Fairy Tail: The Phantom Dragon Slayer

Chapter 6: A New Encounter and Reunion (1)

Year X778, July.

It had been a month since Mira defeated the demon at the church.

"Get out!"

"Leave this village!"

"You demon-possessed witch!!!"

"How much longer do you plan on staying here!?"

"Your whole family is cursed!!"

"As long as you're here, misfortune will never leave this village!!"

A stone flew through the window, but I caught it mid-air.

It had been hurled at the young Mira, who was sitting by the window, her body cloaked in a black robe to hide herself.

The moment I appeared at the window, the villagers surrounding the house grew even louder with their jeers.

"You're the one who brought the demon, you shady bastard!"

"You're on her side, aren't you? That cursed girl!"

"Yeah! Ever since you showed up, this village has gone downhill!"

I turned my head, ignoring their shouts.

Right beside me, young Elfman and Lisanna were trying to comfort Mira, who remained silent under her robe.

"Big sis Mira… are you okay?"

"I'm sorry… this is all my fault…"

"It's not your fault, sis!!"

"If it weren't for this… none of this would've happened…"

As she spoke, Mira pulled back her robe to reveal her right arm.

It had transformed—becoming just like the arm of the demon she had defeated a month ago at the church.

At first, people looked at her with pity, offering words of comfort.

But as time passed—when droughts hit the village or children started getting hurt more often—the villagers' attitudes turned on a dime.

No one knew when it started, or who said it first.

All we knew was that rumors had spread—blaming the misfortunes befalling the village on two outsiders: myself, who had appeared out of nowhere, and Mira, who was said to be possessed by a demon. And those rumors had brought us to this point.

Watching the senseless behavior of this foolish mob twisted my stomach.

If Mira's arm truly was cursed—if it really brought misfortune—then those of us closest to her would've been the first to die.

I've seen this pattern too many times before—how baseless fear and misinformation fuel mob mentality, leading to purges and witch hunts.

This was no different.

To me, their jeers mean nothing.

I've heard far worse voices over countless lifetimes.

But… what sin has that child committed, to be burdened with all this guilt?

"Get out, you demons!"

"Leave this village!!"

"Stop it, Lisanna!"

"Lisanna…!"

Unable to bear the villagers' shouting any longer, Lisanna stuck her head out the window, her voice breaking into sobs.

"Mira-nee and Ciel defeated the demon that was rampaging through the church!!!!! They did it for this village…! How can you treat them like this?!"

The small child's desperate cry silenced the crowd for a moment.

But the resentment and rage in their eyes didn't fade.

"She got possessed while fighting that demon!"

"That's not Mira-nee's fault!!"

"Lisanna, that's enough."

Sniff… sniff…!

"Don't cry, Elfman."

I gently took Lisanna's hand to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Mira softly comforted the sobbing Elfman, her voice steady despite the storm outside.

But the malice I felt building around us stirred something deep within me.

I slowly reached up and began to unwrap the bandages covering my face.

"Ciel…?"

"Ciel, what are you doing?"

"Mira, Elfman, Lisanna… it's time to say goodbye to this village. I plan to take you all away from here. But I also know this place holds memories—of your parents, your childhood… So I want you to choose. Will you stay in this village? Or will you leave with me? If you choose to stay, I'll try to reason with the villagers."

"Really?!"

"Ciel-nii!"

Elfman and Lisanna's faces lit up at my words.

But Mira, her expression somber, finally spoke.

"Ciel… you don't mean to reason with them, do you? You're planning to control them with your magic… aren't you?"

"..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ciel…?"

I slowly opened my left eye, hidden beneath the bandages.

When Elfman and Lisanna saw it, their eyes widened in shock.

Unlike the blue eye on the right, my left eye was a deep, blood-red hue—so vivid it looked like it was soaked in blood. In its center, a black sigil in the shape of the character '天' (Heaven) was etched.

There wasn't a soul who wouldn't be startled by such an eerie, intimidating eye.

"Yes. If you truly wish to stay in this village… I'll manipulate the minds of the villagers. I'll overwrite their thoughts—make them believe you're not demons."

"...Don't."

"When you defeated the demon at the church, that eye… it looked dangerous. If something goes wrong, you might end up like a walking corpse, right? I… I don't want to stay in this village badly enough to risk that."

"Mira…"

"Elfman, Lisanna. I'm sorry… but I think we need to leave this village."

