Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla just had a meeting with his friends.

Those two months that have passed since the Dark Enchantress War have been agonizingly long without the other ancients.

He was glad they could finally meet together and laugh and cry at the letters White Lily wrote before the war. He felt sad at her thinking she wouldn't survive Dark Enchantresses defeat, but also glad she lived to read her letters with them.

Yet. there was also another thing on his mind, that even the reunion with his dear friends couldn't ease.

The ache slowly spreading from his chest to the rest of his body and the fact it was slowly getting worse.

Ever since The Light of Truth and The Light of Deceit resonated, there was a strange feeling in his heart.

During their resonating, the gems suddenly started glowing, seemingly calling out to one another, reaching out with rays of soft light for one another.

Ever since then, there has been a growing pain accompanying his every waking moment, sometimes even waking him up in the middle of the night.

At first, it was just an uncomfortable feeling, but it slowly grew over time, now painfully sqeezing his ribcage.

He suspected that his other half has been experiencing these symptoms too.

Figuring out that it most likely has something to do with their Souljams, he attempted to hear its' voice once more, only to receive silence in return.

He wanted to tell his friends about this - he really did.

Yet, he suspected they would try to blame it on the beast, since their situation after the war was quite complicated.

Without an ally on the dark side, they seemed to retreat back into their domains, possibly recovering, weakened by Dark Enchantress.

Bringing up something related to them now would only raise worry, possibly implying they are plotting something.

So for now, he had to deal with it on his own.

A firm hand patting him on the back brings him back to reality, making him stumble a little.

"Pure Vanilla? You doing okay there?" asks Hollyberry.

"Oh, Hollyberry! Apologies, it appears I zoned out a bit" he replied, looking at the woman walking beside him.

"What brings you here anyways?"

"Can't I walk a bit around my friend's castle after not being able to visit him for over two months?"

They both let out a chuckle at the comment, Pure Vanilla hiding his mouth with the sleeve of his robe.

"Though, I must admit you do seen troubled, friend" Hollyberry voices, catching the other's gaze.

"It seems I've got a little headache, Hollyberry. I'm sure it will ease after a small break"

He wasn't exacly lying. His head had started to hurt too during all of this.

"Oh well, I won't trouble you any further then! Please, take care of yourself" she responded, before disappearing further down the corridor.

Pure Vanilla smiled weakly, waving her goodbye.

Witches, his head started to hurt even more. He really needed to rest.

But before he can return to his chambers and hopefully take a nap, he decided to grab a snack from the kitchen.

Maybe the fact he hasn't eaten since breakfast was making his headache worse?

Nontherless, he decided to try it.

To his suprise, there was someone else in the kitchen.

"Ah, hello Dark Cacao Cookie!" leaves his lips, as soon as the notices the cacao warrior.

"Hello, Pure Vanilla. Are you looking for something?"

"No, I just thought I should grab a quick snack when I realized how late it was"

A half-truth, but Dark Cacao didn't need to know that.

He gets a small nod in reply, as the warrior hands him a bowl of jelly stew.

He takes it with a smile, trying his best not to grimace as another bolt of pain shots through his chest.

It appears the stew doesn't help much, but the smile on Dark Cacao's face as he finishes the bowl makes him glad he ate.

With fondness, he says goodbye to the other ancient, finally walking back to his chambers.

The painful sqeezing of his upper torso was now making it difficult for him to catch his breath.

He leans down, supporting himself up with one hand on the bedside table, the other pressed to his Souljam.

The blue gem was unnaturally warm, not cool as it should be. His staff was discarded somewhere on the floor, but he didn't care. All he could focus on right now breathing in and out, steadying his shallow, labored breathing.

His long bangs were sticking to his face, as little beads of sweat feel down from his forehead.

After a few minutes, the pain eased a little, allowing him to re-focus on the room around him with his hazy eyesight.

He picked up his staff, looking all around him in a now clear vision, deciding to focus his gaze oh the large balcony doors.

The room was cold, maybe even unnaturally so.

Suddenly, there was a puff of black smoke behind him, that send a shiver down his spine.

The shadows seemed to elongate, killing away any specs of the dim sunlight peeking through the blinds.

Pure Vanilla turned around, facing the beast floating behind him.

"You" 

Shadow Milk spat out, voice dripping with poison and hatred. His blue, mismatched eyes glowed dangerously.

"What did you do?!"

He was hovering just in front of Pure Vanilla, a sneer twisting his blue face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Shadow Milk"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. Let me repeat myself once more: What did you do to me and this wicked rock!"

He hissed venomously, pointing a clawed finger at the Souljam placed upon his chest.

Pure Vanilla raised his hand up to his own chest, placing it gently upon his brooch.

"So you have been experiencing pain too?" he asked, thinking about his suspicion from earlier.

The beast grimaced.

"Shut up, fool. Answer the question."

Pure Vanilla opens his eyes, looking in Shadow Milk's own ones.

"I have no idea why any of this is happening. I was hoping maybe you knew why"

He swallows, blinking slowly.

"But I'm sure whatever this is, we will be able to solve it. Together"

When he looks down, he notices the two Souljams are glowing a soft blue. Noticing it too, the beast frowns deeply, baring his teeth.

"Liar" the jester hisses out, floating abruptly upwards and away.

However, the moment he does so, his hands fly up, clawing at his brooch.

Pure Vanilla puts his hand up to the blue gem on his chest, gripping his staff so tightly the knuckles of his other hand turn white.

The bolt of burning, agonizing pain that shot through them passed as quickly as it began, leaving them both gasping for air and with cold sweat dripping down their faces.

Shadow Milk looks up with tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

"Pesky fool. You'll pay for whatever you did" he gasps out, before disappearing in another gust of black smoke.

Pure Vanilla just turns his head up with worry, trying to steady his own breathing.

The room is silent, filled only with the sound of the ancient catching his breath.

At least the pain seemed to ease slightly for now.

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla ran his hand over a shelf, dusting off spines of thick books.

Three days have passed since his last encounter with Shadow Milk. Ever since then, he has been browsing the castle's library in hopes of finding something that might explain their current situation. To no avail it seemed, at least for now.

Even though he has searched two full bookshelves already, all he managed to find so far was a book talking about the original Souljams and the ones that carried them - the five virtues, now known as the beasts.

It was intresting, but it was of little help. It only provided information about what he already knew with just a few new unimportand details and random facts.

With a heavy sigh, he placed another book back on the bookshelf. He still had quite a lot of books and shelves to look through with the sheer size of the royal library.

The other ancients were starting to get worried about him and all the time he spend in the library. Pure Vanilla would always play it off, saying he was just gathering research on a certain topic that has bothered him since the war. It wasn't a lie - he just didn't tell his friends what that topic was.

He looked out one of the large sugar-stained windows. It was before noon, as far as he could tell.

Dusting off his robes, he decided to head out to the markets, hopefully spending some time with his citizens.

The markets were quite lively that day.

Children were running around, shopkeepers were shouting about the best bargains and people were dancing along to tunes played on the town square, ocasionally tossing coins to the musicians, ushering them to play another tune or just simply thanking them for the entertaintment.

Quickly, a group gathered around Pure Vanilla, asking how he's been and reminding him to eat more, already ushering him to their stalls.

He let himself be dragged along, smiling at everyone who looked his way.

He was pulled from place to place, practically dragged by the crowd that has gathered by now.

He cherished his people dearly - he truly did. But they were always a bit too happy to see their former ruler, even for his own liking.

He really should have thought over the trip to the markets twice.

After quite a while, he managed to slip out of the chaos, walking down alleyways to one of his favourite places - the Crow's Nest Inn.

He stepped into the small courtyard, hearing a caw just as his feet touched the croocked tiles below.

Turning around, he spotted Black Raisin Cookie, already running up to him and waving her hand. There was crow perched up on top of her head, flapping it's wings.

"Pure Vanilla! It's nice to see you here again"

"Black Raisin Cookie! It is in fact a pleasure to see you"

The women stopped in front of him, placing her hand on her hip, as the crow that was perched upon her head flew down to her shoulder.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, I have to admit that my denizens can be quite a lot when they see me out here"

Black Raisin laughed, grabbing Pure Vanilla by the shoulder.

"Let's go inside. I'll get you something to drink and maybe some food too"

He chuckled weakly, as he was pulled into the inn.

Upon entering, he was immiediately pushed down onto a chair.

After a few moments, a cup of tea and a plate of pastries were put down in front of him.

Black Raisin settled next to him, grabbing her own cup and starting up a conversation.

"How have you been, Vanilla?"

"Quite good, actually"

She eyed him up and down, choosing to bite her tongue for now. Noticing, he attempted to change the topic.

"Anyways, how have your duties been? Have you spotted anything unusual lately?"

"Um, no. Nothing out of the ordinary"

She placed her chin on the heel of her palm, thinking.

"Though... my crows did spot a strange plant growing around the castle. I have never seen it before. I think it was some sort of flowers... it gave off a scent of milk too, if I remember correctly"

Pure Vanilla made a thoughtfull noise, looking down at the table.

After that, they both fell into an awkard silence.

Black Raisin opened her mouth as if to say something, but was proptly cut off by two little girls running up to Pure Vanilla.

He recognized them - Lemon Tart Cookie and Lemon Tree Cookie, also know as the Citrus Sisters.

"Mister Pure Vanilla! Can we braid your hair? Pretty pretty please?"

Slightly caught off guard, he smiled down at them, standing up from his seat.

"Of course you can"

The girls giggled, dragging him out of the door and setting down on a bench.

Pure Vanilla gently ran his hand over the freeshly made braid, careful not to ruin the delicate blue flowers etched in between the golden strands.

When he questioned the two why they put the flowers there, they just replied yellow looked good with blue. He accepted the answer as good enough, choosing not to push further.

He looked up at the sky, squinting slightly.

It was late afternoon, possibly setting into early evening.

As a last stop before returning, he decided to head into the sheep pasture.

Even though he was an abdicated king, he was still a shepherd at heart.

The late afternoon has just turned into early evening, as he reached the pasture.

Quickly, the cream sheep gathered up at his feet, abandoning the half-chewed grass they were munching upon just a second ago.

He laughed quietly, scrathing a lamb behind it's ear.

The saint sat down, surrounded by sheep and with his back against the fence.

After counting the sheep and making sure the gate wasn't open, he set down his staff and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the evening sun on his face.

Pure Vanilla- no, Shadow Milk dissapeared in a gust of black smoke, melting into the shadows.

He slid down the castle walls, collapsing onto the grass below.

His heels let out a muffled thud as he slid onto his knees, hair swirling around and chest heaving in.

One of his hands was still gripping his brooch tightly, the other planted on the grass below.

He finally let hot tears spill from his eyes, glaring with hatred at the milkcrowns that bloomed where they fell. He never truly understood why this happened. 

Hah, such an irohny - something he never knew, even back then when his eyes still shone blue and gold.

He pushed himself up, swaying slightly as his feet left the ground. Witches, having a fragile body always irritated him greatly.

Wiping his eyes with the hem of his ruffy sleeve, he glanced up at the grand castle towering above him.

"Stupid fool" he muttered, before opening up a portal swirling and stepping inside.

