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Assistant: Title: Jambound
        Author: Anonymous undefined 
        Chapter: 4/31 
        Summary: The room is too bright.It’s quaint, in a nauseating sort of way. Polished floors glint from the gleaming honeycomb chandeliers overhead, make him squint. A few vases sprinkled here and there, filling the room with a sickeningly sweet scent – even a waffle-cone headrest framing the silken sheets of a neatly-tucked bed. Outside, the golden sun gleams, the gentle rays of light spilling past curtains that waver in the afternoon breeze.It's meant to be beautiful. Luxurious. Welcoming.With one sweep of his cane, Shadow Milk tears it apart.[[ Updated semi-weekly ]]
        Contents: Chapter 4
    

    


  

  
  
    
    Pure Vanilla is persistent, Shadow Milk will give him that.The other spends a tedious amount of time searching the castle, roaming from room to room as he calls Shadow Milk’s name in vain. The kitchens, the armory, even the cellar isn’t spared from Pure Vanilla’s search. He even goes so far as to double back to Shadow Milk’s room twice, knocking and waiting for a reply that’s never forthcoming.The prowling takes far too long; Shadow Milk even catches himself nodding off once or twice as he’s carried along the shadows of the other’s cloak. With as often as he’s jostled about by the movement, he decides to slip up higher – and finds it’s surprisingly comfortable within the upper recesses. The curve of Pure Vanilla’s back is deceptively warm, a small hollow perfectly cloaked in darkness by a high collar. All things considered, it’s a rather pleasant spot to nestle and wait the other’s fruitless search out.The pleased pulsing of his Soul Jam bears no weight in his choice of location. It’s simply the most practical place to be.The warmth and tedium of the search are a potent lull; Shadow Milk doesn’t even notice he’s dozing off until it’s too late - not until sudden movement has him bolting awake, recoiling from the sharp, tugging sensation at his core. He flinches away, narrowly avoiding another pull on his form as he realizes something is yanking on his hiding place – hard.Shadow Milk shrinks back as hands - tiny, grabbing hands - are grasping, pulling at the cloak as sun glints off the pattern. The edges are being lifted high, tugged upwards as a cacophony of chattering voices surround him on either side. Shadow Milk stares in disbelief as the face of a small child pokes up from under the cloak – their eyes immediately lock.The child blinks; Shadow Milk blinks back.Then the child’s face lights up in a grin, followed by another harsh yank on the cloak. Shadow Milk turns immediately, fleeing higher to hastily meld into the safety of shadow around Pure Vanilla’s neck.“Wow! You have eyes in your cloak!”“I do!” Pure Vanilla’s voice is warm and gentle; pressed this close, Shadow Milk can feel the vibration of every word. “Do you like them?”“Yeah!” The child’s face, mercifully, disappears as they bow out from under the cloak. “They winked at me!”“Did they now?” Shadow Milk hastily readjusts as Pure Vanilla bends, lowering himself to the child’s height. “I’m quite fond of the pattern. Isn’t it pretty?”“So pretty!” A chirpy voice now comes from the right – another child. “You actually look cool now!”“Barquillo Cookie,” another hisses. “That’s not nice!”Pure Vanilla laughs; the vibrations feels like a rolling drumbeat and Shadow Milk decides he’s had enough. He slips back down, slithering down to the edges of the cloak to get a better look at these three pests –Only to look out in surprise on a smiling crowd.From what Shadow Milk can glimpse, they’re indeed in the markets – now that he’s shaken off the edges of sleep, he can hear the call of Cookies far and near shouting warmly to each other. The names of wares, prices, even snippets of furious arguing fill the air, a background of ever-shifting noise. There’s a glassware stall to his left, pristine pots and vases to his right – until both are swiftly blocked from view as the crowd presses closer.