Arc: The Journey to Fairy Tail
Location: Forest Road Camp → Rocky Clearing
Month / Year: July, X775
Age:
Kaito — 10 years old
Erza Scarlet — 10 years old
Mirajane Strauss — 10 years old
Lysanna Strauss — 8 years old
Elfman Strauss — 9 years old
POV: Erza Scarlet
---
Erza didn't like how fast Mirajane was changing.
Not growing—changing.
There was a difference.
---
It started with control.
Mirajane stood in the clearing at dawn, feet planted wide, demon arm raised—not clenched, not flaring.
Breathing steady.
No snarl.
No rage.
Just focus.
Erza watched from the edge, arms crossed.
Mirajane exhaled.
The demon arm shifted.
Not violently.
Not explosively.
The black flesh smoothed, claws retracting slightly, veins dimming from wild crimson to a steady dark glow.
Power didn't spike.
It settled.
Erza felt it immediately.
"…She got stronger," Erza muttered.
Kaito, sitting nearby, nodded. "Because she stopped fighting it."
Mirajane opened her eyes—blue burning brighter than before.
"I can feel it," she said slowly. "The more I control it… the more it listens."
> "Great Sage: Confirmation.
Adaptive Growth detected.
Take Over synchronization increasing power output proportional to control."
Kaito explained calmly. "Your demon wasn't lending you power before. It was resisting. Now it's cooperating."
Mirajane flexed her arm.
The air distorted.
A rock ten meters away cracked without being touched.
Her grin was feral. "So control equals power?"
"Yes," Kaito replied. "Lose control, you lose access."
Erza clenched her jaw.
That wasn't fair.
---
Breakfast didn't help her mood.
Kaito handed Mirajane a bowl of thick, dark stew.
"What is this?" Mirajane asked suspiciously.
"Protein," he replied. "Spatially reinforced."
"…What?"
"It breaks down faster and absorbs deeper," he said casually. "Your Take Over burns energy aggressively. Normal food won't keep up."
Mirajane drank it.
Her demon arm pulsed—then stabilized further.
"…Whoa."
Lysanna blinked. "Big sister looks scarier."
Mirajane laughed. "Stronger."
Erza stared at her own rations.
Plain. Normal.
Unmodified.
She looked away.
---
Training escalated.
Kaito didn't spar with swords.
He went hand-to-hand.
Erza watched as he faced Mirajane barehanded.
"Come at me," he said calmly.
Mirajane didn't hold back.
She lunged.
Demon strength tore through the space where Kaito stood—
—but he wasn't there.
He slipped inside her reach, twisted her wrist, redirected force, and struck her center mass with surgical precision.
Mirajane skidded back, stunned.
"What—?!"
Kaito moved again.
Step. Pivot. Redirect.
No wasted motion.
No brute force.
> "Great Sage: Spatial positioning optimized.
Micro-displacement applied.
Predictive combat flow active."
Erza's eyes widened.
He wasn't teleporting.
He was placing himself where he needed to be before the attack landed.
Mirajane attacked harder.
Faster.
Stronger.
Kaito adapted instantly.
By the end, Mirajane was panting, laughing, bruised—and exhilarated.
"…Teach me that," she said.
Kaito nodded. "After Fairy Tail."
She stepped closer, grin sharp. "You sure know how to make a girl work for it."
Erza's grip tightened on her sword.
---
That night, Erza lay awake.
Mirajane was catching up.
Fast.
Her power was climbing because she was learning to control it—while Erza had relied on discipline alone.
And Kaito—
He was investing in Mirajane.
Protecting her.
Encouraging her.
Flirting with her.
Erza turned onto her side.
Her chest felt tight.
I won't fall behind.
She stared into the darkness.
If she's a demon…
Then I'll become something stronger.
The rivalry wasn't playful anymore.
It was sharpening.
---
By morning, Mirajane's demon arm was quieter.
More obedient.
And far more dangerous.
And Erza knew—
The road to Fairy Tail wouldn't just test strength.
It would decide who stood beside Kaito… and who stood opposite.
---
End of Chapter 30
---