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Chapter Text

Another kingdom crumbling at the feet of the bringer of destruction, just like the one before it, and before that one... and back and back for centuries... Burning Spice's soul no longer feels that same fire from bringing ruin that it used to. It reminds him of why he started destroying things in the first place.

The monotony becomes too obvious, Burning Spice needs to find something else to do before he dies of boredom for real this time. So he goes to the one person he hates most, because someone had once told him that the person who knows you best is your enemy.

—

"Golden Cheese! Long time since I've seen your ugly face!" Burning Spice shouts as he crashes into Golden Cheese Cookie's room, bursting through her wall with nothing but his fists. He ends up catching the woman in the act of sorting various golden trinkets.

"Burning Spice!? Have you come to lose again?" Golden Cheese taunts as she picks up her spear, ready to fight the beast and win. Burning Spice has to actively fight himself to not just join in the banter, he has things he needs to do.

"Not exactly... im more looking for... advice? Is that the word?" Burning Spice second guesses his use of the word for a moment while Golden Cheese stares silently. Is he really asking her of all cookies for advice?

"Bullshit. what's your plan here?" Golden Cheese lifts her spear to point at Burning Spice, threatening him with the careful anger.

"No plan, really." Burning Spice hastily states while backing away from the spear's point.

"It's just that... it feels like my flame has been snuffed out, destruction isn't giving the joy it did before." Burning Spice explains as he reaches a hand to push the golden spear down, moving the point away from his face. He kicks at a piece of debris on the floor, causing it to fly across the room and get stuck in a wall.

"It... what." Golden Cheese questions the beast meant to be her opposition, a being of destruction to counter her abundance... and yet he's asking for help to find a new passion?

"I'm unsure where to go next, nothing is really showing itself to me like destroying things did." Burning Spice continues, not helping Golden Cheese's confusion.

"I think I'm the wrong lady to ask..." Golden Cheese trails off, staring out the hole in her wall at a distance place before speaking up again.

"Do you know how to get to Hollyberry Kingdom?"

Chapter Text

"Knock knock!" Burning Spice Cookie yells out as he knocks a fist against the Hollyberry castle gates, hoping to get the attention of one of the rulers or Hollyberry herself.

"Who goes there-" the guard trails off as they turn the corner to face Burning Spice, a beast of old, a being of destruction. Years of training allow them to hold back a scream that could shake mountains as they are stared down by the beast.

"Hello, it is I, Burning Spice, I've been sent to meet with Hollyberry... if she is available." Burning Spice explains his reasoning for showing up with an awkward wave, completely forgetting for a moment that he is still the beast of destruction in the eyes of the people.

Instead of replying the guard rushes inside the castle, blocking the massive door behind them and making a mad dash for the alarm system. Burning Spice just sits down on one of the steps leading to the gate, awaiting the fight he knows will ensue.

Maybe he should've sent a letter first? Or had Golden Cheese come with him? Meh, it'll be fine, probably.

"Beast! You dare attack my kingdom?!" The one and only Hollyberry cookie shouts as she drops from atop the balcony built above the castle gate, shield in hand and sturdy as ever.

"No, Golden Cheese sent me here." Burning Spice clarifies as he blocks a charge from Hollyberry, carefully dodging rather than attacking back as to keep the peace.

"And why exactly would my sister-in-arms send you here?" Hollyberry asks with a tone of surprise and distrust, as if she'd have any reason to trust Burning Spice.

"... I'm bored. Destruction is just so monotonous, I hit something and it breaks." Burning Spice explains as he dodges another attack. "It's too simple, too much of the same. I need something new."

"So let me get this straight," Hollyberry begins, keeping her guard up but no longer attacking. "The beast of destruction... wants my advice?"

"Yes... Golden Cheese said that passion is more your expertise." Burning Spice admits, causing Hollyberry to snicker at his lack of prior knowledge of the ancients.

"Alright, alright." Hollyberry waves off those words jokingly, discreetly focused on every move Burning Spice makes. She knows tricks and lies, but this feels so oddly genuine, so for now she will welcome Burning Spice like any other guest... with a bit more supervision.

"I'll have someone set up a room for ya somewhere. Just try not to terrify too many Hollyberrians." Hollyberry continues as she opens the gates, letting a group of anxious guards see an equally anxious Burning Spice cookie standing behind her. The guards don't speak up about their fears, but they run off when Burning Spice grows near.

"I think I failed that already Hollyberry..." Burning Spice whispers as servants and assistants scramble away from he and Hollyberry in the hallway.

"They'll get used to you, I hope." Hollyberry jokes as she escorts Burning Spice to the nearest empty room, knowing that she's going to hire a carpenter or five to make proper furniture for a beast's sleeping quarters.

"I hope so too." Burning Spice adds back as he enters the room, hoping that Hollyberry is as enthusiastic as she was on the battle field many moons ago, even if he never fought her directly. "Do you mind... just talking for a little while?"

"Not at all, whatda you want to talk 'bout?" Hollyberry asks, sitting on the bare floor across from Burning Spice as he begins a story, one he'd heard of Hollyberry herself. Both are entertained by the creative liberties in the story he had overheard, joking around like friends within minutes.

And just like that, Burning Spice feels a little fire relight in his soul, a faint and familiar feeling he hasn't felt in many many centuries. That feeling of belonging, a feeling that died many years before he became a beast... it's nice to feel it again.

Chapter Text

"Mornin' Spice!" Hollyberry shouts enthusiastically from across the throne room, breaking her conversation with her grand daughter Sweetberry (Princess cookie).

"Morning Hollyberry... who's the kid?" Burning Spice replies while rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning, his sharp teeth glinting in the light like knives.

"This is my grand daughter, Prin-" Hollyberry pauses, realizing she'd defaulted to Sweetberry's nickname. "I mean Sweetberry, sorry kiddo." She apologizes, patting Sweetberry on the back to seal in the apology.

"Ah, the princess... she looks a lot like you Hollyberry." Burning Spice comments as he finally makes it across the throne room to properly speak with the duo of royals.

"Yeah she does! Reminds me of when I was young, good times." Hollyberry laughs at her sarcasm, amused by the twisted truth of the statement.

"I'd enjoy hearing those stories," Burning Spice adds with a smile, knowing that whatever Hollyberry had spent her youth doing was probably far better than what he'd done. Remembering sitting alone watching the world repeat itself over and over makes him shiver.

"So... you're Burning Spice?" Sweetberry asks, already knowing the answer but wanting to see just how the beast introduces himself.

"The one and only, I think." Burning Spice happily jokes with the Princess as if he were a normal cookie for once. He's practically glowing with genuine joy when Sweetberry laughs at his joke.