“Pure Vanilla Cookie!” An elderly Cookie shuffles forward, raising her hand – based on the small noise Pure Vanilla makes, Shadow Milk guesses she’s pinched the other’s cheek. “My boy, it’s been ages! And look at you – how you’ve changed!”“It is good to see you, Ghorabiye Cookie.” Pure Vanilla gently takes her hand, covering it in his own. “You look well.”“I can’t say the same for you!” Another elder Cookie waves her cane in the air. “Skinny as a toothpick! What, you go off and leave us and forget to eat again? You’ll waste away!”“Oh, he was always like that back in the village,” another sighs. “Always giving up his share for the young’uns.”“You hear that! No wonder he’s so skinny. Why, you’ll blow away in a gust if you don’t take better care of yourself. You listen to your elders, now.”Shadow Milk immediately clamps down on a snort of laughter.His elders?Pure Vanilla chuckles; he bends to gently kiss Ghorabiye Cookie’s hand before straightening and addressing the crowd. “Everyone, it is truly wonderful to see you all. I feel deeply honored by your care.”“Oh, and just look at his hair!” An aproned Cookie sighs dreamily. “Oh, I remember when my husband had hair like that.”“Hey!” A heavyset Cookie turns to her in affront. “I still have some!”“Yes, dear. Of course, dear.”There’s another tug to Pure Vanilla’s cloak; a new child stands to his right, looking up at him with the biggest dewy eyes Shadow Milk’s ever seen. “Pure Vanilla Cookie?” she asks shyly, “Can I braid your hair?”“Oh! Me too, me too!” The children swarm back around him, yanking and pulling excitedly on Pure Vanilla’s cloak as Shadow Milk hisses in displeasure.Pure Vanilla bends again, gently placing his hand atop the smallest girl’s head. “Well, I’d like to walk the markets first,” he says, voice soft and kind. “But once I’m finished, I would be honored.”The children burst into excited titters; Shadow Milk sighs in relief, their grubby little hands finally leaving the cloak in peace as Pure Vanilla stands. “Everyone,” he begins, “I-”“Now, come along dear.” Ghorabiye Cookie’s shuffled forward, her hand grasping around Pure Vanilla’s wrist. “You’ll want to stop at my stall first. We’ll get you some of my famous rice pudding, fatten you up.”“Nonsense!” a booming voice replies. “He needs some hot jelly stew in him! Come to my place instead!”A clamor rises up from the crowd, voices arguing back and forth as they press closer. Pure Vanilla lets out a nervous laugh; Shadow Milk glimpses the other’s grip on his staff tighten. Then there’s another yank and Pure Vanilla is stumbling forward, swept along by the excited crowd – and taking Shadow Milk along with him.How revoltingly… familiar.Still, the situation is salvageable. Not ideal, certainly, but a pushy crowd is still a crowd. There’s plenty of eyes, more than enough attention heaped on Pure Vanilla – even if the sheer volume of it all is laughable.Simple Cookies are always like this. Always excited to meet someone special, to heap praise and adoration upon their betters with bowed heads and glittering, greedy eyes. Always trying to grow closer, to slip up against their side and inevitably ask just one teensy, tiny question-Shadow Milk sharply dismisses the thoughts from his mind. He has to focus. He’s been patient long enough; his opportunity is at hand, his puppets center stage.Time to pull the strings.The first shop they visit is a bakery, brimming with busy Cookies and the scent of cinnamon in the air. Pure Vanilla is all but forcibly sat at the center, instantly surrounded by plates upon plates of food being shoved under his nose. Waiters flit to and from the table like flies, presenting fanciful concoctions like would-be brides for Pure Vanilla’s sampling.A ridiculous farce. Always seeking the special Cookie’s approval in the name of self-glory. Nothing’s changed.Shadow Milk ignores the festivities, slipping through the cloak’s shadows to eye around the room. There’s a few options – cash registers, stove tops, even a particularly shiny trophy standing proud and tall atop a shelf. Then Shadow Milk’s gaze lands atop a young baker Cookie, busy whisking