Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"Are you sure these are genuine strawberries and not artificially modified to look shinier?" Asked a young woman incredulously while meticulously examining the strawberry in her hand for the 28th time, turning it over and over

"For the seventh time, miss, these strawberries come directly from my orchard, which is 100% natural, they haven’t gone through alterations or anything like that!" Explained the seller in frustration while running a hand through his hair and forehead

"Then I don’t understand how they’re so...shiny and small, it’s almost unnatural" she said somewhat condescendingly, placing the red fruit back where it originally was and looking at the vendor with a challenging expression in her eyes for a moment before the man responded again

"They’re naturally like that! Besides, shouldn’t you like them more this way? Why would you want dull and ugly strawberries?" Exclaimed the vendor, already exasperated, the girl in response let out a small offended sound and placed a hand on her waist while leaning slightly forward to complain to the man

"Ugh! How dare you?! Speak to me like that! To a loyal customer!" She raised the aggression in her tone as if she owned the place

"What?! Where did you get that from?! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you in the kingdom!!" The vendor looked frightened for a moment but then his face shifted into confusion and surprise

The young woman gasped in disbelief while placing the hand from her waist over her chest and dramatically stepping back "What?! How dare you speak to me like this!! To a lady!!"

"You’re the one who started insulting my business!!"

"And you don’t even apologize!! This is unacceptable, I want to speak to your boss right NOW!!" she shouted the last part with special irritation

"There is no boss, I’m the owner of the business" replied the offended merchant with some aggression

"Uffff this can’t be! Putting such an incompetent person in charge!! Well you know what? You and your business are going to ruin, I’ll personally make sure of it!!"

"Do it, miss, I’m not afraid of you" he crossed his arms

"Do you even know who I am?! I could get you shut down at any moment, in fact! Right now I’ll send a message to my father to make sure you never sell garbage to people again, and at a price like this too?! You should be paying ME for consuming this...piece of trash product!"

The girl finished her furious speech and then abruptly turned around, letting her long silky hair flow through the air with a sharp motion, giving her back to the vendor who continued yelling behind her without leaving his stand, she started walking toward another part of the market as if she hadn’t caused a scene four minutes ago

Her hair tied with a blue ribbon in the back swayed along with her steps, on her left arm she carried a basket with all the supplies she had bought so far and who knows what else, her long half-black half-blue dress caught the attention of more than one passing cookie, but what stood out the most was her beautiful face

You see, lady azure is specifically made to be attractive, it’s no surprise idiots drool over her, her personality wasn’t lacking either, because just like her beauty she had a remarkably strong character, she wasn’t afraid to say what she thought and even less afraid of people disliking her, aside from having a somewhat flirtatious touch when it suited her

"The strawberries are still pending...now what was next on the list?" She began mentally reviewing while walking without paying much attention to her surroundings or the cookies around her "waffles, apples, oranges, bread..."

Now anyone would ask themselves, why is Shadow milk, the best dramatist in all of Earthbread, the great master of deceit, beast of deceit and the most magnificent, incredible, attractive and unsurpassably majestic cookie to ever step foot in all of Earthbread, doing a grocery list like a common peasant?

Well, after his little revelation to strawberry crepe about the metal he could have carried the whole time through a portal but chose to keep quiet about just to make strawberry crepe’s life harder, the great beast of deceit found himself pathetically cornered by a teenager who barely reached the average height for his age

As compensation for everything, the brat forced Shadow milk to bring things from a long list he handed him after hitting him with wafflebots, the list included both food and materials necessary for building wafflebots, and to fulfill everything on that list he needed a disguise, after all if you don’t count pure vanilla or strawberry crepe, he didn’t get along with anyone in the kingdom

Shadow milk had no choice but to accept, strawberry crepe had threatened to stop teaching him about wafflebots and on top of that would snitch to pure vanilla about breaking one of the windows and causing trouble in the village

Seriously?! Him being threatened by a brat half his height?! And worse! Obeying him?! How low the mighty have fallen!!

Think about it, he had been trying to play nice for quite a while for a beast, without causing trouble and even helping other cookies in the kingdom, supposedly that’s the right thing, what everyone else wants him to do, what pure vanilla has always wanted him to do, so if that’s what he’s supposed to do

Then why doesn’t his other half even turn to look at him?

One part of his conscience thinks Pure vanilla is stressed and very busy with everything currently happening, not only did he carry the work of being king, but he also dealt with other nations at the same time, thanks to his sociable personality even if he won’t admit it he always ends up becoming the natural leader of almost every group he’s in

The problems of both his kingdom and the rest of the world fell upon pure vanilla’s shoulders, the life of the bearer of truth was hectic, that was true, but even knowing that the loneliness that came with it wasn’t pleasant at all and that inevitably made Shadow milk wonder

What place does he occupy in pure vanilla’s life?

As pure vanilla’s other half, Shadow milk should be his number one priority in the whole world! He’s his other half and the one who stubbornly insisted it was possible to redeem the beasts after all! All of that only to then ignore him as if he were...a common cookie?! Insolent!

Did the bearer of truth lie? Hehe...how amusing, in the end Shadow milk was right as always, cookies love lies by nature! It’s inevitable, that’s just how things work, whatever sounds prettier is all they listen to in the end because the truth is too heavy for weak and ordinary cookies

But...what can he do about it? Yes, it annoys him greatly that pure vanilla spends all his time working and doesn’t even greet him when he was the one who imposed this attempted redemption and peaceful life on him, but if what pure vanilla wanted, which was for Shadow milk to behave, had already been fulfilled, then what was missing for him to finally notice him?

I mean, he barely pays attention to the rest of the flattering cookies in the castle either, he hardly directs more than a few words to his employees to ask for the location of things or to announce he’s going to another room, the only thing that matters to him are his stupid endless conflicts to constantly solve!

Wait...conflicts, bad situations to resolve, incidents he must attend to, meetings about negative matters he has to participate in, all those things have one factor in common:

They are a problem

Pure vanilla only cares about things if they involve something bad...back in the time when he still behaved entirely like a beast, pure vanilla was super focused on him...all of his attention belonged solely and exclusively to Shadow milk because he was seen as a severe threat

Oh! How he enjoyed those times! From the moment he emerged from that disgusting rotten tree, all of pure vanilla’s attention immediately turned to him, same thing at the spire, where he could even mold him however he wanted! Although truthless recluse was cruel and apathetic, that was exactly how shadow milk wanted him, submerged in deceit and completely hopeless about life

Even if he acted like he didn’t care about anything, it was impossible not to admire a beast like him, when it came time to play he changed attitude quickly, he went from “not caring” to stressing out and even showing sarcasm over Shadow milk’s actions, awww how adorable! He changed completely just for him! And not because his memories had been altered...of course not

But either way, things were better before, when he had pure vanilla under control, when his favorite puppet was suffering while falling into corruption just like him, when his other half managed to break free from that state and offered him friendship despite everything he had done, shadow milk considered the offer for a moment but quickly perceived it as a threat and did what he knew best, push away

"Come over here! You pretty one over there"

Eh?

Lady azure turned toward where the voice calling her came from, she realized the cookie shouting at her was an old woman, with robes of a very warm sea-green, white and gold tone covering her entirely, around her neck she wore a beautiful necklace with a heart at the center

Lady azure barely identified the old woman, pointing to herself and silently asking if she meant her or someone else, the old cookie nodded and spoke again in a somewhat loud tone for an old woman

"Yes! You! The young lady with blue hair and the basket on her arm! Come closer!" The old woman gestured in the air signaling her to approach her shop, lady azure hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to go, after all she had nothing to lose

"Yes? What is it?" Her voice sounded incredibly polite and calm compared to her argument with that vendor just a few minutes ago, after saying that she made a small bow as a courteous greeting toward the old woman

"Oh, no need to be so formal dear, would you like some tea?" Asked the old woman with a loving smile

"No, thank yo-" lady azure was interrupted

"Oh nonsense why even ask! Obviously you do, you must be thirsty and tired after walking through these crowded streets, please, come in and make yourself comfortable!"

