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I still remember that time.
Long long ago.
When Earthbread was still young and fresh, Cookies roamed the lands without fear.
Back when the Witches would still bless these lands with their gifts.
Creating and crafting the world as they saw fit.
Letting Cookie learn and explore the wonders of the freshly baked world they would call home.
When Earthbread was nearly ready, the Witches delivered their final gift for our world.
A gift of five important virtues that were given physical forms of powerful wonders.
Knowledge.
Volition.
Happiness.
Change.
Solidarity.
The five keys that made the foundation of Cookiekind.
Crafted and made into the First Soul Jams that would guide Cookies to a life of peace and prosperity.
Given only to those who were found pure and worthy to lead Cookies to a bright future.
Five Great Leaders.
Keepers of the Soul Jams.
Protectors of all Cookiekind.
For many years, the world was at peace.
How times seemed so simple back then.
And how naive it was to think it would remain that way forever.
None knew how it happened.
Even I could never figure out how it all started, no matter how long I tried to find the truth.
But I should have been more aware.
Only I can blame myself for not being vigilant enough to stop what transpired.
To hold the guilt forever on that fateful day.
I had been careless.
For many years, peace and prosperity had been all that there was on Earthbread.
Very few conflicts or worries had ever arisen, and I was foolish to believe that the balance in the world would last forever.
I was wrong.
Even with great power, the wielders of the Soul Jams were still Cookies.
And not even they could have predicted what was to come.
When news reached me that one of the Five Great Rulers had been crumbled and their Soul Jam stolen, a part of me feared the worst.
Never have I ever imagined one of the Great Five crumbling.
And never have I ever believed that one of the Soul Jams could be taken.
Yet what was done was done.
And the peace that had once held balance in Earthbread was shattered.
Despite all that was done to protect the remaining wielders, one by one they too were crumbled.
Their Soul Jams stolen.
And the world that was once peaceful and prosperous fell into chaos and ruin.
Cookies that were once filled with light and virtue began to fall into darkness, seeking out the power of the Soul Jams for their own selfish gains.
Time and time again, those who held the Soul Jams were crumbled by those filled with greed and evil, and the balance was tilted further into chaos.
At the peak of all the chaos, when hope seemed forever lost, and Earthbread doomed to crumble, our Gods returned.
The Witches.
Having sensed that the world they created was in turmoil, the Witches returned to find Earthbread fallen into ruin and chaos.
Taking pity, they reclaimed the Soul Jams from the grasps of evil and used their powers to cleanse the world to its rightful state.
However, the scars of evil run deep.
Far deeper than even the Witches could reach.
The once pure Soul Jams, items that were meant to keep the peace and balance of Cookiekind, had slowly been tainted and corrupted by the evil inside Cookies hearts.
What once was pure was now evil, and there was nothing the Witches could do but separate what was left of the remaining purity of the Soul Jams and seal away the darkness inside a great Silver Tree.
With the balance restored, the world was at peace once again.
And with the evil locked away in the Silver Tree, I alone was tasked to keep both it and the Soul Jams safe.
To ensure that evil will forever remain locked away and await the day when Cookies worthy to wield the Soul Jams may come to claim their duties.
Such began a new era.
For many years, I stood guard over the tree, ensuring that the Soul Jams would remain safe while keeping the evil locked away.
Many times Cookies came, yet none were found worthy to claim the Soul Jams and were sent away.
There were even those who sought the power of evil and tried to free it from the Silver Tree.
For such, I diligently dealt with each and every one of them, making sure that the tree was never touched by those who would wish chaos on our world.
This was how life was for many years, and many times there had yet to be a Cookie to be worthy of the Soul Jams power.
Yet, once again, I had been foolish.
My guard had faltered over the centuries, and in my carelessness, the Soul Jams were stolen.
I had tracked down the thief, following them to where no Cookie would dare to go.
Through forest, desert, and even across seas I chased after them, having nearly lost their trail more than once, yet my duty kept my will strong to keep going despite the hardships I faced along the path.
