Archive of Our Own

"So the bandages and syringes are located in the West Wing."

"Yes, First Milk Cookie."

"And my medicine book is located in the East Wing along with my laboratory, the bottles, and the ingredient pantry. If you ever need to restock, my garden is located on the terrace along with growth serum in case you need an ingredient faster than the expected growth time. If you're out of seeds or other such things, the market comes in the nearby villages in a few weeks; the Coins are in my personal office inside my safe and I've written down the code in the encrypted language I taught you."

"I know, First Milk Cookie."

"And if any of the patients start getting restless please don't feel afraid to rip the scrolls I've prepared for you to teleport me back. They're the ones-"

"-With the blue ink and Milk sigils, the ones inscribed with Light sigils are for communication purposes only, which is why there are more of the Light Magic Scrolls than the Milk Magic Scrolls, I am aware."

"Good, and just in case Toughie's vitals decline-"

Skim Milk Cookie places a hand on First Milk Cookie's shoulder. "First Milk Cookie, I assure you everything will be okay. You've taught me everything there is to know about the art of healing Cookies. Worry not, I've been helping run the Sanctum of Healing for almost as long as you've founded this place, I can handle being in charge for a few months. And worry not, if First Egg Cookie tries to pull anything during your absence, we have a number of allies ready at our disposal."

"Yeah!" Cottage Cheese Cookie cheers. "And if Skim Milk Cookie is having trouble, I'll be right here to help him."

"What Cottage Cheese Cookie said. And if we're ever in need of more doctors, we can always head to the local villages to train interns just in case. The Sanctum of Healing will be fine, First Milk Cookie. We won't crumble just because you left for an in-house patient check-up."

First Milk Cookie forces herself to inhale and exhale until she calms down. Yes, in-house patient checkup, that's the reason why she's finally leaving the Sanctum of Healing for the first time.

Shadow Milk Cookie. She has to go check up on Shadow Milk Cookie. It's her duty as a healer...and as his Creator.

"I know everything will be fine," she admits, fidgeting with the staff in her hands. "It's just...it feels wrong to leave the Sanctum right now. Is it really right to leave the patients here to pursue my own selfish wishes?"

"They will understand," Skim Milk Cookie says. "And if they don't, it should be none of your business when you're out on the road. I've never seen you want for anything until now, First Milk Cookie. If you stay right now, you're going to make a mistake whilst thinking about this sooner or later. Maybe this is a sign that you need to better understand the world you live in now."

Right, right. Skim Milk Cookie is right. This is the first time she's wanted to do anything since turning into a Cookie. Shameful as though it may be, she has only ever considered healing other Cookies as atonement and recompense for her sins. If she stays here with this desire burning in her chest, a patient will be bound to suffer for it because of her wandering mind.

Yes, of course. The sooner she satisfies herself, the faster she can go back to healing Cookies.

She looks in the waterfall at her reflection. Along with bandages wrapping her arms and a satchel filled with dried Jellies and a pouch of Coins for her trip, her figure is wrapped in a drabby old cloak a patient came stumbling into the Sanctum wearing. After Cottage Cheese Cookie washed it, the patient said they didn't need it anymore, so she brought it to First Milk Cookie to disguise herself so no one could recognize her-or well, more like see her incredibly Witch-y attire and start getting ideas.

She really should've gotten more clothes at the tailor, right? What if the patient wanted this cloak back after all and she was stealing some precious piece of cloth that held that Cookie's entire legacy and-

"First Milk Cookie, calm down. You're shaking again."

First Milk Cookie looks down to see her fingers tapping against her staff nonstop. She hadn't even noticed.

Skim Milk Cookie pushes up his glasses. "...You know, I was saying it to give you support, but if you're this nervous about leaving the Sanctum for the first time, perhaps we should take a rain check on this whole ordeal until you're feeling better about it."

First Milk shakes her head. "It's fine, Skim Milk Cookie, really. Though I fear stepping out of the Sanctum of Healing, I know that I'll never muster enough courage for a chance like this again. If I don't go, I'll hole myself up in the patient ward, exhausting myself until my dough nearly crumbles."

Patients were at an all time low, the ingredient pantry was fully stocked, and there was plenty of gold to buy more supplies. By the time the Sanctum of Healing gets another miracle like this, it'll be far too late.

"Then go!" Cottage Cheese Cookie stomps her foot in mock anger. "What are you waiting for?! Go, go, go and tell us everything you saw when you get back!"

