That night, back at the village, the tavern had been closed for the night, yet its windows were giving small signs of light. Inside, Zancrow and Kain Hikaru were sitting at a table illuminated by a lantern, with a man with long straight black hair and a thin moustache, dressed in an outfit resembling the fictional depictions of both a sorcerer and a jester. His name was Jose Porla.

"I don't usually leave the Phantom Lord Asylum in the middle of the night," Jose pointed out. "But your fat friend said you would make it worth my while." Zancrow withdrew a large sack of gold and tossed in front of Jose. Opening the sack, Jose grinned when he saw the large amount of gold inside and took one piece out, scratching his chin with it. "I'm listening."

"It's like this," Zancrow said. "I've got my heart set on marrying the eldest Strauss sibling, Mirajane. But for one reason or another, she's rebuffed my advances. So I decided she needs a little… persuasion."

Kain chuckled smugly and butted in, "Turned him down flat." Overhearing him, Zancrow slammed a mug of root beer on his head.

Jose said intrigued, "I see… And how exactly do I fit into all this?"

Zancrow explained, "Everybody in town knows her brother Elfman's a lunatic. He was here earlier that night, raving about a Lightning Beast in a castle."

"Raving, you say?" Jose asked curiously. "Interesting. But I should point out that I have evaluated Elfman before. Aside from being obsessed with Take-Over Magic and having an overactive imagination, he is very tall and rough."

Zancrow shook his head, "Mental state doesn't matter. The point is, Mirajane is fiercely protective of her siblings. And she would do anything to keep them, especially Elfman, from being locked up."

"Yeah, even marry him," Kain added. Zancrow was about to smack him again, upset that he's spoiling the plan. In response, Kain nervously covered his head with his mug.

"So you want me to throw Elfman into the asylum, unless she agrees to marry you?" Jose asked, to which Zancrow simply smirked while Kain nodded. Jose shook his head in disappointment, "Oh, that is despicable." He then laughed maliciously and smirked, "I love it!"

Up in the cottage, Lisanna and Elfman were sitting in the couch with warm blankets around their bodies, with the three girls Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino sitting on a separate couch and giving them company.

Lisanna grinned, "Thanks for coming over, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino. And here, I thought you were just crazy fangirls drooling over Zancrow."

Yukino replied, "We may be fangirls, but we've got hearts and brains, too." She took out a bag of potato chips. "Care for some Saber Tooth Potato Chips?"

Elfman smiled, "My manly favorite!" She took the bag, ripped it open, and ate the potato chips inside.

"We wanted to apologize for what Zancrow did to your brother earlier tonight," Chelia said to Lisanna. "We wanted to make it all up to you by paying you a visit and chat with you over snacks and some drinks."

Lisanna smiled contently, "All this time, when most of the villagers think of the Strauss siblings as strange and weird, I think this is the first time anyone from the village has been nice to us." She bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you for visiting us."

"The only thing we still need to worry about is Mira. She's still trapped in that castle," Elfman reminded. "I was confident I could smash that Lightning Beast before he could do Mira in. But instead, we got ourselves into a big mess…" He sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, Lisanna. I failed to protect you and Mira. Some man I turned out to be…"

Lisanna patted Elfman's back comfortingly, "There, there."

Meredy smiled reassuringly, "It's alright, Elfman. We believe in you and your sister, and we respect you."

Yukino shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, what are we supposed to do? Leave someone in a bad state to freeze out in the cold?"

"I think now is a good time to ask you," Lisanna interjected. "How is it that you three know of the Lightning Beast as much as we do?"

Meredy stood up and cleared her throat, "It's a very long story. What Elfman mentioned about the castle and the Lightning Beast, it all adds up to the urban legend."

Lisanna asked curiously, "Urban legend?"

"A long time ago…" Meredy began her narration. "There was a shining castle that stood in the center of the forest. It's called Fairy Tail Castle."

Elfman and Lisanna's eyes widened at the mention of the name of the castle they ventured last night. The two siblings exclaimed in unison, "Fairy Tail Castle?"

"You know that place, too? Maybe a little more can help," Meredy said. She resumed her narration, "There was a shining castle named Fairy Tail Castle. It was a peaceful, prosperous place with beautiful architecture and magnificent sights. It was ruled by the late Royal Dreyar Family. Most of the time, parties and festivals of the royal kind were hosted there, and all manner of folk reveled in every celebration. It was a very carefree royal lifestyle."

"One fateful day, everything changed when the kingdoms of Fairy Tail and Raven Tail were at war. The discord between them was so great that they fought each other fiercely for dominion. Fairy Tail Castle's king, Ivan Dreyar, became greedy, vain, and obsessed with claiming the wealth and beauty of Raven Tail for his own, and he sought to strike it down. The Ravens were eventually defeated and the riches had been taken, but at the cost of Ivan's life. Only Ivan's son, Prince Laxus, remained as the next heir to the throne."

Lisanna asked, "Did he take it?"

"Yes," Meredy nodded. "His reign lasted for about ten years. But on Laxus's tenth and last year as king, nothing could prepare him for that fateful day the Lightning Beast stormed into the castle… The monster fell out of the sky in a fierce thunderstorm. His footsteps shook the entire castle, shrouding the sky in thick black clouds that blocked out the sun, and continuous rains and storms brought wrath and ruin. The majestic plants in the garden withered and died. Everyone living in the castle was overcome with grief and sorrow. Eventually, the young Prince Laxus died in battle with the Beast. The Beast finally took over Fairy Tail Castle and made it his dominion, transforming the place into a shadow of its former glory. No one has ever been there or heard of it since."