When I finally caught up to the thief, I found that they had planned to use dark magic to corrupt the remaining purity of the Soul Jams and use the power for their own doing.
Without delay, I struck down the thief, but I was far too slow to stop what they had begun.
Not only had I failed to protect the Soul Jams, but I had failed my duty to keep the evil stored in the tree locked away.
The ritual that had been meant to corrupt the Soul Jams had instead gone to the tree, letting evil seep out of its wounds.
By the time I returned to my Kingdom, I was horrified to find the chaos and terror among my people.
The only way to stop what was damaged was by returning the Soul Jams to the tree, sealing the evil once again within the Silver Tree as the Witches had long ago.
But I had not foreseen what consequences would unfurl from my actions.
When the Soul Jams had been returned to the tree, the evil force made one final attempt to corrupt them.
I feared for the worst, believing all was to be lost.
But my worries were unneeded.
For the light within the Soul Jams held strong, pushing back the evil that wished to corrupt them.
A conflict of light and darkness, neither bending to the other’s power or will.
For a long time I could watch as both forces fought, feeling fear and hope as good and evil struggled to gain the upper hand.
The power between the two forces was great, too great to withstand.
Even I could not hold my ground, and collapsed from the force expelled by the powers.
When strength returned, I was horrified by what I found awaiting me.
Soul Jams, held within the Silver Tree’s branches, had split.
What once was one had become two, and now the five had become ten.
Half that held the purity of light, and half that contained the evil that managed to escape the tree’s confinements.
Knowledge had split into Truth and Deceit.
Volition was now Resolution and Apathy.
Happiness became Passion and Sloth.
Change had separated into Abundance and Destruction.
And Solidarity transformed into Freedom and Silence.
Five Soul Jams that held goodness and light.
Five Soul Jams that were tainted with darkness and deception.
Powers of Good and Evil.
Forever contained in hardened jams that were once great gifts from the Witches.
How my soul ached and my heart broke upon seeing this sight.
But there was nothing to be done.
The deed had been carried out, and nothing could be done to undo it.
So now I left not only to guard the Silver Tree that still held a great deal of the darkness within, but now there were twice as many Soul Jams to watch over.
More vigilant than ever, for now half of the Soul Jams held evil within, and it would do no good if they were to fall into the wrong hands.
Balance is to be kept, and evil forever locked away for the good of Cookiekind.
“Well, you’re not doing a very good job of that. ”
“S-sister!”
“What? It’s true!”
“That doesn’t mean you should say it out loud!”
The pale silver eye of Elder Faerie Cookie opened by a sliver, watching the two small young Cookies before him argue back and forth between each other.
The interruption hadn’t bothered him in the slightest. He’d grown rather used to it by now. Especially from the most vocal of the two Cookies.
The two were very identical. Young Cookies that had very little differences in their dough and icing, and others could be forgiven for mistaking one for the other. Yet, they were also vastly different.
One child was more timid, soft-spoken, curious, and friendly. She was very thoughtful, but a little headstrong with her ideals. The other? Bold, fiery, always speaking her mind and refusing to back down. She had a thirst for knowledge that couldn’t be quenched, and was rather too stubborn for her own good.
Were it not for their different personalities and the flowers they wore in their hair, no one would have been able to tell them apart.
“Why not? I’m just stating the obvious.”
“In a very rude way! Besides, it wasn’t Elder Faerie Cookie’s fault. Things can happen, there’s always going to be a small risk to everything.”
“A small risk? A small risk? Sister, if Elder Faerie Cookie had been doing his job correctly, our world wouldn’t have been plagued by beasts!”
“He was trying his best! He’s only one Cookie.”
“A Cookie who was given the utmost task of watching over ONE SINGLE TREE. A SINGLE TREE. A tree that’s so BIG that it’s hard not to see it from every corner of the Silver Kingdom! And yet somehow, for some reason, he failed to keep an eye on the tree, lost the Soul Jams, and couldn’t stop the creation of FIVE corrupted Soul Jams. I think it speaks volumes of his ‘capability’ of being the guardian of the tree.”
“Fire Lily Cookie! That’s too far!”