Having refused my offer, Mira turned to her younger siblings and gently proposed they leave together.

Elfman and Lisanna hesitated for a moment, looking silently at me. But once they had made up their minds, they opened their small mouths to speak.

"I… agree with sis."

"I don't want to stay here if it means hurting other people. Ciel…"

"Ciel, we'll leave the village. But… before we go… can you grant us one last favor?"

…

It had been two hours since the villagers, carrying torches, pickaxes, and sickles, had surrounded the Strauss household.

Not a sound had come from inside after Lisanna's earlier outburst.

Then, at last—the door opened.

Ciel and Mira stepped outside.

"They're out!" someone shouted.

"Cursed demon family!"

"Get out of this village!"

"Disappear, all of you!"

"Monsters like you don't deserve to live here!"

"Your parents were probably demons too, huh? We should dig up their graves and burn—"

"Enough."

As the villagers shouted abuse, Ciel's calm voice cut through the noise. The mob that had been jeering moments ago fell silent.

They were up against three children and a man with an injured arm. Logically, if the village's strong young men rushed in, they could easily overpower them.

And yet—no one could move.

From Ciel's crimson eye emanated an overwhelming pressure, a bloodlust so intense that everyone instinctively understood: if they made a move, they would die.

If they dared speak or challenge that being—they knew it would be the end.

They realized it.

Now they only glared at Ciel in silence, cold sweat running down their backs. But their eyes held not anger or hatred—only fear.

"I despise mobs that are swayed by baseless rumors and senseless fear. Right now, I could turn all of you into living meat puppets…"

As he spoke, a faint lavender mist began to rise from Ciel's body.

The villagers tried to run, panic taking hold—but it was too late. The mist wrapped around their bodies, holding them in place.

They couldn't move.

Frozen by invisible fear and an unknown pressure, they stood paralyzed.

"We're leaving this village now. But judging from what you just said, I doubt you'll leave us in peace. So… until we're gone, you'll all sleep quietly."

The moment he finished speaking, the villagers collapsed where they stood—thud, thud, one after another.

The violet mist spread, blanketing the entire village.

Everyone who came in contact with it instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Through the thick fog, Ciel walked calmly with Mira and the children, heading toward the edge of the village.

"Are… are they all dead…?"

"No," Ciel replied gently to Lisanna's anxious question, "they'll sleep deeply for half a day. That's all."

At the same time, he turned to Mira with a faint, bittersweet expression in his eyes.

"They'll forget everything. About demons. About us. To them… it will be as if you never had children. I've overwritten their memories, just as you asked."

"…Thank you, Ciel. And… are you okay? Is your body… alright?"

"Yes. There won't be any side effects. It's just… your existence will be forgotten."

Before leaving the village, Mira had made one final request to Ciel:

To erase every trace of their presence from the villagers' memories—so that no one would remember that she, her siblings, or Ciel had ever lived there.

If we simply left like this, the villagers might desecrate the grave of the siblings' parents.

To prevent that, Mira had asked me to erase from their memories not only her and her siblings' existence in the village—but even the fact that their parents had children.

She knew exactly what that request meant.

And so, she quietly nodded in acceptance.

Elfman and Lisanna, lips tightly sealed, said nothing as they followed Ciel, leaving the village behind in silence.

…

Night fell after we had left the village.

We camped out in an unknown forest, warming ourselves by a small fire.

While the others slept, I went on a solo patrol, thinking through our next steps.

The change in Mira's arm was definitely related to magic.

The demon we had defeated had no consciousness left. It shouldn't have had the power to possess anyone.

Which meant—the light that had surged from Mira's arm may have been a result of her own subconscious attempt at using magic… and failing.

She hadn't said anything, but I knew Mira had potential when it came to magic.

With the right teacher, she could likely awaken a unique magic all her own.

And if this phenomenon truly was magical in nature, then the solution would lie in magic as well.

First and foremost, we had to find a way to heal her arm.

Which meant our destination was clear—a nearby village known as Magnolia, home to a guild that might hold knowledge of what had happened to her.

That guild was the renowned Fairy Tail, one of the more well-known wizard guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore.

If any place could provide a solution, it would be them.

I reminded myself of our goal—

"...Hmm?"

When I returned from my patrol, Mira—who should've been asleep—was nowhere to be seen.

