Anguish|| A Cookie Run: Kingdom Concept

CHAPTER 1

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of death, cookie blood, poverty, envy

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In the faraway Dark Cacao Kingdom, a land ridden with mountains and blizzards, a frail cookie in his early teens walked down the snowy path, his breaths getting heavier with each passing second.

"Our King really has abandoned us, huh." This rather depressing sentence coming out of the boy's mouth recently became quite popular among the denizens of the Dark Cacao Kingdom. With the relentless attacks from powerful beasts, it was almost impossible for cookies to survive.

Of course, that excluded those who lived at the Citadel, such as the Watchers. Unless someone worked for the king, they would be prey for beasts. The land was barren, technology almost nonexistent. Commoners had no access to anything proper, anyway. It was only natural that they would resent their ignorant king, just like this frail cookie.

However, most of them didn't, for some reason. Whenever the young boy complained, his elders would warn him and tell him never-ending stories about the resolute king they all admired—the same king who left them to rot.

It was frustrating.

Before he could even make it close to the Citadel, his destination, the frail cookie collapsed onto the thick layer of snow. He had no strength in him anymore; all his loved ones were dead, after all.

The silent thump caught the attention of an observant cookie. He immediately rushed to the source of the sound, gasping when he saw the collapsed young boy. "Hey..." he whispered, crouching down to check his pulse.

The frail cookie opened one of his eyes slightly. "I must... speak with the King." He breathed out, taking in the features of the warrior sitting beside him. He looked harmless, like a cute baby cake hound (though baby cake hounds in Dark Cacao can kill you, too).

His blurry vision kept him from seeing the other boy properly. "Oh..." Although the boy continued speaking, the frail cookie couldn't hear any of it. He felt someone picking him up before sleep consumed him.

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Caramel Sundae Cookie loved everything about his home, the Dark Cacao Kingdom. He would often run away from the Citadel and spend days out in the wild to get stronger, only to get scolded by his twin sister later on. He wished for nothing more than to become a watcher, just like his mother, whom he loved more than anything else.

Of course, he loved his mother and sister equally.

Today would have been one of those days, if not for what happened a few hours ago. Caramel Sundae Cookie had carried the boy all the way to the Citadel, his years of training with his mother allowing him to move with ease despite all the extra weight on his back.

The gatekeepers had questioned him, the frown on their faces covered by their scarves. The boy knew they would report his actions to the greedy royal advisor, who held power over even the watchers thanks to his silver tongue.

Speaking of which, Caramel Sundae Cookie's sister had that very same ability. The resemblance was there, but he knew they had no relation to that snake whatsoever. His mother, who would never lie, had denied it.

"Are you even listening to me right now, Caramel?!" The sweet sound of his sister yelling at him interrupted Caramel Sundae Cookie's train of thought. He loved his sister; she was ethereal in a way. Of course, his mother was just as special!

"Coffee. You'll help me heal that cookie, right?" The boy asked his sister, completely ignoring the scolding she was giving him earlier. The girl let out a long sigh and sat across from him, sipping her bitter coffee. Unlike what her name would suggest, she preferred her coffee without any sugar or milk.