“I’m only speaking the truth, sister. Even I know you can see where I’m going with this.”
“That doesn’t mean you can be disrespectful! Elder Faerie Cookie has done a great deal of good things in his life. I can see why you question his capabilities due to past mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you can say such things so blatantly! You owe him respect for trying his hardest to keep Earthbread safe.”
“Respect? Pft. I’ll show ‘respect’ once Elder Faerie Cookie actually DOES something worth being respected about.”
“He’s done plenty!”
“And yet, he hasn’t done anything to stop the past Beasts OR the current ones from wreaking our world. If it weren’t for the Ancients, everything would be nothing but ash and soot. And yet here he stands! Still so proud of the title he was given ages ago and has hardly done a thing to stop the evil before the Silver Kingdom! If he is due for respect as you say he is, why hasn’t he done anything besides standing around? Why hasn’t he gone out there and put a STOP to the current Beasts Cookies running amok in our world? If he’s soo good at his job, then why is he staying here, pretending to guard a tree of all things, and not going out to take back the Corrupted Soul Jams? If he had done a better job of being a guardian, then what happened WOULDN’T have happened!”
“That’s…”
Elder Faerie Cookie watched as the timid Cookie wilted under her sister’s hard gaze. He watched as she struggled to say anything in his defence while her sister held a smug smile on her face, confident that she had won the argument.
He held his tongue far enough. “Your sister is right, White Lily Cookie. The fault is only mine for what transpired long ago.”
“!!! Elder Faerie Cookie.”
“Ha! See? Even he agrees with me. Elder Faerie Cookie acknowledges his greatest fault after so long–”
“I never once said that I never acknowledged what happened eons ago.” He spoke, cutting off Fire Lily Cookie before she could say anything else. “If you had been paying attention, I have recounted several times how the fault was mine and mine alone for the events that transpired. Furthermore, Fire Lily Cookie, guarding this tree is an important task. More so than you might ever imagine.”
“I–It’s just a tree.”
“It is more than just a tree. For deep within, locked away, resides the remaining evil that was once harbored inside the Soul Jams. If the Silver Tree were to ever damage or fall, all the evil that is trapped within would be set free, and the world we knew would crumble. It is my duty to ensure that that NEVER happens.”
“But. B-But that didn’t stop it from happening before!”
“That’s because I was young. Naive. Unable to see the possible threat that could happen if I were ever to look away from my duty. Not every Cookie is made perfect, my child. I myself am never perfect, no matter how hard I may try to be. Mistakes are a part of life that helps Cookies learn and grow from experiences, and I have long since accepted my faults and failures, growing wiser with each to know where I went wrong, and to ensure it never happens again.”
“…”
“Tell me, Fire Lily Cookie, do you still believe I am unworthy of being the guardian? Do you still believe that I should go out there to stop the Beasts and leave the Silver Tree unguarded? To let the evil that longs to escape have a chance at freedom and sow chaos in our world?”
“NO!” White Lily Cookie jumped to her feet, running up to Elder Faerie Cookie and grasping at his clothing with deep worry and fear in her eyes. “No Elder Faerie Cookie! You’re a great guardian! The Silver Tree has been under the best protection under your watch and care, and no other Cookie could ever match up to what you do to ensure its safety!”
A small smile tugged at Elder Faerie Cookie’s lips, feeling a sense of pride and warmth from White Lily Cookie’s words.
“But it’s still his fault for the creation of the Beasts!” Fire Lily Cookie spoke up, pointing at Elder Faerie Cookie with accusation. “If he hadn’t lost the Soul Jams in the first place, then the Corrupted Jams wouldn’t have been made! And Beast Cookies would never have existed! He still should go out there and–!”
“And what, sister?! Leave the tree unguarded?! Let one of the Beasts find it?! Let harm come upon the Silver Tree and have evil escape?!”
The sudden rise in White Lily Cookie’s voice caused Elder Faerie Cookie to look down at her in surprise. Rarely did she raise her voice at anyone, even to her own sister.
Fire Lily Cookie knew this, so the shock was clear on her own face.
