It had taken weeks for Affogato Cookie to reach the final step, one dusted with the flour from centuries ago.
It had not been an easy journey. Just the voyage from the Isle of Life to the mainland of Beast-Yeast had taken a full week. Then he’d followed the shoreline of the Strong Flour Ridge, bypassing most of the arduous terrain at the cost of camping on the frozen beach. Then when he could no longer avoid it, he began the arduous climb up the Flour Peak of Transcendence. Years had passed since Affogato Cookie had last traveled alone, and this mountain was particularly unkind. The winds were silent yet sharp. The road was a trap, just low enough to fool the eye into thinking it wasn’t steep before draining travelers of their stamina. Temptation had even reared its head in the form of a blissful peach garden, an obvious trap that Affogato Cookie hadn’t fallen for. Altogether, the mountain was the perfect place to drain one’s will to carry on.
But Affogato Cookie had permission, an invitation even, to climb this mountaintop, and what lay there was something he had to see for himself.
It was, therefore, a bit confusing to have come so far only to be faced with a crack the width of a bamboo shoot in a wall of stone. He peaked into the crack first but couldn’t make out anything beyond it. Then he felt the stone wall, smooth and cool to touch, for some hidden mechanism. Surely, there was something more than a wall here. He hadn’t come this far for nothing. Besides, he could faintly make out the scent of melting candlewax wafting from the gap. Candles didn’t burn for centuries, but whatever trick there was to the mountain seemed beyond his knowledge.
“Quite the warm reception…” He murmured.
With nothing more he could do and no other paths to take, he rapped his pewter staff against the stone.
“Is anyone home? I’m…here to see the great Mystic Flour Cookie.”
“Is that so, my lord?”
The question crept up behind him. He spun to face it, his staff swirling with purple magic.
What he faced was a small cookie: a cookie with hair that puffed and swirled like the clouds at dawn, with eyes as golden as lucky coins, and with claws that didn’t seem capable of hurting a fly.
“Oh! Forgive me for frightening you, my lord!” Said the cloud cookie with a modest bow. “I am but a humble Haetae, come to welcome you to this mountain!”
Affogato Cookie huffed as the magic from his pewter staff dissipated.
“You serve Mystic Flour Cookie then?”
“Oh indeed, my lord!” Cloud Haetae Cookie nodded. “And as is my master’s wish, you are a most welcomed guest! Why else would the flour fog clear for your arrival?”
“Fog?” Affogato Cookie looked across the mountain range. Aside from a few stray clouds, the sky was as blank as an empty scroll.
“Yes, but you need not worry. The path was prepared as soon as your master sent word to mine. And now, I am here to open the final path.”
“I see.” He smiled. “Then I am most grateful.”
It had been a shock when one of the newly formed bodies for the Beast cookies broke free from the Labratorium. It was even more shocking when, not long afterwards, Dark Enchantress Cookie called all her followers to announce that the beast who had escaped had faced off against one of the ancients
…and won.
How had the beast broken free? How long had Dark Enchantress Cookie been in contact with that beast? And how had they made contact?
For all the questions that ran through his mind, Affogato Cookie had kept his mouth shut. The beast had no ill will against Dark Enchantress Cookie or her followers, which was the only matter that really concerned him. That and, of course, who the defeated ancient was. When Dark Enchantress Cookie spoke that name, Affogato Cookie could hardly trust his hearing.
He had to look for himself. He needed to see. He could not have a moment’s peace otherwise.
“No, my lord! It is I who am grateful to you.”
“Really?” Affogato Cookie raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
Cloud Haetae Cookie’s brow furrowed. The harmless claws folded between one another. The golden eyes turned towards the mountain steps.
“Ever since the day she reclaimed her power, my master’s heart has been heavy. She is so close to bringing peace to the world, mere moments from the beautiful apathy she desires but…her volition has not yet been made complete. And I…I worry for her.” Cloud Haetae Cookie grinned, showing off a mouth full of rounded fangs. “But that is why you are here, my lord! Because of your past, you might be able to finally ease the grip of resolution and help that poor, foolish cookie complete his enlightenment at last.”
