off means on. Reality is an illusion. The universe is a hologram. Gold is light as a feather. Feathers are heavy.”

It had got to the point where he had just laid the staff on his lap.

“It burned?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“You got yourself a lie detector.” You grinned, folding your hands together and laying your head on top.

“The Souljam does wonderous things I suppose.” He lightly placed his hand on the Souljam.

Light Milk Cookie glanced up at you, eyes half lidded, and a small smile, “Would you like to hold it?”

“Eh?”

“The Souljam I mean.”

You immediately scooched your chair backwards, “WHAT?!” It took you a moment to fully process what he was asking of you, “You want… ME, to hold something so sacred?! Are you out of your mind? I cou-“

“Perhaps I am.” He had unlatched the gem from its holder.

You grasped at words, trying to form a coherent sentence. Hands tapping on the desk, attempting to calm down, were taken softly. Your hands were laid face up, the blue Souljam being placed on them. It felt… warm. As if it were full of life. Every few seconds it had pulsated like a heartbeat, was it truly his heart? If so…

You blushed ferociously. He had taken “giving you my heart” to a new level! And to think it was unintentional! You tried brushing it off as he probably didn’t know, right? Just being curious about a sacred gem, correct?

You held it up to your cheek, the warmth enveloping your entire face. If there was a blanket like this, your bank account might need more coins. Light Milk Cookie swallowed hard.

“Am I allowed to examine it? For research purposes as this is a once in a lifetime chance to be able to be this close to something as precious as a Souljam.” You glanced up at him.

His hand was covering his mouth, facing away from you. All he gave was a simple nod.

You were eager to start your study on it, quickly twisting and turning your hands to look at it from all angles. It looked pretty much the same, its normal light blue color. Funnily enough, the shape of it looked like an ice cream cone. Gently gliding your finger along its edges, you kept it on the bottom portion. It was a curious thought, was it sharp enough to injure?

Sure enough, it is. It pricked the pad of your thumb, blood slowly dripping out, “Interesting.” You sucked on your thumb to stop the bleeding.

You drew a pretend smiley face on it. The Fount’s breath had hitched.

“Are you alright?” You stopped what you were doing.

“Yep… Yep just… Keep-“ He inhaled sharply, hoping you would understand.

You pondered. If you did something to the Souljam, would it affect him? As an experiment, you VERY slowly traced your finger across the edges. You could see how he grasped at his chest, avoiding any looks at you while facing a different direction. His breathing was uneven as well. All quite interesting, you must say.

“Do you feel what the Souljam feels? Like if I were to punch it, would you feel it as well?”

“…Yes… Please don’t punch it though, it would hurt much more to me rather than it.” He had a fake look of untrust, although it was merely playful.

You looked down at it, ‘It appears as though this is just a power holder for the Virtues. If anything, it might hold their heart.’ It wasn’t as interesting now as it was before. You had learned more about it, thus, the curiosity died down.

You grabbed his staff, which was laying against the desk, and carefully put the Souljam back in its place, “It’s surely something to study, but based on my own deductions, I can already tell you what these do.”

“Do share.”

“Hmmm…” You grinned, “No, I don’t think I will. Keep you guessing, eh?”

“Such a minx you are.” The Fount simply sighed.

Muffled yells were beyond the window behind The Fount. You could obviously tell he could hear it as well, but tried his best to act like he didn’t. He never was a good actor when something stressed him out.

“What’s outside?” You finally spoke up.

“A balcony.”

“What’s outside the balcony?”

“Cookies.”

“Why are there Cookies?”

He chuckled nervously, “I may or may not have forgotten about my meetings today to spend time with you…”

You stood up, in a small fit of anger, “WHAT. You KNOW the kinds of Cookies that come to you! They’re gonna- Well they ARE enraged because of the meetings! I’m not that important to potentially get the Spire raided all because you wanted to skip a few things!”

The Fount had shrunk in his seat. Not in the way you would think, but the literal way. He had changed his size to one of a child, looking up at you like a parent scolding their kid after they had done something bad.

“And don’t think that little… cute… adorable… act of being small will waver-“ You took one large breath, “Okay I wavered. C’mere while we go sort this out.” You extended your arms.

“Uppies.” He climbed right into your arms.

“Shut up.”

With one large swing of opening the glass door to the balcony, you saw almost an army of Cookies waiting outside, “What…?”

“There he is! The liar!” Screamed several Cookies.

The Fount had immediately gotten out of your hold, instead standing behind you.

You summoned a microphone, it was an old one that was never in use, “Dare I say, WHAT is the issue today?!”

One larger Cookie spoke up, “The Virtue lied! All of us had important discussions we needed to speak with him about, and you know what? He told us, ‘I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.’ And NOW, someone has died because of his incompetence to uphold a basic statement!”

Hundreds of Cookies all started explaining their issues at the same exact time, crowding one another. That is until a torch was raised by what seemed to be the leader of the mini revolution.

He was atop a horse with a heavy Southern accent, “Heed my words, Assistant. If you do not bring out the Virtue of Knowledge at this moment… He isn’t leaving this tower. The Grand Spire of All Knowledge will be burnt to ashes.”

You started to breathe heavily, hands shaking, and lip quivering. You were scared. Scared for your life, scared for Light Milk’s, scared for any innocent life to be caught in what was to happen, and scared to be in a life-or-death situation.

Light Milk had tugged on your sleeve, gazing down at the Cookies ready to burn down his pride and joy. However, he grew in size, stepping in front of you, “And heed MY words. You really dare to burn this place? Endanger countless innocent lives, whether it be your comrades here today, or the people under my protection… Lives will be lost… And it will be your fault.” He coughed, “Continuing, I shall reschedule appointments. I also deeply apologize for any negative things that has happened due to my absence, I will offer paid therapy and cover funeral expenses for the ones who have lost lives.”

It was a long moment of silence, occasionally the whisper or two discussing on what they should do…

Until a rock was thrown not even a foot away from your head.

Cookies had followed suit, throwing rocks or miscellaneous objects towards the balcony. You had tried conjuring a shield spell, but The Fount had taken your wrist to stop you from doing so, “Go inside, I will deal with this.”

“What?” You had to doge a rock, “I can’t just leave you out here in harm’s way!” Another rock.

The Fount had looked so, so tired. He took all the blunt blows of the rocks with no protection spell or armor, “I deserve this… I have done such a terrible job as the Witch’s Envoy… I’ve failed at being a teacher, a leader, someone to look up to… I’ve failed at being a Cookie…” He looked like he wanted to cry, but perhaps… There were no tears left to cry.

You pounced on him, hoping to gain cover from the large stone railing, “The hell do you mean? You’re by far the best Cookie I have ever met. You are a great teacher, a great leader, and I look up to you. I try and live up to your living legacy… just because of how you are.” You held his face with one hand, “You are a great Cookie. Never think you are anything less than that. Words from meaningless Cookies shouldn’t mean that much, they’re just jealous of you and your intellect.” You brushed through his hair with your other hand, occasionally twisting a strand of the cosmos, “I’d say… Don’t listen to the negative comments, they’re only out to get you, and everyone else. If you can be a great role model for me, then perhaps you might be someone else’s. Maybe a kid wishes to grow up to be a scholar like you… Or to be as kind and caring as you.” You gently swayed your thumb across his cheek.

Tears flowed out of his eyes, smiling, “Thank you… for everything.” He sniffed, “You have been the greatest part of my life yet, and I have all of our lives to spend it together with you.” Light Milk Cookie had held your face, leaning in closer.

Smack.

A rock had hit your head. It had rendered you unconscious and out of The Fount’s grasp. Blood gushed out of your head and you needed medical treatment, STAT.

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Even in the present day, you couldn’t remember the events that happened after that. Being told by a doctor, you had been given a concussion. You were ultimately sure that whichever Cookie had thrown it, they were already long gone by now. There was no point in revenge, nor did you hold any grudge against them.

Now you pondered where you store The Fount’s staff back when you gained control of the Spire, ‘If I remember correctly, it should be in somewhere in the office.’ And to there you went. The secluded office.

-

Under the wallpaper, there was a secret brick that you had to push. You had it installed no later than when you gained the staff, ensuring that it would be safe. Feeling around, a piece had dropped.

“Hah! Guess I still remember it!” You felt accomplished as the wall dropped backwards and slid to the left.

There it was. The golden staff. It had collected quite the amount of dust over the years, but you could tell it was it already. A quick spell of air did the trick. The light blue crown had distorted into sharp edges, and there was a large hole where the Souljam used to go.

You had laid the staff against the window, and took off your gloves, placing them on the desk. What a shame, your fingers were consumed by the darkness, slowly spreading to your palms. You only hoped it wasn’t contagious. Gripping the staff tightly, you tried walking around with it to see if it was comfortable; it was. Great, it would be your new staff instead of your crutch.

It had spread to the staff as well. Darkness engulfed the bottom part of the staff, and stems of darkness had been sprouting where the Souljam would go. A sphere had formed with one large eye.

You had almost dropped it then and there, but you had to remind yourself that it would potentially break due to its age, “The Witches is this?!”

“A simple way to keep an eye on you.” The eye had spoken.

“It’s you again… Oh dear…” That blasted thing again. Why couldn’t it leave you alone? You had already learned your lesson from your last escape attempt, was it really going to be after you just to prevent you from escaping again?

“I have already learned my lesson; there is no need to helicopter over me.” You tried to shake it out of the staff.

“I am not here to watch you try and escape. You are simply an interesting character to observe; I have taken that into notice.”

“Are you going to be here the entire time I use this staff?” You finally stopped, staring at the top of it.

“Until the darkness fully consumes you… Yes.”

“The hell does that mean?” You slammed the staff on the ground.

“You’ll see. Now, now, don’t you have a trial to attend? Best to not be late.”

“I hate how you’re right.” Sighing, “I will allow you to stay there on one condition.”

“That is?”

“Don’t cause another one of those minor heart attacks again. You had almost scared the living shit out of me! Figuratively and literally!” You had clutched your chest.

“No promises, but I will try my best.” If it had a mouth, it would have a punch-able shit eating grin right about now.

You had picked up your gloves, placing them back on, “What even is your name? Do you even have one?”

It was silent for a moment, but it broke the silence not long after, “The Light of Regret… Call me ‘Lor’ if you would like.”

“Quite the interesting name, I’ll give you that, Lor.” You had stomped off out of the office, locking it shut with all of its locks. Took you a solid three minutes to do so.

“Tut, tut. Name shaming? I never thought you would stoop so low. I suppose that fits you. Judgmental, rude, hard headed, seeking truths that are insipid, and-“

“SHUT UP.”

It chuckled.

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Ah yes, one of THE largest staircases known in the Spire. It was a direct shot to the top of the Spire, only having one door each floor for access to it. If you wanted a specific floor, you would have better luck trying the other staircases. This one was the exact one you had to take everyday from your early college days, to when the Spire had been destroyed. Sweet nostalgia hits in the darkest times, doesn’t it? However, instead of the grand, luxurious, and warm feeling staircase, it felt like it went on endlessly, broken down, and cold. You always remembered the Spire had heated flooring as The Fount walked barefoot, but now it seems the boiler room was inactive for the stairs and floors. The Winter days when you didn’t feel like putting on slippers were the harshest, you had learned that lesson quite well.

Step after step. It felt like you could spend hours trekking up here and STILL not reach your destination. You did however sigh in relief when you could hear talking, at least you were getting closer to them.

“So! Who’s up for volunteers?” Black Sapphire had exclaimed.

“Volunteers for what exactly?” You had reached a midway point where the party was.

“Professor! You’re awake!” Strawberry Cookie and Ginger Brave had run towards you.

“Ahah, yes children.” You simply pat their heads.

“What’s that scepter you have there?” Wizard Cookie took a step forward.

You swung it around a bit, “A relic I had stored ages ago. My crutch was getting into disrepair and I needed a new one. Might as well put this back into use again.”

“Instead of simply asking… You had to use THAT?” Candy Apple Cookie had rolled her eyes, “What a piece of history. It couldn’t have been left there? In history?”

“Hey! It’s a perfectly good scepter and it still can deliver support for this body of mine.” You felt slightly offended.

“Why? Why that?” Shadow Milk Cookie had breathed heavily.

“I just expl-“

“No. Give me that. NOW!” He had lunged for it.

A cloud of darkness consumed his arm, “Back off.”

Shadow Milk had quickly retreated, “The fuck is that?!”

“Lor. My new… Well, I don’t know what to call the blasted thing, it’s a complicated relationship.”

“Why is it in MY staff?! Get it out! Out!” Shadow Milk was enraged, clawing at the top of the scepter.

“I’ve tried, Shadow Milk. It will not leave the staff even after I have shaken it several times.” You had demonstrated shaking it.

“Stop shaking me! You’re making me nauseous.”

A small pain was sent through your chest.

“F…fuck…” You mumbled, clutching your chest, the shaking had stopped due to it.

“Witches, is that the only way that I will get you to stop?”

“I have asked you, again and again, to take that damn shawl off… And now you are trying to take this scepter as well? What are you trying to do? Copy me? To take my old ways? To try and bring truth to this… THIS WRETCHED WORLD!” Shadow Milk had been shaking with anger, pushing others away. It wasn’t a push per se, but more or less throwing them a full hallways length away with a touch of magic.

“…”

“ANSWER ME!” He had shaken you by your collar.

“Yes.”

“Why…? Why would you try and serve these blasted Cookies? You have SEEN what they have done to me. You have even taken part of one of many acts against me! They are ruthless when they can’t accept the truth… Yet you still want to help them?” Small bits of tears swelled up in the corners of his eyes.

“Shadow Milk, let me expla-“

“NO!” He had let go of you, “I don’t want to lose you to them! Can’t you understand? They will hurt you; they will harm you; they will deceive you into believ-“

“SHUT UP. Let. Me. Explain.” You had finally snapped, “You think I haven’t thought of all that? Of course I have! It has tortured my mind for centuries! All because of you. I was devastated to know that you had caused such a calamity… And to know that you had lied to me about it!? I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t WANT to believe it. That is until I had found out for myself at the Silver Tree of everything you had done. I can’t even place it all on you, the other Virtues fell to cause their chaos as well. But I’m more pissed with you. You had DECEIVED me into thinking you were helping!”

Shadow Milk had yelled, “I WAS TRYING TO HELP!! I thought, that I could reshape Earthbread into a place where it was peaceful, where there wasn’t any harm to be done, where there-“

“WELL CLEARLY YOU DIDN’T! The world had to FIX itself because of you and your friends. It had to restart itself. I, had to restart. I thought I could make the world better, to give Knowledge to others. And guess what? It had worked… Until the war.”

“What war…? Where was I during this? Still stuck in the Silver Tree?” He now had a look of confusion rather than one of anger.

“The Dark Flour War. Pick up a book to inform yourself of what had happened during your absence, will you?” You had huffed.

“What exactly did you do? What do you mean it had worked? What?”

“I… Took your place. It was entirely accidental of course, but I was given the title ‘The Source of Knowledge’ for my efforts. I had rebuilt the Blueberry Academy into a high-school, the Blueberry Yogurt Academy. I had rebuilt some of the Spire that had been destroyed during the Beast War, opening it up to the public. Of course, I was still new to the occupation so I did not allow meetings. Instead, offering up the countless libraries we held here in the Spire for free use.” You sighed, “It had actually worked. The Cookies that came actually sought knowledge for themselves instead of merely asking for it.”

Shadow Milk was just listening. He appeared to have calmed down from his rush of anger.

“That is until the Dark Flour War… Where everything had turned sour.” A look of grief crossed your face, “Dark Enchantress Cookie had been chaotically causing chaos. Killing hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Wreaking havoc onto every building in sight… Including the Spire and Academy.” You had leaned on your staff more, “There was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried making defenses, but it didn’t work. The best I could do was evacuate everyone before it all collapsed. It had all been destroyed…”

“Oh…”

“Living in the Faerie Kingdom was albeit a bit boring. I tried taking on several jobs, but nothing could compare to the workload of my previous occupation. Time had felt to have been slowed down. Before, it felt like a life could blink past you. A student I had taught could have already been in their old age before I even knew it. Then, it slowed down immensely. Work days at the Faerie Library felt like they would never end.”

Shadow Milk had stared at you for a couple of minutes, just gazing into your eyes. Unexpectedly, he had taken your available hand, trying his best to free your other one from the scepter. You just allowed it to be dropped, placing your hand in his.

“I… Had felt the same. But under different circumstances. Time felt rushing past me, never having enough of it. Deadlines were my worst enemy.” He chuckled lightly, then smiled, “But it all slowed down when I had met you.” His cerulean eye had lightly turned back to a light, pastel yellow, “I couldn’t have spent enough time with you. It felt great being by your side. Whenever you were around, I couldn’t wait to get rid of my work to be with you. The workday had felt much longer than it was.” Shadow Milk had lightly held your chin, “Because I love you. I couldn’t be as happy as I am now without you. I wanted… No, want, to spend more time with you. I want you by my side again. I want you… to love me again.”

He leaned in closer, lightly pecking your lips.

You had thrown your arms around his neck, “Who said I ever stopped?”

He simply smiled, leaning his forehead against you. He started to pepper your face with kisses, occasionally biting on your ear.

Pure Vanilla Cookie had finally returned to where he was visible, clearly a little out of breath with climbing all of those stairs again. The kids followed him along with Black Sapphire and Candy Apple.

Black Sapphire Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie stopped in their tracks, the kids bumping into them.

“What happened?” Candy Apple tried to look around Black Sapphire.

He coughed, “It appears we are interrupting a moment…”

“I do say, yes, we are. I suggest leaving with the kids?” Pure Vanilla Cookie had offered to Black Sapphire.

“Yes, lets.”

“Hold up you two!” Shadow Milk’s eye had returned to its normal cerulean color, leaving the embrace, “Don’t think I will just allow you to escape from the little game I have planned for you today!” He had walked over like a diva, circling around Pure Vanilla.

“Oh great… Golly, I am SOOOOO glad to be a part of this wonderous game… yayyyyy…” Pure Vanilla Cookie was clearly so done with this man.

You had picked up your scepter with a smile, ‘I don’t know how… But he had an inch of sanity being revealed… By me? Let’s see if I can make that be shown once again!’ You internally giggled, ‘He has gained some confidence as well. Back then, it was just accidental love poems being read aloud or I could make him blush with a small comment. Now it seems as he has gained some bravery.’

Lor had whispered, “You know… That had hurt. To be dropped for something as terrible as that? It was truly a sight for sore eyes. I’d hate to be the innocent eyes that had to experience that. Thank the Witches I only have one.”

“I need you to shut up.” You had lightly slammed the staff.

“Don’t you regret it? To have done something like that in front of the kids? To be shown kissing the villain in their eyes could lose a lot of trust in you. Not even an hour’s worth of explaining could help your case.”

