Chapter Text
The group made their way into a nearby building. The main room had a large table in it, clearly intended for a large gathering of Cookies. A couple potted plants, well cared for, sat on either side of the doorway.
While the others sat down at the table, the still-nameless Cookie chose to stay by the door, frowning. She fiddled with her cloak, eyes darting around the room.
“My apologies for taking so long,” a well-dressed Cookie said as he entered the room. He adjusted the large hat on his head and paused to look over at the nameless Cookie by the door, who had stiffened at his arrival.
“Hello, Eclair,” Roguefort greeted the other. The Cookie, Eclair, turned his gaze to them.
“Who are…?” Eclair gestured to the five newcomers. Madeleine smiled and waved to him, while Espresso regarded him with a brief look of curiosity, seemingly pausing as if they recognized him. Financier nodded to Eclair, and Clotted Cream gave him a polite smile.
“The other wielders have arrived,” Roguefort replied. Eclair hummed as the four Cremians showed him their shards.
“Hello, Mx. Eclair,” Clotted Cream greeted with a slight bow. “I am Consul Clotted Cream Cookie of the Crème Republic. My companions are Mage Espresso Cookie, Ser Financier Cookie, and Knight Commander, Ser Madeleine Cookie.” He gestured to each member in turn, then glanced over at the Cookie in the corner. “We aren’t sure who the other one is over there. She hasn’t shared her name with us yet. She seems to be a shy one.”
The nameless Cookie shot Clotted Cream a sharp glare that made Eclair falter as he turned towards her. She truly did look as though she would lunge for Clotted Cream at any second. Luckily, she remained where she was.
Eclair decided to instead focus on the others’ shards. His eyes lit up in excitement, and he rushed over to the four Crèmians.
“How extraordinary!” Eclair adjusted his monocle as he leaned in to examine the shards. “Two wielders of Truth’s Light and two wielders of Glory’s? This is unheard of!”
“Do you know why we were chosen in particular?” Espresso asked.
“Well, these specific Divine tend to choose those that have ties to the Kingdoms that valued them the most, while others tend to choose those that fit more with their ideals,” Eclair replied. “The Coffee Tribe were members of the Cacao Kingdom. You, Ser Madeleine and Consul Clotted Cream, look as though you’re both descended from the Vanilla Kingdom," he spoke quickly, then spun towards the Paladin beside the Consul. "I’m not sure why Glory chose you, Financier. The Golden Cheese Kingdom never had any Cookie residents aside from their queen, so perhaps you resonated more with their ideal…”
Madeleine and Espresso shared a confused look, but Eclair had already stepped closer to the nameless cookie before they could ask what he meant. He continued onwards, “As for you… Your reclusive and serious attitude, and darker dough and hair color, suggests Cacaoan roots, but why would Passion choose a Cacaoan…?”
“I fail to see why that matters,” she snapped, scowling at him. “What actually does matter is why we’re here.”
“That will be explained in a few moments.” Another Cookie, an older one with white hair and an x-shaped scar across his face, stepped into the room. “Come, join us at the table. There’s a lot for us to discuss.”
Everyone chose spots at the table. The paladins flanked the Consul, Espresso begrudgingly picking a seat beside Madeleine, and Roquefort sitting across from the newcomers. The nameless Cookie hesitated before she sat down next to Espresso, while the new Cookie took the seat beside Eclair.
“You must be Ceylon,” Madeleine said.
You would be correct,” he said. “And you five are?” Clotted Cream once again introduced himself and the others.
“What is your name, young lady?” Ceylon asked the nameless Cookie. When she frowned at him, and still did not say, he let out a sigh. “I understand you are confused and wary right now, but if you truly are one of the new wielders of the Lights, you will be a member of this team. Which means we must know your name.”
She huffed in response, glancing away from everyone else's gaze. Finally, the nameless Cookie dropped her head and mumbled a response.
“Black Raisin Cookie.”
“Aha!” Eclair exclaimed, swiftly standing up. His sudden response made Black Raisin jump a bit in surprise and tense up again. “A Raisin Cookie, that explains it! It is my understanding that you Raisin Cookies are descendants of Grape Cookies, is that correct?”
Instead of becoming defensive, as Clotted Cream expected of the prickly Cookie, Black Raisin only looked further stunned by Eclair’s question.
“I… Yes, that’s right, I suppose,” she replied, her voice soft. She cast a look to the others that Clotted Cream could only describe as a silent plea for help.