Pure Vanilla opened up his eyes, blinking away the sleep.

'Huh. It appears that was a dream' he thought, looking up at the sky.

The first stars were already visible, twinkling next to the full moon.

Looks like he accidentally fell asleep while tending to his sheep.

But who can blame him? He always felt so peaceful around them.

Glancing around, he noted all the sheep were sleeping too, nuzzled into eachother. Though, they were a bit away from him. It was unusual, since they always loved to settle right next to him.

His question was soon answered, as he felt weight shift on the side of his body.

He smiled, looking at the blue cookie resting his head on top of his shoulder.

The beast was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rythm.

Pure Vanilla paused, acknowledging the lack of pain that had accompanied him for so long.

Chapter Text

Curious what he was up to Wanting to ease the pain that has been bothering him again, Shadow Milk decided to spy on Pure Vanilla.

He followed him throughout the markets, to the Crow's Nest Inn and all the way towards the sheep pasture the saint decided to visit as a last stop.

It was... not what he expected.

It turned out what Pure Vanilla did in his free time was quite boring to Shadow Milk. He expected a royal banquet or at least a heated meeting he could snicker at, but the healer's life was rather peaceful? A snoozefest for him.

He wanted to reveal himself once they reached the sheep, a dramatic act with fancy tricks and illusions. Yet, before he had the chance to, Pure Vanilla fell asleep, ruining his plans.

What a boring cookie and a buzzkill he was.

So, not having much choice, Shadow Milk decided to settle next to Pure Vanilla, glaring at the sheep that ran away from him.

And somewhere later, he eventually fell asleep, leaning his head against something that felt weirdly similiar to the saint's robes, as a faint scent of vanilla filled his senses.

Shadow Milk- no, Pure Vanilla was sitting at small table, surrounded by books and scrolls.

He was looking up at a tome about magical artifacts meant to let you become stronger.

The passage about Souljams was very brief, bringing no new information whatsoever.

The five Souljams, worn by the ancient heroes represent five important aspects of our lives - truth, freedom, abundance, resolution and passion. They are said to grand immortality and strenght to their veilders, letting their powers surpass the ones of an average cookie. According to legend, the Souljams were created by the Witches, originally bestowed upon the five virtues, now known as the beast cookies.

There is not much information to be found about the Souljams, since most records have been long lost to history and time.

Pure Vanilla rubbed his eyes, getting up from his chair and walking over to one of the library's bookshelves.

He was just about to move on after placing the book down, having spotted something with the corner of his vision at the last moment - it was a book called "The Virtues of Cookiekind - powers and downfall".

Intrigued, he reached for the book, dusting it off and opening up at the first page.

Shadow Milk opened up his eyes, blinking lazily.

The moon was hung high up in the horizon, illuminating the night sky full of stars.

The soft moonlight was shining right at the field, basking it in an silvery glow. The grass was swaying slightly in the gentle wind, providing a peaceful scenery before his eyes.

He shifted, looking around at the sleeping sheep gathered in small clusters all around it.

Noticing that his head was still resting upon something, he lifted it up, looking to his right.

There he was - Pure Vanilla Cookie, looking at the scenery before them with a soft smile.

One of his hands was placed lightly on his brooch, the other one planted on the grass below.

The beast rolled his eyes, fully lifting his head off the ancient's shoulder.

Stirred by the sudden motion, Pure Vanilla turned his head to the side, smilling even wider at the one beside him.

Shadow Milk frowned, giving the other an unimpressed look.

Pure Vanilla just laughed quietly, hiding his mouth behind his hand.

Witches, he looked amazing in the moonlight.

"What brings you here, Shadow Milk?" left his lips as soon as his laugh ended.

"That stupid blue rock, since it doesn't seem intrested on letting me have a break from that little tantrum of it's" he grimaced through gritted teeth.

Pure Vanilla just smiled, lidding his eyes.

"Well, that does make sense, since it looks like close proximity makes the pain go away, even if only temporarily"

"And that's really weird. It never behaved this way, even back before your little 'awakening' scheme. Witches, even when it was halved it didn't hurt like that"

He chimed in, stiffing ever so slightly at the last part.

Pure Vanilla glanced down, sliding his hand lightly against the smooth surface of the blue gem on his chest.

"Do you think it has any connection to what happened during the Dark Enchantress War? Them both resonating, I mean"

Shadow Milk looked down too, tapping the crystal on his chest with an unreadable expression.

"It is possible. It doesn't really make sense, this whole pain thing doesn't, but it is still possible. Though, no idea why something like that would happen in the first place"

He healer turned his head upwards, now looking at the jester beside him.

"You know... ever since you suprised me three days ago, I've been trying to gather research on what might be wrong. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to gather much information. But there are still lots of resources in the royal library I might be able to find"

Shadow Milk looked up, meeting the gave of the one beside him.

"And what proposition do you bring along with this information?"

Pure Vanilla smilled sheepishly, speaking up.

"If we start to research it together now, it will surely take us way less time than if only one of us was trying to solve it"

He paused, swallowing.

"Shadow Milk, will you help me to solve this problem?"

The beast went quiet, thinking.

He really hated the idea of having to work together with sworn enemy. But if it meant their issue would go away sooner and their lives could return back to what they been before all this, then why not? Maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea, after all. Plus, maybe he could even manage to coax out Pure Vanilla's deceitful side he was oh-so-eager to show off as Truthless Recluse? That would be a real show.

So, after thinking it over, he responded, almost whispering.

"If that means this mess is over sooner, then yes. I will help you"

Pure Vanilla sighed, relief washing over him.

"That's wonderfull. We can start with the research tomorrow"

Shadow Milk nodded, avoiding his fond gaze.

Their Souljams were glowing, thriving on the newfound teamwork.

Maybe it truly wasn't that bad of an idea.

Chapter Text

After their discussion on the matter, Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla decided to start researching their situation together.

They would go to the library at dawn, gathering any writings that might be useful and sitting down.

They would look through them for a few hours, before Pure Vanilla was headed off to breakfast with the other ancients. Of course, he would always sneak away something for the other.

Even though he didn't need food, water or sleep to survive, the healer would always insist on him to do such things as eating, drinking, etc.

After breakfast, he would either go back to the library or act up on his royal duties. Maybe he was abdicated, but still acted like he was a ruler and had such duties to attend to.

If he returned to the library, he would help Shadow Milk to gather papers, scrolls and books that might be useful.

He was of good help, since he would always put away things he knew were of no use in their situation.

His knowledge really helped them.

If he didn't return, Shadow Milk would continue looking through the library's resources by himself.

And during the evenings, the beast would slip away into a shadow or into a spare room Pure Vanilla prepared in secret.

The room in question was just a guest bedroom - nothing special. The only thing that could be called "unique" about it was the color pallete - instead of being covered in gold, yellow and a waffelcone pattern, the room was painted in a soft blue, with checkered white and black patterns and subtle touches of indigo.

Huh. Maybe the saint's taste wasn't that horrible after all.

Yet, there was only one problem - the people in the castle. Especially the other ancients.

They were meant to stay for two weeks there. By the time Shadow Milk agreed to help Pure Vanilla with finding a solution to their problem, five days of their stay have passed.

After accepting the proposition of teamwork, four more days have passed.

He just had to survive another five in secret, if he didn't want to end up in silver chains once again.

He had asked the hero of truth if he intended to tell his friends about their little deal.

The shepherd replied that they would probably imprison him right away, even if he swore the beast held no malice or ill intensions.

Fair enough, the jester guessed.

And so, here they were - working together in secret, hiding away from prying eyes. A little cat and mouse game, except they were the mice and others were the predators breathing down their necks, waiting for a single wrong move, ready to strike.

They had a few close calls - a librarian walking up on them, almost noticing Shadow Milk, people seeing his eyes glinting in the shadows in the corner of their vision, that were gone by the time they turned around or one of Pure Vanilla's friends walking up on them mid conversation, somehow missing the black smoke he dissapeared into.

Yet, today was going to be the closest call they had so far.

They were rummaging through a set of scrolls in the library.

Shadow Milk was pointing at a rune used in binding magic. Even though none of them remember casting any spells at the moment, they still look for symbols of binding magic they might remember seeing when their Souljams resonated.

It didn't bring any results yet. It might never do.

A joyfull voice snapped them back to reality, making Shadow Milk dissapear in the last second, accidentally leaving some smoke behind.

Hollyberry walked up to Pure Vanilla, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Hey there, Pure Vanilla! What are you doing here so early?" she asked, her eyes snapping to the receeding black smoke.

"Did you burn something in here?"

"Oh, Hollyberry! Hahah, no it was just... just a side effect of a preservation spell on one of the scrolls. Also, it is not that early, the sun has risen some time ago already" he responded, forcing a smile upon his lips.

"If you say so... though, why are you looking at binding spells?"

"Oh, I uh- I'm searching for the records Dark Enchantress might have used in her spells to destroy them. We don't want a situation like that happening ever again, do we?" the healer forced a chuckle, closing one of the scrolls.

He felt bad lying to his friends, but there was no better option right now.

"Anyways, why are you here my friend?"

"It's time for breakfast, Pure Vanilla! The others are already waiting!"

"Oh my. I didn't realize how much time has passed"

The woman just laughed, leading him away and into the dining room.

Around the table, there was Dark Cacao, Golden Cheese and White Lily. The radiant queen was sitting next to the flower ancient, chatting away and smilling.

Golden Cheese's wings were spread wide, shining in gold and teal. White Lily's white ones were also high up and glinting in subtle silver. Pure Vanilla held back a giggle at that - it was something a lot of winged cookies seemed to do to quote "show off", a bit like a sugar peacock would.

Hollyberry ushered him to his chair, sitting herself down next to Dark Cacao.

There was bowl of jellyberries nudged towards him, making him smile at his dear friends.

He placed a few jellies and pastries on his plate, hiding one away in his side of the other realm for Shadow Milk.

He also poured himself a cup of tea and turned back to others.

Dark Cacao cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.

"Pure Vanilla Cookie"

He began, making eyecontact with him.

"We are worried about you"

The saint opened his mouth, but was promptly cut off.

"You seem... distant, lately. You spend your days hiding away in the library, coming out only when you have to. We know that searching for spells Dark Enchantress might have used is important to you, but please - don't overwork yourself and take some rest"

Pure Vanilla could feel his face heating up in embarressment. He didn't want to make his friends worry for him and the lie about what he was searching for made him feel even worse.

He gripped his staff a little tighter, fingers clenched against cool metal.

"My friends, I'm sorry I have made you all worried for me. It wasn't my intention to cause you concern for my wellbeing"

"Pure Vanilla, you don't have to apologise" White Lily spoke quietly.

"You have good intentions, we all have. But try not to overwork yourself. I know how stubborn you can be"

His grip on the staff loosened as he opened up his eyes and let out a long breath.

"Thank you, White Lily. I guess you are right - I should have a little bit of rest. If you need something, I'm going to be in my chambers"

They smiled at eachother, as Pure Vanilla got up and went back to his room.

When he closed the door behind himself, a figure started to rise up from the shadows, slowly taking the shape of a cookie.

"Well, Nilly~ That was a close one!" grinned Shadow Milk, showing off a row of sharp teeth in an unnaturally wide smile.

