A group of people walked into Magnolia from the East Forest. They bypassed the Cardinal Cathedral and arrived at the guildhall.
Elfman and Lisanna looked around with wide eyes.
Throughout their journey, this was the first group of people who genuinely didn't despise them or resent their sister.
At least, that's how it seemed.
"This is our guild, Fairy Tail," Ultear introduced, gesturing to the building.
"Seems like a decent place," Mira murmured, looking up at the wooden signboard.
"Alright, come in with us." Ultear reached out to push the door open.
BANG!
"I'M BACK!!!"
Natsu flashed to the entrance, leaped into the air, and kicked the door open with both of his feet.
Inside, the guild was business as usual.
Some were drinking, some were smoking, and Nab was staring at the quest board as always...
Suddenly, a beam of light shone down from above.
CRASH!
A large hole blasted through the ceiling.
The Three Blade Spirits (At, René, and Pol) zoomed in, having decided to take a shortcut through the roof.
Ultear sighed, shaking her head and her crystal orb glowed.
"Arc of Time: Restore."
The wooden fragments on the floor flew back up, sealing the hole as if it never happened.
"Oh! Natsu's back. Weren't you captured by Raizel?" Wakaba turned around, a cigar in his mouth.
"He definitely got beaten up by Raizel. That's what happens when you're noisy," Gray said smugly, sitting on a table with his arms crossed.
"Clothes, Gray," Ultear said, trying to restrain her temper.
First, Natsu kicked the door. Then the ceiling broke. Now Gray was stripping.
"When did that happen?!" Gray yelped, jumping off the table when he realized he was in his underwear.
"If I got beaten up, you wouldn't escape either, Droopy-Eyes!" Natsu was already face-to-face with Gray, pressing his forehead against him.
"Ahem."
A sharp cough came from behind them.
"Yes! We are good friends!"
Natsu and Gray instantly hugged each other, sweating profusely. Erza could stop a war with a single cough.
Ignoring the idiots, Raizel turned and gestured for the three siblings to follow.
"Come with me."
Raizel cut a path through the guild. The members stopped what they were doing to observe the newcomers.
Lisanna was adorable with her short hair.
Mira's hooded figure hinted at a hidden beauty.
And Elfman, though young, was huge and wearing a suit.
They were an interesting trio, especially since they arrived with Raizel's elite team.
"Gramps," Raizel called out to Makarov, who was sitting at the bar. "We brought three people who want to join the guild."
"Hmm?"
Makarov lowered his tankard.
He frowned slightly. Though Mira's right hand was hidden in her robe, he could sense a dense, dark aura from it.
"Show your right hand, Mira," Raizel said gently as he sat down on a stool beside Makarov.
Mira was nervous.
She hesitated, clutching her robe. Finally, she took a deep breath and pulled her right hand out.
The guild suddenly went silent.
"What is that?"
"Is that a monster's arm?"
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
"Take Over Magic... but to actually Take Over a Demon? This is my first time seeing it," Makarov mused, pinching his chin.
Then he remembered Raizel's forms.
'Eh, demons aren't such a big deal if i think about it.'
Whether someone was a demon or human didn't matter to Makarov.
As long as their heart leaned toward the light, Fairy Tail would welcome them.
Gray's expression shifted when he saw the claw.
It reminded him of Deliora.
He tensed up, but then he looked at Mira's face—she looked scared, not malicious. And she was with Raizel and Erza.
He shook his head and relaxed.
"So cool!"
Natsu suddenly popped up between Wakaba and Macao, throwing his arms over their shoulders.
"Macao! Wakaba! I saw it earlier in the forest! It looked super cool! Like a dragon claw!" Natsu shouted, his eyes sparkling.
"Now that you mention it... it does look pretty impressive, Natsu," Wakaba admitted, puffing on his cigar.
"Mhm," Macao agreed.
To a Mage, appearance wasn't important—strength was. But looking cool was definitely a bonus.
Mira's eyes brightened. 'Maybe... maybe this place is different.'
'You're something else, Natsu,' Raizel thought, smiling internally. 'Only an idiot like you could make her truly believe it.'
'I'll get you an extra chicken leg tonight.'
"The Demon Soul you took over is very powerful," Makarov explained kindly. "You just can't suppress it yet because your magic control is unstable. Let me help you."
Makarov drew a line in the air with his index and middle fingers.
A golden magic circle appeared. It hovered over Mira's arm, glowing warmly, before shrinking down and imprinting itself on her skin.
Shhh...
The scales receded. The claws retracted and the purple skin faded to fair white.
Mira's right hand returned to its original human form.
"That's great, Mira-nee!"
"Nee-san!"
Lisanna and Elfman cried out, tackling Mira in a hug.
"Lisanna... Elfman..." Mira embraced them both.
She looked down at her normal hand, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. After four months of living in a nightmare, it was finally over.
The three of them hugged and cried for a long time.
Raizel gave them space.
He walked to the Guild's underground archive and returned with a thick book.
"This is the 'Take Over Magic Compendium.'" Raizel handed the book to Mira. "Just study this. You should be able to control the power soon. Eventually, you might even achieve Full-Body Take Over, or unlock other forms of that demon."
"Thank you."
Mira released her siblings.
She wiped her tears and accepted the book with both hands, bowing solemnly.
"Thank you so much."
"How about joining our Guild?" Makarov asked with a warm, grandfatherly smile.
To be fair, when the old man wasn't acting like a pervert, his smile was the most comforting thing in the world.
He loved guiding lost children onto the right path.
"Yes," Mira tilted her head, showing a sincere, beautiful smile—one that hadn't been seen in a long time.
"Thank you, Master."
She turned to the guild.
"I'm Mirajane Strauss. This is my younger brother Elfman and younger sister Lisanna."
Everyone else introduced themselves in turn.
Erza and Mira didn't seem to have any sparks flying between them, probably because Mira wasn't in the mood to argue at the moment.
(Though Raizel knew the "Punk Mira" phase would likely emerge soon).
"Listen up, everyone!" Makarov stood on the bar counter.
"To welcome Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna... LET'S PARTY!!!"
Makarov tossed his wooden cup into the air.
"WOOOH——!!!"
The guild members roared.
They threw their cups into the air, cheering wildly. It didn't matter if there was alcohol in them or not (luckily, they were wooden).
'What kind of ape gathering is this..'. Raizel facepalmed.
"Who splashed beer on me?!" Natsu yelled, wiping his face. "It was you, wasn't it, Gray?!"
Natsu, drenched in alcohol, didn't bother to find out who did it and immediately went after Gray, starting a fight with him.
"I'm not even old enough to drink, you idiot!"
"MY DRAWING!!!" Reedus, who had been drawing peacefully, also got splashed with alcohol and joined Natsu's brawl.
"Damn it!" Wakaba and Macao got hit by flying cups and started punching each other.
"Fight all you want, but don't damage the quest board!" Nab complained loudly.
"GO DO A QUEST FIRST, NAB!" the entire guild shouted back in unison, mocking him even while fighting.
Splash.
A stray cup hit Erza and Kagura.
They froze, then dark auras appeared around them.
"DIE."
They joined the brawl.
"Is... is this really okay?" Lisanna whispered.
She watched in horror as the members turned into a chaotic ball of violence.
Even Makarov had leaped into the fray, kicking people left and right.
These people had no concept of respecting the elderly or caring for the young, fade is fade.
Elfman was terrified.
His large body trembled as he hid behind the petite Lisanna. "T-T-Too manly..."
"This is just daily life in the Guild," Ultear said.
She was sitting calmly on a bench, hands on her knees, smiling angelically while a table flew past her head.
"You'll get used to it."