“GENUINELY… Shut the fuck up.”

“Hmmm… No.”

“I won’t give you eyedrops.”

“NO WAIT-“

“Just what I thought.”

------------

You couldn’t understand what kind of game they were playing. Was it poker? No, too many cards. An extensive game of Black Jack? Still no. Perhaps it was tarot cards, they were speaking of future’s so it would make sense. The kids had been turned to cards along with Black Sapphire Cookie and Candy Apple Cookie too.

It was odd. Shadow Milk Cookie had given several ‘second chances’ to the cards and Pure Vanilla. Quite out of character for him in your opinion.

“We kindly prepared rooms for you! You’ll find them most comfortable! Oh, and don’t even think about running away. You see, there’s nowhere to run from the top of the tower! Hehe.” Shadow Milk had stacked up the cards into one pile, “Unless you want to drop down and shatter into pieces! Who knows, your friends might follow suit? AFTER ALL, their position is far from enviable here!”

Oh, how you held back. You had wanted to smack him right then and there, whether it be with your staff or hand, as long as he got hit, you didn’t care which way. However, you picked your battles and didn’t… yet.

All of you were rushed out, told to go ‘practice card skills’ because apparently Pure Vanilla wasn’t great at tarot reading. Beats the hell out of you, you had never gotten that far into studying how they worked. It was mainly The Fount’s thing to learn.

The party had split into two groups. A, Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla. B, everyone else. It was a tossup between keeping an eye on the chaos bean, or to help protect the kids. You knew Black Sapphire wouldn’t allow anything to happen to them, yet you weren’t too keen on leaving them with Candy Apple Cookie. Leaving Pure Vanilla Cookie was also a tricky one. With no one by his side to keep him from falling into Deceit was a risky situation.

‘I… I’ll go with the kids. As long as Pure Vanilla knows the kids are safe, there will at least be a bit of clarity.’

And off you went to catch up to them.

---

The cards had been shoved into a dark purple bag Black Sapphire now carried. You could hear tiny screams to stop shaking them, and you did try and reiterate it… But you were quickly overtalked by Candy Apple whenever you tried.

Candy Apple Cookie had stopped in her tracks, “Black Sapphire Cookie!! Black SAPPHIRE CooKIE! BLACK SAPPHIRE COOKIE!”

He was clearly annoyed, “One time is enough. What is it?”

“Telll me, what are YOU gonna do with the cards?” She inquired.

You pondered that too, ‘What IS he going to do with them?’

He had a monotone voice with a touch of annoyance, “Try my best to keep them safe, as Master Shadow Milk Cookie ordered, obviously.”

She giggled, “Oh reaalllyyyy?”

Black Sapphire backed off, “…Stop it. I don’t like when you stare at me like that.”

He was right. She DID have that mischievous glint in her eyes. However, it was finally time for her to speak her idea, “Oh, you know, I’ve been thinking… Why don’t we let these Cookies go?”

‘Great idea Candy Apple. I will gladly take them off of his hands.’

His voice clearly told the tale that he was sick of her bullshit, “Say what now? Where did you even get such an idea…?”

“I’ll be glad to take them if you wish.” You had stepped forward, “I’ll take good care of them, I’ve taught kids so I know how to handle them.” Your plea was quickly dismissed.

“Just listen! I know you know what I’m talking about! Shadow Milk Cookie… is acting weird…er than usual!” Candy Apple Cookie tugged on Black Sapphire’s coat.

Looking back, she was correct. Black Sapphire Cookie could even admit as well, “…Hm, yes, he is not a Cookie who gives… multiple second chances.”

You ultimately decided to stop trying to butt in on their conversation. They were clearly ignoring you.

“RIGHT?! And, and! Back when we played chess! Did you see it?! Did you see how happy he was?!” Candy Apple had taken a step away from Black Sapphire, “I… I’d give all, ALL my syrups… AND MORE! Just for a glimpse of my beloved Shadow Milk Cookie’s smile…” She stomped her foot, “But those Cookies…?! UGH! They mad me feel… SO, SO JEALOUS!!”

You silently prayed in relief, ‘Thank the Witches that she did not see what happened earlier. Although I do have to say, her obsession with him is quite strange. Perhaps as Black Sapphire Cookie said, maybe she seeks validation from him?’

Candy Apple Cookie and Black Sapphire Cookie started bickering while you had been in thought, ‘It is a little bit expected. The Fount held a deep hatred for when he was being lied to. To create something he made out of something he despised though? That must’ve been rough for Candy Apple. Either I, or Black Sapphire had to take care of her instead of the one that had created her. Almost felt like a disownment. I can see that Light- Shadow Milk has done a better job at it although. He at least pays minor attention to her, giving her ‘special’ jobs even though they just seem like errands.’ You sighed, ‘When will either of them learn to wake up?’

A voice in your head spoke, “You’re thinking awfully hard about something that isn’t your problem. Why?”

‘Lor?’

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I will leave that up to your imagination.”

‘Just shut up, Lor.’

“I am not speaking.”

‘Get out of my head then.’

“No.”

You grumbled. All because of a failed escape attempt, did this monster really have to follow you around? He’s even getting into your head! Is there any way to kill this thing or will you have to find some ancient spell to remove him?

‘Fine.’

A quite sudden shove knocked you out of your conversation. Candy Apple Cookie had shoved Black Sapphire away after she had successfully taken the bag away from him. The bag had ripped and the cards had spilled all over the floor.

“YOU LITTLE BI-“ Black Sapphire almost lunged at her.

You had to hold him back, “Now, now, Black Sapphire. No need for violent language around the kids.”

“RUN MY COOKIES, BE FREE!” With a puff of smoke, she had turned the kids back to their original selves.

With small debates amongst the kids, they eventually fled. You were at least giving them a bit before you had released Black Sapphire Cookie. It was almost like holding back a tiny dog from catching a small animal, feisty, clawing, and talking back.

“RELEASE ME OR I SWEAR I WILL-“

“Shh.”

“DON’T ‘SHH’ ME!”

“Shhhhhh.”

“LET ME AT HIM!” Candy Apple had tried landing a hit on him while he couldn’t move, however unfortunately for her, she was easy to pick up.

So, with your left arm, you held Black Sapphire. With your right, you held Candy Apple up in the air. Simply diffusing a dog fight, that is all.

---

You had hardly escaped from them. You had looked like you had just been involved in a cat drama; full of scratches and minor wounds.

You had hidden behind a wall out of sight down the hallway, hoping to at least hear if they would act civil now or if one of them would go looking for the kids.

“Well, well, well! I hear someone was a bad Cookie. Now what should I do with you? Tear you to shreds, here and now?”

You heard a small rip.

“Hmmm… Hold on a moment! Our little friends likely went to Pure Vanilla Cookie. Just what could be happening in his chambers…?”

“Hm… You wish to volunteer? Very well, I trust you might find out something useful!”

You didn’t bother to hear the rest. All you were focused on was finding the kids as fast as you and your staff could take you.

---

You had quickly found them. They didn’t make much coverage via running. They at least made it across several hallways. Standing in front of a room, they had entered with hope that it was Pure Vanilla’s.

You didn’t have the heart to tell them. At least you could negotiate with the staff in that room.

It had been one large room that looked almost like a hallway. Paintings adorned the walls, ceiling, you name it. It had actually been one of the most famous parts of the Spire back in the day, Cookies had flocked to visit it once it had been revealed. The Fount was a very skilled painter and often hung his works in that hallway, you never had the guts to take any of the paintings down yourself. If anything, you added onto them. The add-ins weren’t the greatest, but you had centuries of practice so you were bound to improve. It was its own built-in museum for the Spire of Knowledge. You had even offered historical tours of it to explain each style of painting.

“Brush, Stroke, Dab!” The Painters of Lies had chanted, “Liven up the old boring truth with an intricate pattern of lies! More details! More colors!” “And spare no paint! Broader strokes! More layers!”

All the paintings… Had been redone…? Filled with the very lies you despised.

Surprisingly, all the ones you had added ages ago had not been painted over. OF COURSE it had to be the ones you didn’t like. You thanked yourself that you were able to salvage most of the paintings in your sub-space inventory stored along side all the books before the tower crumbled.

“All together! All together! Move your brushes! Brush, Stroke, Dab!” From what you observed, they were mass producing THEIR version of the painting.

One Painter of Lies had noticed your group. She immediately accused of everyone being trespassers. However, how could they trespass if they were technically stuck here? Same as you. You had to be dragged out of the room while you mumbled on about the loophole.

The next room was one made for weaving, ‘Ah, I remember this room. It was one shown to me by Candy Apple during her tour. She loves visiting this place. I’m not too sure if the Head Rumor-Weaver and I are on good terms, but let’s hope for the best.’ A clearly fake smile was planted on your face.

The Head Rumor-Weaver had stopped her duties, “Ohoo! What do we have here? Cookies, mm?”

“Who are you?” Ginger Brave asked bluntly.

“Hm, I take it that you’re not from around here? I’m the Head Rumor-Weaver.”

Ginger Brave thought he understood, but his tone betrayed him, “Oh! …What’s a ‘Rumor-Weaver’?”

You didn’t want her to yap endlessly when the four of you were on a quest, so, you spoke for her, “Rumor’s and gossip come in many kinds and it is the Head Rumor-Weaver’s job to turn those into fabric. There are countless forms of rumors so it requires skill, for example, Absurd, Baseless, Insidious, etcetera. She can tailor specific Rumor-Fabric to what kind you need.”

She stared at you blankly, with all six of her… eyes? “Yes… I was just about to say that…”

The Head Rumor-Weaver had shown all of you around her area. She even did a demonstration on how rumors are spun into fabric. You had tried the hobby only once; it came out nicely. You had made a light see-through shawl. But it was made out of the rumor that you were a murderer. You had vowed to never wear it, even almost burning it once. Something about it made you decide to keep it, to banish it to your closet instead.

You were too distracted by spinning the wheel, thinking. It took Wizard Cookie tugging on your sleeve to gain your attention, “Come on. She gave us directions to where Pure Vanilla Cookie is. Let’s go!”

Thus, yet again, getting dragged to another place. But not before the Head-Rumor Weaver could give you all a warning, “Never-and I mean, NEVER-open the door located in the middle of the hallway. It’s where they make the Phyllo Dough Masks! One wrong step and you may end up losing your own face! Hehehe…”

You piped in, “She’s right. I had almost lost mine one day when I was being curious. Thankfully I had enough sense to run… well to the best of my ability, away.”

“But how can I lose my…? N-no, I don’t wanna know!” Strawberry Cookie was fearful.

With a few thanks, off the group went.

---

‘This isn’t right… The chambers aren’t down this way.’ You were severely behind all of the kids who were running.

Dashing down the hallway, they eventually realized it was the wrong way. You slowly caught up and just observed them. You didn’t quite know where Pure Vanilla Cookie is, but you had a general idea of where he was. Now it’s up to the kids… No wait- You should lead them.

“The Rumor-Weaver lied!” Ginger Brave exclaimed.

“It’s kind of in the name…” Strawberry Cookie sighed.

“Eh, I guess this one’s on us. We shouldn’t trust anyone inside the Spire of Deceit.” Wizard Cookie had turned to the opposite way, “Now, this path looks right…!”

You had tensed up; only fearing the gaze that would befall you. Luckily for you, the kids didn’t think on it much. You released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Lor was right… Trust could easily be broken if they started inspecting everything you did. Whether it be if they questioned why you were here, if Shadow Milk was getting too up close and personal, or rather it be why he wanted YOU stuck in the Spire. They were bound to be suspicious, so why haven’t they inquired on it yet? Did you hold THAT much trust with them? It’s odd although, you had met them for barely a full day. Why would they hold you in such high regards?

Why do you hold them in high regards too…?

Ⱦħēɏ ⱥɍē ꝋꞥłɏ ꞡꝋīꞥꞡ ⱦꝋ đɍⱥꞡ ɏꝋᵾ đꝋⱳꞥ. Ɏꝋᵾ ⱳꝋɍɍɏ ⱦꝋꝋ ᵯᵾȼħ. Ⱳħɏ ƀē ȼꝋꞥȼēɍꞥēđ ӻꝋɍ ⱥ ӻēⱳ Ȼꝋꝋҟīēꞩ ⱦħⱥⱦ đꝋꞥ'ⱦ ēꝟēꞥ ᵯⱥⱦⱦēɍ? Đꝋ ɏꝋᵾ ꝑīⱦɏ ⱦħēᵯ ɉᵾꞩⱦ ƀēȼⱥᵾꞩē ⱦħēɏ ⱥɍē ҟīđꞩ? Ꝋɍ īꞩ īⱦ ⱦħⱥⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ꞩēē ɏꝋᵾɍꞩēłӻ īꞥ ⱦħēᵯ? Ȼᵾɍīꝋᵾꞩ, ƀɍⱥꝟē, ꞩħɏ, ⱥꞥđ ēⱥꞡēɍ ⱦꝋ łēⱥɍꞥ. ₲ɍꝋⱳ ᵾꝑ. Ɏꝋᵾ ȼⱥꞥ'ⱦ ꞩⱥꝟē ⱦħēᵯ. Ⱳħɏ ꞩħꝋᵾłđ ɏꝋᵾ ƀꝋⱦħēɍ? Łēⱦ ⱦħēᵯ đīē. Đꝋ ɏꝋᵾ ēꝟēɍ ɍēꞡɍēⱦ ƀēīꞥꞡ ᵯⱥđē? Đꝋꞥ'ⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ⱳīꞩħ ɏꝋᵾ ħⱥđ ⱦⱥҟēꞥ Ⱳħīⱦē Łīłɏ Ȼꝋꝋҟīē'ꞩ ꝑłⱥȼē ⱥⱦ ⱦħē Ⱳīⱦȼħēꞩ ƀⱥꞥꝗᵾēⱦ? Īꞥꞩⱦēⱥđ ꝋf ƀⱥɍēłɏ ēꞩȼⱥꝑīꞥꞡ, ɏꝋᵾ ꞩħꝋᵾłđ ħⱥꝟē ɉᵾꞩⱦ ƀēēꞥ ⱥⱦēꞥ.

‘…Lor… Is that you talking…?’

‘Lor?’

Your body shook ever so slightly, grip loosening on your staff. Your eyes were unfocused and your breath was heaving, the area around you felt like it was spiraling. You swore that you heard one large sound, but it was muffled… Everything was muffled with a slight ringing.

What knocked you out of your senses was Strawberry Cookie clinging onto you tightly. Black Sapphire Cookie was in front of the group, ready to attack. He was rambling on about cameras or viewer discretion.

Ginger Brave held his candy cane sword, armed for a fight. Whereas Wizard Cookie held his staff, ready to cast a spell.

Black Sapphire Cookie was about to conjure something… But you weren’t going to allow him to injure the kids.

Your feet moved before you had even thought about it. Conjuring a defense spell around the kids, you and Black Sapphire stood alone outside the bubble of a defense.

“Dearest Professor… My issue is not with you, if you will be so kind to move out of the way… That will be greatly appreciated.” He held a forced smile, trying to appear civil with his microphone for a cane. He was clearly angered, maybe even annoyed.

“Black Sapphire… I’m afraid I cannot. I will not allow you to injure these kids as long as I am here to protect them.” You had slammed your staff on the ground.

“Then I’m afraid that we will have an issue.” The microphone had become a sword.

“Perhaps.”

You weren’t too familiar with the staff yet, but you knew transfiguration spells. With several spins, it had become a polearm. The blade was faded out in black while the handle was plated with gold, a small mint blue tassel hung at the end of it.

“I’ll give you one more chance to change your mind.” He had held the sword behind his back, closing his eyes as he appeared confident, “One… Two…”

With one glance at the terrified children, you had decided against other methods. Instead, forming the head of the polearm back to its original form. With one large swing, you had blunt forced Black Sapphire into near unconsciousness.

“Don’t even try to touch them.”

The kids had just cheered. ‘That’s a little morbid. To cheer after someone had nearly knocked another person out? Strange. Perhaps they are used to the conflicts of battle.’

The defensive spell had died down, the kids being set free, “Run.”

With that one word, they did as told without question. With a sigh, you knelt down to his level, “I’m sorry. Do you need any help?” You had extended your hand, a small ball of light shining in it; the other one held onto the reformed staff.

“If you will…”

You had tried your best to heal whatever wound you might’ve inflicted on him, including Candy Apple Cookie’s minor scratches on him as well, “I truly am sorry. Just please… Leave them alone…”

Black Sapphire had looked around before mouthing, “It’s just an act.”

You let out a small hum, quickening your duties.

It was odd. You had felt no nausea or weakness after all of those spells. Normally, a basic levitation spell would leave you bedridden for a day or so. Today was different. Was it perhaps the adrenaline coursing through your veins? Or was it something else…?

-----

With great power comes great responsibility they say. However, if you have too much responsibility… Perhaps the saying had been reversed for this case.

The group had been looking around the large hallways at a slow pace. You quite enjoyed it. However, with one small inspection, the darkness had consumed your entire hands, creeping its way up your forearm. What was happening? You didn’t know. All you could do was experiment.

You had tried miniscule versions of spells. Healing, fire, light, plant, aquatic, you name it…

Nothing had changed.

Then what was causing it? Was it some sort of illness? No, Lor came from it so it must be some sort of ancient spell unknown to you. Or was it new? Too new for you to know anything about. Perhaps it’s some sort of poison from Beast-Yeast. Maybe Lor was some sort of spore! Ah that explains it…

Right…?

---

It was an odd situation, that was the best word to call it. Pure Vanilla Cookie-or Truthless Recluse as he now goes by, had been calling himself a liar. Shadow Milk Cookie must’ve done something while the four of you were gone as Truthless Recluse was apathetic… More than he already was… You didn’t really speak up much, only hoping the kids would be able to change his mind. He had told all of you to escape countless times, yet they wouldn’t leave without him.

“I think I am beginning to understand him. And… It fills me with fear and self-loathing.” Truthless Recluse spoke blankly.

“Shadow Milk Cookie THINKS he made you join his side! He thinks he has won!” Wizard Cookie tried to reason with him.

“…He is not wrong.”

“WHAT?!” And you HAD to be the different one unintentionally, “Hm?”

He had sighed, “One the wise Fount of Knowledge, Shadow Milk Cookie turned into a vile jester. He finds twisted pleasure in luring his victims into his web of lies, manipulating them.”

‘Ah… Pure Vanilla found out his previous identity it seems.’

“And yet, my story is different from his. I simply let go of everything I once believed in. My Truth, my Hope to heal the world… I do not wish to fight for those things anymore. Just as I shall no longer lie to myself or wander in the fog of fear within my heart. I will reside in this tower, for I have lost any interest in the outside world. This is where I belong… The greatest liar of all.”