Affogato Cookie hid a laugh behind his flowing sleeve. Cloud Haetae Cookie blinked.
“What’s so funny?”
“Forgive me, but…help? Enlightenment?” Affogato Cookie said with a chuckle. “My master should have made my intention quite clear. My only reason for coming this far is to finally see that old fool at his lowest point, to witness what the mighty cacao king looks like when he’s forced to grovel in despair. The last thing I wish to do is to help him in any way.”
Cloud Haetae Cookie stared. A strange emptiness appeared in the cookie’s golden eyes. The shimmer of those lucky golden coins became dull and dark, and a small smirk appeared beneath them. The sudden change in demeanor sent a chill through Affogato Cookie’s jam, as did the words that followed.
“Despair may not look the way you expect, my lord.”
The wind whisked past them; the sound was deafening.
Then the small cookie did a flip. In a puff of cloud, the cookie transformed into a curly-haired cross between a sweet puppy and a proud lion.
“Ta-da! What do you think of my true form!? Isn’t it adorable!?”
Affogato Cookie waited.
“Hmph! You’re no fun!” The Haetae huffed. “But oh! I suppose we’re wasting time! You mustn’t keep him waiting!”
The Haetae stepped forward to the crack in the wall and pressed against it with a gentle paw. The crack gleamed with a brilliant golden glow. Then, little by little, the space grew wider and wider. The wall crumbled into a fine white powder that was swiftly carried away by the wind.
“The one you seek is within this sanctuary.” The Haetae returned to cookie form. “May your visit fulfil my master’s will. I’ll look forward to seeing you again when you return to flour.”
Affogato Cookie squinted. Though the cavern entrance was gaping, the sunlight behind him couldn’t reach inside. All he could make out were the faint flickers of a thousand candles and the darkness they drove back.
“And…your master? Is she…here as well?”
He looked to Cloud Haetae Cookie but saw only empty space. All that was left were the Haetae’s final fading words.
“She is here.”
Then Affogato Cookie stood alone once more, staring into a dark cave with no idea what really hid inside.
But he had to look. He needed to see. He could not have a moment’s peace otherwise.
As he stepped into the cavern, he watched the sunlight vanish from his peripheral vision. The darkness became all-consuming, but it was a strange darkness. Not the black from a starless winter night or the obsidian of a looming watchtower: this darkness was a dull grey, devoid of any meaning at all.
As his eyes adjusted to the meager candlelight, he realized it was no ordinary cave. These walls were carved with ancient symbols and speckled with gold leaf. The sanctuary circled around him, carrying patterns all the way to a ceiling draped with shimmering spider silk. Every breath he took carried a rich umami taste that must have come from the candles.
Affogato Cookie stopped in front of the sanctuary’s center where a golden platform awaited. What exactly it was awaiting, he had no idea.
“Hello? Mystic Flour Cookie?” Despite the sanctuary’s size, his voice stopped a few inches from his face. Every crack and curve of the cave was immune to noise. When he called again, he could swear the air was muffling him on purpose.
“Tch…I’m growing quite tired of this aura of mystery.” He rubbed his forehead. “At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he–“
There was something else in here. What he’d first thought was a stone statue had just moved. Though, he couldn’t see exactly what it was in the dim light.
“You over there!”
Slowly, the dark shape rose from its cross-legged position and turned around.
“Are you a servant of Mystic Flour Cookie?”
“…are you our visitor?”
The voice drifted lazily through the cave, as light and airy as a cloud. Another Haetae, perhaps?
“Indeed. My name is Affogato Cookie, and I’m here to…”
“Oh, that’s a nice name.” The voice was too gentle to sound like an interruption. “But it…sounds familiar…hm…”
“Of course it sounds familiar. I’m the one you’re expecting.” With an irritable huff, Affogato Cookie marched up to the dark shape.
Not a Haetae, he realized. This was a cookie, a tall one with dough only slightly darker than the shadows. He wore a simple cotton hanfu with a wrap the color of a dying thistle around the middle. His hair was overgrown, flowing from his head like a black waterfall before fading into wisps of white. The cookie seemed old, ancient even, but had springy posture of a child.