"There’s really no need" she said while stepping back, already starting to regret coming here

"Nonsense, I insist!" With unexpected agility for her age, the old woman suddenly grabbed lady azure by the arm and practically dragged her into the shop

Inside, it was practically filled with relics from different places around the world, from old clocks that barely worked to dusty clothes from centuries past, you didn’t have to be a genius to realize this old woman owned an antique shop

"Come in young lady, sit wherever you’d like, I’ll go get the tea" the old woman practically dragged her toward some cushioned chairs inside the shop, lady azure sat down while the old woman headed to the kitchen to prepare everything for her guest

Shadow milk couldn’t help but curiously look around, it had been a long time since he saw old things gathered together in one place, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised by the extensive collection of relics the old woman had on display

Many of the artifacts he recognized were from the era before Shadow milk had been imprisoned inside the silver tree, in fact there were even antiques from the time of the virtues, it was somewhat unsettling for him to see familiar things after centuries of isolation from the world, but at the same time it felt nostalgic

A bit of noise from objects being moved made Shadow milk become alert, though in the end it turned out to be the old woman coming out of the kitchen carrying a tray with various things on it

When she arrived the old woman placed the tray on the table and started arranging the items there, hot tea cups, a jar with sugar cubes, cakes and pastries fresh from the oven that still released warm steam

A plate with a slice of raspberry pie was placed in front of lady azure, who looked at the food with some doubt, hesitating between tasting it or distrusting it, the old woman on the other side of the table interrupted her thoughts by speaking again

"Go on, take a bite dear, I didn’t poison it I promise" she said in a sweet tone while taking her own slice of pie and placing it on her plate

Lady azure looked at the food with some suspicion before finally bringing it to her mouth, after all she couldn’t die from poisoning so technically there was nothing wrong with indulging a little, even when it came to a girl with a good figure like lady azure she could still eat something tasty every once in a while

"So..." The old woman started speaking again while adding sugar cubes into her tea "what’s your name, young lady?" Her gaze shifted toward lady azure while stirring her sweetened tea

"I have a question first, isn’t someone supposed to introduce themselves before asking for your name? I mean, that’s basic etiquette from what I remember" lady azure answered somewhat passive-aggressively, this woman had forced her into the shop and to eat, the least she could do in return was show some respect

The old woman looked surprised for a moment before letting out a laugh while covering her mouth with her hand "oh! Haha! You’re absolutely right young lady, forgive my bad manners, old age is somewhat complicated, when you get this old you start forgetting things you know? One day you’ll be my age and understand"

"Uh...yes whatever you say, and your name is...?"

"Chamomemile honey cookie, but you can just call me chamomemile if you’d like" she took a sip of her tea while waiting for the young woman’s response

"Chamomemile honey cookie, that’s a beautiful name, for a beautiful person of course" complimented lady azure with a more confident and energetic tone of voice

"Oh stop it!" She said laughing without a trace of condescension in her voice "you flatter me! You’re a very well-mannered and beautiful young lady too, now that I introduced myself will you tell me your name?"

"What’s the point in denying it if everything you said is true!" she placed a hand on her chest while closing her eyes to emphasize her dramatic yet formal manner "my name is lady azure, a beautiful and intelligent young woman who isn’t afraid to say what she thinks" she opened her eyes without changing her pose to observe the old woman’s reaction while displaying a calculating and cold smile

"Lady azure is truly a charming name, a pleasure lady azure" she gave her a maternal smile before taking a piece of pie with the fork "so lady azure, where do you come from?" She asked before starting to enjoy the pie

Shadow milk improvised effortlessly as always, he had done this thousands of times

"I was born in the Hollyberry kingdom, however right now I’m traveling around the world" she explained while taking two sugar cubes and tossing them into the tea

"I see, so you’re an explorer huh?"

"I’d say more of a nomad, I don’t like staying in one place for too long, monotony is rather boring don’t you think?" She played with the raspberry pie on her plate while keeping her eyes fixed on the old woman, paying attention to every reaction

The old woman seemed to notice but didn’t mind "Oh, I understand you, in my youth I was also adventurous and curious about the world around me like you, but time did its thing..." Her expression turned nostalgic while taking a sip from her hot tea

"It must be frustrating to lose habits because of old age, anyway and changing the subject" she first spoke with a melancholic tone pretending to show empathy before transforming that soft tone into something more direct and intriguing "why did you bring me here?"

"You caught my attention dear, you don’t see many young ladies like you nowadays" the old woman answered calmly

"How exactly did I catch your attention? I mean, there were many cookies around me and the fact you noticed specifically me seems somewhat strange" there was certain doubt in the way lady azure pronounced her words, something she did on purpose to put the old woman in an indirect interrogation situation

"I saw your argument with that vendor" the old woman took another piece of pie

"And...?"

"As I said before, it’s rare to see young people like you, I found admirable the way you confronted him, without fear of what others thought nor faltering or trembling even once, you reminded me of my younger self, I applaud you for that"

"You’re saying I caught your attention because I started an argument?" She said incredulously while looking at the old woman suspiciously for a few moments before laughing "you’re one of the few cookies in this kingdom who likes conflict, I like you"

"It’s not that I particularly like problems but...no one can refuse a good drama, right?" She said with a mischievous tone in her voice "besides I’m on your side girl, that man sells the fakest strawberries I’ve seen in my whole life! Imagine with my age that’s saying a lot!"

"Exactly! I mean, how can supposedly 100% natural strawberries exist when they’re the shiniest and most artificial-looking thing imaginable? And then he gets offended if you say something, shameless!"

"Oh please! Natural strawberries are juicy and red, but not necessarily super shiny like that cookie’s, you can tell from miles away they’re artificial, it’s better to have a slightly dull strawberry that tastes good than a practically plastic strawberry"

"But is it just him?" Suddenly lady azure shifted the conversation slightly "because from what I saw in the market, most fruits looked shinier than before"

"Your eyes don’t deceive you, fruits nowadays are growing shinier, when I was a young cookie like you they were duller"

"Yes! They were also bigger in size before, now they’re smaller, especially the ones from this area of Earthbread, there used to be many plants that produced fruit because the soil around here was very fertile"

The old woman stared at lady azure in confusion for a moment until she spoke again with lingering doubt "you’re right, there used to be many different plants around this area, but that was a long time ago, much older than you..."

"How long ago was that..? Hehe..."

"At least eight centuries, I only know that information because my grandmother told me and it has been passed down through the family over the years" she lowered her gaze toward the tea while giving the liquid in the cup a suspicious look "you shouldn’t know that if you’re not from here, unless you’re more than...eight centuries old"

"..."

"Oh! What nonsense I’m saying, old age is affecting me like I told you, see? You can’t even be older than twenty, forgive my rambling!" The old woman replaced her serious expression with the relaxed one from earlier, the little joke eased the atmosphere and lady azure, so as not to raise suspicion, pretended to laugh along with her

"Yes...hahaha! Me? Eight centuries old? Then I’d really be a relic!"

The old woman laughed in response to her joke, and taking advantage of that, Shadow Milk decided to change the subject. “Speaking of relics… the ones you have in this shop catch my attention quite a lot, may I take a look?”

“Don’t even ask, dear, look at anything you want. It’s all for sale after all.” She got up from her chair and began gathering the empty plates and teacups from the table to carry them back to the kitchen, leaving Lady Azure alone once again.

Shadow Milk took advantage of the moment to examine the relics and various objects around the shop more carefully. He wandered around for quite a while until something there caught his attention enough to make him stop and stare at it more closely.

The object in question was a rug, but not an ordinary one.

Even though at first glance it looked like a normal rug, Shadow Milk could tell from the pattern and the fabric that it was probably a relic from centuries ago. Although its colors were now dull from the wear of hundreds of years and the cloth was slightly frayed, the piece was practically intact.

Only one thing was missing to confirm his suspicions: the touch. Making sure the old woman was not wandering nearby, he quickly glanced around to verify the shop was still empty. After being one hundred percent sure, he focused his attention back on the relic before him.

With extreme care, he stretched out an arm to feel the fabric against his dough. His instinct had not failed him. This rug was definitely hundreds of years old. Now the question was… where from?