Now that you had thought about it… You almost related to him. However, you still had hope left. You had interest in going out, taking any chance you could to see your garden. You yearned to speak to someone else other than the Cookies inside the tower. Whenever there was a chance to escape, you took it.

Appears that your last, and potentially final one… Has cursed you.

You had lifted your arm ever so slightly, the long sleeve of the robe had fell. You had stared at it for a while, it eventually felt like your arm was moving quickly away from you, your ears had started to ring as well.

“AAAAAAAAAA!!” Someone had yelled.

You were already mid attack before you had gotten turned into a playing card. Everything rushed by you, what had just happened? You had tried to move around but it felt like you were in a box, “I feel… So two-dimensional…”

The kids were yelling at him. It was no use although, he didn’t even bother to pay attention. Instead, focusing on the doorway. You could hear a faint knocking, then a door being barged open.

“Master Shadow Milk wants your friends. Do you have them?”

You and the rest of the kids had been shoved into a card deck, “Here.”

You could now clearly hear whose voice this was, it was Black Sapphire. Being placed at the top of the desk was handy. He had refreshed himself before making appearances again with a new set of clothes, freshly combed hair, and if you could smell while being in a card, he would have his signature grape cologne spritzed on him again… Like he didn’t already use it enough…

“Well, well, well, as much as I would like to have my revenge, Master Shadow Milk Cookie ordered me to bring them alive.” You heard him huff.

All of a sudden, everything went dark.

“No! Not the bag again!”

A bag…? Oh right. The one they were in earlier today. Guess it was your turn to be thrown around.

“No surprises this time!” Black Sapphire Cookie accentuated his words with a heavy shake of the bag.

There was a small knock somewhere outside the bag. Black Sapphire tried to comment on it, but Truthless Recluse quickly shut the conversation down.

“Master Shadow Milk wants you as well.” Black Sapphire was referring to Truthless Recluse, “He will administer punishment to our… Bothersome little guests. Oh, I would love to see them suffer! What about you? Will you stand the agony of your former friends, heh?”

“They don’t mean much to me.”

‘What. What does he mean they don’t mean much? I understand that a simple teacher like I was won’t mean much… But the kids? Is he serious?’ You were filled with anger.

Black Sapphire laughed, “How cruel! Well now, it’s time to go! And make sure to avoid Candy Apple Cookie if you can. She’s been… Unsound as of late.”

And you were on the move. Now that you were a card and stuck inside here as well… You could understand where Strawberry Cookie was getting the nausea from.

--------

The game for this trial seems like a geography based one from what you could tell. Black Sapphire didn’t allow any of you to see the board all that well.

Shadow Milk Cookie had been spinning dice in his fingers, “Awh, failed to convince your friends to leave, hmm? TOUGH LUCK! What’s even worse, no one leaves this tower without my permission and goes unpunished!”

There was an awfully high-pitched voice from the other side of the table, “YES SHADOW MILK COOKIE! PUNISH THEM!”

“…Huh? And when did you become a card?” Black Sapphire inquired.

Shadow Milk coughed, taking over their little conversation, “You know, I’ve been observing you for a while now, and I realized: you really must be missing your dear friends, are you not?! I happen to know just the solution! Do you know what I’m talking abouuuttt….? Hehehe!”

“Those dice…”

“OOOOOOOH! Precisely! I see you’re getting the hang of it! Anywho! It’s time for a magical adventure around the continent!” He had thrown the dice onto the board, “And the destination is!”

Blinding light came your way. You felt as though you got slammed into a wall at full force. Then came the sheer cold. Your robe didn’t even feel slightly warm; it was made to be breathable after all. To be studying in the Spire for hours at a time, you didn’t really need the warmth.

The kids were shivering, “Where-“ “The Licorice Sea!?” “It’s freezing!” “I wanna go home.” “I don’t like this place.”

Taking a look to your right, large cocoa walls loomed over you all. If you remembered correctly, this was the Dark Cacao Kingdom. It did make sense with the architecture, location, and the utter coldness of it.

Shadow Milk’s voice was echo-y, “Ah! There you are! The rules are simple. Pure Vanilla Cookie and I will roll the dice and you will travel around the board! Sound good?! Safe travels!!”

“Why did we have to get roped into this game…?” You muttered, focusing on trying to conserve body heat.

The kids had stuck together, good idea. Although a previous thought had lingered, making you unsure.

‘I’m not too sure if they want me near them. Afterall, they did mention to not trust anybody in the Spire… Which rightfully so! They only met me for maybe a few days before I was taken away, why should they trust me?’ You walked behind them.

The gates had been protected by Cookies of all kinds. It didn’t seem fitting that they were all covered in blue icings… Odd for the Dark Cacao Kingdom.

“Watchers! Get into position!” Several of them had aimed bows.

You had tried to conjure a spell; however, it didn’t work. For the first time since all this had happened…

You truly feared for someone else’s lives rather than your own.

Leaping in front of the group, you had taken on the role of defense if necessary. But they had already ran right past you and attacked. You almost got hit by several arrows, yet none of them seemed to land. Almost as if they disappeared before you could register it did.

A Cookie similar to the others, but looked higher ranking than the rest appeared. Ah, this must be Dark Cacao Cookie, perhaps you could try and reason with him. You did remember meeting him once, it was right before the Dark Flour War. Maybe he would still remember you.

“I shall cut you down!”

“Oh no, no, no, no! I do NOT wanna fight Dark Cacao Cookie!” Ginger Brave had backed off.

‘Greaat… Yet another strong figure that we will have to fight.’

It took ages, but eventually the Cookie crumbled. You realized that these weren’t the actual Cookies, but rather imitations of them.

---

The same thing circled through countless kingdoms and their ruler. Hollyberry, Golden Cheese, but next was White Lily Cookie. You had pondered what that battle would look like…

How wrong you were. It was Dark Enchantress Cookie with a mix of White Lily Cookie. You had almost killed the poor imitation with brute force right then and there if she wasn’t already defeated thanks to the kids. Oh, if the actual thing could appear before you and gave you the opportunity… How quickly her dough would crumble by your hands.

----

The four of you had escaped the board, returning to your normal sizes. The three of them cheered. You were just glad to be away from all the fighting. Finding a random chair, you had sat down. If you didn’t have to keep an eye on that blue bitch of yours, you would have taken a small nap.

“No, seriously! Other Cookies should learn from you! The Brave, The Smart, The… Cautious? And the one to risk it all just to protect! Truly, the role models for all pathetic vermin! Excellent job! Truly remarkable!”

‘I suppose that he would’ve wanted to change how Cookies acted back then. Make them one of kindness. However, that wasn’t his specialty, perhaps the Herald of Change or the Sugar of Happiness could have advised him.’ Maybe just a minute of rest would be nice.

“But enough giggles.”

---

A sudden gush of wind had woken you up. You were scooped up by Black Sapphire Cookie atop one of the tallest towers of the Spire. Right on the very balcony you loved. Shadow Milk was dangling the kids over the ledge while Pure Vanilla watched.

“Sadly, for you, there’s nowhere to run. This entire tower is part of my dough! Remember? You’re in the belly of the Beast! Heh. I thoroughly enjoyed having you over! Hope you too had FUN!” He swung them around in the air playfully.

Wizard Cookie yelled, “NOT AT ALL!”

Shadow Milk scoffed, “Tsk, tsk, not a single word of gratitude for your gracious host! Need I remind you? A flick of my wrist will have your dough and souls scattered across my tower! Or, perhaps… There is a better solution…? What say you, Pure Vanilla Cookie?”

Pure Vanilla tensed up, “What do you want from me?”

“What would YOU do with these pesky Cookies? The choice is yours!”

“Why do you care…?”

He had grinned manically, “OPTION ONE! I silence them… FOREVER!” He slightly released hold of them all, “OPTION TWO, oh, you’re gonna love this one! You give your Soul Jam… to me.”

Ginger Brave had squirmed, “No! You can’t force Pure Vanilla Cookie to make this choice!”

Shadow Milk quickly hushed him. “Shshshshshhhhh! The adults, are talking!” He had casted a spell that physically shut his mouth closed.

What a barbaric way to use magic. You suppose that was the ugly side of Dark Moon Magic… The very thing that had started to corrupt The Fount…

To watch him study those forbidden spells made you curious to learn a few things from them as well. Now you deeply regret ever memorizing them.

“Oh, no, no, no, this isn’t a trick question! Just A, or B. I can’t wait to see what you’ll pick! Your friends, or the light of your Soul Jam? Which of these holds a greater value to you? Ohhhh, I wonder! Which of these… makes you who you are?”

Pure Vanilla tried searching for the words, but nothing came out.

--

“TIIIIMEESSS UPPPPPPP! Your choice is?”

“My… choice is…” Pure Vanilla slowly grasped at the Soul Jam beneath his robes.

Shadow Milk Cookie snatched it before the choice was even fully made, “How can one be this foolish?!” He laughed.

With that last remark… He threw the kids off the tower.

“NO!”

You had quickly gotten out of Black Sapphire’s grasp, quickly leaping off to hopefully catch them.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING! NO, NO, NO!” Shadow Milk had leaned over the balcony.

The ground had been quickly approaching and with not enough time. You had grabbed the kids and turned onto your back.

You’ve had limbs ripped off before, what’s a fall going to d-

CRACK

You coughed up blood, and your vision was darkening. With one last glance to check if the kids were alright, you let your eyes close.

O-o-O-o-O

Pure Vanilla Cookie stood there, watching as Shadow Milk Cookie let out a weak laugh, hoping to take control of the situation, “You… You might’ve won this battle! But it won’t bring your friends back. Heh.” His breath shook, “They’ve crumbled to dust! Nothing more than helpless souls that’ll roam my Spire for eons!”

Ginger Brave slammed the hallway door open, “PURE VANILLA COOKIE!!!”

“EH?!”

Pure Vanilla smiled, “My friends! I’m happy you’re unharmed!”

“We thought we were done for!” Ginger Brave shuddered, “The Professor-“

Shadow Milk almost lunged for him, “DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK OF THEM!”

“I suppose then… Fortune Teller Cookie had appeared to take us away from the… scene… And led us here!” Ginger Brave had opened the door widely.

The said Cookie in question appeared along with the others. A cloaked figure started to approach Pure Vanilla.

Strawberry Cookie question Pure Vanilla, “How did you pull it off though? I thought you and Fortune Teller Cookie were the same…”

‘It appears they have forgotten already.’ He lightly giggled, “Don’t you remember? In this tower, space and time intertwine in a myriad of reflections. Here, the future of the past and the present coexist. The cards showed me a glimpse of a possible future. A future that had yet come to pass. Fortunately, I was able to prevent it.”

Thanks were given to Fortune Teller, but he simply replied, “I’ve changed… Thanks to you, who believed in your own strength rather than fearing a bleak future. If not for you, I would’ve been wandering the fog of uncertainty within Pure Vanilla Cookie’s soul…” And with that, Fortune Teller Cookie disappeared once he merged with Pure Vanilla.

A large part of the tower was destroyed, “Excuse me? I’m, so sorry to disturb you… But I’m still THE MAIN CHARACTER here!”

“Shadow Milk, wait.” Pure Vanilla reached his hand out, “You are right. For me, nothing is more important than protecting my friends. But they are much stronger than you think. They helped me find my path again.”

“… One said ‘friend’ had to sacrifice their life for your worthless new outfit, your dumb new morals… Your wretched new ‘path’ too… How can you not have the guilt crawling up your spine? How can you go on seeking the truth when that is the harsh reality of it?”

“It… It haunts me too. But to live in a world where everything is cascaded in a lie? That is one the both of us would never want to live in.” Pure Vanilla grasped at his chest.

The eyes in his hair shot up, “SHUT UP! You know NOTHING of what I’ve done! You don’t know how much we went through! YOU don’t KNOW them! You think you can just take them away from me and think that it’s going to be alright?! NO! I WILL GET REVENGE!”

“Shadow Milk… Hear me out. Come with me to the Vanilla Kingdom, we can plan a proper funeral for them, and being by yourself will do no good on your heart after something like this. I can feel how lonely you must be. I felt a minute droplet of longing as well. I know it, for I’ve felt the same.” Pure Vanilla had proposed.

“Lonely?” Shadow Milk had laughed quite hard, “Now who is the clown here?! Why do you expect ME to go to your stupid kingdom?! I have my own place. Look at my Spire! Bask in its splendor! Here, I have anything I want! Fools, so eager to fall to their knees in exchange for one little lie!! You-You must’ve lost your mind!! I am the MASTER of this world! You DARE act like you know ME?! I’ll find the body and do it myself. I don’t need your help. I don’t need your friendship. I DON’T NEED YOU! I DON’T NEED ANYBODY!! ONE MORE WORD, AND I WILL WIPE YOUR PATHETIC DOUGH OFF THE FACE OF THE WORLD!”

“We share the same Soul Jam. We can understand each other like no one else can. You don’t have to be lonely… I’m right here. Please… Let me be your… friend.” Pure Vanilla held a small, but gentle smile.

“Friend…?” Shadow Milk gasped, “CURSE YOU!!! You know NOTHING! You ARE NOTHING! I HATE YOU! You and your SOUL JAM! I WILL DESTROY YOU!”

A battle had been sewn into the crevices of the floor.

---

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Shadow Milk Cookie.” Pure Vanilla had stopped the others from another attack.

Shadow Milk weakly giggled, “How ‘kind’ of you! Mark my words: one day, your ‘kindness’ will become your undoing.”

Candy Apple Cookie and Black Sapphire Cookie appeared out of a portal, “Come on! We need to go!”

“He still has strength left?!” Ginger Brave exclaimed.

“You bet! Cookies, they just won’t stop telling lies, amirite? Don’t get too comfortable, we’re not done… yet!” He laughed manically, “I’ll be seeing you soon, little gnats!” Shadow Milk turned to Pure Vanila, “And you… You will live to regret your words. I’LLLLLL MAKE SURE OF IT!” With one final grand bow, the trio had left into the new, much larger portal.

“He just… Disappeared?” Ginger Brave stared at where the portal was.

Pure Vanilla simply pat his head, “It’s alright. Like Shadow Milk Cookie said, we’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day.” He collapsed, “I’m… just a bit tired, don’t worry.”

The Spire had started to fall piece by piece, “Without its master, the Spire will come down! Quick, let’s leave this place!”

-

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all of this.” Pure Vanilla Cookie apologized to the kids.

“It… It’s alright. It was… an experience…!” Strawberry Cookie quickly responded.

He sighed, “Without your help, everything would’ve been lost. Fear and doubt… almost consumed me whole. I almost became a Cookie of Deceit in that river, like Shadow Milk Cookie wanted.”

“But then the Professor quickly dove after you! Quite heroic if I have to say.” Wizard Cookie commented.

Everyone stayed silent, all averting their eyes away from him, “What? Did I say something wr- Ohhh… I see.”

“We may not have the body… But I will still arrange a funeral… Something grand for such a person as them, a historical figure.” The whole ordeal hit Pure Vanilla, hard.

“So… What’s next?”

Pure Vanilla was glad for the change in topic, “I believe that other Beast Cookies have already confronted other Heros, just like Shadow Milk Cookie did. Now, all of them will try to restore their former strength.”

Wizard Cookie huffed, “Oh… If only we could find the Beast-Binding ritual… I suppose, it all was Shadow Milk Cookie’s ploy to lure us here?”

“Perhaps. But I saw something, back in Shadow Milk’s other-realm. A glimpse of the past… I saw how Shadow Milk was imprisoned… A faint reflection that he, himself, probably never noticed. I believe that we must head back to Crispia to learn more. Besides, I must see if my friends are unharmed. Our journey took much longer than I expected…”

“Then… is this it?! Are we going back to Crispia? Back home?!” Ginger Brave had the largest smile he’s had since he arrived here, “YAY! I can’t wait!”

“Then let’s go!”

O-o-O-o-O

“My darling… No one shall have you but me.”

Chapter 14: Hidden Away

You had groaned, waking yourself up. You didn’t know what happened, where you were, or exactly how long you were out. All you could feel was that you were on a bed. Your back ached and your head was spinning with a throbbing headache.

“What… What happened…?” You tried mumbling out.

Something had dropped, “EH?!”

Looking around, you were inside a bedroom. Warm, light blue blankets had covered your entire body. A door in front of the foot of the bed, a window to your right, shut by a dark blue curtain. And a desk to the left of the room with two bookshelves. A blurry figure was sitting at the desk, seemingly staring at you from what you could tell.

It had immediately rushed to you, “Oh dear! You’re awake! I am so glad that it worked.” The blurry figure consisted of light yellows and browns, “I thought you wouldn’t wake up for another month!”

“How… How long have I been out…?” You had asked whoever it was.

The voice sounded male. He thought before answering you, “It’s been around… 4 months I suppose? I found you underneath countless pieces of rubble.”

That was… A bit to take in. You would have not been out for that long, what happened…? “4 months…? How bad of an injury was it? Why do I feel so much… pa-”

“Well, darling! You jumped off a fucking balcony. How does that sound?” The figure had sat by the foot of your bed.

You vision had slowly returned to normal. The figure had long, luscious brown hair with a white peasant shirt. The top of it was unbuttoned. His pants had been baggy and dark brown. Very comfortable if you must say. His dough tanned, however both of his eyes were a light yellow.

“Who are you?”

“Surprised my little poppet hasn’t figured it out yet!” He giggled, sliding closer to you, “I’ve been waiting for things to regenerate for AGES! Do you know that you regenerate REAAALLLYYY slowly? Like your limbs were broken and I had to snap them back into place. The muscles STILL haven’t fully come back to their full strength yet. Not to mention your back- UGH! That little shit was a pain in the ass.”

It had clicked. His voice had changed from that one sentence, “Shadow Milk…?”

“Right-o Dear-o!” With a snap of his fingers, half of his body had returned to what you had known for ages. Long black and blue hair with eyes in the lower part. What was strange was that there were specks of cosmos in his hair along with the eyes. His dough had returned to its light blueberry color, but his eyes… They had almost been the same if it weren’t for the light ombre of a pale yellow in his cerulean eye, “Oh, hope you don’t mind but I took some samples of your blood to study it. I still need to analyze it.” Even with that… quite odd statement, he still had a warm smile.

You had just given up. He would not leave you alone. This escape could have been successful… Unfortunately for you, your poor weak body didn’t allow you to stay conscious long enough to escape the Spire with the kids. Speaking of, how are they?

“How are the kids? Pure Vanilla? What happened to them?”

Shadow Milk grumbled, rolling his eyes, “You HAVE to mention them when I JUST got you back? I can answer that laterrrr!” He had taken the liberty of lying next to you, but not laying a hand or limb on any part of you, fearing he might hurt you if he does, “But if you really need to know… They’re fine. They escaped my Spire successfully…” He mumbled, “Little gnats…”

You sighed in relief, as long as they were safe, that’s all that matters.

