<blockquote>


    “1926 days left…” by Duvencrune, Edgar O. Diary of the Long Night, 111th Edition


    </blockquote>


    What happened to the Howling Night?


    The little Mouse, also known as the Dreamer Spirit, found her way back to the very town where her human life had last ended. This place somehow survived the Long Night ravage waters and was now a quaint settlement along the Meerio shore.


    Here, a small community of no more than twenty houses stood, their bricks seemingly untouched by the relentless march of human inventions. The modern intrusion of electric poles had not reached this place; instead, the town was enveloped in a wintry blanket of snow, illuminated by the warm, faint light of oil lamps.


    Marie-Hex, Little Mouse, moved through the snow-dusted streets in the quiet of the Long Night. She saw a woman shrouded in darkness, her arms protectively cradling a young boy. He was no older than five, possibly even younger, and he slept in her hold. His breathing was strained and wheezy. She was desperately banging on a door.


    "Open the door, please! It''s an emergency!" She screamed. Her pleas echoed through the village, yet there was no response, no sign of concern from anyone in the vicinity. Her cries for help seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Please! Help..."


    From the distance, the Little Mouse, with her red eyes, observed the scene. Marie-Hex, witnessing the distress with an air of serene detachment from the world around her, transformed into a human girl with white hair and a coat of white fur.


    Walking slowly towards the distraught mother, she reached out and gently placed her hand on the woman''s shoulder. "Let''s go home," she said.


    "He is sick," the mother sobbed, yet her steps leading back to her home were weighed down by despair.


    "No, no, he''s not sick. He''s just really, really tired," the white-haired girl reassured her, wrapping an arm around the mother and helping her walk back home. Her touch and tone were gentle, imbued with a sense of familiarity as if she knew every nook and cranny of the place, almost as if she had always been here.


    Once at home, she carefully took the boy from the mother''s arms and laid him in his bedroom; she seemed to know this house, even though the mother could swear she had never seen the white girl before.


    But still overwhelmed with worry, the mother repeated, "He is sick."


    Marie-Hex shook her head with a knowing look. "Echternach needs to rest until the right time comes."


    The mother, puzzled, asked, "How do you know the name of my boy?"


    Marie-Hex replied with a gentle smile, "It''s something beyond explanation. Whenever we return among the living, our mothers always bestow upon us the same name. Always the same name."


    She then guided the mother to sit gently on a stool in the kitchen.


    "Please, don''t feed him. He doesn''t need food at all. In fact, food will only bloat his stomach, which takes up space in his already constrained abdomen."


    The mother, taken aback, could only utter a confused, "What?" Her face reflected her effort to grasp the strange yet earnest advice given by the girl.


    "Your son, Echternach, possesses an extraordinarily powerful saatgut, or let''s say a seed. This seed is growing within him, larger and stronger than in any other creature. It will eventually crush him from the inside. So, feeding him regular food won''t actually help him," the Little Mouse explained.


    "But he needs to eat!" the mother protested.


    "If it eases your mind, give him water, maybe some broths."


    "I... I... don''t understand... He needs a doctor... a real doctor."


    Marie-Hex reached out and took the woman''s trembling hands in hers, offering a comforting touch. "You know he doesn''t need a doctor. They won''t be able to help him. Remember, doctors couldn''t help me either, do you remember, Mrs Sophia?"


    The woman''s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the girl. "It''s not possible... you... you," she stammered, her voice trailing off as she instinctively pushed her stool back, "Marie-Hex died! I saw her... her mother…"


    "You used to call me Little White Marie," Marie-Hex said, showing a strand of her hair.


    "You died! I saw you burn! I saw..." The woman''s face was disfigured in horror.


    "A big wolf?" Marie-Hex prompted gently, trying to piece together the fragmented memories while she pointed to the little boy''s bedroom.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Little Marie? Oh, your mother mourned you until her death," Sophia said, still in disbelief.


    "Oh, she died?" Marie-Hex''s response was somewhat detached, as if reliving a past she didn''t consider her own and was no longer a part of.


    "Two winters ago, she passed away. The funny thing is, on her deathbed, she kept saying you would come back," the woman recounted with tears sliding from her eyes and dying on her wrinkles, "She wanted to wait. She really did."


    "She was a good mother," Marie-Hex said, gently wiping away a tear that had formed on Mrs Sophia''s cheek.


    Looking anxious, she asked, "So, does this mean my boy will leave me soon, too?"


    Marie-Hex shook her head reassuringly. "Not before his Master returns."


    "But he is so ill!"


    "No, what he''s experiencing isn''t sickness. It''s grief," Marie-Hex explained. He needs rest and time to heal his pain. Losing our Master feels like a part of us is being ripped away continuously until they return. I will come back for him for sure, but only once I know his Master is on his way. He did the same for me once. And I made a promise, and I''m not known to fail on my word."


    "I remember when all those Magi came to town the day you..., well you know..."


    "The day I died, yes, I remember."


    "And one of them had stars in his hair and was very tall and gentle. He had beautiful wings, and he even comforted your mother," the woman recalled, stumbling on her words.


