Chapter Text
The quiet in the Catacombs of Silence was unlike any other, suffocating any and every cookie that dared enter.
Shadow Milk Cookie stood at the edge of the abyss, his usual manic grin flickering like a dying candle. In his hand, he held a jagged shard of a Soulprism, its faint purple glow illuminating his cold hands.
“You always were the quiet type, weren’t you Salt?” He hummed, his voice smaller than it ever had been.
Behind him, the silhouette of the “great and mighty” ruler of the Lands of Silence remained motionless. The Beast of Silence didn’t say a word, he hadn’t spoken since his corruption. Even now, though he was free of the cage, he was still trapped in his own cage of regret.
The jester sighed. “You’re doing it again. That stare. The “I am the wall which the world breaks upon.” stare. It’s boring, Salt.”
The knight didn’t move, but under the armor, his mouth betrayed him, the corners twitching into a faint smile.
“I made a show of it,” Shadow Milk whispered, stepping closer until he could see his own distorted image in the knight’s armor. “I screamed. I lied. The Truth corrupted me, so I corrupted everyone else with the lies that they so desired. But you? You stood by and let me burn. Us burn. You let the world just go cold.”
He reached for his so called friend, his fingers hovering near the knight’s armor, yet never touching him. He wanted to hug him, to reassure him that everything was alright, yet that would be a lie. After all, he was the Master of Deceit, wasn’t he?
“They’re coming for us.” He said, his voice carrying a note that Salt recognized, a soft, low one that only he knew about. “The little “heroes.” The “pure” halves of our Souljams. They’ll seal us back into the dark, and we’ll be alone again. Doesn’t that sound familiar, Salty?”
His voice carried that manic edge that Salt knew. He was no longer Fount, he was Shadow Milk now.
“They’re coming for the Souljams. White Lily - or whatever she calls herself now - and her little band of pretenders. They’ll trap us again. I’ll go truly mad this time, Salt. Please. Don’t let them.”
Silent Salt finally moved. He didn’t speak, but he leaned his armored head forward, into Shadow Milk’s touch. It was a silent acknowledgment of their history together, a history that was erased.
The contrast was surprisingly gentle, a knight of obsidian and the blue and white Harlequin - two halves of a broken, discarded heaven.
“That’s the punchline, isn’t it?” Shadow Milk’s eyes filled with liquid twilight. He pressed his face into the knight’s shoulder, the sharp smell of salt filling the air. “Even when the world is ending for us, the only thing louder than my lies is… your silence.”
The curtain was falling on them, and for once, the Joker didn’t want to take a bow.