From the reddish, orange, and yellow tones, it definitely came from an arid land. Those used to be the most common colors in those zones long ago. Although it was difficult to distinguish because of the now faded and dirty colors, if he had to guess, centuries ago this type of design and material belonged to…

Wait.

The realization hit Shadow Milk like a bucket of freezing water dumped over his head. He stepped back in shock and astonishment as if someone had threatened his life, staring at the rug with a deeply disturbed expression for far too long. He tried to calm his breathing, which had begun to grow uneven, attempting not to attract the old woman’s attention with the noise.

The symbols on the rug belonged to none other than one of Herald Burning Spice’s many kingdoms.

For a normal person—though ordinary cookies do not live for centuries—it would have been impossible to memorize every symbol, color, or pattern that distinguished each kingdom that rose and fell over time.

But for someone like the Fount of Knowledge, it was not.

As much as his current body was not the original one, his power and virtue centered more around the mind. After all, he had been created to distribute knowledge, so memorizing things like the patterns or symbols of more than four hundred kingdoms was child’s play for him.

“Fount! There you were! I wanted to ask you for some advice about the terrain of a new civilization that’s just beginning to rise, you see…”

The flashback struck him suddenly and without warning. After snapping out of his stunned state, Shadow Milk suppressed all the intense emotions that came with memories from centuries ago. A good actor never breaks character, so in order to avoid overwhelming himself with work, he decided to continue looking at other objects in the shop, leaving the ancient rug behind.

He continued wandering aimlessly through the shop, which increasingly filled him with distrust and unease. This place did not just have objects from centuries ago preserved in good condition—everything somehow seemed connected to his past, or at least to his life.

There were old golden goblets disturbingly similar to the ones Bringer of Happiness, Eternal Sugar, used to serve guests overly sweetened juices in her paradise, even carrying the same heart and sugar cube designs decorating the sides. It was impossible not to recognize them.

“I’m a little indecisive… sugar cubes are sweet and would surely make many happy, but hearts also represent happiness very well. However, not everyone shares the same tastes… how can I make both of them happy at the same time?!” She tugged at her beautiful curls with a mixture of frustration and distress.

“Why don’t you just put both designs on the same cup and be done with it? You have plenty of space anyway,” he answered lazily without lifting his eyes from his book.

“Hey! I hadn’t thought of that! Awww, you’re so smart, Fount!” She floated her cloud beside him, then threw herself at him in an attempt to hug him, but Fount dodged without lowering his book, causing Sugar to almost crash into the floor if not for her ability to fly.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you, hmm? Aren’t you happy?”

“I already told you not to bother me while I’m reading.”

“You can be sooo boring sometimes, but if that makes you happy, I guess it’s fine…”

That was sudden…

Shadow Milk decided to move away from the goblets and look at other things in the shop that would not trigger old memories. Nothing convinced him until he noticed a container sitting on a small table that abruptly caught his attention.

He approached the object, which turned out to be a ceremonial bowl made mostly of bronze. Normally these kinds of bowls are used to aid meditation through vibrations that produce a soothing sound in the mind, but he had not seen one in person for centuries.

The most common place to find ceremonial bowls was usually pagodas, but the last one he had seen was specifically in the Ivory Pagoda of Flour of Volition, Mystic Flour.

“Recently the hae taes said they’re going to have offspring. We should celebrate this properly, but I still need to attend to the cookies seeking their wishes fulfilled. What do you think I should do, Fount?” asked Flour of Volition while maintaining her meditation posture and closed eyes with complete calmness.

“Well, on one hand the birth of a hae tae is something important, especially when they are the loyal guardians protecting your pagoda, but you can’t just abandon your responsibilities like that…” He lowered his head in thought until something made him suddenly raise it, looking at Flour with wide eyes full of excitement despite everything. “But…”

“But…?”

“We could do a little trick so you can do both things at the same time.”

“Speak, I’m listening.”

“Well, lately I’ve been creating a lot of spells, and I can change or alter the things around me, but then a question came to mind: could I change myself too?”

“What’s your point, Fount…?”

“After asking myself that, I not only started testing magic, but also the limits of my dough, and after a lot of effort I managed to create it.”

“Create what?”

“A shapeshifting spell! Isn’t it amazing?! I can turn into a cream sheep or an old wise cookie!”

“That sounds incredible, Fount, but how would that help?” Flour doubted for a moment until she understood seconds later. “You want to…?”

“Yes! Yes! Let’s switch places, Flour! I’ll attend the cookies coming to your pagoda and you can spend the day with the hae taes! Doesn’t that sound wonderful?!” He waved his arms excitedly through the air like a child.

“But Fount! What are you saying?” Flour’s calmness was eclipsed by confusion so great that she opened her eyes. “I understand you want to help but… deceive the cookies? And on top of that deceive the witches by making them believe I’m fulfilling our duty?”

“It’s not exactly deceiving…” Fount tried to reply, but his voice lacked the strength he wanted.

“Look, Fount, I know your curiosity has no limits and your intelligence and ingenuity are something everyone—including me—admires, but… this is too much.”

“But we could at least try! It doesn’t have evil intentions! Just give me one chance and you’ll see tha—!” Fount raised his voice.

“No, Fount. The best thing will be to divide the day. I’ll attend as many cookies as possible and then I’ll go see the hae taes as quickly as I can. Thank you for trying to help anyway.” Flour closed her eyes again, which to Fount was a clear sign the conversation was over.

“Alright…”

Normally he did not remember things this often in a single day. What was happening to him?

He set the bowl aside and continued looking through the strange shop. How long had it been since he felt this nostalgic? He usually was not like this. Perhaps the absence of the other beasts was beginning to affect him…

But what nonsense was he thinking?! He never needed them—not when he was a virtue, not when they were imprisoned, and not now either. They escaped thanks to him, after all! Shadow Milk could be many things, but dependent was not one of them.

He had better find something to distract himself before falling back into the useless past again. He had already broken character as Lady Azure enough for today.

There was a section filled with rusted but recognizable helmet and armor fragments, at least recognizable to him. The moment he touched the material, he could easily tell it was metal composed mostly of salt, and although the old armor pieces were shattered and little more than fragments, he could still distinguish the patterns they had once been crafted with.

This belonged to the army of the Knights of Nala Namak, once commanded by Salt of Solidarity, Silent Salt.

“You shouldn’t go through this area if you want to reach the Ivory Pagoda.”

“But it would shorten the trip considerably. We’ve taken this route before too, so why are you saying we shouldn’t take the most convenient path?” questioned Salt.

“Because before this path was safe. Now, with the new evolution of the area, wandering there has become much more dangerous. There are all kinds of poisonous animals and plants, and recently there have also been floods. If you pass through there, your dough could become pasty and disintegrate,” explained Fount while pointing at the map on the table. The two virtues exchanged glances for a few seconds before Salt nodded.

“Your words are wise. If taking more time guarantees the safety of the cookies, then it is a sacrifice I am willing to make in the name of solidarity.” Salt placed a hand over his chest in a gesture of respect while giving Fount a brief bow as farewell.

“I consider myself fortunate to receive some of your knowledge. The Knights of Nala Namak will not forget this favor.”

“N-no wait, there’s no need for so much formality, Salt! It’s the least I can do to fulfill my duty…”

“Even so, I wish to thank you deeply. I would love to continue speaking with you, but I must guide the cookies. I hope we can meet again another time.” He started leaving the room, turning his back to Fount.

“W-wait!” He extended an arm toward him with a small trace of desperation in his tone, causing Salt to stop and glance at him only over his shoulder. “I also enjoyed talking with you even if it was only for a few minutes! Don’t you think we could gather with the others again? You know, like in the old days. Maybe in a few days! Or well… if you can’t, then in a few weeks or even months. I can wait however long it takes, you just have to say it. I can adapt to anything!”

A long silence filled the room. After staring at him for a moment, Salt of Solidarity turned forward again, completely facing away from Fount. He took another step, opening the door, but before leaving he answered him.

“I would love to spend a day with all of you, but you must understand that our responsibilities weigh heavily on all cookies, Fount. You are not the only one who feels this way. The other virtues would also like to reunite, but as emissaries we have a duty: guiding cookies. We cannot allow ourselves to fail even once because it could have grave consequences for many.” He began to walk away, the metal of his armor echoing through the room as a harsh reminder of his position.

