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Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla Cookie woke up to reality, his dreams shattering like fallen glass. Sweat stained his forehead and his breaths came in short and fast.

He grasped the covers of his bed as he tried to calm himself down, the smell of fire and the taste of sour  iron lingered in his senses. No matter what he did there was no escape, not from this witch-damn past he couldn't remember.

The vanilla cookie sat up right, his weight shifting as his heart calmed down. He shook his head trying to stay ignorant of what those memories could mean, at the end of the day he doesn't want to know.

Sure, Pure Vanilla was rightfully curious. Ever since he was young, war was constantly in his mind. The echoes of screams and the sight of fire always haunted him, as well as the smell of salt and tears from the cries of the damned.

Crumbling was something his parents could never hide from him for it constantly appeared in his memories, the cookies his hands tried to save but failed to do so. His hands were stained with unmeasurable jam, those he forsaken and those he failed.

But curiosity was dangerous, and Pure Vanilla was more of a pacifist — someone who sat back and whose passions didn't burn as bright as the others. He was fine with not knowing, especially when it might bring more harm than good.

Pure Vanilla was already satisfied with the life he has, a scholar of the prestigious Blueberry Yogurt Academy. He has a friend he would do anything for and parents that dearly cared for him despite not understanding his situation.

He sighed thoughtfully and ran his hands through his hair. No matter how satisfied he was with his life, those dreams of the past still continue to haunt his every move.

When he was younger, he believed the dreams were prophetic, a moment he would have to suffer in the distant future. His beliefs faded due to the inconsistencies, his parents never appeared in those dreams and once he met his best friend it was sealed that it was never a future event, not when his best friend never appeared either, only students and an unknown child he always held tightly.

His parents believed it was reincarnation. They believed that the witches pitied his past incarnation and gave him a new life filled with blessings. Pure Vanilla wanted to believe their theories, it was logical with a few holes being that there was not a single recorded event of reincarnation in history and it would be unlikely for him to be the first but he knew deep down there was another truth hiding within his memories.

However he doesn't think he can handle finding out, fear always accompanied his thoughts.

Even if he wanted to know the truth, even if the voices in his mind would never stop begging for him to face his irrational fears — to know more.

He can't do it.

It was simply like being pulled into two directions, his want and curiosity of what everything could possibly mean, and his fears, doubts and the crushing weight in his chest stopping him.

He wants to rest.

Pure Vanilla decides to stop thinking about it for just one moment and raises his hand to create a warm light that would settle inside the lamp besides his bed, he used the moonlight for an easier flow and finally drifted off.

Thoughts consumed his head yet they were distant, incomprehensible, and yet at the same time it was calming. His mind was his but it didn't feel like he was in his mind, the world was nothing for he and his thoughts were the only thing that mattered at that moment.

It was like floating on a sea of stars, weightless and thoughtless. The stars cradled his face gently, warmth and coldness meeting creating a weird vortex of energy that felt right on Pure Vanilla's skin. It was relaxing in a way only his childhood home could recreate.

Home... what a bittersweet word.

An hour or more passed when a loud knock snapped Pure Vanilla out of the mindless state he found himself in and he wondered for a moment if he had fallen asleep for the rays of sunlight were peeking from his window, hitting him in the face.

He quickly shot down that possibility, he did not fall asleep, that was a fact he knew to be true. If he did then that uncomfortable feeling would creep up from his chest but he feels something else, a clear comfort formed in his chest, an occurrence that always happens whenever he rests.

Before he could think about it any further, a familiar soft yet strong voice was heard behind his closed door, the sound was muffled from the distance but Pure Vanilla could hear that beautiful sound clear as day.

For as long as he had seen her, he knew he was far gone.

"Pure Vanilla?" A knock once again, "It's eight in the morning..." That was enough for him to send himself hurtling towards the floor, he grabbed his robes and ran into the bathroom leaving the door open.

After an incident with a professor, he'd rather not be late to his classes. The scolding he received was still fresh in his mind.

"Pure Vanilla, do you understand?"

He winced at the sudden memories.

Pure Vanilla quickly turned towards the mirror, hair products and what not spilled to the ground below, it was not a great sight.

"Pure Vanilla?! Are you alright?" He quickly brushed his teeth and tried to fix his hair but it was to no avail. His hair was still a mess, he could already imagine White Lily trying to not laugh at the nest his hair became.

He ran outside and put on his shoes, wincing when the tie he did didn't look pretty or even average at best. He finally opened his door in a hurry. The scent of lilies greeted him, a beautiful flower cookie that held a basket that must be filled with pastries.

Whatever that was in the basket was overpowered by the floral scent of lilies, it was nice and had a calming effect.

He finally looked at White Lily's piercing red eyes — the same color as one's jam would look like.

"Lily! I–"

She sighed before grabbing his arm and dragging him in the halls. "Oh Vanilla... What time did you rest last night? You know this isn't healthy."

She looked back clearly concerned at his awful habit of not taking care of himself, Pure Vanilla could do nothing but wilt at her gaze.

"I know it isn't.. It's just– you don't have to worry about me. I slept early and woke up early, I just– I didn't notice the time." He quickly explained, stuttering in the process. He doesn't want her to worry about him, he knew White Lily had more on her plate than he could ever imagine and for her to worry about him would just be adding on to that.

Pure Vanilla quickly tried to fix himself, matching White Lily's pace while balancing his steps.

Just then White Lily made a sudden turn to the right building, keeping her pace as fast as possible without running.

"Wait– Lily? Where are we going?" He questioned yet he kept following White Lily, wherever she may go. He was nothing more than a sheep to his shepherd, the follower to his leader.

"I..." She then abruptly stopped and turned to face Pure Vanilla, now that her face is in full view he can see the light blush of embarrassment on White Lily's face.

"Well.. I heard from the other students that the professor is sick with a disease and I figured we can..." She then turned to the side, that was when Pure Vanilla realized they were in front of the library.

"I didn't know how to exactly tell you... But I thought you won't mind since you did tell me–!"

"White Lily you know I won't mind if we skipped class just to search the library, you don't have to be so nervous." He chuckled and tried to make light of the situation despite feeling iffy with not being told the full truth, it's not like he has the right to complain. "And I did tell you classes were boring without you."

"Oh! I'm glad... Still.. I'm sorry for dragging you without saying anything." Her head hung low in guilt. Pure Vanilla felt guilty as well, she was clearly just embarrassed and didn't know how to tell him — and yet he still complained in his mind.

He smiled softly before dragging her — this time she was the one matching his footsteps — towards the library. "Now what is it you wanted to show me?" He smiled, his eyes were clear and White Lily could feel the weight on her shoulders lighten.

They went to one of the secluded areas of the library, a spot in the farthest corner of the place. While going there, White Lily took three books off the shelf and Pure Vanilla insisted on carrying it.

The two cookies sat down and White Lily took one of the books, it was a book Pure Vanilla hadn't read before but he could tell from the cover it was an interesting read.

It was fairly normal in size and yet the cover was thick with a beautiful gold color with it's simple title plastered in the middle. The pages were yellowed, it was an old book yet Pure Vanilla could see the care put into it.

"Well, it was a book I found. One of the sections explained the main components of our dough! And I was thinking of recreating it but instead of copying the exact ingredients I was thinking of changing some in order to strengthen our dough, our past attempts were pretty bad but... I think this is our chance! Our chance to finally create a more resilient cookie unlike ourselves..." White Lily explained, it was clear that she was excited yet Pure Vanilla couldn't help the dread that pooled in his gut.

"If we succeed... Imagine how many cookies we can help!" White Lily smiled so brightly to the point it can rival the stars in the milky way. Her gaze was so enraptured by the book she held, a look hungry for more knowledge.

Her passion burned as brightly as the fires that burned civilizations. She was clearly resolute on her decision — to find the truth on how to enhance cookies, to help Cookiekind on its quest for stronger bodies.

Perhaps one day her greed for knowledge would be her downfall, but that's Pure Vanilla's purpose — to make sure she doesn't fall on an unknown path that will cause her demise.

It was still dangerous — what the two of them were doing, but White Lily was passionate about her goals and Pure Vanilla... he wanted to help her.

Despite the warning bells ringing in his head he asked the question that would only serve as fire to White Lily's already burning future, "What do we have to do?"

To create life from scratch...

Only White Lily Cookie with the abundance of curiosity and love for Cookiekind would be willing to do it.

Perhaps that is the reason why Pure Vanilla couldn't help but like her, he knew they were only friends so he wouldn't burden White Lily with his feelings.

He liked their relationship as friends anyways.

The two cookie's hushed voices filled the library, planning the path they would take.

Pure Vanilla would help her, would stay with her but he just hoped that she wouldn't go too far in her research.

In the case that she did then Pure Vanilla would do anything to stop her.

It was his penitence.

♣︎

The dough writhed and twisted in the oven, it bubbled before bursting apart. All that remained was the ashes of their failures.

He watched as White Lily’s hands trembled as she scraped the ruin into the bin.

It was another failure.

No matter how much they tried, it was useless in the end.

Burnt, disfigured, mindless and other inadequate results was all they could do. It was a mission with no success in mind and they were trudging waters far too deep for comfort.

Pure Vanilla could see how much it can do for Cookiekind, how much it can help all of them but it was also too much.

Just the other day, they stole a book from the forbidden section and Pure Vanilla got caught sneaking out. The book was fortunately in White Lily's hands by then. It was a book titled 'The Ultimate Cookie Recipes'.

He even stole a Cookie Cutter from the laboratory.

The book was great, ingredients and procedures were clear and precise. It was far more detailed than the last book that they found, but it was understandable considering the fact that the last book only had a small section dedicated to the topic.

Unfortunately it still resulted in nothing.

White Lily wasn't about to give up, she suggested an idea that can help their research more but it contained Dark Moon Magic and questionable dealings with the remains of a body long gone with time.

A forbidden magic that channelled the light—or in this case the absence of it at the Dark Side of the Moon.

The moment Pure Vanilla heard and realized what she meant, he knew it was time to stop.

But perhaps he shouldn't have, because the look on White Lily's face was awful — broken like the promises the once made, it hurt Pure Vanilla's heart in ways he didn't know was possible.

But she stopped, she could still understand. Dark Moon Magic was crossing the line Pure Vanilla built in his head. Later in his life he would've questioned himself on why the thought of putting a dead cookie's body as an ingredient irked him less than Dark Moon Magic.

Pure Vanilla didn't want her to go through that pain, the pain of knowing too much, of trying yet still failing, where at the end of the day the only one to get hurt was herself.

They continued their lives forgetting about the research that was once their ultimate goal.

Or maybe it was only Pure Vanilla that forgot.

Maybe it was only him that never understood.

Or maybe it was simply because he understood.

But at the end of the day the result remains the same, he failed to help her.

He failed again.

Such a pitiful excuse of a person.

Chapter Text

He pulled the young cookie inside the hidden room in His office before shutting the door as the screams grew louder outside. He winced and hugged the sobbing cookie, he couldn't leave her alone, he is the only protection she has left.

The place shifted, chairs and walls shuffled, a blur of fast paced images of another life flashed in his head before it all settled into place. A puzzle piece out of a thousand finally finding its place.

The footsteps grew quieter, cookies fell and he continued to hide.

Even if he knew there was no other choice the pang of guilt still rang through him, digging beneath his bones, making space inside his heart. All of the cookies he can help escape for the price of his and the young cookie's life.

Their lives will weigh heavily on him till the day he dies.

Despite the overwhelming guilt that dared to overtake him, it didn't bury the fear that shook him to the core. He couldn't control the way his breaths fastened or the way his trembling arms wanted to crack off his body even if he wanted to, even if it would help the cookie trembling in his arms.

The screams and scent of jam was getting closer.

Closing his eyes he prayed to the ■■■■■■■ that He can come sooner, that by some miracle He would be able to Know earlier than expected.

Metal plates created a sound outside, the heavy thud of a single cookie's footsteps was only a single door away.

His breaths came shorter, quieter. He held the young cookie tighter, hoping she too would quiet down, hoping that the beast only a few distance away would not hear them.

Their time was getting shorter, he wouldn't be able to protect the young cookie—not against the cookie outside the office, he was smart but he wasn't strong enough.

He would never see Him again, he would never be able to ask for forgiveness.

What fight could he ever have against a chosen of the ■■■■■■■?

What chance did he ever have in the first place?

He shouldn't have ever let his curiosity–

––!

A loud noise caught their attention, something heavy crashing on glass, breaking it into a million pieces. The door has been destroyed, the picture besides it has been destroyed.

The door has been destroyed.

The two of them froze, like prey recognizing they have been trapped by a predator.

He recognized what he was feeling very well—it was acceptance, acceptance of his looming demise.

Their mouths dried up as a cough threatened to burst out of their chest.

