"Is Lucy scared?" Mirajane's sweet voice rang in her ear, startling Lucy so much she nearly jumped out of her skin. She scrambled to her feet, standing ramrod straight, her voice cracking. "N-no! Not at all! T-totally fine!"
Mirajane had already released her Take Over magic, returning to her usual gentle, smiling self.
She strolled over to Lucy, resting her left hand on her cheek as she gazed at the nearly finished "interrogation" ahead, her tone carrying a hint of regret. "Oh my, it seems my interrogation skills still need some work~"
"Erza's enhancement magic is so handy~ I wonder when I'll be able to take over a demon that can amplify someone's 'senses'?"
At those words, a cold sweat broke out across Lucy's back in an instant! She managed a stiff, awkward laugh. "H-haha, p-probably soon, right?!"
Oh, Mom! I wanna go home! When can I get out of this terrifying place?!
"U-um… is this what you guys were looking for?"
A timid, childish voice, trembling with obvious fear, came softly from the side.
Erza paused mid-motion, casually tossing the half-dead Eisenwald member aside like trash. Her sharp gaze snapped to the source of the voice.
Under the chassis of a nearby train, a boy of about seven or eight, his face smudged with dirt and fear written all over it, cautiously crawled out.
In his trembling hands, he clutched an object—a strange wooden flute, its tip adorned with three eerie skulls.
Catching Erza's gaze, the boy flinched slightly and explained in a small voice, "J-just now, there was a loud 'boom'…"
"This thing fell from above and rolled deep under the train."
"I had to crawl in and work really hard to get it out—"
Erza's stern expression softened. She placed her left hand on her hip, a faint approving smile crossing her face. "You're that old lady's grandson, aren't you? Pretty clever. Don't worry, we don't hurt innocent people."
She could tell the boy was a bit proud of himself, but she didn't call it out.
"Hehe," the boy scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
Erza raised an eyebrow, curious. "They didn't spot you the whole time, did they?"
The boy shook his head. "No, they did find me. They were about to hit me with magic, but then I heard footsteps at the entrance, and you guys came in."
His voice still quivered as he recalled the close call. He stepped forward, carefully holding out the eerie flute to Erza. But just as he raised it into the air, something bizarre happened!
The three skulls on the flute's tip suddenly erupted with an otherworldly red glow in their hollow eye sockets! A sinister black-purple magical energy surged from the flute, writhing like living tendrils, reaching for the boy as if to swallow him whole!
"Watch out!" everyone gasped in shock.
At the critical moment, a slender, pale hand reached out and gently grasped the flute.
The surging black-purple magic seemed to meet its match. It thrashed wildly but couldn't advance an inch further. Instead, it retreated like a receding tide, reluctantly shrinking back into the flute.
The red glow in the skulls' eyes flickered violently, like a dying struggle. One by one, the three sets of eyes dimmed completely, returning to lifeless silence.
Mirajane, who had somehow appeared nearby, held the now-quiet flute, examining it closely.
Her delicate fingers brushed over the cold skulls, a sly, mischievous smile curling her lips. Her voice was sweet but sent a chill down the spine. "Naughty children need to be punished, you know~"
She turned to the boy, who was frozen in fear, still processing what had happened. Her dangerous smile softened instantly. She reached out, gently ruffling his hair. "But you did great. Here's your reward~"
The boy's face flushed, still confused about what the "reward" was. His vision blurred, his head bobbed like a pecking chick, and his legs gave out. With a soft thud, he collapsed to the ground, sinking into a deep sleep.
"The rest of this…" Mirajane said softly, her gaze returning to the cursed flute in her hand. "Kids shouldn't see."
Her tongue lightly grazed her lips, leaving them glossy and shimmering like jelly.
"Well then—I won't hold back."
[Satan Soul · Take Over]
A small, ominous black-purple magic circle materialized above the flute, radiating an unsettling aura!
The three skulls, whose eyes had gone dark, suddenly blazed with piercing blood-red light once more! A shrill, distorted wail—neither male nor female—burst from the flute!
"Argh! Lord Zeref will never forgive—"
Mirajane's eyes turned cold. Her right hand tightened its grip! The piercing wail cut off abruptly, like a strangled cry.
"Still got the energy to talk? Looks like we need to spice things up a bit."
Her voice carried a playful cruelty.
BOOM!
A terrifying, overwhelming surge of black-purple magical energy erupted from Mirajane's petite frame, flooding the entire train station hall in an instant!
Her white hair flowed without wind, some strands defying gravity as they floated upward, surrounded by a chilling demonic aura.
Even the unconscious people on the ground, unaware of their surroundings, instinctively furrowed their brows, their faces contorted in terror, as if trapped in inescapable nightmares.
Lucy, barely brushed by the edge of that tangible dark magic, shuddered violently. An icy chill shot from her feet to the top of her head!
Clutching her arms, her teeth chattered. "T-this is… Demon Mirajane?! Her magic is so strong it's filling the entire space?!"
"Just the aura she's giving off is this terrifying… How much power is she actually holding back?!" Lucy swallowed hard, her throat dry.
Crack… crack…
A faint but clear sound of breaking came from the flute, "Lullaby."
Fine cracks spread rapidly from where Mirajane's hand gripped it, spiderwebbing across the entire flute!
The once-smooth, eerie wooden surface lost its luster, turning brittle like decayed wood left untouched for centuries.
Snap!
With a soft burst, Lullaby shattered completely, disintegrating into countless dark green specks of light. Drawn to her, they surged into Mirajane's body!
[Ding! Gained 50,000 Magic Power. Acquired Form: Satan Soul · Lullaby]
A dark green magic circle, pulsing with the intertwined essence of life and death, materialized before Mirajane.
As the green light faded, a new Mirajane stood before everyone.
---