'And something shifts in Shadow Milk's gaze, a sort of vindictive delight drawing that confident smirk into a vicious grin. "Well now, Pure Vanilla Cookie," he says, the amusement and anticipation dripping from his voice palpable. Pure Vanilla can't quite hide the way he tries to recoil, but the vice-like grip upon his wrist remains terrifyingly unrelenting. "This certainly changes the script up a little, doesn't it?"

The question is too light, too cheerful, too casual for what this truly means. For right there on Shadow Milk's face, painted in damningly permanent blue hues, is the unmistakable mark of a four-point crown. Pure Vanilla's forearm burns where his own identical mark has been exposed for all the world to see, Shadow Milk peering at it with a sense of sickening awe that's impossible to miss. Because there it is, imprinted on his skin and written in the stars: undeniable proof that they've been predestined to meet since the start.

Shadow Milk Cookie is his soulmate. And Pure Vanilla has never been more afraid.'

(Vanilla Milkshake fans, when I tell you I am COOKING-)