"I'll ask her siblings what they think. In a situation like this, her family's opinions matter the most."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Well, I'll go over first then."
Noah left the counter and walked toward the two white-haired children who were playing with Natsu and the others.
The moment Natsu spotted him, he charged forward.
"Noah, let's have a showdown!"
"Idiot," Gray muttered, rolling his eyes.
With a sigh, Noah casually knocked Natsu flat with one punch. Natsu collapsed on the ground, unmoving. The two white-haired children next to him froze in fear, hugging each other tightly as they trembled.
"You two are new here, right? What are your names?" Noah asked gently.
The younger girl, a little braver than her brother, stepped forward despite her shaking legs.
"M-my name is Lisanna, and my brother's name is Elfman."
"Don't be so nervous. My name's Noah, and I'm a guild member here too," Noah reassured them with a smile.
"Noah's a good guy," Gray added dryly. "It's just that Natsu's an idiot, so he gets treated like this."
At that, Natsu staggered back to his feet, veins bulging on his forehead, and immediately lunged at Gray.
"Who are you calling an idiot?!"
"I'm talking to you, droopy-eyes!"
"You're the droopy-eyed one!"
Their foreheads slammed together, neither willing to back down, and another scuffle broke out.
Noah shook his head with a small laugh and turned back to Lisanna and Elfman.
"They've started again. Best to ignore them. Come with me I want to talk to you about something."
The siblings, still trembling, followed Noah to the side. Noah glanced at the cloaked young woman sitting quietly at the counter.
"That should be your sister. She doesn't look well."
"Yes," Lisanna admitted softly. "Her name is Mirajane… and we're worried about her too."
At the mention of their sister, both Lisanna and Elfman's expressions fell, their earlier fear giving way to sadness. Their heads lowered, and the air around them grew heavy.
"Has something happened to you?" Noah asked in a gentle voice. "Tell me. Maybe I can help."
"Really?"
Lisanna suddenly lifted her head, her eyes shimmering with hope as she looked at Noah.
Noah smiled kindly. "I need to hear your story first. Only then will I know how to help."
"Okay… here's what happened."
Lisanna's voice trembled as she explained.
Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman had once lived peacefully in a small village. Life had been simple and calm until one day a demon appeared at the village church and caused havoc.
The villagers were terrified. One by one, they shoved others forward to protect themselves, retreating again and again. No one dared to confront the monster.
To protect her younger siblings, Mirajane stepped forward alone. In the process, she accidentally awakened her Take Over magic and absorbed the demon itself.
But because it was her very first time using magic and she lacked any real control, the transformation left her arm stuck in a demonic form that she could not undo.
When the villagers saw Mirajane like that, they grabbed hoes, shovels, and other farm tools, crowding outside the siblings' home and shouting:
"Get out!"
"Leave this village!"
"She's possessed by a demon!"
"A cursed family!"
"As long as you stay here, disaster will never end for us!"
"How much longer do you plan to remain in this village?"
"Get out, demon!"
"Get out of the village!"
Lisanna couldn't understand. It was her sister who had defeated the demon that caused trouble in the church. It was her sister who had saved the village. Why would they treat her this way now? What had Mirajane done wrong?
Her sister hadn't chosen to carry this burden. She had destroyed the demon to protect everyone, and only because of that had she been left with its power. To Lisanna, the villagers were far too cruel.
In the end, it was Mirajane, the elder sister, who decided they could no longer stay. For her siblings' sake, she chose to leave the village.
After that, the three began to wander aimlessly.
The incident weighed heavily on Mirajane. Whenever they met strangers on the road, if her demonic arm happened to slip out from under her cloak, people always stared at her in fear and quickly fled.
Though she put on a brave face for her younger siblings, Lisanna and Elfman often heard her quietly sobbing at night. Hearing that broke their hearts.
By chance, the three eventually arrived in Magnolia, and at the end of the road, they saw the guild hall of Fairy Tail.
Curiosity tugged at them, and they approached just as Makarov happened to return and saw them at the door.
Makarov invited them inside, and out of a desire to finally resolve her problem, Mirajane revealed her arm to him and explained everything that had happened.
Makarov, well-versed in magic, listened carefully. With just a glance, he understood.
"That's Take Over magic," he explained gently. "It's not that you're possessed by a demon. The demon's power now resides within you."
Mirajane said nothing after hearing this. Even though she joined the guild alongside her siblings, she kept to herself, sitting alone at the counter and rarely speaking to others.
Lisanna and Elfman noticed and worried constantly, but they had no idea what to do.
"That's everything," Lisanna concluded at last. "So… how can we help my sister?"
When she finished, she looked up at Noah expectantly. Elfman, though silent, fixed his gaze on him too, clearly hoping for an answer.
"After hearing what you've gone through," Noah said calmly, "I don't think it will be too difficult."
"Really?" Lisanna gasped, her eyes lighting with hope.
"Take Over itself isn't evil magic it's just another form of magic. The problem is that your sister is exceptionally gifted. She was able to Take Over a demon, and that power frightens people. When she first awakened her magic, she received no understanding or guidance from those around her, so now she resists it herself.
Only by truly accepting her magic can she wield it freely. And only then will her arm return to its original form."
"The key now is figuring out how to help your sister accept the Take Over magic she's awakened."
"What should we do, then?" Elfman asked anxiously.
"This depends on you," Noah explained. "Because you're her family, you're the ones who will know how to help her accept it."
"Is that so…" Lisanna murmured, deep in thought.
She and Elfman began to rack their brains. Finally, Lisanna's eyes lit up with an idea.
"If we use the same magic as Sister Mira, then she won't feel lonely anymore! That way, she might be able to accept her own magic!"
Elfman's face brightened, and he nodded in agreement.
"Can you teach us Take Over magic? Or… is there someone else in the guild who can?"
"Since you've already found the answer yourselves, that's a good start," Noah said with a smile. "I can teach you Take Over. You should be able to pick it up quickly."
"Really? That's great! We'll be able to use the same magic as Sister Mira!"
Lisanna and Elfman exchanged happy smiles, their hearts light with hope.