He wasn't alone, the young cookie was with him. He needs to–

Their heartbeats were too loud.

It was too loud.

He can't breathe–

He can't–

"–illa?"

They never stood a chance.

"P–– Va––!?"

'I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I never meant to–'

–ure Vanilla Cookie?!"

His eyes snapped open. Pure Vanilla looked to his side seeing a very worried White Lily.

Right, they were in an inn, staying for a few days before leaving to explore the vast world of Crispia.

The two decided to travel the lands of Crispia after graduating from the academy, they had similar goals of wanting to know more and to help other cookies.

While other graduates decided to become professors at the academy or do something of similar fashion, White Lily and Pure Vanilla decided to traverse the lands in hopes of helping Cookiekind in a much bigger and impactful way than just being at one secluded place.

It had been six months since their first departure.

It has been a month since Pure Vanilla's nightly terrors got worse.

"What..?"

"I–I... You were having a nightmare." White Lily sat down next to him, a question clear as day in her eyes.

She must be so worried, many times before she had tried to get him to talk about those dreams but he couldn't. It pained him to even think about what those dreams could mean, to talk about it with someone else was uncomfortable.

"Oh.. "

"...Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, concern leaking from her voice.

Pure Vanilla looked at her hesitantly before shaking his head. "I don't want to..."

White Lily smiled, "That's understandable, but if you need someone, I'll always be here." She stood up and went back to her bed to pack her things in a bag large enough to carry necessities.

"I'm sorry.."

She looked back, "You don't have to."

After that was only silence, they had nothing to talk about.

The few days of staying at their current location had ended, it was time to leave.

He slowly got up to prepare for their departure.

The process was quiet, a type of quiet that was comfortable and peaceful, the two of them weren't the type of cookies to talk much if the conversation wasn't about a topic that had interested them. The two preferred this type of atmosphere, the main reason why they got along so well.

Standing up, White Lily opened the door and waited for him to finish fixing himself. The two walked downstairs and saw an elderly gentleman named Dark Mousse Cookie wiping a glass bottle clean.

From their stay at the inn they know that the older cookie was divorced twice, has four children and rode a candycycle off a cliff once and survived. Now he just supervises his inn in peace.

"You lovebirds already leaving?" Dark Mousse looked up at them with a smirk on his face.

"What." Pure Vanilla asks the chocolate flavored hoping that his deadpan tone hid the way his ear burned.

He discreetly looked at White Lily who looked like she didn't mind and instead laughed alongside Dark Mousse Cookie. Or perhaps it was because she never cared about how others perceived her or her relationships.

"Sorry to inform you Dark Mousse, me and Vanilla are just friends." She giggled and Pure Vanilla felt a small dulled pain in his chest as he laughed with her.

"Alrighty, whatever you two say." He sighed dramatically and picked up another glass bottle to clean.

"But are you two sure you wanna leave this early? I mean–" He huffed a little before picking up another glass, "–even the pudding chicks haven't woken up yet."

"Adventures never wait for no one! And we still want to see more of the world, we've already overstayed our visit here." White Lily softly said with a smile.

The old cookie smiled behind the counter before nodding at them, "Well you two better visit this old man's inn again before I crumble alright? My dough has turned gummy and sticky already. Those kids of mine never have time to visit and it's nice seeing a pair of youngsters experiencing life."

Pure Vanilla nodded at the elder, "We'll be sure to visit you, it was nice here. We learned so many things in this village." Memories of caves with gems naturally lighting up at night filtered through Pure Vanilla's head.

Too distracted by his own thoughts, he didn't see White Lily's reaction to the mention of how fragile their doughs are.

The two said goodbye once more before continuing their adventures.

♣︎

The two passed the gates of the new village they found themselves in, it was pointed to them by a kind elderly cookie who said that a beastly monster had been plaguing the village for months, with how the village was too secluded and the kingdoms too busy with their own problems, help never arrived.

The gate was falling apart but he can still make out the name that was inscribed on the top.

'Strawberry Shortcake Village'

Crossing the gate brought a weird feeling, the air became opressing and cold. The sky bled into an orange sunset, an unusual occurrence when the sky was sunny and bright just a few seconds earlier.

The two made eye contact but they still went on.

The village wasn't doing well from the little things they can currently see. The strawberry mounds were rotting, the decorations were torn and the air smelled like the dead.

"Ah! You two!" A cookie ran towards them, Pure Vanilla could see the suspicion and questions in her eyes, he could also see the nervous way she carried herself.

The cookie had hair made of strawberries that smelled too sweet and had a strong fragrance that made Pure Vanilla inwardly wince, her icings were made of what seemed to be authentic cacao and strawberry.

She seems to be older than both White Lily and Pure Vanilla but her dough is very well cared for, the difference would be lost to those that don't look hard enough.

She was made of luxury, a luxury that was way too out of place in a village that was hanging by a loose thread.

He turned his head at his right side, a blind spot due to his blurry vision, it was where White Lily was always placing herself to be slightly in front of him, cautious and protective as always.

"Greetings, Miss?" Pure Vanilla asked. A question for a name and reason.

"Oh dear! I apologize for coming to you two like that... My name is Strawberry Sugar Cookie, a valet from the Dark Blizzard Kingdom!" She huffed, obviously proud of her area.

'Strawberry? From a kingdom far from here and proud of her designated position.. Perhaps she's visiting her home after a cry for help?' It was plausible but Pure Vanilla did not want to get ahead of himself.

The Dark Blizzard Kingdom is from a separate land, with an ocean separating them. It would take months to reach this land via boats.

"And may we ask why you have stopped us, Lady Strawberry Sugar Cookie?" White Lily questioned the cookie, looking at her with a subtle scrutinizing look that was invinsible to the common eye.

Pure Vanilla knew with certainty that she was noting every little thing about the strawberry cookie.

"Ah, well I was just wondering that since you came from the woods outside... Have you two perhaps seen a dark looking cookie with a permanent scowl on his face? It's been days! Days! Since I last saw his highn– my friend!" She covered her mouth quickly noticing her slip up, Strawberry Sugar looked at them with pleading eyes.

He looked at White Lily, a conversation was made and understanding gained from just a simple glance.

White Lily sighed before letting Pure Vanilla do the talking.

He smiled softly, "I apologize but we haven't seen your 'friend' in the woods, we came here from the mumbling words of the kind lady we came across. She told us there was a beast that haunted this place?"

It was interesting, a valet of Dark Cacao Cookie? Pure Vanilla wondered how the prince of the Dark Blizzard Kingdom would act.

He was also quite worried, the fact that Strawberry Sugar Cookie hasn't seen the prince for days doesn't feel right.

"Lady?! W-who would spread such a thing?" Strawberry Sugar looked enraged and even more suspicious, "Wait! Then what are you two doing here?" Her words bordered on accusations.

White Lily shuffled anxiously in front of him, clearly uncomfortable from the sudden anger the woman seems to be exuding.

Pure Vanilla gently smiled at her hoping she wouldn't smite both him and White Lily for sins they didn't commit, "We wanted to help."

He beamed at her knowing his charm would always work, a little trick he learned from his childhood. Nobody can withstand the way his aura seems to shine and the way his eyes turned soft and hypnotizing, at least from what he's been told.

"You want to help? Oh! Well you should've told me sooner! Indeed, we got news of a terrible monster that destroyed this village's crops and massacred its animals." She then sighed before looking around, she looked at them cautiously before lowering her voice to a whisper only the three of them would hear despite the lack of cookies surrounding them.

"And they say that this beast has caused things to get... let's say chaotic around here, time seems to pass differently, other cookies getting diseases from eras long gone. It's a disaster!"

'Time seems to pass differently?'

It would explain the weird sky here. But that would bring up the question on how exactly Strawberry Sugar Cookie was able to track how long Dark Cacao Cookie was gone.

"Of course, my dear friend decided that he would help this humble village of mine and purge this evil for good!"

White Lily makes a confused noise at that and slightly tilts her head to the side. "I thought you were from the Dark Blizzard Kingdom?"

"Well... yes! I'm a valet from the Dark Blizzard Kingdom however this place is my origin." She still looked optimistic, nothing that spelt out that she found this village to be below her.

Although it was obvious from the start that she cared, he knew the White Lily thought that it doesn't hurt to be cautious especially after that incident with a merchant in the past week before finding the Dark Mousse's Inn.

White Lily relaxed from the observation they both found, for someone who still remembers the place they came from is a cookie that they can agree is kinder than most.

"Well, is there anything else you can tell us? Its appearance, where the beast was seen or something else?" Pure Vanilla stepped forward while still sporting a gentle smile, he stopped just right beside White Lily.

She looked away thoughtfully before looking back at them, "Look, I still don't trust you two. It's quite suspicious to see two travelers that just seem to come at the right moment."

Pure Vanilla nodded, "We understand, but we truly just want to help." He said with earnestly.

He understood how it looked, nobody wouldn't do something without any benefit. But the two of them are truly like that, they wanted to explore the world and help as many as they can.

White Lily looked between the two, she spoke up with conviction, "If it helps.... We are graduates from the Blueberry Yogurt Academy, the two of us decided to use our knowledge to help others and build a better world for Cookiekind."

"We want to explore and experience more of the world while helping as many as we can, we may be suspicious but please believe us. Perhaps... it may be a far and an unbelievable goal but the thing that matters is that we did something." Her voice quivered multiple times through her speech, her eyes shone with hope and resolution.

White Lily was genuinely beautiful like this, firm in her beliefs, eyes shining in pure ambition.

Her search for knowledge and the undying resolve for her goals were truly the things he adored most about her.

It was utterly bewitching.

It was familiar.

Pure Vanilla could only look at her with admiration. If she believed that the two of them could build such a world then he would do all he could just to help her.

"I think it'd be better if you two talked with the chief instead."

Pure Vanilla looked at White Lily for her opinion, she smiled and nodded excitedly, a hint of blush covered her face, quite obviously proud of convincing Strawberry Sugar Cookie.

He couldn't help but smile with her.

♣︎

"It started six months ago. The flock of pudding chickens that we had were killed in quite a gruesome way." Seascape Cookie—the chief grimaced before continuing, his voice a mere whisper afraid that the walls can hear what he says. "Their head remained but the bodies were gone, we believe the beast ate them."

White Lily gasped softly, her eyes wide in surprise, it was a gruesome image to imagine.

Pure Vanilla could only think about the poor owners who had to see their animals butchered so cruelly, the pain it must have caused them...

His mind wanders off to his own herd, it had been a few years since he came home. Only a few letters with his parents and nothing else.

"Then time became twisted, all of our clocks stopped at once. I'm sure you can already tell, with how the sky is perpetually stuck on nearing sunset." He then huffed with a tight smile, "It is quite beautiful but terrifying. Our crops died, strawberries no longer blessed the fields."

Pure Vanilla wondered what type of powerful beast could do this, he can't imagine something or someone being able to stop the skies from changing.

He could feel his hands shake from terror, fear slowly filling his heart like tiny droplets of water.

The chief shifted in his seat and continued, "We can't leave this village behind even if it's too dangerous, it is our home, the land our ancestors did everything to build."

"We know the beast haunts the woods. Shadows haunt the edges of the village, it creeps and preys on what we left behind to try and lure it but the beast is smarter than we thought. It mocks our efforts and only shows a smidge of itself before falling back into the woods." His voice rose a bit in anger, he raised his hand and slammed the table in between them.

Pure Vanilla and White Lily both flinched in surprise, White Lily tightened her hold on her staff.

"I apologize, everything has been too stressful." The chief bowed his head and calmed down.

Pure Vanilla just smiled and reassured the chief, "We understand."

He could see White Lily sigh at his words, her warnings from the academy rang in his mind.

"You're too kind... Don't let this kindness of yours betray you."

That is true, he isn't that naive to think that being kind won't have repercussions. But the world needed it more, hurt people hurt others, kindness could do so much for those that suffer.

"They will never be satisfied with what you give, heed my words ■■■■■■■, they will take. Take all that you have and leave you to burn in the ashes of your own kindness"

"We couldn't easily send messages, our people were trained to farm not fight, the outside is far too dangerous for any of them. Only I know how to and I'd rather not leave my village while a beast is haunting it. It was a great thing that ahead of time Strawberry Sugar planned to visit her home, and by sheer miracle she brought a great warrior with her."

'A great warrior? It seems Strawberry Sugar Cookie is keeping it a secret.'

But it was understandable, being a prince must mean there's hundreds aiming for his head.

"Chief Seascape Cookie, is it possible you know where this beast frequently makes an appearance?" White Lily asked absentmindedly. Her mind is already calculating on the many possible ways they can kill such a powerful foe.

"Well... from the words of my people, it often lurks around the lake that can be found at the right of our strawberry fields." The chief crossed his arms and looked at them with concern, "Are you two sure you can handle this? It's just.."

