As always, nothing in this world came easy.
"Uuuurgh—!"
"Push harder!"
"I-I am trying!"
Baek Yu-Seol stood a short distance away, arms crossed, observing Pale Yellow Autumn Moon as she strained against the shimmering Persona Gate's barrier. Her outstretched hand trembled with effort, her flushed face devoid of any bulging veins, as if her very essence were fighting against her. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the barrier stood unmoved, an immovable wall defying her will.
"… Do you think this will even work?"
Florin asked with a worried expression, her eyes fixed on Pale Yellow Autumn Moon.
Despite gathering her resolve for the first time in centuries and deciding to act on her own will, determination alone wasn't enough to solve everything in life.
"Honestly, this is about what I expected."
Baek Yu-Seol nodded calmly.
Pale Yellow Autumn Moon was a shadow of her former self, her strength nearly spent, her essence tarnished by the corruption of Fawn Prevernal Moon. To hope she could infuse enough energy into the barrier on her first attempt had been little more than wishful thinking.
"So… What do we do now?"
"I think you need to help out too, sister Florin."
"W-What? But without the World Tree, I… I can't do anything."
Florin stopped herself mid-sentence.
Baek Yu-Seol had accomplished so much despite being born without mana.
She, on the other hand, had been blessed by the World Tree itself, granted abundant natural mana from birth. And yet here she was, paralyzed by the loss of her divine connection. Standing next to him, she felt small… ashamed.
Whether or not he noticed her struggle, Baek Yu-Seol spoke in his usual detached tone. "I can't interact with the barrier because I don't have mana. But you, sister Florin… you hold one of the richest mana reserves in the world. If anyone can help, it's you."
"But… I…"
"If you're worried about not having the World Tree, you don't need to be."
"… Huh?!"
Florin's eyes widened in shock as Baek Yu-Seol seemed to see right through her.
Seeing her flustered reaction, Baek Yu-Seol smirked.
"You can still do incredible things even without the World Tree."
His words struck her like an arrow, leaving her momentarily stunned, her lips parted in silent disbelief.
Before the weight of his statement could fully sink in, he clapped his hands, pulling both Florin and Pale Yellow Autumn Moon from their spiraling thoughts.
"Huff… Huff… I'm sorry! I can't do it…! No matter how hard I try, I can't produce any energy!"
"I figured as much."
"… What?"
"If breaking the barrier of a Persona Gate was as simple as pouring mana into it, every mage in the world would've done it by now."
"W-Wait… You mean… You knew all along and still—?!"
"Knew what? Who could have guessed what might happen if one of the Twelve Divine Moons poured mana into the barrier? It was worth a shot, don't you think?"
"R-Right. I am one of the Twelve Divine Moons…"
"But… Nothing happened."
"Y-You…! Are you messing with me?!"
"Not at all. You should know better than anyone how serious I am about solving this situation."
"Uh… Well, that's true…"
While she lacked Pink Spring Moon's unparalleled gift for understanding and healing emotions, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon wasn't entirely oblivious. Even at her weakest, her mastery over mental domination was unmatched, and sensing someone's sincerity was second nature to her.
"Let's head back to the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress."
Baek Yu-Seol led the two women back toward the center of the Persona Gate… the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress.
The streets were still filled with crazed people, staggering about while laughing maniacally. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens went about their daily lives, smiling and cheerful, seemingly without a care in the world.
Aside from the lunatics, the scene was eerily peaceful.
A world where everyone smiled and laughed every day… It seemed like paradise on the surface. But could a Persona Gate - an entity fundamentally born of distortion and imbalance - truly create such perfection?
Absolutely not.
There was a flaw in this place.
Some unseen force shackled the emotions of its inhabitants, suffocating fear and sorrow while artificially amplifying happiness and laughter.
And besides—
Wasn't Pale Yellow Autumn Moon here, someone who, while not the best, could still be called the second-best at handling emotions?
"Second-best??"
"You're second-best when it comes to emotions. Pink Spring Moon is the best, after all," he said bluntly.
"I'm good at it too…"
"You're great at dominating and controlling minds. I'll give you that."
"Right?"
"But even that's something you can't do right now."
As they neared the fortress, Florin, who had been quietly observing their surroundings, suddenly stopped.
'Emotions…'
Having inherited a strong connection to Pink Spring Moon's blessing, Florin's powers were deeply tied to emotions.
Even though most of her powers had been transferred to Baek Yu-Seol, leaving her with only the weakened ability of [Absorbing Affection], it didn't matter.
She had spent countless years living with Pink Spring Moon's abilities, and even without her full power, she could still handle emotions with ease.
"S-So what do I need to do?"
"Let's wake them up."
"… What? Are you insane?"
"I'm perfectly sane, and I'm dead serious."
"N-No, I mean… Even if we manage to wake them up… Then what? What happens next?"
"Then the situation I've been preparing for will finally unfold—exactly as I intended."
