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Finally, after what had felt like being trapped for so long in a different body, being a "silent observer", being the favorite toy of the Beast of Deceit, he was free from his internal prison, but now he had to escape as quickly as possible with the other three, since the Spire of Deceit was crumbling.
They all ran as fast as their dough legs could take them, but Pure vanilla's mind was occupated.
His life was pretty much at risk, even more risked when he attempted to befriend a Beast.
Shadow milk, being the Beast he was, laughed it off like a mere joke, taking it unseriously, like everything. But Pure vanilla thought of it as a life-changing choise, for him and the Beast.
"....You will live to regret your words." Those words spoken in a way that stuck in Pure vanilla's head that it almost caused a headache, he wanted to stop, turn back at look for Shadow milk to help him, even if it risked his life, like putting his head between a venomous snake's mouth.
He stopped in his tracks.
The three noticed, abruptly and immediately turning around,
"..Pure vanilla? What are you doing?! The Spire is crumbling! We need to go!" Gingerbrave shouted. Despite the Spire crumbling around them, he spoke back in a somewhat calm tone.
"...Im... Going to find him again." Pure vanilla said.
"...What..?! Pure vanila, have you gone crazy? Hes.. Hes..!-" Wizard stammered, his head quickly turning around as the Spire shook even more, representing its Master's rage.
"...L-let us come with you!" Gingerbrave insisted.
"...Thank you.. My dear friends, but i will be fine.. I promise. Find the exit, and i will meet you outside.. Soon.."
And with that, Pure vanilla turned, he heard the loud and rushed footsteps of the three echo away to the exit, and he ran in the opposite direction.
Pure vanilla had made a force-field around him so none of the falling debris would hit him, His life was in his hands, it could be taken away in a split second if he infuriated the Beast by his words that he was going to speak.
He finally found Shadow milk after the endless hallways, his breathing seemed forced and laboured, he looked like he had just thrown a chaotic trantrum, but he momentarily stopped when he saw his now worst enemy in front of him again, his pupils dilated into pure rage, but he suddenly hissed in pain as he covered his right eye-
It was gone. His right eye was just a endless void of raw flesh and blood, the crimson running across his face like malice, almost looking like rageful, red tears. He slowly retreated his gory hand, his blood dripping downwards his sleeve ruffles, splotches of red stained the white, velvety fabric. His breathing quickened more in a panic, A genuine fear and horror ran across his face, quickly wiped away as he looked back at Pure vanilla with renewed rage.
"..NOW WHAT IN THE WITCHES GREEN EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE?! HAVE YOU BEEN ABANDONED BECAUSE YOUR WORTHLESS?!" He barked a forced laugh, his head and body lolling back dramatically, but it was quickly stopped as his flesh burned from the laugh streching his face, irritating it.
"...Or have you realized the truth? Realizing you needed to give back my Souljam, to its rightful owner?" His voice lowered, he leaned forwards, clearly seconds away to lunging at him to grab the Souljam.
"Shadow milk, stop this immediately."
Shadow milk's eye widened again, he slowly rose his arms, the trembling of the Spire stopped, almost like he paused time itself.. but seconds after, a slow, wicked grinned appeard on his face.
"...Use your words wisely, i will not hesitate to wipe you of the face of this world."
Pure vanilla took a deep breath and took a small step towards Shadow milk,
"...I have given you a chance..-"
"And i will not take it."
Pure vanilla sighed as he was rapidly interrupted, he looked deep in the remaining of the Beast's eye, silently asking him if he could continue, Shadow milk rolled his eye, his arms still up. "Go ahead."
"...I want to be your friend. Not to just.. amuse you. I want to help you, guide you back to the light- your light, the one that once shown brightly in yourself and your Souljam, the one where cookie's looked up at you-"
Shadow milk once again interrupted with a low but quiet chuckle, his smirk still present with his sharp teeth that glinted like a threat to Pure vanilla.
"You amuse me, vanilly, but persist, i am interested, and listening." He spoke sarcastically. One of his hands going on his chin, as if he was listening, he stayed a few centimeters afloat in the air, the other still kept upwards so the Spire wouldnt disintegrate beneath them.
"Fount of Knowledge." Pure vanilla said, he saw the shock in Shadow milk's eye, maybe even new rage, but he persisted.
"Cookies looked up at you, they learned many things from you, you guided them to a better life.. but.. you werent pleased with your powers, you yearn for something more.. stronger... so you plunged yourself in the pools of illusions and lies.. am i wrong..?"
Shadow milk's eye trailed around, before muttering, "I.. No-"
"...Do you want to be the Virtue you once were..?" Pure vanilla suddenly said.
"...What?"
"You heard me."
Shadow milk growled, and spoke with a snarl,
"..Mention that name one more time and.. and i will.."
He suddenly collapsed to the ground, and the Spire began to rumble again, with more force.
Pure vanilla gasp, he couldn't leave him bere to die, he ran to him, kneeling to his side so he could grab Shadow milk and anchor him around his shoulder, he tried running as fast as he physically could, but he was a little slowed from Shadow milk weight growing slump against him, his strength had weakened, but he felt Shadow milk's arm tighten around his neck to anchor himself, that was hope, Pure vanilla thought.
Perfect timing, Pure vanilla and Shadow milk had run out of the Spire, right before it buried them, He saw the other 3 in the distance, how would they react to this?
