Chapter Text
.
.
"CHEESSY!"
"CHEESSY, DON'T LEAVE ME!"
"I CAN'T GO ON WITHOUT....... . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Golden Cheese, time to eat!"
That strange dream again… why does it make me feel so sad? Why do I feel like something… someone… is missing?
But none of that was important. She had to hurry, because the last one to arrive only ate leftovers.
That was how things worked in that damned orphanage. She didn’t remember her parents—after all, they abandoned her right after she was born. She always had to fight for the best things, or at least for the ones that were still usable.
The other children constantly complained about her:
“You always want the best!”
“What you have is never enough!”
“You’re greedy!”
Well, they were right. She wanted more—not just the best, but absolutely everything. She would become the greediest person in the world, and when she had it all, her parents would regret abandoning her.
But for now, she had to focus on getting breakfast.
. . . . . .
The world was never kind to her… or maybe her luck was simply terrible. When she turned fifteen, the orphanage went bankrupt, as the kingdom’s poverty kept getting worse. Her only option was to become a treasure hunter, because jobs in the kingdom were terribly underpaid.
And so her life as an adventurer began.
She raided dungeons, saved villagers in danger, and searched for lost treasures—anything that could fill her pockets with gold.
Her only ally was her small cheesebird.
She had saved it some time ago, and since then it had been her only companion.
And as expected, her luck only got worse before it ever got better.
……….………,,.…………………………….
"THIEF!"
Golden Cheese had been deceived. A fake merchant had scammed her. He presented himself as a poor soul whose most precious possession had been stolen by cruel bandits—but it was only a trap to make her steal it for him.
Whoosh!
Arrows flew around her. Looking for a way out, she grabbed a horse and escaped toward the desert, using the common sandstorms as a smokescreen.
It was a two-day chase before she finally lost them.
But now she had no idea where she was.
The horse had died from the lack of water, and Golden Cheese wasn’t in much better condition.
All she had left was her spear and the map she had stolen. She thought that if she simply kept following it she would reach a city—but there was nothing. She was in a completely desolate wasteland. Only sand in every direction.
Her body collapsed onto the ground. Without hope, she could no longer remain standing.
The sun reached its peak at noon—and suddenly the earth trembled.
Right in front of where Golden lay, a great sphinx appeared, staring directly at her.
"Oh, little mortal… so unfortunate, so alone, deceived and betrayed. Rejoice, for your luck may change—if you are willing to risk your life."
Golden didn’t understand even half of what it said, but she had nothing left to lose. Using the little strength she had, and her spear to stand up, she spoke:
“Go ahead… I have nothing left to lose.”
"Very well, mortal. Three questions stand between life and death.
Three mistakes—and your story ends here."
The sphinx gave a terrifying smile. To it, she was nothing more than a small mouse to play with.
The first riddle came quickly.
“The more I drink, the bigger I grow.
If I stop drinking, I slowly die.
But if I drink too much, I also die.
What am I?”
Golden was confused, and the sphinx’s twisted smile and flame-like eyes didn’t help… flame-like eyes…
"FIRE! The more it consumes, the bigger it grows. If it has nothing to burn, it dies—and if it burns everything, it also goes out!"
The sphinx’s smile vanished for a moment.
“Correct, little mortal. The more fire consumes, the greater it becomes. If it has nothing left to consume, it stops spreading. And if it consumes everything, nothing remains to sustain it.”
The smile returned.
“I have cities without houses,
rivers without water,
and mountains without stone.
Without me, travelers lose their way.
What am I?”
Once again Golden Cheese had no idea.
Her mind could only think about the pain in her body, the wind dragging sand against her face… that same wind that had blown away the treasure map…
…the map.
“The answer is a map! It has cities but no houses, rivers but no water, and mountains without stone!”
Golden’s confidence grew with every moment. For once, it felt like luck was on her side.
The sphinx frowned and murmured a simple:
“Correct.”
But this time something twisted.
Cracks spread across the statue. A sickly purple glow leaked from them, and its once fiery eyes now held the same nauseating violet.
“Three forces govern the fate of the world.
One topples empires and turns everything to dust.
One brings forth life, fills granaries, and makes rivers sing.
And the last never rests:
it transforms the old into the new
and ensures that nothing remains the same.
They are different… yet they are born from the same principle.
Tell me, traveler…
what am I?”
Confidence was not the same as certainty.
The pride she felt was about to doom her.
“…T-time?” she said weakly.
“I have no idea how to justify that answer.”
“Incorrect.”
The sphinx stepped closer.
“The sea…?”
“Incorrect~”
Now the sphinx stood just one step away, opening its mouth as if ready to devour her.
“Last chance, traveler~”
Golden was lost. Nothing made sense. That question made no sense!
This was all just a—
Something struck the sand to her left.
A triangular gem of brilliant gold had fallen beside her. A gem with three points… three things forming a whole…
“Destruction.”
A familiar voice echoed within her.
“Abundance.”
“And change.”
“Come on, Cheessy. You already know the answer.”