I considered the possibility of a monster attack, but seeing Elfman and Lisanna still sleeping peacefully by the fire, I ruled it out.

Sensing the faint response from the magical seal I had placed on her, I followed it to where she was.

…

Mira was a little ways off, curled up against a tree.

Thankfully, she didn't seem hurt.

But her head was lowered, and she was crying silently.

Tears dripped steadily from her chin, and her shoulders trembled with quiet sobs.

Seeing that, I quietly knelt down in front of her, matching her eye level.

"Mira… What are you doing out here so late at night?"

"Ciel… don't come any closer… You might get cursed…"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, head still bowed.

She was warning me to stay away.

But I knew exactly what those words meant.

I could see what was going through her mind.

So I didn't retreat—I spoke again, gently.

"Do you really believe all of this is your fault?"

"It wasn't. You did nothing wrong. What happened… couldn't be helped."

"But…! But still…!!"

"Mira…"

Calling her name softly, I reached out and took hold of her right arm.

Then, I gently guided her hand to my cheek.

Startled, Mira immediately tried to pull her hand away, fear on her face—but I held it in place, firmly.

"Let go! If you keep touching me… the curse might spread to you too!"

"Then let me be possessed by the demon with you."

"What kind of nonsense is that?! Let go of me!"

"Mira. Look into my eyes."

She hesitated for a moment, lips pressed tight—but eventually, she slowly raised her gaze and looked at me.

"If what you say is true… then I, with this cursed red eye, shouldn't be by your side either. Do you think I'm a cursed monster?"

"Your arm is no different. Sure, its appearance may have changed slightly… but it's still your warm, kind hand. That hasn't changed."

"This isn't the same… this arm is the demon's…"

"Then I'll be possessed right along with you."

"Why…?! You might get cursed too, Ciel… so why are you coming closer?!"

The girl's voice shook, tinged with panic.

Ah… I see.

She's just like the younger me—the boy who first awakened to this red eye.

Back then, I too was cast out. My parents abandoned me, calling me cursed. The adults pointed fingers, beat me, and drove me away. I survived only by clinging to life on the edge.

And now… I told Mira the words that my younger self had once longed to hear more than anything else.

"Because you're family."

"You looked at me—at these strange, unpleasant eyes—and still accepted me as part of your family. So now, I hold your hand because we are family. Even if I'm cursed, even if danger and death come for me, I'll always be by your side—because you're my family."

"…"

Without a word, I gently patted her trembling back.

"It's okay to cry now. Elfman and Lisanna can't hear us here. Let it all out."

"Ciel…"

"You probably had to be strong in front of your little siblings. But I'm different. I'm the one adult you can lean on, the one you can open your heart to. So please… rely on me."

At my words, Mira's whole body began to tremble.

And then… my shoulder grew damp with her tears.

She sobbed bitterly, the weight of her pain finally spilling out—everything she'd been holding in.

"I don't want this…! Why did this happen to me?! I didn't do anything wrong…! I just… I just wanted to live in that house with Elfman, Lisanna… and you, Ciel! That's all! Why…?! I hate this… I'm scared… I don't want to live with this kind of arm! I want things to go back to how they were!"

"You've done nothing wrong."

"I promise you—we'll find a way to return your arm to normal. And even if we never do, I'll always be there, by your side, to carry your sorrow with you. So for now… cry as much as you need."

"I… I… sniff… Ciel…"

"It's not your fault, Mira."

Mira finally released the sorrow and frustration she had been holding deep in her heart.

She could never have shown this side of herself in front of her younger siblings.

She felt like it was all her fault—that they were driven out of the village because of her.

That they were erased from everyone's memories.

For a young girl, that burden was far too heavy to carry alone.

And I understood that pain better than anyone… for I, too, had experienced it over many lifetimes.

I quietly embraced her sorrow, gently patting her back.

"You've done nothing wrong. You're not alone."

"—!!!"

"That's right. Let it all out. I'll take it all in. No matter when, no matter where… if you ever feel like crying again, I'll be right by your side. Don't carry everything on your own. Even if you stop being human… I'll give up being human right alongside you. Because that's what family means."

In the dim forest, where only bits of moonlight filtered through the trees, I silently accepted the heart of a young girl who blamed herself and tried to swallow all her pain.

Because what she needed most right now—

Was not an answer.

But a warm, kind, and sincere voice.

And the arms of someone who would accept all her sorrow.

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