Arc: The Journey to Fairy Tail
Location: Roadside Village near the Central Plains
Month / Year: July, X775
Age:
Kaito — 10 years old
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The village felt wrong the moment they entered.
It wasn't damaged.
It wasn't burning.
But fear clung to it like fog.
People watched from doorways, from behind church windows, whispering as Kaito and Erza passed.
"…the demon girl…"
"…attacked the church…"
"…don't let her near children…"
Erza's hand tightened on her sword hilt. "They're talking about a kid."
Kaito nodded, eyes sharp. "And they're scared enough to lie to themselves."
The stone church stood at the center of the village.
That's where they found them.
---
Three children stood near the church steps.
Two girls. One boy.
The older girl stood in front, posture straight but rigid, as if forcing herself not to shake. Long white hair fell down her back, partially hiding her face.
Her right arm was unmistakably wrong.
Black, jagged, clawed—veined with dark magic that pulsed faintly, unstable, half-awake.
Behind her—
A younger girl, pink-haired, clutched the hem of her dress with both hands, eyes wet but brave.
And a young boy, stocky for his age, stood between them and the villagers, fists clenched, jaw trembling.
"Don't come closer," the boy shouted when he noticed Kaito and Erza. "She won't hurt anyone!"
The older girl didn't speak.
She only stared at the ground.
Villagers whispered.
"Demon…"
"She attacked the church…"
"That arm—look at it…"
Kaito stopped walking.
> "Great Sage: Analysis complete.
Target: Partial Take Over phenomenon.
Cause: Defensive absorption of hostile entity.
Control: Unconscious.
Threat level: Non-hostile."
So that's it.
Erza's voice was low. "She's protecting them."
"Yeah," Kaito replied. "And paying for it."
He stepped forward anyway.
The boy immediately moved, spreading his arms wider. "I said stay back!"
Kaito raised both hands calmly. "We're not here to hurt anyone."
The older girl finally looked up.
Blue eyes. Wide. Tired. Scared.
"…You're not afraid?" she asked quietly.
Kaito tilted his head. "Why would I be?"
Her breath caught.
Erza glanced at him. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Walking straight into trouble."
He smiled faintly. "That's how you prove you're not lying."
The villagers gasped when he stopped only a few steps away.
"She's dangerous!" someone yelled.
Kaito didn't turn around.
"She's a child," he said evenly. "And she was attacked first."
Silence rippled outward.
The white-haired girl swallowed. "…There was something inside the church," she whispered. "A demon. I tried to protect my siblings. It attacked me and—"
Her demon arm twitched.
"I don't remember after that."
The younger girl clutched her sleeve. "Big sister Mira didn't mean to…"
Mira.
Kaito smiled slightly. "Mirajane?"
She nodded.
"Nice name."
She blinked. "…This isn't a joke."
"I'm not joking," he replied gently. "You're not a demon."
Her eyes shook. "Then why is this still here?"
She lifted the corrupted arm.
> "Great Sage: Explanation prepared."
Kaito spoke carefully.
"You absorbed part of the demon to survive. Your magic reacted on instinct. That arm isn't the demon—it's your power, stuck halfway."
"…My power?" Mira whispered.
"Yes," Erza said firmly, stepping beside Kaito. "Magic doesn't choose evil. People do."
Mira stared at her arm, then at her siblings.
"…Can it be controlled?"
Kaito met her gaze. "Yes. But you need to learn how."
The boy—Elfman—exhaled shakily. "So… my sister isn't a monster?"
Kaito smiled at him. "Not even close."
Lysanna wiped her eyes. "…Then why does everyone hate her?"
No one answered.
Mira clenched her demon hand—then slowly relaxed it.
The magic pulsing from it softened, just a little.
> "Great Sage: Emotional stabilization detected.
Magic output decreasing."
Erza noticed instantly. "Her control improved."
"Because she stopped believing their fear," Kaito said.
He looked back at Mira, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"Also… for a so-called demon girl, you're way too pretty."
Mira's face went bright red. "W-what does that have to do with anything?!"
"Confidence helps," he said casually.
Erza groaned. "You flirt in churches now?"
Mira, despite herself, laughed.
It was small.
But it was real.
And the villagers—watching—finally began to doubt their own fear.
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End of Chapter
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