“Can I… hug you…?” He had turned to his side, gazing longingly at you.

“It’s probably going to hurt, but sure.” You were already bracing for impact.

Shadow Milk ever so gently laid his arm around your waist, trying to sneak into the crevice of your neck. It was odd, he was very careful of you. Not that you minded of course, it made it safe that you weren’t going to yelp.

“I’m sorry I even let this happened. I didn’t even know those little brats meant that much to you.” He didn’t dare wrap his other hand around the backside of your waist, instead placing it on your shoulder, “Just please… Don’t hate me. Don’t hate me. Don’t hate me.”

“I get it. You can stop repeating yourself.”

“Okay good or else I would have done it until you made me physically shut up like you did last-“

“Just shut up.”

“Mhm.”

The two of you laid there in silence, enjoying the other’s company. It wasn’t necessarily warm and comfortable, but it was alright. You always did wonder… What made him feel so physically cold? He was always cold to the touch. Back then, he used to be one large heated pillow. Now it seems no matter which side you flip him, your pillow shall always stay cold.

---

The door got slammed open, “Master Shadow Milk! I brought the things you asked for!” That same, high-pitched voice had entered your ears unwarranted.

Shadow Milk immediately sat up, “Yes, yes. Thank you, Candy Apple. Be on your way now.” He had levitated whatever tray she had with her over to you.

Candy Apple glanced at the two of you suspiciously, but her smile returned, “It’s great to see you’re awake! The Master was freaking out when he couldn’t find the body!”

“SHHHHHH!” He had ATTEMPTED to quiet her.

“Sorry!” She had climbed onto the bed, “So, how you feeling?”

You had leaned on the headboard, slowly sitting up to make more room for Candy Apple, “I suppose… I’m alright. Everything hurts although. Probably the worst part about the whole thing is the frequent callbacks to the fall. When the brain genuinely doesn’t know what to do when you’re practically dead… It’s horrifying.”

“Yeesh. Well, get it over it.” She had made herself comfortable at the edge of the bed.

“It doesn’t work that way, Candy Apple. You can’t just get over things in a flash…” Shadow Milk turned to you, “But I can erase some memories if you don’t want them.”

You sighed, “It would be nice, yes. However, you learn from your mistakes. If you erase that, what’s to say you won’t repeat that very thing again? It’s like history. You teach kids, or even adults, history so they do not repeat it. It’s like erasing the Dark Flour War or the Beast War, some dumb fool will figure a way out to repeat it and plunge the world back into chaos.”

Shadow Milk thought on it for a bit, “You make a valid point. I suppose-“

“Wakey wakey. Let’s go eat breakfast! I’m hungryyyyy!” She tugged onto your blanket.

You could hear your stomach grumbling, “Yeah. Let’s.”

You had slowly gotten off the bed, using Shadow Milk as a support. If you knew where your staff was, you wouldn’t have to rely on him…

Where’s your gloves…?

Where’s your shawl…?

…Where’s Lor…?

You had internally panicked. With being unconscious for the past 4 months, ANYTHING could have happened to them. You would have to ask at breakfast.

-----

You had been placed at the head of the dining table. Looking around, none of your surroundings looked familiar. The house wasn’t its usual white, blue, black, and gold. No, it resembled more of an ice cream cone rather than a tower of Deceit. What HAD happened while you weren’t there?

Candy Apple Cookie was drawing someplace in the living room alongside Black Sapphire Cookie, who was reading a book. The layout of the house was very open and small. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were basically all in the same room if they didn’t have some wall dividers or islands to separate them. Shadow Milk was off cooking something in the kitchen with a baby blue apron, “Please Kiss the Cook” was labeled on it. Something comedic, it gave you a small giggle once you saw it.

Breakfast had been served and Candy Apple leapt as close as she could to the table. Black Sapphire sat somewhere on the side of it. Shadow Milk had sat in the chair closest to you on your right, Candy Apple following suit next to him.

It wasn’t too lavish or grand, no, it was something small like if it were on a budget. Pancakes and eggs with a side of bacon, paired alongside an Uncrustable for Candy Apple Cookie. Everyone had their own choice for drinks except you. You were given water, which rightfully so.

Black Sapphire Cookie and Candy Apple Cookie were making small talk; Shadow Milk joined in occasionally. Whether it be about the latest newspaper, or some gossip, whatever it may be. Shadow Milk picked up a fork and knife, cutting up your pancake little by little.

“I didn’t ask to be babied. I can cut my own food.” You had attempted to take the utensils away from him.

“I know. I just felt like it.” What an odd excuse.

You didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Just allowing him to do what he wished.

Black Sapphire had quickly finished his meal, “Can I be excused from the table?”

Shadow Milk had been gnawing on a specific piece of bacon, “Work? Then you’re excused.”

“Yup.” He stood up from the table, heading upstairs.

You were curious, “Work? Doesn’t he work as a radio host for you?”

“Ah… I forgot I still haven’t caught you up to date…” Shadow Milk was playing with his food, “That’s a story for later. I don’t wish to waste food here.”

“Oh…” And with that, you consumed your plate like someone who hasn’t been fed in weeks… Which that was the exact situation. Never guessed that phrase would hold fruit to someone one day and survive it.

Candy Apple Cookie had finished her plate and left without asking. Shadow Milk glanced at his plate, then your empty one, “Would you like mine? I’m not all that hungry.” He had to at least offer.

“No! Of course not. I already had enough, and you need to eat your fill too.” You had lightly shoved the plate back to his spot.

He had grumbled, reluctantly eating it.

“So…” Now was the time to ask, “Where’s my stuff at?”

He choked on a piece, “Uhm…”

You had waited for him to fully finish his plate, only then did he respond, “It’s… Somewhere. Which things?”

“My staff. My shawl. My gloves. My robes.” You had clearly given him a list so there was no way he could fumble it.

“I burned them.”

“WHAT?!” You had stood up, the chair screeching against the wood, “ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW M-“

Shadow Milk giggled, “It was a joke! Hah! Your face was priceless.”

With the way he acts, you truly thought they were all gone. A mix of annoyance and anger fueled through you. You slapped him right across the face, knocking him off of the chair, “Try again. Where are they?”

It started out as a small chuckle, then it turned to snickering. Shadow Milk covered his cheek with his hand, glancing up at you with the most wicked smile, his face was blushing a dark blue, “Again.” He licked his lips.

His comment had unsettled you, so much so, your anger quickly died down, “What…?”

He quickly stood up, taking your hand and placing it on his cheek, “Again.”

“W-Why would you want that again…?”

“Pure enjoyment, love. If it comes from you, I don’t mind at all.” He hungrily kissed your palms, biting at them occasionally.

You shivered, trying to retreat… But to no avail. Shadow Milk had held you by your waist, locking you in place, “One more. I’ll let you go then.”

You closed your eyes and slapped him lightly. No effort needed.

“Awh.” He let out a whine, “Little underwhelming. I liked it when you were filled with anger for me, only me.” He had finally let you go.

He coughed, regaining his composure, “The shawl… It’s somewhere in my closet I know. If I truly did burn it, I know you would have hated me for centuries. I know how hard you fought to keep that blasted thing. I think the robes are in there too.” Shadow Milk had thought for a moment, “The gloves… I don’t remember you wearing gloves.”

“Eh…?” You tried to discreetly glance at your hands underneath your large pajamas… Where is the darkness that had consumed your arms…? Where’s Lor? Both were just… Gone? “Uhm… Never mind that question then. Where’s the staff?”

Shadow Milk sucked his breath through his teeth, “So… About that….”

“What. Did. You. Do…?” You were about ready to slap him again.

“I… I have the staff.”

“Okayyy…”

“But not the little eye thing you had.”

You internally cheered, “Good riddance.”

“Eh? I thought you liked the little thing.” He had sat back down in his chair.

“What… You’re telling me you weren’t behind him?” You were visibly confused, “It was my last escape attempt-“

He grumbled at that.

“-and when I reached the door… There was this cloud of darkness that had traveled… Somewhere.” You didn’t quite wish to tell him all of the situation in case whatever it was came back, “But it appeared in the staff once I took control over it. I thought it was one of your security measures?”

Shadow Milk had joined in confusion with you, he had been mumbling in thought for a bit until he started to clarify things, “So… That isn’t mine.” He mumbled for a second, “Although whoever it was had a good idea.” He coughed, “ANYWAYS- No, I have not implemented something of the like at any time. I trusted you enough that you wouldn’t make another attempt at it… Although I suppose you had tried again.”

He had grinned. That wasn’t a good sign, “Doesn’t that call for punishment?”

“NO, NO, NO!” You quickly backed off.

“I want…” He didn’t think very long for what he wanted, “A kiss. Or two. Or three. Or actually-“

You had leaned down to where he was sitting in the chair. Smashing your lips against him, you had lifted his face up by holding onto his white bangs, sharply tugging on them when he squirmed. Only taking a few breaks for air, you didn’t allow him any room for control of the situation.

In between one, he gasped out, “Wait- Wait… I didn’t mean now. I have-“ It was too long of a sentence for him to fully get it out.

Biting his lip, you had been given entrance to explore his mouth. You didn’t leave any nook or cranny left. Pulling back, a trail of saliva followed. You had quickly licked your lips and returned for one more. With a crane of his neck, you lightly placed your hand on it, choking him ever so slightly. His breaths had shortened, gasping for air while you didn’t leave him any choice but to choke it down.

You separated from him, “There. Happy?”

Shadow Milk had been breathing rapidly, staring at you unfocused with a heavy blush across his face, “Yes… Yes very- very much.”

“Good. Now I want my staff, where is it?” You had glanced around the place, crossing your arms.

Shadow Milk had wiped his mouth off, standing up, “I’m sorry but I cannot allow that to be in the public view. It’s too noticeable and our cover will be blown.”

“What? What cover? Where even are we at?”

“Ehhh… The Vanilla Kingdom…”

“W h a t.”

“Best to take revenge on the enemy from the inside out.”

“Excuse me wha-“

Black Sapphire trotted down the stairs. He was carrying a duffel bag and had some sort of work uniform on, “Do you mind if I stop for some groceries on the way home? The fridge and cabinets are running low on ingredients.”

Shadow Milk immediately rushed over to him, fixing his uniform so it was tidy, “Of course. I was going to do it myself, however that will save me the trip. Thank you, Black Sapphire.”

‘What. Since when- Huh? Why is he so… kind I suppose?’ Confusion ran through your head.

Shadow Milk had lightly shoved Black Sapphire towards you, “Go on! Show your disguise!”

Black Sapphire sighed and snapped his fingers. His hair had turned to a dark brown, dough changing to something similar of the ‘disguise’ Shadow Milk had earlier, but the uniform stayed, “There you go. Now can I get to work? I’m on probation and cannot be late.”

Shadow Milk scoffed, “Yeah, yeah. Go on.” He had tapped Black Sapphire away, turning to you, “Sooo… What do you think?”

“It’s… Interesting to say the least. I didn’t really expect all this. Why are we even in the Vanilla Kingdom? Where is Black Sapphire going? Why do you all need disguises? Why can’t I have my staff?” You were truly blunt with it all.

“Hehe… It’s a secret! Black Sapphire’s job is to… Well go to work and have a paycheck I suppose. It’s all his to keep unless he wants to share it. It’s mainly for a cover.” He sighed, “We need disguises or else the plan will fail immediately as now our faces are known far and wide. The staff? You’re going undercover with us. Only a select few know that you have that, and if even just one spots that HERE… It will still lead to things going south.”

“Oh… I see…” You didn’t like whatever he was scheming… But it wasn’t like you had a choice to rebel against it, “Can I at least have a substitute? Like a cane?”

“Of course!” A wooden cane rounded at the top with a small blue gemstone had appeared in his hand, extending it to you, “I hope you don’t mind but I also measured your height and made you one of these. In fact, two, but that doesn’t really matter as I don’t like the first one.” He smiled gently, “Now off, off you go. Get changed into something that would be like a citizen of this kingdom.”

You had been shoved upstairs to your ‘room’ although it didn’t feel like yours. The lights were dim except for a lamp at the desk. The bed was a mess; books were scattered across the desk and floor. Overall, it was a pretty messy room for something you didn’t create.

---------

You had chosen something calm. A pale dress shirt with a light jacket on top, you threw some matching pants on as well. It wasn’t much, but it was something. You tried basing the color scheme off of Pure Vanilla’s as it was the best you could hope for as you had never stepped foot onto Crispia.

Something shimmered lightly in the corner of your eye. Curiosity got the best of you and decided to explore. First, you started scrounging around the bookshelves, nothing of note. Then the bed. Nothing. Finally, it was the desk. Piles and piles of books were stacked on top of each other, pens, quills, and other utensils were all over. Still nothing. Then what was it?

You would kick yourself over it, however it was no use to keep looking for it. If you were up here for far too long, someone would be sent up here for a wellness check. You sighed, looking one last time. Something felt odd…

It was a regular pocket watch, you only assumed it was Shadow Milk’s as it was bedazzled in dark gems, one clearly larger than the rest. It was quite pretty; you’ll have to return it to him. Shoving it in your pocket, you slowly made your ways back downstairs, brand new cane in hand.

Your back felt awful, it was healing slowly, but it was taking far too long. Shadow Milk was right in his observations, you’ll have to give him that. Corruption may have taken over him, but he is still smart as a whip and surely still knows quite the abundance of knowledge. You just might have to keep him up to date with some of his information.

The house was quiet except for a few mumblings in the other room. You could only guess it was the other two people inside as Black Sapphire had left.

“Are you getting ready or what?”

“I AMMMMM! Stop rushing me! I wanna look pretty for a day out like this. ESPECIALLY since it’s a nice day out!”

“You don’t need all that makeup. We’re just getting some fresh air.”

“But what if-“

“No what if’s.”

You heard one large huff alongside a slam. Sighing, you slowly stepped your way closer to where they were. Candy Apple Cookie was sat at a desk, mirror in hand while doing her mascara. A woman with long white hair, a blue ribbon tied it up in the back, and a long black and blue milkmaid dress stood off to the side of Candy Apple. A picnic basket was held in her right arm. You could clearly tell she was annoyed.

“Which form looks better today?” The woman spoke.

Candy Apple scoffed, taking a break from the makeup, “You know I will always pick the Azure one. I never really enjoyed the other one.”

The woman thought, “Hm. But if I am going out with you, I will need my other one. So, it was a stupid question anyway. Now, can we go?” The basket had been thrown off into nothingness.

Candy Apple Cookie had resumed what she had been doing before, “Just give me five more minutes.”

“You said that ten minutes ago!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yuh uh.”

“Well, I am saying it again.”

The two had bickered for another 5 minutes or so. You had ultimately decided to rest on a nearby couch. Tuning them out, you focused on your breathing, evening it out. You were just bored, however…

The item in your pocket pulsated. You had reached into your pocket, lightly touching the gems. They felt smooth to the touch, but a burning sensation rapidly grew through your dough. You tried shaking the feeling off but it wouldn’t stop. Sweat beaded down your forehead, your breathing fell out of line, hands shaky, mind racing. It was all overwhelming.

A hand was placed on your forehead, “Are you alright? You seem to be warm… We don’t have to go outside if you aren’t feeling up to it.” It was the Lady in Azure.

That seemed to snap you out of your trance, “Y-Yes? What is it?” You clearly didn’t hear a single word she said.

“Oh…” She sat down on your left, gazing at you, “All I said was that if you’re not feeling alright, we can stay here instead of going out.”

You immediately denied, “No, no, no, no! I’m fine, really! Just… thinking.” Oh right, “Hey wait-“ You quickly took the watch out of your pocket, presenting it to what you could only assume was Shadow Milk Cookie in another form, “Is this yours? I found it on my desk and I have never owned such an item like this.”

The Cookie had glanced down at your hands, “No, I have never owned something of the like. If I ever owned a pocket watch such as this, I would always pick something that would contrast my outfit like gold or silver. Black blends in too much with what I wear.” A shift in her expression told you something was wrong, “Did you find those gloves you were mentioning before?”

“Huh?” You glanced down at your hands.

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! Why did it come back? Why is it still following you? Why has this darkness returned to you? Why must it stay? The Spire is destroyed so there is no reason to guard a broken door.

Your breath shook, ‘Lor…?’

A small, but deep chuckle had been in the back of your mind. It was quite unsettling.

‘Why…? Just, why…?’

“Ƀēȼⱥᵾꞩē Ī ħⱥꝟē ꞥēꝟēɍ łēfⱦ.”

“Hey, HEYYYY!” A flick to your forehead, “Pay attention to me.” A scoff, “Why are you zoning out so much? I’ve been talking to you for the past 3 minutes and yet you didn’t even give a “Mhm” or anything of the like! Are you even listening now??”

“Ah- Yes, my apologies.” A basic answer was all you could give.

The Lady in Azure furrowed her eyebrows, “AS I WAS SAYING- If I wasn’t being IGNORED!!” She cleared her throat, “It was on you when I found you. I think it was wrapped around your waist using a necklace kinda chain. I dunno.”

‘That… That LOR! It deceived my eyes, to give me hope. Are you ser-‘

“Ī ȼⱥꞥ ħēⱥɍ ɏꝋᵾ. Ɉᵾꞩⱦ ⱥ ꞡēꞥⱦłē ɍēᵯīꞥđēɍ.”

‘Fuck you.’

Straining a grin, you spoke through your teeth, “But yes… I have found my gloves haha…”

The Lady in Azure quickly turned her head away with a huff, but slowly glancing back at you, “Are you sure you are alright? I don’t want to risk any accidents and you potentially getting hurt.” She had leaned her head on your shoulder, resting.

“I’ll be fine. Even if I am not, I can always ask for a break.” You slowly ran your fingers through her pure white hair.

She mumbled lazily, attempting to get closer, “Mhm… If you say so…” If you would have let her, she would have taken a nap right on you. And you would have allowed it and taken one with her.

A chair had screeched along the wooden floors, jolting the two of you right up, “I’M DONEEEE!”

You had quickly stood up alongside her, looking away from each other, embarrassed. Biting on your nail, you had only hoped for the best. You haven’t quite told Candy Apple Cookie your past with him yet as she would literally challenge you to a fight on who deserves him. Although you would already surrender rights as no person ‘deserves’ someone unless it is up to the subject in question, you would rather not fight an angry Candy Apple.

“The hell are you two doing? You’ve been acting weird, Master Shadow Milk.” Candy Apple Cookie commented, all dolled up of course.

“I uh-“ Shadow Milk Cookie had been switching through different forms accidentally, “Nothing of your concern, Candy Apple. Now uhm…” He had finally decided on the one you had seen earlier, “Let us go!”