"Hollyberry, you didn't tell me he's got jokes!" Sweetberry retorts, giving her grandmother a gentle jab to the side. She doesn't actually think it was too funny, but the guy looked like he had a bad night so she put on a little show to help.

Burning Spice smiles at the princess, that little ember of belonging he'd felt last night now catching into a small flame in his very soul. The three keep joking, banter exchanged like old friends despite their history.

"You fought a dragon?" Burning Spice questions Swetberry, realizing that the princess really does take after her grandmother.

"I held it off, Holly actually took care of him." Sweetberry clarifies with a smile, enjoying the peace of sitting next to her grandmother and telling stories.

"oh come on, you're making me blush." Hollyberry jokes as her grand daughter praises her. "Plus, you can't tell me you never fought a dragon in your youth Spice." Hollyberry adds, a smirk on her face as Sweetberry catches onto the set up of her next joke.

"Did you even have dragons when you were my age ?" Sweetberry asks, looking for some more jokes about how old Burning Spice is.

"Good question... betcha he had to fight dino-sours?" Hollyberry jests as if Burning Spice isn't suddenly quiet, laughing with Sweetberry at the humorous moment.

"I... I don't want to talk about it." Burning Spice admits, his large hands shaking slightly as he tries to get out of those memories of being forced to watch the world pass by but never to interact with it. Those horribly quiet days where all he had were servants to talk with, people whose only purpose was to update him on the world and to keep him happy, no fun at all.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I think." Sweetberry mumbles softly, looking to Hollyberry as if seeking an excuse to leave the situation.

"Dear, your knight said they wanted to see you at noon, correct?" Hollyberry mentions offhandedly to give her granddaughter the out she needs, pointing to the large windows and the midday sunlight pouring through them.

"Oh! You're right, gotta run!" Sweetberry shouts out as she runs off to who knows where, hoping that Hollyberry can handle the seemingly angered Burning Spice on her own.

Burning Spice avoids Hollyberry's piercing gaze, realizing he'd absolutely ruined the moment of joy.

"I'm sorry, it's just-"

"No, Spice, no apologies or explanations needed." Hollyberry interrupts, placing a careful hand on Burning Spice's shoulder to comfort the shaking beast.

"Really?" Burning Spice pauses, his confidence returning slowly when he realizes he won't be pressured into explaining. "Thank the witches..."

"I say we go out on the town for the rest of today, see if we can find ya a new passion." Hollyberry redirects to the reason Burning Spice is here, sure she was enjoying the banter but she also has a job to do here. It also hurts a little to see Burning Spice so genuinely upset.

"You're going to take me... out into your kingdom?" Burning Spice seems puzzled, he knows he and Hollyberry get along but he also knows the citizens don't even know their founder is harboring a Beast. "Wont people be afraid?"

"They'll trust my judgement, as always. Though we should stop to get ya an outfit that doesn't stand out so much first." Hollyberry jokes as she points out Burning Spice's tattered traditional outfit and lack of top, his Soul Jam on proud display in the middle of his chest.

"Yes... good point, it is colder here than it was off in the deserts. I assume it's only going to get colder as winter approaches." Burning Spice comments, staring out the large windows to see the fall leaves. He touches a hand to his Soul Jam for a moment, realizing he's going to have to cover it during his stay here.

Hollyberry picks up on the shift in Burning Spice quickly, knowing her attempt at lightening the mood failed. She needs to try a bit harder, that's all.

"Hey, maybe we can get ya something custom. Heard one of the tailors has been working on creating a more transparent fabric." Hollyberry suggests with a smile, nodding when Burning Spice raises an eyebrow to question the legitimacy of that idea.

"Well then... let us go find this great tailor!" Burning Spice declares as he grabs Hollyberry's hand and pulls her towards the doorway to the main hallways, letting her lead the way from there.

Once outside, the cold fall wind blows colorful leaves overhead in a way Burning Spice never had the opportunity to enjoy, not from the inside of his temple or while leaving civilizations in ruins. He steps on a leaf, the crunch of it bringing a smile to his face as if he were a small child and not a beast.

"Having fun?" Hollyberry asks as Burning Spice picks up a rather large maple leaf from the ground.

"Absolutely." Burning Spice replies, a dumb grin on his face as he looks forward towards the town. He's only just arrived in this kingdom and yet it feels like a new home.

Chapter Text

Town square is packed with people, some doing shopping, some just relaxing, and others just cutting through to go somewhere else. Conversations from friends carry on the fall breeze as leaves fall from their trees. But as soon as Hollyberry and Burning Spice enter the town square everything stops, every face in the square turning to the ruler and the beast. Whispers of worry and confusion replace the chatter of the town, overlapping voices questioning their founder's judgment.

"Everyone, please relax." Hollyberry gently commands her people, a comforting confidence in her tone that hushes the crowd. "Burning Spice is a guest in this kingdom and has promised me directly that he will not cause problems." She continues, smiling back at Burning Spice when he waves at the crowd.

"I do not want to bring harm to this kingdom, that is the truth, even if you do not believe me." Burning Spice adds with as soft a tone as he can muster, a hoarse whisper that catches everyone off guard, even Burning Spice himself. The beast pauses, sighing before stepping forward to be at Hollyberry's side.

"Now, if you all don't mind, we have shopping to do!" Hollyberry shouts with the bright enthusiasm she's known for, grinning at Burning Spice before grabbing his hand to pull him forward through the awkward crowd. People make way for her and the beast, most walking to finish their chores in silence or just leaving the square completely.

The fall breeze now feels much more frigid on Burning Spice's skin, the hushed whispers of the people stinging his ears as he passes by. He knows he should ignore them, he well aware it's his fault they see him this way. But could they at least keep it to themselves while he's around?

"— right 'Spice?" Hollyberry finishes speaking with a worried employee inside of Sugar Stitch tailoring, both being unaware that Burning Spice has  absolutely not been paying attention.

"What is going on?" Burning Spice questions, hoping he doesn't come across as too much of a jerk for getting lost in his thoughts. He looks around at the interior of Sugar Stitch, his attention quickly caught by the wall covered in images of models in fantastic outfits of all shapes and sizes.

"'Was just telling this kind man that we're looking to get you some more casual clothes." Hollyberry quickly explains, gently poking Burning Spice's arm when she notices him staring at nothing again. She sighs softly when he mutters an apology.

"W-well... what are you looking for t-then?" The employee asks, gesturing for Hollyberry and Burning Spice to follow him to a back area. The young man is clearly struggling to keep his composure in the presence of a powerful beast of destruction as well as his own ruler.