The tiny little Cookie starts shoving First Milk Cookie towards the exit, and the latter is too surprised to even resist. She stumbles out of the Sanctum and hears the giant doors shut behind her.

Right. No going back now. It's time to do this.

First Milk Cookie takes a deep breath, and begins her journey.

As shameful as it is to admit, it takes barely an hour of wandering for First Milk Cookie to realize she's lost.

The trees she vaguely remembers watching the Witch of Grain grow are now practically colossal. The hard rock pebbles she remembers carving out of hardened sugar are now nearly twice her size.

She's always sent Skim Milk Cookie out for errands, so she doesn't know what kind of landmarks Cookies have made for path marking, if they even exist out in a place like this.

She should be terrified right now, but a strange sense of wonder takes over her dough instead.

This...this is the world all of the Witches created for their lovely Creations. This was the world that they created for their Virtues to govern. It was all so lovely, she could sit here and bask in the feeling of nature for almost forever.

She feels a swell of pride bloom in her chest before she shakes it off. Right, no sightseeing right now. Town first, preferably one with a port.

It takes more wandering than she wants to admit, but eventually First Milk Cookie manages to find the light of civilization in the form of a local fishing village near the sugary soda oceans after leaving the confines of the Castle. She nervously steps into the only tavern, and the sound of Cookies dancing and smiling is almost enough to ease her worries.

She walks up to the bartender and places a few Coins on the table. "A mug of Cream Root Beer, please. And some Jellies, too."

"Right away, lass," the barkeeper says, taking the Coins and steps back to pull some levers and open a few cupboards. In merely a few moments, a giant mug of Cream Root Bear and a small bowl of Jellies sits in front of her.

First Milk Cookie hops up onto one of the stools and chews on some of the Jellies. "Thank you, I was wondering if I could also ask for some traveling advice."

"Ask away, little missy," the barkeeper cookie responds. "There ain't no better place to get info; my tavern lets gossip flow like the beer I make ev'ryday."

"Then...could you tell me if there are any ships that can go to..." What was the place Skim Milk said Shadow Milk Cookie mentioned? "...Beast-Yeast. Are there any ships that can go to Beast-Yeast?"

The barkeep slams his giant arm down with such ferocity it makes her jump in her seat. "BAH! What are ya tryin' go to ta Beast-Yeast for?! Ya have a death wish or somethin?! I hear Beast-Yeast is runnin' rampant with monsters all over ta place. No captain with a sane mind is gonna bring their ship to certain doom!"

First Milk Cookie shivers, her fingers tap against the rod of her staff. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that...I'm not very well educated about what's beyond this land. I've been yearning to explore Earthbread, but I'm not exactly sure where to start. I only heard about Beast-Yeast because...well, a patient of mine brought it up to one of my assistants."

"So yer one o' those homebodies that wants to travel cause she gots nothin' better to do?"

That's...not exactly it, but maybe she should just go along with it. She nods.

"Peh, you'd be surprised how many young'ins come ta me for the same thing. Dough's barely out of the oven, and they decide they're all that and wanna be heroes in some far away land. Well I'll tell ya lass, since ya look more mature than the ones before, you'll probably wanna go to Crispia fer all yer wanderlust. Peaceful land, last I heard of it. You'll get to travel all ya want and get yer fill of adventure with no worries."

"Oh...that's good. When does a boat leave for Crispia, then?"

"Ay, no boat is headed to Crispia from here, 's too far of a distance. But there is a blimp that comes in every few weeks with cargo in one of the bigger cities. If yer lucky, you can climb aboard as long as you promise not to make a fuss and you got enough Coins to make your weight worth it, accordin' to the crew."

Ah...so Cookies have learned how blimps work? She had barely even seen them herself when she was human. Or did she? Maybe she was the daughter of a pilot that loved the sea more than the skies.

"A blimp, then," she responds. "Can you tell me how to get there from here?"

"Jus' take the road east of here and keep going until ya see those fancy lampposts and tall, sparkly buildings. Can't miss it. I suggest ya stay here for the night to take advantage of the mornin'."

"Okay, then how much is it for a room here?"

"12 Gold Coins."

First Milk Cookie wordlessly pulls out exactly 12 Gold Coins from her purse and places them on the table. The barkeep takes one in his hand, holds it up to the light to check for counterfeit, and huffs. He fishes below the counter and pulls out a key.

"Yer room's second on the left," he states. "If I find any broken furniture I'ma shake yer doughy body silly until all yer Coins spill from yer pockets."

First Milk Cookie takes the key and already starts heading upstairs. "Thank you. I promise I won't break a thing."