Lisanna covered her mouth in disbelief, "Oh, no… That sounds terrible."

"How come you're the only one to tell the tale?" Elfman asked Meredy.

Meredy explained, "Three years ago, before I moved to this village, I was a student at the Crocus University until I graduated. I learned all about Fairy Tail Castle from my best friend and classmate Ultear. She's a total encyclopedia on urban legends." She turned to Lisanna and Elfman, "So, what about your story? What do you know about Fairy Tail Castle and the Lightning Beast?"

Lisanna began, "Well, Big Brother Elf and I were attacked by Lion-Wolves on our way to the talent show, and then we stumbled at the entrance to the castle you mentioned. When we entered the place, the Lightning Beast came out of nowhere and threw us into the dungeon. We stayed there for a long time until Mira came to rescue us. But she wasn't so lucky. She was locked up in our place." A single tear fell from Lisanna's eye. "I miss Mira so much."

Elfman placed his arm around Lisanna's shoulder, "Me too. Life's not the same without her."

"Your big sister traded her freedom for yours? That sounds interesting… and sad at the same time," Yukino nodded. "Anything else?"

Elfman answered, "Along the way, we met a bunch of magically walking and talking castle furniture. A real man must've been a total expert at this! There's this candle-holder named Natsu, a wooden clock named Gray, a totally hot teapot named Erza, and this teacup named Wendy—"

"Wendy?!" Chelia exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening at the mention of that name. She frantically grabbed Elfman's shoulders, "Did you just say Wendy?"

"Uh… yeah," Elfman nodded confusedly. "Why?"

"That's the name of my best friend!" Chelia answered. "We played together seven years ago when we were kids. Wendy and I used to play by the large lake and the playground near the tavern. Playing tag, coloring, watching scary movies, playing board games, building a house of cards, and stuff… But everything changed when she moved away from the village. I miss her so much." She wiped a tear from her eye. "And about what you said… If you really did meet Wendy in the castle…" Her face suddenly beamed with hope and excitement, "Then she has to be there! She has to be!"

"You know Wendy, too?" Elfman stood up adamantly. "If I have to take a guess, the Lightning Beast must've caught Wendy seven years ago and made her his slave in the castle! That's another un-manly thing!"

"I think so," Chelia agreed worriedly. "That sounds terrible… Wendy's in big trouble, and so is your sister! We gotta go back to the castle and get them outta there!"

"I'll get the essentials," Elfman suggested. He hastily went over to a closet, took a large bag, and was busy packing items like food and water, much to Lisanna, Yukino, and Meredy's confusion. He smiled at Chelia, "We're so glad to have you join us when no one can." He observed his bag packed with supplies. "Is that everything? I don't care what it takes. We're gonna find that castle, save Mira and Wendy, and punch that Lightning Beast square in the face!"

Chelia cheered, "Yeah! Fairy Tail Castle, here we come!"

Elfman turned to Lisanna, "Lisanna, you stay here and rest up. The other girls will keep you company, and Chelia's coming with me."

Meredy nodded, "No problem."

Yukino added, "You can count on us."

"Please be careful, Big Brother Elf," Lisanna said worriedly. "And bring back Mira… please."

Elfman raised a thumbs up and smiled, "No worries. That's what a real man does."

"Here we go, Elfman! Follow me!" Chelia cried happily, heading out the door. "To Fairy Tail Castle!"

Elfman asked confusedly, "Uh… do you even know where we're going?"

Chelia replied, already outside the house, "I don't know, but I think the castle is somewhere around the woods. Meredy said the castle's in the woods, right? So, let's go to the woods!"

Elfman shouted, "Hey, Chelia! Wait up! Don't leave me here!" He followed Chelia out the door and closed it behind him, leaving Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino to themselves.

Lisanna sighed in disappointment and pouted, "It's not fair. I wanted to go with Big Brother Elf and do something exciting for once. He can't leave me behind just because I'm the youngest in the family."

"Lisanna, Elfman said he's a real man, right? So let him do the work," Meredy suggested. "He'll back with Mirajane faster than you can say Maguilty Sense." All of a sudden, she shared Lisanna's expression of boredom, "Come to think of it, sitting around the house all day can get really boring."

"Care for a trip to Akane Resort to pass the time?" Yukino suggested, taking out a couple of coupons from her pocket. "I've got free coupons!"

Lisanna nodded happily, "Sure!"

Meredy added, "We'd love to!"

A few minutes later, Elfman and Chelia had already gone to the forest, while Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino left for somewhere else. At the same time, though, they had high hopes in their hearts that everyone was alright and would come back together in one piece. Meanwhile, Zancrow and Kain arrived, riding the Phantom Lord Asylum carriage on the way. The two jumped off and entered the house.

"Mirajane! Lisanna! Elfman!" Zancrow called out, but there was no answer.

"They must've gone on a trip or something. Oh, well," Kain shrugged. "Guess our plan's not gonna work after all."

Zancrow grabbed Kain by the tights and walked outside. He said, "They'll have to come back sooner or later. And when they do, we'll be ready for them." He flung Kain into a snowbank by the porch, and instructed, "Hikaru, don't move from that spot until Mirajane and her brother and sister come home." He then hopped back onto the wagon, which turned around and headed back into town.

"But… but…" Kain stammered. "Aw, nuts!" He angrily hit the side of the house, causing a pile of snow to fall on his head and cover him up completely.