Pale Yellow Autumn Moon frowned, unable to grasp his meaning.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Baek Yu-Seol sighed deeply and began to explain, his tone steady and patient.
"The Persona Gate controls both the minds of the people here and the space itself. It's likely expending a lot of energy on mental domination."
"And?"
"If we cut off that energy all at once, what do you think will happen?"
"… Hmm?"
"The energy that was being used for domination will have nowhere else to go. It'll surge wildly… and most likely be redirected straight into the barrier surrounding this space."
"Ah-ha?"
"But this isn't an ordinary Persona Gate."
"There's always a limit to the size of the boundary that separates reality and the alternate world. If all that energy gets redirected there… It'll expand uncontrollably. That's a given."
And with that, Baek Yu-Seol's plan would be complete.
"I… I see…"
Finally understanding his strategy, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon nodded with a shaky voice.
'So that's what he was aiming for.'
Up until now, she hadn't understood what Baek Yu-Seol was thinking. He hadn't explained his detailed plan, leaving her confused and unsure of what she was supposed to do.
She had followed his lead hesitantly, partially-believing and partially-doubting him the entire time.
But now, she finally got it.
This was the same Baek Yu-Seol who had consistently thwarted Fawn Prevernal Moon's schemes, unraveling even the most intricate plots. He had dissected the twisted magic of the Persona Gate - this bizarre fusion of reality and illusion - and devised a solution that finally made sense.
Still…
"… You want me to control the emotions of all these people?"
That was impossible.
Even if she spent decades gathering strength and pushing herself to the absolute limit, she could barely manage to control a single child.
For hundreds of years, she had resented the Progenitor Mage for giving her such weak powers.
"I… I can't do it…"
"No. You can."
Baek Yu-Seol didn't even look at her as he said it… his words were casual, as if stating an undeniable fact.
"You're one of the Twelve Divine Moons, and your power is among the greatest. Why are you so afraid?"
"… What?"
"It was humans who created the Twelve Divine Moons—beings that can control space and time. And you… you're the only one in this world with the power to control those very humans."
"Well… That's true…"
"Your power is the most dangerous, frightening, and overwhelming in this world. That's why I hope you'll use it for something good."
Pale Yellow Autumn Moon lowered her head.
Baek Yu-Seol's patience began to wane. He opened his mouth to demand what was wrong, but before he could speak, a soft sob broke the silence. Pale Yellow Autumn Moon's shoulders trembled as tears streamed down her face.
"W-What…?"
"Sniff… It's… nothing. I'll try… Sniff…"
"…?"
Her soft sobs echoed throughout the area. Yet, unwilling to show her tear-streaked face, she turned around and walked away with heavy steps.
'What is this…?'
Her mind was in turmoil.
She felt embarrassed for crying in front of a young human, and at the same time, moved and proud that the strongest adversary she had ever known actually acknowledged her.
Her pride, fragile as glass, wrestled with the swelling warmth in her chest. Despite her doubts, Baek Yu-Seol's words had pierced her very core, echoing in the deepest recesses of her heart.
Thump! Thump!
It was as though her nonexistent heart had begun to beat again, awakening with the realization that someone believed in her.
'Yeah! If I can't even manage this, I don't deserve to be one of the Twelve Divine Moons!'
Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon clenched her fist and raised her head.
She looked up at the tallest spire—a place Grand Duke Selphram had once favored, but now it had become her sanctuary whenever she needed to clear her thoughts.
'From up there… I'll spread my powers as far as I can.'
As she marched toward the spire, her determination clear, Baek Yu-Seol watched her from behind and said.
"Sister Florin, from now on, you'll have to handle the toughest task."
"Me…?"
"Yes. Do you see those crazed people around us?"
Florin nodded.
They were the same white mist-like creatures that Baek Yu-Seol had previously faced.
Each one was as dangerous as a risk level 7, but now, they were nothing more than mindless fools, doing nothing but laughing.
"The Class 9 dark mage who used mental magic to subjugate them all… that was no small feat. But Pale Yellow Autumn Moon's powers surpass his. Once she breaks their bindings, it'll all unravel."
"… And we can't let that happen."
Unlike Pale Yellow Autumn Moon, Florin didn't need detailed explanations to understand her role.
"When she frees them, I'll do everything I can to ensure those creatures don't regain their hold over this space," Florin said firmly.
There were tens of thousands of crazed beings scattered throughout the Persona Gate.
Could she really suppress them all?
…That question didn't matter.
Florin had no powers from the Twelve Divine Moons, no high-level magic, and no special skills or techniques.
She had nothing… no magic, no strength.
Except for one thing—
She was confident in controlling emotions.
And that confidence burned brighter because Baek Yu-Seol was standing behind her.
Right now, he was powerless within the Persona Gate, his influence nullified by its twisted rules.
He had entrusted everything to her, and now it was time to repay him for all the trust, love, and support he had given her.
'I'll make this work no matter what.'