She walks up the tiny wooden stairs and puts the key into the lock of the door. The room is a bit quaint, but it's perfect for a single night's stay.

...Now that she thinks about it, this might be the first time she's stopped to have a good night's sleep. In the Sanctum of Healing, she was always running around tending to patients. If she remembers right, Skim Milk Cookie had to drag her onto a random bed every now and then or else she'd end up collapsing.

...It feels a bit more depressing when she thinks about it.

Regardless, she flops onto the bed, her drowsiness already dragging her eyelids down.

In a mere instant, she slumbers.

The next morning, coupled with a map the barkeep graciously gave her for free, First Milk Cookie sets out for the bigger city over yonder. By the time she makes to the square, her feet are aching so much it feels like they're throbbing.

Still, she keeps on walking.

It's not that hard to find the blimp the barkeep was talking about-there's a huge platform in the far western side of the city with ramps, probably so the Cookies could have an easier time unloading everything. Also not mentioning the giant blimp getting loaded up right this very moment.

First Milk Cookie runs up to one of the workers, ignoring the pain pulsing with every step she takes. "Excuse me, where is this blimp going?"

"It's headed to Crispia, young miss," the worker responded, "We're off to go get a daily supply run from the Crème Republic."

"Oh, good. Can I come along with you, then? I promise I won't take up too much space."

The employee looks her up and down, possibly scrutinizing how heavy her satchel and staff were. When the silence progresses a bit too long for her liking, First Milk pulls out a handful of Coins and says, "I can pay for my weight, if that's what you're concerned about."

The employee takes one of the Coins and, much like the barkeep, holds it up to the sky to check its legitimacy. When he sees that it sparkles just like any other Coin, he eagerly grabs the rest and waves her off. "Just make sure you don't cause us too much of a ruckus."

First Milk Cookie firmly nods and goes up the stairs docked by the blimp. She heads down to the deepest level where all the cargo they're trading to the Republic is stored and nestles herself between two large boxes. She slumps down against one of the thick wooden walls, relieved to finally give her feet a break.

Before she even knows, sleep comes to claim her once again.

"Let us create heroes."

The Witches all look down to the newest additions to their twisted crew, the two young girls the Witch of Light had recently saved from burning at the stake.

"Heroes?" The Witch of Grain repeated. "Whatever for?"

"For the Cookies," the Witch of Salt responded.

"They are sweet, but it comes at the cost of their strength," the Witch of Sugar plainly stated. "One wrong move could crumble them into pieces. The Witch of Light said that Cookies will be happy forever, but we want to be certain that's the case. That is why they all need a hero to guide them."

"Hah, I see no reason for this," the Witch of Chocolate refuted, "If those Cookies really need that kind of paragon to handle all their hardships for them, then they were not worthy to have their lives granted from us in the first place."

"You are wrong." the two young Witches spoke simultaneously.

"They all have a right to believe in a hero," said the Witch of Salt.

"They all have a right to wish that a heavenly being can come down from above to bring salvation," said the Witch of Sugar in correspondence.

The Witch of Sprinkles laughed from her place atop the counter where she sat. "I see! I see! I see what you want for them! But I have a small question: why not just interfere regularly with yourselves as the "divine intervention" they would crave so?"

She leaned forward and put her head in her hands as she stared down at the two young girls. "And more importantly, why bring this to us first?"

"...Relying on a God will not do them any favors," the Witch of Sugar eventually spoke up. "We have different perceptions compared to the Cookies. What could pass as a day for us might pass as a week or even a few months for them. Such divine interference will not be of any help in the end. A real hero is one that would stand at their level, to cut through the lies and deception themselves and rescue the downtrodden and tormented. If God is useless, then heroes will be the best next choice."

"...I agree with my sister," the Witch of Salt said. "And that's why we need all of you to help us convince the Witch of Light. We want to make these heroes perfect. We want to use as much dough and other ingredients as we can to make sure they are Virtues that hold no flaws."

The Witch of Chocolate shook her head. "You can count me out. I have no desire to indulge in such a weak practice."

And thus, she walked away, just like that.

The Witch of Milk was tempted to follow suit, but then she remembered. The people █████ around her, the ship threatening to sink and ████████ ███ ███████ ██ ███████, the way the rain had made her tears blend in with the unrelenting torrents.

Yes, she too, once upon a time, regretted her ignorance and follies. There too, was a time that she desperately wished for a hero in her time of need.

That came in the form of the Witch of Light, but who would be that hero for all the Cookies down below?