a bowl while an egg timer ticks down beside him. In the oven beside him, Shadow Milk can see the first vestiges of a soufflé starting to build.That’ll do. No need to go big just yet. Start small and subtle – give the audience a taste of what’s to come.Shadow Milk concentrates on the timer; it’s more difficult without his cane physically in hand, but he’s more than capable of tugging a few gears. The timer ticks faster, then faster – before abruptly cutting through the din with a shrill shriek. The baker Cookie startles; he sets down his whisk, hurrying over to the oven and yanking his mitts on.The head Cookie spots him, yelling out a warning; but it’s too late. The other baker’s already yanked down the oven door, pulling the soufflé out with one smooth motion - only to stare aghast as it collapses into itself.“Fool!” The head Cookie is storming over to him; his booming wrath cuts through the din, instantly quieting the room. “That took an hour of work! Are you asleep in my kitchen?!”“I-” the other Cookie stammers, shrinking in on himself. “The- I just- the timer-”“The timer?! It’d scarcely been in there ten minutes! Use your head!”The yelling escalates with each stammered reply; Shadow Milk grins wickedly as Pure Vanilla stands. There’s some sort of polite excusal offered before the other slips from the room, finally exiting while the rest are distracted.Pure Vanilla’s hand comes up to touch his chest, and the sigh that leaves it is heavy.Then there’s a new hand clasping his arm, a toothy grin flashed, and Shadow Milk feels them being whisked away again back down the street.Seems they’re in for a long day. -- The rest of the afternoon passes much the same; Pure Vanilla is dragged from shop to shop by eager Cookies, gleaming eyes and grinning mouths asking his opinion on every little knick-knack thrust under this face. Gifts are showered upon him, clamoring voices overriding every polite refusal as Cookies greedily drink in every miniscule, often stammered drop of praise Pure Vanilla offers in return. The other’s discomfort is tangible through their connection, so hastily overwhelmed by the attention being heaped upon him.Clearly, Pure Vanilla had been away too long.Still, as laughable as the Pure Vanilla’s situation may be, it does provide ample opportunities – something Shadow Milk is happy to seize upon with a few clever tugs of his strings.At the blacksmith, a freshly-forged sword shatters at the first swing. The tailor’s finest robes rip apart at the seams; the ceramic stall’s shelves snap, leaving a row of vases smashed upon the floor. Even the oh-so-composed jeweler looks three seconds away from weeping as he swears up and down that his prized piece had nary a scuff mere minutes before. Bakers burn their bread, carpenters hammer their thumbs and serving trays slip from waiters’ hands.With each little tug, tumble and crack Shadow Milk’s grin widens; with each gasp, shout and groan of disappointment, the air in the markets grows steadily heavier. The Cookies still grab at Pure Vanilla, still plea for his attention at every moment – but as they’re pulled from place to place, the cheerful shouts that once filled the air have quieted. In their place comes marvelously snippy quips, angry retorts – there’d even been the sound of a slap, though it’d been some ways away.How quickly Cookies turned on one another; how familiar, how fun! The tiniest mishap and tempers flare white-hot in an instant. Blame is so terribly easy to throw around, to duck behind at the slightest inconvenience – and Pure Vanilla’s presence just drives their emotions even higher.Can’t have the special Cookie think less of them.Pure Vanilla’s unease bleeds through like wine through silk; even without their Soul Jam’s pulsing connection, Shadow Milk can practically taste the tension radiating off him. At each new shop he tries to help, attempting to soothe flaring tempers, offering to pay for damages that these oh-so clumsy Cookies that have been tripping into all day. Yet, delightfully, his attempts often make things worse, the shop owners’ embarrassment only flaring higher as they refuse him and turn to the nearest employee to unleash their frustrations on instead.By the time Pure Vanilla stumbles out of Latte Café – replacing the boba b@lls with marbles, Shadow Milk’s rather proud of that one – the other’s exhaustion is felt with the slump to his shoulders and heavy lean upon his staff. The sigh he lets out rattles in his chest; he runs a hand over his face.