The relationship between humans and Black Magi is a one-way street. This isn’t a complex statement; it is a fate as clear as it is unchangeable.

"Humans can become Black Magi, but Black Magi can never become human."

This was a simple, absolute truth, an immutable law.

The term “human” here included most intelligent races of the world—elves, beastfolk, dwarves, and any being with reason, magical ability, and emotion.

Any creature capable of wielding magic, even a squirrel or a dog, could contract with the otherworld, offering their heart and staining their mana with darkness.

In exchange for their heart, mages gained power and knowledge beyond their natural talents and could comprehend the mysteries of otherworldly realms.

There was even a famous story about a mage who, while studying Persona Gates, succumbed to curiosity, made a pact with a powerful Persona, and subsequently lost all their reason and magic.

However, in obtaining such immense power, mages did not just sacrifice their hearts.

Often, they gave up emotions and even their rational minds, resulting in a life so far removed from humanity that they couldn’t even survive without consuming the hearts of their original kind.

An elf-born Black Magus required the hearts of elves; a human-born Black Magus needed human hearts.

There was one exceedingly rare exception.

At a mere 0.000001% probability, a child born between a Black Magus and another race might survive without consuming hearts and might even inherit the formidable powers of both Black Magi and humans. However, no one had ever seen such a being; it remained a legend.

After all, Black Magi were sterile.

And even if such a being were born, they would be killed at birth.

Black Magi did not want a weakling born from the union with a human to taint their society.

*That is the essence of the race.*

The Witch Queen.

Or the Sorceress of Seasons.

Or the Dread Witch.

Or the mentor of the Emerald Tower’s lord.

Or... *Scarlet Maiden*.

With her milk-white hair and golden eyes, she carried a name that contrasted starkly with her gentle appearance. She mulled over the knowledge stored in her mind, revisiting it over and over.

Every race had its defining traits.

Elves preferred vegetarian diets; dwarves were known for their craftsmanship; humans thrived in groups.

Yet, these traits were not absolute and could vary by individual.

For instance, over the past century, a peculiar meat-loving elf had influenced many younger elves to embrace a similar diet. There were dwarves who neglected their skills in favor of devoting themselves solely to magic, and humans who shut themselves away from society entirely. Such variations showed that racial traits were mutable, shaped by personal and environmental factors.

But one thing never changed.

*The fate of a race*.

The Mauro tribe was born with an innate magical power of at least 3rd-class levels from birth, a trait that marked them as prodigies.

However, this came with a caveat.

They could never exceed the 8th-class threshold, and if they failed to reach the 7th-class by age 50, they would dissipate into mana and scatter into the air.

The Mauro thrived due to their exceptional power at birth, but over time, fewer and fewer reached the 7th-class. Ultimately, they faced extinction 500 years ago, leaving only traces of their once-great civilization.

This was the unchangeable fate of a race—a law so absolute that no creature of the earth could hope to defy it.

— *What’s happening...*

Scarlet stared at Anella, unable to even smooth down her hair that stood on end like fine down.

“W-What is this...!”

“W-Wait, hold on...”

The first-year Stella cadets, disguised as villagers, dropped their staves and retreated.

Were they afraid?

Partially true, partially not.

“She... was human...”

The grotesque black liquid that had surrounded Anella began to dissolve, revealing the young, delicate girl hidden within.

— *This is impossible...*

The spell Scarlet cast was not particularly special.

She had cast a “suggestion” on Anella’s eyes to make the Stella cadets appear as villagers and inserted Baek Yu-seol’s talisman into her heart to reveal only her true form.

In other words, she suppressed Anella’s Black Magus nature so that it could no longer be concealed from them.

The cadets, who had never seen a Black Magus’s true form, simply perceived Anella as a monster and naturally tried to kill her.

But now...

The hideous form of the Black Magus was crumbling away, revealing beneath it a young girl’s face that was angelic in its innocence, drenched in sweat and framed by small, delicate features.

A sight so pure that it disarmed the cadets, leaving them stunned.

— *My magic has broken?*

No. Scarlet shook her head. Her perfect spell had not failed.

Anella’s “true form” had simply stripped away... leaving a human appearance.

— *This can’t be.*

Something was wrong.

A Black Magus’s true form could not resemble a human’s.

It simply...

It wasn’t supposed to happen.

That was the way of the world.

*Snap!*

A loud crack resounded in the Witch Queen’s ears.

It was not just a playful saying about a fraying thread of reason.

It was one of the billions of gears that composed the laws of this world, each interlocking to create its narrative. One of those gears had shattered.

It was a minor rule.

“Water flows from high to low,” or “The world will end in ten years”—the significant laws remained untouched.

But a smaller one, “Black Magi can never become human,” had broken off and fallen from the framework that upheld the world.

— *Ha... Haha...*

Scarlet dropped her broom and covered her mouth with both hands, laughter bubbling up.

A chill swept over her body.

It felt as if a hole had been blown through her mind.