“I understand! Do you think I don’t know that?!” Realizing his tone and what he had said, Fount covered his mouth in surprise at himself for a few seconds before speaking again. “Sorry about that, it’s just that… we haven’t all seen each other together in far too long! I hadn’t spoken to you in person in twenty-nine years.”

He grabbed at his hair tightly in an attempt to calm himself while staring at his blue-tinted arm, such a different shade from that of an ordinary cookie. “How long has it been since we all sat together talking without the weight of the world on our shoulders? I know we have our responsibilities and the duty to guide others, but I don’t know… sometimes I wish I didn’t feel so—” a cold, cutting voice interrupted him.

“I’m sorry, Fount.”

Salt of Solidarity walked out of the room and closed the door with a sound that struck Fount’s ears like a scream of rejection.

“So alone…”

Enough!

Now stressed, his breathing beginning to quicken, Shadow Milk stepped back again, but this time he had no intention of staying in that place. This shop only brought terrible memories, as if it had been designed specifically to torture him.

He was not going to remain there one second longer. He searched for the exit until he found it. It was not far, only a couple of hallways away. Annoyed and walking quickly, Shadow Milk avoided looking at any objects on shelves, tables, or walls. There was no point continuing to torment himself like this.

He was so focused on leaving that he failed to notice something on the floor, causing him to trip. He let out an irritated groan as the dusty cold floor hit his face. When he got up, he turned around to find the culprit of his fall.

Which turned out to be nothing more and nothing less than a book. Perfect. He had already been angry before entering the shop, and now he wanted absolutely nothing to do with anyone or anything. Normally he would have ignored the old relic with a cover and pages inside, but this time he was going to do the old woman a favor and destroy that book.

Taking the book—which had been upside down—he flipped it toward himself to see the cover, and the moment he saw it, he froze completely, unable to move as his breathing halted in fear.

Magic and Spell Logbook

Author—

Fount of Knowledge

!

With a desperate, swift motion, the logbook flew through the air and smashed directly into one of the old mirrors in the shop, shattering it and sending glass fragments crashing onto the floor. But Shadow Milk no longer cared.

He quickly rose from the ground with an expressionless face that at the same time conveyed a strange mixture of controlled determination and frustration. If he furrowed his brow any harder, his dough would probably start cracking.

With clenched fists, he walked toward the logbook without caring about anything around him. Vases, books, clocks—nothing mattered. Anything that stood in his path deserved to be destroyed. When he reached the logbook, he stared down at it for a moment before lifting it with magic.

The book floated before Shadow Milk. He slowly rotated it three hundred and sixty degrees before opening it—not to read it, but to summon a spark of fire inside that gradually began burning the book. Once he made sure the object had started to burn, Shadow Milk violently threw it somewhere across the shop. That was no longer his problem.

But he did not stop there. Everything in this shop had to be exterminated. Even though he did not particularly enjoy destroying things, this was necessary. Earlier he had thought of leaving, but the instant he found that logbook he changed his mind.

He raised another arm, casting a spell that caused every book on the shelves to fall onto the floor. But he did not stop there either. Walking with alarming stoicism, he began doing different things to every object that crossed his path.

Books? He burned them until nothing but ashes remained. Jewelry? He warped it until it resembled ordinary rocks. Clocks? He broke the mechanisms inside them, causing their hands to spin endlessly at rapid speed. Every object in that horrible shop had to be altered.

The last thing he did before finishing his outburst against the store was altering a painting. Specifically, he drew a mustache on the cookie in it and changed the horse they were riding into a worm. Without a doubt it was disrespectful to the artist, but he was a better artist anyway, so it did not matter much.

After finishing with the painting, he looked over the disaster he had left behind in the shop. Realizing that other cookies could walk in at any moment and blame him, he hurried to close the store and pull curtains over anything not already torn apart by him, making it at least appear closed from the outside.

Now that he thought about it, it was surprising the old woman who owned the place still had not shown up despite all the noise. Maybe she was asleep or who knew. Not his problem. With a wave of his arm, Shadow Milk opened a portal that would take him somewhere far away from cookie society.

Upon crossing the portal, he found himself in a forest, one that was somewhat far from the town, so it would be very strange to encounter cookies there. Besides, many markets had opened that day and merchants from abroad had arrived, so most cookies were probably busy buying and selling at that moment. This was the perfect opportunity to get away from cookie society.

Of course, he could go to his room in the castle and lock himself in, but that would probably end with Strawberry Crepe barging into his room to enslave him and make another one of his wafflebots. On the other hand, he didn’t want to hear the noise of other cookies moving around the castle either. They were already noisy enough, but these past few days they had been even more scandalous than usual, moving furniture around and organizing gigantic rooms in the castle. Whatever it was, it annoyed him.

He decided to venture deeper into the forest with somewhat hurried steps. He was still a little irritated from his outburst, and the way he walked betrayed the fact that he still hadn’t fully vented his frustration. Right now, all he wanted was to relax and stop thinking.

Stop thinking about the past, about the Virtues, about his imprisonment in the Silver Tree, about his defeat at the Spire, about Truthless Recluse’s betrayal, about Pure Vanilla’s awakening, about how Pure Vanilla had extended a hand to him and asked to be his friend even after everything he had done, about how Pure Vanilla believed he could redeem him despite being a Beast, about how Pure Vanilla promised to help him change and that he would never feel alon—

“Ahg!”

A tree was struck forcefully by a stressed Shadow Milk. The tree trembled slightly from the impact but returned to its original position, while Shadow Milk’s arm suffered the greater damage. His dough cracked slightly, revealing a few thin lines in the area he had used to hit the tree.

Seeing the damage to his dough, he stepped back while rubbing and holding the cracked area. The body Dark Enchantress had made for him was weaker than his original one, something he had forgotten, leading him to do something so impulsive. Healing was not his specialty, but he could at least try.

But unfortunately, after his outburst in the antique shop, the emotions tied to everything, and now his cracked dough, he was too tired to heal himself properly. He began looking for a place where he could rest and recover his damaged dough.

In the distance, he spotted an area touched by sunlight. There were trees surrounding it like the rest of the forest, but there was enough open space to sit there and feel the warmth of the sun. An ideal place to rest. However, the moment he moved a foot in an attempt to take a step, a strange sound coming from the ground stopped his non-walk.

Lowering his gaze to see where the noise had come from, he found a tiny black creature without feathers, with bulging eyes and an extremely small size. It didn’t take much intelligence to realize the creature was a crow.

He crouched down to its height with the intention of observing the tiny animal more closely. Judging by its physical characteristics, it was probably a newborn, no older than a few days. Its eyes were still closed, and it wobbled clumsily, a clear sign that it was not used to its surroundings yet.

He observed the creature for a little longer before looking around for other crows. It wasn’t uncommon for hatchlings to fall from their nests before learning how to fly, but during that period the parents were usually nearby, keeping watch over their chicks to make sure nothing bad happened to them.

He rose from his crouched position, setting aside the basket he carried on his arm, and searched for nearby crows that could possibly be the little bird’s parents. He looked through the trees, on the ground, and beneath large rocks, but found nothing. Perhaps the bird’s parents had gone searching for food, or perhaps they had simply abandoned it.

After giving up on his search, he lowered his gaze back to the bird, which was still on the ground. “Looks like they left you behind, huh?” he spoke aloud without really expecting a response. He talked to himself almost all the time anyway, so talking to an animal didn’t seem that absurd within Shadow Milk’s routine.

“Oww, what bad luck then!” he said in an exaggeratedly comedic and mocking tone before crouching down again. “Well then, goodbye forever! Haha!” he mocked the bird, which didn’t seem to understand its current situation at all and merely approached Shadow Milk with tiny hops, tilting its head curiously.

“Are you not understanding? You just got abandoned, do you know what that means?”

Several seconds of silence passed while the crow simply stared at Shadow Milk curiously without doing anything besides observing him.