“What a day,” he mutters to himself. “I should just go home.”“Ah, that would be a shame. And here I thought we could finally borrow a moment of your time.”An unfamiliarly posh voice has Shadow Milk twisting in the cloak; Pure Vanilla turns with him, uttering a small noise of surprise.“Clotted Cream Cookie! I was not aware you had returned.”A dazzling smile is followed by a low bow; as Clotted Cream Cookie straightens, the afternoon sun’s rays gleam off his perfectly coiffed, golden hair. His suit is immaculate, perfectly pressed with nary a wrinkle in sight – even his neckerchief seems completely spotless.Shadow Milk decides then and there that he does not like this Cookie.“Pure Vanilla Cookie,” Clotted Cream says smoothly, perfect smile never leaving his face. “My apologies for not making you aware of my arrival sooner. I had traveled to the castle to announce myself, but I’m afraid the guards at your gate were…” He pauses, clearly for effect. “Pre-occupied? Some manner of serpent had their attention.”“Ah, yes, well.” Pure Vanilla has the indecency to sound bashful. “The castle is a bit…”“I must say,” Clotted Cream continues, as if he hadn’t heard a word. “It is a bit of a change, is it not?”“Yes,” Pure Vanilla replies uneasily. “Well-”“Oh!” Clotted Cream claps his hands together. “Where are my manners? Pure Vanilla Cookie, may I introduce you to-”“Vanilla Sugar Cookie.” A raspy voice cuts through the conversation; from behind the annoyingly dazzling Cookie, a small, hunched one shuffles forward. Her wrinkled face is pinched; she rests heavily on her breaded cane as she bows her head forward. “Your Majesty.”“Ah.” Pure Vanilla dips his head in return; from this angle, Shadow Milk can glimpse the reluctant smile on the other’s lips. “Thank you, Vanilla Sugar Cookie. I am honored to meet you – even if I no longer bear the title of monarch in these lands.”“Nonsense.” Vanilla Sugar sniffs audibly. “That’s what we called you when I was freshly baked, and it’s what I’ll call you now. You are still our founder, abdication or not.”“Pure Vanilla Cookie,” Clotted Cream cuts in. “I was wondering if we three might have a word in private.”“Oh?” Pure Vanilla straightens, his cloak rustling with the movement. “Has something happened?”Vanilla Sugar snorts; she raps her cane on the ground, forcing attention back down to her. “I’ll say something’s happened,” she rasps curtly. “I could scarcely believe my eyes. Thought my granddaughter was making up tales.”Shadow Milk feels a strong beat of unease surge through the connection. “About?”Another loud sniff; Vanilla Sugar leans forward on her cane. “Our castle.” She shakes her head. “Our beautiful, glorious castle. Smashed to pieces in the Dark Flour War, rebuilt from the ground up and for what? To have some vile Beast’s face strewn about on it?”Shadow Milk rolls his eyes; of course Cookies like these would care. Yet the unease rolling off Pure Vanilla only heightens; Shadow Milk watches the other tighten his grip on his cane, a false smile firmly in place. “My apologies, Vanilla Sugar Cookie,” he says gently. “I did not mean to alarm-”“Alarm!” Another rap of her cane on the cobblestones. “Hah! It’s not just alarming, it’s a mockery! Cookies fought and perished in our great kingdom’s name, their crumbs scattered in this soil – and this is how they’re repaid?”