"You don't have to worry about that, we may look weak but sometimes strength is within our minds." Pure Vanilla says softly, they must look suicidal with their lithe forms.

"Right... I had forgotten you two were scholars and not soldiers."

♣︎

"This beast is nothing like we've seen before.. Not even the academy had this information." White Lily muttered in front of him as she cut the invasive plants that covered their path.

"A beast that can stop the skies, kill at ease and hide in the shadows... no, nothing comes to mind." Pure Vanilla mumbled, the situation had gotten even more complicated than they thought.

"What if they confused the beast with another creature?" White Lily slashed another plant with her staff.

"Hm.. but is there any other creature out there that could stop the skies?" Pure Vanilla looked around to see White Lily's eyes brighten, an idea had popped into her head.

"Shouldn't we try to find Dark Cacao Cookie first? If the beast is truly that strong then we would need all the help that we can get, our smarts wouldn't be enough." She proposed lighty already expecting his answer to be a 'yes'.

She was right.

"Huh.. That would be sma–"

A shadow figure slithered below them, it's body was flattened in the ground. The two cookies gasped before scrambling to use their staffs, the moment they look down again, the beast was gone.

"It's teasing us?" White Lily asked breathless and ready to fight, her lily staff was blooming to let out a powerful spell. She stepped away from Pure Vanilla to see more clues of where the beast could be.

"Just like they did with the strawberry people.." Pure Vanilla grimaced and used his orchid staff to light up the shadows in search for the beast. There was nothing.

He then heard the startled gasp of White Lily, abandoning his search he quickly ran to where she is. Just a few steps away from him White Lily was looking at the ground with wide eyes.

The ground was dark and the stench was awful, the once beautiful flowers were wilted, the grass was burnt into ashes and the trail didn't end there.

It was leading them.

"It.. wants us to find it?" White Lily questioned, her eyes narrowed in contemplation.

Pure Vanilla had an awful feeling about this.

Chapter Text

The forest was dead silent, there were no singing birds, there was no wind, there was nothing. It wasn't like the forest they first came from, it felt isolated.

It was eerie, Pure Vanilla has always been close to nature, the birds and butterflies flock towards him, the garden he always took care of before leaving home, his past as the shepherd of his lambs.

White Lily hypothesized that if they went far enough from the Strawberry Shortcake Village's forest they would reach the outside, where the sky is normal and the air felt clean.

It's been a couple minutes since they decided to follow the trail. The land surrounding it was untouched, pure from the corruption that tainted the lands.

From the corner of his eye he can see it, a flash of something.

"Lily!" He screamed as he pulled her back, the two of them tumbled on the ground, limbs failing to function properly from the shock, he could hear White Lily gasp in surprise.

The figure in front of them was nothing like he's seen before. It was... something.

It stood tall, a wolf-like figure that stood on it's hind, it's hands were outstretched from where White Lily was before, it's claws were sharp and ferocious.

The beast's body was cracked and bleeding black, corruption seeped through every crevice of it's body. It's face was terrifying, multiple eyes graced the beast's face, it was snarling at them, blue liquid oozing out of it's mouth.

"Wait! You mean–"

"–ble that–"

'What is this?'

"Well... anything is possible! Especially for me, and if there are truly other creatures here then they're probably terrified of crossing paths with–"

"–o don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

"Mhm.. You think I'm pretty?"

'Who are you?'

"..That's what you're focused on?"

■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■ laughed, it was perhaps the most beautiful melody he ever heard.

"Oh N̵͍̞͎͇̰͍͔̱͕͓͎̿̿̔̈́͂̈̉̽̑̀͊́̀͗́͘i̷̢͓̲̮̎̅͑̓́̂̚͝l̴̳̠̫͇̓̒̔l̷̢̯̹̘̖̠̠̻̣̹͖̣͙̱͙̑͑̐́̾̃̍́̒̀̌̆̓y̶̨͎͖͈͈̖̯̣͍̋͑̊̇͂͂̄́̉͛..."

'What?'

"Vanilla..." White Lily whispered, her voice broke through the haze of memories he found himself lost in.

The beast was still standing in front of them, focused, observing.

Their eyes met, a conversation passed between them.

"Now!" She commanded and he followed. A spell only those that use light magic can do, he raised his staff and temporarily blinded the beast with a powerful surge of bright light that illuminated the area.

They both stood up from where they fell and surrounded the beast.

It screamed, a high pitched roar that echoed throughout the forest. Pure Vanilla resisted the urge to cover his ears.

The beast panicked and thrashed around, Pure Vanilla gasped and jumped back in order to avoid its ferocious claws, it kept hitting everywhere and nowhere. The trees were torn apart.

White Lily raised her staff as well, the flower bloomed and the beast became covered with small lily buds and vines. Pure Vanilla quickly raised a shield for him and White Lily, the vines restricted the beast's movement and the small buds exploded.

The body fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Pure Vanilla breathed heavily, the fight was less than a minute but it felt as if they were there for an hour. His hands shook in fear and relief, his staff fell on the ground and him a few seconds later.

They won.

It felt too easy, not that he was complaining. It just felt–

White Lily winced, her left hand was curled tightly on her chest, her right was clenching her staff with a deathly grip.

Oh witches.

Her face was as pale as her hair.

"White Lily? Are you alright?" He already grabbed his staff and stood up, he quickly approached White Lily, carefully walking far from the beast's body.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and nose wrinkled in pain.

"It... it managed to harm me when it was flailing around." White Lily spoke airily, her breaths were short and fast.

"Mhm.. ugh.. I wasn't fast enough, I didn't think enough. If I had restricted it before trying to put it down–"

"Let me see." Pure Vanilla interrupted her and raised his hand, waiting for White Lily to place hers. His heart was racing, worry replacing every thought in his mind.

"And don't put yourself down like that, Lily. Out of the two of us you were the one to do something, we were both surprised and terrified, of course you wouldn't be able to think clearly, our focus was on surviving." He spoke with care and adoration, White Lily was one of the smartest cookie he has ever seen, seeing her put herself down like that hurts him.

What she needed was medical care, not doubts plaguing her mind.

He leaned his staff on him and inspected White Lily's injuries.

"I– Thank you, Vanilla." She whispered slowly, shy and truthful. Pure Vanilla hummed in response.

It was... awful, her hand was bleeding jam excessively. "Can I take off your gloves?" He asked, wanting to get a better look at the damage that was sustained to her dough.

She nodded quickly, her face was still filled with pain. Pure Vanilla's heart hurts to see that expression on her face, it wasn't something he liked to be there.

He gently unwrapped her gloves, careful not to aggravate the wound even more. From what he can see there were three claw marks that stained her dough, he maintained a calm facade over his face in order not to panick White Lily further.

The dough around the cuts were broken and crumbling with the slightest touch, they were open and curling outwards. He could see the jam and hardened sugar of her inner body, it was gruesome and unfair.

Why did White Lily have to be the one to be injured?

The injuries were deep, it would definitely leave scars. If only he was better at his craft then maybe he could heal her better but that wasn't the case.

If only he could heal better...

He let the warmth of his light magic numb out the pain, even if only by a little it would be better than nothing.

Pure Vanilla sighed and regretted their choices of not bringing any supplies, the two of them wanted to take out the beast as fast as possible and left hastily. If they brought water with them he could've clean her wound before patching her up.

It doesn't matter anymore, he needs to help now.

He placed his hand just a breath away from the cuts and let his magic flow gently, it slowly stitched the cuts together.

It wasn't as bad as before but it wasn't as healed as he would like, the wounds were still open and blood still covered her arms.

"Lily? Please hold still." Pure Vanilla instructed her, letting go of her hand, he tore off a piece of his sleeves using his staff, the end of staff helped cut the fabric.

He tore it in half and leaned his staff on him once again. Using one half to clean the blood and the other to wrap around her hand.

"We should probably return to the village now, they should have proper equipment to help us." He told her carefully, he sighed and looked at her face.

White Lily's attention was fully focused on her hand, something heavy on her eyes.

"Lily? Is everything alright?" Pure Vanilla was worried, she looked so lost and–

–tired, he looked so tired and yet we never understood, we never tried to.

But we did, we did! We saw him, understood him. Our mistake was brushing everything off despite Knowing!

'What?'

'What am I thinking? Why now? Now that I've embraced my present you come back?!' He screamed in his mind, upset and scared. He hates it, hates how easily it comes back, he hates how easily his mind crumbles under it.

His past, whatever it is was something awful. He knows that, and call him selfish but he doesn't want to remember the pain, the suffering that came with it.

You aren't selfish for not wanting to remember, you're selfish for punishing yourself like this.

'I don't need it, reincarnation or something along those lines I don't need it. Get out, you're not me, you'renotmeyou'renotmenotmenotmenotme–'

Do you not want to know the truth?

'No. What use will it have when I'm happy now?'

Yes, you're right. You are happy, right now. In the future you will want to know, the curiosity you hold so far yet so dearly will one day be too much. It's always been our greatest fault.

"–nilla, sorry for worrying you. You're right, let's go back to the village."White Lily says hurriedly, her eyes avoided his. Whatever she saw on his face must've upset her.

What could he even say to reassure her?

'I think I'm hallucinating my past self who's desperately making me remember my past life which only pains me further but I don't even know if it's real because the two options are reincarnation is real or I'm going insane?'

He almost laughed at his own thoughts, but that would just make him look more insane than he already is.

It was better to let her make her own assumptions.

Pure Vanilla nodded and they both walked back to the village, retracing their steps using the trail and trying not to think about the faces they saw on each other.

A face focused on her brittle dough and a face that looked past her and saw someone else.

♣︎

They walked side by side, they covered each other's blind spot, watching out for anything else that they might encounter. While the wolf-like creature was terrifying, it wasn't as powerful as the chief made it look like.

Of course the chief might've made a mistake but it was better to be sure than sorry.

But White Lily needed help, clean bandages and water. They will explore the forest later on after patching up.

Pure Vanilla heard an echo of a slash and a terrible desperate scream, the sound was far but distance didn't matter.

There were two options on who it could be. An unknown cookie or Dark Cacao Cookie.

He locked eyes with White Lily for the first time since they killed the beast, the silent conversation was as delicate and understandable as ever.

They ran towards the sound, both holding on tightly on their staff. Heavy breathing and the sound of feet making contact with the ground accompanied them,

Pure Vanilla could barely see the cookie, a crouching cookie with dark dough and black hair with stripes of white and another beast with a different appearance than the one they encountered.

It had a giant sword sticking out of its head.

White Lily moved forward and prepared her staff, the movements alerting the beast of their presence. The cookie—who is most likely Dark Cacao—looked at them with wide eyes, he was on the floor holding his bleeding stomach.

The beast snarled and looked at the two cookies, it was gigantic, stronger, and maybe even harder to kill than the first beast they encountered. It towered over White Lily easily but she didn't let that bother her and wasted no time in directing her vines to trap the beast.

This time she won't give it time to defend itself.

She lifted it off the ground and smashed it into a tree, into multiple trees. Pure Vanilla grimaced on such a level of brutality, he shook his head and ran towards Dark Cacao letting White Lily handle the beast.

His stomach churned and ached, he knows that White Lily could handle such a powerful beast and she only got injured last time because of how surprised she was but it didn't help the pit that grew in his stomach.

White Lily could do it, even if the beast looked larger and stronger.

"Were you injured?" He asked the cookie in front of him. He hoped that there weren't any injuries but it was unlikely with how pained Dark Cacao's face looked, he was scowling and glaring at Pure Vanilla, his posture tight and rigid.

"No." Dark Cacao spat out with vitriol shocking the blonde. He then stood up and walked towards the finished fight, the bitter cookie ignored White Lily and stepped over the dead beast to grab his sword.

Blood flew freely from the wound it left behind, Dark Cacao can only stand in shock as blood spayed on his face.

For a moment nobody wanted to talk. Awkward silence perpetrated the area with tension that was so thick it can be cut with knife.

"So... are you sure you don't need healing?" Pure Vanilla said joyfully, he instantly regretted his decision.

'Why am I embarrassing myself like this?!'

He wanted to lighten the mood of the prince, but why in Witches did that come out of his mouth?! Dark Cacao doesn't need healing, he already told him that!

White Lily awkwardly turned towards him, her face a mix of pity and amusement. It was with no doubt that she was thinking about the first time Pure Vanilla tried to befriend her.

He opened his mouth to try and save himself some face when a sudden scream disturbed him.

"DID SOMEONE SAY HEALING!?" A loud and boisterous voice echoed throughout the forest, loud footsteps made themselves known and a lady with bruises on her face, a grey coat and a wooden shield popped out of one of the bushes.

'Is that a ball gown?'

Pure Vanilla never thought one would be insane enough to explore the woods in a ball gown but it seems he was proved wrong. It wasn't very extravagant, a simple dark pink gown with no accessories. She looks much simpler than Strawberry Sugar Cookie who wore an expensive amount of icings.