“Elder Faerie is doing the best that he can! He can’t do everything. Guarding the tree is his top priority because he knows that if the evil inside were ever released, then we would all be doomed. He can’t go out there and face five Beast Cookies on his own. That’s the duty of the Ancient Cookies, and all of them have done a good job of keeping Earthbread safe.”
A long silence hung in the air as the pair waited for Fire Lily Cookie to speak. Elder Faerie Cookie was curious to see what the young Cookie had to say against her sister.
Finally, Fire Lily Cookie narrowed her eyes, red as a Cookie’s strawberry jam. “A good job… but good enough.”
With that, she let out a huff, leaving the room without a word or a single glance back.
A deep sigh left Elder Faerie Cookie as he watched Fire Lily Cookie depart. Her personality was getting… concerning. He would need to have a word with her later, before this became a serious problem in the future.
“… I… I was too harsh, wasn’t I?”
Elder Faerie Cookie looked down at White Lily Cookie, seeing her grasping his cloak tightly in her hands.
“I shouldn’t have snapped at her like that. She was only speaking her mind.”
“A mind that can not understand certain situations. Fire Lily Cookie overlooks too many things to see the picture clearly.”
“… Elder Faerie Cookie.”
“I will have a talk with her later about this… Though I must admit what she said holds some slight truth.”
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, Elder Faerie! You said so yourself that you were young, not as wise as you are now. You couldn’t have known what would happen back then, or what was to follow after.”
“… You are a very sweet Cookie, my child. I am glad to see that at least one of you is a little more open-minded.”
“Fire Lily can be a little stubborn at times, but she’s still a good Cookie deep down. I just think she feels that something should have been done to prevent what happened all those years ago.”
“… Maybe. But now that is far in the past, and all we can do now is move forward with what we know.”
“… can I hear the rest of the story? Please? I want to know how the story ends.”
“Ends? Hm, I’m afraid this story doesn’t have an ending, my child.”
“It… doesn’t?”
“No. It doesn’t. Not to my knowledge. For you see, as long as the evil trapped inside the Silver Tree remains bound within, our world shall remain in balance.”
“But what about the Beast Cookies? Isn’t there a way to stop them?”
“… as long as the Corrupted Jams exist, so will Beast Cookies. But as long as the Soul Jams exist, an Ancient Cookie will arise.”
A smile graced White Lily Cookie’s face, soft and sweet as the child she was. “Elder Faerie?”
“Yes, child?”
“Do you think that there’s a world where only five Soul Jams exist? That what happened all those years ago never happened, and there were no Beast Cookies plaguing Earthbread.”
“… I don’t know. The thought is rather nice.”
“… I wish that Beast Cookies didn’t exist. Earthbread would be much better without them.”
“… did you know that Corrupted Soul Jams can be purified?”
White Lily Cookie’s eyes snapped up, wide with curious confusion.
“It doesn’t happen often. But once in a rare while, a Beast Cookie will reject the darkness inside their Soul Jams, casting it aside to allow the purity of light into their souls.”
“Really?! Is that really true, Elder Faerie Cookie?”
“Indeed. Though it is a very rare occurrence. A Cookie who holds the Corrupt Jam must have a strong will, a pure heart, and unwavering resolve to never fall to the corruption. There are some who wished to use these Beast Jams for the good of our world, only to lack the will to keep the darkness at bay.”
“Oh…” White Lily Cookie had gone silent for a while before looking back up. “Do… do you think I’ll ever meet a nice Beast Cookie?”
“It depends.” Elder Faerie Cookie bent down, scooping up the young Cookie. There was a small ache in his joints, but he ignored the pain as he lifted the child into his arms. He was forgetting how big she was getting these days. “There are plenty of Cookies out there, but there are few who are worthy of wielding even one of the Soul Jams. If there were Cookies out there who could wield the Corrupt Jams that have the will strong enough to repel the evil within, then there could be a chance.”
“I’m sure there are Cookies who could. If Cookies can be found worthy to wield the Soul Jams, then maybe there’s a chance.”
