The people in the restaurant were startled by the sudden appearance of the black hole, but remembering that this was during the Grand Magic Games and Mages were everywhere, they quickly calmed down.
Acnologia nodded slightly: "You've arrived."
Zeref looked the same as always, except the pain and confusion in his eyes were gone, replaced by hope and happiness.
He sat next to Lucy and said, "I sensed the Eclipse Gate appearing and opening. I originally intended to close it, but I sensed that it was me opening the gate on the other side, so I came over personally to see."
He looked at the Lucy beside him, his eyes showing interest: "With the power of time and space upon you, you must be the one who came through the Eclipse Gate."
"Zeref?"
Lucy was extremely surprised. It was one thing that Acnologia was an ally, but Zeref, in this time period, seemed to be on their side too?
At Acnologia's prompting, she recounted some events from the future, mentioning that Future Mavis and Zeref fought the Evil Dragons together.
Zeref paused slightly, his expression complex, and said, "He is smarter than me to be able to accept that, but he is not as lucky as me, because I have ended the curse and can love and hate freely."
However, in that world of war between dragons and humans, this curse was also a great aid.
Lucy was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I should leave now. I still have my mission."
Her comrades were still fighting hard, and companions could die any minute. She couldn't delay any longer.
"Don't rush!"
Acnologia reached out and pressed Lucy back into her seat, saying, "After the Grand Magic Games, once I find out who is plotting in the shadows, I will go to the past with you to prevent all of that from happening, or travel to your future and eliminate all the Evil Dragons."
Sure enough, both Lucys were the same—impetuous and restless.
Lucy hesitated: "But the future..."
Zeref explained, "Since you want to change the future from the past, time is the most useless thing. There's no need to rush; finding the cause can reverse everything."
For Lucy now, the most important thing wasn't rushing, but calming down to observe and think.
Lucy nodded lightly. She didn't think she was as smart as Zeref, so if even he said so, she would wait a little longer.
Acnologia mused, "The Eclipse Gate should originally be in the hands of the King of Red Dragons, Osta, but now it has inexplicably appeared in the Royal City. There must be some connection."
The entire continent was previously searching for the Eclipse Gate. They really dared to bring it out? Aren't they afraid of being caught?
Zeref hesitated: "Are you suggesting... the Fiore Royal Family is cooperating with the King of Red Dragons, Osta, to set up this plan?"
"Manipulation or deception is more appropriate."
Acnologia said, "There must be some hidden truth. Maybe Lucy isn't the only person from the future."
As Hades said, if there is an evil aura here, it certainly isn't Future Lucy's aura. Perhaps Future Rogue took the wrong path and came to this world, and Future Lucy followed his trail.
"That makes sense..."
Zeref pondered, "Since the opponent is relying on the Eclipse Gate for their scheme, as long as I lock or destroy the Eclipse Gate, the conspiracy can be crushed."
Acnologia waved his hand dismissively: "If this were before, I would worry about things spiraling out of control, but now, even if the world is destroyed, there's no need to worry."
"Now I can reverse everything!"
Zeref and Future Lucy were both shocked. What did "reversing everything" mean? Was it an ability similar to the Eclipse Gate?
Acnologia explained, "I now possess the infinite clock. As long as I have enough magic power, I can freely return to a certain point in the past, thereby changing the future."
"The effect is similar to the Eclipse Gate; the power is slightly reduced, but it is much more convenient to use."
Zeref praised, "I've heard of the infinite clock, but I haven't seen it specifically. Its creator must have conducted extensive research on time."
"So, are you waiting for the enemy's plot to unfold before taking action?"
"There's no harm in seeing it."
Zeref nodded slightly, suddenly remembering something, and said seriously, "There is one thing I must remind you: If the Eclipse Gate is opened unilaterally, it means there is no guidance, and you cannot determine the specific time period you will travel to in the past or future. If you want to go to a Parallel Timeline, it is best to go at the time the Eclipse Gate is opening, which is when the giant dragons first appear during the Grand Magic Games."
Although he has never passed through the Eclipse Gate, as its creator, he understands the basic rules better than anyone else.
"Do I need to go to the future of the Parallel Timeline along with the giant dragons?"