It was still quite disorienting seeing someone dressed so fashionably in the forest.

White Lily was already enough, she was confused when asked why on earth would she want to wear her long dress when exploring.

Pure Vanilla sighed and dropped the topic that day.

He wondered for a moment what it would feel like to wear something similar, he wondered what they felt for them to wear such long and flowy clothing in the wilderness.

It was only for a moment.

"Hello there, new friends!" The cookie grinned happily, her hands placed on her hips. She was reeking with confidence and optimism, it was a nice change in atmosphere.

Pure Vanilla ponders on what she could be doing—in a ball gown—here, in this specific forest. Strawberry Sugar Cookie did not mention anyone else other than the prince, it was suspicious but she looked like a great cookie.

There was nothing that Pure Vanilla could note her appearance, her face wasn't familiar, there was no emblems on her shield, there wasn't any design on her dress that could give away where she came from, other than her bright hair and questionable choices in clothing

"Greetings as well. I'm Pure Vanilla Cookie and these are my friends, may I ask for your name?" Pure Vanilla said, hopefully he doesn't say something as awkward as earlier.

"I— What? I do not even know who–" Dark Cacao tried to talk but his voice got overshadowed by the new cookie's loud voice.

"It's Hollyberry Cookie! Anyways, it's nice seeing you guys here, you have no idea how long we have been in these woods! To hear your voices is such a relief!" She explains, cheerful with a slight blush covering her cheeks from embarrassment.

"I see... Wait you have someone else with you?" Pure Vanilla questioned when suddenly the trees behind Hollyberry Cookie cut down.

"Hollyberry Cookie!" Pure Vanilla stepped forward and yelled, he could hear White Lily and Dark Cacao move faster.

"You! Just because you hear some other travelers you decide to leave me?! After getting us lost I must say!" There was another cookie, one who Pure Vanilla presumes to be the friend Hollyberry Cookie was with.

She was shorter than Pure Vanilla and had long golden hair, she wore simple clothes and had a very sharp golden spear.

"Huh?! I was just excited to get out of this forest! And don't you blame me Goldie, you were the one who said we should follow 'this' and 'that'!" Hollyberry argued back with a large smile on her face.

"Ugh! How dare you speak to your future queen!" She huffs tiredly, "And how many times must I tell you not to call me.. 'Goldie'" She says with much disdain, a frown on her face and disgust shimmering in her eyes.

'Future queen?' That did not answer any of the questions Pure Vanilla has, in fact, it just added to them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but could you please tell us what you two are doing in these woods?" White Lily stepped forward, blatant suspicion on her face.

Pure Vanilla looked back where Dark Cacao was still standing, a myraid of emotions mixing in his eyes, he was still stiff as a stick.

He sighed softly and turned back to Hollyberry Cookie and her friend. Luckily they didn't seem upset about the implied accusations thrown at their face.

"You already know my name but we're here to slay some monsters! We haven't seen one yet but some old lady pointed us to a forest and we just went with it. I take it you guys are here for the same reason?" Hollyberry Cookie spoke fast, she didn't look like she lied, none of the tells that were taught to them at the academy.

'An old lady? Is she talking about the same one we met?'

"Wait, I just met them–"

"What? Well you came to defeat those monster as well, right? I can see one behind you, that makes us all a team then!"

White Lily chuckled lightly at that, she quickly tried to muffle it and take a serious face.

'Hmm... Why would she just lead all of us here? Perhaps she's part of the village? But why would she be outside?'

"Well my name is Golden Cheese Cookie! A desert sovereign and I come here after that monster took my precious treasures!" She cried out, whether in rage or annoyance—it wasn't quite clear.

Pure Vanilla quickly dismissed his thoughts when the other cookie began to introduce herself, unfortunately he was far too up in the clouds to hear her name.

"Huh?" White Lily made a confused sound.

"Ah, the two of us met at the same time when we accidentally crossed paths with the lady. She's quite loud but fun company!" Hollyberry Cookie exclaimed loudly. Her friend looked at her with an exasperated look.

'Are we going to ignore the desert sovereign part?' His eyes locked with White Lily but she just shrugged.

"Anyways! I was just exploring these woods to find the path–"

"See?! You got lost on your own! It wasn't my fault–"

"–when I encountered a beast with five legs and a dark form.. It looked quite hurt so the benevolent soul that I am tried to help it but it took off with my items! My treasures!" She exaggerated her movements with her spear, making shape in the ground of a crude drawing of a.. it... was something.

"Ah, I see..." White Lily shuffled, her voice drained of energy. The two cookies were certainly much more energetic and louder than the three of them.

"Now then! Can we know of your names? Pure Vanilla Cookie is the only one we know of and friendships can't be formed without knowing each other's name!" She crossed her arms—how on Earthbread could she do that with such a large shield?

"Uhm, my name is White Lily Cookie and this is.. " She hesitantly looked at Dark Cacao. Right, Pure Vanilla had forgotten they weren't supposed to know Dark Cacao.

"... Dark Cacao Cookie.."

Silence followed his easy admission, Pure Vanilla thought he would at least keep his name a secret. It looked like Pure Vanilla judged the other cookie far too early, he thought Dark Cacao was cold and suspicious about everything but he was just like White Lily, a bit awkward but still as tempted to get friends.

But it was better to be honest about his true identity, now there was no room for misunderstandings.

"Ah.. Well, nice to meet you everyone! Now that I think about it this should have grounds for a celebration? Eh, Goldie? Some nice and sweet berry juice to celebrate the occasion!" Hollyberry didn't seem bothered by the revelation and has bounced back to her cheery self.

'Goldie? Goldie Cookie? Is that her name?'

'Goldie' blinked a couple times, she then suddenly turned towards Hollyberry, frowning at her. "I told you to stop calling me by such a disrespectful name! And really? We don't have enough for ourselves and you still want to give them more?!"

Hollyberry just smirked and turned towards Pure Vanilla's way, "She's such a greedy little thing, isn't she?" She says teasingly.

"Did you just call me short?!"

Pure Vanilla and White Lily laughed at their antics, it felt freeing to talk with someone like Hollyberry and what's-her-name-?.

It felt like a nice break from all the beast nonsense they got themselves into... White Lily needs medical care.

"Ughh. Why do I even try correcting you?"

He really has to ask White Lily what the other cookie's name is, he can already see her fond exasperation at his mishap.

"What do you say if I heal you two in exchange for berry juice?" Pure Vanilla bargains, he doesn't know what berry juice tastes like but he was curious enough to try it.

...

"Hey! Dark Cacao, you should come on and join us." Hollyberry invited him, a large smile on her face.

They all turned towards the frozen Dark Cacao.

"I–... I apologize but I do not know how to.. laugh."

'What?'

It was out of topic—actually screw it—what Dark Cacao said wasn't even within a mile within what they were talking about. Pure Vanilla could tell how embarrassed the other cookie was from how bright his ears were getting.

'Instead of a bitter chocolate cookie, the prince looked more like darkened ripe tomato.'

.. That was a bit mean of his thoughts.

"Huh?! Who cares about monsters or celebrations, we've got bigger problems here." She pulls back with a worried look on her face, then after some thinking she looked back and smiled.

"What do you guys say about a challenge on who can make Dark Cacao laugh?"

'Goldie' quickly rose from her sulking with a competitive look on her face, "Deal."

Pure Vanilla smiled before remembering White Lily once again, "Hey? Everyone? Can we go back to the village first? I may be a healer but White Lily received quite an awful injury earlier. She needs the supplies the village can provide."

"You're hurt?" Surprisingly it was Dark Cacao who responded first, White Lily nodded and Dark Cacao frowned even more.

"Those beasts are really–" He huffs in anger, and starts to mumble incoherent things under his breath.

"We should probably go then." 'Goldie' spoke up and Hollyberry nodded quickly, "We should go now! We don't want your injury to fester more." She says worriedly.

"Let's go." Pure Vanilla walked back to where he remembered the trail to be.

The five cookies walked back to the village, all of them not aware that their friendship would last for more than a hundred lifetimes.

Chapter Text

"Vanilla..." White Lily whispered from her bed. Her gaze was stuck on the ceiling, her eyes filled with mixed emotions.

Pure Vanilla hummed in response, he closed the book he was reading and looked at White Lily with his full attention.

They were at the healer's tent of Strawberry Shortcake Village. Pure Vanilla didn't want to leave White Lily alone so he opted to sit right next to her.

Especially ever since coming back to the village he could feel something wrong, something off.

He didn't know where exactly their new friends stayed at but he knows Strawberry Sugar Cookie would be able to procure a place.

White Lily tried to get him to rest but he won't leave her, not in this village, not when the warning bells in his head were ringing tirelessly.

Not when even that thing in his head is warning him.

There was no measure of time but the village had done their best to have a functioning day. After eating 'dinner' everybody went ahead and rested their weary doughs.

"Do you... do you have energy to cast a privacy spell?" She asks with a soft tone, her gaze looking at the ceiling.

Pure Vanilla raised an eyebrow in confusion but he still answered her honestly, "For a few minutes, but if it crosses thirty I'll pass out."

One of the first things that were taught to them in the academy was to know your limits. Crossing that to become beyond isn't received well, no matter what the stories tell, it's fictional at the end of the day and nothing is worth more than keeping your own life.

He disagreed once and got reprimanded for his reasons.

"Can you cast one? Less than thirty minutes is more than enough." Her tone was more hesitant, her eyes found their way to his and he could see the urgency in them.

Pure Vanilla nodded and let the warm light envelope the two of them, a small bubble that fit enough for just the two of them.

Anyone who tries to hear their conversation will only hear mumbling incoherent words that won't make sense.

The only way one can hear them is if Pure Vanilla allows them inside the bubble.

White Lily sighed in relief. She visibly relaxed, her features softening from the tense look she had earlier. Pure Vanilla thought it was because she was still in pain but it looks like that wasn't the case.

"I won't beat around the bush here, I think something is terribly wrong with this place and Strawberry Sugar Cookie."

Pure Vanilla straightened his posture, his mind running through what White Lily meant. His eyes focused on White Lily, questioning.

She sighed tiredly, the day took a lot out of her.

"Remember when she asked about Dark Cacao? I didn't understand at first why she was so suspicious of us, assuming that we took him out instead of—I don't know? Thinking we are mere travelers."

"But then she said on how Dark Cacao was missing, for days. How could she possibly know that he's been gone for days?" Her voice rose in frustration, she clenched her jaw shut before continuing again.

"The time is different here. Clocks don't work and the sky is perpetually orange, she doesn't have any way to know how long Dark Cacao was missing for!"

Pure Vanilla could see what she meant, but he didn't want to doubt Strawberry Sugar Cookie way too early. They met her only once, that wasn't enough time to judge someone so harshly.

"I know that, but what if she went out to find him? They are close friends, it makes sense for her to try and find him. Strawberry Sugar Cookie might also be paranoid when she accused us, everybody here is on high alert, with how this beast is targeting them, it makes sense." Pure Vanilla avoided her eyes, his hands fiddled on the book he held, like a child who did something awful and is trying to distract themselves.

"Are you defending her?" White Lily asked, her head turned towards Pure Vanilla, her tone harsh and unlike her. Pure Vanilla turned towards her in shock, he quickly replaced it with an apologetic look.

"I'm not trying to defend anyone, I'm just saying that we shouldn't judge her just because of a few moments that could be explained with logic." His hands traced the engravings of the book, a simple children's book that entertained his need to do something.

"... Right, I apologize." White Lily backed down, her face losing the tense outlines that covered it just a while ago.

Pure Vanilla sighed. He looked down and traced the title of the book, trying to distract himself from the tense and awkward atmosphere that he created.

"Those monsters that we encountered.. they felt out of place, different." White Lily spoke up, an obvious attempt to change the topic.

She was trying to salvage the situation and Pure Vanilla would be a fool to not jump in to the opportunity.

"They're nothing like we've seen before." He added the piece of information that was on their minds from the start.

"What do you think about tomorrow?" He questioned, tilting his head to the right.

"Huh?" White Lily asked back.

"I mean... we still don't have a plan about that creature, they're different. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt just because we ran straight to danger while knowing it could've been avoided if we planned more." Pure Vanilla huffed, he opened the book and lightly picked the pages, making sure he didn't actually rip it.

White Lily tensed and looked away thoughtfully, something heavy on her mind.

"Pure Vanilla... do you trust me?" She asked hesitantly. Pure Vanilla looked at her intently and quickly responded.

"Of course." He said genuinely. White Lily is someone he trusted with his life, she was his only friend before they met the other cookies in the forest.

White Lily is his dearest friend.

She looked hesitant, it was disheartening to see her doubt him.

It makes sense, they've always been on opposite sides.

