The inside of the church was different by a few years. I never realized it before, but the Crone’s coven had spruced the place up when I had first visited because right now, the place looked like it could crumple down at any moment.

The dust was dense and you could hear the rats scutter throughout the dilapidated structure. Was she living here by herself? She was probably fully capable considering she managed to not only turn back time, but drag another soul from a different universe.

There was clearly more to her than her appearance led on, which wasn’t too out of the ordinary for Arcana. Young or old, man or woman, abled or disabled, of sound mind or…touched—neither of that mattered. Arcana didn’t discriminate in terms of who got to be powerful…and……you can see why they have to be registered within the Regina Empire.

I’m sure right now many of the folks in this neighborhood saw a harmless old woman. But now that I’ve seen what she could do, she was probably the most valuable asset I could entertain.

The Crone led us to one of the dusty pews seated in the front before pulling up one of the dining chairs to face us, one with a leg that wasn’t as tall as the others, and caused her to adjust herself a few times.

“Now…you mentioned the future?”

I nodded. “Yes, I came to you with a wish to bring my friend back to life and you offered to turn back time. So I could prevent her death all together.”

“……I promised that?”

I felt mildly baffled. “…Yes. You said you could do it. But you also said there might be some side effects. Like the spell wouldn’t work 100%.”

The Crone slowly nodded. “I see…and does this side effect have anything to do with the Werewolf seated next to you?”

“Werewolf?” I turned to Evelyn, who was just as surprised.

“Like…people that turn into dogs? I’m not—”

“Someone who’s not who they appear to be? But you are. You’re wearing a face that doesn’t belong to you.”

“So you can see her?”

“I can. Can others not?”

“No! Just me. Everyone else sees Elvira.”

“Hmm, I see. It’s all coming back now. I thought if I did the spell myself, my memories would come to me easier. I barely remembered why I ended up in this trash pile of a church. But this…is dusting off my old bell tower. Remind me…did I ever explain how the magic works?”

“Not completely.”

“Hmm…well…it’s a request to forces that bend the universe. Wishes power most Arcane. Most wishes get ignored because they collide too much with other wishes. For instance, if someone were to wish for the fall of a noble family, it would clash with wishes to see that family exceed and if there’s no way to appease both wishes, the status of that family and the ones that made those wishes remain stagnant.”

“So, like, if someone were to ask for the death of Capitalism…it wouldn’t work because too many people also wish for it to exist?” Evelyn asked casually.

“……….I don’t know what that word is…but yes.”

Evelyn nodded. “So…someone wanted Elvira’s death to stick?”

“Perhaps…or perhaps it was something else. Regardless, it led to here. Whatever force answered the wish combined both your wish…” She pointed towards me. “And your wish.” She pointed to Evelyn.

Evelyn scoffed. “My wish? I didn’t wish to die…at least not seriously.”

“Maybe not death specifically. But you might’ve been wishing for a great change. One that could make you happier than in your original life.”

“Ooook…so what does that have to do with me being here?”

“It’s quite possible…that the force that answered found a loophole. Yes, this isn’t Elvira, but no one else seems to be aware of that.”

I glanced over at Evelyn, who was deep in thought. Maybe she realized what her wish could’ve been?

“There’s something else.”

“Hm?”

The Crone adjusted herself in the chair. “It can be called whatever, but I’ve often it heard called the Grand Wish. It’s a wish everyone has—even if they don’t realize it. It’s a subtle wish. Think of direct wishes like yours being balls of light, while subtle wishes are more specks. The subtle wishes will eventually come together regardless of how long it takes and become a direct wish. With you back in the past, it’s possible that this has more to do with a Grand Wish. I don’t know exactly what your role in all of it is but what’s done is done.”

“So,” Evelyn asked. “So there’s no chance of me going home?”

“Home? Aren’t you dead?”

The both of us were shocked. She knew?

“How did you…?” I tried asking but she waved me off.

“You have the aura of a dead person…or…it’s possible that the aura is there because you’re inhabiting the image of a dead person. If it’s the latter, then I’m sure whatever force brought you here will bring you back, almost like a reward.”

So she didn’t know. This also meant…

“So she’s stuck here until…this Grand Wish gets fulfilled? How are we supposed to know what this wish is? Can we speed up the process?”