Acnologia frowned in thought. That was indeed a problem. He would need to enter the Eclipse Gate himself to see what the situation was inside.
"I understand!"
"That's good."
Zeref drank a cup of tea, then stood up and said, "I'll leave the Eclipse Gate to you. Next, I will preside over Tartaros. After this war ends, I will give Fairy Tail a new round of trials."
"Understood!"
...The matter resolved, Zeref left. Acnologia took Lucy back to the dormitory and, facing the shock of the others, had to explain the future world again.
"Tens of thousands of Evil Dragons suddenly appeared..."
Lucy looked at her future self, filled with disbelief. Just how dark was that world!
Comrades dying one after another, kingdoms collapsing—what kind of despair was that?
"Let's go to the future and wipe out all the Evil Dragons!"
Natsu's face showed anger. Even if they were comrades from another world, they were still comrades! He absolutely wouldn't allow the Evil Dragons to run rampant!
It was truly pathetic that even he, seven years later, couldn't eliminate the Evil Dragons.
"Acnologia is actually an enemy?"
Everyone thought of the Black Dragon Acnologia from the other world and immediately felt terrified. If such a terrifying guy was the enemy, how could they possibly fight him?
The world-ending dragon, the black feather of the end, fighting the entire Dragon race single-handedly—it was terrifying just to think about.
Compared to the active Black Dragon King of the other world, the world-ending dragon king in their world seemed completely dormant, having never appeared for over four hundred years.
Future Lucy watched everyone imagining the terror of the Black Dragon King and asked doubtfully, "Isn't Acnologia the Black Dragon King? Isn't he right in front of you?"
Lucy laughed, "It's just a coincidence of names. His parents simply admired the Black Dragon King, so they gave him this name."
"Irene is also a namesake, but coincidentally, Erza in our world is their daughter."
Everyone nodded in agreement, having always deeply believed the couple's explanation when they first joined the guild.
Future Lucy was full of questions. Wasn't Irene the Scarlet Despair of the Spriggan 12? They looked identical, and Erza's father supposedly died four hundred years ago.
She shook her head: "It must be a Parallel Timeline; the experiences are all different."
Irene reached out and embraced Future Lucy, smiling, "You can stay with us for now. Once we resolve things here, we'll help you change the future together."
Future Lucy showed gratitude on her face: "Thank you!"
"Call me Sister!"
"Sister!"
...Everyone began to go to bed one after another. Lucy pulled Future Lucy onto one bed, and they told each other the stories of their respective worlds.
Their mother, Layla, did not die from having her magic power drained by the Eclipse Gate, and her father, Jude, was still alive. Lucy grew up under the love and care of both of them.
Gray's master, Ur, was resurrected and lived happily every day. Eclair and Momon also didn't die, opening a dessert shop in Magnolia Town. The First Master, Mavis, appeared, and Zera was resurrected... Hearing all this made Future Lucy extremely envious. She could tell that the comrades in this world had virtually no regrets; it truly was a very complete world.
"Actually, Acnologia and Irene did all these things. Mom also told me that when she first opened the Eclipse Gate, Sister Irene saved her, though she didn't elaborate."
"If Mom hadn't died, I probably would have experienced the same life as you."
Lucy understood her father; he was a person who was strict on the surface but gentle inside. If it weren't for her mother's indulgence, she might have received that kind of strict upbringing too.
Future Lucy pondered, "In that case, our worlds are actually similar to a large extent, and the differences seem to be related to Acnologia and Irene. The two of them compensated for all the regrets."
Lucy smiled, "Yes, our greatest fortune compared to yours is the existence of these two people."
"Acnologia is eternally reliable; as long as he's here, any problem can be solved. And Sister Irene, although she likes to joke around and is a bit dark-bellied, she is also a very good person..."
"I wish we had them in our world too..."
Future Lucy reached out and tightly hugged Lucy, their bodies pressed close. Thinking of the future world overrun by giant dragons and the death of comrades, tears involuntarily streamed from her eyes.
Lucy felt her body trembling and comforted her gently, "Everything will be alright. In this war spanning time and space, you won't be alone!"
"I am you! We are members of Fairy Tail! Whether in a Parallel Timeline, the past, or the future, all guild members are comrades who can rely on each other!"
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