“Pure Vanilla,” Clotted Cream interrupts smoothly. “The Crème Republic deeply honors your sovereignty in this land. We are simply… concerned, by recent developments. There have been questions raised, concerns that you may be…” Another lengthy, purposeful pause. “Well, I am certainly not one to call your strength into question. But if you require any assistance, any at all-”“I understand.” Pure Vanilla’s voice is deceptively steady; Shadow Milk can feel some foreign, bitter current pulse through their connection. “Truly. But there is no action needed on the part of the Crème Republic at this time.”Vanilla Sugar’s eyes narrow. “So,” she says harshly, “it’s true, then. You’re just letting that thing run amok! What if it comes down here, hm? If you’re going to keep a wild animal around, at least have the decency to cage it!”Shadow Milk’s eyes flash as white-hot anger blurs his vision, the memories of familiar, glinting silver swimming before his eyes. He’s already grasping at the edges of his form, teeth bared as he tears at the veil of shadows-Until a sudden, violent pulse of pain freezes him in place.It hurts, scorching and stinging as it clenches at his chest. Yet somehow it feels foreign, harsh and acidic on his tongue. This is not his- no. This is not only his anger he’s feeling.Pure Vanilla’s fury is flowing through their connection – and it is scorching.The sensation is so shocking, so tight in how it clenches at his core that Shadow Milk almost misses the other’s next words.“Vanilla Sugar Cookie.” There’s a certain awe to be had at how steadily Pure Vanilla holds his voice, how easily he lies through an air of calm that Shadow Milk can feel he does not truly possess. “While you are always welcome in these lands, I must ask that you mind your words more carefully when speaking of its inhabitants.”The woman’s head recoils in affront. “Inhabitants?! I hardly think-”“Shadow Milk Cookie,” Pure Vanilla interrupts calmly, “is my guest. He is not a wild animal, nor will I ever allow him to be caged like one. I regret that his actions have injured your memories of this place, but the castle remains my home and within my purview to host whomever and however I see fit.”Vanilla Sugar’s eyes glitter angrily; her mouth opens to retort, cane already raising in defiance –Before Clotted Cream steps between them.“My apologies, Pure Vanilla Cookie.” Clotted Cream bows low, sweeping a hand in front of him. “I see in our hasty concern for your wellbeing, we have grievously overstepped. The Crème Republic means no disrespect to you, nor the companions within your realm. Please, do forgive our transgressions this day.”Pure Vanilla mimics the bow. “Of course,” he replies, equally smooth. “And I hope I have not offended in turn.”“Of course.”“If you’ll allow me,” Pure Vanilla continues, straightening up yet again, “I have something I need to attend to. If you’ll excuse me?”There’s an angry snort from Vanilla Sugar, covered swiftly by an elegant litany of farewells from Clotted Cream – and then Pure Vanilla is striding off down the street in the opposite direction.Strangely, he does not slow his pace as he continues forward; Cookies call to him, try to catch at the hem of his sleeve but Pure Vanilla politely dismisses them all. He is hurrying towards – something, but the what is unclear. More confusing still, he soon ducks off the main road entirely; his steps take him down twisting alleyways, turning corner after corner as the sounds of the markets begin to fade entirely. His steps don’t pause for a moment; leaving Shadow Milk thoroughly perplexed as he’s carried along for the ride.It's not until all windows have disappeared, not until they’re surrounded on all sides by plain weathered walls and near-total darkness that Pure Vanilla finally slows to a stop. As Shadow Milk peeks out, he sees they’ve come to a dead end; no sign of life, no new bend for the other to slip around. Pure Vanilla tilts his head, surveying his surroundings with an intensity Shadow Milk’s rarely glimpsed before.Are they being followed?There’s a beat of silence; Pure Vanilla lifts his staff, scanning the darkness one final time before setting it down with an audible thud.“Get out.”Shadow Milk blinks; he shifts to the edge of the cloak, trying to glimpse whoever Pure Vanilla’s addressing –Only to feel the cloak being lifted, held aloft in the air as Pure Vanilla’s narrowed eyes lock with his own.