    "Yes, that was Yeso," Marie-Hex affirmed, nodding. "Commander Yeso Sternach."


    "What happened to him?" the woman asked.


    "He died. He and his mate were… betrayed. They had a dream of uniting Menschen and humans, teaching them alchemy. But... well, things didn''t go as planned. They were tragically… backstabbed. His mate was taken captive by the very person they were teaching and forced her hand to kill her Hexe, Yeso. It was an incredibly tragic end," Marie-Hex recounted, her voice trembling slightly.


    "Echternach raged in pain... I never saw him like that, and at the end, he barely could stand..., and he was in so much pain. The Sun also needed rest. They both lost their Masters. And all the Spirits, we agreed to... sleep."


    The woman''s expression turned sombre. "I had no idea... are the Spirits the reason for that awful tragedy? Millions of people died and..."


    Marie-Hex interrupted, "No, that was not our doing. That was the Winterqueen herself. She detached Ormgrund from the Great Continent. How, I''m unsure. But Yeso had nothing to do with that."


    "I had no idea."


    "Few people do. It''s not exactly a story that people like to tell, is it?" Marie-Hex responded and let out a deep sigh before asking, "Do you have any paper and something to write with?"


    "Paper?" the woman echoed.


    "Yes," Marie-Hex affirmed, "Paper, something to take note of, anything will do."


    "Oh, let me check." Mrs Sophia rose to her feet and began rummaging through drawers. After a moment, she returned with a half-scribbled sheet of paper. Marie-Hex quickly jotted down a note and handed it to the woman.


    "This is the address where I''ll be. If anything happens to Echternach, please send word. I''ll be here instantly."


    The woman glanced at the address. "Ostesh?"


    "Yes, my Master is starting college," Marie-Hex replied with notable pride. "Now, please excuse me. I just want to check on Echternach one last time before I go."


    Marie-Hex then proceeded to the boy''s room. The child was softly moaning in his sleep. She sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, gently brushing his cheek with her hand.


    "Are they back?" the boy murmured faintly, "Did my Master return?"


    "Not yet," she replied, "None of them."


    "So why are you here?"


    "I came to see my friend," Marie-Hex explained, "Like he did when I was sad."


    "You should be with your Master, taking care of him! Not sitting with the dead."


    "My master taught me a moon ago that friends are very important, especially the ones in pain," she said, "Especially the ones that are different... but very dear."


    "He was always wise," the boy noted with a painful chuckle, "Your Master always knew how to use words."


    "He still is and still does," Marie-Hex affirmed. He is short like your Master, but all the rest reminds me of Yeso."


    "You think he is as good as his father with belly rubs?"


    "He does love apple pie like him."


    “Little Mouse, don’t forget your mission. Don’t get distracted! This all happened before. You need to find the point of no return.” the boy said, coughing, and asked, "Will I see you soon?"


    "I promise," Marie-Hex assured him once more.


    "When?" he asked.


    "I promise," she repeated with a faint smile, "But now, I must leave."


    No sooner had she spoken than her human form began to dissolve, seamlessly transforming into a tiny mouse. She scurried around swiftly, becoming a fleeting shadow that vanished into the dim light.


    Moments later, she reappeared in a bustling train station in Spiyles. There, she spotted a teenage boy with red hair and eyes of an indescribable shade. He stood holding a pot with a plant, a large bag slung over his shoulder. He was dressed in a brown suit and a thick coat. That boy was her Master, the Dreamer, Orlo Yeso Sternach.


    Swiftly, Marie-Hex climbed up to his shoulder, gently bumping her head against his cheek in a familiar, affectionate gesture.


    "Where were you?" Orlo asked, a bit annoyed.


    "Just saying hello to a friend," she replied.


    "I was getting worried about you. The train is almost here!" he said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cube of cheese and offered it to her, saying, "See, I pack for you too."


    Just then, the train whistle sounded, announcing its imminent arrival. A black steel locomotive, billowing steam and the scent of burning coal pulled up in front of them.


    "Well, here we go," Orlo declared, moving behind the line of wagon forty-four, ready to embark on their next journey. Their destination: Ostesh, Quebaca.


    <blockquote>


    There''s a part of my story I''d rather bypass around. I was a young lad who fancied himself as a grownup, yet beneath that facade lay a constant anger. This resentment gnawed at me like a persistent ache, and it took a very long time to be at peace with myself.


    I was mad about being an orphan, I was mad about the tragedy that befell Maggie, I was mad about the world''s refusal to make sense to me. Sure, I had all of the world''s knowledge, but understanding? That eluded me like a wisp of smoke slipping through my fingers. Maybe if I had let go of that anger, things could''ve turned out differently. Maybe I could''ve shielded them, been like the man my father''s legend painted him to be.


    But instead, I was just a kid, forced to shed my name like a snake sheds its skin. Forgotten was the fact that I was the son of the man who dubbed himself the sun that burns over land, sea, and sky. But I? I was just a brat. ——The Hexe - Book Two by Professor Edgar O. Duvencrune, First Edition, 555th Summer


    </blockquote>