Shadow Milk had nearly sprinted out of the door, Candy Apple Cookie attempting to follow. You had only sighed, but not before you could stop yourself from another look at the pocket watch.

What a wretched thing. What even was it? Why is it still here? Wasn’t it the Spire’s guard? What purpose does it serve by following you all the way out here? But now… It was sealed in an item. And you have learned distance away from it has worked…

A plan had been formed. It was rash, but you only hoped it would work.

To drop it off one of THE highest points of the Vanilla Kingdom. The top of the castle. The plan was simple, get a visitor’s tour of the castle, find a balcony, and throw it off. Hopefully off the floating part of the island as well.

However, you needed to be able to get outside to reach said castle… Which did they already leave without you?

‘SHIT!’ You attempted to sprint off, your cane was helping a lot more than you thought it would.

----------------

The market had been busy at this time of day, midafternoon. The streets were bustling with customers and merchants from all over Earthbread. Not a soul from Beast-Yeast… Except your group…

The disguises had worked really well, nobody had suspected a thing and you even observed people recognizing Shadow Milk and Candy Apple. All under an alias of course.

“Spiced Cinnamon Cookie!” A random girl you had never seen in your life leapt into Candy Apple’s arms. Glancing at the much taller figure, “Oh, hello Mr. Almond Milk Cookie too! What brings the two of you out today? I hardly see you out in the market. It’s usually just Light Grape Cookie.” She had backed off on being a leech to Candy Apple.

“Just out for a walk, getting some fresh air.” Almond Milk Cookie was too busy observing some fresh produce to his right.

The girl had shoved aside Candy Apple, “Oh? Who is this?” She had clearly meant you.

Shadow Milk Cookie had almost let his disguise slip if he weren’t careful, with one large step, you were being blocked from view, “That, my little one, is my lovely little star! That has been oh-so sick as of late. We had to borderline quarantine them!” He chuckled lightly.

“Oh… I didn’t know that… Sorry!” She had immediately backed off with what you assumed was going to be her constant pestering. Instead of her focus on you, she turned to Candy Apple and started yapping.

You had mumbled to Almond Milk, “Who is that?”

He groaned quietly, continuing his search for whatever produce he wanted to buy, “Some daughter of a merchant I was in close contact with when we got here.”

“Oh.” There was nothing else you could comment on.

Candy Apple Cookie had been dragged off to who knows where. You had seen her combat abilities and survival tactics quite frequently, so you could trust her. Shadow Milk didn’t seem to mind either, most likely knowing her abilities or knowing the kingdom was safe.

Speaking of, what were the laws here? A new place means more to learn. Which means-

“Can we go to the library?”

“Hm?” He had looked up from whatever he was doing, “Yeah sure.”

“Great. Let’s go.” You had taken his hand in yours, taking him… Somewhere. You didn’t even know where the library was, you just wanted to explore.

-------------

Shadow Milk Cookie had no comment along the way. Not even a small taunt when you reached a dead end. The language on signs or papers posted seemed to differ a bit from the scriptures you had read all your life. Was it perhaps a slightly altered language? Or was it just modified to fit the modern era? It wasn’t illegible, but certainly confusing.

With enough searching around, you had only assumed a grand building was it… Or a municipal building. You were unsure. However, exploring wouldn’t hurt!

It was… Certainly a boring place. You could feel the dread of gloom and doom from the touch of the door handle. With one large swing of a door, hundreds of people had blocked your way. Well not necessarily blocked, but just stood there. Peeking your head around several of them, they were all waiting in different lines. Was this the library? It shouldn’t be this crowded and so small for such a grand building.

“Ah, the municipal building. Speaking of- I think I still have a bill that I need to pay… Eh, might as well do it while we are here.” Shadow Milk shrugged, leading you to skip the line.

“##### Waffle Ave?” A woman sat behind protected glass with a metal tray at the bottom of it, a microphone on your side. “You owe us around $1,098 for the missed payments on the house, $486 in electricity, $232 in water, and we were about to send the IRS and law enforcement if you weren’t going to pay taxes.”

Shadow Milk had inhaled sharply, holding his hands behind his back. You observed him spawning a small book into existence. If he didn’t want to pay, then perhaps you could to bide time until he could gather the funds to do so. Reaching into a sub-dimension, you pulled out a small bag.

You placed it into the tray, “Your payment!”

The woman had taken the bag, opening it cautiously. “What are these…” She carefully took out several gold coins and observed them, “Coins? You expect to pay in coins?”

“Yeah, isn’t that enough?” You had wondered what was wrong with them.

“Uhm… We don’t accept… Whatever currency this is. I need either paper bills or a check.” She tossed the coins back into the bag, sliding it back through the tray.

“What’s tha-”

Shadow Milk had quickly covered your mouth with his hand, “Sorry about that. They’re still getting used to here. We just moved from the Hollyberry Kingdom so it is still a little confusing for the Vanilla Kingdom’s currency.” He chuckled, covering up your mistake.

“Uhm… Alright then- Are you going to pay then?”

Their conversation had dreaded on and on for ages, eventually a new person had to take him into a back room for a meeting. You had been told to sit tight in the lobby. However, besides a harsh pat on the shoulder, you didn’t… exactly… get told to stay there.

You’re an adult, you can go where you want… Right…?

Leaving your cane there, it didn’t take much thought to get out of there as soon as possible. Potentially find police, or complete your own goals.

Wait…

The Vanilla Castle! If you could find Pure Vanilla Cookie on his own terf, then he would have the leverage if Shadow Milk did come and seek you out. With his… awakening as you would call it… He was bound to have more power. It really wasn’t like you to seek out protection from someone else, however this was a special case in dire need of assistance.

The castle wasn’t that hard to spot as it was one of THE largest buildings in the whole kingdom. If you remembered correctly, Pure Vanilla spoke of the castle in high regards as important meetings that decided the fate of Crispia were held there. You had twisted and turned around buildings quickly, trying your best to ignore the pain and to gain distance. Stairs after stairs, alleyways and markets… How large was this damn place? When things had started to appear more expensive, you knew you were going the right way.

You had arrived at the gate of the palace. Doors were open wide, warm and welcoming. Taking small, but careful steps, you observed the scenery around you. White, blue and pastel yellow daises were scattered around in the front garden. Bushes decorated with daffodils and lotuses, grand trees here and there, creating one large shadow just perfect enough to be able to read in peace, but also view the clear sky.

Glancing up at the sky, clouds had clustered together, then separated. It was a stark contrast to your situation. Where it is was sunny in the kingdom, in yours it would be cloudy. But never mind that. Strutting on into the castle, you walked your way in through different doors, exploring room after room, doorway after doorway. Not a single soul in sight. For some people, having some time alone for yourself is calming, in your case, it was terrifying. To have nobody to help you when you truly needed it…

Until the top of the tower. There was no set door to the balcony, just one archway to it. This is what you were planning to do… right? You had ripped out the watch from your pocket, gripping it tightly.

“You are the most irritating thing I have ever known. And you hardly did anything is what I am angered about. I am glad to get rid of you.” You had walked to the edge of the balcony, “Hope you enjoy whatever fate you may find down at the bottom.”

A slow, but rising chuckle rung through your ears, “₲ꝋ ⱥħēⱥđ ⱥꞥđ ⱦɍɏ, Īⱦ'ꞩ ꞥꝋⱦ łīҟē ɏꝋᵾ ȼⱥꞥ-“

You had thrown it off.

You had gazed down at your hand, hoping to watch it disappear... It didn’t.

Black goo had sprouted from your hands, forming a small circular shape. It had reformed back into the very object you had just thrown off a building. If it had a grin, there would be a large one. The process repeated again and again. Throw, wait, appear. Throw, wait, appear. Again, and again. It was all a horrible attempt at getting rid of whatever it was. But it kept coming back…

“Why won’t you just leave me alone?! I’m not in the Spire anymore so what point is it to keep haunting me?” You yelled at the poor object.

“Đīđ Ī ꞥēꝟēɍ ⱦēłł ɏꝋᵾ? Ī ⱳⱥꞩꞥ'ⱦ ҟēēꝑīꞥꞡ ɏꝋᵾ fɍꝋᵯ ēꞩȼⱥꝑīꞥꞡ ⱦħē Ꞩꝑīɍē. Ɇꝟēɍ ħēⱥɍđ ꝋf ⱥȼⱦīꞥꞡ? Ī ⱦħꝋᵾꞡħⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ᵯīꞡħⱦ ħⱥꝟē ҟꞥꝋⱳꞥ ⱳīⱦħ ⱦħⱥⱦ fꝋꝋł ꝋf ⱥ ɉēꞩⱦēɍ ɏꝋᵾ ħⱥꝟē ⱳɍⱥꝑꝑēđ ⱥɍꝋᵾꞥđ ɏꝋᵾɍ fīꞥꞡēɍ.” Lor chuckled, “Ī ⱳⱥꞩ ᵯⱥđē ⱳīⱦħ ꝑᵾɍē ɍēꞡɍēⱦ fɍꝋᵯ ɏꝋᵾ. Ⱥłł ⱦħꝋꞩē ᵾꞩēłēꞩꞩ łīⱦⱦłē ēᵯꝋⱦīꝋꞥꞩ... Ꝑꝋᵾɍēđ īꞥⱦꝋ ꝋꞥē…”

“W-What are you saying…?”

“Ӻꝋɍ ꞩꝋᵯēꝋꞥē ⱥꞩ ꞩᵯⱥɍⱦ ⱥꞩ ɏꝋᵾ, Ī ⱦħꝋᵾꞡħⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ⱳꝋᵾłđ ħⱥꝟē ӻīꞡᵾɍēđ īⱦ ƀɏ ꞥꝋⱳ. Ȼⱥꞥ'ⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ꞩēē? Ɏꝋᵾ'ꝟē ꞡꝋⱦⱦēꞥ ⱦꝋ ⱦħē ꝑꝋīꞥⱦ ꝋӻ ꞥꝋ ɍēⱦᵾɍꞥ!”

You couldn’t believe it; you didn’t WANT to believe it. Holding Lor up by his chain, it was somewhat of a threat, “Leave me alone. You are merely spewing lies just to stay. Of course you would, you’ve been in the Spire of Deceit for far too long.”

“Ħᵯ, Ī đꝋꞥ'ⱦ ⱦħīꞥҟ ꞩꝋ. Ꝑēɍħⱥꝑꞩ ɏꝋᵾ ħⱥꝟē? Ꝋɍ ᵯⱥɏƀē ⱦħⱥⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ħⱥꝟē łēⱥɍꞥēđ fɍꝋᵯ ⱦħⱥⱦ fꝋꝋł fⱥɍ ⱦꝋꝋ ᵯᵾȼħ ⱦħⱥⱦ īⱦ ħⱥꞩ ȼꝋɍɍᵾꝑⱦēđ ᵯē ⱦꝋꝋ. Ⱳħⱥⱦ ⱥ ꝑīⱦɏ.” Lor swung back and forth by himself.

“What point are you even getting at? I don’t need to listen to something that will do nothing but badmouth me.” You had halted his pendulum motion, “If you have nothing worthy to say, then don’t speak it at all. Not in my head, not out loud, nothing.”

“Ƀᵾⱦ ⱳħⱥⱦ īf ⱦħēɏ ⱥɍē ɏꝋᵾɍ ꝋⱳꞥ ⱦħꝋᵾꞡħⱦꞩ?”

“Blasphemous.”

“Ⱳⱥꞩ ɉᵾᵯꝑīꞥꞡ ꝋff ⱦħⱥⱦ ⱦꝋⱳēɍ ɏꝋᵾɍ ꝋⱳꞥ ⱦħꝋᵾꞡħⱦ? Ꝋɍ ꞩꝋᵯēⱦħīꞥꞡ īꞥ ⱦħē ħēⱥⱦ ꝋf ⱦħē ᵯꝋᵯēꞥⱦ?”

“It was…” You couldn’t quite tell, that day was all a blur, “I believe it was a spur of the moment thing, to save them, to hopefully help them live long, lasting lives.”

“Łīҟē ɏꝋᵾɍꞩ?”

It had caught you off guard, but a response came quickly, “No! No! Of course not! I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone!” You had set the pocket watch down onto the railing, glancing down at the ground below you, “Longevity… It’s something almost everyone wishes for. Including me when I was younger. But the reality of it… It’s sick, it’s cruel, it’s unjust, it’s… horrible. You see everyone around you slowly pass away, relationships pass by faster than you can process them, areas around you slowly getting destroyed. It makes you wonder… Will I be around to see the end of Earthbread? The universe? The timeline? Will I ever get to see the Witches face to face, ask them, plead with them… As to why I have been given this curse?”

You sighed, “I’ve had several near-death experiences by now. I don’t understand how the Virtues did it. For your mind to be literally scrambling for solving how to not die. For your life to flash by your eyes, to see all those people you’ve cherished in a lifetime…”

“When will this suffering end…?”

Tears started streaming down your face, choking down quiet sobs. Whatever magic Shadow Milk Cookie had placed on you, had disappeared from you; your disguise failing. Lor was quiet for a minute, allowing you to have some time. However, that didn’t stop him from having the last word inside your head, “Ħꝋⱳ ⱥƀꝋᵾⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ɉᵾᵯꝑ ꝋff ⱦħīꞩ ꝋꞥē? ᛗⱥɏƀē ⱦħīꞩ ⱦīᵯē īⱦ'łł ⱳꝋɍҟ.”

Your thoughts came to a halt, ‘What… Did you just say…?’

“…”

Snatching the pocket watch, you sat down on the other side of the railing, kicking your legs back and forth. You glared at it face to face, ‘Answer me.’ A small whistle was playing in the back of your mind, ‘Witches- I WILL throw you again if you don’t.’

“Ꞩꝋᵯēꝋꞥē'ꞩ ħēɍē.”

You were suddenly much more aware of your surroundings. A glance below the balcony where the gardens were, nobody. To the left or right of the balcony, nothing.

But behind you…

A sharp turn of your neck, almost like an owl would, to gaze down at whoever it may have been, “…Pure… Vanilla Cookie…?”

His features shone with a gleam, almost blinding you. A warm smile across his face while he took slow, but careful steps towards you, “Hello Prof. It’s good to see you again.”

You had stepped down from the railing, grasping Lor in your hands while meeting Pure Vanilla halfway, “It-It’s you! Oh, how I am SO glad to see you.” Unsure of the proper greeting for the situation right now, you just extended your hand for a handshake, “I’m surprised, normally someone would freak out seeing someone that is supposed to be dead.”

The flower staff had opened its eye, shining on you, “Trust me, while you were… Doing something I suppose? I surely was in shock. I’m pretty sure I stood there for a good couple of minutes before gaining the confidence to announce my presence, which I didn’t even have to do really. You turned around before I could do so!” Pure Vanilla Cookie chuckled lightly.

You hummed in response, “Well let’s just say I have a trick up my sleeve.”

You couldn’t show what you were just going through mere minutes ago to him, then he probably would think of you weaker than you really are… Right? If you were already going to bring up protection about being TOO weak to do it yourself, showing something as small as this won’t help your case.

“So uhm… Pure Vanilla…” How could you word this? “I… need help.”

“I will be glad to be of help. Besides, don’t you remember that deal we made ages ago about White Lily Cookie? I told you I would repay it somehow. Consider it a repayment… I mean, I would’ve done it anyway but it’s just weight off my shoulders knowing that I don’t have to repay this anymore.” He laughed nervously.

“Thank you… It’s about Shadow Milk Cookie.”

“Already? I thought it would be a bit longer before he would try anything against me as revenge. Did he send you as a way to distract me for whatever plan he has?” Pure Vanilla still held his smile, but it was clearly strained.

“He got caught up in…” You thought for a minute, “Wait hold on, does your citizens not use gold coins anymore for currency? I tried paying a house bill with them and it got rejected like a forgotten currency!”

“Some older places do, however with the rebuilding of the Vanilla Kingdom, we decided to switch currencies. It wasn’t really my idea; it was voted on.” Pure Vanilla Cookie explained simply, but a thought came up, “However… Why would you need to pay for a mortgage? I believe I should’ve seen your name when going through residents for yearly taxes.”

“Ah- About that. Shadow Milk Cookie is residing here for some reason. Some sort of plan he said? I’m unsure. I didn’t bother asking or else I might have got in trouble. But you see, that is the reason why I am here with you. While he got caught up in paying what I was trying to… I escaped.” You crossed your arms with a slight huff, “Did you know your kingdom has a very hard layout to walk through? All those stairs! I’m pretty sure I even forgot my cane back there!”

“Yet again, not my fault.” He hummed, “However, whatever Shadow Milk Cookie is planning is surely nothing of innocence. I don’t doubt he has planned to burn this kingdom down along with me in it…” Pure Vanilla sighed, walking away from you out to the balcony, “There’s still some good left in him. I can sense it. But he buries it so far down not even he himself can find it either. Perhaps someone needs to help him find it, that is when he can truly embrace it.”

“I… I can see what you’re going for. I’ve seen an era of when he was a calm, gentle, and kind soul…”

“Really? Even at some of your old lectures, you’ve never brought up your previous experiences. At least in my days…” Hands glided down the railing, observations of the garden were made peacefully, “How was it back then? Back when the world hadn’t yet experienced the calamities of war, the tragedies of old, or how the previous owners of the Soul Jam’s were?” Pure Vanilla Cookie lightly laid his hand on his Soul jam.

You had finally joined him back out on the balcony. Glancing at the pocket watch in your hand, you clasped the necklace part around your waist, leaning against the railing recalling memories of old, “It was… Nice. Conflicts weren’t much of an issue, they were easily resolved with a trip to a specific Virtue. I have never personally met any of the other Virtues besides The Fount of Knowledge, however I did hear from him that they were nice people. They stuck to their guns when it regarded what they stood for. The Flour of Volition granted wishes to those who needed it, hoping to achieve Cookie-kind’s goals. The Herald of Change had wanted to move Cookie’s who were stuck in their endless loops of the same thing. The Sugar of Happiness strived to bring Happiness to every Cookie. The Salt of Solidarity wanted to bring everyone together. The Fount of Knowledge wanted to inform people. It was all nice.”

You sighed, “However Cookies being Cookies… They didn’t like any of it. Didn’t listen to it. Blamed the Virtues for their ignorance. The Sugar of Happiness got blamed for Cookie’s depression. The Herald of Change got blamed for his advice not working. The Flour of Volition stopped accepting wishes since Cookies got greedy. The Salt of Solidarity’s knights had gotten slaughtered by deceived civilians. And The Fount of Knowledge… His head had been chopped right off, instantly losing all respect for Cookie-Kind. Instead, deceiving everyone, including myself.”

“That… That’s horrible! How could they do that?!” Pure Vanilla had a dark thought cross his mind, “Will… Will that happen to us? Even after all we did to protect Cookie-kind…?”