“Ah, that’s right.” The cookie brushed a lock from his face, only for it to fall right back down. “Forgive me. I’ve been so at peace these days. The details seem to…slip away.”
“Well, try to hold onto them for a moment.” Affogato Cookie brushed his own bangs back, and his hair remained where he wanted it. “I’m trying to find Mystic Flour Cookie. The Haetae said she was in here. I thought it would be proper to pay my respects.”
“Ah yes. She is here.”
Affogato Cookie lowered his eyelids.
“And…where is she, exactly?”
“She is here.” The cookie’s smile spread as he stared blankly towards the ceiling. “She is here. And how wonderful she is. All this peace, this freedom and happiness…it is all thanks to her magnificence.”
Affogato Cookie clenched his pewter staff and swallowed his sour retorts.
“I shall assume you mean that she does not wish to show herself?”
“Maybe it does…I wouldn’t dare pretend to know her thoughts…”
“…right.” Affogato sighed. “Perhaps you could help me at least? I’m also here to see the cookie that Mystic Flour Cookie defeated.”
The other cookie’s eyebrows lifted…slightly.
“She has defeated someone?”
“You don’t even know that!?”
“I…suppose I do not.”
“Then you’re utterly–“ Affogato Cookie bit down on the word ‘useless’. Surely, it was a bad idea to insult one of Mystic Flour Cookie’s acolytes.
“I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you.” The other cookie bowed. “But, if I may say so, you…look familiar as well. If I could only find the reason…”
“Well, you may look for your reason then.” Affogato turned back the way he came. “And while you do that, I will look for the reason I came. I did not cross an ocean and spend half a month’s journey not to see Dark Caca–“
The pewter staff fell to the ground with a clatter even the sanctuary couldn’t silence. It had slipped from his hand, and his mind was whirling too fast to consider picking it up.
Tall…
Dark…
Ancient…
But even when he took a second look, Affogato Cookie couldn’t believe it. The calluses on that cookie’s hands had the exact shape of a sword hilt. And there were scars on his legs where armor had chafed. And that brow even now had the faintest creases from a lifetime of somber scowls.
Even with all that, Affogato Cookie would not recognize him.
Not until the cookie’s eyes, dim as they were, widened.
“Affogato Cookie! Now I remember!”
When Dark Cacao Cookie strode forward, Affogato Cookie couldn’t decide whether to dive for his staff or make a break for the exit. Then suddenly he was a foot off the ground in what he could barely comprehend was a hug.
“What a pleasure to see you! It has been so long! I haven’t seen you since you…since you…”
Not since Affogato Cookie had led a dark copy of the Licorice Sea to attack the shores of the Crème Republic. Or, if that encounter had been too brief, since Affogato Cookie had overthrown the king, nearly destroyed the Cacao Kingdom and ran off with Earthbread’s most dangerous fugitives.
“…. well, it doesn’t matter what you did anyway.”
The sentiment stabbed deeper than king’s sword ever could.
“Unhand me!”
Dark Cacao Cookie did so, and Affogato Cookie hurriedly dusted the flour from his robe.
“I am sorry. I’ve ruined your clothes, haven’t I?” When Dark Cacao Cookie scratched the back of his head, flour fluttered from his fingers. “But I am happy to see you, Affogato Cookie. Truly, I am! I didn’t expect to see a cookie I knew today, and now, here you are.”
Affogato Cookie continued to dust his robes, even when it was clear the flour wasn’t coming off. It was easier than looking at…that.
“So, you truly are…”
Dark Cacao Cookie smiled.
“I am Dark Cacao Cookie. Not that my name matters so much anymore.”
Affogato Cookie dusted his robes harder. What even was this feeling? Like walking into your bedroom to find all the furniture on the ceiling, or looking at a snowy day through the window, but stepping outside to find it agonizingly hot. The whiplash was so intense, he wondered if he might vomit.
The shock passed eventually. When it finally did, Affogato Cookie slipped into his practiced smile.
“So it is true then.” He began. “You lost your sword and your soul jam to Mystic Flour Cookie.”
Dark Cacao Cookie chuckled.