Both of their faces plastered on the same coin yet always fated to be on the opposite side.

"Then.. please do not judge me but–"

Static.

A sharp noise, a ringing so annoying he wanted it out of his head.

"–Vanilla? Wait, you–!"

Her words got cut off the moment the door opened.

Pure Vanilla shattered the bubble surrounding them and stood up to look at who intruded them.

He slightly peeled the curtains that covered them and peeked out, he could see a blob of blue hair.

Pure Vanilla looked back to White Lily only to see that she was not there. Her bed was devoid of anyone, White Lily and her staff were missing.

Fear crawled and made it's home in his throat, his hands shook and worry took ahold of him.

Where did she go?

"■■■■■■■■■■ APPLE COOKIE!"

"Please..." He begged, to whom it was it didn't matter. He needed to find her.

Red filled the once grand halls.

Bodies keep piling on and on no matter what he did, their screams will forever be ingrained in his mind.

Everything ached.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

He gasped, he looked around and saw he was on the floor, he stood up on shaking legs and grasped the bed.

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

The taste of salt remained in his mouth.

On the bed sat his vanilla orchid staff. Pure Vanilla didn't know how to feel, his hands shook with fear while his mind was trying to figure out what happened.

'What is this? What happened? Did the mysterious figure get White Lily?'

No, that wasn't possible. He would've noticed if that was the case.

He took a long breath in and approached the bed. Pure Vanilla stood just beside where White Lily vanished, the world fading into the background.

His eyes traced his staff, something was different.

Darkness creeped up to his clothes, it consumed his feet and to the ends of his robes and pants, the void surrounded him.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

He couldn't–

Everything blurred together, light wrapped itself around the bed, his orchid wilted from the light that burned it.

He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.

Salt sat at the edges of his tongue.

Screams, ash, crumbs, jam.

Red, blue, purple. A white light, an arrow.

A single shot.

Eyes, blue and gold, darker and bolder than Pure Vanilla's own eyes. A beautiful myriad of stars swirled in His eyes, the galaxy sat upon His hair.

It was alive.

And it was the most ethereal thing he had laid his eyes upon.

"..."

"Silence. After all that talking you did earlier, you won't even explain anything to me?" Pure Vanilla uttered out loud, his mouth moving on its own.

He does not know what he was saying.

He does not know what he means.

It was silent.

After the screams only silence remained.

"No. He remained, Him and two others"

"Who? Who are you talking about?" He begged pathetically to himself.

His head aches, and a sharp pain suddenly makes itself aware at his back.

His head felt like it was dumped and drowned in its own jam.

He did. He drowned at the taste of his jam.

Gold and blue stared at him.

Desperate and brutal.

Red.

Death.

Crumbling.

The vanilla orchid staff blinked to life.

A singular eye looked at him.

He can't–

"You can, you just don't want to"

His mouth moved, syllables, words came out. It was speaking through him

He was speaking.

"But we can't stop it, we already accepted that we are someone. You hear me talking, we're no longer at the back of our minds. We're here, we can hear us."

Blue, the eye on the staff was blue.

"Choose our choices wisely. Change is inevitable, happiness is unattainable and friendships won't last forever."

He–

"Don't make the same mistakes with the knowledge we will soon remember."

Who was he?

♣︎

Pure Vanilla woke up gasping for air.

He stood up, the world blurring from the sudden movement but he didn't stop. He stumbles to the curtains in order to peel them open.

Everything stayed the same, normal and unassuming.

He turned back and grabbed his staff, it sat next to their bags just where he last left it. Not on the bed where light burned it.

White Lily wasn't in the room.

He ran out, the orange sky was beautiful at first but now it was just inconvenient. Pure Vanilla didn't know how much time passed since he fell asleep—or fainted.

Pure Vanilla remembered White Lily's last words to him before the door opened, she was worried and tried to reach out to grab him.

He must've fainted and dreamed about her disappearance.

Pure Vanilla sighed and looked around trying to find a trail of where his friends were.

His friends...

To think he would have other friends than White Lily, it was a happy coincidence that they all met. They were all eccentric and Pure Vanilla could see himself and White Lily getting along with them.

Especially Hollyberry, she looked kind, caring and loud. The good kind of loud, with how both Pure Vanilla and White Lily were much more comfortable with being silent, friends that spoke for them are much appreciated.

Pure Vanilla sighed, he awkwardly stood there not knowing where to go or what to do. He doesn't know where any of his friends would've gone,

"Pure Vanilla Cookie!" A high pitched voice called him. He turned to where the voice came from and saw a cookie with brown dough and white hair filled with all kinds of berries.

The other cookie held a lantern tightly in his hand.

"Who–"

"Ah, ah, ah. There is no time to explain! Miss White Lily Cookie sent me to wake you up, we need to go now!" The berry cookie wagged his finger at Pure Vanilla's face, he then ran towards a direction and looked back slightly to see if he would follow.

"Wha–?"

The cookie spent no time and pulled Pure Vanilla with him, Pure Vanilla was dumbfounded by how strong the berry cookie's grip was.

He sighs and lets himself get dragged, struggling was useless against this unknown cookie.

If he hadn't uttered the fact that it was White Lily that sent him then Pure Vanilla would be more inclined to do something.

He needed to see her and his new friends, they still didn't have a concrete plan against the beast that haunts the woods.

The two of them ran across the village, some of the other cookies staring at them. Pure Vanilla could only smile and wave like nothing was wrong.

He faced the front and could see that they were nearing the edge of the village, right where Pure Vanilla and White Lily first went to yesterday.

'Oh?'

Were they... planning on fighting the monster right now?

Pure Vanilla could only hope White Lily or the others had already thought of a plan.

From the distance he could see his friends all talking to one another, even White Lily looked energized despite having so many cookies in one place.

"Hello everyone!" Pure Vanilla quickly greeted them with a smile once they arrived. The berry cookie did the same and went ahead by Dark Cacao's side.

"Pure Vanilla!" Hollyberry yelled in surprise.

She quickly grabbed him and laced her arm around his shoulders, her laugh as boisterous as ever, "You've finally arrived."

"Tch, do you know how long you made my radiant self wait?" 'Goldie' flipped her long ponytail and crossed her arms. Her face scowling in annoyance.

Oh Witches, Pure Vanilla really needs to get her name from White Lily.

"We arrived minutes earlier than Pure Vanilla.." White Lily sighed in exasperation, almost fondly.

Pure Vanilla raised an eyebrow at her, she saw his questioning look and avoided his eyes.

'What...?'

The others continued to talk in the background, unaware of the thick tension that enveloped the two of them.

Too caught up in his nightmares, he forgot that their conversation the night before didn't end well.

They argued, something that almost never happens. A conversation about trust and doubts, a conversation where he ends up fainting.

In the past, whenever they argued the two of them would go and ignore each other. Only when they finally cooled off will they interact once more.

They never talk about it.

About what they argued on, about how they ignored each other, about how they don't understand each other as well as they thought. It's one of the many things that go unsaid between them.

He visibly deflates at his thoughts, huffing a quiet noise he joins Hollyberry's side, she's the one he currently feels the most comfortable with.

White Lily stands back, beside her was the golden cookie who seems to be talking excitedly about something. White Lily's eyes shone, her slight nods and hums are a sign of her attentive listening.

Pure Vanilla has so much that he wants to ask White Lily. He doesn't know if they have a plan, he wants to know what happened when he fainted, he needs to know what she wanted to tell him before he fainted.

Dark Cacao walked in front alongside the berry cookie whose name he also doesn't know of, Dark Cacao was quiet and brooding as always while the berry cookie beside him was spouting all types of stories.

He sneaked a glance beside him and wondered if there was something about fruits that made cookies so loud.

"Sweet grapes.. blueberries..is there something about fruits that makes you all so–"

"Charming?" The ■■■■■■ smirked, ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■ matched his expression. Vanilla ■■■■■■■■■■ froze, he already knew what will come out of the ■■■■■'s mouth.

"Or even.. pretty–"

"-infuriating! Pretty infuriating! That's what you two are!" He scowled and fought to keep the smile that was trying to form on his face from rising.

"Pure Vanilla! Are you alright?"

The memories faded away, not any different from sand slipping through his fingers.

"Pure Vanilla?" Hollyberry called out, softly.

He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked at her. She was wearing a worried expression, her eyes had questions in them and he didn't know if he could answer.

"Yes?"

"Are you... alright? You look quite troubled my friend..." She asks with a concerned tone. Pure Vanilla looks at her in confusion before realizing he hasn't been responding to her calling him thrice.

"Ah! Don't worry, I'm alright. I just... have a habit of disappearing for a while up here." He tapped his head using his staff, wincing a bit.

Hollyberry paused, she looked thoughtful, like she wanted to say something. Her eyes were heavy but she shook her head and smiled at him.

"If you say so!" Hollyberry chuckled before looking away.

Their group walked the woods on high alert, all of them still talked to each other but their eyes always strayed besides them, to where shadows curled and cried out.

Hollyberry made a few comments here and there and Pure Vanilla would always respond, her voice cutting through whatever haze came to envelope his mind.

It was terrifying, to lose himself so easily. It was getting worse.

First, the nightmares became real, more detailed, more confusing.

Second, the voice, the thing that spoke to him.

Third, the sudden memories, even if he was awake, even if was talking to someone, it still came. The dam of memories opening from the slightest triggers.

It was terrifying.

He didn't know why now, why now when he already accepted his future? When curiosity is nothing but a faded scar rather than a throbbing stab wound in his chest. Begging, screaming at him to do something, to know what happened that bloodied day.

"Yeah! That stupid theif was so annoying! I can't believe I trusted someone who would steal someone's little jello-doggo and then eat it!" Hollyberry ranted on and on about a story from her village.

A disturbing story, but it distracted Pure Vanilla from the haze that threatened to swallow him whole.

"That's terrible.." He grimaced, feeling sick in his stomach from the thought of someone being terrible enough to do something like that.

Hollyberry nodded before freezing as if realizing something.

"Have you eaten yet?" She questioned, her face fell when he told her he hadn't.

Hollyberry stopped and pulled him to the side, the others watched but Hollyberry just waved them off.

White Lily hesitated.

"What?! That won't do! Here–" Hollyberry dug around her pockets for something, "–I was going to save this for later but you need to eat."

She handed him a packet of jellies, they were covered in sugar and caramel. It looked appetizing.

He should eat.

Hollyberry was looking at him, expectantly. Pure Vanilla should grab the jellies and eat it.

He should.

"No, it's fine. I'm quite used to not eati–"

"Nope! Once you accepted being my friend you accepted into being taken care of!" She shook her head in an exaggerated manner and forced the jellies on his hand.

Swallowing the bile rising from his throat he smiled and thanked her.

Guilt started to seep from the delicious jellies in his hand. Hollyberry was saving it for later, for herself and because he didn't think to eat he now has to eat something that was for her.

He wasn't very hungry, worry from the beast they were going to face and the complicated feelings he has about his past were minimizing his appetite.

Still, he ate the jellies. Sweet and chewy flavors bursting in his mouth.

Hollyberry smiled and continued her stories.

The pair then went ahead and caught up with the others, nobody said a word but White Lily was looking past him–avoiding his eyes.

"We're here." White Lily spoke, her gaze focused in front of them.

Pure Vanilla followed her eyes and saw a huge cave, the entrance was covered in vines and other plant life. He looked back at her with a questioning look.

"Hm.. The night before I found this cave, a forbidden magic–" Her eyes found his, "–is drowning this area, it's basically infested with it. I believe that this is where the beasts and anomalies all originate from."

'Dark Moon Magic?'

Pure Vanilla frowned, softly and unnoticeable. Dark Moon Magic was the highest form of forbidden magic, to use something that lacks the light of the witches, something that lacks light itself was unimaginable.

Forbidden.

To think that a place would be infested with it makes him sick in the stomach.

"Is something being called lacking in light and forbidden—truly the only reason you loathe Dark Moon Magic?"

Pure Vanilla let out a shaky exhale and stepped forward.

"What's the plan?"

White Lily looked at him in surprise, her face going through a myriad of emotions. Confusion was the most apparent.

A silent question rang only between, a question far different from the one he uttered.

Why change our routine?

Time barely passed since they argued, the two of them were still stuck in different pages.

So why is Pure Vanilla ruining the carefully practiced arrangement that they've done for years?

Truthfully, he doesn't know.

"Well.. I.." White Lily stutters, she was completely out of it. Her face went up in embarrassment.

"Ha! I say we murder the beast and take all its gold!" The golden cookie declared, she raised her spear for dramatic effect.

"Be careful with how you wield that thing.." Dark Cacao sighed and crossed his arms. Hollyberry laughed beside him.

"Whatever!" She grumbled, flipping her hair as she went ahead and cut up the vines that covered the cave.