“I know you’re there.” Pure Vanilla’s tone is relentlessly sharp; his gaze, more so. “Out.”Well. That’s surprising.Still, Shadow Milk isn’t one to keep an audience waiting. He shakes off the shock, slipping out as his physical form coalesces in a whirl of shadows as he stretches his arms above his head.“Oh, Nilly!” He floats upwards, dipping back into a mock swoon as he flutters his lashes. “So gallant! So fierce! Riding to my rescue against that foul, wrinkled old crone – oh I could just pinch your cheeks, I could.”Pure Vanilla stares silently up, his unnervingly cold expression unchanging.The grin on Shadow Milk’s face falters; the corners of his mouth twitch as he folds his arms behind his back, leaning forward and cocking a brow. “Uh, hello? Earthbread to Nilly. You can drop the whole scowling act now. Or are you just stuck like this n-”“Why are you here?”Shadow Milk tilts his head. “Excuse me?”“Why,” Pure Vanilla repeats slowly, tonelessly, “are you here? Did you follow me from the castle?”“Welllll…” Shadow Milk twirls his cane, leaning back as he pretends to think. “I wouldn’t say followed. More, tagged along for the ride?”“You’ve been with me since the beginning.” Pure Vanilla’s words are still eerily cold, his gaze sharp and narrowed. “In my cloak. That’s what I felt in my room – what I’ve been feeling all day.”“Bin-go,” Shadow Milk sing-songs, grinning ear to ear even as Pure Vanilla glares him down. “Oh, come on, Nilly. Aren’t you happy to see me? Though I must say, I’m so, so, so interested in how you figured me out! What gave it away, hm?”“I’ve been feeling strange ever since this morning. I wasn’t certain at first, but Vanilla Sugar Cookie-” Pure Vanilla’s grip on his staff tightens briefly. “When she spoke against you, I suddenly felt…” Pure Vanilla frowns deeply, a hand coming up to touch as his Soul Jam brooch.Ah. That fleeting tear in the veil of shadows Shadow Milk’s claws had wrought in blind, furious anger.“Oops!” Shadow Milk leans back with a shrug, palms splayed upwards. “Well, what can I say? Caught with my fangs out!”“You’ve been with me all day.” The words are pointed - a blatant accusation. “And you’ve been breaking the rules.”Shadow Milk’s grin slowly fades; he feels his own eyes narrow to meet Pure Vanilla’s icy stare. “Excuse me?”Pure Vanilla slams his staff into the ground; the force of impact is pathetic, really, but the clear anger radiating off him is palpable. “You think I haven’t noticed the chaos that followed me in the markets today? The shattered pots, the burning loaves, Cookies tripping over thin air left and right? For a Master of Deceit, you clearly weren’t trying to be subtle.”“Well,” Shadow Milk replies airly, “I hardly crumbled-”“My wishes were explicit.” Pure Vanilla’s cold anger pulses through their connection, clenching unpleasantly at Shadow Milk’s core. “I asked that you do not harm the Cookies of this kingdom, and that you keep them out of our games.”Shadow Milk does not try to hide the ugly sneer twisting on his face. “Games?” He raps his cane in the palm of his hand twice; darkness floods their surroundings, extinguishing even the faintest glimpses of the sun overhead. “Oh, Silly Nilly - why didn’t you say so? I hadn’t realized we were playing.”Pure Vanilla’s staff is the singular point of light amongst the darkness, glittering in defiance as he holds it aloft. “Shadow Milk,” he warns.Shadow Milk slips from shadow to shadow, twisting through the space as Pure Vanilla’s darting gaze tries to follow his movements. “Over here,” he hisses, a breath in Pure Vanilla’s ear; the other swings around, but Shadow Milk has already slipped out of reach.“Stop this!” Pure Vanilla holds his staff higher, light pulsing from the star within. “I have no wish to fight you!”“Fight? Make up your mind, Nilly! Are we playing or not?”“Shadow Milk!”“I thought you loved games!” Shadow Milk lunges from the darkness; Pure Vanilla swings his staff again, narrowly grazing Shadow Milk’s cheek before he’s melting back into the shadows. “Oo, so close!”