“Ah! So that is what you meant before! Yes, I “lost” to her. Though it was not much of a battle. I stormed up here, sword in hand, ready to smite down a mighty foe with all the strength I had. But then, Mystic Flour Cookie showed me how hollow my courage truly was. My sword would not even obey my commands. And then…” A blissful sigh slipped between his thoughts. “Then she showed me a most wonderful vision: a world with no war, no hardship, no sorrow, only everlasting white.”
He closed his eyes
“I realized just how silly I had been. All my struggle and burden…and for what? A kingdom that would fade away no matter how hard I fought? So…I accepted it. I accepted her and her majestic apathy.”
The longer he spoke, the more flecks of flour slipped from his face. Affogato Cookie watched them drift to the ground like snowflakes; snow never fell that slowly in the Cacao Kingdom.
“You were not bested, then.” Affogato Cookie stared at the flour. “You surrendered.”
“It all means the same. The dragons in my blade were set free, Mystic Flour Cookie reclaimed her power, and I…”
“You have been sitting here in a dimly lit cave?”
Dark Cacao Cookie burst into laughter. The sound made Affogato Cookie cringe.
“No, no! Not at all! More often we are in the pagoda. We play go, or mahjong, or…whatever else there is. And some days, we visit the peach garden and enjoy peach bao. It’s only on certain days that I return here, to meditate over how meaningless my old burdens were.”
“I see.” Was all Affogato Cookie could say.
“And now that you’ve come, you can join us as well!”
“Me!?”
“Yes! Mystic Flour Cookie wishes for all to feel the embrace of apathy. If you were to stay here, you would find enlightenment as well.”
“That’s very kind of you, Dark Cacao Cookie, but lest you forget, I am a schemer, a traitor, and a companion to murderers and maniacs. I doubt Mystic Flour Cookie would even desire–“
“Oh, but she would.”
Dark Cacao Cookie took Affogato Cookie’s hands in his own. Affogato Cookie stared down at them; the unwanted textures of calluses and flour grains scratched against his silky dough.
“One day, Mystic Flour Cookie will cover the whole world in her whiteness, and that day will be soon, but for those who step into her apathy now, the endless bliss of oblivion awaits. Already, our friends have stepped into the pale world she is creating. Cautious Dark Cacao Warrior…Crunchy Chip Cookie…Caramel Arrow Cookie…all at rest in–”
“Caramel Arrow Cookie is dead?!”
Dark Cacao Cookie paused. His brow furrowed along its old creases, but that didn’t last long.
“Caramel Arrow Cookie is at peace. She’s stepped into the world of white, where no pain or sorrow can ever harm her again.”
Affogato Cookie stared at the ground, wondering why his mind was twisting so much. Caramel Arrow Cookie had always been the greatest thorn in his side, the personification of everything he loathed.
To his own surprise, however, he’d expected her to survive. Perhaps she’d return home with some “carrying on the King’s legacy” speech or start a search for the rightful heir. Instead, she’d given up as well. They all had; they’d died without having to see what their king had become.
“So? Will you stay with me, Affogato Cookie? I know Mystic Flour Cookie will be more than happy to accept you. Please, say you’ll stay with us.”
Affogato Cookie took a slow breath. He chose his words with delicacy.
“I thank you for your generous offer,” His silky hands slipped easily from the grip of Dark Cacao Cookie. “But I am afraid I must decline. I am far too worldly a cookie to survive such a modest existence. I have always longed for power and luxury above all else. If you recall, that is what drove me to betray you in the first place.”
Dark Cacao Cookie’s smile weakened.
“It seems my purpose for coming here has been fulfilled. So, with that, I must take my leave. Thank you again for your lovely hospitality. And please, give my regards to your new master.”
Affogato Cookie reclaimed his pewter staff from the ground. The rings jingled faintly with every step. They jingled, they jingled, and they jingled.
“But Affogato Cookie, none of what you did matters.”
The rings stopped jingling.
