"To participate in the Grand Magic Games, we decided to train by the sea. Let's go!"
"How awful! Natsu and the others actually tried to peek at us while we were bathing. Luckily Erza caught them, but why did Erza want to invite them to bathe with us afterward?!"
Rhodes flipped to the first page of the little notebook and paused.
So this was their pre-games preparation in that timeline?
Did they ever actually train seriously?
He flipped to the next page.
"This is terrible! We just went to the Celestial Spirit Realm for a banquet, and three months passed! Old Man, give our time back!"
So in that timeline too, they fell for the Celestial Spirit Realm's time dilation…Three months lost right before the tournament.
He continued.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
"It's amazing to activate the Second Magic Source instantly, but it hurts soooo much!"
Rhodes asked, genuinely curious,
"How did you activate your Second Magic Source?"
Future Lucy shivered.
"Ultear helped us with her magic, since we'd lost our final month of training. It hurt worse than anything."
Present Lucy suddenly realized: maybe she should thank Mr. Rhodes for trying every possible method to drag them back out of the Celestial Spirit Realm in time…
Even if he did make her suffer afterward.
Rhodes kept flipping pages, occasionally stopping to ask Future Lucy to explain something.
They gradually pieced together how things unfolded without Rhodes in that timeline.
It was chaotic.
They actually made Jellal impersonate Mystogan to join Team B?That guild master really dared to do anything.
And in that timeline, the participants weren't the two new guilds of this era, but Quatro Cerberus and Raven Tail.
Team A and Team B apparently spent the first few days doing nothing but eating, always dead last in rankings.
Future Lucy explained it was a mix of recklessness, Raven Tail's cheating, and just plain bad luck.
Eventually, Raven Tail got disqualified, and Team A and Team B were forced to merge into a single team, slowly catching up in points.
Rhodes realized he already knew most of the match events in advance.
But whether he did or didn't, Fairy Tail would still win anyway.
Then he reached a line that made his brow twitch:
"The King's Army hired bandits to kidnap you?!"
Future Lucy nodded.
"Yes. Because the twelve Zodiac keys were essential to opening Eclipse. But they grabbed the wrong person, they took Wendy by mistake.
Natsu rescued her instantly."
Rhodes pressed a hand to his forehead.
This was utterly ridiculous. Treating Fairy Tail like easy targets?
And on top of that, kidnapping mages of such caliber?
Well, depending on the timeline, maybe that Princess Hisui wasn't familiar with Fairy Tail yet.
It was entirely possible her subordinates acted on their own.
The notebook continued documenting big and small events throughout the Grand Magic Games.
Then July 7th arrived.
After the dragon attack, the handwriting changed drastically, shaky, uneven.
She must have been writing with her left hand.
Most entries after that were obituaries.
The paper was wrinkled. The ink had smudged in places.
They didn't need an explanation.
Those were tear stains. Her hand must have been trembling.
The sorrow leaked straight out of the pages.
Gemini, sensitive to their contractor's emotions, had silently returned to the Celestial Spirit Realm, unable to handle the weight of Future Lucy's memories.
When they finally reached the last written sentence, Future Lucy abruptly bowed her head and apologized:
"I'm so sorry. I came from the future, I knew disaster would happen…But I couldn't bring enough information. I couldn't bring a solution.
I… sniff… I'm sorry..Please… please help me!"
Tears streamed down her face, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.The raw pleading in her voice tore at everyone's hearts.
Natsu moved first.
He walked over and wrapped Future Lucy in a gentle hug, ruffling her disheveled hair.
"You already brought the most important thing."
"A comrade who needs help."
"So leave the rest to us. Leave it to Fairy Tail!"
Present Lucy smiled softly at her own future self.
"You know, at times like this, Natsu can be surprisingly reliable."
Gray snorted but smiled as well.
"He just likes saying cool lines."
Ultear laughed lightly.
"What do you mean, 'leave it to Fairy Tail'?mCrime Sorcière might end up solving this, you know."
"Mm!"
Future Lucy, affected by everyone's optimism, finally felt a spark of hope. A small smile returned to her face.
Natsu asked, "So, Rhodes, what do we do next?"
Present Lucy's eyebrow twitched.
"I literally JUST said you're reliable!"
Rhodes pressed his fingers to his brow.
"There's… a rather troublesome issue coming up."
Erza, seeing he wasn't joking, leaned forward anxiously.
"What is it?"
Rhodes answered with complete seriousness:
"If we survive this entire ordeal, then, Natsu, when are you and Lucy getting married?"
"HUH!?"
Erza froze mid-motion.
Both Lucys' brains crashed simultaneously. After a beat, they yelled in perfect sync:
"Why are you talking about marriage?! THAT'S the 'troublesome issue' you're talking about?!"
Rhodes nodded calmly.
"Yes. There are two Lucys now. Natsu can only marry one. That is troublesome. Natsu, do you prefer the current Lucy or the future Lucy?"
Both Lucys turned bright red.
"NO, don't ask that!"
"Also, why are you assuming I'm DEFINITELY going to marry Natsu?!"
But Natsu, scratching his cheek, gave a very Natsu-like reply:
"Lucy is Lucy, you know."
Both Lucys nearly combusted.
After the chaotic shouting died down, Ultear excused herself to coordinate the next steps with Crime Sorcière.
Meanwhile, Rhodes pulled out a bundle of food and set it in front of Future Lucy.
Given her condition, she probably hadn't eaten properly, or slept safely, in a long time.
While she ate, they talked more casually.
Then a thought struck Rhodes.
"By the way, when exactly did you arrive?"
"Just tonight. I was caught not long after entering the capital."
"Were there companions with you? Or did anyone enter the Eclipse Gate before you?"
Future Lucy shook her head.
"I don't know. I don't even know how it was activated."
She looked confused. "Is something wrong?"
Rhodes frowned.
"This afternoon, another person appeared in the capital. Someone carrying an aura similar to yours. If the Eclipse Gate left that mark on you when you passed through it, then that person likely came through the same way."
Everyone stiffened.
Someone else from another timeline? From another guild?
Another warning? A threat?
Gray spoke up.
"Can the Eclipse Gate send you to any point in time?"
Rhodes shook his head.
"I have no idea. Before today, I didn't even know the name 'Eclipse.'The only thing I ever read was a mention of 'a Gate that Changes the World.'
Lucy?"
Both Lucys shook their heads together.
"I've never heard of it either."
Rhodes looked specifically at present Lucy.
"If the Eclipse Gate can't avoid Celestial Spirit Mages, maybe the Celestial Spirits themselves know something."