Pure Vanilla huffed out a laugh, covering his lips with his hand.

Huh. He seemed to do that a lot. An old habit, probably.

"Maybe. But they were more concerned than suspicious. They believe I'm searching for spells Dark Enchantress used to destroy them. Though, I suppose when this situation is over, I should do that"

The beast rolled his eyes, annoyance visible in all of them.

"Oh please, you goody-two-shoes"

"I don't even wear shoes"

"And you can't make jokes. I should get you a guide on that"

They both laughed at that, Shadow Milk floating over a little closer to Pure Vanilla.

"Sooo what now, you're going to rest or what?"

"Hm, I think I'm going to read a book-"

The sound of a door being slammed startled them both, making the jester melt into the shadows almost immiediately.

"Pure Vanilla? Were you talking to someone?" asked White Lily, stepping into the room.

"Oh? White Lily, what brings you here?" he replied, dodging the question.

"I just wanted to ask if you're willing to go on a walk with me around the garden" she smiled, brushing a strand of white hair away.

"Yes, thay sounds lovely! You can tell me how the Fairy Kingdom has been doing lately"

They walked out of the room, with Shadow Milk trailing behind in the shadows.

"...And that's how the faeries decided on opening up their kingdom, since they no longer needed to protect the Silver Tree"

She finished, looking at a bed of blooming lilies.

They have been walking around for an hour now, just talking and enjoying eachother's company.

Pure Vanilla bend down, picking up two lilies. He put one behind his ear, the other behind White Lily's. 

They both laughed at the random gesture.

"I think it's time for me to go. I promised Golden Cheese we would meet at the markets together later" she said, waving goodbye to her friend.

"Have a good time you two!" he yelled back at the flower ancient, as she exited the garden.

After her silloutte dissapeared fully, Shadow Milk rose out of the ground, resting his chin on Pure Vanilla's shoulder.

"I can smell romance from a kilometer away radiating off these two"

"White Lily and Golden Cheese have been getting along better lately after years of tension. What's wrong with that?"

The jester scoffed, floating up.

"Whatever" he averted his gaze, looking up at the puffy clouds scattered across the sky.

Pure Vanilla smiled, pulling his hand up and placing it lightly on the Souljam resting on his chest.

It was humming, glowing softly.

Shadow Milk's hand flew up, pressed to his brooch. His Souljam was acting the exact same.

Strange rocks.

Chapter Text

A few more days have passed since their cover was almost blown.

Now, the two weeks the other ancients were meant to stay in the castle for were slowly coming to an end.

Pure Vanilla felt guilty - for lying to his friends and because some part of him felt relieved they were finally leaving his kingdom.

The sadness he felt at the same time also fueled his shame, because he shouldn't be feeling both sad and happy about the fact his friends are leaving to return back to their kingdoms. Shadow Milk had to reming him not to lament about it too much - they still had a bigger issue to solve as of now.

"Hellooo Earthbread to Nilla" Shadow Milk snapped his fingers, waving a hand in front of Pure Vanilla's face. It brought him back to reality.

"Geez, you've been zoning out the whole morning. Have you finally gone senile or what?"

"Ah! A- apologies, Shadow Milk. It's just... my friends are leaving today and I've found myself a bit lost in thought" he chuckled slightly, pulling away the hand placed in front of his face.

Shadow Milk rolled his eyes, avoiding the other's gaze. He put his feet up at the table, leaning back in his chair. His heels clicked softly against the wooden surface as he crossed his legs, swiping away a few scrolls to the side.

"You're making it sound like such a big deal. You've said goodbye to them countless lives during the whole time you knew eachother. What's so diffrent about this time?"

Pure Vanilla looked down, letting out a heavy sigh.

"I just a little guilty about not telling them what's happening. I know this is probably the right choice right now, but still..."

The jester groaned, pulling a hand down his face.

"Self-pity will do nothing right now. Listen, you will just have to power through it. That's the truth"

"Aren't you supposed to feed me lies and deceive me?"

"My whole thing is that I give you sweet lies and bitter truths. Looks like you need the second one more at the moment" replied Shadow Milk with his usual theatrics, giving the saint a side glance and gesturing wildly.

Pure Vanilla let out a soft huff of laughter at that. It the beast's lips twich, cracking into an involountary smile.

"Anyways, when are you supposed to send them off?" the trickster asked, his usual Cheshire grin spreading across his face.

"They are going to depart after breakfast... which is actually time for right now" replied the healer, eyes darting to a grandfather clock to his left.

"Well, looks like it is time for me to go" he clasped his hands together, standing up. After grabbing his staff, fixing up his hat and smoothing out his robes, he was already out the door, hurrying slightly.

Shadow Milk watched in silence as the other one exited the library, dissapearing behind a corner.

Well, a little spying won't do any harm, will it?

Shadow Milk dissapeared into the shadows, trailing behind the ancient.

Pure Vanilla walked into the dining room, just as the last of his friends took their seats.

Today's breakfast was a bit more fancy than usual: on the white tablecloth, there were set bowls of jellies, plates filled with pastries and cakes, racks of treats and bottles of refreshing drinks, along with kettles full of aromatic tea.

The hero of truth sat at the head of the table, pouring himself a cup of said tea. 

The other ancients were gathered around, already enjoying the food and chatting happily. Pure Vanilla cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"My friends" he began, standing up from his chair.

"I was incredibly happy being able to be a host for you for the past two weeks. It brings a smile to my face, seeing you all well-rested and full of joyfull spirits. Having to say goodbye pains my heart, but I'm sure we will be able to meet again like this one day. I wish you a safe journey and a peaceful kingdom to return to. Farewell, dearest friends"

Everyone was smilling at the shepherd as he sat down, his ears filled with their laughter and thanks.

Listening to them talk made him feel lighter than he has been for weeks, guilt being tossed somewhere into the dephts of his mind. That was a problem for later - his worries could wait, as he placed the other ancients as a top priorority for now. He'll worry about all of his issues later.

Pure Vanilla insisted on the castle's servants helping the ancients clear out their rooms, even if they originally protested. He howeaver kept on instisting, saying the castle staff is more than happy to help them.

The others eventually caved in, letting themselves be helped.

They were also given gifts - nothing fancy, just some tea made from flowers and herbs that grew in the Vanilla Kingdom, as well as some pastries they could eat on their venture back.

It was before noon and finally time for the other ancients to depart.

Pure Vanilla was stading on one of the Vanilla Kingdom's docks. He was helping to load the ships with his magic, loading crates of stuff aboard.

Dark Cacao and Hollyberry ventured to his kingdom by sea, using the royal ships. Golden Cheese traveled by an airship and White Lily used a spell that lets you teleport across large chunks of space within seconds. Pure Vanilla was a bit worried about the last method of travel, but White Lily reassured him if she rested, ate well beforehand and didn't overuse her magic, her journey will go smoothly and without any incidents. Trusting her word, he choose to focus on helping the others with loading back their cargo.

Yes, they did bring some people along with them, but not much.

Hollyberry brought Wildberry and Rasberry, along with a four other guards. Dark Cacao brought Caramel Arrow and Crunchy chip with three other warriors. Golden Cheese brough Mozarella and Burnt Chees together with a flock of chesebirds and White Lily came alone, explaining teleporting more than one person along would drain a large chunk of their energy.

And who took care of their kingdoms int their absence? 

The Hollyberry Kingdom was entrusted under Royal Berry, as expected. Smoked Cheese Cookie was meant to look after the Golden Cheese Kingdom, since the radiant goddest trusted him with it. The Fearie Kingdom was supposed to be kept in tact by all the fearies, since they were used to having to live without a reliable ruler for quite some time. And finally, the Dark Cacao Kingdom was suprisingly entrusted into it's prince's hands - Dark Choco Cookie.

Dark Cacao explained, that after the war ended, he met his son already waiting in the kingdom. He told his father about his decision to leave the dark side and help to defeat the monsters under Dark Enchantress'es control. After that act, Dark Cacao started slowly rebuilding his relationship with his son, being able to state with confidence that he can trust him now.

And now, it was finally time for Pure Vanilla to say goodbye to his friends for real.

He spent along time on each of his friends.

The first one to depart was Hollyberry, laughing aloud and promising to meet with them soon.

The next in line was Dark Cacao, binding his farewell and saying he will keep in touch.

The third person to leave was Golden Cheese, telling Pure Vanilla to write to her often.

And so, the last one to remain was White Lily. The goodbye with her lasted the longest, full of her reminding Pure Vanilla to take care of himself and send her letters if anything is bothering him. After a last hug, she dissapear with a speck of green, leaving behind a faint scent of lilies.

When there wasn't anyone in sight, Shadow Milk revealed himself, stepping out of the shadows and resting his head atop Pure Vanilla's, sprawled on his stomach and dangling his legs in the air. With how close he was, Pure Vanilla could smell the faint scent of blueberries coming from the trickster.

"Wow, that took awfully long, don't you think?" he asked, his tone full of teasing with an edge of annoyance creeping in.

"We were all just very happy to spend time together. It's always sad to say goodbye in situations like this"

The jester scoffed, rolling his eyes into his skull. The unnatural things his body could do always creeped the saint out.

Pure Vanilla let out a light sigh, lidding his eyes and brushing a hand along his Souljam. The gem was buzzing, almost... excited? Relieved?

Huh, strange. What could that mean?

Chapter Text

After the other ancients left, Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk resumed their routine, but with a few changes.

For one, instead of the saint sneaking away food for the beast, they ate breakfast together in the library. They would take some food from the kitchen and set it up on the table in between books or scrolls. Doing so took definitely less time than sitting down in the dining room, allowing them to work and fuel their brain at the same time.

Another change was the fact, that they both let their guard down a little and weren't so caucious anymore.

It meant less paranoia, yes, but also they were more likely to get caught.

...Which also happened just two days after they other ancients departed.

Shadow Milk was pointing something out on a scroll, taking a pen and a sheet of paper to take notes. Even after looking through so many materials, weren't even close to finishing one eight of the royal library's magic resources.

But this particular scroll was somewhat useful. It was ritual supposed to reverse the effects of a curse - not really something they were looking for, but maybe when modified, it could reverse a soul binding spell?

It was also their newest hyphotesis - when their Souljams resonated, a soul bond was created in between them, fueled mainly by the gems' powers.

The beast was standing on his chair, leaning over the table and scribbling something on the sheet of paper. The ancient was pointing out the location of the runes used in the magic circle needed for the ritual. A plate of half-eaten scones was pushed to the side, along with two cups of coffee that has gone cold a long time ago.

Shadow Milk was going over what they could modify, when a loud crash made them both jump and whip around.

There, standing next to a tall bookshelf was a librarian, books scattered before their feet. Their mouth was wide open, as if attempting to say something, but no words were coming out.

"Shit" hissed the jester floating up, already ready to flee and melt into the shadows.

The healer grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down.

"Biscoff Crumble Cookie! I- I can explain!" the hero of truth said, standing up. He was still gripping the trickster's wrist tightly.

That's how they both found themselves in a meeting with the castle's staff.

Pure Vanilla was attempting to explain how he and Shadow Milk were forced to work together, because of a mutual issue that left them both unable to function normally.

