Chapter Text
The Spire was far from its former glory. Cracks adorned the walls, cutting deep into the once-glimmering marble. Rubble lay scattered across the dimmed floors, obscuring the view of the beautiful patterns etched into the concrete.
It was around midnight, and the sun had long disappeared behind the horizon. The wind had become harsher, seeping through the cracks of each and every wall of the Spire, or what was left of said walls.
Ever since Pure Vanilla Cookie had awakened and practically destroyed the Spire and its inhabitants, everything had been going wrong left and right. It had only been two weeks since Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla’s “fight”, yet the effects lingered.
Oh, how Shadow Milk hated that fool. Hated how he shoved kindness where it shouldn’t be. Hated how he wanted to understand. Hated how—
“Master Shadow Milk Cookie?”
Shadow Milk let out an involuntary yelp at the sudden voice, his eyes wide. He was met with the confused look of his servant, Black Sapphire Cookie. The Beast’s surprised expression immediately turned to a scowl.
“You’re supposed to knock before entering someone’s personal quarters. Have you forgotten your manners, Black Sapphire Cookie—” Shadow Milk rasped before a deep coughing fit interrupted his lecture.
Black Sapphire’s expression flickered with concern as Shadow Milk continued hacking on whatever was tickling his throat. The Beast angrily shooed his servant away, but the purple-haired cookie stayed put. After what felt like an eternity, Shadow Milk had managed to bring his fit to a stop.
Black Sapphire Cookie handed him the glass of water from the bedside nightstand.
“You need to be less defiant, Sapphire,” Shadow Milk grumbled, earning a muffled laugh from his own servant.
“Speaking of defiant… where is Candy Apple Cookie?”
Black Sapphire Cookie hesitantly drew a familiar tarot card and handed it to Shadow Milk. Two sparkling red eyes stared back at him. The Beast glanced back at Black Sapphire Cookie, who was nervously scratching the back of his neck. Shadow Milk’s eyes narrowed.
“Why is she in here? Sapphire, I do hope it was for a good reason,” The Beast threatened, his eyes trained on his loyal servant.
“Candy Apple Cookie is worried for your health, Master Shadow Milk Cookie. I was a bit hesitant about letting her near you,” Black Sapphire mumbled, averting his gaze from Shadow Milk’s piercing one. After a moment of silence, the Beast spoke softer than usual.
“I… suppose that wasn’t a bad idea,” his voice sharpened. “But as a reminder, please ask me before sealing away people without their permission.”
Black Sapphire wasn’t sure if Shadow Milk was talking about the tarot card or something far more personal. Either way, he understood the message clearly.
“My apologies, Master Shadow Milk Cookie. It won’t happen again,” he assured. The Beast gave his servant an approving look before slipping back under the sheets.
“Would you like anything? I can make some soup, perhaps start a bath—”
Shadow Milk scoffed, turning his back to Sapphire. Food? For the Beast of Deceit? Immortals like himself didn’t require such an amenity. It wasn’t required to survive. Yet…
The Beast made up his mind.
“A bath sounds… nice. The soup won’t be necessary. Have you forgotten immortals don’t need food to sustain themselves?” Shadow Milk quipped.
Black Sapphire ignored the side comment, bowing slightly before leaving to prepare a bath. The Beast scowled. Sapphire was really pushing his luck today.
It was around noon now, and Shadow Milk had settled into the tub that Black Sapphire Cookie prepared for him. It was scalding hot, just the way the Beast liked it. The water rose to his neck for maximum immersion.
There were many bath salts to choose from, each harboring its own distinct smell. There was Shadow Milk’s go-to, blueberry, but sitting right beside it was a container of vanilla salts.
Ew.
He would not be using those. How dare his minion even suggest such a scent? Besides, there were plenty of other scents to choose from. Shadow Milk began scrubbing at himself after picking a salt, yet…
His arms refused to cooperate. His hands were shaky, and his bottom lip began to quiver. All of a sudden, he began to become very conscious of his condition. The state of his body.
Surely the magic hadn’t worn off that quickly… Right?
I mean, sure, using magic to mask illness probably wasn’t the most reliable option, but Shadow Milk could have sworn it would last longer than just a few hours.
He supposed he may have been pushing it, masking his decline with heaps of magic. The Beast preferred hiding whatever had infested his body rather than admitting how bad it had actually gotten. Candy Apple Cookie and Black Sapphire Cookie had believed that the Beast had come down with something small, like a slight cold.
Neither of them knew the truth. Shadow Milk wasn’t sure he wanted them to, either.
Shadow Milk raised a shaky hand, gently rubbing the salts across his body. He winced once or twice at the sting as he smoothed the salts over specific parts of his arms. He felt immediate relief upon dunking them into the water below.
Once he had finished bathing, he tried to lift himself out of the tub, only to slip and hit the floor moments later. The sound alerted Black Sapphire Cookie, who was sitting in an armchair in the Beast’s quarters.
“Master Shadow Milk Cookie, are you alright?” Black Sapphire called from the other side of the door, his voice dripping with worry.
The Beast grit his teeth, sucking in a gulp of air. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the tub.
“I’m fine, Sapphire,” he muttered, reaching for a towel. He began to dry himself slowly, but surely. When he had finished drying the rest of his dough, he made a decision.
Shadow Milk held onto the tub for support, attempting to pull himself upward to stand. As he did so, his knees buckled, sending him back down to the floor.
The sickening sound of a crack followed, and the Beast’s vision went black.