"...I think this idea of yours holds merit," she eventually responded. "I'll come with you to the Witch of Light and help you convince her."

The Witch of Sugar's eyes widened in disbelief. "You will? Oh thank you, thank you Ms. Witch of Milk! Thank you so much!"

The Witch of Salt said nothing, but that glimmer of hope and joy was impossible to misinterpret.

They got busy after that. After their many trial runs involving the "Cookies of the First Batch", as the Witch of Eggs liked to put it, she, the two sisters, and the Witches of ██ ██████ ██████ ███ ████████ too put their sweat to the grindstone to perfect the ways of Baking Magic.

The Witch of Milk tried to envision the kind of hero that she wanted to bring for the Cookie World. She did not desire a knight in shining armor, nor an angel nurturing a bubble of eternal happiness and joy. Baking Magic involved putting your heartfelt intentions as the spark for the magic to work around, anything less than her heart's truest desires would make the Cookie fall short.

She dug deep into her heart. So deep, that she may have not even known that true desire herself.

She remembered her younger self, buried in books and old scrolls.

Everyone around her was █████. █████ crops, █████ animals, and █████ people...

She lambasted herself for crying because it wetted the pages that could've potentially held the key to all the misfortune that the ██████████ caused, she could ████ █████ and ██ ████ ███. If only she could find the knowledge and know-how she needed to heal the █████ so no one would suffer anymore.

Through her tears, the Witch of Milk came to a revelation.

She recalled, distantly, a beautiful fountain that stood proud in her hometown. A beautiful thing made of marble that had the loveliest angels pouring water from their trumpets.

A fountain of water that symbolized life and purity...would then, a fountain of knowledge symbolize guidance and reliance?

A fountain of knowledge...a fount of knowledge...

A Fount of Knowledge, yes...that was what her heart spoke to bake.

She wiped the tears from her delicate eyes, and got to work.

She was far from a prodigy in Baking Magic, but in the end, she managed to bake the loveliest little cookie by far. His hair was frosted with the most exquisite galaxy glaze that she spent weeks learning how to make, and his clothing was made of thin strips of chocolate she secretly pilfered from the Witch of Chocolate. (She's certain that she was caught during the act, but the aforementioned Witch had simply chosen to say nothing.) Of course, there was also the tiny little gem given to her from the Witch of Light to infuse with her own magic for his "Soul Jam", as she put it, carefully placed at the center of his staff in the form of a gentle blue eye.

He was the most beautiful Creation she had ever made.

Even long after they all placed those tiny little Virtues into their own tiny little world, she never stopped looking after her little milk bottle. She was anxious, terribly so, that he would be able to do his job correctly without her guidance. Day and night, she did her best to teach him everything to know about the ins and outs of magic, and she certainly tried her best to apply her medical knowledge to the fragile, jam-filled Cookies below.

She'd never leave his side, not if he didn't want her to. It's just, well, one day the Witch of Light called her to a meeting, and then someone, she thinks it was the █████ ██ ████ casted a spell and then ██████████ ███████ ██████████ ██ ██ ██████. Everyone was ██████ █████ █████ ███ ███ █████ ██ ███████ ██ ████ ██ because she herself was in the worst pain she ever ████████████ ███ █████ ████████ ███ ██ ████████ ██████ her body was fading away ███ ███ ███ ██████████ ███ ███ ███ ██████████ but it still hurt and she needed help so badly ███ ██ ███ █████ ██████ ███ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███ ███ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███ wait what about her little fount ███ ████ █████ ████ ███████ ██████ ██████ ██ ██ ███ ████████ ██ █████ ████████ ███ █████ ████ ██ ████ ████ ████ ███ ██████ █ █████ ██ ████ ███ ███ ██ i don't wanna go like this █████████ █████ ████ ███ i can help if i can just stand up █████ ██ ██ ███ ███ ██████ it hurts it hurts it hurts █ ███████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ██████ █████ ███████ ███ ███ ███ ███ ████ ████ ███████ ██ ███ ████ ███ ████ ███ ████ ███ ███ ██ ███ ████ ███ ███████ help me ██ ██ ██████ ██ █ █████ ████ ████ ██████ ██████ help ███ ███ ████ ██ ███ ███ █████ ██ ██ ███ ███ ██ ██ ██████ ██████ ██████ █████ ███ ███ █████ █ ██████ ███ ███ █████ ███ ██ ████ ███ anybody please ██████ ██████ ██████ ██████ ██████ ██████ i know why no one is coming for me but please can anyone hear me ██████ ██████ help me help him ██████ ██████

First Milk Cookie awoke with a start. Her breath is rapid and her chest keeps rising up and down frantically no matter how hard she tries to calm herself down.

