The End of the Storm

The sky of the city was covered with dark blue clouds. This city hadn't seen the sun for days.

Rain, with strong winds, struck from time to time.

Kogan opened the shabby wooden window of his house. The window wasn't properly fixed to the wall; it was just a few rotten wooden planks tied together with strings, leaving gaps that allowed rain and wind to enter.

Kogan stuck his head out of the small window to inhale the refreshing scent of the rain, even though it was mixed with the smell of horse manure, it still felt pleasant.

After a short while, he pulled his head back inside.

The room remained dark, even after opening the window.

The whole house was just a slightly large room with two windows on opposite walls.

The window Kogan had opened earlier overlooked the city's main road, and during the rain, it let in both the rain and the cold, unlike the other window, which was protected by buildings ranging from two to three stories.

So, he had no choice but to place his bed under the first window and endure the rain and cold, while his elderly parents' beds were by the second window.

In the corner of the room, there was a small hole in the floor used as a toilet, with a small water channel running underneath it for cleaning. The hole was covered with a wooden plank and a stone was placed on top to keep the rats out.

In the other corner, there was a medium-sized pot, some firewood, and a leather bag filled with water.

"Good morning," Kogan greeted his mother, who was lying on her bed.

"No answer?"

Kogan moved closer to her, "She's breathing… she scared me for a moment."

Kogan exited the house through the heavy wooden door, which was filled with rotten wooden planks.

Every time, he and his father added more planks to reinforce the door, until it became like a hybrid creature on the verge of exploding.

The city's main road was made of stones of various sizes, laid down with stability and precision.

Since it was a commercial road, used by trade carts, there was no harm in the rulers investing large amounts of money into it.

Kogan walked on the sidewalk, and between the sidewalk and the road was a water channel, which some people used as a cleaning tool for their toilets.

There were gray buildings, blackened with age, with two or three stories. The ground floor was used as shops and stores.

The owners of these homes either rented the ground floor to merchants or opened their own stores, and they were considered part of the upper middle class in terms of living.

"Is there anything I can do?" Kogan asked the shop owners one by one.

"No."

"If I wanted something, I would have asked you."

Some responded coldly, others with anger, and some ignored him.

"Well, I can barely stand anyway," Kogan shrugged.

A stormy week passed over the city, and all the shops were closed. No one left their homes.

Kogan hadn't eaten in three days, and there was little food left, so he saved what remained for his elderly parents, who couldn't endure much longer.

At 21 years old, three days without food felt like a small matter, or at least that's what he thought.

Today, the shops reopened, and he went out to look for work in exchange for some food or money.

He was a little surprised by their refusal, considering they hadn't worked for a week. He had assumed their workload would be piled up, and that he would get some work in return.

Kogan continued walking, the cold wind slicing through the air like sharp knives, but he paid it no mind.

He wore a loose white garment, a one-piece robe that resembled a coat, with a thick white rope made of the same fabric wrapped around his waist.

His long black hair fluttered behind him.

The hunger and fatigue made him forget about the cold.

Kogan walked toward the unknown, searching for an opportunity to earn some money.

No one knew what time it was. They could tell it was morning from the rooster's crowing and the faint light the sun provided, but if you looked up at the sky, you wouldn't be able to tell exactly where the sun was.

The horse-drawn carts were active on the road, traveling back and forth.

There were passenger carts and others for goods, drawn by one horse or two. It could be said that this reflected the background or value of the owner.

The more horses that pulled a cart, and the cleaner its appearance, the higher the perceived value of its owner.

Kogan stood by the side of the road, watching the bustling carts that had returned from their week-long slumber.

Suddenly, he spotted a cart drawn by a reddish-brown horse that seemed familiar to him.

Before this, several carts had passed by that Kogan thought were familiar, but as they drew closer, their familiarity faded.

He watched the "familiar" horse pass by him.

"Oh, Mr. Frederick, Mr. Frederick!" Kogan waved his hand and shouted after recognizing the owner of the horse.

The man was middle-aged with a short black beard, wearing a black leather jacket and a fox fur hat.

"Oooosh!" Frederick stopped his horse and looked toward the source of the sound. He saw a young man in white clothing coming toward him.

"Oh, Kogan, I haven't seen you in a while!" He greeted him with a smiling face.

"Mr. Frederick, how are you? Don't tell me you fell victim to the storm," Kogan asked, placing his hand on the horse's head. The horse didn't mind him; it was used to him.

"I was part of a caravan and took goods from the great capital, 'Kremen', heading toward three cities to the south. After unloading the cargo and starting my return, the sky suddenly grew furious and began roaring with all its might, forcing me to rent a room at an inn, along with a stable for my horse and cart in the second city. But if the storm had caught me before I unloaded the cargo, I would've lost an entire month's income. So, I'm happy now."

"And where are you headed now?" Kogan asked him.

"I returned this morning to rest after my very long journey, but I received a request from the Great Priest to fetch some firewood, so I couldn't refuse. Besides, he paid me in advance."

'The Great Priest?' Kogan raised his eyebrows. 

"So, Mr. Frederick, is there anything I can do?"

"Kogan, have you ever asked me and I refused you? Of course, there's something you can do. Come on up." Frederick moved excitedly to the side with a wide smile on his face.

Kogan smiled as well, then placed his left foot on the front wheel of the cart, gripping the edge of the seat with his left hand. He took Frederick's hand with his right, then pushed himself up. Perhaps if this were a week ago, he would have climbed up in the blink of an eye, but now he seemed numb from exhaustion.

His relationship with Frederick was great. He never refused to help him, even when Frederick's business was slow and he wasn't making money; he would still pay Kogan and even give him tips. And even when there was nothing Kogan could help him with, Frederick would give him easy tasks just to make him feel like he deserved the money he was going to give him.

"Where will we get the firewood from, is it from the Great Capital?" Kogan asked.

"Haha, I realize how badly you want to go to the Great Capital, and I don't blame you for that, but we won't be going there today."

"Tsk," Kogan sighed, showing a bit of disappointment.

"Actually, we'll be getting a little closer to it, just a little. We'll head to the big trade caravan warehouse, which is located before the central inspection and checkpoint of the Great Capital."

"Hmm, maybe from that distance, I can sense some nobility," Kogan joked, closing his eyes.

"Alright, alright, after I rest well tonight, tomorrow I'll take you to the Great Capital, although entry is a bit difficult and expensive for people like us, but I'll try," Frederick replied sincerely.

And Kogan didn't doubt his sincerity either.

In a city built on lies and deception, Frederick had never lied to him.