“Uff… I don’t know what kind of answer I expected you to give me, but whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

He picked the basket back up from the ground, placing it once more on his arm as he stood. He dusted off his dress a little so it would remain free of dirt or anything that could ruin the beautiful fabric he himself had created, obviously. Making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, he continued on his way in search of a place to rest.

After a long time walking, the Beast of Deceit finally arrived at the sunny area. Without much care, they lay down on the grass, using the tree behind them as support for their back, letting out a sigh they did not know they had been holding as they felt their entire body begin to relax and grow drowsy under the sun.

They closed their eyes, beginning to feel sleepy. How long had it been since they had felt like this? So relaxed and disconnected from the world. They would give anything to remain like this forever, without thoughts, internal conflicts, problems, and without consciousness itself. Everything would be easier this calm way. Perhaps Eternal Sugar had been right when she said true happiness was found in laziness, but regardless she was far too lazy to argue why.

Nothing could ruin this moment of peace. They had chosen a place specifically isolated from cookie society, and besides, this place was considered somewhat dangerous for ordinary Cookies. But of course, that was not their case. Perhaps they should remain there for the rest of the day, or week, or month... it did not matter anyway, nobody would come looking for them.

"Pio!"

Their drift into sleep was interrupted by a curious sharp and fleeting sound that came specifically from the basket they had left beside them when they sat down. They opened one eye with a mixture of annoyance and confusion at this. Once again, they had to be interrupted during a perfect moment of peace.

They waited a few seconds for it to sound again, but nothing happened. It was probably their exhausted mind playing another trick on them as always. They decided to let it pass and completely close their eyes again, but just as they were beginning to feel sleepy once more—

"Pio!"

If they had doubts before, they had now completely vanished. There was definitely something in that basket. Extending an arm to open it and look inside, they found nothing but the purchases they had made earlier, which left them perplexed for a moment.

An ordinary Cookie would have thought they were hearing things and would have ignored it, but you could not deceive the master of deceit so easily.

Determined to find the source of the annoying sound, Shadow Milk grabbed the basket with more force than necessary and dumped its entire contents onto the grass, not caring how unhygienic that might be.

After completely emptying it, leaving the food and objects they had been carrying scattered all over the grass, they became confused for a moment when they realized there was nothing there, only what they had bought earlier. They looked inside the basket for anything or any sign of the possible sound, but nothing appeared. Perhaps the Light of Deceit was playing with them again.

"Pio!"

Upon hearing it for the third time, their head turned toward the direction of the sound. It had definitely come from the freshly baked bread. They cautiously approached the food, and upon lifting it up, they once again found the bird from earlier, which looked very happy pecking away at the bread that belonged to Shadow Milk.

"You...!"

They let out an annoyed huff at being forced to separate the bird by force. Using magic, they made the bird levitate away from the bread it clearly intended to keep devouring. Once separated, it made sounds of complaint while wriggling in the air thanks to Shadow Milk's magic.

They ignored the animal's complaints, and already fed up with everything, held the bird on one side while with the other hand they conjured a levitation spell for all the things they had taken out earlier. It would leave them more exhausted than before, but at that point they no longer cared; they just wanted to rest.

With everything already stored back inside the basket, the Beast tried once again to lie against the tree and sleep, but they were interrupted yet again by the bird on top of them, which had apparently decided that Shadow Milk's chest would be an excellent place to rest.

"Hey, that's rude. Get out of here before you exhaust my patience."

They tried to move it away multiple times, but the bird always came back to them, which was not strange. It was just a baby that had been abandoned, and besides, these kinds of animals usually seek warmth or comfort from the first living being they see, so it was not such a far-fetched idea that this creature had probably grown attached to them.

"Hmm... only because I'm tired..."

They shifted slightly into a more comfortable position, carefully adjusting the bird on top of them with no intention of moving it this time. They felt the sun hitting their entire face and closed their eyes again in search of a deep and relaxing sleep.

This time, nobody interrupted them.

After two hours sleeping in the forest, Shadow Milk perceived footsteps that caused them to wake up completely. However, they did not open their eyes, maintaining their act at all times in front of others. Just as they were about to verify that whoever was making those footsteps was not someone who knew them, they heard a voice speaking to them.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

The voice was deep, imposing, and somehow unsettlingly familiar to Shadow Milk. However, instead of responding or showing signs of being awake, they decided to continue their act as a damsel deeply asleep in the forest. The Cookie spoke again, now closer.

"Excuse me? Can you hear me?"

A few seconds passed in silence until they felt an arm grab them by the waist and throw them over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

They pretended to be asleep and made no effort to move or try to push the person away. From what their sense of touch could tell them, this Cookie was strong enough to carry them, so it was hardly an elder. Their steps were somewhat rigid and deliberate, which meant they knew how to navigate the forest.

They were quite curious about who this Cookie carrying them was. In their usual form, they could open eyes in their hair and spy, but right now they could not open eyes with this disguise on, so they chose to use the shadows around them to see.

Night was already beginning to fall, so the amount of darkness was greater than it had been hours ago, and it only continued increasing with time. After a brief search for a shadow, they finally found a place to infiltrate among the shadows of the trees or between the leaves.

The darkness between the trees took on a viscous and thick form that moved in an unnatural way as if it had a life of its own. From that unpleasant substance emerged an eye that observed the two Cookies wandering through the forest.

Now with a new perspective, Shadow Milk could see themselves being carried by a Cookie with jet-black hair tied into a long and messy ponytail. Their clothing consisted of bandages spread across their entire body, most of which was covered by a black cloak. They had a sort of fringe that prevented one of their eyes from being clearly visible at first glance.

"That's..." they thought internally.

There was no doubt whatsoever. It was Black Raisin Cookie, Pure Vanilla's faithful servant and bootlicker, who held a special hatred for them for absolutely no reason. They were merely a humble jester, and she treated them as if they were the worst creature ever to touch Earthbread! What total injustice took place in the supposed kingdom of absolute truth and compassion.

But right now, the question running through their mind was not why Black Raisin hated them so much or why she envied them so much. The question that mattered was why Black Raisin was carrying them and where she was going or what she planned to do with them.

Even though they did not know her very well, it was not difficult to realize that Black Raisin was not the type of Cookie who enjoyed physical contact very much. Nor did she seem like the type to kidnap people or invade their personal space. At least she had made the small effort to wake them up, but even so, what was she accomplishing with this? What was the objective?

There were not many options to get out of this situation. They could pretend to wake up and make a scene as always, but they were somewhat tired by that point in the day. They could also disappear easily, but that would raise obvious suspicions. There were few Cookies who used magic in the Vanilla Kingdom, and Shadow Milk, the Beast of Deceit, happened to be on that list.

If they were discovered in this form, one of their best disguises would be ruined. They might find it easy to get rid of many things, but a role so endearing and fun to play? No! Never! Therefore, revealing their identity was completely out of the question.

Perhaps the best thing for now would be to let the situation flow naturally. Eventually Black Raisin would get tired of carrying them, and they would see what happened after that. Maybe she would leave them abandoned somewhere, or maybe she would force them to become Pure Vanilla's servant just like her.

After what felt like an eternity of walking and being watched by an abnormal eye in the darkness, the two Cookies exited the forest. It was somewhat difficult for Shadow Milk to keep track of Black Raisin because in the forest there had at least been guaranteed shadows in certain areas.

In a more open place, even though it was getting dark, finding a shadow was more a matter of chance. However, with some effort they quickly adapted to the situation. Judging by the directions, routes, and turns Black Raisin was taking, they guessed they were heading toward the village, a village that Shadow Milk was not very pleased to return to since it was where they had escaped from in the first place.

To make the time pass faster, they decided to simply listen to the footsteps instead of continuing to observe as they had been doing this whole time from the darkness. The air was cold and somewhat damp, but that did not necessarily make it bad. It was refreshing in a strange but not entirely unfamiliar way.

As the minutes passed, they thought about how, although they were not particularly pleased about being carried by Pure Vanilla's servant, they had to admit they were somewhat tired of walking all day, and if Black Raisin was willing to carry them, they were not going to complain.

After a long walk that seemed to last forever, the Beast of Deceit finally felt their dough go from being struck by icy air to being warmly embraced by a hotter environment. They had definitely entered some kind of property. Now the question was, which one?