Burning Spice looks around the small back room, unfinished clothing hanging off of mannequins next to piles and piles of fabrics. Despite the space being so messy, Burning Spice finds a fashion catalog on the floor, picking it up and flipping through even though he already has an idea in mind.

"See anything ya like big guy?" Hollyberry asks with a smirk as she peers over Burning Spice's shoulder to see the catalog. Mulling over the options in the worn collection of photos while waiting for an answer.

"No... not quite," Burning Spice states as he closes the catalog, letting out a huff as he looks around to room, meeting the eyes of the employee. "You there, kind sir, do you have a pen and paper I could use?" He asks, hesitantly outstretching a hand to receive the items.

"Oh! Uhm, yes, one minute... they are in here somewhere..." The employee trails off as they begin searching in a drawer, eventually finding the materials and handing them over to the Beast.

Burning Spice looks for a place to sit, however every viable chair is covered in fabrics and clothes, so he sits on the floor hunched over the paper with his long hair constantly getting in the way. More so in the way of Hollyberry and the employee's views of the page but still annoying. Eventually Hollyberry leaves to get some fresh air despite the employee's silent plea for her to stay and protect him.

After a few minutes Burning Spice finally sits upright and hands the paper to the employee, smiling at his careful expression of his desired outfit.

"This is... extraordinarily detailed for such a short time!" The employee exclaims as he looks over the drawing, noting the both modern and traditional elements of the clothing Burning Spice drew up.

"It is?" Burning Spice asks while glancing around at the much more detailed and intricate designs scattered around the small office space, wondering how his rough drawing is any better than the ones pinned on the cork board.

"It is. I don't even think we'll need to make revisions, I can probably have this done in a week or so." The employee smiles, all his prior worries melting like ice in a drink as he actually talks to the Beast of Destroying. He was expecting the Beast to be rude or angry, but never did he expect such talent.

"Please don't rush yourself though." Burning Spice advises as he begins walking to exit the office, smiling back at the employee and waving as he opens the door to leave.

"I won't sir." The employee replies before Burning Spice closes the door.

Burning Spice takes a moment outside the office, leaning on the floral wallpaper and taking a deep breath before glancing down at his now dimly glowing Soul Jam. The soft pulse of the thing imbedded in his chest subsiding after a minute or two.

Burning Spice looks around for Hollyberry but can't find her inside the shop, so he steps outside to go looking for her. She wouldn't have just left him in the town alone without a reason, right?

Chapter Text

Burning Spice steps into the town square carefully, trying halfheartedly to prove that he isn't just a destructive force anymore. The hollyberrian citizens turn to stare as he walks by, shooting one another worried glances as Burning Spice tries to track down Hollyberry. He doesn't want to be out here without her guidance, especially once the sun sets.

People start to leave for one reason or another as the paths become silent, the bustling streets of the Hollyberry kingdom becoming quiet. Too quiet, like a vacuum of sound.

Then Screaming. Burning Spice follows the sound, rushing against a flood of terrified hollyberrians like a fish up stream. His heart pounds in time with his footfalls, a heavy beat sounds in his ears as he runs toward the sounds of fighting and fear. He watches a family run past, a young child staring at him from their mother's arms for a moment before being out of view.

"Damn you pest!" Hollyberry's voice echos through the now empty streets as she fights off the large dragon decimating part of her kingdom. Her shield unwavering as she deals blow after blow to the large beast.

Burning Spice freezes in place at the sight of Hollyberry and the massive dragon she's fighting, watching its red scales glint like razor blades in the dimming sunlight. Seeing such a beast causing this level of damage is heartbreaking just like it was all those centuries ago, when dragons attacked Burning Spice's kingdom and he was told he couldn't help.

Without even thinking, Burning Spice summons his bow, pulling back the string and manifesting a fiery arrow to shoot at the beast attacking Hollyberry. The curve of the weapon is familiar, it's like coming home after centuries of fighting, everything in its place just where it was left.

Breathe in...

Pull back...

And shoot!

A screech that could wake the dead follows the release of the fiery arrow, a perfect hit to the base of the dragon's wing. The beast stumbles back, its tail lashing behind it as it struggles to remove the arrow from its scaly flesh, its features stained with fear as it tries to fly away.

"You aren't going anywhere..." Burning Spice whispers as he approaches the downed dragon, his footfalls slow and heavy as he lets his bow turn to smoke. The injured being snarls, the sounds drowned out by the inferno in Burning Spice's mind.

The harbinger of destruction lets out a huff as his battle axe forms in his hands, the dragon growls at Burning Spice as it backs away, desperately flapping its good wing to try and get away. Burning Spice's shadow casts itself over the beastly creature, the setting sun making the world look like it's on fire.

"... stand still, it makes this easier." Burning Spice states as he hoists his axe over his head, staring the beast in the eyes for a moment before shaking the thought of mercy from his mind.

How could he show mercy to a creature who tried to destroy his home? How could he let it live after its hurt so many? Why would he-

Crunch. Sharp fangs pierce Burning Spice's right arm, the force almost enough to shatter the immortal's bones, bright crimson blood gushing from the deep wounds as he grows unsteady. The world blurs but he can see the dragon flying off to wherever its wretched den is, as he falls unceremoniously to the ground.

"Spice! Spice can ya hear me?!" Hollyberry shouts while holding Burning Spice's face to get him to focus on her. It looks as if she's tearing up.

"I- I hear you fine... stop yelling." Burning Spice mumbles as he looks down at the chunk of flesh missing from his arm, grumbling over the time it will take to recover.

"Well then," Hollyberry takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing before continuing. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!"   

"It was attacking your kingdom, what else was I meant to do?" Burning Spice replies, his speech slurred from the blood loss and the energy of trying to regenerate it all. "Also... what did I just say about the yelling?"

"I..." Hollyberry trails off as she watches Burning Spice's expression turn to a half smile, he's damn proud of himself, as he should be. "Ya did good Spice. But let me handle it next time."

Burning Spice sloppily nods at that, his mind wandering off to who knows where as staying awake gets harder. He feels himself getting picked up by Hollyberry and gently moves himself up onto her back like a small child with their parent, his arms draped loosely over her shoulders as he drifts into nowhere. Not quite sleep, definitely not awake, but instead somewhere in between the waking world and the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Soft dusk light trickles through the cloud cover, coating the grassy landscape with beautiful amber shades. The scent of earlier rain and spring flowers drifts on the evening breeze, each gust making the tall grasses sway like dancers.

The laughter of five teens carries across the field, All of them having snuck out to meet here just like they always have.

"You have the goods, Sweets?" One of the teens asks another.

"Mhm. I got everything from chocolate to berries." The pink haired teen,"Sweets" replies as they pull a large sack off their back, pulling it open to reveal the aforementioned snacks.

