"Rain, you can refuse once, twice… even three times."
Mira's voice softened, but her eyes stayed sharp.
"But when you meet a truly amazing woman… can you really pretend you feel nothing?"
She stepped closer, searching his face.
"Don't you feel anything? Not even a little regret? A little hesitation?"
"I…"
Rain froze.
The moment she said that, he genuinely had no idea how to answer.
And honestly?
She wasn't wrong.
Could he really say he'd never be attracted?
"Sometimes… people just pull toward each other."
Mira exhaled, helpless.
"Like Lisanna… I already don't know how to handle her."
This… this was what bothered her the most.
"Sorry, Mira. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."
Rain immediately apologized the moment he saw her expression.
"Hmph. Good."
Mira crossed her arms, acting proud — then, without warning, pushed herself into his chest.
"And remember… I'm the older one here. Got it?"
"I seriously never thought of it like that…"
Rain wasn't sure if this was a trap, and he definitely wasn't going to answer recklessly.
"What about Lisanna then? What are you planning to do?"
Mira raised an eyebrow, half annoyed, half amused.
"…"
Rain had no words at all.
"Alright, I'm not joking anymore."
She lifted her head, eyes serious and honest.
"And I'm not lying to you, Rain. I'm telling you exactly how I feel. So that's why… don't let us down, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mira."
Rain hugged her tighter.
"I won't let you down."
"Mm…"
Warmth spread through Mira's chest.
But that didn't mean she was stopping here.
She had made her decision.
If she walked the path of Take Over — Satan Soul, she would walk it to the very end.
Focus, mastery, devotion — that was the road she chose.
Rain's path, on the other hand, was Take Over — Soul.
Demons, spirits, gods — none of these beings had physical bodies anyway…
…
"It's time to move on to the next stage."
Rain finally admitted it: his progress had completely stalled.
Swordsmanship.
Haki.
Take Over forms.
Spirit power.
All of it was already at a peak.
From here on, time and experience alone would barely push him forward.
Take Im, for example — eight hundred years of refinement. His very presence separated him from normal beings. Rain only managed to fight evenly because of his incomplete form magic.
"And Im probably has other weapons too… like the Ancient Weapon: Uranus."
He didn't know what Uranus truly was.
But a sky fortress?
A floating battleship?
A space-based superweapon?
Very possible.
"So I just have to keep getting stronger."
Rain exhaled, thinking hard.
"There's no doubt — the strongest beings in this world are dragons. Should I receive a dragon's soul?"
Just imagining it made his heart stir.
A dragon soul would give him an absurd jump in power.
"But the only dragons around are the ones inside Natsu and the others… or the ones somewhere far across the continents."
But that wasn't even the real problem.
"With my current power… fighting against Acnologia head-on is suicide."
Holy Ten? Still not enough.
Spriggan 12 level? Minimum requirement.
Rain knew his limits.
"So… what else can I receive?"
Then the answer appeared instantly.
"This world has gods. Like Ankhseram. Or Chronos, the God of Time…"
Rain's eyes lit up.
That was the path.
"Looks like I'm heading to the Western Continent."
…
Fairy Tail Guild — Main Hall
"You're going to the Western Continent?!"
Everyone turned, shocked.
"Why would you go all the way there?"
Makarov tilted his head, curious.
"To keep getting stronger."
Rain smiled calmly.
"Master, you know my magic — Take Over. To grow, I need to absorb stronger beings. There's a target in the Western Continent I want to receive. So I have to go."
"I see."
Makarov nodded in understanding.
If it was for growth, there was no reason to stop him.
"Mira will be going with you, right?"
He smiled knowingly.
"No. I'm not going this time."
Mira surprised everyone by shaking her head.
"What?!"
Even Makarov panicked.
Did they… fight?
"I got a lot of replies from the demon Take Over request I posted. I'm planning to complete them."
Mira answered casually.
"Oh. So there's no conflict between you two."
Makarov let out a relieved breath.
Good. No drama.
"It's just a shame…"
At the bar, Erza paused mid-bite, strawberry cake on her fork.
"If Rain leaves for months… or half a year… doesn't that mean I'm losing another comrade?"
Suddenly, her cake didn't taste sweet at all.
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