"Well?" The golden cookie smiled slyly. Dark Cacao sighed once again.

Hollyberry made a catchy remark to Dark Cacao and the other cookie sighed in response.

Slowly, the tension left his shoulders.

Pure Vanilla turns towards seeing White Lily already staring at him, she lets out a small smile and steps closer.

Perhaps.. changing this unhealthy routine of theirs wouldn't be too bad.

The others voices went quiter, farther. The distance between them deepens.

Pure Vanilla looked at White Lily and the two of them followed.

One slow step and they were inside the cave, the atmosphere instantly changed. The area was dark and oppressing, the breeze was cold and felt like ashes on the dough.

The air of magic was the worst, he could feel the light fading and the darkness watching.

It felt awfully familiar.

Like an old friend that was also his dearest enemy greeting him, missing him.

Pure Vanilla steeled himself and masked his worries.

The others changed as well, their faces grim–the feeling of Dark Moon Magic was never the best one.

Pure Vanilla froze.

He never had an encounter with Dark Moon Magic besides the books and all the warnings that circled around it.

He never–

"We did.. You should remember it, how beau–"

"Vanilla?" White Lily's sweet voice broke his thoughts.

"Oh! I'm sorry I thought I stepped on something for a moment." He excused himself with a tight smile.

"It's getting darker..." The berry cookie spoke up. His hair losing the glistening shine of his fruits that came from the light.

"The lantern." Dark Cacao pointed out, his hand holding a match for the berry cookie to take.

The berry cookie made a noise of agreement and lit up the lantern.

It wasn't enough.

The golden cookie huffed out a laugh from the amusing sight of the lantern barely lighting up the place.

With a swing of her spear a fire came to life, it's home at the very tip of her weapon.

It would be enough, but it wasn't comfortable.

It was still too dim, too oppressive and too familiar.

With a shaky breath he casts a simple spell.

A bright light embraces the area, the fire of the golden cookie felt little compared to the bright ball in his hand.

White Lily stares at him, worried.

One of the most important lessons taught to them in the academy was to know your own limits.

Pure Vanilla has always been a master at ignoring his.

Chapter Text

He felt it before he saw what it was.

A bright light, overflowing kindness and self loathing, planifolia petals falling and a rain of so much guilt.

A sharp knife encased in melting ice, eyes–both of which turned pale–unseeing of the truth.

A mix of pink and yellow, blue trying to encase the small orb yet failing as the yellows circled and whipped around.

The vanilla was the same yet the sweet sugary smell of caramel was replaced by a deep cinnamon scent with honey dripping at its edges.

It changed a lot from the past.

Blooming flowers of love was gently caressing the injured force.

It was a love so different...

Familial care and the small touch of innocence was untainted, free of all burdens.

Beneath all of its changes was corruption.

The rain of guilt and bloodied petals.

The blooms of love and innocence caged the guilt and petals. Protecting itself from its own truths.

What a little liar.

It mixed with the different forces that surrounded it but He could pinpoint where it was, no matter how much it mingled and writhed around others, no matter how intertwined it was to another.

It was right there, it was alive right in the domain of one of His failures.

And He couldn't do anything about it.

♣︎

They walked through the dark and silent cave, all of them were tensed, ready to fight.

The two scholars—Pure Vanilla and White Lily led the group—the two of them could sense where the Dark Moon Magic was the best. The others could do the same for the magic that seeped from the cave was too potent but it would be more efficient and effective if Pure Vanilla and White Lily did the job.

Pure Vanilla buried the worry growing from his chest.

In his honest opinion–

'This was an awful idea.'

Rushing through without any plans was an awful idea—well they did have a plan according to the golden cookie.

"Kill the beast and take all its treasures!"

He doesn't know why White Lily agreed.

The cave was bigger than expected, the walls spanned several meters wide and they didn't have to squeeze together in order to fit.

Rows of spiked rocks lined up the cave—wide and small crevices filled the dark walls of the cave—all led to different areas yet they followed the path straight ahead. The path where Dark Moon Magic laid the strongest.

Despite the cave being spacious—the area remained suffocating and tight. The air didn't feel right and the energy around them fizzled and burned.

Even the loud fruit cookies with them stayed quiet and alert. Stories kept under a tight lock, noise drowned out by the tense atmosphere.

There was something unspoken lingering in the air, a silent plea that only Pure Vanilla heard.

The walls were looking, and they were looking at him. Dark Moon Magic felt familiar on his skin, a guide and a cage.

Pure Vanilla does what he can do best.

He ignores it to the best of his abilities.

Their feet squeaked against the floor, the more they ventured inside the cave the more water filled up the ground. The deeper they went the lower the cave became.

Pure Vanilla sneaked a glance at White Lily. There was a chance that what was watching them was the beast they came for but it didn't feel like it.

She would have questions if he told her, she would ask how he felt it, on how he knows.

He didn't want to talk about it.

Pure Vanilla clenched his fists, he hoped he was making the right decision.

"Lily.." He whispered, his voice echoing silently between the two of them.

The other paid them no mind, too focused on their surroundings. Despite everything, Pure Vanilla's hands itched to cast a privacy spell.

Guilt quickly followed that itch, he should trust them, they were all his friends now.

He forced himself to focus on White Lily, disregarding the awful voice in the back of his mind that wants him to cast a privacy spell.

"What is it?" Her gentle voice questioned.

Pure Vanilla took a deep breath in.

"I can feel something looking at us. A dark presence clinging on the walls." He explained to the best of his abilities.

White Lily glanced at him, worry slowly etching on her face. She opened her mouth to say–

Nothing. Because the ground beneath them crumbled into ashes as everything fell in one quick swoop.

And Pure Vanilla was dragged down into the abyss.

For those that look into its eyes are also gazed upon.

♣︎

"What is your greatest desire?"

'My greatest desire?'

His greatest desire?

... It was–

♣︎

The scene opened up beautifully, a grand wedding like none that has ever come to pass.

Rows of orchids, lilies, blue carnations and forget-me-nots lined the aisle where the bride shall walk her grandest journey.

Chrysanthemums bloomed from the pillars above, hanging for its dear life.

White and green cloth covered and draped around the room, ribbons flowing like a serene waterfall. The gold and rose gold perfectly aligning together, white lilies intertwined with vanilla orchids.

What a selfish wish, don't you think?

'What?'

The chairs were pure white, the floor marble and the pillars the same. Those that sat on them were faceless yet recognizable, four of his friends sat at the back, his parents—cookies made of honey—so different from the pure extract he became sat on the front.

White Lily's parents sat next to them.

It was simple yet grand.

He looked down to where he was positioned.

He was the groom..

That would mean that the bride was..

The music started, a beautiful and familiar melody carried throughout the room.

Her walk was graceful and gentle, her head was tiled to the side and her smile effortlessly bright.

White Lily was beautiful, an angel he could never see himself getting married to. That is why he knows this isn't real.

She deserves to follow her dreams and not the ones her parents laid down for her.

The illusion was already fading from his grasp, it was not his greatest desire.

What even is his greatest desire?

It was a gentle drea–

–nightmare.

Pure Vanilla closed his eyes in pain as the world around him got destroyed, a groan came out as his head split apart.

He fell to the ground clutching his head, the pain took him apart. He gasped heavy breaths, trying to take what the world took from him.

His hands shook from the burden placed upon them, blood seeping from the ugly wounds behind his back and at the middle of his chest.

It hurts.

It hurts.

Pillars broke down, the marble floors cracked and burning fire engulfed the chairs and cookies.

He can smell the smoke from the burning world, the ashes bringing a bitter taste into his mouth. He can hear their screams, desperate and brutal pleads for help. He can taste his own jam, iron mixed with the sweetness of vanilla. He can feel his tears, a painful waterfall on his face.

The sky turned red, a mirror to the chaos that is happening.

He coughed as the fog crawled up his throat, he screamed as the pain tore his body and he cried as the chains tightened on his limbs. He begged as the one that could help him looked the other way.

This was not his desire.

It hurts.

So what? What does he wish for?

Tears melted his face as the world burned.

It was not an unfamiliar sight.

It hurts.

The flowers burned leaving behind the forget-me-nots and orchids, a vibrant reminder of what he lost.

What did he lose?

The orchids wilted leaving behind the lonesome flower.

♣︎

The shepherd opened his eyes to a perfect scenery.

He was back in his hometown.

Cookies smiled happily, imperfections were not found and nobody was hurting. The sun shined brightly and he could see perfectly out of his impaired eye.

A loud and familiar call rang in his ears, his name was yelled out with pure fondness. No hesitation, no doubts.

He turned to where that scream came from and saw his mother smiling happily. She looked very different but he instinctively knew it was her.

Her hair was blonde, vanilla cream curled around her head, her eyes didn't drip with honey and instead were golden as the sun.

She smiled and made a gesture for him to come closer, soon he found himself beside her.

The shepherd felt confused, he did not make any moves to be in his position. He didn't even move.

He blinked and found his father besides him, instead of honeycombed hair, his father had hair made of extract, vanilla extract dripped like droplets. An unfamiliar sight.

His eyes were icy blue instead of the black darkness that always pierced his head with hesitation.

It wasn't..

He knew it wasn't real, it felt more artificial than his last dream. It didn't feel like a serious attempt.

Pure Vanilla felt a something cloud his mind.

Haze started to fill his vision and he was gone. This time, it was a painless experience.

♣

More visions started to invade his mind, all becoming less real and more fake, it was easier and more painless to get out everytime.

The world was at peace then he explored the landscape with his friends then he lived alone in his farm then–

It was never-ending, a cycle of desires that wasn't his greatest. He needed to get out before he went insane from the amount of torture the scenes were putting on his brain.

He was starting to lose himself. Perhaps that was how this thing was supposed to work.

Pure Vanilla closed his eyes and let out the most powerful blast of light he could.

The sun enveloped the area and everything disintegrated once more.

♣

He gasped awake—tumbling off the grassy patch of land—he rose to see where the hell he fell from.

Pure Vanilla patted himself, ridding of the grass that stuck on his clothes and dough. He looked up to see he fell from a small patch of grassy mound. The sun was rising on the horizon, a new day, a new life to live.

".. Huh?" He murmured out loud, confusion overtaking him. Deep down he knows this thing was nothing more than an illusion but despite it he still felt confused, everything felt too real.

Unlike the weird dream-like feeling he felt earlier or the haze he got during his dreams—this felt real, concrete and peaceful.

True.

Then, a figure appeared above him, a blue cookie with an androgynous appearance with eyes parallel to Pure Vanilla's own, a monocle on their golden one and hair made out of starlight.

Seeing this cookie brings him pain, an incredible heartache that threatens to bring him down.

Their eyes were similar yet so distant to Pure Vanilla's, they shine like stars on a dark night. Their dough was unique and intricately made, their clothes long and expensive. Pure black lined with silver, a lock placed on the middle of their chest, in their hands was a staff with an intimidating gem laid on its top.

The cookie was very very pretty.

Feelings of different kinds started to invade his heart and mind, it hurts.

"Vanilla, are you alright?" The cookie's voice was soft yet commanding, their tone concerned and oddly fond.

Too fond. The same tone he hears from himself while talking to White Lily.

Too fond. The feelings his heart started to pour out the moment the cookie spoke.

Who.. who was this cookie?

If this is supposed to mirror his greatest desire then what is this?

What is this place?

Why does his heart ache? Why does seeing this cookie bring him such incredible longing?

Who, where, why, what?

Questions swirled around Pure Vanilla's mind but there was no voice that answered them.

It was silent.

Could this be his past...?

He knows this isn't real.

Yet, he hesitates. The cookie comes closer, their face growing in concern. The figure crouched in front of Pure Vanilla, their hands finding his.

The hands that held his was cold mixed with heat, indescribable, familiar.

It was as if the stars touched him, they felt like a creature so out of this world, it should be horrifying.

Yet all he feels is comfort. The feeling of coming home after so long.

Peace.

"Vanilla?" The being questioned him once again, their eyes found his. One of their hands left his and touched Pure Vanilla's face, he was crying.

"Oh." The being says with a monotone voice, they looked confused, unsure on what to do.

In mere moments understanding filled their face, as though a switch had been flipped, the being looked like they knew.

Like they Knew on how to handle such a mess like Pure Vanilla.

The being then stood up—pulling Pure Vanilla with them.

"Come now, dear, your back must be aching from sleeping on the grass.." The being dragged him gently, waiting whenever he stumbled or stopped, always so patient.

"What about you?" Pure Vanilla asked, some part of him knew this was not how it was meant to go, this was not supposed to be the question he asked.

But he still falls into safety, into comfort.

This wasn't real, but it could be, it had been real, once, when the two of them lived completely different lives.

The being smiled carefully, "You know that doesn't bother me. Nothing does, as long as you're here with me, my dear."