"What about you Mystic?" The first teen asks, pointing at the palest of the group.

"Seventeen fireworks, just as planned." Mystic states as they hand over a large bag filled with the big fireworks you can't buy in stores.

"Perfect! Get everything set up, we can start this little show of ours as soon as the sun sets." The first teen nods to their friends, beginning to direct Mystic and the two remaining teens to set up the fireworks while Sweets and them set up the food stuffs.

The group finishes their set up just in time for the first stars to poke through the dark sky.

"Let the grandest firework show of our time begin!" The leading teen shouts, prompting the larger of the five to strike a match and light the fuses.

"I... miss this place." Burning Spice admits to himself as he walks through the memory, chuckling a little at the sight of a much younger him trying to light those stubborn fuses. A scene frozen in time, so close that Burning Spice can feel the soft grass under his bare feet, yet so far removed from what he has become that it feels like a lie.

For a while Burning Spice is still, as if taking in the beauty of this moment, the beauty of something he may never have again— true friendship. The kind where they would all sneak away on their creation day to light off fireworks and eat their weight in treats and snacks, sleeping in their secluded paradise till dawn only to dash back to their kingdoms and make excuses about their absences.

"Seventeen... that must've been centuries ago." Burning Spice muses as he sits down on the picnic blanket, the same pink quilt Eternal Sugar had refused to part with when they were Virtues, its fraying edges soft and stained with grass and dew.

Such a simple memory, yet it takes up more of Burning Spice's mind than he'd ever admit. Every detail, from their flashy royal outfits covered by cloaks made of blankets and sheets, to the way each of them sat huddled up under the stars and flashes of fireworks. The crescent moon in view as the night continued, and the clouds they would compare to places and things they've each seen.

"That one looks like a tiger." One of the teens, still in their armor, points up at a very tiger shaped cloud.

"It looks more like a lion to me!" The leading teen replies in a shout that makes the others wince.

"We're right here Sage!" Sweets shouts as she lightly slaps "Sage" over the head for being so obnoxiously loud.

"I told you guys not to call me that! It's stupid." The leader yelps back, recoiling from the smack in the head and putting on quite the show of pain as he drapes himself over his pillow like a faint lady with too many problems.

"Okay then Mr idiot-who-still-sleeps-with-a-lamp-on." Sweets claps back, getting an exaggerated gasp from her friends as she reveals this already known truth.

"What if we just call you Shadow, since you're scared of the shadows in your spire at night!" The tallest teen, Burning Spice's himself, jokes. He never would've realized back then how much that name would stick...

Burning Spice sighs as the memory freezes in place again, unable to make it continue. He stands with a huff and begins to walk around the field, eventually choosing to walk towards the soft glow of the rising moon, almost transfixed by it. The beautiful crescent shape...

"Wait... no it was a new moon that night, I remember talking about how lucky it was..." Burning Spice freezes in place when he realizes the small detail, the moon hadn't been a crescent that night, it was dark and he could see every star.

The moon slowly grows larger and closer, soon becoming a large crescent with a figure sitting atop it.

"Finally, I've waited many years to meet another like her." The moon lady speaks, her glistening purple eyes half lidded with soft sleepiness.

"Like who? And just who are you anyway?!" Burning Spice shouts as he backs away from the strange moon woman, startled yet curious of her presence.

"She never mentioned her name, but she spoke of four others like her. Four other heroes who had fallen from grace... you must be one of them." The moon woman yawns before stepping down from her crescent, slowly and sleepily walking forward to properly meet Burning Spice.

"That doesn't tell me who you are!" Burning Spice shouts as he backs away from the woman approaching him. Something about her presence makes him want to run, to fight, anything.

"ah... I never had much of a name either... many have taken to calling me The Maiden In The Moon, a few shortened it to just Moonlight." The Maiden in The Moon explains in a singsong tone, drifting towards Burning Spice like a cloud as she speaks.

"... and how did you get into my mind?" Burning Spice prods, trying to get as much information out of this stranger as he can.

"Memories... are much like dreams, and therefore are within my reach." Moonlight offers the simplest answer she can think of, only creating more questions. Her soft tone makes it sound like she is comforting a small child.

Burning Spice pauses at that, realizing just who he must be speaking to. He'd heard whispers of a deity created to traverse dreams, to see through slumbering eyes and protect people from their nightmares, but to meet her is a whole different kind of intriguing.

"This memory of yours is rather detailed, you have quite the sharp mind I would assume." Moonlight muses as she wanders around the field of grasses and flowers, watching the misty ends of her dress envelope the ground beneath her.

"This night... it's very important to me." Burning Spice explains with a huff, falling back to sit on the soft grasses of his mind. This night was the last time the virtues got together like this, they became too busy when they began truly ruling over their domains to even notice the date or time.

"Why is it so special?" Moonlight asks quietly as she sits down next to Burning Spice, staring up at the stars as if they were already telling her the answers.

"Well... it just is I suppose." Burning Spice says as he looks up at the stars, watching each little twinkle just like he used to through the windows of his temple, just like he used to with them.

"Sometimes things are just that, special for no reason other than that they exist." Moonlight comments as the memory begins to flicker, she knows Burning Spice's time between dreams and reality is coming to a close. She feels that they will meet again, some night in the future.

"The waking world is calling, it is time to part ways." Moonlight states, standing and returning to her crescent before turning and waving to Burning Spice. "I hope to see you again, but if I do not... goodbye."

Burning Spice blinks rapidly, light suddenly flooding into his eyes as he wakes. The room around him spinning as he slowly gets his bearings.

"Moonlight... goodbye." Burning Spice mumbles as he looks around at his empty room, content to just relax and rest for once he rolls onto his stomach and quickly begins to snore. He doesn't notice the bandages on his arm before dozing off.

Chapter Text

After Burning Spice's valiant effort to protect the Hollyberry kingdom, people started to see that he is much more than a Beast. They stopped staring at him in the town, started talking to him like a person, and now they were treating him as a guest of honor at the king's birthday ball.

"So, Spice, how you feelin' with all this?" Hollyberry asks, her voice soft and slightly slurred from the drinks she'd had before one of her guards had pulled her over to Burning Spice, probably so he could make sure she didn't have any more.

"I'm not sure," Burning Spice pauses to look around at all the people chatting and dancing in their beautiful clothes, smiling and laughing without a care. "But I know it's a good feeling." He concludes, touching a hand to his Soul Jam to feel its smooth surface, a little habit he'd begun years and years ago to keep his mind busy.

"Thats nice Spice." Hollyberry replies, hopefully not trying to be as dismissive as she sounds. The ancient seems so tired, maybe it's just the drinks in her system but she looks unsteady.

