Chapter Text
Now, farewell. We must part ways. Until we meet again, my friend.
...
After solving the riddle with her dear friend, White Lily Cookie became thoughtful. Oh… It’s so obvious. Painfully obvious how far they are from being aligned anymore. No matter what they do or say, everything seems so… strange. As she stares at Pure Vanilla Cookie’s face, the urge to cry catches in her throat.
My dear friend, the person I’ve been closest to, Pure Vanilla Cookie… How can you still be so kind, so understanding, despite everything you’ve suffered and seen? — White Lily Cookie thought, remembering all her sins — something she had done so many times she had lost count. She, an incomplete Cookie. A Cookie who brings death wherever she goes. A Cookie who shouldn’t exist. Weak, corrupted as easily as day turns to night.
She shudders at her own thoughts. Perhaps as a way to push them away, she looks up at the Spire of All Knowledge. Even worn out and surrounded by plants, it still emanated an aura of indescribable splendor. This led her to a new line of reasoning, awakening her curious side.
And the five Cookies imbued with absolute powers walked Earthbread as almighty envoys of the Great Creators.
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.
Shadow Milk Cookie…
The memory of the chaos he caused when he freed himself made White Lily Cookie frown, still staring at the tower. If that was his domain, then the whole place must reflect his time of splendor. What made him desire only destruction and lies? That place emanated a strangely comforting aura. It was as if it called to those who wished to know the unknown.
“White Lily Cookie?” GingerBrave’s voice made her jump slightly in fright. When she came back to reality, she realized that the entire group was watching her with concern.
“Did something happen? What’s on your mind?” Pure Vanilla Cookie asked, with his usual kindness, now mixed with uneasiness.
“…It’s nothing much. I’m just… I’m increasingly intrigued by the existence of the Beasts.” she replied, after a moment of hesitation. “Seeing this domain, it’s clear that it lived up to the mission the Witches originally gave it…”
“Hmm…” Pure Vanilla Cookie murmured, encouraging her to continue.
“Even though we feel the oppressive air of being inside the belly of a beast, there is still something… ethereal.” She turned back to face the Spire. “However, we have already faced him and there is nothing ethereal about him. It is the opposite. I wonder what he discovered… or what happened to him to become what he is today.”
After finishing her thought, everyone remained silent, reflecting on the same question. White Lily Cookie’s gaze became even more melancholic. Not that I am indifferent when it comes to becoming corrupted after discovering something terrible… — she thought, gripping her staff tighter.
Pure Vanilla Cookie, observing her friend, already knew exactly what was going through her mind. He opened his mouth to comfort her, to dispel her dark thoughts, but the moment he did so…
“Hahah…”
Everyone was alerted by the sound of sudden laughter. As they looked for its source, they realized that it didn't come from any of them. Turning around, they saw the old man who had given them the riddle—now completely transformed. His coloring became darker and darker, and his eyes shone: one light blue, the other dark blue. The laughter intensified.
“hahaHAHAHAHAHAH!”
And then he melted, turning into a dark puddle that disappeared almost instantly, as if he had been absorbed by the ground. White Lily Cookie put her hand to her mouth in horror, taking a few steps back—the others did the same, equally in shock.
“Wh… What—” Wizard Cookie tried to speak, but was interrupted by a much shrill laugh.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
Now the laughter echoed from all sides. It was impossible to identify its source, but everyone knew exactly who it belonged to: Shadow Milk Cookie.
“Urgh!... Are you going to show your face already?!” — Wizard Cookie shouted, frustrated with the endless laughter.
“HAHAH… Haah… Oooh, forgive the lack of a grand entrance! But your… LITTLE FRIEND made such a funny fool of herself that I COULDN’T CONTAIN MYSELF! HAHAH!” Shadow Milk Cookie’s voice resounded without him revealing himself, causing chills whenever his tone rose.
White Lily Cookie tightened her grip on her staff, ready to transform at any moment. She knew exactly who he was referring to. The group approached, forming a defense to avoid surprise attacks.
“Is it really so hard to learn from mistakes, huh, little flower? I thought you were an exemplary student~ Asking questions and more questions... Have you ever thought about what can happen when you intrude on a banquet you weren’t invited to?~” Shadow Milk’s voice became increasingly provocative, poking at open wounds.
“Stop tormenting White Lily Cookie!” — shouted GingerBrave, losing patience with the villain’s manipulations.
“Awwww, I’m just trying to advise you before you regret it~ …But, well, I guess it’s already too late!~”
Suddenly, White Lily Cookie noticed an ornate circle appear beneath her feet.
“Unfortunately, those who seek knowledge too much… end up drowning in it!~”
Before anyone could react, two black serpents with blue eyes emerged from the circle, tightly wrapping themselves around White Lily Cookie’s arms and beginning to pull her down—into another dimension.