They had dissociated the entire way despite how bad an idea it sounded to let yourself be kidnapped and then get distracted on top of that. Despite being awake, that was precisely what made it fun. Someone as boring as Black Raisin doing something unexpected like this was not something you saw every day, you know?

Suddenly, they felt themselves being shifted into a different position, going from being carried over Black Raisin's shoulder like a sack of potatoes to being laid down on some comfortable plush cushions. From what they could tell from the structure, it was a chair, and a very comfortable one at that.

Not only had their posture and position changed, but the environment that had become warmer a few minutes ago was now even hotter. They could feel their normally cold dough beginning to warm up more and more thanks to the constant heat source beside them, which they assumed was a fireplace.

They pretended to remain unconscious, enjoying in the process the warmth emanating from the fireplace and how comfortable the plush chair was. They could easily fall asleep there, but right now they could not, not with a stubborn and untrustworthy Cookie wandering nearby. On top of that, they still had their disguise on, so they could not act as they usually did.

They could hear Black Raisin's footsteps moving back and forth throughout the room. They were faster than usual, causing them to echo more strongly. However, it did not create a sense of authority over others. Rather, they were footsteps of pure anxiety and nervousness.

After a while, she finally got tired of walking so much and apparently was heading toward them, as they could hear the footsteps changing from fast to slower and more cautious while also sounding closer and closer. Whatever Black Raisin was planning would be revealed soon.

"Hello... miss? Can you hear me?" Black Raisin's usually serious and formidable tone was overshadowed by a more nervous attitude, causing her voice to come out much softer and more uncertain compared to her normal tone.

Shadow Milk continued with their performance, letting Lady Azure play dumb for a little while longer, this with the intention of provoking a reaction from Black Raisin.

"Look, I do not want to be rude, but I need you to wake up right now." What Shadow Milk managed to notice was that she still maintained a somewhat passive attitude, but had gained a bit of confidence to speak more clearly.

"..."

Receiving no response from the young lady, Black Raisin resorted to the last option that came to mind, and one she did not like being forced to use.

"I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to do right now."

Lady Azure did not quite know what she meant until she felt a bandaged hand begin shaking her by the shoulder, with each passing moment doing so with more force and intensity than before, until it reached the point where she practically almost fell off the sofa.

Lady Azure opened her eyes suddenly, remaining in shock for a few seconds before letting out a loud scream of pure horror that echoed throughout the entire room and probably the rest of the halls as well.

"AHHHHHH!! HELP!!"

Lady Azure kicked toward Black Raisin in the middle of her state of paranoia and panic.

Black Raisin managed to dodge the blow by jumping back briefly, but she did not leave despite the screaming.

"No! W-wait, do not scream, there are Cookies trying to rest at this hour—"

Black Raisin was interrupted by another scream louder than the previous one.

"HELP! SOMEBODY! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED—"

Before she could scream any more, she was silenced by a hand over her mouth that muffled any sound threatening to come out. Black Raisin looked worried and stressed by the entire situation while giving Lady Azure a stern frown.

"Shhh, it is late already. Please try to calm down and keep as quiet as possible. I promise this is not a kidnapping."

She lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment, a certain guilt visible on her expression.

"Although well... I admit it does look quite a lot like one."

Lady Azure pushed her hand away as much as she could, now speaking without screaming but keeping an exaggeratedly offended and annoyed tone.

"What are you planning to do to me?! Why else would you bring me here against my will if not for kidnapping?!"

"I swear there is genuinely an explanation for this—"

"No! What do you want from me, huh?! Rob me?! Silence me?! Or is it that... y-you!!"

She pointed at her with a trembling hand from helplessness and fear while backing away on the same armchair, gripping its armrest tightly.

"You want to blackmail me!! You definitely know who I am!!"

She exclaimed confidently despite having no proof.

"W-what?! No!! Where did you even get that from?!"

Black Raisin stammered in confusion. This Cookie's personality was really something else. She had dealt with people like this before in her village, but she had never met someone so dramatic. Well, she knew a little about the Beast of Deceit, but that was a Beast. This was a relatively normal Cookie with the ability to exhaust her patience faster than normal.

"Look, this is more normal than you think."

"So it is part of your daily routine to carry home Cookies who are peacefully resting?" Lady Azure asked sarcastically.

"Because I do not know about you, but that sounds pretty psychopathic if you ask me."

She crossed her arms and gave Black Raisin an accusing look, causing her to let out a sigh before speaking.

"Listen, I know this was quite sudden and I apologize for it."

Lady Azure let out a huff at that.

"I tried to wake you up in the forest, but you would not respond, so to avoid any accidents I decided to bring you with me," Black Raisin explained while heading toward the door.

"Wait, what accident are you talking about?" Lady Azure asked cautiously before raising her voice again toward Black Raisin.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?! Hey! We are not finished!"

She placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Oh, I know that. I am just going to get something to eat from the kitchen. Would you like anything? You are a guest after all."

Black Raisin looked at her more calmly over her shoulder, and her voice sounded more patient than before as well.

"Hmpf! If you think bribing me will make me forgive you..."

She paused briefly.

"...then you are absolutely correct!"

She said, suddenly changing moods.

Black Raisin remained silent for a moment.

"That was... unexpected. But alright, what do you want?"

She asked with a more genuine and patient smile.

Lady Azure took a deep breath before speaking.

"I want a cup of hot chocolate, but not too hot because I burn my tongue, and not too cold because then it loses its charm. With exactly three marshmallows, not two because it looks miserable and not four because that would be excessive."

Black Raisin looked bewildered by this, and as Lady Azure kept talking, the look in her eyes gradually faded along with the color in her dough.

"Excuse me—"

"I would also like a tray of freshly made waffles, but they must not be too crispy nor too soft. I also want whipped cream with exactly seven blueberries on top, a slice of strawberry cake, two macarons, a cup of tea, a cup of hot chocolate in case I do not like the tea, an apple cut into eight equal pieces, and a peeled orange because I have better things to do with my time. Oh, and bring me a blanket. I am not cold, I simply feel that a lady should have a blanket."

Black Raisin froze for several seconds, still processing the overwhelming amount of information that had just been dumped into her head, while Lady Azure began tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hey! Hey! Did you forget how to think? Hurry up! A lady does not have all day."

She remained frozen for a few more seconds.

"Y-yes... I'm going."

After spending some time waiting and analyzing the room, it was not difficult for Shadow Milk to deduce that it was part of the Vanilla Castle. But of course, Lady Azure did not know that, so she was going to act offended most of the time.

They looked at the walls around them. This was probably one of the main rooms used to receive guests. It had quite a few armchairs and sofas accompanied by tables, not to mention the imposing fireplace in front of them that easily exceeded their height.

They had seen this part of the castle before. However, they had never been motivated to explore it because it almost always had visiting Cookies wandering around, or servants organizing things. In either case, they had no desire to interact with Cookies they did not know.

The sound of the door opening again made them turn their head toward it. The cause of it, to nobody's surprise, was Black Raisin Cookie, who entered the room carrying a tray that contained only a cup of hot chocolate with three marshmallows and two slices of toasted bread on the side.

"Sorry for the delay. The castle has been somewhat busy lately," she said while placing the tray on Lady Azure's lap.

Lady Azure gave the food a judgmental look before speaking.

"Um, excuse me? I do not know if it was not clear, but I ordered much more than just this."

She pointed at the food with a certain amount of disdain.

Upon hearing that, Black Raisin's expression became somewhat dejected. She closed her eyes while letting out a sigh, her tone more serious this time.

"I have not seen you around here before, so I have to assume you are a traveler, right?"

Lady Azure nodded.

"Good. You see, not long ago our village was suffering from great poverty. On many days I preferred not to eat and instead give the scarce food to the children..." Lady Azure remained silent this time.

"Our village did not even have money or resources for clothes, food, or decent housing. The only reason we did not die was because of him..."

"Umm, who is 'him'?"

"One day a healer Cookie appeared who had no problem healing the sick and dying Cookies of the village. He did not remember much about where he came from, but even so he was willing to help us. His touch was... kind and gentle. With a little of his magic, you could feel your dough mending itself and coming back to life. His name was Healer Cookie."