He was met with sceptical glances and the cookies muttering under their breath.

Shadow Milk swore he heard someone whisper "Did someone cast a spell on him?"

When Pure Vanilla finished talking, a thick silence engulfed the whole room.

After murmuring some more against eachother, the cookie that first caught them spoke up - Biscoff Crumble Cookie.

They ran a hand through their light brown hair, brushing back short curls, pushing their chair back as they straightened up and planted their hands on the table below.

"Yes, your majesty. We understand that your teamwork is crucial to fix an important problem. Thus, from now on, we will try to accomodate you and help however we can"

The rest of the cookies agreed silently, standing up and returning to their duties.

A weight was pulled back from their shoulders, as the beast slumped forward in his chair and the ancient let out a long sigh, resting his forehead against the palm of his hand.

After that, their situation became a little easier, actually.

Shadow Milk could now roam freely around the castle, having to no longer hide in the shadows.

But it also meant his tricks and attempts to scare the staff caused only sighs and hands dragged down their faces, instead of shrieks of terror and horror written all over their features.

So now, he only messed up the layout, paintings and other decor purely out of spite and need for redecoration.

Becoming more comfortable, he even started openly leaving the castle, roaming around the gardens or with Pure Vanilla.

Pure Vanilla.

He also started being more open about Shadow Milk being in the castle.

Yet, they were not ready to go fully public with the fact that he was there. The citizens could still become frightened, maybe even people who shouldn't be dragged into this mess will be.

Better safe than sorry, they say.

It was evening. Pure Vanilla returned to his chambers after a long day.

Meetings dragged, papers stacked upon eachother and today's research in the library brought no new information.

He was ready to discard his things and sprawl out on the bed, when a speck of blue on the balcony cought his attention.

He was used to seeing blue there because of the blueberry birds, but never this late nor large.

He slowly walked over, opening the sliding glass doors. There, perched up on the railing was no other but Shadow Milk, grinning mischieviously.

"Shadow Milk? What brings you here at this hour?"

He opened his eyes in slight confusion, eyeing the beast up and down.

The jester rolled his eyes, floating down to the floor and outstreching his hand.

"Come on, Nills. You're sulking and I can't stand to see my dear host in such a terrible mood! So, I have an idea how to turn that frown upside down" his eyes glinted. Perhaps with more mischiev, perhaps with amusement.

Hesitantly, Pure Vanilla took his hand, feeling himself being pulled up.

When they were both high up in the sky, Shadow Milk bowed down and outstretched his hand.

"May I have this dance, your majesty?" 

There was a teasing tone in his voice, but the eyes in his hair stared at the saint, waiting.

He chuckled slightly, taking the hand in his own. Shadow Milk pressed a light peck to it, giving the saint's cheeck a slight rosy tone.

"Yes, you may. But remember that dropping me down will probably only make the issue with pain worse"

The jester just grinned wider, sliding a hand along Pure Vanilla's waist. The other gripped tightly onto his shoulder, fingers intertwining with his.

And so, they danced. In front of the moon, to the wind's music.

"Why did you choose dancing as a form of cheering me up?" asked the ancient, light-hearted.

"Because I heard you and Hollyberry talking about how much you enjoy Walts at her grand balls" his tone had the same light-heartiness to it.

"Oh my. Spying, weren't we?"

"What did you expect me to do when she always barged in on our conversations?"

He asked, leaning over slightly.

They both let out a soft laugh at that, enjoying the night breeze caressing their hair.

Shadow Milk swirled Pure Vanilla around, dipping him into a low bow.

His golden hair sparkled beautifully in the moonlight.

They both had wide smiles on their faces as they gazed into  eachother's eyes.

The beast rightened them up, floating over to the balcony. He set them both down gently.

Pure Vanilla's bare feet let out a soft thump as they touched the marble balcony, Shadow Milk's heels letting out a sharper click.

The healer walked over to the balcony doors, opening them and stepping inside the room. 

"Goodnight, Bluebird" he turned back, smilling softly.

Shadow Milk raised an eyebrow.

"Bluebird? Seriously?"

"Well, you do remind me of the blueberry birds when you are perched up on the railing. Just as right now, for example"

The beast scoffed, averting his gaze.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Silly-Vanilly"

When the balcony doors were shut closed, Shadow Milk slithered into the shadows, returning to his room.

He brushed his fingers against the cool surface of the Souljam placed upon his chest. Strangely, he hasn't experienced any pain connected to it lately.

The blue gem was glowing softly, humming along to the night wind's song.

Very odd rocks.

With that thought in mind, he floated over to the bed, letting sleep overtake him and and the moon's melody to lull him into a peaceful slumber.

Chapter Text

Peace is not meant to last. You can't tame a wild beast. Or maybe you can, but not without pain. Not without suffering or failiture of any kind.

So why would anyone stay?

Hope, perhaps. Hope is maybe the right word. Maybe yes, maybe not.

Or people just have this much faith sometimes. No matter.

When you heal a beast, you can't expect not to come out without a few scrapes of your own.

And if you want to survive, you have to live first.

It was late evening.

The sun has already dissapeared behind the horizon, leaving flickering streetlights to light up the streets and cold, night air to force anyone back into the warmth of their home.

Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla were sitting on a small meadow, surrounded by silvery white flowers - moonflowers.

The cool breeze was ruffling their hair, telling them they should go inside.

But talking the conversation they were having was more important right now.

They were talking about possible solutions to the problem with their Souljams.

As infuriating it was to admit, the knowledge Shadow Milk possesed wasn't of much help. And his knowledge, especially about magic was incredibly large. But, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't recall a lot of information about what was happening to him. He knew a lot about soul bonds, binding spells and reversing rituals.

Yet, none of it seemed exacly similiar to their situation. Their Souljams were silent - something that was once comforting to him, but brought only the feeling of unease as of now.

The gems also physically hurt to be separated, which was another thing he never heard before when it came to bonds of any kind.

From what he recalled, soul binding never hurt physically. Emotionally? Yes. But physically? It shouldn't.

It was also very obviously connected to the blue gems placed upon their chests. It confused him greatly.

They never behaved like this before - not when he was still imprisoned, not in the spire and not even when he tortured his other half.

Pure Vanilla also wasn't exacly sure what was happening. His knowledge about magic was mainly focused on healing, what he was taught in the Blueberry Joghurt Academy and what little he knew about sealing spells.

Finding an answer was going to be a long process - that much they were sure about.

But even with all their problems, some small part of them liked this. Not the whole pain situation, definitely not, but eachothe's company. Even if as temporary allies, even because of forced proximity, but they still did.

Pure Vanilla looked at Shadow Milk. Really looked.

He noticed how the other would start gesturing wildly when lost in thought, or how he would avoid his gaze whenever he showed him sincerity.

Maybe, just maybe, they could grow closer?

But alas, helping a monster get better is not that easy.

The sun was rising and the birds were singing.

As usual, they were both in the library, looking through it's resources.

Looking through every single scrap if paper talking about magic was definitely going to take them a long, long time.

Even if not alone, it would take months, maybe even over a year to look through it all. And there was no guarantee they would find what they were looking for.

Yes, they did have an eternity to solve this, but they did not want to spend an eternity like this.

Pure Vanilla was nervous.

There was an insistant though lingering in his mind, that has been there for quite some time. Maybe if he voiced it, he would ruin everything, or maybe it will make things easier?

He took a deep breath. 

Nontherless, it was worth the risk.

Shadow Milk was flipping through a book with one hand, dragging his sharp nails over the table with the other one.

Suddenly, he froze. He could feel another hand being placed on top of his own, preventing him from damaging the wooden surface further.

His gaze snapped up, fixed on the one before him.

Pure Vanilla was looking at him. There was nervousness written all over his face.

"Shadow Milk" he said, his voice suprisingly steady.

"I've been... I've been thinking a lot lately. About this whole situation and..."

He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

"And what will we do after this issue is solved. I just wanted to say, that you're welcome to stay, even when all of this is over"

Shadow Milk's eyes widened and the jam in his veins turned to ice.

No... no, it can't be.

He was dreading the saint's next words, looking everywhere but him.

"I would like us to become friends, even when we no longer have to remain together. I would like to get to know you better"

Know him. Manic laughter was threatening to spill out of him.

The ice in his veins shattered, beginning to boil.

He slapped Pure Vanilla's hand away, floating up to hower above him.

"CURSE YOU!" he spat out, voice dripping with venom.

"You know NOTHING. You are NOTHING. I know what game you're playing. Trying to earn my trust, to what? Seal me away with the help of that half-withered friend of yours once this whole mess is over? You don't know ANYTHING. You pretend to understand me, but even after all I've put you through, yous still cling to that delusion"

"Shadow Milk-" he started, but was promptly cut off.

"Oh please. Lying to the Master of Deceit, are you? Nice try, Nills. But you gotta try a lottle harder than that"

He was circling around Pure Vanilla, as shadows started swallowing every last bit of light in the library. The large, glass windows were beginning to shatter, scattering glass across the carpet.

"Shadow Milk, please just listen-"

"Orrr are you going to get rid of me for good instead of sealing? A healer you may be, but you've got the nerves to kill if you had to"

"SHADOW MILK"

The room was swallowed by light for a split second.

Shadow Milk covered his eyes, hissing angrily.

When he opened them back, he could feel cold, sharp metal pointed against his neck.

There, Pure Vanilla was breathing heavily, pressing a tip of a metal petal lightly against Shadow Milk's neck.

The jester narrowed his eyes, pupils thinning into slits.

"I see" he grumbled, turning into a shadow and slipping away.

Pure Vanilla's hand went up, pressed to his brooch.

It was pulsing unpleasantly, filled with anxiety.

Three nights have passed since their argument.

Shadow Milk has been gone since then, his presence nowhere to be found.

The ache in his Souljam has returned, slowly worsening.

The last time, it had taken over two months for it to get bad.

Maybe it was the suddenly broken proximity they were used to? Or the circumstances they both separated in.

Nontherless, he was not happy with all of the events that have occured recently.

Especially with the fact, that just after their initial fight, he had to go to a meeting to discuss a political conflict happening between the Créme Republic and Parfaedia.

Pure Vanilla felt drained after having to hear them bicker for three days about a small island found on the outskirts of Crispia.

All he wanted to do was rest, but even that impossible with the dull pain in his Souljam.

He let out a long breath, walking inside his chambers. Dusk was setting, basking the room in last rays of today's sun.

The healer rubbed his eyes, tired. But something quickly caught his attention.

There, in the corner of the room, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Shadow Milk had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was trashing around, dripping onto the fluffy, white carpet.

"Missed me?" he snarled, floating in front of Pure Vanilla.

His face twisted into a wicked grin, showing off a row of sharp teeth.

"Why did you leave?" the healer asked, voice steady. He pinned the other with a sharp gaze, making him still momentarilly.

"I- what?" even through his unweavering grin, the ancient could see confusion showing through.

"Why did you leave?" he asked again, ignoring the slight crack in his voice.

"Because" ShadowMilk's eyes shone dangerously, as darkness swallowed the room.

"I am not something to be tamed. Domesticated, or to be trusted. I am a beast and you, dear Vanilly, have been ignoring that fact for far too long"

He floated behind the hero of truth, kicking the back of his knee.

