(Heartfelt thanks to 'Pan ysjd' for the 1888 reward! And thanks as well to 'Bing Yue Ying,' 'Qi Guanxuanqi,' 'Qinxun Luopo,' 'Wandering in a World Without You,' 'Chao Zhe An An,' 'Z Bairimeng,' 'Long Tiani,' 'Diying,' and 'Book Friend 150310232036306' for their rewards!)
"The effect of a magical item?"
Noah nodded and looked at Mira.
"In other words, you can't control your own magic?"
"Magic?" Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna were all stunned.
"Although I've never seen it myself, I happened to read about it in a book." Noah continued stroking Mira's grotesque arm as he slowly explained.
"In the world of magic, there is a type of magic that absorbs the power of animals, monsters, or even Magical Beasts, transforming the user's body into that of an animal, monster, or Magical Beast, and recreating their absorbed powers within their own body. It is called 'Take Over Magic'!"
"You haven't been possessed by a demon!" Noah met Mira's gaze.
"You must have accidentally absorbed the power of the demon that was causing trouble in your village church, awakening Take Over Magic in the process!"
"Awakened...?" Confusion was written all over the faces of the Strauss siblings.
"There are two ways for humans to learn magic!" Noah nodded.
"One is to study on your own, learn the magic you prefer, and become a mage who uses that magic. The other is through spontaneous awakening!"
"A kind of energy known as 'magic power' flows through all things in heaven and earth. It is the foundation that determines whether a person can use magic!" Noah explained patiently.
"Likewise, within every person lies dormant a type of magic that best embodies them, and under certain circumstances, it may awaken on its own. Mira must have awakened Take Over Magic when she touched the demon in the church, gaining its power and ending up like this!"
Hearing that, Elfman and Lisanna only half understood, but once they learned that their sister had not truly been possessed by a demon, their faces filled with excitement and joy even if they said nothing.
As for Mira, her eyes only grew dimmer.
"A demon's... power..." Looking at her grotesque arm, which resembled that of a vicious ghost, Mira spoke with bitter mockery.
"I don't need... power like this..."
The cave, which had only just regained a little life, immediately fell into an eerie silence again, and the atmosphere returned to its oppressive state.
Noah narrowed his eyes and smiled indifferently.
"Why? Isn't having power a good thing?"
"A good thing?" Mira suddenly clenched the hand entwined with Noah's, a trace of hatred appearing in her eyes.
"Because of this power, I'm no longer human. How is that a good thing?"
"Mira..." Elfman and Lisanna both looked pained.
They had been driven out of the village alongside Mira, then wandered from place to place with her. The hardship and suffering they had endured were easy enough to imagine.
Elfman and Lisanna knew very well just how much pain Mira carried in her heart.
After all, every one of those harsh and painful memories had been caused by the demon's power Mira had obtained.
Under such circumstances, how could Mira possibly not hate the power she possessed?
So, even after learning that she had not been possessed by a demon, Mira still could not let it go.
Elfman and Lisanna had no idea what to say about that. They could only worry helplessly inside.
"Not human...?" Noah gazed at Mira as though he could see through every thought in her heart. After a while, he withdrew the hand that had been stroking her grotesque Demon Arm.
"By your logic, does that mean everyone who can use magic isn't human?"
Mira did not notice Noah's penetrating gaze upon her at all. Her delicate face wore an expression of extreme self-mockery.
"That's not what I mean..."
"That is exactly what you mean!"
Before Mira could finish her mocking words, Noah's sudden retort mercilessly cut her off.
"At least, from where I stand, you have no reason at all to hate yourself for having power, and no reason at all to resent the power you possess. You're only deceiving yourself, throwing a tantrum, and being willful!"
"Y-You... what did you say?" Mira's expression changed, just as one would expect after Noah's merciless words. The negative emotions she had accumulated for so long were instantly ignited by his remarks.
"You don't understand anything! What right do you have to say that?!"
"Mira!" Seeing Mira's furious expression, Elfman and Lisanna were shocked. They seemed about to step forward to comfort her, but Noah stopped them.
"The one who doesn't understand anything is you!" Noah looked at Mira with eyes filled with powerful resolve.
"If I were you, I wouldn't hate this power. I would thank it instead. Otherwise, when you faced that huge Magical Beast just now, you wouldn't even have had the right to protect your family!"
The anger on Mira's beautiful face froze completely in that instant.
"I don't know what cruel treatment you suffered in your village, nor do I know how difficult your life was after leaving it." Noah said calmly.
"But I understand what it feels like to hate your own power!"
As he said that, Noah could not help recalling the period shortly after Makarov had taken him in and he joined Fairy Tail.
"Though our experiences were different, I was much like you. I had a powerful force inside me that I couldn't control, and more than once, it nearly brought unimaginable disaster upon the family and friends around me."
"So one day, I suddenly thought: Why do I have to possess such power? Wouldn't it be better if I didn't have this extra, hateful power?" Noah stared directly at the stunned Mira.
"But just as I was thinking that, my grandfather told me this: There is nothing wrong with possessing power itself, and those with power have no reason to be hated. But if you use that power in hateful ways, then that is the real mistake!"
"From that day onward, I never hated the fact that I possessed power again, because I would never use my power in hateful ways!" Noah stood up and, ignoring the gazes of the Strauss siblings behind him, walked toward the cloth bag he had left by the wall.
"Take Over Magic is magic that absorbs the power of animals, monsters, and Magical Beasts for one's own use. But I've never heard of anyone whose Take Over Magic could even absorb a demon's power. That proves you possess special talent, and you will surely have extraordinary strength in the future. Think carefully about how you should use that power, instead of blindly rejecting it."
"Of course, you can choose to give up this power. It is magic, after all. If you can learn it, you can also let it fall into disuse. But if you do that, then when you need power someday, I hope you won't regret it." Picking up the cloth bag by the wall, Noah sat down and closed his eyes.
"All I want to say is, cherish this power. It can help you protect your family..."
After leaving those words behind, Noah did not speak again. With his eyes closed, he seemed to have fallen asleep, and silence returned to the cave once more.
As she watched Noah lean against the wall with his eyes closed, Mira tightly gripped her Demon Arm, her eyes revealing the deepest turmoil.
"Mira..." Elfman and Lisanna looked at their sister with great concern and moved to her side.
Yet Mira seemed completely unaware. She stared blankly at Noah, who was resting with his eyes closed, and her heart could not calm down for a long time.
Even so, time continued to pass as it pleased, and the world's activity would not pause in the slightest because of it. No matter how extraordinary the events in that little cave were, night still descended, announcing the approaching end of the day.
However, for Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna, tonight was bound to be both extraordinary and especially difficult.
Before you continue