“A chance. That… Is a nice thought.” Elder Faerie Cookie hummed, glancing at the Silver Tree he stood under. In the tree’s silver brilliance, he could see four small colorful lights tucked safely within the tree’s branches. Four Soul Jams that had yet to be claimed by Cookies worthy of their gifts.
Four Beasts that had yet to awaken and cause havoc.
Pushing that dark thought aside, Elder Faerie turned his focus on the child in his arms. “Shall we get something to eat? I’m certain the Faerie Cookies have something wonderful prepared for today’s feast.”
White Lily Cookie made a soft hum, nuzzling her face into Elder Faerie Cookie’s shoulder as he carried her. “… I hope I get to meet a nice Beast one day.” She murmured quietly, trying to imagine what a friendly Beast was like.
⚜🌺⚜🌺⚜
“Wow! So THIS is the fabled Silver Kingdom! Gotta admit, I’m a bit disappointed. There’s a lot less silver than I expected.”
“Shadow Milk, be nice!”
“I am being nice! If I wasn’t, I would have said–GASP! Faerie Cookies! HELLO!”
White Lily couldn’t help the small smile on her face as her friend quickly went ahead of them, watching as the Beast of Curiosity startled a group of Faerie Cookies with his sudden appearance. She turned her focus on Pure Vanilla as he let out a tired sigh.
“I told him to behave. I asked him very nicely to behave himself, and already he’s scaring poor Cookies left and right.”
“Well, at least he hasn’t pulled any pranks yet.” White Lily reassured her close friend, watching Shadow Milk zip around the Faerie Kingdom while startling many of the residents. Maybe it had been wise of her to send a letter forewarning Edler Faerie of Shadow Milk’s visit. None of the Faerie Guards were trying to apprehend him, and the Beast Cookie hadn’t done anything to warrant an attack yet.
She only hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the visit.
“I’ll have to make sure of that.” Pure Vanilla sighed again, yet she could see a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched his counterpart greet himself to various Cookies. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him trying to interact with other Cookies outside of our friends. It’s a nice change for once.”
“Better than being locked up in his tower all day trying to run all sorts of experiments.” White Lily watched as Shadow Milk introduced himself, feeling a sense of relief that one of her best friends was coming out of his tight shell. She turned her gaze to Pure Vanilla’s cloak, spying the young Cookie that was hiding within his cloak slowly peeking his eyes out. They caught sight of her looking at him, ducking deeper into the cloak that only one visible eye could be seen staring back.
“It’s alright, Black Sapphire. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She spoke softly, bending down to be eye level with the young child. “Nothing is going to get you here. It’s safe.”
Black Sapphire didn’t say anything, pressing himself closer to Pure Vanilla’s side. At least he wasn’t trembling, that was a good sign.
She felt a small pulse from her staff, turning her gaze away from Black Sapphire over to her own counterpart to find–
“Candy Apple, no! Get down from there!”
“Oh dear.” Pure Vanilla watched helplessly as White Lily rushed over to one of the structures, where Silent Salt was having trouble trying to catch a young toddler Cookie, who had somehow managed to climb a considerable height and was now dangling off a thin beam, giggling all the while.
Aren’t you going to do something about this?
About what? She and Salty got her!
She might fall!
She’s not going to fall. Salty’s almost got her. If she DID fall, I can just pop on over and catch her before she even hits the ground!
“You are too calm about this.” Pure Vanilla sighed, unable to understand how Shadow Milk could be so nonchalant about this. Then again, he had always been this way since he was young, so it wasn’t too out of character for him. Though he did wish that his brother put in more effort into caring for his own children.
He felt Black Sapphire shift beneath his cloak, looking down at the young Cookie who peeked curiously back up at him. He smiled down at his nephew, earning a little smile back from the young Cookie. Hopefully, this small trip to the Silver Kingdom would help Shadow Milk and Black Sapphire out of their shells and interact with more Cookies.
I doubt it~
Hush you.
A wave of echoing giggles filled his mind through the connection as Pure Vanilla rolled his eyes fondly.