— *Did a mere human twist fate...?*

Not even a 9th-class mage, the Twelve Moons, divine beasts, dragons, or the First Mage himself could do that.

Yet a boy had meddled with destiny and shattered a law completely.

— *Where is he now...*

Scarlet searched frantically for Baek Yu-seol. He had just arrived at the village with Hong Bi-yeon, walking along a remote path.

— *Now you come...?*

Baek Yu-seol must have read the guideline message by now. He could have come here sooner if he’d wanted. Scarlet had anticipated as much.

Yes, at first, he seemed to move quickly. She had expected him to arrive in about three hours at that pace.

Yet, Baek Yu-seol hadn’t shown up even when other first-years arrived, only making it to the scene after Anella had become human.

Scarlet felt a strange sense of detachment.

— *Did he know about my presence all along...?*

She had set up this little stage, this Persona Gate, to test Baek Yu-seol.

But the boy hadn’t followed her script; he had moved at his own slow pace, arriving just as everything concluded.

As if mocking her intentions.

— *You knew this would happen from the start, didn’t you, Baek Yu-seol?*

A bitter laugh escaped her.

For centuries, she had wielded her power as the Witch Queen, manipulating even 9th-class mages like puppets. Yet, now, someone was moving freely beyond her control, straying from her chessboard.

“What’s going on?”

“...It’s the other cadets.”

Baek Yu-seol and Hong Bi-yeon finally arrived at the scene where ten cadets were gathered. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Anella.

“Anella? What is she doing here?”

He rushed over, cutting the magical bindings with his sword and pulling her into an embrace, feeling for her pulse. It was weak, but she was alive.

The other cadets stared at Baek Yu-seol in confusion.

“B-Baek Yu-seol, you know her?”

“Yeah... she came as an exchange student during summer break.”

“What?!”

“Why on earth is a real person in a Persona Gate?”

“We were the only ones who entered. How did she...”

While the other students expressed their surprise, Baek Yu-seol was stunned for a different reason.

‘What... is this...?’

[The dark energy of the ‘Black Magus’ has been completely purged from ‘Anella.’]

[Race: Human.]

[Confirmed 99% human.]

Her appearance hadn’t changed, but the dark mana had vanished, and Anella had fully transformed into a human.

It was supposed to be impossible.

The process of turning Anella back into a human was meant to be grueling, requiring extensive time and preparation.

He had been too busy to pay her any attention lately.

Yet, without him lifting a finger, Anella had reclaimed her humanity.

*...Is this a butterfly effect?*

As he stroked her cheek in a daze, Anella’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

“...Ah.”

A faint smile curved her lips.

“Hello...”

“W-Wait, don’t talk. Hold on.”

Before Baek Yu-seol could find a healing potion, she lost consciousness again. From behind, someone tapped his arm.

“Step aside, commoner.”

“Huh? Why...”

“Emergency kit.”

“Oh...”

Hong Bi-yeon raised a pristine white medical box, and Baek Yu-seol laid Anella on a recovery blanket with healing properties.

Hong Bi-ye

on began treating Anella, joined by Bandiyun and other students who quickly aided in her recovery.

Fortunately, the injuries were not fatal. Although she had lost a lot of blood, she could recover fully.

As the students wiped sweat from their brows and stood, the guideline message of the Persona Gate appeared midair.

[The girl who longed to be human spent many lonely nights in the forest, shedding tears due to her grotesque appearance.]

[She sought the love of the villagers but was met only with abuse and scorn.]

[On a frozen winter night, unable to achieve her dream, she passed away, hidden under fallen leaves and snow, unknown to anyone...]

That was the original tale.

[Congratulations!]

[You have successfully adapted the tale of ‘The Shadow Cast by the Wind’ into a beautiful story and cleared it!]

[May the girl who achieved her dream of becoming human find happiness in this world.]

[The world will now close.]

The sky darkened, and the space around them began to dissolve.

The complete closure of the Persona Gate.

They had successfully conquered the 3-risk Persona.

Baek Yu-seol exchanged glances with Hong Bi-yeon, smiling awkwardly.

“In the end, we didn’t really do much.”

“...Sorry.”

“It’s nothing to apologize for. We still had a good time, right?”

Baek Yu-seol shrugged with a grin, and Hong Bi-yeon smiled back, nodding. 

In her throat, she swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.

Not yet...

She lacked the courage.

“Let’s go back.”

As Baek Yu-seol carried Anella out of the Persona Gate, the Witch Queen’s fading figure lamented with the world’s dissolution.

— *Ah... so, it ends here for now.*

With her true form unable to move, she had only projected a phantasmal double. Creating the Persona Gate and manipulating the talisman had drained too much mana.

— *I’ll have to return another time...*

With a mischievous smile, she watched Baek Yu-seol’s back as he carried Anella away.

— *A boy who can change fate.*

If he could alter not just minor destinies, but the grand ones too...

— *I like him even more now.*

And with that, the Witch Queen’s presence vanished with the closing Persona Gate.