“That explains why Passion chose you!” Eclair brought out a scroll, quickly scribbling something down on it. “You aren’t a Cacaoan at all! Well, you likely have some Cacaoan in your blood, but most of your ancestors instead hail from Hollyberry’s Kingdom! They were Grape Cookies — vampires — and gained their powers from draining juice from fruits and berries. But when some fled from the Kingdom after Hollyberry fell, they found that the Raisin Cliffs they’d fled to were unable to sustain the fruits and berries they relied upon.
“So, between living in such a hostile environment, and losing their vampiric abilities, overtime your tribe became Raisin Cookies! It’s really quite a fascinating subject! You’re the first Raisin Cookie I’ve met in person, you must tell me more about-!”
“Eclair, please,” Ceylon interrupted, his tone and expression shifting to exasperated. “We have more pressing matters to attend to right now.”
“Right, right, yes, sorry! My apologies,” Eclair said, adjusting his monocle and sitting back down. An embarrassed flush dusted his cheeks as he busied himself with shuffling a few scrolls around on the table.
The older Cookie shook his head. “Are you familiar with the tales of the Five?” Ceylon asked.
“I am!” Clover spoke up. “They were the founders of the four great Kingdoms. Pure Vanilla and his wife, White Lily, and their friends, Golden Cheese, Hollyberry, and Dark Cacao.”
“Correct!” Eclair jumped in before Ceylon could say anything. “You see, the stories all mention them having colorful gems with them, but it seems the stories have forgotten what the gems did. Those gems were Soul Jam, powerful relics granted to them by the Divine Lights. They enhanced the Five’s natural abilities, granting them power beyond that of other Cookies. They were essentially demigods with those Soul Jam.”
Ceylon cleared his throat. Eclair laughed and ducked his head slightly, murmuring an apology to the older Cookie.
Ceylon sighed and continued, “The Five fought against a terrible being: Dark Enchantress. She was trying to take over Earthbread, though her reasons for doing so have been lost to time. When the Five fell in the final battle of the Dark Flour War, their Soul Jam shattered. It was believed that was the end of their story.
“Whenever a great threat endangered all of Earthbread, the shards of the Soul Jam would reappear and would be blessed by the Divine, and then given to those the Divine deemed worthy to protect Earthbread. These groups were labeled Soul Wielders, and it seems all of you are the newest Soul Wielders.”
“But why us specifically?” Black Raisin questioned. “The mage and knights I can understand, but what about the rest of us?”
“The Lights are the godly personifications of certain things,” Eclair replied after a glance to Ceylon. “Not exactly emotions, but ideas of sorts. The Divine Truth, which was bound to Pure Vanilla’s Soul Jam, for example, resonates with those who have found a truth about themselves, and have used it to make the world a better place, or are searching for it. Madeleine, I believe that you being a knight might have something to do with that.”
“Well, I am the most famous paladin in the Crème Republic,” Madeleine said, grinning. “I learned from a young age that I wanted to use my natural charisma and skills to protect my home.”
Espresso scoffed and rolled their eyes at that. Black Raisin had a similar reaction, though hers was contained to a silent, displeased look. Financier sighed quietly to herself. Eclair merely blinked before continuing.
"As for you other four, I'm not too sure why you were chosen, let alone why there are two of Glory and Truth's Wielders… Again, historically, while these groups were often chosen by coming together and battling a great foe, there has never been an instance of two heroes with the same Light in any 'cycle'..." Eclair trailed off, examining each of the new heroes before him. "Ultimately, I cannot determine exactly why each Divine chose you, and I cannot answer why there are two of Truth and Glory in the same team right now. I can say with certainty, though, that you will have to work together and will have to find who or what this new threat is."
Ceylon nodded. "While we are not sure what threat is approaching this time, it will require cooperation and teamwork from all of you. And quite likely for an extended period of time."
The squeak of a chair violently moving against the floorboards made Clotted Cream look up.
“Wait, Black Raisin!” he called out as he spotted Black Raisin get up from her chair and begin to walk away. “Where are you going?”
Black Raisin stopped, staying still for a moment as if she was thinking about what to say. She then turned back to the rest of the group, a conflicted look on her face. Her eyes darted to the door, then back to the group still gathered around the table.
“Look, I didn’t ask to be a part of this,” she finally said. “I just wanted to know what was going on. And now that I have, I’m going back home to keep my village safe.”
“The best chance you have at keeping your village safe is to stay here and help,” Eclair argued. “If a new team of Soul Wielders is being gathered, it means something is threatening Earthbread again. All of Earthbread. You won’t be able to defend your village alone.” He then smiled gently. “But now I know why the Light of Passion chose to bond to you. It must have resonated with your drive to defend your home.”
Black Raisin scowled. She looked to the door again, her expression changing to one of longing. She finally sighed and tossed her Light Fragment onto the table. Eclair barely caught it before it skidded right off.
