If you don’t love me, I will die.

“It will make a good story,” Anya Yerchevich said with a satisfied smile as the sliding quill slid into the inkwell like a sleigh on snow.

After Edward came, she dedicated herself to writing for a while.
The servants of the Yerchevich family sweated profusely as they catered to her, stuck in place, scribbling with a pen.

After being immersed in writing for a long time, a splendid story emerged on the parchment.

However, something was missing.
Unexplainable emotions and narratives existed intermittently throughout the story, like missing pieces of a puzzle, still incomplete.

So, Anya Yerchevich decided to fill the void.
She impulsively went to find Ania Brontë.
It was unexpected that Ania had her artifact…

Thanks to that, the story became even more interesting.
It was a vivid, touching, almost palpable, too lively to simply call a story.

There are countless stories worldwide and just as many good ones that leave a message.
However, seeing them with your own eyes leaves a different impression.

Edward Radner and Ania Brontë.

In the myriad pasts Ania had turned back, they yearned for each other, hurt and tore at each other, yet ultimately desired each other.

Even if memories became blurry due to time rewinding, their hearts remained.
So, when Edward saw Ania again, he fell in love as always, and Ania desired Edward.

They were changing gradually.

The sadness of losing each other made them stronger and changed them.
The thought of giving only when needed became a love that could discern what would make the other happy.

Their selfish hearts, which only wanted the other’s love while hiding their own, became honest, realizing how important it is to give and receive love.

“This should be enough,” Anya Yerchevich swiftly scanned through the countless times that Ania had altered.

Anya nodded slightly, having glimpsed decades in a short time.
It was now enough to change their destiny.

“Ania and Edward.”

Anya called the two, who still hadn’t quite emerged from the aftermath of their reunion.
Their eyes turned to her.
Anya smiled faintly, pleased at how similar their eyes were.

“Now, I will tell you. How to change destiny through this necklace.”

***

“Destiny is fundamentally like a giant wheel that does not change.”

I had never believed in destiny throughout my life.
If there was a predetermined destiny, there was no need to live diligently.

The fact that everything was predetermined itself felt uncomfortable.

“That’s the force that moves the world.”

So, it wasn’t strange that Anya’s words sounded empty.
Still, I found myself swallowing my doubts at the fact that such a thing might really exist.

“But can you change destiny, as you say?”
“It can be changed.”

Someone once said you should keep your mouth shut about things you can’t answer.
So, there was no need to argue with Anya’s words.

Questioning the dragon that had lived for thousands of years wouldn’t change anything.

“But it’s not easy. It’s something that destiny must allow as well.”
“What do you mean by destiny allowing it?”

Ania asked.

Anya Yerchevich, seeming unsure of how to explain, paused momentarily before answering.

“From the perspective of mortals, it’s difficult to explain, but if I must, it’s possible within the bounds of not defying the flow of destiny.”

She conjured up the shape of a giant gear in the air.

“All things in the world are intertwined with countless gears. You mortals are one gear, and I am also one of the gears of destiny.”

Anya grabbed one gear and slowly turned it.

As she did, other gears moved in accordance with it.

“Everything is interconnected like this. And changing destiny means…”

A small gear moved along Anya’s fingertips, then connected to a different place.

“It’s like this.”

As the gears moved again, some stopped, some moved faster, and some slower.

“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”

I nodded in response to Anya’s question.

It’s the so-called butterfly effect.
When one person’s destiny changes, the destinies of others also change.

“So, destiny doesn’t change easily. If it could change due to someone’s whims, there would be no reason for its existence. And…”

Anya moved her hand again.

Then, a small gear began to move swiftly back and forth.

“This is the destiny that Ania Brontë has been trying to change by rewinding time.”

The gears shifted into place a total of nineteen times.

“Rewinding time?”
“Ah, I forgot to explain that part.”

The story of Ania trying to change destiny by rewinding time nineteen times.
Upon hearing those words, everything deeply buried in my memory became clear.

“That gear.”

I pointed at one of the gears, split into nineteen branches, gazing at the massive gear in the center.

The one still moved at the same speed despite the constant shifting of the smaller gears.

“Yes, that gear is your destiny.”

Anya narrowed her eyes.

“The death of Ania Brontë or Edward Radner.”
“…”

Destiny.
The empty-sounding word felt overwhelmingly significant.

“I don’t know how your deaths will affect destiny, but the death of one of you is inevitable.”

Ania slumped down.
I quickly supported her and embraced her.

“Ania, it’s okay.”
“…Yeah.”

How many times had this frail body rewound time?
How many times had it died in countless timelines and faced death repeatedly?

Just thinking about it made my heart ache.

“By the way, Edward, in this world, you will meet your death in a great war that lies ahead.”
“…”

Even though the news of my death was grim, I could remain calm.

It was strange.
I felt relieved knowing that instead of Ania, it would be me who would die.

But I couldn’t die.
If Ania had to live in agony for the rest of her life because of my death…

I would live on without dying.

“So.”

I asked Anya, “You mentioned a necklace that can change destiny. So, can it change that destiny?”

“In short, yes.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. But before my heart could settle, Anya spoke again.

“But the process won’t be smooth. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain awaits.”
“I’ll do it.”

Ania, leaning on my arm, stood up and approached Anya.

“I’ll do it, no matter how painful it may be.”

Her eyes sparkled.

After gazing at Ania’s eyes for a while, Anya glanced at me.

I felt the same as Ania.

“We’ll do it, no matter what obstacles we face.”
“Good.”

Anya held up the necklace in her hand. The red gem sparkled.

“Raise your hands. It will test you.”

We looked at each other.
Taking a deep breath, we held each other’s hands.

I held Ania’s hand firmly, sensing her trembling, and hugged her.
We overlapped our hands.

Slowly, our fingertips touched the gem.

The red light began to seep out slowly between our intertwined fingers.
Soon, it sparkled so brightly that it seemed to swallow the world in its light, and everything fell silent.

***

As the light faded, only Anya remained on the top floor of the Yerchevitz mansion.

She gazed at the spot where Edward and Ania had disappeared for a while before returning to her place and unfolding the parchment.
Then, she picked up her quill and continued the story she had been writing.

“What will happen…?”

It was unknown.

As someone who has lived for a long time, she can see someone’s destiny.
Yet she could not see the outcome of what would happen next.

Anya prayed quietly.

Being immortal, she knew how futile prayer could be.

Gods were a human creation.
Prayer was a feeble act relying on illusions.

Yet, despite this, prayers had a tender and ephemeral beauty.

“It’s a brief trial. Endure it.”

After softly murmuring towards the necklace on the desk, Anya stood up.
Countless gears still floated in the air.

Ania and Edward,
Two gears struggling but unable to change the greatest destiny.

War.
Massacre.
Famine.
The inevitable end.

It was truly absurd to think that the fate of this world could change just because their destinies did.

Mortal love that could change the world.

“That’s why I was so captivated.”

In the end, the foolish romance of humans, believing that love could change the world, was correct.

It was something Anya could never have imagined.

That’s why it was so delightful.