The lines were practiced, like the one who is saying them had wanted to a long time ago, and had spent every moment they had not, repeating the same words, over and over again.

Pure Vanilla held on the hands holding him tighter.

It was the perfect dream.

Dream..

"NO!" Pure Vanilla wrenched himself out of the cookie's hold, realization bleeding open like an old wound.

Pure Vanilla held his hand close and looked at the cookie in front with a horrified expression. He can't believe he almost fell prey to a desire he didn't even know he had.

The cookie slowly turned towards him, something terrifying brewing in its eyes.

He grasped his sanity, maintaining a distance between the cookie of his desires and himself.

"Let me out." He managed to squeeze the words that were stuck on his throat, an awful itch trying to stop him from leaving.

"Out? You're leaving me?" The cookie huffed with disbelief, it tilted its head and for a moment Pure Vanilla could see the beast lying beneath its hypnotic eyes.

He needs to know how to get out of this place, on what type of conditions he has to fulfill in order to leave the beast's claws.

If this targeted their desires..

'I want to live my life, to get out of here, to save my friends and enjoy the fragility of everything. I want to see my family.'

He wants it.

No matter what happens he won't falter over such silly illusions, this is nothing more than a dream, a fake.
He wants the real thing, not some version of life the beast made up in his mind, and certainly not the past life that has already been buried ages ago.

He is Pure Vanilla Cookie.

The second best scholar the Blueberry Yogurt Academy has seen, he's been dubbed as one of the greatest healers in the making. He is his parents child, he won't fall over such awful tricks.

He is..

The cookie in front of him softly gasped, its eyes widening in shock from his denial.

"How cruel of you... After everything I've done for you?!" Its tone got higher, its eyes more erratic and the illusions breaking.

Everything felt disconnected, the fragile glass shattering from the little pressure placed on it.

"After everything.. Witches.. what did I ever see in you?"

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

This wasn't in the script..

It was hurtful words from a cookie he didn't know so it shouldn't hurt. It shouldn't, yet all Pure Vanilla could feel was his heart being torn apart like the world around him.

The being sighed, tired as if he was talking to an unruly child. They grasped his hands tight, like chains wrapping themselves around him.

"Oh dear, don't be too sad about what I said. Even if it is the truth, I shall never leave you." They said lightly, words that should be a throwaway line felt like the most awful threat Pure Vanilla ever heard.

The being's mood swings were unpredictable, chaotic and fearful. Pure Vanilla didn't know how to navigate what was happening around him, he was.. so confused.

The being smiled.

Pure Vanilla shivered under their touch.

⚜

White Lily's senses slowly came back to her, the feeling of waking up after a long and tiring day. Pain erupted from all sides, her dough ached and throbbed from the fall that she tried to save Pure Vanilla from.

A heavy weight hugged her—suffocated her and crushed the air that she tried to breathe out. White Lily opened her eyes only to be met with nothingness, a dark void that devoured all light.

She winced from the continuous pain of her body, everything still felt foggy, like floating in space without any senses. She tried to think about what happened, to make sense of what she just experienced but the agonizing pain and the cloud of fog enveloping her mind made it hard to do so.

Too many things happened at once, Pure Vanilla's warnings took over her mind—it distracted her from the cracks that shattered the floor beneath them.

'Pure Vanilla..'

White Lily tried to get up once again but the throbbing pain that echoed throughout her body was an awful reminder of how useless she was.

Of how useless their easily soggy, breakable, and fragile dough were.

Of how easy they could crumble.

Her mind strayed towards her goals, of finally discovering on why?

Why create us? Why grant us our wonderful lives yet make us so easily to crumble?

What is the reason for our existence?

Unpurified water was enough to make them soggy and crumble them, too much time spent on purified water was enough to crumble them.

Anything was enough to crumble them, it was a miracle she hasn't faded away into crumbs from how high she fell.

She wasn't the only one to fall.

Worry joined her physical wounds, a deep and slow crawl of vines caged her heart in fear—fear of what might have happened to Pure Vanilla.

White Lily's last look at him was his falling back. She tried to catch him, to grab even just the slightest bit of his clothing but she couldn't. If she had reacted even mere seconds earlier then she could've saved him from..

White Lily would rather not think about it, what's more important is finding Pure Vanilla. From what she remembers only the two of them fell, the others were farther from the front and wouldn't have fallen if they didn't jump after the two scholars.

A groan escaped her mouth when she tried to stand up again, her feet wouldn't cooperate with her, the ache of her dough made it too hard to do. If Pure Vanilla was with her then she was sure they were outside already, the blonde cookie was always reliable.

The perfect match to someone as reckless with her research like White Lily, she can't lose him, she can't lose her first friend.

Pure Vanilla is important to her, the cookie she could trust with her back, the quiet and unwavering supporter to her life. She can't lose the sunlight that Pure Vanilla naturally brings, no matter how much she doesn't deserve it, her selfishness has always been a big part of her.

White Lily grabbed whatever was closest to her and dragged herself in an upright position, she felt the ground around her—ignoring the burning cuts and bruises on her body—she tried to feel if her staff was close by, it was one of her greatest possessions, a tool that helped her greatly.

Feeling nothing she decided to use her second option. White Lily sent her magic crawling around her, seeing the space without any light and letting nature and plants roam in a place devoid of it.

Then, there it was, the familiar companion in all her journeys was just one tall rock away. The signature and force was still the same, she sighed in relief, pain almost forgotten from her happiness.

Using the small crevices of the rock—she used her strength to push it away—just enough for her body to fit. White Lily ignored the aching pain of her body that was begging her to stop and rest, the injuries were severe and she felt like she could pass out at any moment.

But she can't stop, not when Pure Vanilla is probably in a much worse situation.

He fell first and most likely deeper. White Lily could remember trying to reach him as he fell farther away, the pang the memory brought to her heart was enough to motivate her in pushing the rock.

There it was, her staff. She let her magic guide her, using the nature around her as a medium.

White Lily prepared herself for the pain that would come with bending down to reach her staff. She winced as the cuts and injuries burned around her body, her thin fingers finally grasped her staff, the feeling of her magic finally settling gave her a sense of control and peace.

Her body felt lighter and the injuries felt less hurtful.

White Lily used her staff as a support and started to channel her power through it, healing magic isn't her specialty. That power was mastered by Pure Vanilla, if she was the fighter between them then Pure Vanilla would be the never-ending support she needs.

A friendship she can't lose.

Uttering a small incantation under her breath and the spell worked, not as well as Pure Vanilla's but it was enough. The incantation helped her greatly, she can do other spells in a blink of an eye but healing required light, someone brimming with a want to help, someone that has a kind and peaceful personality.

She wasn't like that, selfishness and curiosity could be good in small doses but she has an abundant amount of it. Healing is a spell she would never be able to master.

The small cuts healed perfectly, the deeper gashes were the opposite—large red outlines continued to mark her skin—luckily the bleeding stopped, it wasn't perfect but it was manageable.

White Lily still felt weak, her dough continued to ache despite her healing. She felt tired.

One of the most important lessons that was taught to them in the academy was to know your limits. It was a lesson she loved to see how much she can stretch, to test the limits while still staying inside it.

But for Pure Vanilla she doesn't have a limit.

A flower bloomed from her hands, the petals curled outwards and a shining ball of light was the base in the center. A sunflower made out of sunlight.

It doesn't matter how weak she feels, she needs to see in order to have a chance to find Pure Vanilla.

May all limits be damned.

Chapter Text

The outskirts of his Lady’s garden was a stark contrast compared to her main one, here there were thorns that glittered below the bright and soft sun. They shone so brightly it might've fit in the Lady's garden if not for their sharp ends.

Like daggers hidden behind the beauty of everything.

Pavlova Cookie sighed, he made rounds at the outskirts of the garden — nothing was happening, everything was serene and normal as always. His wings were flapping tiredly behind him. Each flap stirred pollen into the air, it was beautiful in a way, lilac mixing with hazy gold. If not for its awful properties that could be poisonous for mortals then he would compare its beauty to his Lady's.

His bow that was gifted by his creator was being lovingly squeezed tightly in his hand, he can't believe he was lied to.

She told him if he finished his designated work of planting plants around her private garden then he was free to do as he liked.

He was too naive, thinking he won the jackpot, his Lady just thanked him cheerfully before leaving him to patrol the outskirts. The outskirts were filled with nothing but annoying pests, stupid thorns that shimmered with deceitful beauty and the awful pollen from the extravagant flowers.

Pavlova doesn't get it, the garden was safe, free from all harms and nobody would dare touch the grounds of someone like his Lady.

So why should he have a need to patrol?!

Pavlova stopped in his flight and groaned, his ribbon got caught on one of the thorn bushes, it was such a hassle.

He muttered under his breath, words that just flew away, half-formed empty things that he doesn't mean but couldn't hold back, his emotions too much to control.

He used his bow and tried to untangle the tightening grip the thorns had on him, unaware of the underlying regret his ignorance will cause.

Just when he thought he could be free from the thorns the longer ends got caught in another thorn bush. Another trap, unknowing of how much this would define his future.

Escape was a fleeting dream, like butterflies that he could never get close touching.

Pavlova should just rip the sorry bush out of its miser–

A blot.

From the corner of his eyes he could see it, an imperfection in the perfect haven his Lady provides.

It was something that looked suspiciously close to a body. A terrifying notion to someone with a long lifespan yet mortal all the same— death that lingered too close.

He took a deep breath before ripping his ribbon, it doesn't matter, his Lady will always give him a new one. A new reminder of his position and her favor, her love and care for him.

The cookie couldn't get a new life if he isn't fast enough.

⚜

White Lily trudged past all the debris that stuck to her dress, it tried to stop her from leaving the creepy and oppressing darkness.

The cavern walls pulsed with a faint, unnatural glow, as if the cave itself was breathing. The air was damp with something that felt like magic gone bad.

Her boots left no imprints, the cave itself trying to erase her very existence. The reason? She doesn't know.

The walls were studded with crystals that refused to catch the light. It was unnatural, it shouldn't exist but it was to be expected in a place devoid of all light.

There was no echo here, her heavy breathing didn't spread through the empty caves. Even her footsteps were swallowed by the silence.

And yet, a thin thread of the light the sunflower she held pierced the gloom, like a single beam of hope slicing through the void, her only hope in a place like this.

She couldn't feel it earlier, the Dark Moon Magic curling around her mind—whispering of blasphemous spells that could get her killed from how awful they were. But now that she's in the belly of the beast, the whispers were clear as day.

Promises of glory and riches if she just let the Dark Moon Magic in, to embrace the black hole and be devoured entirely by it.

To let it control her.

Perhaps Pure Vanilla felt it better than her, his face was tight and his eyes far away from her and their friends. He's always been more sensitive to magic between the two of them despite White Lily being more proficient in using it.

Her chest tightens in worry again, her thoughts straying to what might have happened to Pure Vanilla.

She avoids another piece of rubble and limped past the moss that didn't feel like moss. Moss is a part of nature, White Lily should've felt the life that seeped from it but she felt nothing, not even a single thrum of energy. Even if it was dead there should still be a reminder it lived, and yet there was none.

The light from the sunflower guided her, she doesn't know where she was going but she trusts the thin piece of light connecting the sunflower and wherever Pure Vanilla was.

It was hopeful, but she needs to be in this type of situation, a situation without her hope — Pure Vanilla.

He uses light magic, it would only be fair to assume that if she conjures something made out of light in a place devoid of it then it will automatically guide her to Pure Vanilla.

It was complicated and it would only work if the other user is alive and if she has enough reserves to power through making the light bright enough to be able to see and if she has the capability of revealing the thin thread.

It was a lot and she knows she's pushing beyond her limits already.

But it would be fine, everything would be fine once she finds Pure Vanilla. He would know what to do, he always does. Even if he doesn't at least he's there, supporting her, being her friend and all that.

It wasn't healthy, her dependency on the vanilla cookie wasn't healthy. White Lily knows that very well, she was smart enough to recognize how damaging her mindset is but she doesn't– can't change it, it was nice to rely on someone.

Then she heard it, voices tangible and loud, echoing throughout the walls of the cave, vibrating with life.

"I told ——— that —he—'ll —e fine! Ho——— wo—t let anything happen to your servant!"

"He’s not my servant.” Dark Cacao’s voice was low, tired of the one-way argument they were having.

“Then your friend!” Golden Cheese threw her hands up. “Hollyberry won’t let anything happen to him.”

"He's not my friend either." Dark Cacao grumbled, as if he was the one not contradicting statements.

"... Then what do you want me to say?!" Golden Cheese screeched, almost birdlike — it wasn't hard to imagine her feathers standing up like a cat's fur would.

Both of them were distracted with their argument to notice the bright light White Lily's sunflower was emitting, cutting through the darkness the cave oppressed them with.