“I don’t believe so. I think after the Beast War, Cookies learned to not mess with people who have high power.” You glanced over at him, “But… You all have saved countless lives. I doubt that will happen.”

“Even after your reassurance, it’s still horrible to know that anyone can fall to corruption in their own way… I mean… I almost was led to becoming someone even I don’t know during the events of the Spire. What’s to say someone even more powerful than I falling to corruption, then causing chaos. I don’t think the world is ready for another war.” Pure Vanilla’s usual happy expression was gloomy.

You shuddered just at the thought, but it was needed to share, “Dark Enchantress Cookie. In the end, we will have to fight her. Unless you can find some miracle spell to cleanse the darkness out of her… I don’t believe there is a way to erase this threat without a fight. Earthbread will have to suffer yet another war before true peace can happen. Even still, a new rising threat after that can still be a possibility. Not too many souls can learn from the past. But when that time comes, we need to be more than ready for it.” You sighed, “However… Let’s stop thinking about that and just enjoy the present… Although I may have to plan for if Shadow Milk Cookie will attack trying to get me back.”

“I get the old friendship and relation to the Spire of Knowledge, however was the bond really that deep that it lasted for centuries? What does he see in you that he needs you to keep returning to him?” Pure Vanilla asked what seemed like an innocent question, however it put you on the spot whether or not you should tell him.

“Okay so… We may have…” You cut yourself short, not wanting to continue.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s a tale for later when I can explain it better.”

Pure Vanilla smiled cheekily, “Well now you got me curious. Can’t inform me of a little history class, Professor?”

“Shut uppp.” You lightly shoved him away playfully, walking away from the balcony and into the castle.

-----

Defenses around the Vanilla Castle grew over the next month or so. You were basically cooped up in the castle out of your own will. Pure Vanilla Cookie made frequent visits to your room to either check on you, or attempt to try and heal your back. Little did he know it had already healed once Lor was back in your possession.

Over the course of the month, you had kept that pocket watch on your person at all times. Scrapes healed in an instant now. Experiments of using more and more mana were fruitful. You had practiced different spells in the back garden of the castle, making sure none of them didn’t destroy any of the carefully taken care of flowers. You were slowly regaining strength! All because of a blasted thing you hated…

But you had to give him credit, he DID restore some of your former strength.

Breakfast had often been spent alone. Pure Vanilla Cookie off doing some meetings, the staff had already eaten their fill and started their jobs, while you felt utterly useless, sitting at your desk. A measly piece of toast amongst hundreds of papers.

You were only being cooped up here until Pure Vanilla could confirm your safety to roam freely, right?

Right…?

You trusted Pure Vanilla Cookie enough to know he wouldn’t keep you here just because he could. You knew he couldn’t exactly DEFEAT Shadow Milk, however if you kept regaining your strength, you could be able to hide your presence and sneak away from everyone. But where would you go? The Faerie Kingdom was no longer safe as that would be the first place everyone would check. Beast-Yeast was out of the question. Would hiding out in one of the other kingdoms be fine? You were unsure. It wasn’t entirely out of the picture, but all you knew was that you would be traveling almost daily. If you stayed in one spot for too long, Shadow Milk would certainly be on your ass in an instant. Perhaps to gain a couple o’ coin, a traveling merchant might be your newest calling.

You poked and prodded at the lone bread. Butter, toasted bread, and a mug of coffee. It wasn’t much, but it was a meal. As Shadow Milk once stated before, eating wasn’t necessary. Hunger wasn’t an issue either as it simply passed on its own. So why bother eating something you didn’t want?

You shoved the plate away to the corner of your desk, instead replacing it with a blank paper. Writing had passed your days; you tried attempting to write your own fictional story when your mind was up to it. If it wasn’t, then you would write an autobiography about your time at the Spire, or the Vanilla Castle.

It got boring often. Art took hours, so why not decorate these poor desolate walls with a few pieces? Scrounging for paper, then taping them all together to make one large poster board large enough for one of your paintings. You had the cheap stuff, however the paints and brushes worked.

The very same schedule as in the Spire centuries ago with minor changes. Wake up, eat what was delivered, attempt writing, start a drawing yet never finish it, eat lunch, take a nap, wake up at night time, walk around your room for a bit, sleep.

It was boring, but defenses around your room were by far the strongest in the castle. You would occasionally take walks around the castle or go out in the garden to practice your spells, but not often.

---------

It was late at night; you had decided to take a midnight stroll around the rear garden. Moonlight shone brightly alongside the castle’s walls, the trees rustling behind you, and the slight wave of the long grass. Flowers delicately sitting there, awaiting someone’s gaze. Luckily for them, there was someone to observe them.

You stared at the moon longingly. Glancing around, you took slow, but considerate steps towards seemingly nowhere, “The Moon is beautiful tonight…” You knew the weight those words carried; however, you spoke them aloud anyway. There was nobody around to ever hear them.

The garden was lovely. Occasionally grazing your hands over a few of the plants. You eventually settled down in the corner of the garden. Setting down your picnic basket and blanket, you camped out and ate some small snacks you brought. Dinner had been skipped accidentally by one of your long naps, unfortunately for you, the dinner was actually something good this time.

You had enjoyed the atmosphere of the garden for an hour or so, just to have some relaxation time to yourself. It wasn’t like you were REQUIRED to stay in your room, however that is where you felt the safest. Pure Vanilla had shown you the required spells to either completely unlock your door, or use an almost invisible barricade. It would be useful in times of need. However, you couldn’t be a burden to Pure Vanilla Cookie for much longer.

Sighing, you stood up with a large stretch. It was time to practice your spells. If you were to leave here without a trace, you would need practice with hiding your presence.

You slightly tugged on the pocket watch around your waist, “You ready to start yet or not quite?”

He mumbled something, but eventually responding to you, “Ɏēⱥħ, ɏēⱥħ... Ƀᵾⱦ ⱦħīꞩ łⱥⱦē ⱥⱦ ꞥīꞡħⱦ? Ⱳħⱥⱦ'ꞩ ⱳɍꝋꞥꞡ ⱳīⱦħ ɏꝋᵾ?” It was genuinely annoyed with your recent antics.

You have recently been practicing more often than you would rest. If you would take a 4-hour nap, you would compensate by practicing for 5 hours. It took a toll on your body and mana; however, you were improving faster. It was a way to leave faster. To hide faster. To gain your strength faster. All in efforts to leave behind this life and start anew.

-------------------

You pulled an all-nighter attempting to finish a chapter of your fiction story. It was about King’s of longevity, a long-life span. The Immortal King had wanted to conquer a nearby kingdom, one that was owned by The Foolish King. However, the opposing kingdom did not wish to go to war with The Immortal King’s as his army was much larger. As a peace deal, an offer was made.

The Foolish King had offered his eldest child to be wed to The Immortal King.

Of course, The Immortal King had declined. He wanted territory, not a partner. However, after months of consideration… The contract had been signed. No single person had known the reason as to why. The Immortal King had shut himself inside his castle shortly after the deal had been struck. Perhaps he was making preparations for his newly wed? Who would know except for his right-hand man?

That was all you had as of this moment. You didn’t know who to write as the soon-to-be-wed. Would it be a princess? A prince? Or possibly…

“BOARD THE WINDOWS! CLOSE THE GATES! ENFORCE THE DOORS!” Yells were scattered across the castle outside your door, “GATHER EVERY KNIGHT YOU POSSIBLY CAN! PROTECT THE CASTLE AT ALL COSTS!!!”

The chair you were sitting on had abruptly fell from how fast you stood up, “What the hell is going on?!”

You had reached for the door handle almost immediately, but something in the back of your mind told you not to do it. That you were safe in your room. The spells had been locked tight outside your door; the barriers were up… Wasn’t it going to be alright? What could possibly be happening that could breech the defenses?

You paced around in your room. Stampedes of footsteps outside, and the constant yell of all the chaos around. Several large noises echoed across the kingdom.

‘Should I stay or should I go?’ It was the constant question you asked yourself.

You didn’t know if your abilities were powerful enough. You didn’t know where you would go. Would you be better off staying? This was your one chance to escape without a single person knowing…

“Fuck it.”

You quickly rounded up your writing pieces, personal items, and small things. Rummaging around through your closet, you chose a dark cape, hopefully to remain in the dark shadows. With one large swoop, you tied the cape’s strings around your neck, the hood being thrown over your head. A snap of your fingers was all it took for the locks and spells to come undone from your door.

You snatched the sleeping Lor from his resting place atop your desk, tying the chain around your waist, ‘We have to go, and fast if we want to get out of here.’

“Ɏꝋᵾ fīꞥⱥłłɏ ɍēȼꝋꞡꞥīƶē ᵯē ⱥꞩ ⱥꞥꝋⱦħēɍ ƀēīꞥꞡ? Ⱳꝋⱳ, ⱳħⱥⱦ ⱥ ꞩᵾɍꝑɍīꞩē fɍꝋᵯ ɏꝋᵾ.” Lor scoffed, “Ꞥꝋɍᵯⱥłłɏ īⱦ'ꞩ "Ī" ꞥꝋⱦ "Ⱳē" Ⱳħⱥⱦ ȼħⱥꞥꞡēđ?”

You didn’t have time for whatever he was spewing on about, ‘Just shut up. I do not need your spiel. We- I have to go.’

The door had creaked open with little effort; you slid yourself through the small crack. You had re-bound the door shut with all of its spells, quietly closing the door. Dashing through the hallways of the castle, sticking to the edges and walls, primarily in the shadows, the escape was quick and efficient.

Over the past month, your power had grown little by little. Of course, the help from Lor and the constant practice contributed to it as well. But confidence flared inside your dough. The fact that you weren’t that physically weak Cookie anymore was more than enough to fuel your motivation.

Twists and turns inside the castle one after the other. This wasn’t how you remembered the layout? Maybe the balcony would still work?

“Where’s an exit??” You were out of breath and exhausted, “There’s got to be one around here somewhere. The balcony should’ve been here.” You looked to your right, a plain Vanilla wall.

“Ӻꝋɍ ꝋꞥȼē Ī ⱥꞡɍēē ⱳīⱦħ ɏꝋᵾ. Ī ᵯⱥɏ ꞥꝋⱦ ħⱥꝟē ⱦħē ƀēꞩⱦ ꝟīēⱳ fɍꝋᵯ ɏꝋᵾɍ ⱳⱥīꞩⱦ ƀᵾⱦ ēꝟēꞥ Ī ҟꞥꝋⱳ ⱳħēɍē ɏꝋᵾ ꝟīꞩīⱦ ꞩꝋ ꝋfⱦēꞥ.”

‘Gee, great observation skills Sherlock.’

Your quick pace turned down to a mild walk. A desperate search for an exit was not fruitful. The crashing of sounds, the clashing of swords, all the noise was getting closer and closer towards you. The defenses were failing if they got that deep into the castle. Now was the time to panic. No more room for words, just running.

A hallway, bare and empty. Destroyed. The chaos must have rolled through here. Shame, all the fancy portraits were here. Now they were ripped to shreds on the floor.

A sudden yank on your arm tugged you down, an immediate plummet to the floor was bound to be your fate. You were dragged just behind a wall in a small hallway branching off the main one. It was out of mere instinct, but you quickly turned around to smack whoever it was.

“Woah there high-speed! I’m not out here to hurt you.” Another cloaked figure held your arm in place, stopping the impending blow.

“Who the hell are you?” You yanked your arm away.

The Cookie had unveiled his face from his hood. It was Pure Vanilla, “You already know me. Trust me, I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you in any harmful way.” It was an attempt at trying to comfort you, but also save his skin for future use.

“Are you also hiding from whatever is out there? I can’t quite grasp whatever it is, but it is causing quite the ruckus. Not to mention property damage.” You relaxed ever so slightly.

He sighed, “I’m not too sure what is out there either. All the knights told me to stand back, to stay deep inside the castle.” Pure Vanilla took a small glance around, “But I feel as though the castle is even more unsafe rather than the outside. Have you seen a single window? Or a door to even let some air in?”

“I haven’t. I was just about to ask you the same exact thing.” You stood up quietly, taking a small peak around the corner of the wall, “What is going on in here?”

“ I am unsure. However, I know of a way out that was built here ages ago. Deep underground through a sacred passageway, there’s a tunnel at the end that has access to the other side of the kingdom. If the one who has done all this to the windows and exits, they surely don’t know of that one.” Pure Vanilla Cookie stood up alongside you, lightly taking hold of your hand, “Come on, let’s check it out.”

He slowly dragged you away from all the chaos. Down several flights of stairs, each of them changing material. First, it was the sugar cone flooring you were used to, then fairly new pieces of wood, then old wood, stone, then dirt. The area around you darkening by the minute.

Eventually Pure Vanilla summoned an empty lantern, “Mind lighting it for me?”

“Oh!” You quickly snapped your fingers, a small light of fire hovering above your index. He held up the lantern while you lit the small candle in it. Pure Vanilla Cookie smiled, then continued on walking to wherever he was taking you.

It felt as if it were one of your adventures all over again. The cave-like atmosphere. The water to the sides of the stone pathway, the moss, and the ever so small light. Occasionally you would find a burnt-out pathway lantern.

A stone archway had been passed. Large, giant statues of warriors of old had been placed far enough from the path, but still close enough to feel as if they were watching your every move. What exactly was this place? A historical sight?

“When we’re not trying to escape potentially a large threat, I would like to observe more of this tunnel as it may relate to the warriors of the Azcakes.” You glanced all around, not even paying attention to what Pure Vanilla Cookie was doing.

(Aztecs.)

“I suppose.”

You had randomly decided to give him a few facts to calm the impending doom feeling, “Did you know that the Azcakes developed a whistle somewhat similar the scream of a regular Cookie? I’ve owned one after the Spire had been destroyed. It was during one of my adventures with a traveling partner.” You had to think of how that partner died, “Anywho- I bought it off one of the last remaining tribes’ members of the Azcakes! Real fun to scare the living shit out of a Faerie in the middle of the night during quiet hours.”

“A little sadistic if I must say.” Pure Vanilla Cookie had not glanced in your direction even once, simply holding your hand and dragging you along the path.

“Possibly, but it was fun!”

He said nothing. Odd…

“How long is this tunnel? We’ve been walking for almost a full half hour.” You checked your pocket watch. Although Lor resided inside of it, he was a mere gem. The clock itself still worked as it normally would.

“…” Yet another quiet response from Pure Vanilla Cookie.

“Pure Vanilla? Are you alright?” You lightly placed the backside of your hand to his forehead, “Are you just nervous? I understand you, but please, this is no time for you to short me of basic answers.”

“…”

“Pure Vanilla please, answer me.”

He halted to a stop, “You want the truth? The answers?” A small chuckle escaped him, “Oh darling…”

‘Darling? What?’ It was absurd, there was no way he just called you that.

“You can’t even see behind one measly lie? Oh, what a fool you are…” Pure Vanilla shook his head, “Can’t you see? Or is it just because of the person, you place complete trust in them?”

The once warmly lit room ignited in black and blue flames. The only warm light was the one you had made with your own two hands, it was lit inside the lantern Pure Vanilla was holding. Flames surrounded the two of you, freezing the once warm water, and approaching quickly. The atmosphere around you had sent a shiver down your spine.

Pure Vanilla’s once gentle voice had turned into something distorted… Unhuman… “Ī ꞡᵾēꞩꞩ ɏꝋᵾ ɍēⱥłłɏ ⱳēɍē ɍīꞡħⱦ ⱳħēꞥ ɏꝋᵾ ꞩⱥīđ ɏꝋᵾ ȼꝋꞥꞩīđēɍēđ ɏꝋᵾɍꞩēłf ⱥ ‘fꝋꝋł’! Ī ⱦħꝋᵾꞡħⱦ ɏꝋᵾ ⱳꝋᵾłđ’ꝟē ƀēēꞥ īᵯᵯᵾꞥē ⱦꝋ ⱦħē ēffēȼⱦꞩ ꝋf ⱥ ꞩᵯⱥłł ƀīⱦ ꝋf ⱦɍīȼҟēɍɏ ⱥfⱦēɍ ⱥłᵯꝋꞩⱦ ƻ ɏēⱥɍꞩ īꞥꞩīđē ᵯɏ Ꞩꝑīɍē!” The lantern had been thrown into ashes.

Slow steps turned into quickly trying to back away while still holding a gaze with Pure Vanilla Cookie. You were easily tripped by the slight variation in the rocky path, falling to the ground. Even still, you slightly inched away.

A morph between blues and pale yellows in his outfit had started. His dough had been shifting to one of a light blue, “You sicken me. To think that once I offered you a ‘normal’ life, you would just leave me?!” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ had taken small steps towards you, harshly holding you up by your face, “And to think that you would go to my sworn enemy… Ohoho…” His other hand had come to gently hold the other side of your face… Until he dragged his nail right across your cheek, making you bleed ever so slightly.

“I don’t think I will let that slide.” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ wiped the blood off of your cheek with his thumb, only taking a small glance at it before licking it off of his finger, “You, my poppet… Have done an act of treachery against me. To be unloyal and go against me… How I wish I could kill you on the spot right here and now, to splatter your delicious jam across these sacred walls.” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ pulled you up by the hair, forcing you to stand, “But I fear I cannot wait months to sit there idly while you regenerate. It pained me so, so much when I found your near lifeless body underneath the rubble of the Spire. Do you know how long it took for you to become conscious? And the very day you did… You ran. Ran away from me.”

He had thrown you to the other side of the tunnel’s walls, taking slow steps towards you, “I believe I have taught you wrong. If you couldn’t even decipher a mere disguise just because it was someone you knew… Grow up, the world will deceive your pretty little eyes.” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ was mere inches away from your face, “But my star… Come back with me and I can give you all the little lies you need to feel happy. If you want the oh-so-kind Fount of Knowledge…” A flicker of pale yellow in his turquoise eye flashed, holding your cheek much more gently, “He’s yours. Just ask and your wish is my command.”

Slow features changed. The eyes in his hair faded to bright stars, his marking crawled to his forehead, and a warm smile placed atop his face.

You shuddered. Unsure if it was the exceedingly freezing temperature or the mere graze of his touch, you still wanted away, “No- No I don’t want nobody to change to someone they are not. I don’t want to live a life full of lies. I would rather see the harsh reality of my situation than live where everything is fake.” You started to squirm.

“I can see it in your eyes.” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ took hold of your wrists, placing them above your head, “You may act like you are above it all, yet you will suffer the exact same fate.”

Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ broke the chain of the pocket watch when ripping it off your waist, holding it eye level, “You see this little watch? The one I denied?”

“W-What about it…?”