It made him crumple to the floor, kneeling against his will.

Shadow Milk grabbed his face with one hand a wrist with the other, digging his sharp nails into the soft dough.

Pure Vanilla closed his eyes shut, trashing slightly as the sharp nails gripping him dug in deeper, drawing a bit of jam.

"Tell me, oh legendary hero, did you really think its that easy to fool me?" 

The hand on his face lowered, tightening around his neck.

The healer gasped, struggling to free himself.

His Souljam was buring. Shadow Milk most likely felt the same.

After what felt like an eternity, the hands gripping him let go, making him stumble as he fell to the floor.

The darkness started receeding, as Shadow Milk feel down onto the bed, gripping the sheets so tightly they were starting to rip.

Pure Vanilla joined him shortly after, pulling him down with him.

He pressed their foreheads together, as fresh tears spilled down their cheecks.

"Why... why do you keep doing this? You know I'll only end up hurting you over and over again" the beast chocked out, hating how pathetic his own voice sounded.

The saint opened his eyes, looking at him. His gaze was gentle - impossibly so.

"Because I want to help you. I want you to know you are not just a beast. You never were just a beast. I'm sorry for bringing up the possibility of friendship between us. Seems like I did it far too soon"

The jester pressed closer, seeking the warmth of another body next to him.

Clink

The soft sound echoed, as their Souljams were accidentally pressed together. It made them both gasp softly - a warm sensation spread through their bodies, making their eyes widen. The two blue gems were glowing, pulsing faintly with magic.

It caused them sleepiness, making their eyelids heavy.

Just before letting sleep claim them, Shadow Milk whispered, voice hoarse and cracked at the edges.

"I'm... sorry. Sorry for... all of this"

Pure Vanilla replied, tone thick with sleep as a ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"It's alright"

Blue and gold swam under their eyelids as they slowly drifted off, still pressed next to eachother.

Chapter Text

It was dark.

The only thing visible among the darkness was a blue light. But it was starting to  dim. That was until the space went bright for a second, before two blue lights started to shine, lighting up the darkness.

The Light of Truth and the Light of Deceit, formerly known as the Light of Knowledge were formed in that very moment.

They extended glowing strings of blue light towards one another, before being abruptly separated by silver branches. The sound of shattering was the only thing breaking the stillness and silence.

The scenery changed. It was familiar.

Shadow Milk was howering in front of Pure Vanilla, looking at him with hatred. At that very moment, their Souljams started resonating, calling out to one another.

Above them, two ghostly figures were floating. They shimmered in pale blue, reaching out and extending their hands to eachother.

They swirled in circles, both unable to take the other's hand.

Until they did, suddenly.

They landed in eachother's arms, doing a little twirl in the process. A bittersweet scene, accompanied by soft laughter.

A quiet, yet unmistakable voice cut through the silence.

"If they don't to let us be together..." started the Light of Truth.

"...Then we will force them to" finished the Light of Deceit.

Their voices didn't sound like they were speaking aloud — more like an echo in your mind.

"We will be together once again. We will exist as one once again. And if they don't cooperate, we will force them to" whispered the Light of Deceit.

Glowing blue strings shattered the darkness. They were wrapped around the ghostly figures hands, before falling down and wrapping around the two cookies below.

They didn't notice, or they couldn't see the strings beginning to wrap around them, restraining them ever so slightly.

They settled on their wrists and around their Souljams, before fading away into glimmering blue sparks.

In that very moment, the two figures dissapeared, returning as soft light into their place upon the two cookies chests.

Shadow Milk woke up, blinking away the rest of the colors swimming around in his vision. He could feel sunlight upon his dough. The scent of vanilla was quite strong, tingling his nose.

He also noted, that his face was squished against something white.

He lifted up his head, pulling back slightly.

Sleeping next to him was Pure Vanilla, his arms wrapped around Shadow Milk's waist. The jester's arms were also wrapped around the one beside him, holding him in place. And the thing his face was squished against was no other than the saint's chest.

The beast could feel heat rising up to his face, as he attempted to free himself from the grip.

The motion made Pure Vanilla flutter his pale eyelashes, waking up.

He looked at Shadow Milk for a second, before realizing what was happening.

He quickly let go of the jester, as his cheeks turned a rosy hue.

They sat in awkard silence for a minute, dodging eachother's gazes.

After what felt like an eternity, Pure Vanilla cleared his throat, speaking up.

"Did you also get the um-"

"The dream? Yeah" interrupted Shadow Milk.

He looked out the window. It was late morning, possibly early afternoon.

They slept quite long, looking at the fact they began research at dawn or very early morning every day.

"Shall we head to the library?" asked the saint, tilting his head to the side. His long, golden hair spilled over his shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure that was not just a dream. And since we now have any information about what happened, our research might become more productive"

Shadow Milk blinked, looking away.

"Yeahhh that's a good idea"

And so, they smoothed out their robes and went down the library, stopping by the kitchen to grab some food.

Pure Vanilla was free today, so they could spend their whole day in the library.

Since they now knew a bit about what actually happened, the type of research they should gather was a bit more clear.

The Souljams wanted to fuse together into the Light of Knowledge — that was the picture painted in front of them. From what they saw, it was rather quite obvious it was not just a hyphotesis.

Though, now the biggest issue was what their Souljams actually did.

It was some sort of soul binding, judging by the blue strings that wrapped around them in the dream and the ones who have done it.

But... the whole magic their Souljams were capable of was still rather a mystery.

And they were both rather a little bit tense from their last two fights — that wasn't helping their case either.

Still, they had to at least try to make use of this new, crucial information.

And now, they had to hurry more than ever to collect as much research as they could, before the preparations for the summer festival started.

The 21th of june was just a week away and the actual celebrations would last three more days.

So, they really needed to hurry up.

Shadow Milk groaned, placing his head in his hands.

This was going to take forever.

The food shoved to the side of the table has long grown cold, unwilling to be touched by any of them.

Pure Vanilla's hair was a mess and his robes were all wrinkled.

They really needed a break.

"Shadow Milk?"

"Mhm?"

"Would you care to go for a walk? I think fresh air would do us some good at the moment"

"Yeah, okay"

Pure Vanilla was walking along a garden path as Shadow Milk floated new to him.

It was quite sunny that day. Maybe a little chilly for june, but still warm.

All of the flowers were blooming now, giving the gardens a nice, colorful scenery.

Pure Vanilla was chatting happily about the flowers there, as if Shadow Milk didn't already know them all.

Hyacinthus orientalis he thought, as they passed a bed of hyacinths.

After a bit more walking, they settled on a bench in the shade of a big tree.

"You know, the preparations for the festival should start in two days. Until then, we should use this time to gather research and perhaps rest a little"

"It migt be a good idea. After that, they're gonna try to and drag their king into looking at every detail so it can be 'perfect'"

"Ex-king" corrected Pure Vanilla.

"As I said, they're gonna seek your approval for every little thing so you better prepare"

The healer smiled, looking at the other through half-lided eyes. His gaze was gentle and warm.

Shadow Milk scoffed, rolling his eyes.

On the bench, their hands found one another, the saint's setting atop of his.

The beast looked down, placing his clawed fingertips on the brooch upon his chest.

His Souljam was humming along to the wind's melody, buzzing slightly under his fingers.

He closed his eyes, listening to the rustle of leaves and singing of birds.

It was going to be a nice day.

Chapter Text

It was time for the Summer Festival preparations to begin.

Usually, it would be much less grand, the first preparations starting just three days before and the actual celebration lasting one day. 

But this time, White Lily advised him to streach out the celebration as a form of coping for the citizens of the Vanilla Kingdom.

Everyone was still a little shaken by the war, respectibly.

The flower ancient had told him earlier, that the Fearies would always cheer themselves up by throwing grand balls, festivals and various other events. He decided to try that tactic to distract everyone from the tragedy and maybe improve their mood.

That move was still a little risky, but there didn't seem to be a better option. They could also make up with it for the lack of the Spring Festival this year, that they were unable to throw because of Dark Enchantress.

...

Perhaps, Pure Vanilla needed to distract himself too.

Nontherless, there was no time to dwell on that now. They had a festival to prepare, after all.

"Oh, are you sure it's... neccessary?-"

Asked Pure Vanilla, opening up his eyes.

"Yes, it is neccessary for you to look good. Now, please stand still, I need to measure your shoulders for this"

Butterfly Pea Cookie cut him off, taking a measure tape. She took a few more measures, before running off to grab the right materials and pieces.

Pure Vanilla sighned, tensing up when he felt arms wrap around him from behind, settling around his neck.

"My my, I didn't think they would specifically call in a tailor just for this occasion, Nilly. Where they this insistant or do you just lack any suits?~" snickered Shadow Milk, his usual Chesire grin plastered on his face. He leaned his head against Pure Vanilla's shoulder.

He had a specific look in his eyes. The one that screamed "I want to and will test your patience".

The saint looked at him, furrowing his brows.

"I don't usually wear suits. I have no reason to do that. Now, if you do not have any concerns you'd like to voice to me, please, find a better place to satiate your boredom at"

Shadow Milk stuck out his tongue, putting on a fake pout and craning his neck in an uncanny way.

The healer held back a shudder, swallowing.

The jester's anatomy always weirded Pure Vanilla out. His tongue was long, thin at the end and was slightly split, just like a serpents would be. He could grin too wide and his teeth were too sharp to be considered "normal". He could twist his neck in unnatural positions or just detach his head alltogether. He could also shapeshift, which was a whole other manner.

It was strange — very strange, unnatural, uncanny even. The healer wondered how someone can even design a dough like his.

After a display of irritance worth the world's best playwrith, the beast dissapeared, leaving behind a faint trail of glittering, blue smoke that gave off the scent of blueberries.

The ancient turned around, when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind him, spotting Butterfly Pea. The butterfly hairclip in their hair was threatening to fall out, ready to let her blue spill out of their updo.

"Sorry that it took so long, I forgot where I put them. Ugh, why does it smell like blueberries in here? Anyways, could you take off your outer robes? I need you to put this on" they huffed out, shoving a white, two-piece suit into his hands.

After the tailoring session, Pure Vanilla went out into the markets.

Thankfully, he and Butterfly Pea had managed to get all the measures and vision set for the suit, so the next time he sees her, it's going to be the final fitting. They agreed on using the white suit as a base, altering it up to his liking.

A caw rang through his ears, capturing his attention. He turned into the direction of the sound, spotting a familiar face.

Black Raisin waved to him, motioning for him to come closer.

Pure Vanilla smiled, walking up to the woman.

"So? How are the preparations going?"

"Quite good, actually. The villagers wanted your input on what kind of flowers they should set up here, though"

The ancient eyed the spot, placing a hand to his chin.

"I think orchids and daisies would look good in this particular place"

"Alright, I'll tell them that. I would love to have our chat last a bit longer, but I have to check in with all the other raisin villagers. Goodbye, Pure Vanilla"

"Goodbye, Black Raisin"

After that, Pure Vanilla continued to check in with a few others.

He checked in with Strawberry Crepe, ensuring the Wafflebots won't act up.

He went up to a few bakery and restaurant owners, making sure they will set up food for the festival.