It seems she had a nightmare, but what was it about again?

...Maybe it's better if she doesn't dwell on it. Skim Milk Cookie has always said her nightmares aren't ones she could recollect.

She feels the airship swing, knocking her against the wooden wall a bit, and she understands that she's arrived at her destination.

She climbs out of the storage area and leaves before her presence troubles the staff.

She looks around her complete awe. The Crème Republic is simply magnificent. Even in her wildest dreams, she's never imagined a city to be so beautiful before.

She wanders like she's trapped in a reverie, admiring the carefully carved architecture around her. This place looks nothing short of a fairytale, it simply looks like Heaven!

"Halt, stranger," a voice calls out. First Milk Cookie turns around to see an armored Cookie with shell motifs covering her entire body. "I don't recognize you. State your purpose."

"Oh, hello," she greets, "My name is..."

"I don't think Cookies are going to take you seriously if you walk around saying your name is First Milk Cookie," Cottage Cheese Cookie frowns, "What about..."

"Sweet Milk Cookie," she finishes, "My name is Sweet Milk Cookie. I've come along with the airship to broaden my knowledge about the arts of healing and recovery for my hometown."

It's not a complete lie. Though she may be the one who created most of the healing sigils for the Cookie World to use at its leisure, with how advanced the Republic seems to be, she wouldn't be surprised if there were a genius Cookie out there that managed to take her old sigils and revolutionize them into some medical marvel.

"What's that staff you're holding?" the Cookie guard gestures.

"Oh this? This is...this is my staff. I've been travelling with it my whole life."

"I require you to hand it over at once. The Crème Republic will hand it back to you once we've confirmed it isn't dangerous."

"Oh no, I-I'm afraid I'd like to keep this staff with me. I'm happy to go with you to have it analyzed, but I'd rather not be apart from it." It's one of the only things she has to prove who she was before.

"Is there any reason why you need to have it with you? I'm afraid I can't condone on such a strange justification."

"W-well, you see, it's because..."

"What do we have here?" a new voice rings out.

Another Cookie comes in between the two of them, breaking up what little argument was about to start. His short blond hair is curled along his face, and his clothes are impeccably white and fancy-looking.

He must be a military officer, First Milk Cookie thinks distantly.

The armored Cookie immediately bows. "Consul! I was just in the middle of trying to reason with this stranger. Given prior events, I was trying to confiscate her staff for safety protocols, but she kept refusing. My apologies."

"There's no worry, fellow Republican," Consul Cookie(?) laughs, "I understand your concerns. To shorten this debate, might I see this staff right now?"

First Milk's fingers tap against the handle of her staff again. She really doesn't want to let it go, but she should follow the rules, right?

She carefully hands her scepter over to the strange Cookie, and he takes to feeling the handle and looking closely at the orb floating at the top.

"I see nothing too inherently suspicious about this," he says, "But is it alright if we head down to the Institute of Thaumaturgy for further inspection?"

No. "Of course."

The trio of Cookies walk down to the supposed "Institute of Thaumaturgy", though Consul Cookie and Armored Cookie have to stop every once in a while because First Milk Cookie continually lags behind trying to get a good look at everything.

"It seems to be a 70% mix of ivory and a 30% of a specialized hardened type of milk," one of the researcher Cookies states after a thorough analysis of her staff.

"Can you tell what kind of milk it's made from?" Consul Cookie inquires.

"Not from an initial look-through, no. I can guess that it's most likely whole milk, but that's all we can gather right now. It should be fine for Sweet Milk Cookie to hold onto for now, though. It seems this staff mainly prioritizes casting Milk Magic, so it'll be incredibly hard for her to do anything nefarious with this."

"I see. My apologies, Sweet Milk Cookie. It's just that we're...rather on edge, let's say. Here, your staff."

First Milk Cookie eagerly grabs her staff from Consul Cookie's hands. The cool feeling of ivory is enough to calm her nerves.

"So, may I ask why you've come to the Crème Republic, Miss Sweet Milk Cookie?"

"I-yes. There's a Cookie I wish to treat, but I wanted to...educate myself on more healing know-how before I try. I was wondering if you could point me to a library of sorts?"

Consul Cookie rubs his chin with his hand in deep thought. "I believe I may know a better option. How about you come to the Vanilla Kingdom with me?"

