The cold wind bit harder than Dark Choco Cookie remembered.

Snow howled through the canyons like mournful spirits, and the jagged peaks of the Dark Cacao Kingdom loomed against the sky like ancient sentinels. Years had passed since he last stepped foot on this frozen land. Years since shame and shattered honor had driven him away. Now, he returned — not as a conqueror, not as a prince, but as a son. The blackened hilt of the Strawberry Jam Sword hung heavy at his side, its cursed power pulsing faintly in the presence of the citadel. He half-expected the guards to confront him at the gates, spears pointed and voices trembling with distrust. But as he crossed the grand bridge toward the castle… silence. Not a soul greeted him. No patrols. No citizens. No torches lit the ancient halls. Something was wrong.