“W-What?! Let me go!!” She struggled, trying to summon vines and even the Guardian’s power, but something was holding her back.
“White Lily Cookie!!!” Only when she heard Pure Vanilla Cookie’s scream did she realize that everyone else was being restrained as well—but only she was being dragged. Pure Vanilla Cookie, with all his might, reached out to her, slowly approaching.
“Pure Vanilla Cookie!!” White Lily Cookie, already halfway inside the circle, shouted back, also reaching out her hand. As if his touch could save her. And then, when their fingers were almost touching…
“I don’t think so!~”
The last thing White Lily Cookie felt was the light touch of her friend’s warm, light-filled fingers—before she was roughly pulled down. Everything went black.
She never imagined it would take so long for her to feel that touch again.
When she woke up, White Lily Cookie was disoriented. She was lying on the cold floor, with only her staff in sight. When she tried to get up, she realized that she was completely alone in a long, white hallway filled with extravagant decorations.
“Guys?... Pure Vanilla Cookie?” she called hesitantly, her voice still weak. But then the memory came back like a blow: she had been captured by Shadow Milk Cookie’s snakes and taken to some unknown place. A sound of frustration escaped her lips as she returned to her alert posture.
She looked around. There was no sign of life, no movement, no sound—not even the whisper of the wind. The atmosphere was stifling. The architecture was reminiscent of a castle, with ornate walls and ceiling, and several paintings hanging on both sides of the hallway.
Since standing still wouldn’t solve anything, she decided to move forward, keeping her guard up as she approached the paintings.
…
!!
White Lily Cookie let out a surprised gasp when she saw the first painting, almost dropping her staff. It was a painting depicting her birth, emerging from a small and innocent lily flower. The composition of the work was harmonious, with a frame adorned with delicately detailed flowers and vines, conveying a sense of purity and comfort.
“What?...” she whispered, her eyes wide. Without hesitation, she ran to the next painting to confirm the suspicion that was beginning to grow in her heart.
And her suspicions were correct. The next painting depicted another phase of her life: the beginning of her affinity with magic, as she began to isolate herself from the other cookies due to their strong aroma. Alone, she found refuge in the study of the magical arts. The frame, still with flowers, was no longer as rich as the previous one.
As she advanced down the hallway, White Lily Cookie’s expression became increasingly horrified. The paintings revealed moments of her life, and their frames reflected the emotions of each phase — becoming simpler and colder with time.
“! Pure Vanilla Cookie…” She stopped in front of a painting that stood out from the rest. Amidst the pale paintings, there was one with warm colors and an ornate frame. It showed her and Pure Vanilla Cookie, holding hands, laughing together in the school hallways.
White Lily Cookie let out a sad laugh, reaching out toward the painting as if she could return to that time. But as she touched it, the image began to tear in half—separating the two.
“!! No, no, no, no!...” she exclaimed, desperate. She tried to stop it, but the painting came loose from the wall and fell, shattering into pieces.
…
White Lily Cookie stood still, shocked. Before her, the fragments of the painting and the frame lay on the floor like a shattered memory. Her body trembled. Still, she took a deep breath and, trying to ignore the pain, began to walk again.
“Aaaah yes, as always running away from something you caused yourself~”
!!
She immediately turned around, in attack position, but the hallway was still empty. Only the remains of the broken painting remained on the floor.
The sight rekindled memories. She knew that all of this was a manipulation, an attempt to corrode her mind. She couldn’t let herself be defeated. But when she saw the painted face of Pure Vanilla Cookie…
No! I can’t let him win! They’re all worried about me. I need to get out of here! she thought, forcing herself to move forward, ignoring the paintings.
“Hmmmm~ Good strategy. Ignoring everything so as not to face responsibility, huh?”
She quickened her pace.
“Run, run! Hahaha! That’s all you know how to do: run away from everything!”
She started to lose her breath, but she didn’t stop. When had she started running? She could barely remember.
“But even the best strategies have their flaws, you know?”
That was when she stumbled. She fell hard to the ground.
When she caught her breath, her eyes widened. She had stumbled upon a painting of Dark Enchantress Cookie—the figure’s smile seemed to stare straight into her soul.
White Lily Cookie immediately backed away, still on the ground. Then she saw that the entire wall was covered in identical paintings, all with that same piercing gaze.
“S-stop… Stop looking at me like that!!” she screamed, cringing, her hands pressing her head. It was then that she realized: when she fell, part of the painting’s paint had stained her clothes—an intense red and black.
That was enough to trigger a flood of memories.
“N-no… I’m not her anymore… I’m not!! I… I’m not?... But… W-what am I?...” her voice trembled.
It was at that moment that she noticed a blue-colored cookie crouching down in front of her. With a gentleness like a snake offering forbidden knowledge, he took her hands.
“You are not a flower, not a cookie, not a light... you are just ashes, like me.”