"It is, isn't it." Burning Spice comments as he gently places a hand on Hollyberry's shoulder, slowly moving towards the hall out of the ballroom with the drunken woman behind him. "I'm tired of the sounds though, let's go someplace quieter."

"Uh huh... was pretty loud in there." Hollyberry replies sleepily, blinking slowly as Burning Spice pulls her along towards one of the exits into the grand gardens. She doesn't really mind it that much, not having to worry about where they're going or why is so calming to her overworked mind and tired body.

The outside air is crisp and sweet smelling, the final breath of summer flowers as fall settles in. The sky is clear, the glow of stars accompanied by a bright full moon. It's dark, but not in the way it's been for years, now it's a type of darkness that makes beauty of shadows.

"Fresh air is nice, right Hollyberry?" Burning Spice questions as he sits on a bench in the garden, making sure Hollyberry is comfortable next to him before actually settling down himself.

"It is... but I have a question." Hollyberry looks to Burning Spice, curiosity glimmering in her eyes as she stares into the eyes of the beast that has brought many a kingdom to their final breath. But she doesn't see that beast, she sees something deeper, something hidden, suppressed to the point of being nearly invisible.

Burning Spice nods, as if already knowing what is on Hollyberry's mind.

"What... what really happened to make you a Beast?" Hollyberry finally asks the question that's been plaguing her mind for days now; just what caused the beast to destruction to be that way.

"Has Golden Cheese not already told you?" Burning Spice asks with a laugh, wondering if Hollyberry has forgotten the story behind his villainy already. "I was bored-"

"Not that one." Hollyberry interrupts, looking almost offended that Burning Spice would try to pedal that story directly to her face. Even if she is tired, that's no reason to lie to her. "The real one. The real story, or what you remember of it."

Burning Spice is shocked, he hadn't expected anyone to ever think past his sorry excuse for reasoning. He'd also never expected to redeem himself in a matter of weeks, but things happen.

"Spice. I refuse to believe someone who cared enough to risk their life to protect my people would kill millions out of boredom." Hollyberry states, the edge in her voice hinting that maybe she's more lucid than she let on inside.

"I- it's... well it's just complicated okay?" Burning Spice answers, subconsciously running a hand over his soul jam once again to feel the hum of power from within it. Familiar magic surging through the stone in his chest, like fire in his veins with a chilled after effect he can't place.

"Cant be worse than what I've seen before." Hollyberry jokes, patting her friend on the shoulder to remind him that she actually cares. This isn't just his battle anymore.

"... it's just... I don't want to watch everything get taken from me again... and again... over and over for the rest of time." Burning Spice admits with a shiver, the anxiety that plagued him the other times he'd tried to do something new now returning with force. He can't let the tides of change keep taking and taking from him... it's his choice to take, not anyone else's, never ever anyone else's.

"Spice? Hey, it's okay. I'm here, nothings going to change right now." Hollyberry soothes, firmly grabbing Burning Spice's shoulders and standing in front of him. "It's hard to move on, I get it... but you can't change if you stay in the past."

"... change... I've spent so damn long running from change. Trying to outrun it only to be a part of it all the same..." Burning Spice muses as he looks back up at Hollyberry, the being embodying passion spending all her energy on a beast that shouldn't have been her issue to begin with... a virtuous choice to make to save a shadow of a virtue.

"Then stop running for a moment. Sit here, exist, enjoy your passions and the time you spend doing them instead of wasting away running from it all." Hollyberry's speech of passion and freedom catches Burning Spice off guard, he never realized he was hiding behind the ideals he'd created- the idea that if he never loved anything he'd never lose anything either.

"I'm losing more... by running from change..." Burning Spice whispers wistfully as he gazes at the stars above. Just like he used to, yet different, changed yet the same. With that simple, beautiful realization, Burning Spice's Soul Jam begins to glimmer, the light within awakening after centuries of darkness. It's never done this before... but it feels nice.

"You want to watch the sky for a bit longer, Spice?" Hollyberry asks softly as she returns to sitting next to her friend, knowing quite well how it feels to have your whole world view turned on its head. She smiles as Burning Spice nods to her, his gaze moving across the beautiful sky and lingering on the moon once in a while, all the while his SoulJam twinkles like it itself is a star in the night sky. Minutes drag on before anyone speaks again.

"All this running... it never changes. I'm done running. I'm going to keep doing good here, Hollyberry, that's a promise I won't break." Burning Spice's tone is hopeful. He refuses to fear the future. He refuses to stay the same. He refuses to hide from his demons, and more importantly he won't hide from his light any longer.

The Soul Jam in Burning Spice's chest begins to pulse, a beat of orange light in time with his racing heart as something within the stone awakens. The light of change, its glowing hourglass form glimmering in front of Burning Spice's face for a moment before sinking back into his soul jam.

"You saw that too... right?" Burning Spice asks, as if utterly confused by the Light that had seemingly come from his Soul Jam.

"Yeah... first time meeting your Light?" Hollyberry replies with a chuckle, knowing her own Light is going to have quite the reaction to this new Light. "You'll get used to them popping up... eventually."

"No... not my first time, it's just been far too long since I've seen them." Burning Spice admits, now gently tracing the tattoos and markings on his body, even taking off his custom jacket just to see the patterns that have now resurfaced.

"Got it..." Hollyberry eyes Burning Spice's exposed arms, seeing the markings as well as goosebumps from the cold. "Put your jacket back on, you're going to get sick."

"You aren't my mother!" Burning Spice teases his friend, however he does put the jacket on when she glares at him with the same expression a parent would give a disobedient child.

"I may not be your mother, but I still know that you'll catch a cold if you don't dress properly." Hollyberry jokes with a content sigh, this little break from everything is nice, not as nice as berry juice and her friends, but nice nonetheless.

"Whatever you say Holly, whatever you say..." Burning Spice trails off as he yawns, exposing his sharp teeth without a care because he knows the ancient next to him doesn't fear his fangs.

"Go, get some sleep. I'll catch up with you." Hollyberry instructs with a definitive nod that tells Burning Spice he isn't getting out of this, which he doesn't mind cause all this emotional stuff made him quite tired.

Once Burning Spice walks off, Hollyberry begins to wander the grand gardens, looking for something.

"There you are, right where you belong." Hollyberry whispers as she approaches a single rosey pink blossom among the fall leaves, with each step the flower grows larger, eventually becoming a doorway to a hidden part of the garden.

The flower shrinks behind Hollyberry, leaving her within the secret garden, its perpetual spring washing over her like a calm wave. Peace and quiet, at last.

