[REWRITE OUT NOW] {COMPLETED} The Time I Was Human (Cookie Run AU)

Chapter 21: Freedom

Hey, Kiwi here!
Sorry for the late chapter, I had a lot of things to do last week!

Also, 3k reads??? Thank you all so much!!

***

"So, how did you encounter Pomegranate?" Pumpkin Spice asked Roll Cake as the squad walked away from town.

"She... offered to save my brother from Jellification if I performed some tasks for her," Roll Cake answered, lowering his head. "Now that I think about it, he's still a Jelly Walker..."

Gumball perked up.

"Hey, I think we have a way to save your brother!" he tapped Roll Cake's shoulders.

Turning to Herb, he asked, "Didn't we use my gumballs to bring you back? We hit you on your wound and you returned to normal..."

Nodding, Herb replied, "As I can remember, the gum took the poison away..."

"If we put the gum on Pancake's wound," Orange piped up. "then he'll return to normal!"

Roll Cake smiled warmly to them.

"Thanks. I really appreciate your help, so I'll be the one to help you guys from now on."

Perhaps it was a good time to destroy less and create things. Maybe creating a few new friendships would be a good start.

***

The water stood still in front of Sea Fairy. It wasn't salt water, but it was better than nothing.

"Show me where Dear Moonlight is!" she announced as the water began to form an image.

The ripples showed a giant pile of rocks near a group of trees. It wasn't much to go on, but it was enough. However, in the corner of the image, she saw pink-ish figures... Then, the image dissolved.

What could those be? she thought suspiciously. I should be careful when approaching it. This may mean trouble.

Sea Fairy's eyes moved towards the forest she saw. Those were the only trees she noticed around her, so the rock pile had to be near. And sure enough, sitting nearby the forest was the giant pile of rocks.

As much as she wanted to rush over to the rocks and free the rest of the Legendaries, she needed to be cautious. Those pink figures looked suspiciously like Jelly Walkers.

Scanning her surroundings, Sea Fairy quickly but carefully  made her way towards the rock pile. She could sense their presence. She could feel Moonlight's light, Millennial Tree's aura, and Fire Spirit's heat. In just a moment, she would free them.

She immediately stopped when she saw that there was already someone in front of the rocks. The person in question had red hair and bright red clothing. It was Pomegranate.

"So you escaped, Sea Fairy," Pomegranate remarked when she noticed the sea spirit. "I never thought you could have."

"What business do you have here?" Sea Fairy deflected the comment coldly.

"I'm just here to stop you from freeing the rest of them," Pomegranate replied. "And don't bother trying to bust them out. I've cast a barrier spell around these rocks."

Sure enough, there was a wall of a thin, red layer over all the rocks. Sea Fairy tried to strategize. She knew all sorcerers and magic users cast their spells from a wand or a staff. Pomegranate was no different. If she could only disable the staff somehow or even break it...

"Oh, and, one more thing..." Pomegranate started ominously as she held up. "My Master gave me one order for you. If I were to ever see you unfrozen, I'd have to eliminate you."

With a swing, Pomegranate cast a spell towards Sea Fairy, but the spirit was quick. She immediately jumped to the side and called on the waves. The water from the nearby pond came rushing to Sea Fairy's aid.

"You will hurt no more beings," Sea Fairy announced, standing atop a large wave. "not me or another soul. I will stop you."

A huge wave of water crashed towards Pomegranate, but the sorceress quickly casted a shielding spell and blocked off the waves. What she didn't know was that Sea Fairy had sent another wave to hit her from behind. By the time Pomegranate finally noticed, it was too late for her to cast another spell. Instead, her reflexes caused her to quickly move the staff in front of her, just in time to shield the impact.

Crack. It was the sound of something glass breaking. When the waves vanished, a gem on Pomegranate's staff had a long, thick crack in it. Almost instantly, the barrier around the rocks sputtered and disappeared.

"Curses!" Pomegranate spat. Without another second, she waved her staff and disappeared with a pop of pomegranates.

It took a moment for Sea Fairy to process what just happened. She had broken a crystal, and right after that, a spell grew weak and vanished. Yes, she had found the secret of Pomegranate's magic. All the power was stored inside the four gems and if one were broken, a spell connected to it would also break. Now all she needed to do was to find a way to break all the gems.

Sea Fairy stepped in front of the rocks and shouted into it, "Moonlight! Can you hear me?"

A muffled voice returned, "Sea Fairy? Are you there?"

Another voice, this time male, complained, "Ughh, took you long enough! Hey, is Archer with you?"

"All that matters is that we can now be freed," another male voice came out from behind the rock. "Thank you, Sea Fairy."

"Please stand clear of the center. I will bust this rock in," Sea Fairy warned.

She brought forth one last wave and knocked one of the rocks inside. When the dust cleared, there stood Moonlight, Millennial Tree, and Fire Spirit.

"Thank you so much for saving us!" Moonlight rushed forward to hug Sea Fairy. "I will remember this moment for all eternity!"

"I'd do anything to help out," Sea Fairy responded, hugging Moonlight back. "But it must have been awfully uneventful in there. What did you do?"

"Moonlight and I worked out our differences on leading the Legendaries," Millennial Tree answered. "Everything is fine now."

"Uh, guys?" Fire Spirit pointed behind them. "I don't think this is the time for a heartwarming reunion..."

Everyone turned around.

And standing in front of them was a mob of Jelly Walkers.