"...Pure vanilla!" Strawberry called out, her smile slowly fading as she saw him carry Shadow milk, his bloody head resting against Pure vanilla's shoulder, leaving a small splotch of red on his magnificent robes.
"...We.. we need to go back to the Kingdom as soon as possible.." Pure vanilla breathed out.
"...But.. Pure vanilla..thats.. you..-" Gingerbrave muttered,
"..I.. dont care if he cause me pain endlessly, or if he almost took my life away.. he needs help."
✧
A few weeks had passed, and Shadow milk was currently staying at the Vanilla kingdom.
Pure vanilla had healed his severe wound, but his right eye was gone permanently, the wound now looked like a endless void, half of Shadow milk's face was bascially cracked, like a porcelain doll's head. He had put a bandage over so the wound wouldnt get infected as it healed thanks to the healing magic, and then he gave him a room to stay in, he fed him, took care of him and gave him stuff to do in his kingdom.
But he had to be extremely careful, one wrong move and the Beast can destroy the kingdom in a blink of a eye, Shadow milk was like fire, if someone infuriated him, it would be adding fuel to his fire, growing it bigger and more dangerous.
Pure vanilla also had to keep him away from the public, Shadow milk was a Beast, and every cookie on Earthbread feared the Beast Cookies, so if one cookie saw that one of the Beast were staying in the Vanilla kingdom, it would start war.
He was also afraid of the others reaction, How would the Ancients react? horribly. He had heard from Golden cheese and Dark cacao's end on how horrible they had ben treated by their Beast, how Dark cacao almost lost his life from being "enlightened", and how Golden cheese got her wings ripped by the Great Destroyer, it terrified Pure vanilla to the core, but it seemed to not be enough to befriend a Beast.
For the first few days, Shadow milk caused a few shenanigans around the kingdom, but eventually it stopped completely, thankfully. he seemed.. alot different. All the times that Pure vanilla was with the Beast alongside White lily, in the Faerie Kingdom, the Spire.. he was a cookie of chaos, a miserable Beast who brought lies and illusions, sought everything to earn his powers once and for all..
But now.. he was.. Calm. Peaceful, he was a different cookie, almost like himself from the past, the Virtue he once was. it was so unusal to Pure vanilla, He couldn't make himself believe that he.. "tamed" a Beast, he couldnt let himself be fooled either, it could all be a act to lure him.
He had even asked a few guards in his Kingdom to surveille Shadow milk doing his own stuff whenever he couldnt, fearing for the worst if he didnt keep a good eye on him.
☀︎
One early noon, the sun cast high in the blue springish sky, Pure vanilla was strolling through his Kingdom, he had received a letter from White lily, assuring that she was doing alright in her journey to find her answers, it made Pure vanilla very happy.
What made him much happier and assured was that he saw in the distant, in his garden, Shadow milk, watering flowers.
"...Oooh.. Pure vanillaaa!" Shadow milk hummed, his eyes softer, staring at him with a gentleness that bellied the arrogant, loud voice that Pure vanilla had grown acustomed to hearing from him, Pure vanilla slowly approached him, observing the way he took care of the flowers with care.
"...I uhmm.." He started again, trailed of hesitantly, his movement paused as he placed the watering can aside.. "How has... White lily been..? The lily flowers reminded me of her.."
"White lily's been great actually," Pure vanilla replied, smiling a little as he stared at the blooming lilies. "She sent me a letter from the Faerie kingdom, assuring that everything was doing alright at her end." Pure vanilla couldn't help but grow a little sad when he saw a slight frown on Shadow milk's face when the Faerie Kingdom was mentioned.
"You must really like her." Shadow milk suddenly spoke again, a playful smile erasing the frown he had as he gestured towards the lily flowers.
"...Well.. Yes.. we've known each other since the academy.. we were pratically inseparable.." Pure vanilla muttered, a tint of a blush appearing on his cheeks.
".. when.. i.. was the Fount of Knowledge.. i remember being inseperable with my friends aswell..-" Shadow milk trailed off, but his eyes caught something in the sky, "..Whats that?"
Amongst the sky, at first, they both thought it was a bird, but as the silhouette lowered, it was Golden cheese.
Golden cheese landed smoothly next to Pure vanilla, letting her wings droop comfortably, she smiled at Pure vanilla, but it disappeard when she locked eyes with Shadow milk.
"..Pure vanilla.. Who.. oh."
She looked down and Shadow milk's ruffles, and the answer was there, the upside-down lookalike of Pure vanilla's Souljam that shone in the sunlight, He's one of the Beasts.
Golden cheese's eyes widened, slowly but almost revently, she slowly drew her spear, but she was stopped by Pure vanilla's hand on her shoulder. She glanced and him, and saw a look of "Dont attack, he comes in peace " in his eyes , and she retreated her spear, she looked back at Shadow milk's eye, and bowed her head briefly.
"...I apologize for.. reacting that way, Shadow milk." She muttered, a slight fear in her voice.
"I have a meeting to attend with Golden cheese for a little while," Pure vanilla said, glacing at Golden cheese again, then at Shadow milk. "..I dont mind, ill be around your kingdom if anything happens."
They both left, their voices trailing of as they grew more distant, Shadow milk stared at them, maybe just maybe..
..he could join forces with them, that is.. if the other Beasts didnt stopped them.