“Unless one of you are seers, then there’s no way to know for sure.”

Evelyn fiddled with a strand of her hair. Almost as if to say ‘maybe’.

“Your best route is to observe and come to a plan together. The Grand Wish may take days or years even. Young Lady…” The Crone locked onto Evelyn. “You may have to live out as Elvira Khanna for quite some time before you’re sent back.”

❮❤︎❯

We let ourselves out of the church, once again taking to the streets, with Evelyn trailing behind me.

“Well…that was demotivating.” Evelyn noted.

“Quite…”

I stopped, leaning against the wall of a house. Meanwhile, Evelyn rested by squatting down, which seemed useless in terms of regaining energy, but I guess it was a thing in her world. Now I had to think and while I attempted to do it on my own, Evelyn’s voice reminded me that this needed to be a team effort.

“So…what does it look like everyone wants?” She asked.

I observed our surroundings. “Well, for common folk…it’s probably stability. Even though it was my grandfather's era, most of them still feel the aftermath of the failed invasion of the Eastlands. But for nobility…it’s just more power, probably. Those two things can’t co-exist.”

“How can you be sure?”

“What do you mean? Just look at our Arcana system. There’s a reason Arcana need to be registered if they want to use their magic in the open.”

Evelyn sighed. “Ok then...the common folk want stability, the noble folk want power. Well…your family already has power, so what do the Conwyns want?”

I shrugged. “To maintain their power.”

“Ok…umm. Well, how many people live in the Empire?”

“I could not possibly give that answer.”

“You guys don’t have a census or something?”

“Of course we do, but it doesn’t take everyone into account. It’d be too much work. Westerland natives, serfs, and those in the Regarded territories rarely get counted. Most commoners don’t get counted if they don’t have surnames.”

“And how common is it for them to have surnames?”

“Uncommon. If they have surnames, it means they ARE from a noble family but are so far down the list of succession that it’s just for the best that they gain a new name.”

“But wouldn’t having a surname let others know that they’re so far down the list?”

“Yes, but they won’t know which family. They can afford the registry and they can afford to move to another region. There’s probably some long-distance cousin I have that currently lives in Lochlake Valley or somewhere else.”

“So someone’s entry in the census is basically maintained financially.”

“….Yes.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Well, there’s no point in keeping track of everyone else. If you can’t afford the stability, then the there’s no need to count you. Why should we count every nameless farmer and their children when said children might not even survive the Winter Frosts?”

I heard her scoff. “That’s a heartless thing to say. Meanwhile, the food we were eating last night wouldn’t have been on our plates without those farmers. How can you say something so…CRUEL about kids you don’t even know?”

“It’s the truth.”

“It’s harsh.” This is the sternest I’ve heard her voice so far.

“Life is harsh.”

She let out a disbelieving laugh as she rubbed her temples. “Oh my god, I think I have to get out of here. I need to return to a world where I can fix an interaction with someone who speaks about people the way you just did by using the block button.”

“Well, you’re stuck with me and you should get used to nobles talking this way. You can’t have a fit every time. They’ll lock you away for madness and I’ll be back to square one.”

“If Elvira had the same beliefs you had, maybe she did poison Camila—”

Before she could finish her sentence, I grabbed onto her shirt and yanked her forward. An action which stunned her.

“Don’t EVER say something so—”

“Cruel? Harsh? Doesn’t feel good, right?”

A silent standstill. I let her go without a word. She did that on purpose. I see…I’m a hypocrite in her eyes. But she doesn’t understand and…I do feel like I’ve been here before…with Elvira.

I bowed before her. “I apologize for my outburst. That was…unbecoming of me. I will do better.”

“Well…I guess I accept your apology.”

She clearly didn’t.

“Besides…I figured out the Grand Wish.”

“Have you?”

“You nobles don’t even have an accurate number of the commoners, and if your current world is ANYTHING like the world history of my world—which it definitely is because the creator is from my world—then I know exactly what it is. But we probably shouldn’t talk about it here.”

I nodded. “We’ll head to the Khanna Estate.”

“What? Why?”

“You’ll need more of Elvira’s clothes. Hiding you isn’t going to be a viable option anymore, it seems.”