§Nights before Sun End§

Silent snow fell in the midnight wind as two shining lamps illuminated the two strong knights standing firmly in front of the storage door on the east side of the city. However, fatigue began to show in their eyes.

One knight yawned and said, “Winter has come too quickly. I thought I would finish this guard duty before winter.”

The second knight mirrored his friend’s action, accompanied by a small yawn and a tear. “I thought the same. With just one more month, I could have transferred to the patrol unit.”

The first knight rubbed his hands together and moved closer to the lamps. “Yes, this boring task is making me freeze. It’s just the two of us here, protecting herbs, bark, and ingredients. Not fun at all.” He glanced at the symbol of bread and herbs crafted on the warehouse door.

The second knight followed suit. “Protecting the storage like this is so boring. At least on the west side, they have ale and brewing. I heard it’s more fun.”

“Yeah, I’m so jealous.”

“Yeah…”

The wind blew, lifting the snow slightly and making them feel colder than usual. Thankfully, their fur coats kept them warm inside. The first knight looked at the wind and asked, “Friend, have you heard the rumor about the Nome?”

“Yes, I heard about it during the last round. The Nome blesses us and fills the warehouse with herbs and tree roots. But at the same time, sugar and syrup always disappear, bit by bit.”

“Yeah, it’s weird. It’s like they’re trading for it.”

The wind blew faster, causing the lamps in their hands to flicker and eventually run out of oil, releasing smoke into the air.

The first knight said, “Friend, I need to replace the fire.”

Second knight didn’t want to be left alone. “I’ll come with you. I need to find a warm drink to keep me going until night.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Two knights walked back to the inner city to gather supplies for the winter night, unaware that someone was on the roof. A child with a large cloth bag was climbing up the chimney.

“Ho ho ho, I’m coming, little one,” he exclaimed as he jumped into the chimney. The coldness of it touched his hand. Slowly but surely, he climbed down and landed perfectly inside the warehouse.

The inside of the warehouse was warmer than the outside. Instead of using firewood, they utilized light crystals and controlled the temperature with metal tubes beneath the warehouse. A long wooden table stood in the center, and shelves and drawers filled every corner. Everything was meticulously arranged and labeled.

“Ho ho ho, today I have some great products to trade, Mr. Warehouse,” he said, as he touched the table and wiped away the snow dust.

“I have stored many herbs and roots that can help fight the winter. You will surely like them, and more people will come to visit you,” he continued, pouring out all the contents of his bag and organizing the products into three groups.

Ella is so smart. She designed this room so well. Products that required warm temperatures were stored lower, while those that needed to be preserved in the cold were placed on top, used both a hot metal and cold snow together.

He sorted the items on the blocks, placing dried roots in the center and herbs and flowers on top. Then, he sat down and kept extract oil bottle.

“Okay, the last thing is potion. Ho ho ho, lucky for you, Mr. Warehouse. This one isn’t the sweet version. It’s a hot solution made for old men like you,” he chuckled. As he sat, he reached his hand on the table but couldn’t find what he was looking for.

Someone reached out and handed him the potion, saying, “Here.”

Rain took it and said, “Thank you,” before arranging it on the shelf. He stood up, dusted off his hands, and smiled widely. “Mission complete. Now it’s time to get the reward.”

But a lady with black hair and purple eyes looked at him, causing goosebumps to rush over his body. They both hugged themselves and screamed, “Waaaaaaaaaaah” “Ahaaaaaaaahhhh.”

“What, what, who are you?” Rain asked as he climbed onto the desk, swiftly grabbing a beetroot from the shelf and pointing it at her. “Don’t eat me, I’m scrawny. Eat this instead.”

She clung to the edge of the table, only showing her purple eyes as she looked at him. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, Mr. Nome. Please don’t eat me. Please take all the sugar cane.”

“What! Nome?” Rain swiftly jumped down and sat beside her, only showing his eyes as he looked around. “Where is it!? We have to hit them hard. They often steal things from farmers. Don’t be fooled by its childish appearance. It’s wicked.”

Lady’s eyes widened as she looked at Rain. Their bodies were too close, and they could feel the warmth of each other.

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Rain looked at her and asked, “Where?”

She pointed her finger at Rain.

Rain looked behind him, but there was nothing there except a normal wall and shelves of items. He turned back to her, but her finger still pointed at him. “Eeeeh, me?”

She nodded.

“What!” He exclaimed as he stood up. “No, no, no. I’m not that fat guy, and I don’t always say ‘ho ho ho’ on the chimney.” He opened his mouth to show his white teeth. “See, no fangs.” His sound like squishy rat.

The lady stood up and instinctively touched her own chest, apologizing, “Sorry, sorry, I thought you were Mr. Nome.” With her head down, she bowed again and again.

“Phew,” he thumped his own chest. “Okay, okay, that’s good. If it’s not Nome, everything is fine. They are worse than dragon. You don’t have to trust them, okay? Kick them away as fast as possible if you come across them. They like to steal things.” He then turned and walked towards the shelf labeled with the word Sugar.

“Ah, okay,” Lady followed him and asked, “Mister, what are you doing?”

“Don’t tell anyone, okay? I’m here to trade sugar. I need it to make candy. Chupa Chupa doesn’t grow in winter, which is quite troublesome. My brain doesn’t function properly when without a sweet to feed it.” Rain put three blocks of sugar into his sachet.

“Do you only need that?” Lady questioned.