“I have figured out what it is, a Light. Studying a dormant Soul Jam is of no use, it acts as a mere gemstone with no purpose other than to look pretty. But once its owner has taken hold over a conscious, soul, body, whatever it may be… It will awaken.” He tightly yanked on your already sore wrists, “It appears this has taken a toll onto your body. A curse if you will. I do not know the circumstances for it, but it is bound to get worse.” He clearly meant the blackened arms. How could you tell him that the ȼꝋɍɍᵾꝑⱦīꝋꞥ had already spread further?

“Give it back.” You grumbled.

“I already planned on giving it back. However, I can’t indulge in a little lesson on what it is?” Ꞩħⱥđꝋⱳ ᛗīłҟ scoffed, “What a shame, to be denied basic enjoyment by my dearest partner! How offending!” A small pout on his lips, but ultimately letting you go.

“Is this tunnel… Even an exit…?” You asked timidly.

With a quick snap of his fingers, the area changed to an opening in the cave, “We reached the end maybe twenty minutes ago. I just repeated the illusion of being still in there countless times.” Shadow Milk had taken a step back, a little embarrassed.

The quick consideration of making a run for it, or trying to stay on Shadow Milk Cookie’s good side. A tough decision indeed. Either way, you would end back to wherever he wanted, one option just being the more… forceful… route compared to the other. He still had Lor, not good…

“DOWN HERE! THE DOOR’S BEEN OPEN!” Several yells were shouted from the opposite end of the tunnel, echoey.

“SHIT- MAKE A RUN FOR IT!” Shadow Milk Cookie had dragged you by your hand, intertwining his fingers between yours slightly.

Without Lor, your footsteps were unsteady. If it weren’t for the hand keeping you up and dragging you, it would have been yet another fall, “Can’t-“ A small trip over a pebble, but you regained your footing, “Can’t you just… Just make a portal?”

“To keep up a disguise as elaborate as Pure Vanilla Cookie’s takes up a lot of mana.”

“It’s only for a short distance.”

“Fine.”

You fell straight into a pool of darkness. No light anywhere near you. Just you, your thoughts, and an endless void with an odd sense of floating, but not quite.

That is until you fell hard on your face against solid marble flooring.

“Witches…” You mumbled under your breath.

“A small fall won’t do much. Walk it off.” Shadow Milk’s voice was strained and tired.

You sat up, looking at him. His appearance was disheveled as if he didn’t get sleep for days. A slight sway to him as well.

“Best we get you off to bed…” A small glance around, nothing looked familiar, but all too familiar at the same time, “Wherever one is…”

Instead of you needing a support for your own body, you were a support to someone else. Slowly but surely, you made your ways towards wherever Shadow Milk Cookie wanted. And a bedroom it was. He plopped down on the bed as soon as he could. Didn’t even have time to get freshened up. Suppose he will do it later.

You sat there at the foot of the bed, “Need anything? Food? Water? Blankets?” If you were potentially going to be stuck again, might as well make peace with your captor before all Hell unleashes on you once he gains complete consciousness.

“Mmmm… No… Just- Just rest.” He mumbled into his pillow.

You stood up, “I’ll leave you to it then.”

A sharp tug onto your clothes, “Stay. Stay until I sleep... Please?”

“O- Oh… Alright, I suppose.” Nothing bad, right? You would just sit there and wait for maybe 15-20 minutes then leave. Explore afterwards then find a random couch to sleep the rest of the night away.

You sat right back down and closed your eyes. As long as there was a practically harmless Shadow Milk, you sat there content.

Lor.

Right, he had Lor…

How would you get it back from a sleeping Beast?

A cuddle and steal plan? It could work, yes…

Why not try it?

You ever so gently laid next to him, slowly wrapping your arms around him. It wasn’t for affection; it was a search and seize.

Unfortunately for you, he was still partially awake, “Mm?” And gladly accepted the ‘affection.’

‘Shit.’ The only thing you got was a clue as to where Lor was. His pocket.

You creeped your hand down, until he took hold of your wrist, “If you wanted the watch, you’ll have to earn it back…” He smirked, “But if you want something else, then-“

“Shut up!” You instantly sat up. You clearly wouldn’t get what you wanted so what was the point of continuing?

“Awh. It was only a joke…” Shadow Milk opened up his eyes ever so slightly, “If you want your Light back then come back here.” He meant back to the position you were previously in.

“How will I know that you are even telling the truth about the deal? To deceive me? Just- Give me Lor back right now.” You extended your hands towards him.

Shadow Milk shut his eyes, “Never mind then. It’s worthless arguing with you.”

“…Fine.”

Chapter 10: A Stage of Deceit

Dark figures with glowing blue eyes surrounded you. You felt small compared to their giant size. You couldn’t tell whether or not if they were friend or foe, but they seemed a threat nonetheless. They belittled you on every mistake you cursed yourself for, every little thing you should have done, every word not spoken. Until one of them spoke up, clearer than the others.

“You too have the potential to be driven mad by knowledge… But the truths you seek are so insipid, how laughable you should die for their sake.”

What…?

Darkness consumed your vison. Your throat tightened and breath escaping you. Gasping for air, you could swear someone was choking you. You clawed at your neck to stop the pressure, but to no avail.

“Darling, won’t you come back to me? Help me out of here?” Someone spoke just out of sight.

The pressure was released, making you kneel down, coughing. With the freedom to breathe again, you looked over to where the voice came from.

“Light Milk… Cookie…?” You stared at the figure.

The figure looked like your Fount, but his face was clouded.

The Fount opened his arms, “Come now dear, allow me this little joy after so long.”

Tears swelled up in your eyes. You quickly stood up and sprinted over, almost tackling him to the ground with how big of a hug you gave.

“I… I-I missed you… How could you just do that…? Leave me here all alone to take over.” You buried your face into his shoulder, sobbing silently.

You felt a hand caressing your head, “It wasn’t my intention to darling; I just got a little… carried away.”

“It was stupid of you to do so. Why would you even do that!? To destroy the very Cookies you swore to serve as a Virtue!?”

You pounded on his chest, looking up at him. His face didn’t change from earlier. Still misty and clouded.

“Why can’t I see your face? WHY!?” Your judgement was clouded with anger.

“ᛗⱥɏƀē īⱦ'ꞩ ƀēȼⱥᵾꞩē ɏꝋᵾ ӻꝋɍꞡꝋⱦ ⱳħⱥⱦ Ī łꝋꝋҟēđ łīҟē.” The Fount’s voice was distorted now.

You slowly backed away from him, “No… How could I forget a face such as yours…? No… No, No, No, No….” You tightly held your head, trying to make sense of it all.

“Ħꝋⱳ ȼꝋᵾłđ ɏꝋᵾ ӻꝋɍꞡēⱦ ᵯē? Ī'ᵯ ħᵾɍⱦ, Ī ᵯᵾꞩⱦ ꞩⱥɏ.” The Fount placed his hand on his chest, feigning being offended.

“Y-You’re not my Fount… Are y-you…?” You accused him, a grin plastered on your face while your eyes twitched.

The Fount chuckled.

“Ⱳⱥҟē ᵾꝑ.”

(Entire thing all made by me btw)

---------------------

You gasped, sitting upright immediately. Your head was pounding, your pulse was racing, sweat beading down your forehead, and different blankets were all sprawled on the bed.

‘It’s just another nightmare…’

You started mumbling to yourself, “It’s just another nightmare, It’s just another nightmare, It’s just another nightmare.” You hung tightly onto the edge of the bed, staring off into nothingness as you kept this meticulous chant up for another 5 minutes.

“Hahahahaha…” You laughed to yourself.

You were a little wobbly once getting out of bed. It was maybe around 5 AM from when you got up. Nightmares have been haunting you more and more as of late. For the past four decades that you resided in the Faerie Kingdom, you have been more on edge. Paranoia seemed to be your new best friend. Whether it be if someone was watching you, or listening to you, or whatever the case may be.

But your nightmares have been getting oddly more and more correct…You didn’t remember most of them, but instead, only a small summary of them.

‘The dream is right… Why can’t I remember his face anymore…?’ You poured yourself a cup of coffee.

‘I can remember… Shadow Milk Cookie’s… face, but why not The Fount?’

How could you have forgotten someone who had given you nothing but great memories, but remember someone who gave nothing but bad memories? You perhaps have tried to muffle out those bad memories, but while doing so, you forgot the good ones.

------------

You were out cold on your sofa; books cluttered the whole living room floor. Your whole house was a mess as well; it’s not like anyone would come in to see it all. When you first moved in, you were a clean freak. Afraid of spores entering through cracks in the house, or losing your belongings in a mess, or having allergies act up with it being dusty. You eventually stopped caring; guests never came anyway.

The Faeries never assigned much work to you; they would only give you small tasks every once in a while. If you wanted something bigger, more time-consuming; you would have to ask again… and again… and again…

Eventually they just gave you a job at the library. Which you didn’t mind at all! You were right in your comfort zone dealing with all sorts of books. With you being more comfortable with fiction, you would often read fairytales to the children who would visit.

It did get pretty boring after a few years though. Time felt different to you now, as if it slowed to an agonizingly slow pace. Perhaps you were too busy managing things in your old life that time seemed to pass right before your eyes. That a student you taught would suddenly be in their elderly age, or your plants dying before you even noticed it was time for their watering.

Life got boring.

You often pondered what it would be like to set off on an adventure now that you had the time to do so… Would it be worth it?

---------------

It was a rash decision. One day you packed a backpack full of supplies you needed, the next you were already halfway across Beast-Yeast.

You regretted it. You had gotten lost on almost every single turn you made; you got stuck in jungle traps countless times, when you set up camp the weather was either terrible or a monster stampeded on your makeshift tent. Vines broke when you tried swinging from them, rocks broke when you tried climbing a cliff.

It was quite the spectacle how many times you failed. Attempting to gain traveling buddies from small villages didn’t go according to plan as well. For something you survived, they died. Whether it be by being burnt alive, suffocation, natural disasters, or murder from a wild tribe. They died for your sake, while you only got minor scars, burns, or small injuries.

If you came across the occasional tribe, you attempted to make friends. They wanted you for extra food or a sacrifice for their religious beliefs. After being attacked, stabbed, bones broken, limbs torn off, and you still survived… They might as well have treated you like a God. Offering up their Winter stash for food or tribal accessories was their usual go-to. You let them keep their food, but you would keep some trinkets. Healing wasn’t an issue as things regenerated by itself… But your trust in Cookie-Kind changed drastically. To try and take another’s life just for their own sake? They deserved whatever punishment the Witches had in store for them. If not…

Ɏꝋᵾ ⱳꝋᵾłđ đēłīꝟēɍ đīꝟīꞥē ꝑᵾꞥīꞩħᵯēꞥⱦ ɏꝋᵾɍꞩēłӻ...

---------------------

Their screams haunted you; it was even worse than your previous nightmares. You stayed awake almost all night trying to block them out, rarely getting a full night’s sleep. Was it even worth taking comrades with you anymore?

You had already taken a life by your own hands for one of them. Yet they died anyway. What a shame, how they live for so short and are so willing to throw their life away. The Witches baked them with care, only for their dough to go to waste.

You had ultimately decided to return to the Faerie Kingdom. To return to your slow and peaceful life. It seems like if you left there, your life would be chaos. Why can’t things return to how they used to be? Just a little librarian in a big tower of books with your lovely Fount. Oh, how times have changed…

---------------------

Knock… Knock… Knock…

Three slow knocks at your door.

Groaning, you sat up in bed. You weren’t ready to start the day yet, but it seems someone wants you to.

“Coming!” You shouted, annoyed.

You threw the Fount’s shawl on and headed for the door slowly, rubbing the sleepiness out of your eyes.

You opened the door, the morning light shone brightly, “Hello?”

It was a Cookie made of ginger. Light shining bright in his eyes, a brown comfy sweater with white skull buttons, and dark brown pants with basic black sneakers. He had curly brown hair with a white streak dashing in the middle of it. He seemed no older than 16.

‘Oh shit, it’s a kid.’

“Oh, hello! What is your reason for visiting me this early in the morning if I may ask?” You had that usual polite smile.

The boy coughed, “My name’s Ginger Brave, and I come looking for a professor!”

Your curiosity was now perked, “What type of professor? For literature, mathematics, magical spells? Anything of the sorts?”

“I was just told to go look around the Faerie Kingdom for a professor.” He was blunt.

“Oh… By whom if I am allowed to ask?” You adjusted your collar a bit.

Ginger Brave huffed, “Well you see… We crashed our airship here; we started a trek and found some sort of spores-“

You cut him off, “I don’t need the whole story, just who is asking you to find me?”

He tried again but cutting to the point, “Pure Vanilla Cookie asked Elder Faerie Cookie to help him look for a specific Cookie that was a professor back in his days.”

“He’s still alive?” You were confused.

“Who?”

“Pure Vanilla Cookie I mean.” You clarified.

“Yep! In fact, now that I found you, we can go meet up with him and the others!” Ginger Brave attempted to grab your hand.

You quickly withdrew your hands, “Ah, ah! If I am going to come with you, at least allow me the decency to get dressed in day-to-day wear if you will. You awoke me in my slumber; I am not decent enough for the outside world yet.” You scolded the boy.

“AH! Right… Sorry!” Ginger Brave quickly shut the door in your face.

Geez, what a generation to be alive in. No respect for their elders! You huffed.

(A/N: Imagine being almost 600 years old… Unc.)

Quickly getting dressed into your usual getup of a robe and shawl, you started your day early. You suppose that a little excitement from a potential new adventure wouldn’t hurt again, right?

Right…?

-------------------

You sighed as you exited your house. You could already tell where the adventurous party was by their noise. It was normally as quiet as a mouse, even a slightest fall of anything would echo across this area of the Kingdom. The other side of the Kingdom however… Was a loud bunch. They partied for months on end with the noise never stopping. You were quite glad that you picked a house in the quieter side of the kingdom.

The group consisted of four members and a small little pet. Ginger Brave, Pure Vanilla Cookie, and two others you haven’t met yet. There was also a small little chameleon like pet on Pure Vanilla Cookie’s shoulder.

You approached the party, “Greetings. I am the ‘Professor’ this… Ginger Brave if I am correct… said that you all needed.” Your introduction was as plain as an unwritten paper.

“Hello there Prof!” Ginger Brave waved.

The girl with strawberry pink hair closed her pink hoodie, “H-Hello… I’m… I’m Strawberry Cookie.”

“I AM WIZARD COOKIE!” A little firework show spewed from the Wizard’s staff.

The three of the kids spoke together with different tones, “And we are the Cookie Run Gang!”

You looked at them in disapproval. You never enjoyed loud noises after the second war.

Pure Vanilla Cookie stood in awe, staring at you.

“Ah, hello Pure Vanilla, glad to see you are doing fine. How long has it been? I genuinely lost count.” You smiled at him.

“I…” His breath shook and lip quivered, “I didn’t even think you were alive.” He grasped at air.

“What a shame eh? Should have died in the war you say?” You jokingly tried to make fun of him.

“NO- I mean… No, no I would never wish that upon anyone! It’s just…” Pure Vanilla Cookie played the rim of his sleeve, “I thought you might have moved to Crispia, the supposed ‘safe land’ during the war. After I was released from my seal, I got word that the Academy and Spire were destroyed… Forgive me for assuming the worst. I should have known someone as smart as you would have figured out a way to survive.” He bowed.

“Please, no need to bow. I am no longer in any high-ranking position for you to be bowing to a nobody like me.” You were a nobody compared to him. A hero, someone who ended a war, someone who saved people, vs a librarian with a large collection of books.

“Can I hug you at least?” His question came out of the blue.

You attempted words but it only turned out as small sounds. No one had asked you that before. Speaking of, when was the last time someone had given you affection…? You just nodded.

Pure Vanilla Cookie almost leaped into your arms, embracing you tightly. You just pat his back awkwardly. It has been a long, long time since you have had to comfort someone.

“How cute. Now can we PLEASE get a move on?” Wizard Cookie was annoyed.

Pure Vanilla Cookie drew back, looking at the young lad, “We shall, but it is respectful to allow someone a moment.” He scolded him like a kindergarten teacher.

“Now what is it that you require assistance for?” You inquired.

“Oh right-“ Ginger Brave had adjusted his sweater, “We are here to find Dark Enchantress Cookie’s stronghold.”

Those three words hit you like a gunshot, “Dark… Enchantress Cookie…?”

“Yup!” The kids confirmed.

Your breathing felt heavier, like you were gasping for air. Your throat constricted and you blinked rapidly. No, no, not again, not again!

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. Calm down, she isn’t anywhere near us. All we need from you is to help us in our investigation.” Pure Vanilla Cookie pat your back.

Everyone gave you a moment to collect yourself.

“I…” You pondered deeply, “I don’t know if I will be able to face Dark Enchantress Cookie, but I will certainly help you put an end to her wickedness.”

“Thank you very much. I didn’t know what else to do if you weren’t here, nor if you would help us.” Pure Vanilla Cookie chuckled lightly.

Wizard Cookie tried to make another comment yet again, but it was actually useful this time, “Elder Faerie Cookie wants to meet us at the Silver Tree, that’s why I said to HURRY IT UP!”

Nodding, you took leak towards the towering tree.

---------------------

“Are you aware of where your power comes from, and how it is being used… Pure Vanilla Cookie?” Elder Faerie Cookie stood tall in front of the tree.

“What are you saying…?” Pure Vanilla Cookie was a bit on edge now.

“The power of virtue, purified by the Witches themselves… The Soul Jam that you harness.” Elder Faerie coughed, “You are not the first to wield that power. The same goes for the other Ancient Heroes.”

“What!?” Pure Vanilla exclaimed.

“The Ancient Heroes…” The Cookie Run Gang took turns speaking, “are not the true owners…”

“…of their Soul Jam!?”

“Well then… Who is?!”

Elder Faerie Cookie sighed, preparing for a long story, “The story begins when this very Silver Tree was only a small sapling… When the World of Desserts was at its infancy. The Witches baked five Cookies to help them in their creation of the world.” He quoted something, “Harness the radiance bestowed upon you for the betterment of this world.” End quote, “And the five Cookies imbued with absolute powers walked Earthbread as almighty envoys of the Great Creators.”

You already dreaded what he was going to say next. You knew this story all too well.

“Knowledge, Volition, Happiness, Change, and Solidarity. The Dessert World bound by these Five Virtues was nothing short of paradise.”

“So those five Cookies were the original owners of the Soul Jam?” Ginger Brave asked.

“Huh…” Wizard Cookie thought for a moment, “Those ‘Five Virtues’ are different from those of the Soul Jams.”