Chapter Text

"Hollyberry? Holly?" Burning Spice calls out as he searches the grand garden for the missing ancient, looking where the two had relaxed the night prior only to find no hints of his friend. He continues through the maze of fall leaves and well kept hedges, looking for the person who trusted him to be better. Then he hears it, a shimmering sound from not too far away.

Deep in the grand garden lies a pink flower, the only thing still in bloom now that fall has set in, its pristine petals sparkling in the sunrays.

Recognition dawns on Burning Spice's face, he knows that flower- it's Eternal Sugar's calling card. Hollyberry must've been taken through that gateway flower, the beast of sloth probably planing to use her as bait or something of that sort.

"Just need to remember how to use these damned things..." Burning Spice mutters in frustration as he steps toward the flower, waiting impatiently for it to open into the garden of sloth. Why isn't it letting him in? He knows damn well he should be able to enter unless Eternal Sugar had made it so he couldn't.

"You do remember the last time you were in her domain, correct?" A voice asks, its words coming from everywhere and nowhere.

"Ah... right. She greeted me with open arms and I-"

"Proceeded to turn a good patch of the garden to dust and rubble." The voice cuts Burning Spice off, its sassy tone leading to the conclusion that if it had a face it would have quite the frustrated expression.

"Yes... that... really needed that reality check, Em." Burning Spice sasses back as he paces around the pink blossom, probably looking like he's talking to himself. His soul jam pulses a shade of gold at the sass, as if laughing with him at the petty little argument.

"Really? We're going right back to nicknames after all this time?" The voice, Em, jokes with a laugh.

"Would you rather me say 'Light of Change, Emrys of the Golden Sun.' Every time we talk?" Burning Spice retorts with a hearty chuckle, running a hand over his brightly glowing soul jam as Emrys laughs within.

"Hey, you gave me the name, my title is just 'Light of Change'" Emrys clarifies between laughter, relishing in the fact that time hasn't changed it and Burning Spice's friendship. The banter between the long separated Light and Beast is peaceful in such a strange way, and that peace causes the sugar blossom portal to open its radiant petals.

"Alright, alright. Now let's go find Hollyberry." Burning Spice instructs as he steps into the gateway, stifling his laughter. Upon entering he is hit by the sugary breeze and sneezes from the pollen. "Ugh... dumb flowers." He mumbles as he walks through the garden of sloth, looking around at the fields of flowers and fruit trees to try and spot Hollyberry or the Beast of Sloth.

The garden is far too quiet for Burning Spice's liking, he finds himself missing the energy and enthusiasm in the Hollyberry kingdom despite only being away for a few minutes. Luckily he's not alone in this place.

"This place never seems to change... even the seasons don't exist here." Emrys comments, off put by the eerie stillness the garden.

"Eternal Sugar just prefers it that way I suppose." Burning Spice offers the simplest answer he can think up, not actually sure why Eternal Sugar keeps the garden the same, maybe that's just what sloth has done to her.

"Keep going... I feel something." Emrys instructs, the Soul Jam it is held in beginning to glimmer as it picks up on two other Soul Jams nearby.

"Let's find us a Hollyberry." Burning Spice states with determination as he takes off in the direction Emrys told him to. Running through the garden, following an energy he hasn't felt in many, many years, feels unnaturally freeing.

As he rounds one final corner of trees and hedges, Burning Spice finds himself face to face with the opposite of what he had expected. Rather than a fight or Hollyberry being trapped he sees the Ancient of Passion meditating alongside the Beast of Sloth, as if it were normal. The duo don't even flinch as he enters the clearing, maybe he should wait for them to finish up.

"I will just... sit down over here." Burning Spice explains with a disappointed sigh, he flops down on the grass near the exit of the clearing to wait for his friend and fellow beast to finish whatever they are doing. It's strange to see Hollyberry sit so still, as if she is deep in thought or waiting for something.

Minutes tick by and Burning Spice is starting to become restless, who wouldn't when all you have to do is stare up at morning skies or count blades of grass. It's just as he is about to get up that something happens, Eternal Sugar twitches slightly, her feathered wings shuttering as the Soul Jam in her crown shimmers.

"Eternal Sugar? Are you-" Burning Spice is cut off by the shimmer of Eternal Sugar's Soul Jam turning into a blinding flash, as he tries to clear his vision Burning Spice hears happy exclamations from the duo of Passion and Sloth.

"That was great Sugar! You and your Light really connected that time!" Hollyberry exclaims as she stands, her usual gown now replaced by her Aegis armor. It's a strange sight to someone who has never seen such a form.

"I know! Witches above, Holly, it's been so long since I've had a genuine conversation with Bliss!" Eternal Sugar shouts excitedly, bouncing up and down like a hyper child rather than a slothful beast as she recounts the joy of speaking to the Light of Happiness again.

Burning Spice waits silently for the women to calm down from whatever they'd done and notice him, though his patience is running incredibly thin. As if it shares the sentiment his Soul Jam begins to shimmer, Emrys becoming bored with just watching everything and wanting to be seen. Eternal Sugar and Hollyberry turn to their visitor in shock, however Eternal Sugar's shock quickly turns to unbridled rage.

"Burning Spice?! You- have you come to destroy my garden once again you insufferable little-"

"COOL IT SUGAR!" Hollyberry interrupts just as Eternal Sugar is about to attack Burning Spice, the latter looking all but ready to fight for his life even as Hollyberry stands between the two beasts.

"COOL IT?! Hollyberry I am not going to stand idly by as he destroys my home!" Eternal Sugar retorts as she stares down Burning Spice, her glare burning itself into his mind to never be forgotten. Just as she's about to fly up and attack Burning Spice from the sky she feels something, Hollyberry's strong grip on her arm, preventing her from getting off the ground.

"He's not going to do anything, Sugar." Hollyberry states as she tugs Eternal Sugar away from Burning Spice.

"How would you know that?!" Eternal Sugar snaps back, still temped to try and fight Burning Spice. Even her Soul Jam is glowing with anger.

"Cause im the one who's been helping him get his spark back, just like I am with you!" Hollyberry shouts back, watching with a small sigh as both Eternal Sugar and Burning Spice realize the other is also on the path to redemption.

"Burning Spice, Beast of destruction, actually redeeming himself?" Eternal Sugar questions, not fully believing that the destructive force that is Burning Spice Cookie would give the time of day to redemption.

"As much as you are Eternal Sugar." Burning Spice retorts with a huff, frustrated that his former ally trusts him so little. Though, when he thinks a bit harder he realizes that he wouldn't trust himself if he was in Eternal Sugar's shoes (or lack there of) either.

"He's actually been doing pretty damn well, Sugar." Hollyberry comments, smiling when she notices the proud look on Burning Spice's face. Slowly Hollyberry releases her grip on Eternal Sugar, letting the former beast of sloth approach her old ally.