First Milk Cookie's eyes widened. "Pardon? The Vanilla Kingdom? What for?"

"Pure Vanilla Cookie is one of the most talented healers I've ever seen before," he answers, "He's the ruling king of the Vanilla Kingdom, but it's not exactly...populated, from what I last saw of it. Meeting him for tutelage should be no small issue. Why, I'm sure he'd be happy to help a fellow Cookie in need. As it happens, I have business to discuss with one of his subjects; you're free to come with me on my personal airship."

"Really? You won't mind?"

Consul Cookie stretches out his hand for First Milk Cookie to take. "Of course not. A true Consul of the Crème Republic always listens to the needs of every Cookie. Within reason, naturally."

First Milk frees one of her hands. "Well then, if you insist."

The ride to the Vanilla Kingdom turned out to be much shorter than First Milk Cookie's ride to the Crème Republic. In hindsight, it should've been, especially without the extra kilograms of cargo being carried in the hull, but perhaps she still had yet to wrap her mind around every technological advancement they had.

Consul Clotted Cream Cookie only gave a few brief words to Financier Cookie about her situation, and that still didn't prevent the latter from keeping a close eye on her throughout the entire ride.

Stepping onto the hard ground of the Vanilla Kingdom, Clotted Cream Cookie directed her to the castle where Pure Vanilla Cookie lived before heading to some kind of hangar to discuss business with a Cookie named "Espresso Cookie".

And that's how she's standing right here right now, in front of some incredibly big doors to an actual castle. Well, she did live in a castle, kind of. Did she? The space where all the Witches lived felt rather spacious, but now she's no longer sure. It really did feel like the biggest place she'd ever known.

How silly to see how she's been proven so wrong.

First Milk Cookie takes a deep breath, and knocks, once, twice, three times on the huge doors. A Cookie with a cone-shaped hat, a giant blue gem on his chest, and an orchid staff looking straight at her opens them up.

Her breath stills for a moment. So this is Pure Vanilla Cookie.

Before she even knows it, her hand is stretching out to cradle his face.

"Ah...?" he says. "Hello, what exactly are you doing?"

"You're hurt," she says, taken by instinct. "Let me heal you."

Pure Vanilla's head tilts in confusion. "I'm hurt? Do you mean that because I'm blind? I assure you, I'm perfectly okay."

"But...most Cookies are born with sight. Don't you want to see, too?"

"I already see just fine. My staff lets me see the things I cannot, and I've already learned many ways to overcome my shortcomings. Please, it's really no trouble at all."

First Milk Cookie blinks, and suddenly she realizes that she's cradling the face of a Cookie she barely knows. She yanks her hand away as if she accidentally placed it on a burning iron.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she stammers, looking away. "I-it seems that it was simply just instinct right now, b-but I assure you that I'm not disparaging you because you're blind, i-it's simply because-"

Pure Vanilla Cookie places a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. You're used to healing every ailment you come across, aren't you? It must be a rare sight to see a Cookie like me who's fine like this. Really, that's the farthest thing from offensive I can think of. If I were in your shoes, I'm sure that I would make the same mistake as well."

"I-well, still, I'm sorry," she says as she looks away.

Recognizing her lingering embarrassment, Pure Vanilla sets to change the topic. "I assume you need my assistance for something?"

"Oh! Yes, that's right. I was wondering if you could teach me about healing magic. Clotted Cream Cookie said that you're one of the best healers in Crispia."

"I don't know about "best", but I'm more than happy to help a fellow healer."

The king of the Vanilla Kingdom steps to the side and gestures for First Milk Cookie to enter the palace.

Wordlessly, she goes.

By all means, learning from Pure Vanilla Cookie is more insightful than she thought it would be.

Though she knew that it was practically a guarantee that Cookiekind would eventually learn to take her sigils and improve upon them in some way, shape, or form, she had simply never expected for them to evolve to this degree. Why, they almost seem like new sigils entirely!

A shame, that she couldn't witness this evolution take place.

"I have to say," Pure Vanilla pipes up after their impromptu study session, "You're picking this up incredibly well! I've never met someone who's taken so well to healing magic before!"

First Milk Cookie blushes and focuses her attention on a random piece of scripture. "I simply just have...a lot of experience regarding this subject, that's all."

The king's fingers trace over the faded Braille. "May I ask what's driven you to learn healing magic to such a degree?"

First Milk Cookie freezes. It...should be a simple answer, but the gaps in her memories prevent her from giving a concrete answer.