“NATURE! Natural disasters can annihilate even the greatest empire. Fruits grow and fill granaries with food, and… and life changes—it's born, grows, and dies…”
The sphinx evaporated before her.
“Correct. My treasures are now yours.”
And just like that, it vanished.
Golden Cheese collapsed.
…………………………………………….
When she awoke, a sky full of stars greeted her.
She was still in the middle of the desert.
The only difference was that she was surrounded by mountains of gold—and the gem resting in her hand. She didn’t remember grabbing it, but her hunger, thirst, and exhaustion had all vanished.
That day marked the birth of the radiant goddess of the Cheese Kingdom:
Golden Cheese Cookie.
And it was also the day her mortality died.
At first, everything was a sea of joy. All her dreams were coming true. Her life was now filled with treasures—not only gold and jewels and the greatest delicacies in the world, but also her precious people. Each one was an invaluable treasure to her.
And when their time came to pass beyond, she held a celebration worthy of a king.
But over time, seeing so many of her treasures depart began to break her heart.
Even more so when, after 200 years, she hadn’t aged a single day. She remained as fresh and crisp as the day she entered the desert—but her subjects did not share that fate.
The gem had saved her life permanently.
She couldn’t complain. It had given her endless joy: a kingdom, subjects, endless abundance so that no one in her land would suffer hunger, thirst, or cold.
And her most treasured gift—
A pair of golden wings.
How she loved them.
The day she woke up after defeating that disturbing sphinx and saw her wings was the happiest day of her life. Flying felt so liberating…
Almost enough to make her forget the strange feeling of wanting someone to fly with.
Time passed, and her loneliness only grew.
Until one day, a flower arrived.
“Are you the immortal queen?” she asked, with crimson eyes and a gentle smile.
“But of course. Or have you seen anyone more magnificent than me?” Time had made her arrogant, though she never let it harm others.
“Without a doubt, you are unique. I am White Lily Cookie, and I believe we have something in common.”
A green gem shone on her staff—and Golden Cheese understood immediately.
Pure Vanilla, Dark Cacao, Hollyberry, and White Lily.
Fate had linked them all through these magical gems.
But no matter how hard they tried to discover what they were, no answer existed—as if the truth had been erased from the world and forgotten by everyone, even the books.
Still, knowing she now had friends who would always be there eased her loneliness.
How lucky Lily was to have a lover like Vanilla…
An eternal love. Both destined to live forever, always together no matter the hardships.
Oh, how jealous Golden Cheese felt.
She wanted something like that too.
Her greed was infinite, and she couldn’t stand the idea that someone might possess something she didn’t.
After all, every treasure in the world belonged to her.
So she organized a tournament.
A test to determine someone worthy enough to remain by her side while youth still remained in their dough.
The tournament was announced across the world. The strongest would compete for the hand of Her Radiance, Golden Cheese.
The event drove the entire world into a frenzy.
Even her friends wrote to ask if she was certain about her decision.
And of course she was!
A tournament was the best option.
Only the one who remained undefeated until the end would earn her hand—because, like her, they would be strong, unbeatable, and never lose.
(Or perhaps… she simply wanted to see someone fight for her love.)
The day of the tournament began normally.
A long line of suitors arrived for many reasons: money, status, power, or a beautiful wife.
All kinds of greed gathered there—from frivolous motives to twisted ones.
But that didn’t matter.
After all, only true greed would prevail in the end.
Besides, she could always say the final test was defeating her in combat if she didn’t like the winner.
The battles began.
At first, things were rather boring. Everyone fought too cautiously—without passion!
Just as Hollyberry would complain.
Until the turn of a hooded fighter.
He was massive—definitely more muscular than Dark Cacao—and his weapon was an axe that seemed to radiate fire.
His battles were overwhelming.
No one lasted more than the first strike.
Instant defeats.
He quickly became her favorite participant. He was everything she wanted—strong, magnificent, determined.
But it annoyed her that she couldn’t see his face.
Of course, the crowd’s favorite was someone else:
Smoked Cheese, her royal advisor. A very greedy soul—though she wasn’t sure in what way.
Using his smoke abilities, he defeated each opponent spectacularly.
Until only the two of them remained.
“Ladies and gentlemen! We stand at the edge of the grand final! In the right corner: Smoked Cheese, royal advisor and crowd favorite!”
The little cheesebird’s introduction only excited the audience further.
“And in the left corner: the mysterious hooded fighter! Who has won every battle in overwhelming fashion!”
The cheesebird gave the signal.
The fight began.
Smoked created a curtain of smoke, preparing a strategy—
BOOM!
A single heavy punch.
Smoked Cheese flew out of the arena.
Once again, the hooded fighter won overwhelmingly.
But this time, the force of his charge knocked off his hood.
His skin was red.
His eyes burned like hell itself.
A sharp smile.
And long jet-black hair.
Golden Cheese would never admit that seeing him made her feel… heated.
He walked slowly toward her throne.
Looked at her.
Knelt on one knee.
And pulled out an old, worn box.
Inside was a ring—red at the center, with gold on the sides.
“Will you marry me?”
---
Coming soon: Chapter 8 — Dark Cacao
.