A few days had passed since the Christmas party, but the memories were still fresh.
Several new paintings hung on the Guild walls, all masterpieces created by Reedus Jonah.
Framed in sturdy mahogany and mounted prominently, they captured the chaos and joy of "Christmas X777."
Although they had held a party last year, they had forgotten to take any mementos.
This was the first time they had tangible proof of their family gatherings.
Members could still be heard discussing the events of that day.
Laxus was a particular focus of gossip.
"He's a traitor," Gray muttered, nursing a bruise on his ego. "A double-crossing traitor."
"Yeah! He betrayed the Red Team too!" Natsu agreed, for once united with Gray in their hatred of the Lightning Mage's snow tactics.
As the New Year began, Raizel sensed a shift.
Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna had fully integrated into the Guild.
Wakaba and Macao were baffled by Mira changes.
After just one Christmas, she had transformed completely.
The "Punk Mira" who beat people up was gone.
In her place stood a virtuous, graceful young lady. She tied her bangs up, wore elegant dresses with bows, and smiled gently with her hands clasped in front of her.
"Are you sure that's the same girl?" Macao whispered.
"I don't know, but I'm not complaining," Wakaba replied.
Of course, she still took on quests.
She wasn't retiring to be a barmaid just yet.
When she activated Satan Soul, she was as fierce as ever, but the pointless bickering with Erza had stopped.
Their rivalry had matured into a respectful competition.
As agreed, Raizel stopped accompanying Ultear, Erza, and Kagura on their quests this year.
Unless an interesting S-Class job appeared, he would focus on his own training.
....
January 4, X778
It was still early in the year, and most members hadn't resumed their full work schedules.
Today, a new member arrived.
A man with dark hair and a forgettable face joined the guild.
Mest Gryder.
Raizel looked at him.
'I probably won't remember him tomorrow,' Raizel thought. 'I better write this down.'
He prudently went home and added a note to his secret journal.
As usual, the guild threw a welcome party.
....
East Forest
"I'm heading out on a quest. Don't slack off, or I might surpass you."
Laxus walked by the training site, carrying a backpack.
Cana followed him, looking bored.
They were deliberately taking the long route just to taunt Raizel.
Raizel sat cross-legged in mid-air, meditating.
He didn't even open his eyes. He just gave a perfunctory nod.
"Goodbye, everyone," Cana waved to the group.
Erza and Mira ignored them completely. They were locked in combat.
"Satan Soul!"
Mira was in her full demon form—long flowing hair, dark armor, and a massive tail.
"Dark Torrent!"
She clenched her clawed hand.
A magic circle appeared, unleashing a massive wave of dark energy claws that tore through the air toward Erza.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
Flash.
Erza switched instantly.
The heavy, diamond-hard armor appeared. She slammed the two halves of her shield together.
BOOM!
A green magic barrier expanded.
The dark energy crashed against the barrier, exploding violently. But when the smoke cleared, the shield didn't have a scratch.
"Dark Spark!"
Mira refused to give up. She fired a barrage of black energy bullets from both hands.
Boom—Boom—Boom—
It was useless.
The Adamantine Armor lived up to its name as the ultimate defense.
Mira was panting. Using consecutive high-level spells in her Full-Body Take Over state was draining her rapidly.
Her movements slowed.
"Now!"
Erza seized the opening.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
Her speed skyrocketed. She flashed forward and delivered a swift strike with her sword, knocking Mira to the ground.
Mira wasn't knocked out, but she had lost.
"Dammit," Mira sighed, reverting to her human form.
She sat on the grass, looking frustrated.
"Mira, your fighting style is flawed," Raizel said.
He floated down from his meditation spot. Even without opening his eyes earlier, he had sensed every fluctuation of magic.
"You use your magic power too recklessly," Raizel explained. "Satan Soul consumes a massive amount of mana just to maintain. But you attack at 100% power with every single move. Against a tank like Erza, you burn out before you can scratch her."
Mira tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear.
"I know. When I use Full-Body Take Over, I can't control it well. My instincts scream 'Destroy,' and my body outputs maximum power automatically."
"This style works against weak opponents, but against stronger mages, it's fatal," Raizel said.
"I know," Mira sighed again. "But I don't know how to fix it."
Raizel smiled as he raised two fingers.
"Two points. First, continue meditating to increase your magic container. Second, you need to learn Magic Output Control."
"How?" Mira leaned forward, eyes sparkling with interest.
"I have an idea."
Raizel reached into his backpack and pulled out a Magic Power Tester (MPF)—the same crystal device used in the Grand Magic Games.
"I'll set a range for your output, from Level 1 to Level 10," Raizel explained. "You will attack this crystal using the same spell. When I call a number, you have to hit that exact power range."
Mira blinked.
This was new.
"Take this." Raizel handed her a magical herb to restore her mana. "First, hit it with full power so we can set your baseline."
Mira nodded. She transformed again.
"Dark Torrent!"
CRASH.
The number appeared on the crystal: 998.
"Okay, let's call that 1000 for simplicity," Raizel said. "Each Level is 100 points. Level 1 is 0-100, Level 5 is 400-500, and so on. Ready?"
Mira narrowed her demonic eyes.
She nodded.
"Four." (Target: 300-400)
Mira fired.
947.
"Fail," Raizel deadpanned.
"Six." (Target: 500-600)
Mira fired.
898.
"Fail. You're just hitting it as hard as you can, aren't you?" Raizel sighed.
"One." (Target: 0-100)
Mira tried to hold back.
887.
'You have a long way to go, Mira,' Raizel thought.
Her demon form was like a wild horse.
"Seven." (Target: 600-700)
Mira fired.
797.
"Close enough! Pass!" Raizel called out. (He had chosen 7 intentionally because he knew her stamina was dropping).
"Mira-nee is amazing!" Lisanna and Elfman cheered from the sidelines.
"Not bad," Raizel nodded. "You managed to hold back a tiny bit. That's a start."
The other girls watched with interest.
"I want to try," Kagura stepped forward.
"Me too," Ultear and Erza said in unison.
Raizel pulled out three more MPF crystals from his bag (he came prepared).
"Wendy, Lisanna," Raizel said, handing them a whistle. "I entrust the important task of calling out numbers to you."
"Yes sir!"
Raizel watched them line up.
He glanced at Natsu, who was punching a tree nearby.
'Everyone except Natsu can practice this,' Raizel thought.
'For Natsu, control is useless. He needs to burn hotter.'
"Alright, ladies," Raizel smirked. "Let's see who has the best control."
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