Still, she tries anyway. "I...believe I was the daughter of...a sailor? A sailor or a doctor, I'm sure. My hometown suffered from a disease, I think. I learned the art of medicine to heal my loved ones...and then, I think I simply just kept going. I learned and soaked up medical knowledge like a sponge, and I poured over every scripture containing the art of healing. Then, one day, I was out on a trip with a group of sailors and then...and then..."

A sheer waterfall of words threatens to spill out of her mouth, but First Milk Cookie knows that if she opens her mouth she'll be sobbing within the minute. "...The rest isn't important, but during that lonely period of my life, I had what you could call my..."creation". I loved him dearly, but at the same time I was so afraid of what would happen if he were to break the moment I looked away from him. I poured myself into learning and mastering the art of healing so I could teach him the same thing I learned without the needed duress. If I had it my way, I would've kept watching over him forever."

Her hands tug at her sleeves; her staff is too far from her on the ground. "Something happened to me, and the next thing I knew I woke up like this. Shamefully, it's only been recently that I thought about that creation of mine again. But when I witnessed the scars he held and how they may have been deeper than my own, all I could think about was how I wanted to heal him and deliver him from his pain."

"What a noble goal you have," Pure Vanilla smiles. "I'm sure the Cookie you're thinking about will be better in no time."

"...I hope so too," First Milk Cookie mutters at a practically silent volume.

A Cookie knocks on the door of the library they're in. "Pardon me, Pure Vanilla Cookie. The other Ancients are here for the war meeting."

"Ah, I'll be there right away!" he calls out. "Thank you very much, Black Raisin Cookie."

War? There's a war happening? First Milk Cookie's eyes widened. She never thought a war could actually take place within the Cookie World. All the Witches had come together so often to make sure they'd want for nothing.

Pure Vanilla grabs his staff and points the eye towards her. "I'm terribly sorry, Sweet Milk Cookie, but it seems I have to go now. I promise to teach you more after I return."

Before he can even step out of the library, a hand grabs at his robe.

He turns around in confusion. "Sweet Milk Cookie?"

"Let me go with you," she says. "I'd like to help in the war effort." Her staff is already back in her hands and her eyes hold a cold determination Pure Vanilla has never seen out of her before.

"You don't have to, really," Pure Vanilla responds. "It shouldn't be the burden of common Cookies to be dragged into a war they never asked to be in."

"I won't feel good about letting soldiers go into a war to certain de-crumbling when I could be there to help. I am a healer, I swore an oath to heal every single injured pe-Cookie I come across."

Sensing a possible stalemate, Pure Vanilla sighs and pulls her up, signaling defeat.

First Milk Cookie's heart aches. It...hurts, to not go to Shadow Milk Cookie right away after re-educating herself on the latest healing sigils, but she can't not help for a possible war on the horizon.

She's seen enough people die and enough Cookies crumbled already.

She will help, no matter what.

First Milk Cookie can state for a fact that she's had a number of unique experiences. Becoming a Witch, creating entire lifeforms out of cookie dough, becoming a Cookie herself, you name it, she probably experienced it in some shape or form.

Sitting in a war meeting, however, was new. It was very new.

Her presence, naturally, caused some alarm within the other Cookies in the "Solarium of Unity", but Pure Vanilla Cookie claimed that she had come to him personally to join the war effort, and that he couldn't feel any traitorous machinations from her.

A bit...harsh wording, but perhaps it was needed for Cookies like them.

So there First Milk Cookie was, silently watching and hearing an actual war meeting take place in the corner.

From what she could gather, this "Dark Enchantress Cookie" had managed to cause quite a bit of havoc, residing in Beast-Yeast within some kind of stronghold. There apparently was supposed to be a Cookie named "White Lily Cookie" with them, but apparently she was running late.

Now, listening to the other "Ancient" Cookies' stories about this fabled "Beast" Cookies...that was certainly an experience.

First Milk Cookie was certainly no scholar, but even she was capable of connecting the dots together. If Shadow Milk Cookie had truly been her once beloved Fount, then "Mystic Flour Cookie" must've been the Flour of Volition, "Eternal Sugar Cookie" must've been the Sugar of Happiness, and "Burning Spice Cookie" must've been the Herald of Change. It really was a terrible shock hearing the atrocities the former Virtues had been up to; she even let a gasp slip out of her mouth every now and then about the especially terrifying acts. She and the other Witches had certainly never taught their little Creations these things, so how could these terrible ideologies even take root inside their heads?