Elder Faerie Cookie continued his story, “Alas… The perfect age was short-lived. Absolute power begets nothing but arrogance. It inevitably corrupts its wielder, bringing them to the most tragic of ends… A fate even the Witches were unable to foresee. One by one, the Five, once regarded as saviors of the Cookie World, gradually turned to Darkness. And thus, the Five Virtues too, became distorted, twisted…”

You interrupted his story, “They reduced to Deceit, Apathy, Sloth, Destruction, and Silence.”

“Yes, thank you.” He continued… again, “Now known as the Five Beasts, the apostles of evil began their dark crusade. And forth they brought great destruction and suffering. The Witches could not bear to see what fate had befallen their creations. They punished the Beasts by sealing them away deep within this land. And planted the seed of the Silver Tree to ensure their evil power never sees the light of day again. From then on, this land where the Beasts were imprisoned, was called Beast-Yeast.”

“The Witches then gathered the last vestiges of power bestowed upon the Beasts, untouched by their corruption. They further cleansed, purified it, and in the end… Soul Jam was created. The purest Soul Jam was meant to be earned by Cookies who had proven themselves worthy.” Elder Faerie had finally finished the story.

‘Oh, what a relief. If he had kept on yapping, I would have just summarized it myself.’ You rolled your eyes.

Elder Faerie Cookie turned to Pure Vanilla Cookie. “One of them is the Light of Truth that you received at the end of your long, arduous journey down the Pilgrim’s Path. Before, both Truth and Deceit existed within the Light of Knowledge. Cleansing and purifying it created the Soul Jam that you wield today.”

“This means… The power of Deceit is now…” Pure Vanilla Cookie was shaken up.

“Yes. It remains sealed somewhere in Beast-Yeast.” Elder Faerie Cookie answered his question before he could even ask it, “The Light of Truth serves to balance the scales of good and evil.”

Wizard Cookie popped up eagerly, “The tree has five main branches. Seems like they represent the Soul Jam of each Ancient Hero!”

“But one of them looks… dimmer than the other.” Strawberry Cookie pointed out.

Elder Faerie Cookie started to explain, “One by one, four of the Soul Jams regained their strength. But, for a long time, all of these branches were close to wilting.”

Pure Vanilla Cookie added on, “After the Dark Flour War, when all the Sould Jams have been shattered into pieces and scattered all across the world…”

Elder Faerie Cookie hummed in agreement, “During that long period of imbalance… The Five Beasts saw it as an opportunity to regain their strength. As the Guardian, I channeled all my power to keep the seal intact. But my strength alone was not enough. And the Beasts have already grown much too strong. Now this great evil lie hidden somewhere in Beast-Yeast, ready to strike at any moment…”

You didn’t comment much on his spiel. You knew almost everything he explained. Letting out a yawn, you sat on the 3rd step of the grand staircase.

“Is there a way to prevent the Beasts from escaping?” Pure Vanilla Cookie immediately asked.

Elder Faerie Cookie sighed, “Our last hope is… To bring back the fifth Ancient Hero, White Lily Cookie, and her Light of Freedom.”

You sat up straight at that, “Isn’t White Lily Cookie dead?”

Ginger Brave had lifted up a pouch that held something glowing inside, “These are White Lily Cookie’s memories. Her dough is left in a special glass case.”

Pure Vanilla looked down guiltily, “I… Apologize for not saying this earlier but… White Lily Cookie is Dark Enchantress Cookie.”

You immediately stood up, “WHAT?!”

“How can I explain it…?” Pure Vanilla Cookie was looking for the right words, “She used a moonstone to separate herself from her… corrupted… half you could say.”

You mumbled breathily, “Dark magic…”

Elder Faerie Cookie picked up where he left off, “If we can bring her back. We just might be able to repress the evil forces sealed here in Beast-Yeast. Although the Light of Freedom may be scattered across Beast-Yeast, White Lily Cookie’s branch on the Silver Tree still shines brightly as ever. Not all may be lost. Perhaps there is still a way to gather the Light of Freedom and restore it to its full glory, but…”

“So, we can revive White Lily Cookie by gathering all the shards of the Light of Freedom? I can hear it! The voice of The Light of Freedom speaks to me!” Pure Vanilla Cookie exclaimed.

“Really!?” The party shouted.

You took a few steps away from it all. What exactly were you getting yourself into!? ‘This is too much; this is too much!’

“Then there is hope for us still! There is no time to waste. The Beasts may yet escape and bring the Great Calamity upon us. And Dark Enchantress Cookie, whom you have been chasing endlessly… Will not let such an opportunity pass.” Elder Faerie Cookie then turned directly to Pure Vanilla Cookie.

“Pure Vanilla Cookie… You must gather the shards. White Lily Cookie’s Light of Freedom… The last hope Dark Enchantress Cookie has yet to corrupt. Gather them and we might have a chance.”

-------------------

“Use my Life Powder…”

“NO!” You blurted out.

You stood in front of the kids, confronting Pure Vanilla Cookie, “I will not stand here and watch you sacrifice your own life. Earthbread needs all the Heroes… And that includes you.” You were determined to make him see your view, “If anything, use mine. No Cookie has needed me in a long, long while.”

“But I need you. I need your wisdom, your smarts, your experiences, and your help. If I use mine, it won’t crumble me. But it will only make me a bit weaker.” Pure Vanilla Cookie tried to sway your opinion.

He sighed, “To tell you the truth, those questions bothered me for a long time. Why was it that White Lily Cookie had to become Dark Enchantress Cookie? And why was there nothing I could do to help? Whether I should’ve insisted more on stopping her…” He paused for a moment, “But now I know. What White Lily Cookie really needed… Was a friend who understood her. I shouldn’t have let her take on such a big burden all alone.”

You had heard him out for a bit, but you didn’t waver. If he needed your help with something, you would do your best to take on the heavier load for him.

“But now, I have the chance to meet Whitie Lily Cookie again. Not as a memory, not as a vision, not as Dark Enchantress Cookie… But as the real White Lily Cookie. This time, I won’t let her down.” Pure Vanilla Cookie turned to Elder Faerie Cookie, “Please, use my Life Powder to wake up White Lily Cookie.”

Elder Faerie Cookie straight up rejected him, “No. Wizard Cookie and the Professor are right. There are still too many things left for you to do.” He glanced at the hollow dough of a Cookie in the glass case, “The duty of the Faerie King is to protect the Silver Tree. Any sacrifice for such a purpose… Would purely be the culmination of my fate.”

Pure Vanilla Cookie tried interjecting, but Elder Faerie Cookie didn’t leave any room for discussion, “Pure Vanilla Cookie, I hope you will keep that promise of yours. Do not let her down. She will need your help… all of you.”

Faeries stood around the now open glass case. You remember reading about this spell ages ago in the Faerie Library. It required a Soul, and a Life. The spell was midway done before you rushed in, shoving the elder out of the way.

You could sense that he had already poured half of his Life Powder into her, but you would deal the finishing blow. The pain was excruciating, like your very being was being stripped away from you. Your dough burned, limbs felt like they were being torn off all over again, your chest was heavy, and your mind foggy. Several Cookies tried to rip you away from her, but you didn’t budge.

The spell was complete. You estimated with the amount you and Elder Faerie Cookie gave; she wouldn’t be a “Half-a-Cookie” but more like “75%-a-Cookie.” Giving in to the weakness, you allowed the others to drag you away from her. Oh, how tired you were… You coughed horrendously. Fading in and out of consciousness, you laid still on the ground.

Blurred figures moved around you quicker than usual. The more colorful of the bunch went over to what you assumed was the now alive White Lily Cookie, the Faeries were surrounding Elder Faerie Cookie and you, examining your conditions. Elder Faerie Cookie was at least able to move around, although with a limp. You didn’t know if your body either wasn’t just strong enough, or you had put in more than needed. Oh well. You’ll be fine, right?

You observed Elder Faerie Cookie talking something along the lines of a probably meaningful speech, then collapsing. Knights escorted him almost immediately. You were left there just to rest; you weren’t as important as a King…

“Good to… see you… White Lily Cookie…” You managed to mumble out, eyes zoning out onto the branches of the grand tree.

“Huh?” She turned.

There was a collective gasp, and you could hear footsteps quickly approaching you.

“Don’t tell me you were involved in this too!” White Lily Cookie knelt down, taking a hold of your hand.

You didn’t have the strength to answer her.

Pure Vanilla’s words were remorseful, “I’m so sorry Prof… I should have never brought you into this. I didn’t know you would pull something like this either…”

“Pure Vanilla Cookie… What did they do…?” White Lily Cookie looked up at him.

He inhaled shakily, “They… They offered up a… lot… of the Life Powder needed…”

Words were getting muffled to you. You also didn’t want to deal with potential crying, so you gave into the feeling of exhaustion.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

You awoke to screaming and yelling. Quickly rising from a bed, you almost fell right back on it. You were wobblily and could hardly hold your balance. Nurses dropped whatever they were doing and left the building… What cowards.

You may have been weak, but that didn’t stop you from the curiosity building inside of you. Grabbing a crutch of sorts, you slowly made your way to the exit; different patients waved you off or gave good luck on the way. Determined, you exited. Faeries were all over the place, running, screaming, crying, you name it. When trying to ask about it, all they gave you was “THE SEAL!”

Wait… The seal? ‘OH SHIT!’

You moved as fast as your weak body and a crutch could take you towards the Silver Tree. Didn’t White Lily Cookie’s revival have fixed the withering of the branches? Or has the rift grown too wide for a few measly branches to hold? There wasn’t a time for ‘what ifs,’ there was only time for facts.

-----

Meeting up with the party, you spoke up, trying not to strain your throat, “What the hell is going on?”

“The rift! The branches can’t hold it anymore!” White Lily Cookie exclaimed.

You stared right at it. A dark blue rift with blue eyes looking all over the place. You couldn’t tell if any of the Beasts could see out yet, but they sure were trying to. With the current state of your body, you wouldn’t even be able to conjure a basic protection spell if needed.

An all too familiar voice spoke from it, “Oooooooooh! I see that those pesky little vine shackles that have held us captive for oh, so, so, SOOOOO long… are GONE!” A maniacal laughter rumbled.

“Whoah, that was deeply unpleasant…” Wizard Cookie sounded annoyed.

Others commented on the vines. While the Faerie Knights got ready for battle.

“ATTACK!!” A crowd shouted.

You backed off while others fought. Fighting wasn’t your specialty nor would you be able to do it currently. You only faintly remember reading about it, but a bright sword came from nowhere, attacking straight at the rift. ‘It’s the Guardian Strike!’

The rift closed almost entirely… Only for it to open larger than before…

“White Lily Cookie! Use your sealing magic… just like you did back then!” Silverbell Cookie shouted.

“It’s… too late!” She took small steps back.

The ground shook beneath you.

-

“AAAHHHH! Doesn’t this fresh air just feel… DIVINE!!” Shadow Milk Cookie emerged from the rift, large in size.

Your breath hitched. Your first instinct was to hide behind something, someone, anything at all. Choosing Pure Vanilla Cookie as he had the largest silhouette to hide you.

“Oh, I see I have quite an audience here! I am SO terribly sorry to have kept you waiting!!” Shadow Milk Cookie giggled, “But now… the wait is over! Your favorite trickster is here! Shadow… Milk… Cookie!”

You put yourself in a ball, biting down on your robe, eyes shutting tightly, and hands covering your ears. It was all in an attempt to silence yourself. See no lies, speak no lies, hear no lies.

Quite a bit had passed but you still felt Pure Vanilla Cookie moving behind your back. That meant he was alive… Good.

You were supposed to protect him though… Why were you so scared? Why are you coward now? What had happened to you?

But there was nothing you COULD do. Pure Vanilla Cookie was much more capable than you. All you had was knowledge now… You would certainly pass out if you tried even a small light spell.

You felt a tap on your shoulder. Making a rash decision, you opened your eyes. It was a Faerie child dressed up as a circus performer.

“Hehe! I found youuu!” The child giggled, “You’re called for the stage in 5!”

You tried speaking through your bite, “What?”

Blue puppeteering strings pulled the poor child up in the air, they went limp. You stared right at them as they were being pulled to what you assumed was Shadow Milk.

“What have you found my little fool?” Shadow Milk Cookie was inquisitive from a distance.

Pure Vanilla Cookie instinctively tried to use his robe to hide you more. But it was no use.

“Ohhhh?~” You heard a chuckle, “A performer in a show from centuries past you say? Well, I must meet them!”

“Get away from them!” Several Cookies formed a circle around you.

Unexpectedly, they too were flung in the air with strings.

You could hear his breath hitch, “Darling…?”

‘No, no, no, no, no!’ You avoided his gaze.

You heard footsteps behind you, “Is it really you dear?”

Arms wrapped around your waist from behind, lifting you up. He had tried to turn you around but you squirmed and kicked.

“Darling, I just want to see your face after so long apart!” Shadow Milk Finally gripped your face, turning you around.

You observed him for only a second. But you were focused on the hanging ‘puppet’s all around. Their mouths were sealed tight with different strings, objects, or being tied up with their own limbs.

“Please… Look at me.” He cupped your cheeks as he had once done before ages ago.

You looked at him with pure hatred. He didn’t deserve words out of you, keeping your mouth shut was the best option in your opinion.

“Why must you look at me with such disgust? I’m a little hurt. What happened to the times when you stared at me longingly? Or when-“ He got interrupted before he could share more memories right in front of other people.

“Shut. Up. Release me.” You demanded.

Shadow Milk Cookie looked like a puppy who had just been told it couldn’t have a treat. Alas, he obeyed and let go of you. You quickly took a good few feet away from him.

“How did you even escape!?”

“That is none of your concern, what is your concern is that I am back. Back for you.” He took small steps, offering up his hands.

“Don’t touch me.” You slapped away his hands.

“Darling dearest, please… You are getting quite on my nerves and I wish to be gentle with you. Don’t start this, we can talk about this later!” Shadow Milk Cookie held his hands like he had just been burnt.

“I never wanted you back.”

Those words shook him, angered him, saddened him. But mostly angered him.

“How… HOW DARE YOU!?” He lunged at you.

You let out a yelp, closing your eyes and bracing for an attack. All you felt was a hand on your shoulder and minor nausea.

Opening your eyes, you were in a familiar room. It had been your bedroom in the Spire back when it was still built.

“Huh…?”

Eyes surrounded the room and Shadow Milk Cookie’s voice spoke threateningly, “I have important things to do and you not agreeing with me has only stalled my plans! I’ll be back soon, enjoy the new Spire of Lies!” And with that, the eyes disappeared.

You tried the door but it was locked, windows were as well. Had he… trapped you…? Imprisoned you…? Or was this merely a waiting place for what was about to come? It didn’t matter anymore. You eventually sat down in your familiar chair, sighing. Your room was reconstructed back to exactly how you had it in your early days at the Spire. Although, you were a bit disappointed it didn’t have your most current stuff. You couldn’t blame him though; he at least tried to remember what it looked like. It wasn’t like he could see what it was like before it got destroyed.

Speaking of… Did he reconstruct the Spire? Had it been rebuilt!? You let out a small laugh. Oh, how happy you were that your pride and joy was back in business. But something was off, paranoia creeped in through every crack in the walls. Shadow Milk had called it the ‘Spire of Lies’, oh, how of COURSE he had to rebrand this tower to his new ways.

“Son of a bitch…” You huffed.

Things happened all too fast. Your thoughts spiraled, walking back and forth in a trance of sorts didn’t calm you down either. You ultimately decided to read some of your old books for the hundredth time. Time passed quickly and the book was finished in less than 3 hours.

---------------------

“Daaarrrliiiiinnnggg!~ I’m hoooooome!” That annoying voice spoke outside your door.

You threw the book you were reading at the door, “GO AWAY!”

Shadow Milk Cookie entered after unlocking the door, “How could I possibly stay away when someone like you is right behind a door?” His air of theatrics was x10 now.

“It’s called giving people space. You should really try that someday.” You huffed, standing up from your armchair.

“But what if I don’t wanna?” He placed his heeled shoe on the book near the door.

“Don’t put your shoes on my book either.” You knelt down, attempting to take it out from under his shoe.

“You threw it at me, what’s to say I can’t have it?” He held a shit-eating grin, only placing more pressure on the book.

You stood up, sighing in annoyance, “You know what? Fuck it, I don’t care. Take it.” You stomped back over to your chair, plopping down on it.

“Awh, I thought you would put up more of a fight.” Shadow Milk used a spell to levitate the book, he didn’t even have to touch it to flip through the pages, “Guess you got boring after this long.”

“I-I didn’t get ‘boring,’ I just matured. Unlike you I see. You only grew more childish.” You crossed your arms.

In an instant, he was floating over you, “ME!? CHILDISH!!?? Oh-ho-ho! How wrong you are!”

Just by observing him, you could tell he was trying to hold back from hurting you. At least he knew common decency.

“Prove it.”

Shadow Milk Cookie stopped from his rage, being put on the spot, “Uhhh…”

You were definitely amused; it was your turn for the shit-eating grin now. You watched him stammer, trying to think of different ways to prove that he was still mature.

“I… I don’t know how to prove it…” He directed his gaze away from you.

“Why not?”

“I just… Dunno.” He huffed.

You thought for a moment, then disturbed the silence, “Why am I stuck here?”

The eyes in his hair looked at you for 2 seconds, then the iris’s turned into hearts, “So that I cannot be separated from you again!” He growled at what he was about to say, “If I ever got… sealed again…” He stopped floating and just stood in front of you, “You would come with me!” A chuckle escaped him.

“…What…?”

“You heard me!” Shadow Milk Cookie took a strand of your hair, twisting it slowly.

“Hahahahaha…” You tried laughing to cope. ‘No, that must be false… Why would I believe the Beast of DECEIT when it could be a lie? But then again, it is something he would do…’

While you slightly dissociated, Shadow Milk Cookie climbed onto your lap. He placed his head in the crook of your neck and wrapped his arms around your torso. It was his best attempt to comfort. It didn’t help much, but it felt comfy, like a weighted blanket or something. He tried rubbing circles on your back or giving small pecks on your chin.

During one of your almost insane-like-laughs, you started sobbing. You gripped onto Shadow Milk for dear life. Some of his basically-alive hair wrapped around you. You two stayed like that until you eventually passed out.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

‘Poor dear, cried themselves to sleep.’ Shadow Milk Cookie stared at your resting face.

Picking you up gently, he carried you over to your bed. With a snap of his fingers, you were in your pajamas. He grabbed a blanket and tucked you in.

“Hmm…” He didn’t even think for 3 seconds before snapping himself into a similar pajama set.

He chuckled lightly as he tucked himself in beside you, ‘I haven’t done this in so long. It’s very comfortable.’

Shadow Milk snuggled right up. His favorite spot was right on your neck. Hair sprawled everywhere and limbs hugging you. The Bringer of Happiness must’ve blessed him as he held a warm smile.

“Good night… my last truth…” He laid a kiss on your forehead and attempted to sleep.