“If the past is what’s holding you back, then you have nothing to fear.” Dark Cacao Cookie’s voice drew closer, and his words shone like the candles all around them. “The evil of your past matters as little as the good does. Good and evil…they mean nothing. It all means nothing! And it’s a wonderful thing, if only you are able to see it! The only hope in this world is hopelessness. The only meaning is meaningless. Apathy is the inevitable answer behind all of life’s mysteries, the source of true contentment. Once all of Earthbread returns to flour, everyone will see–”
“If it’s so wonderful to return to flour, then pray tell! Why haven’t you crumbled yet!?
Dark Cacao Cookie stopped.
“Why haven’t I…” Dark Cacao Cookie rubbed his head. “Why haven’t…”
Affogato Cookie scowled and rubbed his throat. When was the last time he’d shouted? Had even shouted before? He’d spent so much time mastering the art of sweet words that it was practically his native language. But now? What he felt rising in his throat was unquestionably bitter, boiling like the blackest burnt coffee.
“I hardly remember my time in the Coffee Tribe.” He spat. “And that is because I left at a very young age. I traveled the world. I learned as much as I could. I fought and struggled as much as any of those watchers did. Then one day, I wondered why exactly I had left. What had I been trying to get away from? So, I returned. And you know what I discovered? Dozens of villages, filled with dozens of cookies who all worshipped their great king like he was their god: A king whom none of them had seen for almost a century, yet who’s mere concept they clung to as gospel. I know of the talented cookies who were unlucky enough to be born within a day’s ride of the citadel. How they were born into a land so tethered to your image that even a mere question of your intent would be silenced. Anyone who wished for a legacy beyond “servant to the great Dark Cacao Cookie” had no choice but to leave the land entirely, so great was your reign.”
As much as he felt like shouting again, Affogato Cooke forced the words to flow as he wanted: smooth, scorching, and vile.
“And that great influence you held? That…was what I yearned for. What I wanted was the power to lead a kingdom with mere prestige alone, to find lemmings who would obey my every word without question, and to gain the freedom to live a life as easy and opulent as I pleased. I have spent a lifetime fighting for a mere fraction of what came to you without the slightest effort. Perhaps you thought your limitless power was a burden, but it was a luxury no other cookie can afford. First you waste it on brainwashing the masses into your vulgar brand of stoicism, and now? Now you’ve surrendered it without so much as fight.”
Affogato Cookie stopped to breathe. Dark Cacao Cookie continued scratching his head, murmuring to himself. Affogato Cookie continued with a sneer.
“Well, perhaps you’ve given up on ruling, but I have not. Whether that means playing nicely with Dark Enchantress Cookie’s peons or tearing down the citadel with my own hands, I shall continue to fight for the life I desire. And I shall leave languishing in flour to you.”
The sanctuary rang with silence; it pressed in all around them, thick as a fog.
“Ah!”
Affogato Cookie flinched. Dark Cacao Cookie’s exclamation cut straight through the nothingness.
“I..I remember!” He exclaimed again. “And Affogato Cookie! My dear friend, you can help me! Please Affogato Cookie, would you…bring my son here?”
Affogato Cookie blinked.
“…the prince?”
Dark Cacao Cookie nodded.
“You were with Dark Choco Cookie in the citadel, yes? You were working together? Then you must know where he is now.”
“I do n-“
“Wonderful!” Dark Cacao Cookie clapped with childish delight. “Then please, if you must leave, would you bring him back here? I wish for him to meet Mystic Flour Cookie and feel the peace of apathy. Surely, he deserves even a fraction of the happiness I have found. Perhaps then I might–”
“I do not know where he is.” Affogato Cookie finished. “He abandoned Dark Enchantress Cookie’s forces after his battle with you. None of us have seen him since. The last word I heard is that he’s off wandering in the woods by the Giant Icing Ridge.”
“Oh…” Dark Cacao Cookie’s face fell. A few grains of flour fell with it.
“If there’s nothing else, then I believe I have said more than enough.”
Affogato Cookie was sure he was leaving this time. His throat was sore, his head ached, and his disappointment had run its course. There was nothing left for him in this sanctuary.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
“So then…you know where he might be? And…you could find him?”
The quiver in Dark Cacao Cookie’s voice was the most irritating sound he’d made yet.
