Bellflower Village
The village was silent, but it was a hostile silence.
Doors and windows were tightly shut. The outer walls of a specific house were splattered with paint, and uncollected eggshells and rotting food scraps littered the doorstep.
Angry villagers stood outside, brandishing fish spears and iron shovels.
"Demon! How long do you plan to stay here? Get out of our village!!!"
The targets of their rage were three children.
Inside the house, a white-haired girl wearing a hood shook her head vigorously, trying to push the hateful voices out of her mind.
A copy of Sorcerer Weekly was spread open on the table.
She kept her right hand hidden deep inside her clothes, using only her left hand to flip through the pages.
Ironically, this magazine had also been thrown at her by the villagers as trash.
"Fairy Tail... such a powerful guild. Could they help cure me?" she murmured softly.
She slowly pulled her right hand out. She stared at it, clenching and unclenching her fist.
It didn't look human.
The fingertips were sharp talons, the skin had a brownish-purple hue, and the forearm was covered with blue, crystal-like scales.
To someone like Natsu, it might look cool.
But to ordinary villagers, it was the mark of a monster!
"Let's... leave this place. Lisanna, Elfman."
She forced a smile onto her face as she looked at her younger siblings—the two people she loved most.
Elfman was timid and afraid of her arm, but he still comforted her, saying it wasn't her fault.
Lisanna was brave enough to yell back at the villagers, boldly declaring that her older sister had saved the village, not cursed it.
These two were the only reason she had endured three months of abuse after the incident at the church.
Without them, she might have already given up on life.
"Mira-nee, where will we go?" Lisanna asked.
She was reluctant to leave their home and their parents' graves, but she wouldn't leave her sister.
"Here." Mira pointed with her left hand to the cover of Sorcerer Weekly.
The cover featured a photo of Fairy Tail's strongest: Gildarts, Raizel, and Laxus standing together.
"I'll follow big sis's decision!" Elfman raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, grinning with a simple, honest smile.
...
Magnolia
It was late October. Ultear and Erza had returned after perfectly completing their mission.
Their plan was to take no more missions until Christmas.
They intended to spend the holiday in Magnolia before venturing out again.
In December, aside from the S-Class Exam, Fairy Tail now had a fixed event: The Fairy Tail Christmas Party.
This was Raizel's proposal, first implemented last year.
As the guild's membership grew, those without families would gather at the hall to celebrate together.
Last year, Raizel had seen a rare, genuine smile on Makarov's face—the first since his son Ivan betrayed the guild.
Though Raizel and Laxus had spent Christmases with him before, a party of three quiet men wasn't exactly festive.
The lively guild party was exactly what the old man needed.
The entire park was filled with pink cherry blossom trees, their petals drifting gently in the wind.
The famous Rainbow Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom.
The Guild was having a massive picnic.
Raizel and Ur had outdone themselves, preparing plenty of homemade food. Makarov had also ordered a feast from the local restaurants.
Raizel spotted Kagura's cat, Oyen and Cana's dog, Snowy, playing together.
As Raizel had guessed, Oyen had already grown larger than Snowy...
But at the moment, no one was focused on the food.
"NUMBER 47!"
They were gathered around the artificial rockery, where Makarov was hosting a BINGO game.
Raizel wasn't very interested in BINGO.
Erza and Ultear, however, were extremely competitive, especially since there were prizes for the top three winners.
"YEAH! I got it!" Natsu was the most excited of all, shooting flames every time he matched a number—acting as if he'd already won the grand prize.
'Wait, even Kagura joined in? 'Raizel thought, looking around.
'This makes Wendy and me look antisocial.'
He had been about to strike up a conversation with Kagura, but he realized the girl who had been sitting quietly beside him a moment ago had already squeezed into the crowd, marking her card with intense focus.
....
East Forest
After the festival ended, the group returned to their routine.
Raizel, Erza, and the others practiced by the lakeside, while Natsu and Gray resumed their weighted mountain climbing.
They had participated in the 24-Hour Endurance Road Race recently, though Raizel only served as a commentator since he was banned from competing.
Mid-November, X777
Raizel activated Take Over: Jesmon.
The white-armored Royal Knight sat cross-legged in front of the lake, hovering slightly. Ultear sat beside him; both were deep in meditation.
Erza was sparring with the Blade Spirits, while Wendy was studying magic theory nearby.
Kagura was underwater in the lake, swinging her sword while holding her breath to build lung capacity.
"Hm?" Raizel's focus broke.
He sensed a fluctuation of ethernano in the atmosphere.
"Demonic energy?"
It wasn't particularly strong, but it was distinct.
"What's wrong?" Both Ultear and Wendy noticed his shift in demeanor.
"A demonic presence. Close by. I'll go check it out."
Without summoning the Blade Spirits, Raizel flew straight toward the source of the energy.
...
The Other Side of the East Forest
"Hehehe—"
A massive Forest Vulcan swung its fist.
Bam!
The punch collided with the transformed right claw of a white-haired girl. She blocked it, but the force sent her skidding back.
Another Vulcan emerged from the bushes, grabbing two younger children.
"Lisanna! Elfman!!!"
Mira, distracted by the second monster, turned her head. The first Vulcan seized the opening and punched her hard, sending her flying into a tree.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from the East Forest?"
A cold, metallic voice echoed from above.
The Forest Vulcans froze.
Their eyes widened.
They knew that voice!
It was the "Demon's Whisper"—a sound they hadn't heard in a long time, but one they feared more than death.
Their large bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Slowly raising their heads, they looked up at the floating white knight.
Raizel Bael.
The Vulcan holding Lisanna and Elfman immediately dropped them like hot potatoes and fell to its knees.
The one fighting Mira also hurriedly threw itself onto the ground.
"We're sorry! We're sorry!"
They slammed their heads into the dirt, kowtowing frantically.
"Get lost."
The two Forest Vulcans bowed a few more times before scrambling away on all fours, disappearing into the bushes in seconds.
Raizel landed, deactivating his helmet but keeping the armor. He was genuinely surprised.
It was mid-November, X777. He hadn't expected to see her here so soon.
Mirajane Strauss.
"Mira-nee isn't a bad person!!!"
Lisanna, recovering from the shock, ran to Mira's side.
She spread her small arms wide, standing protectively in front of her injured sister, glaring at the armored stranger.
She noticed Raizel staring at Mira's demon arm.
Raizel felt like applauding her.
'Brave girl,' he thought. 'Squaring up to an armored giant like me without any magic herself.'
Mira struggled to get up from the ground, pulling Lisanna behind her.
"Lisanna, it's alright. Please, step aside."
Mira looked at the white armor.
She recognized it.
"Are you... Raizel from Fairy Tail?"
She pressed her left hand against her abdomen, wincing in pain.
She hadn't fully recovered from the Vulcan's punch, but she remembered the photo in the magazine.
"That's me." Raizel nodded.
"Take Over: Release."
The armor vanished in a flash of light, revealing his human form. He decided to ease the intimidation factor.
"You're safe now."
Watching Raizel transform back into a human, Mira's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and she let out a long, shaky sigh of relief.