It was also incredibly worrying to hear what Pure Vanilla Cookie had to say about Shadow Milk Cookie. Though his recollection of events seemed much more tame compared to everyone else's, it didn't sound any better. Inflicting torture with false memories, treating Cookies as if they were playthings, the Shadow Milk Cookie she had seen back at the Sanctum was more like a whiny child but this Shadow Milk Cookie...this one seemed like a terrible monster beyond redemption.

She wondered distantly, what the Salt of Solidarity had been up to during all this time. She shuddered involuntarily at what kind of horrors he must've inflicted with his fellow Beast companions.

Although, all of it pales in comparison to the cold realization that the Witches were way above their heads when they baked the Virtues.

She can hardly blame the Witches of Salt and Sugar; they had seemed so earnest in their desire to create heroes for every Cookie to stand behind, yet it is only now that she realizes it was always going to end like this. 5 Cookies responsible for the moral decisions of thousands, possibly even millions of Cookies? The tragedy simply wrote itself. And the Witches were the ones who gave them the pen.

Shame, regret, and doubt all bubbled unpleasantly in her chest. She had come on this journey to heal Shadow Milk Cookie, but how could she face him after everything her absence put him through? How could she just march up to him and claim to be his healer when she was the one who let all those wounds fester in the first place? How could she ever call herself his Creator ever again?

She should've baked more Cookies to help him with his journey. She should've talked to the other Witches and set up meetings with him and the other Virtues so they could've stood in comradery together. Perhaps she should've never baked him at all and should've chosen to resign herself to watching over the wellbeing of every single Cookie on Earthbread herself.

So many possibilities, so many choices she could've made better.

In the end, she made almost none of them.

But war won't stop for regret. Neither did sickness, death, or misery. As painful as it was to even look at herself and any other Cookie in the room...she would push herself forward no matter what.

No matter what anyone could say about her, both as her identity as the Witch of Milk or as First Milk Cookie, she is, above all else, a doctor. A healer. And Shadow Milk Cookie would be a patient she would swear to never give up on.

"Sweet Milk Cookie?" the pink Cookie-Hollyberry Cookie asks. "Are you alright? Are you certain you are not ill?"

"Perhaps she should've waited outside, after all," Dark Cacao Cookie's voice rumbles. "It seems our hardships are too much to process for the average Cookie."

"And what? Letting a bunch of freshly-baked children listen to our epics is any better?" Golden Cheese Cookie chides. "I don't see you throwing any of them out."

"Gingerbrave and the others are special cases, surely you know this Golden Cheese-"

"Of course I do, can't you take a joke with your old Cookie shoulders-"

As meaningless rebuttals and arguments prattle on in the background as Pure Vanilla places a hand on her shoulder.

"Sweet Milk Cookie?" he calls. "Are you certain you're alright? You truly don't have to force yourself to engage with the war effort; I'm sure you would still be as of much help here than in Beast-Yeast."

First Milk Cookie shivers, and forces her hands to loosen their grip on her staff. She's worried if she grips any tighter, it might actually break. "I am...alright, Pure Vanilla Cookie. The accounts of the Beast Cookies was frightening, yes, but my mind has not changed. I will go to the war with you and the rest of your soldiers. There's something I need to do there, now more than ever."

Pure Vanilla Cookie flinches at her phrasing, but says nothing in the end. He silently retracts his hand and goes to converse with the rest of his friends.

First Milk Cookie sighs and looks out of the stained glass windows framing the Solarium of Unity.

The world outside looks so peaceful, it's so hard to imagine a war will be dawning upon it soon.

If even things like war could exist within the Cookie World, then perhaps the Witches had taken a Fool's Errand upon themselves from the very beginning trying to govern their lives in their own crude methods.

...First Milk Cookie wants to know how the other Witches are doing. She wants to know if the Witches of Salt and Sugar are doing alright in their new Cookie forms, and everyone else too. She also really needs to come up with an appropriate gift for the Witch of Light for saving her life again, a simple thank you won't be enough. And she has to check in on Skim Milk Cookie and Cottage Cheese Cookie too to see how the Sanctum and Toughie are doing. She hopes the Witch of Eggs hasn't tried anything funny since then. Oh, she also hopes Net Cookie is doing alright now as well. Hopefully she managed to find a safe place to rest far away from the Witch of Eggs.

She has so many things she still needs to do, but a patient should always come first for a healer.

Today, she will ask for any free lodging and rest after a long day of travelling.

Tomorrow, she will embark with Pure Vanilla Cookie and everyone else on a war with no expected end.

Wait for me, my dear Creation, she prays, I promise we will reunite once more.