“I know you didn’t hear a word I said a moment ago, but to summarize, we’re not really on good enough terms to request favors.” Affogato Cookie moved to brush the feeble, flour-dusted hand from his shoulder.
But the hand did not move.
“But…you must. I…I must speak to him. I need to show him.”
“Then that is your problem. Not mine.”
But the hand tightened.
“I need to tell him I…I was wrong. I am sorry. I want him to be happy. I want him to feel peace. I…must speak to him.”
Affogato Cookie turned up his nose at faint flour particles stuck to Dark Cacao Cookie’s trembling mouth.
“That’s enough babbling for one day, isn’t it? Now let go--“
“NO!”
Dark Cacao Cookie loomed. His hands shook on Affogato Cookie’s shoulders, but they held with a stony grip. The ancient cookie was breathing fast, quaking like he’d fall over without Affogato Cookie to lean on.
“I must! I must! My son! And my…my…my…” He spoke through gritted teeth; his breathing was quick, and his brow winkled in pain. “...I …can’t… but… why… WHY!?”
Dark Cacao Cookie wasn’t looking at the cookie in front of him. He wasn’t looking at anything, but he was trying to. A spark had appeared behind the dull grey clouds of his candy eyes, the flickering of something that struck fear and awe in every cookie who caught a glimpse. Something Affogato Cookie had long since chalked up to the unfair advantage of a soul jam. And yet there it was, even more terrible than he’d remembered.
“Y-y…your majesty?”
The light flickered brighter.
“I CANNOT!” Dark Cacao growled. “I MUST STAY! FOR… MY SON! MY KINGDOM! MY FRIENDS! I…. I CANNOT–“
“you cannot do anything”
A rush of flour tossed Affogato Cookie to the ground, knocking the air from his lungs. When he tried to fill them again, all he could breathe was coarse flour. Keeled over on the floor, he hacked and wheezed as the wind roared all around him. Only when his lashes were crusted white, and his face was bone dry could Affogato Cookie breathe again. He frantically wiped his face clear so he could see.
He wished he hadn’t.
For there she stood, at a height that rivaled the sanctuary itself on the ancient platform built for her.
“you cannot do anything”
She held Dark Cacao Cookie in the cup of her hands. The tiny figure could barely be seen as he kneeled within her palms. His eyes were closed, just like hers.
“Or, have you already forgotten the visions I gave to you. The land that made you toil, the ancients who demanded your servitude, the child who betrayed your trust: all of these have no need for your suffering any longer. Even if they did, what duty do you have those who would sacrifice your enlightenment for their own benefit?”
“But… I must…”
“There is nothing you must do. You have no purpose. No power. No flavor. Nothing remains for you but the world of white that I shall create. All you must do is have patience and remain here.”
Dark Cacao Cookie said nothing.
The white flour swirled into a soft fog. This time Affogato Cookie managed to cover his face before the whiteness overtook the cave. His dough bristled against the mists, which felt uncomfortably soft, like the skin of a fresh dumpling.
“You have no reason to be afraid.”
Only when he heard her speak again did Affogato Cookie lower his arm. She had shifted to the size of an ordinary cookie. Now she too kneeled, and she stared into the face of Dark Cacao Cookie.
"You fear loneliness. You fear failure. You fear helplessness.” Her pale hand cupped his cheek. “I know this because I have feared these things as well. Those days have long passed. Now, I do not fear such trivial emotions. I have not even felt them since that day…”
When Dark Cacao Cookie tried to open his eyes, Mystic Flour Cookie stood. In a movement as graceful as a flower petal in the wind, she stood behind Dark Cacao Cookie. One arm she wrapped around him, with the other she covered his eyes completely. She whispered into his flowing hair.
“I do not wish for you to cower in the bitter darkness. I wish to hear your voice, to play our games, to walk together, and, when the time is right, I wish for you to submit your very soul to me. Until that day arises, rid the past from your mind and enjoy the peace the world has owed you. That is what my volition demands of you, and you have nothing left with which to defy me.”
Affogato Cookie watched as every drop of tension drained from Dark Cacao Cookie’s body. When Mystic Flour lifted her hand, his eyes were as white as snow.