He also went to a few flowerists, decorators and other folks responsible for setting up the celebration.

After all, he had to ensure it will go perfect.

Pure Vanilla went into his room, throwing himself onto his bed.

He felt so exhausted right now. The whole "making the festival perfect" thing was draining him pretty badly at the moment. 

And trying to also keep gathering up research? Don't even get him started.

Shadow Milk looked up from the coffee table, sweeping a scroll aside.

After they fell asleep together in Pure Vanilla's bed, they both became more comfortable with spending time together in his room in the evenings.

Sometimes they continued research, sometimes they simply stayed in eachother's company, soothing any pain separation might have caused them.

The festival was meant to begin in two days from now.

Shadow Milk decided he was going to openly take part in the celebration. It might stir controversy, which he of course didn't mind, but most of the people who visited the castle already knew he was there, so there was no point in hiding away now. If anyone asked, he would claim he was there as guest and meant no harm. It wasn't entirely untrue — he regained most of his strenght back and could probably turn this kingdom into dust if he wanted to. They didn't have to know why he was there, only that he would not destroy this place.

He flew closer to the saint, setting himself up on the bed with his legs crossed.

"Rough day, huh?" 

There was his usual bit of sarcasm in the tone.

Pure Vanilla grumbled something incoherent out, burrowing his face further into the pillow.

The jester snickered, causing the healer to look up with irritation.

"You don't have to walk around all day setting up decorations"

"And you're letting Truthless Recluse show through" he pointed out.

"Sorry, I just... *sigh*... it's just really tiring to do"

"Yeah, I know something about pleasing cookies. Witches, they're exhausting"

Pure Vanilla chuckled, resting the side of his head on a pillow.

"You know, it's getting a little late. I suppose I should start getting ready for bed soon. I don't want to wrinkle up my robes once again"

"Okay. I'll probably finish looking over thise last two scrolls and go to sleep too"

replied Shadow Milk, floating up and gathering papers up from the coffee table.

He stopped in the doorway one last time, before floating away.

"Goodnight, Nilla"

"Goodnight, Bluebird"

Shadow Milk shut the door to his room behind him, setting down the papers on the desk and turning on a lamp.

He continued to look through them for another twenty minutes, before putting on pyjamas and going to sleep. 

The next two days are going to be a chaotic, with all of the final things being set up for the festival. 

He didn't mind any chaos, of course. It would be also easier to play tricks and manipulate the unsuspecting citizens! It was the kind of chaos he was looking forward to, arleady thinking about how to play with their poor minds.

Little to his predictment though, the real show was about to begin.

Chapter Text

The next two days passed in a blur of preparations and research, ending far too quickly.

Pure Vanilla looked in the mirror, nervousness written all over his face.

He was wearing a white suit, with golden embroidery, a white shirt and a blue tie.

His hair was made in a long braid, decorated with milkcrowns and forget-me-nots. A blue rose clipped to the front of his jacket. There was a cape clipped to his shoulders with the familiar closed-eye pattern his usual robes had.

He was also forced to wear a pair of white shoes, which he wasn't all that happy about.

He slightly eased the grip on his staff, breathing out.

Today, the festival was meant to begin. Pure Vanilla was nervous about that and the fact, that Shadow Milk was meant to appear publicly outside the castle walls. But it's alright! It's not like anyone would try to and seal the beast or anyone would be harmed. He just needed to trust everyone that it will go well.

Pure Vanilla stopped in front of the castle's entrance, looking around.

In the corner of his vision, he saw a figure rising out of the shadows, stepping down next to him.

Shadow Milk grinned, floating beside him.

His suit looked similiar to the one he was wearing, but with a few changes.

The golden embroidery on the white suit was swapped for blue, the tie he was wearing was gold and the rose clipped to the front of his jacket was yellow.

The cape resting upon his shoulders had his open-eye pattern and his dress shoes looked more like heels. His hair was let down, with a sleeping vanilla orchid placed behind his spiky ear.

Pure Vanilla extended his arm, letting Shadow Milk gracefully take it.

They stopped just in front of the gate, spotting a face familiar to Pure Vanilla.

Black Raisin went up to them, sending out the crow perched on her shoulder back to town. She was wearing a simple black dress with a pair of silver earrings and a bracelet.

"Hello, Pure Vanilla" 

"Hello, Black Raisin"

The woman turned to his side, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hello, Beast of Deceit"

"Hello, raisin girl" Shadow Milk cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow and offering his usual Chesire grin to the woman in front of him.

Black Raisin's lips pressed into a thin line as she let them down to the kingom centre.

When they were just in front of the kindom square, Black Raisin pulled Shadow Milk to the side, saying she just needed to make sure of something.

They stepped into an alleyway, where the woman let her shoulders tense up, gripping her weapon with her hand.

"I don't know what is your business here, Beast of Deceit, but I wanted to let you know I won't hesitate to do anything it takes to protect this place"

"My~ is a mortal threatening me right now?"

He floated closer, stopping right in front of her face.

"I'm not threatening anyone. I'm just saying my truth that you find 《oh so utterly boring》" her hand went up from her weapon, making an air sign.

The jester scoffed, floating backwards.

"Oh please. Now, I think we should go back before that fool starts to think we got into a fist fight or something"

The woman just looked at him, letting out a long breath.

"I suppose you're right"

They stepped out of the alleyway, resuming walking alongside Pure Vanilla.

The atmosphere was lively.

Children were running around, colorful flower crowns placed upon their heads. There were multiple food stalls with merchants shouting about the best festival snack for the cheapest prices. The whole kingdom was decorated with flowers, banners, colorful paper and various other things associated with summer.

They walked around for a bit, before being stopped by a group of kids.

Pure Vanilla immiediately recognized two of them — Lemon Tart Cookie and Lemon Tree Cookie.

"Mister Pure Vanilla Cookie! You came here!" squealed Lemon Tart, nudging her older sister.

"But, who is that beside you?" asked Lemon Tree, eyeing Shadow Milk.

Noticing, the beast summoned his jester hat, bowing down.

"Shadow Milk Cookie, your humble jester and the world's best playwrith!"

He straightened up, seeing a little boy looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

"You can do magic!?" shouted the boy, amazement written all over his face.

"Of course I can do magic! It's one of the best ways to entertain a picky audience, after all!"

A deck of cards apperead with a puff of smoke in his hands.

"Now tell me, um.." he started, shuffling the cards in his hand.

"Choco Waffle Cookie!" 

"Yes, please, pick a card from the deck and place it back down without showing me" Shadow Milk covered up his eyes, tilting his head away.

"Okay, done!"

He let the hand covering his eyes fall back down, shuffling the cards once again before picking out a card.

"Is this your card, Choco Waffle?"

"No" they boy shaked his head, eyes glued to Shadow Milk.

"Oh yes, of course!" 

The jester reched behind the boy's ear, taking out an ace of hearts.

"Is this your card?" he asked, holding it up.

"Yes!!! It is!"

Shadow Milk bowed once again, before walking away with Pure Vanilla.

"I didn't know you'd be willing to do magic tricks for the kids" voice Pure Vanilla, opening his eyes.

Shadow Milk just shrugged, continuing to float beside him.

"They are always the easiest audience to impress. It's practically nothing"

The saint smiled, turning his gaze forward.

"It was still very nice of you"

 Even without looking, the healer could see Shadow Milk rolling his eyes at him.

Day two of the festival has begun.

Day one went without any issues, so this one should go smoothly too.

Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk went out into the kingom once more.

Suprisingly, lots of people didn't care that the beast was there. Or perhaps, they didn't know they should be concerned. But still, if someone actually cared about him being there, they were frightened to say the least. Cookies who knew who he was and what he did would step away or full blown hide, shooting pitying looks Pure Vanilla's way.

Speaking of Pure Vanilla, he hated the looks they gave him. He was not forced to be there with him. He wanted to walk around together willingly, yet, he swore he could hear people whispering about a spell being cast on him.

When he could, he would point it out, saying he was of a clear mind and there out of his own free will. It would always shut them up, making their faces flush with embarresment for disrespecting their former monarch.

The two men sat down on a bench, enjoying the shade a tree above them provided.

After a while, they heard music starting to play.

There, in the middle of the kingdom's square was a street band, performing a slower song. People were gathered around, starting to dance.

Shadow Milk leaned over, a smirk resting upon his lips.

"Would you mind sparing a dance with a simple jester, my majesty?~"

His tone was full of teasing, but with a note of something honest underneath.

"I would be honored" smiled Pure Vanilla, putting down his staff so it can lean against the bench.

And so, they got up and went over to the group of people, already in a dancing position.

They started to sway to the music, with the healer taking the lead.

Pure Vanilla felt like he was floating, until he looked down, noticing his feet have stopped touching the ground.

Shadow Milk grinned at the mildly suprised face of the saint, twirling them around.

As the song reached it's final notes, he dipped the ancient into a low bow, setting them both down on the ground.

When the two halves heard clapping, they turned around to the formerly dancing people giving them applause.

They both bowed down, holding eachother's hand, fingers intertwined.

And so, they proceeded to take Pure Vanilla's staff and walk (or float) away, still hand in hand.

Chapter Text

It was the third and final day of the summer festival.

Even though the celebration was mostly fun, the two halves couldn't wait for it to end.

It maybe was entertaining, but also pretty draining. They couldn't wait to resume their former routine, missing how they were able to work in peace all day.

Peace.

Shadow Milk couldn't believe he missed that. Looks like that vanilla-reeking, old, crumbly fool was slowly softening him.

Oh how he missed those days were he could just be that.

Ugh, oh how he hated it.

But, there wasn't much he could to at the moment. Prolonged proximity caused the Souljams to be more needy, starting to hurt just after a few days of separation. They also seemed to react to their houlder's emotions, burning and stabbing their chests with invisible fire and blades that left no mark whenever conflict stirred between them.

So, he really didn't have much choice. If he had, he would have been already gone a long time ago.

Or would he?

...

Nontherless, he just had to suck it up and deal with it for now.

Pure Vanilla walked out into the kingom, Shadow Milk trailing right behind him, floating lazily.

It seemed that most citizens didn't care about the beast's presence. Or they did, simply choosing not to show their concern around the former king, murmuring to one another in the shade of stalls or alleyways.

But there was no time for what if's?, when the healer was meant to give a speech to all of his kingdom in about ten minutes.

Anxiety was practically radiating off the former monarch, drowning out any whispers of those passing nearby. It was not his first speech, he's done a lot of those, but it still made him nervous every time.

He turned his head around, when he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

Floating behind him was Shadow Milk, an ever-slight worry barely visible on his face.

He took in a deep breath, before speaking up.

"Hey, Nilly, you're going to be fine. It's just a speech, you've probably done a lot of those before. Try not to stress about such things in a moment like this or you'll end up having a breakdown. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience"

Pure Vanilla smiled, closing his eyes.

"Yes, I know I shouldn't. It just always happens for some reason, even if I know nothing bad will happen even if I mess up, I'm still slightly nervous for reasons unknown to me"

He placed his hand on the one perched upon his shoulder, lowering it down and squezing it once to make himself feel better.

The beast nodded, letting it go and ushering the ancient up to the place set up for him.