“Yes, I only need this much, just to add a little sweetness. It’s a luxury item, so I can’t be greedy. Many people also need it, right?” He replied, standing up and walking back to the fireplace, his hand resting on the corner. “Okay, good night.”

“Um, do you mind?” She took something out of her bag and showed it to him. It was a cookie, a large cookie with sugar dots. “I have some desserts with me too. Would you like it?”

Rain looked at the cookie, his eyes sparkling like stars. “Are you also a sweet tooth?”

Her purple eyes glistened with a yellow light, her long black hair adorned with tiny braids cascaded down her body. She wore a black long gown with a white fur coat on top, and her lattice-patterned gloves complemented her elegant appearance, with a cookie in her hand made her like a night-sweet angel. She nodded and said, “Y-Yes, it helps a lot when in thinking.”

“Yes, that’s right.” he rubbed his hands on his shirt, then reached out to receive the cookie. “May I know your name, lady?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself first before giving something to people. My name is Willanna Rexton,” she said, bowing to him.

“That’s a beautiful name, Anna,” he smiled at her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the child in front of her. “How did you—”

“Sorry Anna, I didn’t bring my lucky sachet. Aria will scold me if I make it dirty again. So I’ll give you something later, okay?” Rain walked back to the fireplace, his hand touching the stone as he leaned against it. But the sweet voice kept him from leaving.

“Uh, mister, do you need some hot milk?”

Rain looked at her hand. She held a mug of hot milk in her hand, and white steam rose from it. Then glanced at the chimney, its cold and lonely and no white foam. He looked back at her hand again. Now she had a sugar jar in her other hand, causing him swallowed hard. “Okay. For the sweet-tooth god and dessert’s protector friendship.” He quickly grabbed a chair and sat on it.

Willna walked to the opposite side, placing two mugs on the table with a gentle knock. Then she poured warm milk from an iron flask.

“Uh, mister, how many sugar cubes do you want?” Willna asked as she picked up sugar blocks from the jar.

“Just one is enough—”

Plop, plop, plop. She dropped three sugar cubes into the milk. “Ah, sorry. I thought—”

Small teardrops dripped onto the wooden table.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “Are you an angel?” He rubbed his own eyes with his sleeve. “You gave me a cookie and now three sugar cubes in just one cup of milk. Why are you so generous like this, Anna?”

She came over and rubbed his back. “Mister, are you okay?”

“This is too good, you’re too kind…” He held the milk cup firmly with both hands, his eyes fixated on the swirling white foam. “Ella gave me a cookie, but she forced me to be her messenger. That’s not fair at all, just one cookie for all this hard work.”

“Ella? Saint Ella?” Willna startled for a moment but continued stroking his back.

“Aria also scolded me for eating too much sugar. She took away all the Cuppa Cuppa,” Tear continued, tears falling. “Her nonsense about that little monster eating my teeth is not true at all. I brush my teeth every day. How is that even possible? You can see that all my teeth are white, right?”

“Yes, I see. They are perfectly healthy. No cavities,” Willna reassured him. A soft expression accompanied her gentle voice. “And if you brush your teeth regularly, they will stay healthy. So, please don’t cry, okay?”

“Um, okay,” Rain replied, ceasing his tears.

Willna touched the mug. “Drink it while it’s still hot,” she said, grabbing more cookies from her bag and giving him one. “And here’s one more for you.”

Rain looked at her, his eyes widening. “You’re truly an angel, Anna.”

“Just don’t cry, okay? It will give you a headache,” Willna said, moving a chair and sitting nearby him.

“Um, I will try, but life is so hard when winter comes,” Rain said, sipping the warm milk that slightly soothed his mood.

Willna did the same and looked at the snowflakes falling outside the window. “Yes, it’s harder than last year.”

“Um,” Rain also gazed out the window.

The silence, broken only by the occasional sound of the wind, started to make them anxious. However, the aroma of the sweets and the warmth of the milk gradually and eventually relaxed the two sweet tooths.

“By the way, why did you come to this remote warehouse?” Rain asked.

“Oh, I forgot. My little brother, Mundi, I mean, he’s having trouble sleeping. I’m looking for some tea or herbs that can help him sleep better,” Willna explained as she stood up.

“Oh, he’s having trouble sleeping again,” Rain said, standing up and walking to the herb shelf. His finger glided along the alphabet. “H, H, ah, found it…hops and valerian root. They will help.” He put them into a sachet and handed it to Willna.

Willna instinctively received it.

“You can boil it with hot water,” he said, while grabbing a teacup and handing it to her. “When it turns golden, strain it out. And don’t give him that milk, it won’t agree with him. His digestion is different from ours.”

He then grabbed a violet stick-like flower, pressed and grinded it with his hands, and put it in a little bottle. “And press this lavender on his pillow. That will help his mood calm down.”

He grabbed more items and instructed her about sleep, how to set the pillow and warming socks. He kept putting more and more in her hand.

Willna nodded and listened to his words, then looked at her hand, which was now full of items.

“That’s for Little Mundi. And for you, Little Anna…Be strong, okay? Brother is already here.”

Warmth suddenly rubbed her head. Her eyes widened in shock. This warmth, which had been long lost, felt like a hot wind from the sea. She lifted her head up, but no one stood there. She quickly looked at the fireplace, but he was not there either. If not for the empty mug of milk and cookie crumbs falling on the table, she would have thought it was a dream.

Slowly, she uttered, “Who are you, Mr. Nome…”