“Mystic Flour Cookie?” He raised his head with a loving smile. “May we go to the peach garden again?”
She answered with a smile of her own.
“If that is what you want.” When she brushed his hair, an entire lock dropped to the ground and dissolved into a puff of flour. “Please, wait for me at the steps.”
Slowly, Dark Cacao Cookie climbed to his feet. He swayed as he stepped off the platform and continued to sway with every lazy step. Mystic Flour Cookie’s smile followed after him until he was completely out of sight.
Then her smile vanished.
Her head turned.
Her burning black eyes opened.
At once, Affogato Cookie scrambled onto his knees.
“F-forgive me! I did not mean any disrespect! To you or your power! What I said was merely a…a poor outburst on my behalf. Truly, a moment of idiocy! I had no idea that he would react as he did! If I’d had even the slightest idea, I would never have dared to say such things! Not once have I ever wished to aid Dark Cacao Cookie nor had an interest in his–YOUR soul jam! I assure you, I have nothing but the highest of respect for–“
“This body,”
Affogato Cookie snapped his mouth shut and kept his head down.
“It is well constructed. It has suited me well. I feel I could live a hundred more years within it.”
Affogato Cookie’s heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst out of his mouth any second.
“When you return to your master, give her my regards. Tell her that, so long as she knows her place among the likes of the beast cookies, I will bare her no ill will.”
“I will.” Affogato Cookie breathed. “And I will tell her the extent of your benevolence and might, so that all my allies might revere your excellence.”
He could barely hold his staff as he climbed to his feet. Even then, his staff served as a walking stick to support his wobbly legs.
“And when you return, you might thank your master as well.”
“O-of course.” He nodded blindly. “A-and for what reason in particular should I–ACK!“
A thick strand of spider silk tightened around Affogato Cookie’s neck. His free hand could hardly keep the noose from hanging him as he was yanked into the air. He clung to his pewter staff but couldn’t muster the air to cast a single spell. Mystic Flour Cookie had grown once again and a single eye enveloped his dangling form with the full weight of her wrath.
“Because if I did not appreciate her gift, you would never return to the flour. You would be left to feel every crumb of your body torn and every drop of jam in your veins drip for the rest of eternity. You would long for release of death, and I would forever keep it from your grasp.”
…
…
…
Mystic Flour Cookie and her spider silk dissolved in a gentle breeze. Affogato Cookie landed in a heap. All around him, the candles flickered in silence.
As fast as his legs would allow, Affogato Cookie ran for the entrance. He did not stop until he could see the sunlight again and was ten steps away from the entrance.
“Affogato Cookie!”
Affogato Cookie forced himself to stop and to look back. Dark Cacao Cookie was waving from the top step.
“I hope you return soon, my friend. Perhaps next time you can join us in the peach garden.”
Affogato Cookie smiled, unable to even choke out a lie. Not when the beast stood at his side, holding the once-king’s hand.
Affogato Cookie did not look back again.
Each step took him further and further away from the sanctuary. The repetition of his own feet padding against the stone was soothing. His heart gradually returned to his chest. The visions of his own impending doom faded. The breeze felt natural now. There was a crane flying high overhead, a tiny streak against a golden sky.
He looked out at the horizon. Now, he would have to climb down the Flour Peak of Transcendence. Then he would follow the shorelines of the Strong Flour Ridge. Then take his boat back to the Isle of Life. It would be a long journey with only his thoughts to keep him company, the type of journey he’d made a hundred times before.
His eyes rested on the furthest edge of the sea. Unlike the waters he’d traveled, this sea was dark and murky and held a mind of its own. Only a mighty wall could keep those waves at bay: a mighty wall and a soul now fated to crumble at any moment.
If one were to set sail from the foot of this mountain, instead of following the coast, they would arrive in a land of endless snow. One could circle the base of an ancient citadel and travel through the meager array of villages. One could even find the black pine woods off the edge of the Giant Icing Ridge and maybe, just maybe…
Affogato Cookie shook his head and continued down the steps.
“Perhaps you have earned my pity,” He murmured. “But that does not mean I owe you anything. You have chosen your own fate. I will choose mine.”