Pure Vanilla went up to a small pedestral set up in the kingdom's centre, sweeping his gaze across the cookies gathered there.

He swallowed, before tapping the microphone and beginning his speech.

"Welcome, everyone! Did you enjoy the last two days?"

The cookies gathered there cheered, yelling affirmations. After they went quiet again, he resumed his speech.

"I'm glad to hear that. This past year has been a difficult one, filled to the brim with hardships and sorrow. It amazes me to no end, seeing you all so cheerful and laughing together. Let this last day of celebration be the end of all the suffering we've experienced. So, enjoy this day, as we welcome summer and look far beyond the horizon, awaiting a new, happier beginning!"

The crowd exploded in applause, cheering and whistling loudly.

With a smile, Pure Vanilla walked down from the pedestral, standing beside Shadow Milk.

The other had a grin on his face, showing off his sharp teeth.

"See? It wasn't that bad"

Pure Vanilla chuckled, head snapping just as he heard footsteps rapidly walking up to him.

He opened his eyes wide, mildly shocked at the two figures approaching him.

"Hello, Pure Vanilla Cookie"

Clotted Cream stopped before him, bowing down. Financier Cookie did the same, stopping beside Clotted Cream.

"Hello, Consul. What brings you to the Vanilla Kingdom in this time of year?"

Clotted Cream straightened up, facing the saint in front of him.

"I've been merely contacted by concerned citizens, claiming a beast was residing in this kindom"

He looked to the side for a second, gaze focused on Shadow Milk, before turning to Pure Vanilla once again.

"As I see, their claims seem to be true"

At those words, the jester's hand started to flair up, thrashing around wildly. His expression darkened, eyes beginning to glow. He tried to float forward, but was firmly stopped by Pure Vanilla.

"I appreciate your concerns, Consul, but I promise you, my kingdom and my people are perfectly safe as of now"

"Yes, I believe your words. But I would like to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow to discuss any... issues that might occur with your denizens. Farewell, Pure Vanilla"

"Farewell, Consul Clotted Cream"

The ancient watched the two walk away for a few more moments, jaw clenched and gripping his staff tightly.

The beast's hair was still trashing around, his own fists cleched so tightly his knuckles were beginning to turn white and his sharp fingernails were beginning to draw jam from his palms.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"Do you maybe know a good pub around here?" asked Shadow Milk, turning his attention to Pure Vanilla.

The saint took his hands, healing the tiny wounds on his palms.

"Yes, I have such a place"

"Good"

They slowly walked away, Pure Vanilla leading the way.

When they arrived at Crow's Nest Inn, the were greeted by Black Raisin Cookie, who already replaced her simple dress for everyday clothes.

After walking inside, Pure Vanilla was already pulled along by multiple cookies, ordering rounds for everyone.

Shadow Milk was left with Black Raisin, sitting beside her on a bar stool.

Suprisingly, she was a good drinking buddy. 

Black Raisin was telling a story, with the jester nursing his drink beside her. She actually had lots of good stories, many of them being from way back when she was still in the Raisin Village along with Healer Cookie.

Hearing her complain about Pure Vanilla's altruism was really amusing to him. Not so suprisingly, the ancient has barely changed his ways since those days.

Slowly, the inn was beginning to empty.

By the time the sun has long since gone down, only a small group was left.

Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk have decided to stay the night at the inn, deeming themselves too tired with today to go back to the castle.

Black Raisin went down from her stool, her legs suprisingly steady as her speech was beginning to slur. Looks like she wasn't that good at drinking, after all.

Shadow Milk did the same, swaying slightly in the air. Maybe he did overestimate just how much alcohol this body could handle.

Pure Vanilla left the group of cookies he was with at the table, bitting farewell to Black Raisin and walking up the stairs to their room with Shadow Milk.

The room was simple — there were two beds with one bedside table each with a wardrobe on the right and a small table crammed into the side of a room.

With a flick of Shadow Milk's wrist, their suits were replaced with their everyday clothes, the former laid neatly on the two chair around the small table.

He floated over to the bed, flopping down on his back.

Pure Vanilla smiled, setting himself near the end of the bed and his staff leaning against the bedframe.

Shadow Milk set down his legs in the healer's lap, crossing his arms. Pure Vanilla shifted a little in this newfound position, his back now resting against the wall.

He leaned over, putting a strand of white hair back between the beast's bangs.

The saint meant to pull away after doing so, but Shadow Milk pulled his hand back and placed it where it was, a needy whine threatening to escape his throat.

The saint just smiled, starting to play with the other's bangs.

"You know"

The jester started.

"That whole Consul and Council or whatever they are probably already plotting my downfall"

"What makes you say so?" asked Pure Vanilla, focusing his half-lidded gaze on the trickster's face.

"It was really obvious. I could see it in their eyes. Maybe they are already thinking how to get rid of me? Then they are probably wondering how to seal or kill me. Jokes on them, the other one won't work. Believe me, I tried"

Pure Vanilla's hand froze, howering above the cookie of deceit's hair.

"Immortality is immortality, you know?" he continued, as if nothing ever happened.

"When I said it wasn't above you to kill me, I wasn't sure if you would be actually able to do that. Maybe with a spell powerful enough then yes, but any other method? Perhaps not. Let's see... I survived being beheaded, stabbed in the guts, pierced by silver forks, having most of my power taken away, getting hit with an airship, living on no sleep, food or water for mileniums, having no body and many, many more" he counted on his fingers, clasping his hands together right after.

"So, yeah. It's not so easy to get rid of me. Sealing requires less effort than trying to find a method of getting rid of me for good"

Pure Vanilla was too stunned to speak. 

Eventually, he swept the beast's bangs behind his spiky ear, caressing his cheeck with one hand. He placed a kiss on his forehead, letting himself linger there for a second before pulling away.

With the hand caressing his cheeck, Pure Vanilla wiped something away, brushing his fingers along the wet cheeck gently.

Shadow Milk rolled over onto his side, facing the wall and letting his hands fall limply in front of his face.

"Goodnight, Pure Vanilla"

"Goodnight, Shadow Milk"

The jester closed his eyes, letting sleep claim his conciousness.

Not too long after, Pure Vanilla closed his eyes too, falling asleep beside Shadow Milk.

Tomorrow will be a difficult day.

Chapter Text

The first rays of sunlight were peeking through the heavy blinds, warming up his dough. Or was it the warmth of the one beside him?

Shadow Milk opened his eyes, pulling back slightly. His face was nuzzled in the crook of Pure Vanilla's neck, which made his face feel a little hot.

He turned his head to the bedside table, looking at the small clock placed there.

6.34 am

The jester settled into a sitting position, clutching his head as a headache began.

Maybe he did drink a bit too much.

The movement made Pure Vanilla wake up, settling onto his elbows in a half-sitting position.

Shadow Milk let one hand fall limply to his side, the other still clutching the side of his head as he glanced at the healer.

"Oh, you're awake" he noted.

Pure Vanilla looked at him with mild worry, now sitting fully.

He took Shadow Milk's hand down, placing his own hands on his head.

Before he could protest, the beast felt warmth flowing through the ancient's fingertips, soothing his headache.

The saint smiled, pulling away.

"Better?"

...

"Yeah, it's better now"

He lidded his eyes, standing up to take his staff, shivering a little when the cold metal touched his still-warm skin.

Shadow Milk also rose up, storing their suits away safely in the other realm.

Speaking of the other realm...

"Do you want to walk back to the castle, or would you prefer to travel there by the other realm?"

The question suprised Pure Vanilla, as he turned around to face Shadow Milk.

"You're... you're asking me?"

"Well, du-uh! Are there any other cookies in here?"

The saint chuckled lightly, covering his lips with his hand.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect for you to ask me that. Um, I mean- I can try to, but uhhh- are you sure it's a good way to travel?"

"You won't know until you find out"

The beast took his hand, flying through a portal.

The ancient squezed his eyes shut, gripping his staff tightly.

In a blink, they were in the castle halls, close to the healer's chambers.

The meeting with the Créme Republic was set for 6 pm, so they still had about two hours.

They tried to continue doing some research, but they couldn't focus on it.

Their minds kept coming back to the Republic, racing with milions of thoughts and endless possibilities.

Were they suspecting something? Do they want to seal Shadow Milk away? Did they actually believe the beast posed no threat? Did they think Pure Vanilla is being controlled or under a spell? Have they figured out what's really going on?

So many questions, yet so little answers.

In a blink of an eye, the two hours passed and it was time for the meeting to begin.

Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla were the first ones there, deciding to arrive a little early.

Just as they took their seats with a hushed conversation about what might be going on, the grand doors opened, revealing Clotted Cream, accompanied by Financier Cookie.

Trailing behind tehind them were two cookies, who Pure Vanilla recognized as Mandelaine and Espresso.

The saint stood up, giving them a formal geeting as everyone took their seats.

"Mandelaine and Espresso, I was not expecting to see you two. What brings you here?" asked the ancient, clasping his hands together.

Espresso stood up, adjusting his glasses before speaking up.

"We were asked to come here as middle ground, to "be ready to dissolve any conflict that might occur". The Council's words, not mine. They also said our skills might be useful somehow, but they didn't elaborate any further"

Pure Vanilla nodded, closing his eyes once more.

"Ah, I see"

"No, you don't" hissed the jester quietly, so that only the healer could hear him.

Pure Vanilla tried to maintain a neutral expression, as his lips were threatening to turn upwards.

Clotted Cream cleared his throat and stood up, catching the attention of everyone present.

"Thank you all for gathering here. You being so eager to cooperate means a lot to the Créme Republic"

He glanced around the room, fixating his gaze on Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk for an uncomfortable second.

"As I see, you're currently housing the Beast of Deceit in your castle, Pure Vanilla Cookie"

"Yes, Shadow Milk Cookie is my guest. Is this fact troubling you?"

"Not me directly, but the Council has some worries associated with it. On their request, I would like to speak with him to clear up any misconceptions"

Shadow Milk raised his eyebrows, rising up to his feet floating a bit off the ground.

"Oh my. The great Council has requested Consul Clotted Cream Cookie to speak with me on their behalf? I'm honored!"

He did a small theatrical bow, smirking to see Clotted Cream's furrowed brows.

"You may begin" he added, straightening up.

"Their first question is why are you residing in this castle?" 

Shadow Milk looked to the side, glancing at Pure Vanilla. Seemingly getting it, Pure Vanilla nodded, letting him speak.

"Let's just say... an issue out of our control has occured. Unfortunately, it requires for me to stay here"

"An issue?"

"Yes, an issue. We have been trying for quite some time to solve it now, yet with little effects, as I may add. It's rather complicated and I do not think it is something you or the Council should worry about. You probably wouldn't understand anyways"

He muttered that last part under his breath, looking away.

"I see. Their next question is how do we know you pose no threat?"

Shadow Milk's expression darkened, as he summoned his cane.

"Because"

He began, eyes glowing dangerously.

"If I wanted to, I would have wiped this kingdom off the face of Earthbread a long time ago"

Darkness swallowed the room whole. With a swift move of his cane, Shadow Milk summoned an illusion, covering up the dark walls.

Around them, figure engulfed the entire kindom. People were screaming and running around, crumbs and jam flying left and right.