"I can tell..." Eternal Sugar trails off as she stares at Burning Spice, watching his anxious smile twitch as she glances over his new outfit. Eternal Sugar begins to snicker, barely stopping her laughter to speak.. "He's wearing a shirt, he would never do that before."

"Hey! It's not my fault my Soul Jam is in my damn chest!" Burning Spice retorts, playful anger in his tone rising as he recalls how he and Eternal Sugar used to bicker when they were younger.

"Maybe it isn't, but you looked like an idiot, Spice." Eternal Sugar taunts, fond memories of playful fights like this one now swirling in her mind.

"I looked Awesome Sugar!" Burning Spice replies, crossing his arms over his chest and part of his Soul Jam to emphasize his fake frustration. Just as Eternal Sugar is about to continue the squabble, both Burning Spice's and her Soul Jams begin to shimmer, dim glows indicating that their Lights are active.

"Wait... you too? Does that mean what I think it means?" Eternal Sugar asks, both of her sets of wings fluttering in pure giddy excitement.

"It does, Em is back. I am guessing Bliss is back too?" Burning Spice replies, his reveal giving Emrys all the permission they need to manifest their light form.

"Yeah, Bliss is awake too." Eternal Sugar confirms as the Light of Happiness, "Bliss", manifests themself. The simple glowing pink heart instantly zooms toward Burning Spice, humming in excitement at seeing him and his Light.

The hourglass of light that is Emrys quickly follows Bliss, the two chasing one another around the clearing like children playing tag. While the two ageless deities float around the garden their respective beasts chat about life, redemption, and Hollyberry, because she's the one who's been guiding them both.

Burning Spice tells stories about living in the Hollyberry kingdom as a former villain, Eternal Sugar goes on and on about all the new things she's learned about the flowers in her garden, and Hollyberry watches happily as the two beasts get along. All is a peace in the garden of joy, for the first time in centuries all is right in the small paradise.

Chapter Text

As Burning Spice and Hollyberry part ways from Eternal Sugar, the lights of Happiness and Change part as well, the two beings returning to the space within their respective Soul Jams.

The day continues as normal with little fuss, Burning Spice spends his day sparring with whoever will challenge him, Hollyberry attends to royal stuff before sitting back in her room with some berry juice. But as night falls things begin to change, not in the mortal realm but in the abyss where the lights shone in silence for many years.

"Emrys? Em!" The voice of Bliss, the light of Happiness, calls out as they recognize the being across from them in the void-like space.

"Bliss! By the Witches it's been eons since I've been able to access this place!" Emrys responds as they float toward their friend. As the two entities float around one another, the area around them gains shape and color, a floor like rippling galaxies forming beneath their glowing bodies.

"It's been eons since any of us could..." Bliss trails off as they look around, seeing the floating husks of the other three lights. One glows dimly, its virtue shining even in the fog around it, another is bright but not present... and the third has no light at all.

"Do you think... no... that couldn't have..." Emrys whispers to Bliss, hoping maybe that if they are quiet enough the truth will change.

"Their holder has crumbled Em... but they will heal, Knowledge was never one to abandon us." Bliss reassures Emrys, pointing out the gentle pulsing glow of the Light of Knowledge's body, it's not much, but it's still there.

"You're right... what of the others, Volition and Solidarity?" Emrys questions as they begin to walk towards their friends, the stary floor rippling like water with every step.

"V is strong, they always have been." Bliss muses as they follow Emrys, walking past Volition's floating form and giving a nod of recognition. V has been through so much, even compared to Bliss and Emrys.

"And what of our silver friend?" Emrys asks, already aware of the answer but knowing that this little song and dance makes Bliss feel special.

"Resting, it would not surprise me if we see them soon." Bliss explains, watching the strong glow of Solidarity pass over the void ripples, creating iridescent flickers on the ground.

"That is pleasing news, is it not?" Emrys replies with a smile, moving to stand as close as they can to Bliss without touching them, as such contact would cause problems in the mortal world. Who knows what such an overlap of virtue would cause?

"It is... however I feel that something... that someone is missing." Bliss's tone is soft like a cloud yet clearly pained by this sense of absence, this lack of something that is itching at their mind.

"You are not the only one," Emrys states as they move to look Bliss in their shimmering eyes. "However, I think it may just be Knowledge's absence causing it." Emrys concludes, watching Bliss's expression soften into wary acceptance.

"Even so, it should not feel as if someone is missing... as if they were erased..." Bliss muses to their friend, the theoretical cogs in their mind already turning at light speed, searching for whatever is missing.

"Does it worry you as it worries me, Emrys?" Bliss questions, looking around for something that could fill the gap in their mind.

Emrys remains silent, unable to answer the one entity they've always had by their side. While the other Light's were constantly assisting their Virtues, Change and Happiness spent more time in the abyss as their Virtues could do their jobs without help from beings like them, days spent in darkness made them closer than the others.

"Bliss... I think you have been dormant for so long that you can't tell reality from anxiety." Emrys states, their soft tone contradicting their harsh words like fire and ice. However, Emrys still reaches out, offering a dangerous yet meaningful hand in this abyssal world.

"Maybe I have... maybe I haven't... let's just wait for our Virtues to wake, old friend." Bliss chuckles to themself, eyeing Emrys's hand cautiously before slowly grabbing it. For this single moment neither of them care about anything other than friendship, not just with each other but with the other Lights. Eventually they will all stand united in this world, maybe not for long, but someday they will stand, hand in hand, amongst the stars.

As the abyss fades into darkness again, the two Lights parting ways to assist their waking Virtues, the reality of what the duo had done sets in. Just as their steps made ripples in the stars beneath them, their action is rippling through the mortal world. And who would it start with but the holders of their Soul Jams, the Beasts of Sloth and Destruction...

Chapter Text

Mid-morning sun trickles into Burning Spice's room in the Hollyberry castle, illuminating the space and waking Burning Spice himself. The former Beast slowly blinks, adjusting to the bright light before letting out a yawn that could wake the crumbled.

"Ugh... Em, wake up, Holly said she had something for us to do today." Burning Spice half whispers to his Soul Jam, letting out another fang-baring yawn as he sits up and stretches. He has never enjoyed mornings, but today he feels worse than usual, like he got hit by a truck while he slept.

"Get dressed, then I'll come out." Emrys replies from within the Soul Jam, chuckling as Burning Spice huffs in annoyance. However it only takes a few moments before their light form manifests nearby, floating around  Burning Spice's new room and exploring the hastily put together space. "Seriously, winter is coming and you are not used to that type of weather." Emrys concludes as they return to their friend's side, carefully nudging Burning Spice towards his jacket, which is hung on the edge of his axe across the room.