"Golden Cheese? Dark Cacao?" She hesitantly asked, afraid that the two cookies in front of her were nothing but figments of imaginations or worse a trap laid out by the cave, a desire that she wants to be fulfilled.

To have someone by her side.

But that isn't all there is, is it? She doesn't just want someone, she wants to have Pure Vanilla by her side.

And these new friends of hers? They're real, she believes them.

The two stopped in surprise once they finally noticed White Lily, both of their faces going through a myriad of emotions.

"White Lily?!" Golden Cheese's voice rang out in clear distress, she quickly moved and helped White Lily stand, her hands gentle in a way the cave hadn't been for White Lily.

"White Lily.. you.." Dark Cacao leaned forward, his hands reaching out but he quickly withdrew them, hesitant on how he could help her, voice tainted with disbelief at her appearance.

"Hey! Prince, take my weapon. We need it to light our way but White Lily clearly needs my help, go be a dear and carry this for me." She says with her natural boastful voice that even Dark Cacao couldn't get offended at. Golden Cheese was a natural at being a radiant Queen.

Dark Cacao grumbled but still obeyed, he took her weapon and weighed it in his hand. He seemed satisfied and strapped his sword to his back, now he holds the spear with a stance fitting for a soldier more than a prince.

White Lily leaned her weight on Golden Cheese, the golden cookie smiled before basically carrying her with one hand. White Lily yelped in surprise and Golden Cheese just laughed at her.

"Now.. let us fight the beast that dares hurt my treasures!"

"Wait!" White Lily yelled out, she clasped her mouth in surprise at how loud her voice had gotten.

"We need to find Pure Vanilla first." She tiredly said with determination, she was set on finding him—no matter what it takes.

"And how did you two even get here?" White Lily asked, her voice wavering in clear confusion.

What if.. these aren't her friends?

"Huh? Well, we all did the most sensible thing we could think of." Golden Cheese raised her head proudly, "We jumped."

"... You.. " White Lily looked at the two of them, her head whipping back to back to each of them.

To jump from such heights, for friends they knew for less than a week?

It was kind. A kindness she only saw from Pure Vanilla before, maybe he was right, maybe kindness isn't such a bad thing.

White Lily felt warm at the thought, her heart swelling with happiness. She could cry at the feeling of being cared for, of being liked enough to potentially place their lives in danger.

"So.. what's the plan?" Golden Cheese asked.

White Lily met her eyes before she started explaining, all they needed to do was to follow her instructions. Dark Cacao will scout the area ahead while Golden Cheese will help her walk.

It was still difficult to navigate the caves but it was better than when she was alone.

'Please.. wait for me, Pure Vanilla.'

♣︎

The.. They hummed a familiar tune, the same tune that played during the false wedding Pure Vanilla's desires conjured.

It shimmered like moonlight, their form ever-shifting, not settling on one form but multiple, it wasn't easy to see past their fake faces but the deeper he looked the more.. comforting they felt, a feeling Pure Vanilla rather not have.

Unfortunately, his mind was not listening to him.

Every nerve in his body trusts this being—something not a cookie yet not quite a God, his dough refuses to tense up in preparation for a fight or any altercation of sorts.

Pure Vanilla gripped his sleeves, he couldn't feel fear, only anxiety seems to plague his mind but that comes from a place of worry on what happened to his friends.

Yet, even that pales to compare to the odd calmness he feels, his mind and heart fighting on what is right—on what he should do. He knows he shouldn't trust this being and should try to escape but his heart begs him to stay, to drown in the other's presence.

He hates feeling this way, like a sense that something is wrong yet feeling comforted by it instead.

He closed his eyes, they still stung from the tears that dared to fall earlier. Everything calmed down after that, the being dragged him into a bedroom and started to furiously search the closet.

It forced him to sit down on the velvety bed, the room was bare of any decorations. It was obvious there used to be someone living here due to the weird spots that lacked dust—as if something belonged there before being taken away.

"Aha!" The being exclaims and turns around to face him, their hair perfectly shimmering with moonlight, "Here, you should clean yourself and these clothes will fit you perfectly."

It shoves a bundle of clothing into his arm, their hands—claws scraping the skin it came in contact with, the fabric was soft and clean. The clothes smelled floral and creamy, it reminded him of a field of flowers and a lovely scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It smelled like home.

"Go on now, it hasn't been that long since you came here.. You should remember where the bathing rooms are." They smiled, forcefully, as if begging him not to speak something both of them know out loud.

He's never been here before, maybe that person in his dreams but he isn't him. It was uncomfortable and unease started settled in his heart.

Pure Vanilla accepted the fact that reincarnation is probably real and he's the first case of it but what he can't accept is the fact that almost everything in his mind is telling him that he's not a new person. That he's still the same cookie as the one before, as the one this being knows.

"I.." Pure Vanilla hesitates, he doesn't know where the bathing rooms are and he'd rather not walk around aimlessly.

"I think you're mistaken.. I have never been here." The vanilla cookie carefully said.

It made a miniscule movement, deep down Pure Vanilla knows he just made it upset.

"Oh dear! You don't have to lie y'know?" The creature chuckled, a sound obviously fake to Pure Vanilla's ears.

He wasn't lying.

"Could've told me you wanted to spend more time~" They sang cheerfully, their eyes and mouth too tight to be considered real.

No matter how much it smiled and laughed, Pure Vanilla could easily see through it.

It pulls him to his feet with grace fitting for someone beyond the mortal plane. Their touch was cold, like water taking a tangible form and grabbing his hands.

Pure Vanilla's everything instinctively relaxed at the touch, melted even upon contact with them. He was nothing but mere putty at the hands of someone so alluring and mysterious as this creature.

It pulled him up and they walked through hallways spiraling in ways that shouldn't be possible. Time and space didn't exist, the only things his barely working mortal eyes could comprehend were the walls and the shadows that creeped on the corners.

They bent and twirled around him, he should be fearful but he felt comfort in the way the shadows circled around him like it wanted to protect him.

The carpets were worn but there were no footprints, the ceiling was high — so high that it should've been impossible, there was no visible end, only shadows remained.

He looked beside him. The thing that walked with him was supposed to be the only concrete thing in this hellscape but all he sees is a being the bent reality. Gravity and space was nothing more than mere tools in this being's presence.

They looked at him in curiosity — a silent question on why he was looking at it, their eyes held galaxies, all of them were too familiar, comfortable even.

They walked for who knows how long before reaching a grand door, gold and black, extravagant but cold. It was grand in a way that made him feel small and weak.

The entirety of this place made him feel that way.

It opened the doors dramatically, pushing the entrance using two of its hands. It twirled back to face him, their moves carefully planned.

The stars in its hair glittered, swirling in an elegant manner.

It was stunning.

"Well?"

The room was extravagant, the walls a pure blue that absorbed all light, the tiles were the purest white Pure Vanilla had ever seen, and gold lined the walls with beautiful carvings depicting the moonlight.

Shelves and several other bathroom necessities decorated the room. There wasn't any ordinary bathtub — instead just a few feet from the door there was a hot tub embedded on the ground — it swallowed almost the entirety of the room.

"If you're looking for the toilet then you should've told me earlier because you have one in your room."

*It's.. nice.. Thanks for–"

–kidnapping me, talking to me as if I'm someone else.

"..Uhm.." Pure Vanilla rubbed his arm up and down in an uncomfortable manner, realization of what he forgot making itself known in his mind. For a mere moment he forgot that this was nothing more than an illusion, nothing was real.

Pure Vanilla treated this place, and this being as if it was all real in the first place. He hesitates in hurting its feelings — on telling it the truth of what he feels. He feels irritated of trusting something his mind conjured — something a part of him.

He fell into the deceptions of the cavern they found themselves in. Into the fantasies this cave fed unto, into the past memories he knew he had but doesn't remember, to the shadows that never left him — to the shadows he finds himself being consumed by.

It was terrifying.

"Nilla?" They asked, concerned and amused — a weird combination of emotions, contradictory in every way.

What right did they have to be so concerned? To act like–

–this isn't real.

Not real.

Pure Vanilla smiled, soft and unassuming. He needs to hold his cards right — to hold them so close that even this indescribable eldritch-like being won't know what hits them.

They won't know anything until Pure Vanilla manages to escape.

⚜

"Do you two have anything to control the bleeding?" White Lily's voice shook, she tried to stay strong because that's what he needs at the moment — for her to not falter and panic.

Dark Cacao walked towards her and handed her his cloak. "Will this do?" He asked, he looked clearly shaken but knew better than to panic in front of someone barely keeping it together.

"Golden Cheese, can you please help me hold him still? There's a chance he's injured in a more vulnerable place." She took Dark Cacao's and split in half — the chocolate cookie's cloak was far too large for a leg so small.

The flower cookie created a DIY splint, her hands trembled all while trying to make sure she doesn't move the unconscious cookie too much.

Less she escalates the jam that seeps out from her best friends dough. The cracks were too wide, his face too pale and his form crumbling.

The floor was slick with jam—too much, too red, pooling around his still form like spilled wine. It stuck to his hair, his face, his clothes that White Lily carefully stitched back together. It was everywhere.

There was no natural light here, it made things more difficult, she could barely see his injuries but could perfectly see all the jam that oozed out of the crumbling cookie. White Lily's sunflower stayed on the side with Golden Cheese's bright spear, it cast light but it was nothing but artificial, no warmth nor hope exuded from the two items.

The silence was crushing — broken only by the ragged breaths of cookies trying not to break, and the soft, terrible sound of jam dripping onto stone. They were all terrified, some just hid it better.

She couldn't breathe properly, her vision was already blurring but she needs to do this.

White Lily can't lose Pure Vanilla, not when they still have a bright future ahead of them.

It was too much, she couldn't believe what was happening. Her best friend's oozing dark red jam was on her hands, it was on her dress, on her gloves.

It was everywhere.

The smell of sour iron and flour was prominent, it was the only thing she could smell.

She doesn't want to breathe, not when the very reminder of Pure Vanilla's eroding existence was on the very air she inhales.

Once in a while a bright light fills that place, her healing powers that pale in comparison to Pure Vanilla's. It didn't have any effect on the crumbling cookie's health, the crack stayed and his jam continued to slowly drip out of his body.

She can't even see where the cracks started, where his sugary bones stuck out, where his wounds even were. It was all jam, dark red and viscous jam, smelling of iron and the sweet looming threat of crumbling.

Why did they have to be so weak? So easy to crumble, to leave this world behind and their loved ones.

Why did the witches have to be so cruel and unjust in their ways of making their kind? Why do only a couple godly cookies like the Elemental Guardians were allowed to be strong enough to handle the unpurified waters and not them mortals?

Why were all cookies not created equal in terms of physical strength and durability? Why did the witches create some cookies to be blind or have incurable sickness?

Why?

White Lily missed a loop, her hands trembled, her sights blurred. She tried again but her hands were too weak, she tried once again but she failed, the cloth falling from her hands.

Pure Vanilla continued to release more jam, it stuck on her face, she could feel it. Warm, signifying someone alive — her best friend was still alive.

Her sweat mixed with his jam, she could feel it drip down from her face to her neck. It was disgusting.

White Lily took a breath in using her mouth, she couldn't feel anything anymore.

Why does her chest ache?

"-ly, White Lily!"

Someone took her hands, they were careful not to move Pure Vanilla much. She still needed to bandage him.

White Lily struggled, trying to claw her way out of the broad hands that clasped her own, she needed to help Pure Vanilla.

He could crumble.

He was crumbling.

"White Lily, please... Look at me. " His voice was steady, asking for trust that she could give.

Her quivering gaze found his, Dark Cacao looked back with concerned but firm eyes.

An immovable cookie with immeasurable resolution in his choices.

She stopped, whatever fight she had left to die. White Lily was tired, all she wants to do was kill the damned beast and leave this witch-forsaken village, it was selfish but she can't lose her beloved friend.

Dark Cacao sighed, her shoulders were shaking. "I know my way with healing, it's a needed skill when battling someone."

White Lily nodded, almost numb from exhaustion. She just wants to scream and cry. To break down from the stress of the situation.

Her best friend, in front of her with broken bones and cracked dough, his life force seeping away like rain through scattered glass, it seeped into the cracks and made it its home before drying and leaving nothing.

What would she do without him?

Her figure crumpled into a terrible mess, her tears finally shedding and breaking her mask of steadiness, her false bravado breaking into a thousand tiny pieces.

White Lily clasped her mouth to stop her sobs but the jam she had forgotten spread on her face, a reminder of the life her friend was losing.

It tastes like sour iron and dry flour. It tasted like regrets and bitter broken promises. She should've been more attentive, she should've listened to her surroundings more — made sure that everything was safe and the floors were not cracking.

What use was her title as the academy's best when she couldn't even save her best friend?

How incredibly useless.