Mysteries: Arcana Wars

The alarm clock rings.

The researcher opened his eyes from his bed.

Today's dream was very uneasy. He dreamed of the damn Victorian era, where he became an earl in England, and then he was doing some electrical experiment in his home and blew himself to death.

It’s really something to think about every day and dream about at night.

After washing up, the researcher suddenly became curious. What was he studying in his dream? A super-electromagnetic gun? Was the explosion a success?

Long-term lack of sleep made his mind wander. He turned on his phone to check the experimental schedule for today.

The desktop of his mobile phone is a family photo. Even though he has been in the United States for many years, the text on his system is still in Serbian.

The researcher was born in a poor Serbian family, but he was extremely talented. With the full support of his family, he skipped a grade and completed his studies ahead of schedule. When his country was not able to afford his research field, he came to the United States to pursue a doctorate with the great ideal of exploring the path of humanity.

Just sending the researcher to this continent has consumed all his family's energy. The scholarship still cannot cover all the researcher's living and study expenses. While completing his personal scientific research tasks, he also took on a job as a scientific research assistant to subsidize his life.

His journey from a student in a foreign land to a young researcher just starting to make a name for himself in a research institute was extremely difficult.

Transportation in big cities is not cheap, and the researcher usually rides a bicycle to work. He wants to get a green card in the United States, bring his parents to live with him, and pay for medical treatment, as well as the student loans he owed. Each of these requires a large amount of money, so the researcher has developed the habit of saving as much as possible.

The light at the intersection turned red. The researcher braked and waited, only to find an old woman with a headscarf and a hunched body walking slowly onto the zebra crossing.

"Hey, lady! Red light!"

But the old woman didn't seem to hear it, and the researcher was so anxious that he simply got out of the car and grabbed the old woman.

"Wait, you-"

Just as he finished speaking, a large truck roared past the two of them.

The old woman turned her head tremblingly, still in shock.

"Thank you, young man. If you don't mind, come and sit in my shop. It's right next to the road."

During the conversation, the researcher realized that the old woman's hearing and eyes were too good and she did not hear his shouting just now.

White smoke rose from the hot tea. The old woman's shop was not big, only half a storefront, just ten meters from the intersection. The shop was filled with all kinds of crystals and divination cards, and bookshelves full of occult books.

The old woman is a witch.

The researcher did not believe these things, which always reminded him of the gypsy witches who were always talking nonsense and doing dirty things at the door of his house when he was a child. Some of them even took away the dry bread in the house, and if they were caught, they would keep cursing in poor Serbian and said they would curse his whole family.

But the old lady in front of him spoke gently, and apart from her poor eyesight and hearing, she was no different from the ordinary American old lady basking in the sun downstairs.

"How about I do a divination for you?"

Because of her hearing problems, the old woman spoke very loudly.

"No, thank you. Sorry, I don't really believe in this stuff."

"But kid, you look tired, and your eyes are full of confusion. You need help, kid."

As she spoke, the old woman began to shuffle the cards.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. What matters is whether you can get help. Just think of it as a psychological consultation, kid, you can speak freely."

The researcher hesitated.

"My child, your accent doesn't sound like a local," the old woman asked. "Where are you from?"

"I am... Serbian."

"Oh, Serbia!" the old lady said in surprise, "Do you know Nikola Tesla? That great inventor is also an American of Serbian descent."

"I didn't expect you would pay attention to this kind of thing." The researcher was a little surprised.

"Haha, after all, a witch is also an ordinary person. I also need to use a computer and a mobile phone." The old woman laughed.

"What a coincidence! Nikola Tesla is also my idol and my goal. It is because of him that I finally chose electrical engineering. However, I am not an American yet, haha."

The researcher's eyes lit up and he immediately started talking.

He began to try to talk. When he set foot on this continent, he was full of enthusiasm to devote himself to the great cause of human exploration of the world, but he found that the reality was more cruel than he imagined. His genius mind could not fight against the traps of others. His doctoral supervisor did not reuse him because of his scientific research ability, but suppressed him and deducted funds. The result that he was once proud of was picked by others, making his job search in the research institute doubly difficult, and finally he could only join a research institute far below his level. Now, he is finally qualified to apply for his own project for the first time, but his boss once again rejected it for insufficient funds.

Looking back, his family members far away in Serbia did not see their lives improved because of his career. On the contrary, his elderly parents became seriously ill due to overwork and passed away one after another while he was studying for his doctorate.

Until now, the researcher suddenly realized that he had actually suffered so much pain over the years. These pains were like mud squeezing in his heart, and he had long been numb in the day-to-day life in the laboratory. So now he realized that he actually needed comfort.

The old woman comforted him with concern and sighed as she looked at the cards on the table.

"Poor child, I don't know how to help you. Please believe in the future. You are a good child. Your future will be bright and your dreams will come true... All I can do for you is a little magic to change your luck."

The researcher's eyes were dim. He didn't believe in magic, but he couldn't refuse the kindness of an old woman. The old woman was old and had difficulty moving, but she still danced a sacrificial dance for him.

"...wisdom will be given to you...

"...Virtue will be bestowed upon you...

"... Luck will be bestowed upon you..."

A note was handed to the researcher.

"...The King of Time and Space, the Beacon of Destiny, the Incarnation of Sefirah Castle, the Ruler of the Spirit World, the Lord of Mysteries..."

The researcher couldn't bear to refuse, so he followed the old woman and recited the spell on the paper.

The crystal shop was filled with the aroma of happiness and warmth. The old woman's words reminded him of his mother's loud and noisy voice when he was a child, the old house full of dust and the smell of flour, the faded plastic mistletoe hanging on the door at Christmas, and the faint sound of Christmas bells...

The noisy horse bell woke the researcher.

He got up drowsily and found himself sleeping on the street in tattered clothes. The heavy carriages passing by raised dust right in front of him and the rude coachman scolded him loudly.

"Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"

The researcher ran away immediately, leaning against the wall of the alley, breathing heavily, his heart rumbling.

On the streets, people coming and going were wearing clothes from centuries ago and lighting gas lamps that had long been eliminated.

This is... the Victorian Era!?

I was just taking a nap in the witch shop...!?

Then, a steady stream of memories flooded into his mind. His eyes widened and he sat on the ground in a daze. His thoughts were in a mess.

I have...traveled through time! ?

"Hey, friend, it's ok. I haven't seen you begging on this street for two days. I thought you were frozen to death."

A ragged beggar came over and started chatting with the researcher in a familiar manner.

"You are new here, right? I saw you begging on this street this month. I haven't seen you before. Are you the kind of homeless person who runs around everywhere, or did you start begging recently?"

The words in his ears were extremely unfamiliar, but the researcher found that he could understand them.

"I... I've been wandering around... Today... I should leave Backlund..."

He answered subconsciously, uttering awkward and unfamiliar language.

"I knew it, hehe. And thank you for yesterday. If you hadn't shared my piece of bread, I would have gone hungry last night.

"Why don't you just stay here, my friend? I know this street well!"

Stay...

Where else can I go except staying?

...Yes, I want to stay!

As he said this, the beggar tore off a piece of bread and handed it to him.

"Speaking of which, my name is John, what's your name, buddy?"

What is my name?

who am I?

Am I the electrician from Serbia, or am I the homeless man who froze to death on the streets of Backlund?

...No, I think I am new and born, a brand new hope born from the embrace of two unyielding souls.

He is me, he is also me, and the new hope is also me.

He took the bread from the beggar.

"Kondra Tesla, nice to meet you."