“Yeah, no, this isn’t for me. I’m more used to working alone, anyway. Besides, the team seems big enough to me. You’ll be fine without me.”
She turned and left the building before anyone could stop her. The door slammed shut behind her, silence settling over the group for several seconds.
“We have to go after her,” Madeleine said, standing from his seat. “She’s our teammate, Passion chose her for a reason-!”
“Hold that thought,” Eclair said as he quickly took out his phone when it began to buzz furiously. He examined the screen, brows shooting up. “My museum is under attack!”
“Where is your museum located?” Financier asked. “We can help.”
“In Parfaedia,” Eclair answered, already moving towards the door. “I’ll lead you there. Come on!”
“There’s anti-theft spells all over the place,” Eclair said as they rushed to unlock the doors of their museum. “No one should be able to- hey!”
The second the doors were unlocked, a crowd of Cake Monsters burst out of the museum, nearly knocking over Eclair in the process. A crown sat atop the head of one of the Cake hounds.
“Come back here with that!” Eclair called. “That’s the crown of the first Ginger Kingdom King!”
“We’ll get it!" Madeleine shouted, sprinting after the Cakes without a second thought. The others ran after him.
The sun was already beginning to set. The group knew they would have to catch up to the Cakes soon, or else they’d lose them in the darkness of the night. Luckily, the Cakes’ shorter legs made it easy for the Cookies to catch up to them.
Unluckily, more Cakes burst from the bushes once they reached the treeline. One grabbed hold of Espresso’s robes, tripping them and sending them tumbling to the ground with an undignified yelp.
“Espresso!” Madeleine skidded to a stop and rushed over to help them. Clover and Roquefort were fending off several Cakes each themselves.
“Go on without us, we’ll be fine,” Roquefort said to Financier and Clotted Cream as the two hesitated, torn between chasing after the Cake Hound with the crown and helping their team. The two Crèmians nodded and darted off after the Cake Hound, hoping the others would be okay without them.
They once again caught up with the Hounds. Financier lunged, managing to get her arms around the little thief.
“I’ve got it!” Financier managed to grab the Cake Hound. It yelped as she grabbed it, kicking its little legs as it was lifted off the ground. It snarled and thrashed around, but she held it tightly, making sure it couldn’t bite.
But, as she turned to carry it over to Clotted Cream so he could take the crown off of the Cake Hound, black liquid oozed from the ground at her feet. Odd looking creatures vaguely resembling the Cakes with skull-like faces emerged from the ooze. They grabbed Financier's legs, throwing her to the ground and forcing her to drop the Cake Hound. The Cake Hound yipped, righted itself, and took off again.
“Financier!” Clotted Cream ran to help the paladin, stumbling as more of the odd creatures rose from the ground and charged at him. As they slammed into him, his cloak's straps slammed into the dirt to stabilize him, and he drew his rapier as he straightened.
“I’m fine, sir, focus on yourself!” Financier called to him, kicking away one of the creatures and rolling away from the sword another wielded.
Clotted Cream was about to summon the secondary set of straps on his cloak in preparation to fight, but wasn’t given the chance. A whirl of shadows surged past him, slicing at the creatures and throwing them back away from Clotted Cream and Financier.
The shadows cleared enough for Clotted Cream to see who had helped them.
“Black Raisin Cookie?” he breathed. He lowered his sword, having raised it instinctively.
"Hey, pretty boy."
It took a few heartbeats for Clotted Cream to realize that Black Raisin was speaking to him. There were still a few shadows swirling around her feet. A few iridescent black feathers danced to the ground, one of them landing in the black ooze seeping out of the odd creatures that had attacked Clotted Cream and Financier. The glow in Black Raisin's eye burned brighter than before, though its glow was fading now that the fight was over.
"Y-yes?" He wheezed a bit. When had he stopped breathing?
"You okay?" Black Raisin asked. Clotted Cream swallowed, then nodded slowly.
"Yes," he replied, shakily at first. He cleared his throat, raising his voice a little as he continued, "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you, Black Raisin."
Black Raisin nodded to him and turned, intent on continuing her journey to wherever it was she was heading before.
Clotted Cream frowned when Black Raisin turned away from him. He couldn't stop himself before he called out to her. "Wait! Black Raisin!"
Black Raisin slowed to a stop. She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself, then whipped around to pin him with a sharp glare.
"What do you want?"
Despite his growing concern for his own well being, Clotted Cream sheathed his rapier, forcibly straightening his posture after dusting off his clothes. He met her gaze.
"We need you," he replied calmly. "The team is incomplete without a wielder of Passion's light."