“Shadow-!”There’s an electricity in the air – a violent pulsing in the connection that dances along Shadow Milk’s dough. Anger, white-hot and heady, smoldering in his jam – more anger than just his own. He can feel Pure Vanilla’s unhappiness twisting into something raw, dancing closer to a shadow of Shadow Milk’s own viciousness. To see such fury, such disoriented anger spinning in the other’s soul-Their connection shudders with the force of one furious beast clashing into the other, a flurry of teeth and claws. Resentment building, fury growing, each swipe fanning the other’s flames.Feeding into each other.“What’s the matter?” Shadow Milk’s voice bounces from all directions, a cacophony of disharmony as Pure Vanilla steps uneasily back. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”Pure Vanilla swallows, grip on his staff tightening. “Enough.”“Isn’t this what your games are all about?” Shadow Milk slices his cane through the air, a jagged blade shooting up mere inches from where Pure Vanilla stood. “Keeping me occupied in that ivory tower of yours?” Another slice and the blade surges forward, forcing Pure Vanilla to stumble backwards. “Keeping me distracted and tame?”“Enough-”“Keeping other Cookies out of it, and far, far away from ME!”“I SAID, ENOUGH!!”The burst of light of blinding; it rips through the darkness, searing against Shadow Milk’s dough as he throws his arms over his face. His spell is instantly shattered, splintered wisps of magic melting into thin air as his shadows are torn apart by the light radiating from Pure Vanilla’s staff. Sunlight streams in from above, dousing what little natural darkness remained – but its gentle warmth is nothing, nothing compared to the sudden, scorching heat radiating at his chest.Shadow Milk’s Soul Jam is on fire.He grasps blindly at it, doubling over in pain with a furious cry. Across from him Pure Vanilla slumps against his staff, clutching at his brooch with rattling gasps as his eyes clench shut.At least this pain, too, is mutual.They stay like this; Shadow Milk, curled around himself in the air and Pure Vanilla, barely remaining upright as they breathe, in and out, riding the waves of pain driving itself into every inch of their dough. What feels like hours pass as the sensation throbs on and on, the tightness only lessening in small, gradual slips – like a vice unclenching.Pure Vanilla is the first to move. From the corner of his eye, Shadow Milk can see the other pull himself up on his staff, trembling from the exertion. There’s a deep, full-body shudder as his raspy breaths quicken momentarily – only slowing when he lifts his head to meet Shadow Milk’s own vacant gaze.A moment passes like this; Shadow Milk’s mismatched eyes flicking over Pure Vanilla’s dull, milky own.Then Pure Vanilla lowers his gaze, eyes slipping shut as he hoarsely rasps:“Go home, Shadow Milk.”A command. Week, feeble, gasped with nary a wisp of strength behind it – but a command nonetheless.Shadow Milk’s own gaze lifts up, past the curved roofs, past the darkening clouds littering the sky above. He stares up into the dismal, grey abyss, counting out the beats of pain still throbbing in time with each shaky breath.A small smile tugs at the edge of his lips.“Shadow Milk.” Pure Vanilla’s unsteady steps are coming closer. “Shadow Milk?”“You know,” Shadow Milk breathes; his voice falters, a wince at the hoarseness of his own throat. “You are… an excellent… liar.”Pure Vanilla’s footsteps falter.“You really think…” Shadow Milk inhales again, clenching his teeth. “You’re treating me… with kindness.” Another shudder. “You think… I will ever… ever… stop hating you.”Silence, broken only by Shadow Milk’s own rattling breath.“You are a cage.” Shadow Milk closes his eyes. “And I will never be free of you.”If there is any reply – a shout, a curse, a desperate plea – Shadow Milk does not hear it. He simply slips down, melding into the shadows between the cracks in the ground, sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness – the last thing he hears, his own stuttering breath.Complete and utter nothingness envelops him.It is bliss.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
Assistant: