Rain and Ella sat on their heels, writing something on the floor. They had a small stick in their hands, which they quickly removed to write on the floor.

“Argh, what game is this, Raccoon?” Ella asked.

“It’s called tic tac toe, Miss,” Rain replied.

Ella looked at him with lowered eyelids. “I know tic tac toe, but what is this ten by a ten grid with five connected wins? I’ve never heard of or played it before.”

Rain hugged his arms and swayed his wooden stick. “Miss Ella, we are in the pro league. We shouldn’t play like children. This level of game is more suitable for amateurs like us, right?”

Ella paused for a moment and then slowly nodded. “Yes, you’re right. We are amateurs and shouldn’t play at a child’s level.”

Aria, Rave, and all the mature people facepalmed and thought to themselves, “You’re sitting on the floor and playing like children!”

“Hahaha, yes, Miss Ella. We’ve already grown up,” Rain said, reaching out his hand.

Ella grabbed his hand and shook it. “Yes, that’s right. Thank you for the good game, Mr. Rain. But next time, I prefer playing chess. Is that okay?”

“Haha, I’m good at any game. Just teach me how to play,” Rain said.

“Oh, that’s great!” Ella exclaimed.

Thud, thud. A tall man with brown hair approached. He was wearing full plate armor with a diamond crystal on his chest, emitting a white light. He looked at Saint and Raccoon, who were now shoulder to shoulder, waving their hands as if drawing something on sky. He then looked up. He tried to follow the gaze but saw nothing but a blank sky. Finally, he turned to the Blue River Saint, touched his own heart, and said, “May the light shine upon us, Saint Blue River.”

The other Follower, Willna and Warmund, have pale blonde hair that matches their eyes. Willna’s hair is long and braided, while Warmund has a shortcut. They were both dressed in holy tunics with winter dresses layered on top. Interestingly, they had diamonds on their chests that emitted a radiant white light. As they bowed in respect, they spoke in unison, “May the light of Saint Blue River shine upon us.”

All the knights behind them also bowed.

Aria nodded and said, “Thank you, sir and lady. This little one doesn’t require any formalities. Please feel free to talk to me like a normal person.”

Ella and Rain noticed the newcomer, and Ella quickly pushed Rain away. “Go, go, step away, Raccoon. It’s not appropriate for a man to be too close to a woman. I don’t want anyone gossiping about it.”

“What? We’re friends. No one will gossip about our friendship. Alright, alright, I’ll do as you wish, Miss Ella,” Rain responded. He then walked to Follower Calder.

“Hi, brother,” he said, reaching out his hand.

Calder looked at his hand for a moment, then hesitantly extended his own hand. After a brief freeze, he quickly bowed and said, “Good morning, Miss Raccoon. I’m Follower Calder, under the light of Saint Rexton of White Rey. I’m already twenty-two years old. I like earth and chocolate, and my favorite color is brown!”

Everyone was taken aback, even the two followers standing behind Calder. Their eyes widened in shock. No one dared to approach this towering two-meter tall follower. Even in a bowed state, he was still taller than most adults.

“Lord Calder… it’s already nighttime,” Ella said, hugging her chest. “And Rain is male.”

Blood rushed to Calder’s face, and his ears turned red. The light crystal on his chest also changed color to red. He quickly reached out his hand and said, “No, no, there’s a misunderstanding—”

Rain swiftly bowed his head and said, “Good morning, Brother Calder. I’m Follower Rain, under the light of Saint Blue River Aria. I’m already eighteen years old. People often mistake me for a female, but that’s okay. We can clear up the confusion. I love everything made from sugar, and my favorite color is blue!”

Ella’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “Eighteen? What a raccoon! Really?”

Calder was taken aback. “I didn’t mean—”

Rave swiftly bowed and did the same. “Good evening, Calder. I’m follower Ravie, under the light of Saint Sky Piercer Ella. I’m already fifteen years old. I wanted to be a thug, but circumstances changed and I became a follower. I hate cockatoo birds, so please do not call me that, and I don’t like the color white.”

Ella looked at Ravie. “Hahhh, you’re the same age as me?”

Calder slowly shook his head, feeling warm inside. “Both of you…”

The lady follower behind them started to bow her head, but the youth beside her stopped her. “Please, Wellna, don’t do that. If we keep this up, people won’t respect us anymore.”

“Ah, sorry, Warmund.” She swiftly nodded in agreement.

Ravie and Rain moved closer to the tall follower, placing their hands on his left and right shoulders as they looked up at Calder’s face.

“Don’t worry, brother Calder. We are friends, and men power together can save the world,” Rain said, raising his hand to the sky. A bright light shone on his index finger, creating a trail of light as he whispered, “Thank you, Ria.”

Ravie also nodded and raised his other hand, igniting a fire in his palm. “If you’re interested, we can form a group of men's armies. We just need to find two more, and then we’ll be a complete team.”

Calder clenched his fist tightly. “You two are so kind to me.”

The two little ones tapped his shoulder twice, and then all three of them hugged their own shoulders, performing a circular cheer.

Ella moved left and right, unsure of what to do and how to fit in. She saw Aria and quickly came over to hug her arm. “I still have Aria, a women’s team.”

Aria smiled and touched Ella’s hand. “Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“Aham,” Warmund coughed, capturing everyone’s attention. “Lord Calder, it’s time. The clock is ticking, snow is falling, and the temperature is dropping. Please make an appointment.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Oh, I apologize, little Warmund,” Calder replied, releasing his hand. He then took out a box from his side bag and opened it. Inside were four diamond crystals, identical to the one on his chest. “Saint Rexton requests that I give these to you all. This tool will help illuminate the darkness of winter. The crystals have a long lifespan that will last throughout the entire season.”

Ella stepped forward and took two crystals. “Thank you. Please convey to Marquise Rexton that we appreciate the light he has bestowed upon us.” She then handed one crystal to Rave. “Sir Ravie, please place it on your chest. It will detect your emotions and heart rate, allowing easy monitoring of your condition during the winter.

Click! Rave placed the crystal on his chest, and it immediately shone brightly in white. After a moment, it changed to red, green, blue, and then red again, alternating periodically.

The followers of White Rey stepped back, confused by what was happening. “Sorry, maybe it’s defective. Please try another one,” Calder offered, reaching into the box.

“This is such a convenient stone,” Rave smiled. The color changed to green, yellow, and purple. “Okay, I choose this color.” It then transformed into a radiant yellow glow.

Rain patted Rave on the shoulder and gave a thumbs up. “Good choice. It looks really cool.”

Rave nodded in agreement.

Warmund was taken aback and exclaimed, “He can control his emotions!”

Calder was momentarily shocked, but quickly regained his composure. He then handed the box to Aria. “Saint Aria, please.”

Aria inspected the crystal for a moment, then shook her head and said, “Thank you, Lord Calder, but I will keep only your kindness. Please give it to another holy order or your guard knights.”

Calder insisted, “Please, Saint Aria, my grandfather made these four ReyStones with his own hands.”

Aria smiled and replied, “Thank you for his kindness, but please tell him that we are forest runners. Light would hinder us and change our role from prey to victim.”

Calder’s eyes widened in shock as Rain tapped his shoulder twice. “Thank you, but we’ll be fine without it. We’re at our best when it snows,” Rain said.

Calder nodded slowly. “I’ll let him know,” he replied.

Rain and Aria both nodded and said, “Thank you.”

A pale walnut follower approached them. “Hi, I’m Follower Warmund Rexton. I serve under the White Rey Saint,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand.

Rain smiled and rubbed his hand on his coat before shaking Warmund’s hand. “Hi, Warmund. Nice to meet you. I hope you’ve been getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of ginger tea to keep warm.”

Warmund retracted his hand, feeling something wet and dry. When he looked at it, he found a dry yellow root in his hand.

Rain winked at him. “It’s good for your health,” he said.

While Warmund was still confused, Rave grabbed his hand, this time causing it to feel hot, like scorching fire. “Nice to meet you,” Rave said.

Warmund looked at his hand, which now had volcanic rock that was often used for lighting fires in the kitchen.

Willna adjusted her dress and then rubbed her hands together before reaching out her hand. “Hi, I’m Willna—”

Rain interrupted her, looking into his bag. “Wait a moment, Anna. I found something you might like,” he said, his hand rummaging through the bottom of his bag. “Ah, found it!”

He placed a coin in her hand. It was an old and rusty zenny coin, of the lowest value, not even enough to buy a loaf of bread. It was used as a unit of currency control.

Willna tilted her head in confusion. “Why are you giving me this?”

Everyone looked at the coin, puzzled as to why Rain had given it to her. Only Rave caught a glimpse of something.

Rain tilted his head and said, “Don’t we give a coin to a merchant friend anymore?” He looked at something else and added, “Sorry, I’ll look for something else.”

Willna’s eyes widened for a moment before she finally realized the meaning of the coin. “Ah, sorry, Mr. Rain. I will trade our friendship.” Quickly, she pulled a coin from her purse, which was tucked inside her tunic. She handed it over, saying, “For now, I only have this coin. Please accept it as my gratitude.”

Everyone was shocked by her action, but even more so when they looked at the coin. It was a jade coin, pure white in color, and valuable enough to buy a city.

Warmund swiftly grabbed her arm. “Willanna!”

Startled, Willna asked, “What, Mundi?”

Warmund locked eyes with her and slowly shook his head.

“Wow, a pretty stone. How generous of you, Anna,” Rain said as she took the jade coin and admired its radiant whiteness in his hand.

Warmund looked at his hand, displeased that he had already taken the coin away. He said, “Thank you for your generosity,” then turned away, his gaze also shifting towards Willna, silently telling her to follow him.

Willna swiftly nodded at everyone and said, “Thank you, everyone. I hope you all have a good time in our city.” She then quickly followed Warmund.

“Don’t worry, Anna. I will keep this stone safe. It’s really beautiful,” he reassured her, waving his hand.

Willna turned to see him smiling and waved back before continuing to walk.

Suddenly, a cold sensation crept up behind Rain’s back. Two women, one saint in golden and blue, stared at him intensely. Their eyes glowed, and even a faint lightning could be seen in the background. They both said simultaneously, “Why are you so close?”

Confused, Rain stepped backward, but someone blocked his path. He turned his head and exclaimed, “Rave? Why are you blocking me?”

He gave him a small smile. “I also want to know, what’s the story behind why you’re so close with that Follower Willna?”

Two saints nodded in agreement with Red Rave’s words. The lightning behind their backs seemed bigger and brighter.

Cold sweat beads ran down his face. “Please, please don’t hit me. This is not my fault. Let me explain.”

“Explain!”

“Yes, yes, again, it can all be blamed on the cookie. It’s all the cookie’s fault. While everyone was asleep, I wanted something sweet, so I went looking for a sugar, but, but I want to clear up I don’t steal. Instead, I traded some herbs and goods.” He showed them the cookie from his bag, the same type of cookie that Ella had given him. “So, so, I ran to the warehouse. And who do I run into there? Anna, of course. You all know she works there, right? I was just looking for something sweet to eat, and she generously gave me a cookie, along with a cup of milk. She even added three sugar cubes to the milk. It was so sweet and made for a happy midnight snack.”

Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

Ella was not pleased. Her eyebrows furrowed. “In the name of the Holy Saint of Lestria and ruler of this city, you are now banned from entering White Rey warehouse or any food supply service…forever.”

“What! Ella, that’s not fair! Why? I’m already banned from the kitchen, and now even from the storage area, too.” He looked at Calder, tears welling up. “Brother, please help.”

The crystal light on Calder’s chest changed to a blue color. He wanted to say something, but the lady’s cold stare stopped him. He covered his eyes and shook his head, speaking in a paper voice. “Sorry.”

“Nooooooo, my last supply of sweet treats for the winter. Curse you, cookie!” he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face.

On the other side, twin pale walnuts were walking. A cloud hung over the young one at the front, while the lady behind was trying her best to keep up with his speed. The winter night flew between them. The casting light on their chests and the white holy beacon that showed them the way, but cold blurred their relationship.

“What are you doing? Give him that.” Warmund stopped and pointed in the direction they came from, his eyebrows furrowing.

Anna was startled and confused. “Why isn’t it right? Mr. Rain gave you a rare root beat, and Mr. Ravie gave you that stone. Furthermore, he also gave me a friendship coin, and herb—”

“Why are you always so naive, Willanna? That’s not a trade, it’s fraud. He cheated you. The coin he gave you is worthless, just garbage that can be found in the sewer.”

She looked at the coin in her hand. It was old and green, but definitely a zenny coin with the lowest value. “But, Mundi, this coin is special—”

“Do not call me Mundi. I hate the way you call me that,” he exclaimed, hot air rushing out of his mouth.

“Um, Warmund,” she lowered her head as the cold wind caressed her face. Pain tugged her heart.

His hand trembled, not wanting to talk anymore. He turned and continued walking.

Willna started to move her legs.

“Do not follow me.” Swoosh. He dashed out, leaving her alone in the winter.

She gazed at the coin in her palm as snowflakes gently falling upon it. Snow gradually covered the coin, and chilly white flakes scatted her hair. A single water droplet fell onto the coin. She rubbed it with her finger. Slowly, the coin transformed into a stunning radiant object, resembling a crystal. It emitted a warm glow that spread throughout the surroundings. “This is too beautiful, this is too much…just for a cookie and milk, you give me this. Mr. Rain.”