"Wow, what an... unexpected name for a healer," Lady Azure said sarcastically.

Black Raisin let out a small laugh at that and continued her story.

"Haha, yes, you could say that."

A brief silence settled over the room until Lady Azure spoke.

"And where is this Healer Cookie now? And how did you go from living in a dump to this?"

She picked up the cup of hot chocolate and began drinking it while waiting for an answer to her question.

"After some Cookies arrived at the village, many things happened, and in the end we found this kingdom that had apparently been above us the entire time without us realizing it. Healer Cookie began having certain memories that left him paralyzed as we explored the kingdom."

Black Raisin paused briefly.

"And well, in the end it turned out that Healer Cookie had been the founder of the kingdom all along, he had simply forgotten... along with his real name and identity."

"And who was he really in the end?"

"One of the Ancient Cookies and a hero, a true hero not only to everyone else but also to me. Pure Vanilla Cookie."

Lady Azure gripped the warm cup more tightly in her hands and hid the reflex to frown.

Oh, she remembered that part of the story clearly. When she had completely invasively dug through Pure Vanilla's memories, she had seen how after using Dark Moon Magic, the price to pay had been losing all of his memories. Basically, the old man had gotten amnesia.

But that only lasted for a while before he recovered his memories again. During all that time, the old Vanilla geezer had not lost his characteristic kind and benevolent personality. A boring and filler part of the story if you asked Shadow Milk.

"Wow! Really? One of the Ancients?!"

She feigned surprise at Black Raisin's revelation, and the other Cookie nodded with something akin to nostalgia.

"Yes, that's right. Pure Vanilla helped us move here and returned to his duties as an Ancient. We are still adapting and still dealing with some shortages, but I know things will improve with time. We just have to be patient, just like Pure Vanilla."

A nostalgic smile formed on her face. The name Pure Vanilla came out of her mouth with a special affection.

"It looks like you're fond of him, huh?"

Lady Azure joked while taking a bite of her toast.

"Of course. Thanks to Pure Vanilla, I am who I am today. He taught me many things..."

She turned her gaze toward the fireplace with a certain melancholy.

"Protecting the village is the highest priority! We can worry about getting back later!"

"Can't we stay a little longer? There could be Cookies who need our help! And Dark Enchantress—"

"What is happening to you?! You're Healer Cookie, the healer of OUR village. Our enemies are the Wafflebots, not Dark Enchantress! We just discovered this place! This kingdom is not our home, this is not our war!"

"How can you say that? How can you turn your back and just walk away?!"

"Cookies who ignore those who are suffering are cowards!!"

A silence flooded the entire room for a while until Black Raisin spoke again, only this time her gaze was directed toward Lady Azure.

"In part, thanks to him, I took you out of the forest."

"Why did you take me out in the first place? When I went in there wasn't any sign saying entering the forest was forbidden."

"There are still animals in the forest that are not as friendly as the ones we have here. You were alone and carrying food in that basket. They could have attacked you easily, so I decided to prevent that from happening," explained the Cookie with the high ponytail.

"Hmm, I don't know. Sounds like an excuse to take me with you..."

"What? Why would I do that?"

"I mean, I didn't see a single animal in the forest, which by the way was practically deserted. So I don't buy that whole 'animals were going to attack me' thing, dear."

"But what I'm saying is true. It's not overflowing with animals, but there definitely are animals there. Besides, why would I want to take you with me if not for that?"

"In case you haven't noticed, although I think that's impossible, I am an exceptionally beautiful lady. A unique beauty of my kind! Many Cookies try to court me madly day after day, so the opportunity to have me for free—"

As she bragged about her beauty, she made a few movements with her shoulders and even tossed her abundant hair to emphasize her attractiveness.

"W-what?! Are you implying that I'm in love with you or something like that?!"

She looked utterly incredulous at the accusation coming from the blue Cookie.

"You said it, not me..."

She replied in a more flirtatious tone with an innocent smile.

"That's not true. I took you out of there for your safety, not because I wanted to court you or anything like that."

"Then why didn't I see any animals, huh?"

"I do not think you were not with any animal..." she said doubtfully.

"Eh?! What do you mean? Explain yourself." She pointed at her accusingly while finishing the hot chocolate in her hand.

"When I found you, you had a crow sleeping with you. In fact, that is how I found you in the first place," Black Raisin explained.

"Pfff. What are you talking about? Me! A crow? Tell me something that is actually true, please." She wiped away a fake tear while laughing condescendingly. "If that were true, then where is this famous crow? Because I do not see it."

Black Raisin did not answer that, but her expression shifted into one of slight concern as her gaze moved from Lady Azure to the basket sitting on a distant table.

"Hmm? Well? Why are you not answering? What is it? Did the crow eat your tongue—"

"Pio!"

Lady Azure turned her head in the blink of an eye. It was the same sound she had heard in the forest, the same high-pitched and unbearable sound, only this time it came from another part of the room.

"What was that?"

"It sounded exactly like a baby crow," Black Raisin replied without taking her eyes off the basket.

"And why would there be crows in here?" Lady Azure said irritably, turning to look in the same direction as Black Raisin, only to find her basket. "Hey, that is true! What is my basket doing there? I doubt I carried it while unconscious, and you were carrying me with one arm... well, I mean, you know..."

She seemed somewhat uncomfortable indirectly mentioning that Black Raisin could not carry both her and a basket at the same time due to the absence of her other arm. However, Black Raisin lightly shook her head, signaling that she was not bothered by what Lady Azure's words implied.

"Do not worry, I understand. And to answer your question, the crows brought your basket." To prove her point, she raised her arm slightly into the air. Out of nowhere, a crow flew toward Black Raisin and landed on her arm. "See?"

"So that means the sounds were coming from your crow and not from the supposed crow you found me with."

"I do not think so. The crow I found you with was a baby, and the sound from earlier matches that." She stroked the crow's head on her arm.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Pio!"

The sound from before echoed throughout the room again, and it came from exactly the same place as before, Lady Azure's basket, causing a small twitch to appear in her left eye as she heard more sounds coming from it.

Setting aside the tray, she stood up from her seat and walked over to where the basket was. Upon opening it, she once again found none other than the same crow from earlier, the one that had fallen asleep beside her in the forest.

"You... invasive creature, what are you doing here?" She gave the baby crow a look of disdain and annoyance while it squirmed around the basket excitedly upon seeing Lady Azure again.

"So you did know it," Black Raisin pointed out from her seat with a somewhat mischievous smile while petting her crow.

She turned toward Black Raisin, pointing at her accusingly and with so much anger that her arm trembled slightly.

"Silence!!"

She turned back toward the crow, completely oblivious to the situation.

"And you..."

She took the crow out of the basket and placed it in front of her. While Lady Azure's stare was imposing and challenging, the baby crow's was innocent and completely out of place, having no idea what was happening but simply happy to see the cookie.

"Ugh, you keep this thing. I am not an animal person." She grabbed the crow with revulsion in both her gaze and touch, handing it over to Black Raisin, who caught it carefully before it fell since Lady Azure had practically tossed it away like trash.

"Be more careful. You cannot just go around throwing a crow like that, especially not a baby one," Black Raisin scolded her in a more authoritative tone closer to her usual one.

"Oh, please. They are crows, they have wings, do they not? Why do you think they fly?"

"It is still a baby. It will learn how to fly later." She placed the crow on the table where the tray of food that Lady Azure had left earlier was resting.

The crow hopped around, observing its new surroundings. It did not take long before it noticed the bread on the table and headed toward it. However, Lady Azure snatched it away before it could eat it.

"Hey! That is mine. Get your own, black fluff."

The crow looked at her with adorable eyes that conveyed nothing but sadness and pity, clearly trying to make Lady Azure feel guilty. At first, she seemed completely unmoved.

"Do not even think that giving me those eyes will get you food. I already fed you in the forest. Do you think I am going to do it again?"

The crow continued looking at her pitifully.