Financier Cookie took out her sword, ready to charge.

With another flick of his wrist, the room was back to normal, darkness receeding back.

"But I haven't! That's your reassurance"

The cookies around him all paled, except the ancient. He knew well-enough of everything the beast was capable of. During the Dark Enchantress War, they only became aware of a fraction of his powers.

Trying to remain steady, Clotted Cream asked his last question, exghaustion slowly creeping into his voice. 

"Very well. In their last question, they want to know how long you plan to stay here"

The jester bit his lip, hard enough to draw jam.

"And this issss a question I have no answer to"

He spread his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"Look, I know you want to get rid of me as quick as possible, but I simply am unable to give you an answer. I have been researching this situation with him" he pointed towards Pure Vanilla, irritation written all over his face.

"Since may. It's basically july now. I do not know how long this will take. Witches, it might be an eternity before we find an aswer"

"Weren't you the Fount of Knowledge once?"

The beast narrowed his eyes, glaring at Clotted Cream.

"And whatever does that have anything to do with this?"

"I'm just saying. If you were the Fount once, why do you not have an answer to your issue? Or did you lose your knowledge along with your sanity?"

Shadow Milk snorted, manic laughter beginning to buble up in his chest, threatening to spill out.

"For your information, it is not something I have encountered before. If it was that simple, we wouldn't be having this meeting today. I have never seen that kind of magic before. And I'm an expert in this field. I founded the Blueberry Joghurt Academy once" 

During his monologue, Shadow Milk had floated up, now howering several meters above the ground. His hair was trashing around wildly, melting slightly.

"Magic?" asked Espresso, confusion in his voice.

"This issue involves magic?"

"Yes, it does involve magic" snapped the jester, baring his teeth in snarl.

"Shadow Milk Cookie!" Pure Vanilla's voice rang through the meeting room, catching the blue cookie's attention.

"Thank you, everyone. It think we all have had enough for today. If there are any unresolved questions some of you may still have, we shall continue this meeting tomorrow"

Shadow Milk lowered himself down, now floating just above the ground.

Everyone nodded, their tiredness clearly visible. Even Clotted Cream had dark circles under his eyes, which was unusual for him. Maybe the Council did push him too much.

They all left the room, going heir own seperate ways.

Shadow Milk could already feel pain building up in his Souljam, making his moves more sluggish and his head fuzzier.

He know that Pure Vanilla felt the same, as he saw the saint gripping the metal of his staff as if it was his lifeline.

The pain slowly build up, until they reached the healer's chambers.

Barely after closing the door, a sharp gasp cut through the silence.

Their Souljams were on fire.

A burning sensation shot up their chests, pain so bad they could barely think straight.

For an extruciating minute, they stayed like this, their whole bodies feeling as if they were standing in flames.

After the wave of pain started passing, they both felt so incredibly tired.

Shadow Milk dragged them over to bed, crashing down onto the sheets.

With a snap of his fingers, their clothes and Souljams were placed neatly on the side table, heavy robes and bodysuit replaced with white frilly pants for Pure Vanilla, and wide black sweats with blue accents for Shadow Milk.

The beast was ready to lay down and let sleep claim him, when he froze, gaze fixated on Pure Vanilla's chest.

There, on the place were his Souljam has rested was a mark, identical to the one on Shadow Milk's eye. It was in the color of the birthmark on the saint's forehead and way bigger, but the shape was identical. 

Looking down at his own chest, the beast noted there was also a mark there, in the shape of the star resting upon the healer's forehead. It was also bigger and in the color of the mark on his eye. The marks did not look like burnt or damaged skin, only having a diffrent color.

Pure Vanilla noticed too, his eyes snapping back and forth.

"Ugh, let's not dwell on this now. I have no energy"

Said the jester, pulling a strand of sweat-soaked hair out of his face.

"Besides, it would be really awkard if anyone walked up on us like this. Seeing us sitting on the same bed, all sweaty and shirtless would certainly make a particullary juicy rumor"

Pure Vanilla let out a tired giggle, pulling Shadow Milk down beside him.

"You're impossible"

"And you love it"

They fell asleep shortly after, with their foreheads pressed together and fatigue finally catching up to them.

Chapter Text

It was dark again.

Amongst the darkness, two figures were dancing.

It was easy to tell who they were — Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla, their shapes unmistakable.

Around them, red strings of fate were a striking contrast to the pitch black.

They wrapped and twisted around them, more of a ghostly touch than a puppeter's strings, letting their movements be unrestrained and uncontrolled.

The scenery changed.

Now, a long meadow was all that was visible, stretching far beyond the horizon.

Under an apple tree, a cream wolf and a cream sheep were sitting together.

The golden, cream sheep was nuzzled next to the dark blue wolf, it's wool a striking contrast to the wolf's dark pathes of fur.

Now, a series of flashing images ran through their minds.

A meadow, full of moonflowers.

A full moon, shining amongst the dark sky.

Milk and vanilla extract, side by side.

And finally, white candles glowing softly, placed neatly on the sides of a summoning circle, while the said circle's lines shimmering in pale blue. A white lily was placed on the side, seemingly a sign.

Shadow Milk shot upright, the images that flashed quickly before his eyes burned into his memory with detail.

It was actual progress.

He scrambled out of bed, taking a quill and a blank piece of paper.

He quickly drew out the summoning circle, writing down every last detail of all the images.

Looking it over, he noted a few crucial things.

For one, the circle looked incomplete, little lines going out from it. Two, after a closer look, it actually seemed similiar to a runic circle. The problem? He had no idea what kind of runes would be there.

He flew back a little, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

When he put a piece of hair back in it's place, he noticed how gross he felt.

Right. He didn't wash away the sweat yesterday, did he?

He really needed to take a shower.

Before going into the bathroom, he took his bodysuit along with his Souljam.

Before he could stop himself, he brushed his fingers along the gem Pure Vanilla wore.

He could just take it. Take it and run. So why did he feel no need to do that now?

He quickly floated over to the bathroom, not wanting to dwell on the existential crisis threatening to overtake his already racing mind.

When he flew out of the washroom, already fully clothed and ready, he acknowledged that Pure Vanilla was awake.

His eyes were open, staring at Shadow Milk with a questioning look.

Realizing what he meant, the jester took the piece of paper from the table, bringing it over to the saint.

The healer scanned the note quickly, pausing at the beast's notes. He nodded, handing the sheet back to Shadow Milk.

The cookie of truth stood up, grabbing his robes and Souljam, hurrying towards the bathroom to get ready. He smiled a little, when he noticed the blue gem was still there.

After a few minutes, he walked out of there fully clothed, sitting down in front of a mirror and grabbing his hairbrush.

Pure Vanilla winced quietly, as he felt the hairbrush tugging on another knot. He should really tie his hair up to sleep next time.

"Need help?" offered Shadow Milk, resting his chin upon the golden cookie's shoulder.

"Are you scheming anything?"

"Wh- What? Pfft, Witches, can't I just be helpful without being accu-"

"You know, you always spit out Witches as if it was a slur. Why so? They weren't the ones who sealed you, after all"

The beast went quiet for a second, taking the brush from the healer's hands and beginning to run it through his long, blonde hair.

"They still abandoned us. And cookies keep worhipping them, as if nothing ever happened"

Pure Vanilla just nodded, closing his eyes. Shadow Milk's touch was suprisingly gentle, carefully undoing any knots in his hair. Maybe he was becoming gentler? He still remember how nice the beast was to kids during the summer festival.

The though made him crack a small smile, as he positioned his staff to look at the jester brushing through his hair.

After careful consideration, they both agreed they couldn't do this alone anymore.

They needed help.

Pure Vanilla considered the lily they saw in their dream as a sign, to write a letter to White Lily, explaining what was actually happenening. He felt incredibly nervous, revealing Shadow Milk's presence in his castle to one of the ancients, and even more anxious about telling her their problem.

After rewriting the letter three times, he finally send out the final version.

It would take at least two weeks to get an answer, so he tried not to dwell on it too much.

The next person they chose to inform was Espresso — he deserved an explaination.

Since he, along with the Créme Republic's representatives were still in the Vanilla Kingdom, contacting him would be no issue.

"So, let me get this straight. Your Souljams performed some kind of binding magic, that causes you physical pain during prolonged separation?"

Confirmed Espresso, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes, it used to be menagable, but now it gets unbearable after just a few days apart"

Replied Shadow Milk, his eye twitching slightly.

Espresso put his hand to his chin, deep in thought.

"It is truly an... unique situation to say the least. And it doesn't leave any physical marks, does it?"

"No, not really. I mean, there were new marks that appeared, but- it wasn't caused by... that. It's complicated"

The man just nodded standing up.

"Okay, let's see... some sort of soul binding, caused by powerful magical artifacts. It causes physical pain during prolonged separation, yet leaves no marks. Close proximity is the only solution for the pain, and it might be caused by the Souljams wanting to merge together... definitely not your usual magic problem"

He paused, looking up at the two before him.

"Have you contacted anyone else, who might know something what to do?"

"Yes, I have written a letter to White Lily recently. I'm still waiting for the reply. And we've already been researching this for over a month, but with little progress, that is. The most information that we managed to gather was everything we told you and the scroll made by Shadow Milk you already looked through"

Espresso nodded, ushering them both to stand up.

"Thank you for sharing everything with me. I will submit a request to stay here for a prolonged period of time to the Créme Council. I will contact you if I manage to find anything"

Pure Vanilla smiled, stepping out into the cobble roads. The healer has offered him a room in the castle, only to get rejected and told he already had a place to stay.

"Thank you, Espresso. Your help means a lot to us"

"It is my pleasure to be of aid to you"

With that, he shut the door behind them, leaving the two of them alone again.

It was quite late.

Shadow Milk was hunched over the coffee table, eyes trained on the summoning circle, drawn on a scroll.

Pure Vanilla had left him a few minutes ago, while he himself got ready for bed.

There were some things missing in the circle. He had seen something similiar once before — it was a circle meant to reverse a binding curse. The issue with this type of magic was the fact, that no two reverse circles were identical. Each binding spell required an invidual circle like this to break, with diffrent runes and symbols. And figuring out from scratch what kinds this one required was quite a challenge.

And besides the circle itself, there were lots of other things to consider, for example: exact time and all the materials, what kind of magic should be used, who can it be performed by and that's just to name a few.

Shadow Milk turned around, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's quite late. You should go to sleep. And before you can protest, just because you can survive without it doesn't mean you should"

Behind him was Pure Vanilla, wearing a long, cream-colored nightrobe and with his hair braided.

With a small eye roll and a puff of smoke, the jester's bodysuit was replaced with black shorts and an oversized, black top sliding a bit off his shoulder.

He flew over to the bed, flopping down on his stomach.

Pure Vanilla smiled, sliding under the covers.

"You're not going back to your room?"

After a minute of consideration, the trickster spoke up.

"Nah. Too much of a hasstle"

The saint chuckled, rolling onto his side.

"If you say so. Goodnight, Bluebird"

"Goodnight, Nilly"

They fell asleep soon after, breathing in sync and fully relaxed.

In the dark, their Souljams set aside glowed and hummed quietly, more than happy at the scenery.