"Fine, I'll put on the damned jacket, it's really not that cold out-" Burning Spice's frustrated retort is cut off as the Beast catches a glimpse of himself in the reflective metal of his axe. His eyes go wide as he looks over this form he's in, usually hidden traits resurfacing after centuries; a long, lion like tail flicking behind him, and more importantly, a secondary set of arms now in their place on Burning Spice's torso.

"Em... Em tell me I am not dreaming," Burning Spice mumbles, his bewildered expression turning to one of glee as Emrys pulses, just as overjoyed as he is. "I have returned to greatness!"

Burning Spice continues to bask in this joyful moment, stretching his returned limbs and truly feeling at ease in this form. Sure he's no six armed herald, but this almost feels better, not quite the eternal bystander he was before, but not a beast of fire and ruin either. He can't help but laugh to himself, hopping around like a giddy child. Even so, for just a moment, he's taken back to a place he hasn't been in many, many years.

—

A world of grand design, all his own work, just for one night there would be a perfect festival within his temple walls. He'd aided in the creation of every detail, having six arms had made drawing up plans much easier than it would've been for a normal person.

He remembers seeing every spice tribe there- even the arctic tribe, who were known for never appearing at gatherings.- seeing high ranking generals dancing about with common folk, a soft moment between the elite wild spices and the people they protected for their whole lives.

Soon the rest of the memory came into focus; the other Virtues dancing about, disguised in common clothing and face paint, blending in and out of the crowds, happy to just be ordinary for a few hours. His dearest friends, getting to see the world from somewhere other than the pedestales they'd been born onto was beyond beautiful in that moment.

"How did you get them away from their guards, oh Great Herald?" One of his generals had asked, the only one he had trusted to help with that plan. The sound of their voice is familiar yet distant, like something lost in a blizzard.

"Well, I can only say that we had a plan, not the contents of said plan." He had replied, chuckling when the general rolled their eyes. It's odd to him that he can't remember their name, he trusted them so much yet cannot recall even the slightest thing about them...

Amongst the crowd there is another blank person, another forgotten friend...

—

"Hello? Light to Spice, we have things to do!" Emrys's voice snaps Burning Spice out of the almost paralyzing memory, reminding him that he'd promised to meet Hollyberry in the training yard at noon, which it is now.

"Right! Right. Let us go." Burning Spice hastily replies whilst yanking his jacket on, concealing his secondary arms to stop any unwanted attention from following him, although he knows some people have yet to get used to his presence at all.

"My apologies Em, I got carried away in my thoughts." Burning Spice apologizes hastily while speed walking through the grand castle halls.

Even in the rush, Burning Spice is taunted by that memory, the voice of a general he can't quite remember. What little he does remember only adds to the eeriness; they were an Arctic Spice, that part he knows, but how would he have ended up so close to a general of such a distant group?And that other person, something about their forgotten face makes Burning Spice uneasy, it feels like there's a wall between him and the truth.

"Spice? Are you sure we're going the right way?" Emrys asks, their voice the only thing to pierce the sudden fear in Burning Spice's mind- probably due to the way the two are intertwined, his Soul Jam is a part of him after all.

"Oh, well... it should be right around..." Burning Spice mumbles in response, suddenly lost in his temporary home because of some haunting voice. A voice got him upset, nothing but a stupid memory from before everything went wrong. Burning Spice needs to break something, to take his axe and smash it into the beautifully crafted stained glass windows on his right, or to bash straight through the wall on his other side.

"lost" Is the only word Burning Spice hears before just shutting everything out, even Emrys's energetic sass fails to reach the Beast as he retreats into himself, he just doesn't want to break anything... but especially not the promise he'd made to Hollyberry and to himself. He promised he'd try to be better, he promised he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Burning Spice sits down, subconsciously trying to ground himself, both mentally and physically, in this moment. He refuses to open his eyes, he doesn't know if he can face reality with this missing cookie in his memory. The deeper he dives into his mind the less he trusts his own past, Burning Spice sees more blank people, haunting him like ghosts of a past that shouldn't exist. He knows the arctic spices had no general, they were reclusive and refused to take part in diplomatic things, so why does he know the voice of their leader, the exact way they talked and the high regard in which they spoke of their people. Burning Spice can't make sense of any of this, just like he can't make sense of the sudden feeling of void in some memories, places where he thought he was alone suddenly becoming places someone else had been, someone who was removed from his mind by force.

Seconds turn to agonizing minutes as Burning Spice sits alone, Emrys having rushed off to hopefully find Hollyberry, who will hopefully have some way to help better than Emrys can. After all, Emrys isnt a Cookie, they can't understand.

"Who..? Why can't I... I dont want to forget..." Burning Spice mumbles quietly to himself, clinging to the idea that maybe, just maybe, someone is listening, someone who knows what he's missing. Those flickers of people, Cookies he once knew haunting him like twisted phantoms, it makes him nauseous.

.

..

...

A soft hand on his shoulder is what finally jolts Burning Spice out of his downward spiral, his eyes snapping open to meet... Sweetberry? The princess doesn't need to be dealing with this, she shouldn't even be near the Beast now that he's in this state, wallowing in his own misery. Yet here she is, lending a kind smile and grounding touch in a way that reminds Burning Spice of how the Virtues had comforted one another once upon another time.

"Hey... I know we've barely talked and all, but you look like you're having a rough time, so, do you want me to stay here for a while?" Sweetberry asks quietly, offering to make sure Burning Spice isn't alone right now.

"I- I..." Burning Spice tries to reply, but his words stick to his throat like painful spines, his vision going fuzzy and every light sparkling like a gleaming star, but he nods enough to get his point across.

"I get it... well, not exactly, but ive helped a lot of people through hard times," Sweetberry takes a deep inhale, centering herself before sitting down on the sugar tile in front of Burning Spice. "Whatever it is that you're going through, Queen Mother- Hollyberry- and I, are here for you." Sweetberry comforts softly, really living up to the "sweet" in her name isn't she.

Burning Spice's eyes water with fresh tears, bittersweet ones, a mix of grief for memories long gone and excitement for ones yet to come. Throughout it all, Sweetberry stays, she doesn't pressure or push, she just sits, letting Burning Spice live his feelings instead of talking over them.

Soon enough Emrys's floating light returns, Hollyberry following not too far behind, both not even pausing when they notice the current situation. Hollyberry kneels at Burning Spice's side, placing a now familiar firm hand on his back in almost gesture of silent understanding. Those ghostly figures still haunt his mind, but Burning Spice finds it easier to tune them out now.

After all, they are just memories. They can't hurt anyone.