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

She took the slice of bread and placed it in front of her. It looked like she was simply going to split it in half, but instead she broke it in half, stuffed one half into her mouth, then split the remaining half. She ate one of those pieces as well and once again split what remained. She kept doing this until only a tiny piece was left, much less than a quarter of the original toast.

The crow did not seem to mind and ate it anyway.

"There you go."

Black Raisin, on the other hand, found the whole situation hilarious. Seriously, how self-centered and selfish did that girl have to be to be incapable of sharing a decent amount of bread with a baby crow?

"Do you not think that was a little too little?"

"Nahh." She waved a hand dismissively while placing the other on her hip before looking at Black Raisin. "I am just making sure it does not get fat."

Black Raisin did not believe that excuse, but she did not want to argue either.

"If you say so..."

"Oh!" She looked at the invisible watch on her wrist. "Have you not seen the time? It is getting really late."

She turned toward the window, which now showed a much more nighttime landscape compared to hours ago. It was practically night.

"You are right. I am sorry for being so... reckless with my decision to bring you here. I should have asked you first..." Black Raisin seemed somewhat guilty as she looked down at the floor.

"Do not worry, dear. The past is in the past. Besides, did I not tell you I am easy to bribe?" Lady Azure spoke to Black Raisin in a friendlier tone, causing her to let out a small amused huff.

"Yep, I will not forget that."

"You had better not!" Lady Azure walked over to her basket and picked it up, placing it back on her right arm before heading toward the door. "Thank you for your hospitality! Goodbye~!" She grabbed the doorknob, but before she could open it, a voice stopped her.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?" She looked back over her shoulder.

"You do not know how to leave the castle. You have never been here before."

"Oh..." Right. She was supposedly seeing the castle for the first time in her life. She would have to keep acting a little longer. "As much as it pains me to admit it, you are right." She placed a hand on her cheek and began spinning dramatically.

"Oh, witches! Whatever shall I do? Alone! And without direction in this unknown and enormous castle! Oh, witches, have mercy on me!"

She placed a hand on her forehead while holding the basket with the other and spun around again. Black Raisin watched the entire exaggerated performance with some concern.

"Witches! Have pity on this poor, unfortunate, and incredibly beautiful, gorgeous, talented, and if I did not mention it before, pretty cookie!"

She spun one more time, but this time miscalculated and tripped over the corner of a table.

Fortunately, Black Raisin was faster and managed to catch her hand before she fell, resulting in a scene straight out of a romantic novel. Black Raisin felt her shoulders tense and her body inevitably freeze for longer than necessary. Realizing the situation, she blushed, but hid it as best she could by clearing her throat and quickly pulling Lady Azure toward her so she could regain her balance.

"Are you alright?" There was a trace of nervousness in Black Raisin's voice that she tried to hide by looking away rather than at the cookie in front of her.

"Yes, I am fine. Thank you for catching me in time."

Lady Azure leaned closer to Black Raisin with a mischievous smile, their faces only a few inches apart.

"Why so quiet? Tell me, did I make you nervous?" she asked flirtatiously.

Black Raisin stepped back at the implication.

"No, it was just unexpected, ha..." She moved past Lady Azure, taking the lead. "It is better if we hurry and get out before it gets any later," she said a little too quickly.

"Yes, I should get going."

Still wearing her smile, Lady Azure followed Black Raisin as the two walked through the kingdom's extensive hallways.

After a silent walk, partly due to the late hour—which was usually when cookies began leaving their respective jobs to rest—and partly due to the awkward tension between Black Raisin and Lady Azure, the latter finally decided to break the ice.

"Sooooo, how have things been for you lately? I mean, I do not think it is easy being an Ancient's right hand."

Lady Azure took longer steps with a small bounce to them, reflecting her confident and sociable attitude, while Black Raisin beside her took short and quick steps, betraying a more imposing and serious personality.

"I would not consider myself Pure Vanilla's right hand. I am just a friend of his, I suppose."

"Even so, from the way you talk about him and from the rumors I have heard, you must be close, right?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"Then you still play an important role in all of this. Is it not stressful sometimes?"

"What do you mean?" She gave the cookie beside her a brief glance.

"You know, duties, favors, errands, all that. Responsibilities. It must be a lot of pressure. Taking care of cookies here and there, clarifying things, attending meetings, solving problems. I could never!"

"It is not really that much work. I just make sure the kingdom stays safe and healthy. It is true that I handle visitors sometimes or situations that come up, but it is the least I can do to help lighten Pure Vanilla's burden a little. He has done so much for us, and I... want to thank him somehow."

"Pure Vanilla... really is lucky to have you."

Lady Azure's voice came out less cheerful than usual. Black Raisin noticed the change in mood and became concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh? Yes, yes. I was just thinking about how amazing it must be to have a friend like you." She continued. "Someone who worries about you, someone who lightens your burden, who tries to understand you, or who is simply there for you. You are worth far more than you think."

She turned to look at Black Raisin.

Who looked somewhat bewildered by Lady Azure's words, words that seemed to touch a chord deep inside her, one that very few people who knew her had ever dared touch.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not notice a blue hand waving in front of her face.

"Hellooo? Earth calling to... wait, what is your name?"

The hand stopped waving and moved aside, revealing Lady Azure's confused expression.

"Oh, yes, sorry. I do not know what happened to me..." Black Raisin snapped out of her dissociative state and apologized quickly.

"Well? And your name is?"

"Black Raisin Cookie. And you are...?"

"Oh!"

She covered her mouth with a hand, letting out an offended huff and stepping back.

"How can it be that you do not know the name of the most beautiful cookie you have ever seen in your life? I am a little offended, I must admit!"

Black Raisin let out a small laugh. It had been a long time since she had laughed that much in such a short period.

"Then what is your name? Or is your name Beautiful?" Black Raisin asked with a more confident smile, probably influenced by Lady Azure's attitude.

"Wooow! Slow down, miss! Take me out to dinner first, will you not?"

She pretended to be surprised and nervous before laughing.

"Although, technically, you already did."

She paused.

After Lady Azure said that, Black Raisin finally registered the weight of what she had just said, causing the dough on her cheeks to take on a slightly different shade, though it quickly faded.

"N-no! I meant it because, you know... you are always, umm..."

She fell silent.

"Lady Azure, the most beautiful, perfect, and intelligent cookie you will ever meet."

She spun proudly in place.

"It is a pleasure, Lady Azure."

Just as Black Raisin was about to speak again, she came face-to-face with the castle's exit door.

"It seems we have arrived at the exit."

"It certainly seems that way," said Lady Azure, stepping ahead and taking the lead.

"Yes, it does." There was a trace of disappointment in Black Raisin's voice.

"Well, this is where we part ways."

She opened the door, allowing freezing air capable of causing shivers to enter the castle. Her dress and hair fluttered in the wind while Black Raisin watched from behind.

"Hey! Wait!"

Instinctively, Black Raisin extended her arm toward her while taking a step forward.

"Hmm?" Lady Azure looked back over her shoulder without losing her characteristic smile. "Do you already miss me?"

"Just... take care of yourself, alright?" She regained her serious tone, though this time there was something hesitant buried within it.

"I will. Do not worry."

She turned forward once more, leaving the castle and closing the door behind her, leaving Black Raisin standing there.

Shadow Milk crossed the deserted and dark kingdom with the basket on his arm. The food was probably a bit battered after the whole trip, but nothing a little magic could not fix.

He made sure nobody was following him or watching him and headed toward a more remote area away from the village, where he summoned a portal on the ground and jumped inside it.

As the scenery changed, he found himself back in his room, falling from the sky onto his comfortable bed. He had spent the entire day outside, and the only thing he wanted now was to rest.

His long dress was replaced by a jester's outfit. His hair changed from light blue and smooth into thick black locks embedded with eyes and moving in a way that naturally gave the illusion of being alive. His height returned to normal, and he had practically become Shadow Milk once more.

Before lying down, he briefly remembered everything that had happened that day. It was not a bad thing to learn more about Pure Vanilla's lackeys, so perhaps he would use Lady Azure again in the future. Apparently Black Raisin had liked her a lot, but he could not blame her. It was Lady Azure, after all—the very definition of irresistible.

Maybe...

Chaos is not always necessary to have fun.