"Then find another one," Black Raisin said. "You've got two wielders of Truth, don't you? Have someone else take over as Passion's."
"I don't believe it works like that," Clotted Cream said. "You may very well be the only one it's willing to bond with. Please stay."
"He's right." Financier joined them, limping slightly. She still ached from a blow she'd taken to the hip, though she grew stronger with every step. "We may very well be able to find another wielder of Passion's light, but until then, we need you here with us."
Black Raisin scowled and muttered something harsh under her breath in a language that neither Cremian understood. She looked over her shoulder, down the winding road behind her. For a moment, Clotted Cream worried she may turn around and keep walking.
Finally, she heaved a sigh. "Fine," she spat out. "But only until you lot find another wielder for Passion. Got it? As soon as you find another wielder, I'm gone."
"Understood," Clotted Cream and Financier replied.
“Consul Clotted Cream!” Madeleine ran over to them. His cape had been torn a bit, but he appeared to be mostly uninjured. “Are you alright?”
“We’re fine, thanks to Miss Black Raisin,” Clotted Cream replied. “She’s agreed to stick around until we find someone else to wield Passion’s Light Fragment.”
“Welcome back, Black Raisin!” Madeleine grinned at her. Black Raisin mumbled a response, then fell quiet once more.
“Were you able to get the crown back?” Espresso asked, dusting off his mantle.
Clotted Cream grimaced. He knew he was forgetting something.
“Regrettably, no,” he said. “We were stopped by more creatures. They weren’t Cake Monsters, but it appears as though they could have once been them. Perhaps a distant relative…? Either way, the Cake Hound managed to escape with the crown.”
“We have to keep going,” Madeleine said. “We can’t just let it get away! Eclair is counting on us!”
“The sun is setting,” Roquefort said, coming up behind the others. “I’m afraid we have no choice but to go back empty-handed. It isn’t safe to be running around the forest at night, and I doubt we’ll be able to find it anytime soon.”
Black Raisin tuned out the bickering going on behind her, eyes narrowed as she stared into the growing darkness of the forest. Her crow was circling overhead, as if searching for the Cake Hound as well.
“I could go,” she offered. “The darkness doesn’t bother me. I can see in it just fine.”
“I would rather you not go alone,” Clotted Cream said, brows furrowed. “There could be more Cake Monsters and whatever those other things that attacked us were out there. It isn’t safe for you to go alone.”
“I’ll be fine,” Black Raisin insisted harshly. “I can handle a few monsters on my own.”
“I agree with the Consul,” Financier said, stepping between them. “As much as it pains me to admit, we’ve failed this mission. The Cake Hound got away with the crown, and we have little hope of finding it again through all those trees. It’s in our best interests to return to the museum and inform Eclair of what’s happened.”
“So, what do you think of our new teammates?” Madeleine asked. He, Financier, and Clotted Cream had returned to the airship to get their personal luggage. Clover and Roquefort had headed home for the night, and Espresso and Black Raisin had remained at the guild.
“Roquefort and Clover seem nice,” Financier replied. “I do not care for how they kept the truth of them also being Soul Wielders from us at first, however I can understand why they did so. Black Raisin, on the other hand, I am unsure about.”
Madeleine nodded slowly as he carried his suitcase out of the airship. “She does seem rather reluctant to work with a team,” he murmured. “But she did agree to stay with us, and she was a great help in the fight. I believe she’ll make a good teammate once she warms up to us.”
“It will take some time for all of us to get used to one another,” Clotted Cream spoke as he stepped outside, setting down the bags he was carrying, and turned to lock up the airship. They could worry about retrieving the rest of their supplies in the morning.
Clotted Cream straightened out his clothes once he was finished locking up the airship, frowning slightly as a few dark feathers fluttered out of his cloak's layers. They had likely gotten caught in there when Black Raisin helped him and Financier earlier. He brushed them aside, then picked up the bags he had set down.
The four of them had only packed one personal bag and one luggage each. None of them had expected their stay to be longer than a day or two. Now they were looking at a stay of at least a few weeks. He grimaced.
Clotted Cream wondered if he should request more supplies to be sent out. He would have to write a letter back home to the council to let them know they had made it to the Kingdom safely. As well as everything they had learned regarding their new jobs as Soul Wielders.
He turned back to the others and continued, “Black Raisin is likely just worried about her family back home. I can’t say I blame her for being so eager to return to them, and for being in such a sour mood. She did not have the luxury of an airship to swiftly travel across the land like we do. She’s probably been traveling for a long time, and on foot. I would probably be quite unhappy if I was forced to leave my home behind and travel for days on end for a reason I didn’t fully understand, too.”
Financier and Madeleine both made soft noises of agreement. They walked beside Clotted Cream as he began to make his way back to the guild.
Darkness had already settled over the land, the only light coming from the two cities in the distance and the cold starlight above them. The moon was new, and would not be lighting the way for them. Shadows danced across the ground as the trees swayed in the light breeze. Every now and then a cloud would drift by, darkening everything around them even further before it moved on.
It was during one of the pitch black moments caused by a cloud that Clotted Cream noticed something in the distance. A tall, imposing figure with reflective eyes and what appeared to be twin blades in their hands watching the three in the distance.
Thoroughly unnerved, Clotted Cream whispered to the others that they were no longer alone. When the two paladins paused to look, however, the figure had vanished. Their walk was more tense after that, all three watching the shadows around them in case the figure returned.
Clotted Cream felt relief wash over him as they made it back to the guild's grounds. The few lanterns that were lit cast eerie shadows across the ground, and he could not relax fully until the doors of the hall closed behind him.
“Welcome back,” Espresso greeted them as they stepped back into the guild. “I take it that everything went well?”
“We left the camping supplies and food in the airship for the night,” Clotted Cream answered. “We’ll return in the morning to get everything else and prepare the airship for long-term storage. I have a feeling we will be here for far longer than we initially estimated.”
Espresso nodded, then turned back to Eclair, who had a map of Earthbread open on the table. Ceylon was standing beside him.
“My cousin, Latte, has already found out about us being here,” Espresso sighed. “No doubt she’ll insist on me visiting her sometime soon.”
“Ah, right, she’s a professor in the Parfaedian Institute of Magic, isn’t she?” Madeleine asked, a grin spreading across his face.
Eclair’s head suddenly snapped up, eyes widening. “Wait. Espresso Cookie!? ”
“Yes?” Espresso looked over, confused over the sudden change. “Can I help you?”
“We were grad students together in Parfaedia!” Eclair continued. Espresso did not seem to be any less confused, squinting at the historian.
“Were we?” they asked. Eclair seemed to deflate.
“Our offices were right next to each other…” he said.
The mage put a hand to their chin, brows furrowing as they mulled over the new information. After several moments, their face lit up in recognition.
“Oh! Yes, our mop closets with desks!” They shook their head. “My apologies, it has been a long time since we last spoke.”
While the mage and historian continued talking, Clotted Cream and Financier glanced at Madeleine, seeking any form of explanation. The Commander quelled his muffled snickers to answer their silent question.
“Espresso attended and graduated from Parfaedia’s Institute of Magic, then returned to the Republic to work at the Institute of Thaumaturgy. It is very much in-character for him to not recognize someone at first, though I feel forgetting someone who was presumably a friend is a bit much.”
Espresso shot a glare over their shoulder at the Commander, then sighed roughly, turning away with a roll of their eyes. Clotted Cream thought he caught some mumble from the mage, but couldn’t make out exactly what they said.
“Mx. Eclair,” Clotted Cream spoke up. “If I may-”
“I’ve been busy, ” Espresso said. “Between the council not listening to me on certain things, and then the Light Fragment incident, it slipped my mind.”
“Mx. Eclair,” Clotted Cream tried again. “I would like to ask-”
“Well, yes, but I’ve been sending you letters!” Eclair continued.
“Don’t bother, sir,” Madeleine sighed, interrupting the Consul when he opened his mouth again. “Once those two get going, there’s no stopping them.”
“Have you met Eclair before, Madeleine?” Financier asked, raising a brow.
“Eclair visited the Institute of Thaumaturgy once with Espresso’s cousin, Latte, a few years ago,” Madeleine answered. “I did get to see Eclair, though I haven’t formally met him until now.”
“I was hoping to ask where we could sleep,” Clotted Cream said, brows furrowing slightly.
“Follow me,” Ceylon said as he walked past the group. “Black Raisin has already settled down for the night. In a tree, of all things. Can’t really judge her for that, though, I’ve slept in stranger places before.”
Clotted Cream glanced out the window as he followed Ceylon down the hall. He spotted an old, torn up hammock that looked ready to fall apart at any second hanging from one of the trees. He could not see anyone in the hammock from his position, but the item moved as if a Cookie was in it.
He frowned. He would have to find some way to convince Black Raisin to sleep in an actual bed. That could not be comfortable.
But, that was a problem for another day. Several thoughts swirled about his head as he walked. A migraine clawed at the back of his mind again as he thought of what he would have to write in his first letter back to the Convocation. He sighed heavily, waving off the Paladins' concerned looks.
Sleep sounded better, he decided. The rest would allow him to write with a clearer mind.