A bright light suddenly flashed on Lucy as she ran, and the light particles gradually gathered like stars into a tall human figure.
"Ah~ Who's there!" Lucy, dressed in a black cloak, screamed in fright at the sudden turn of events. She instinctively reached for her waist, but found nothing.
Her face turned pale instantly, unpleasant memories flashed through her mind, and her eyes were filled with sadness and despair.
However, she quickly composed herself, biting her lip tightly to keep from crying out loud.
She raised her hand, her fingers trembling slightly, and wiped away the tears that had slipped from the corners of her eyes.
She told herself she had to be strong, because she had something more important to do—to save the future.
Just as she was about to leap to the other side, a gentle voice reached her ears. "Lucy, there's no need to cry, you're back... We're all here!"
Lucy's body stiffened abruptly. She slowly turned her head and looked at the person who had spoken.
As soon as Zorn finished speaking, he reached out his right hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of Lucy's eyes.
"Hmm?" Lucy looked at Zorn with a puzzled expression, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
However, when she saw the golden Fairy Tail mark on Zorn's hand, a look of nostalgia appeared on her face.
Her expression finally relaxed, and her body slumped down as if it had lost its support.
Seeing this, Zorn rushed forward to support her. However, just before Lucy lost consciousness, she murmured a sentence that made Zorn pause in surprise, "Who... are you?"
Zorn stared blankly at Lucy in his arms, his gaze simultaneously shifting to Lucy's right hand, where the mark was indeed gone.
A complex mix of emotions welled up inside me.
He hadn't expected Lucy to ask such a question. Did this mean that Lucy came from a world where he didn't exist?
Or is there some hidden secret here?
Zorn frowned, lost in thought...
Does he not even exist in the future?
Or perhaps the very moment he arrived had already led to the formation of a branch in the future.
But the most important thing is to get Lucy back to the hotel as soon as possible!
His examination revealed that Lucy was very weak and seemed to have not rested for a long time.
Wait until we reached the hotel entrance.
Suddenly, Erik was seen rushing into the hotel and running upstairs.
Zorn understood.
It seems that our destined connection will ultimately lead us to meet again!
Makarov, who was about to stop Erik, was startled when he saw Zorn carrying Lucy in his arms as Zorn entered from behind, and immediately stood up.
"What on earth is going on, Zorn!"
Makarov was so surprised because he thought Lucy had run away again and encountered some danger, which was why she was like this!
"This can't be the current Lucy, can it, Zorn!"
"This child must have suffered a lot!"
However, the First Master Mavis immediately saw through the deception and his expression turned serious.
But when she saw Lucy's thin face, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
Upon hearing what the First Master said, Makarov's worried expression immediately became even more serious, and he exuded a fearsome aura.
"Yes, but let Lucy rest first. Everything will become clear once she wakes up." Zorn nodded in agreement.
Indeed, Lucy has endured too much suffering.
"Huh? What! It was a snake before?"
Lucy upstairs suddenly shouted in surprise.
Day 2 of the qualifiers
The entire Fairy Tail crew was gathered in the room.
"How strange! This scent is definitely Lucy's!" Natsu lay on the bed, sniffing Lucy's scent back and forth.
He would occasionally glance at Lucy, who was standing on the other side, looking worried, to check on her.
"Natsu, don't do this, it feels so weird!" Wendy continued casting healing Magic.
"Natsu..." Lucy lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed, then suddenly her brows furrowed, her face contorted in pain, and her body began to tremble with fear.
In her dream, those painful memories flooded back like a tide, leaving her unable to escape, until finally only Natsu's final image remained as he charged towards the dragon.
Natsu heard someone calling his name, so he quickly and anxiously moved closer to Lucy's face.
Lucy slowly opened her eyes and happened to see Natsu's concerned face.
His eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, as if he had not yet fully woken up from a nightmare.
Natsu asked softly, "Lucy, are you alright?" His voice carried a hint of anxiety.
"N... Natsu?"
Lucy's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly sat up and hugged Natsu: "Please... please, help this country!"
Tears streamed down my face.
Natsu's expression froze for a moment, but he gently patted Lucy's shoulder, comforting her, "Don't be afraid, we're all here. Those painful memories are in the past, we'll face the future together."
Lucy stopped crying and slowly looked around, discovering that familiar figures had returned one by one.
"Everyone...?"
"Lucy, we're all here!" Happy flew slowly in front of Lucy and said playfully.
This reaffirmed Lucy's doubts.
"Quick... quick... soon ten thousand dragons will appear..." Lucy grabbed Natsu's arm in a panic, her words broken but still trying her best to describe what might happen in the future.
"What... what did you say?!" Natsu exclaimed in shock.
"This is terrible!!" Happy flapped his wings and ran wildly around the room, looking extremely panicked.
"Such a thing is true!" Upon hearing this, Makarov immediately fell into deep thought, beginning to consider how to deal with the situation.
"Guild Master, we should immediately suspend this competition! Notify the other Fairy Tail to prepare!"
Erza turned to look at Zorn and Makarov, her eyes resolute.
At the same time, her body quickly donned the Flight Armor, as if she could rush out of the room and deliver a message at any moment upon receiving an order.
Even the others immediately prepared themselves, awaiting the Guild Master's orders.
"Where will it ultimately come from?" Lucy, upon hearing this, also fell into thought.
He immediately took out the key to the Crux Celestial Spirit from his waist, hoping to get some information from the knowledgeable old man.
Levy quickly used Letter Magic to search for possible solutions.
They clearly believed everything Future Lucy.
"Everyone... you all... do you believe what I said?" Future Lucy gasped in shock.
"Huh? Are you lying?" Natsu was ready for battle, was taken aback and asked in shock.
"I didn't!" Future Lucy emphasized.
"We know that, but there's one question: in which year will the 10,000 dragons you mentioned appear?"
Zorn suddenly asked in a gentle voice.
"X791!" Lucy answered firmly.
He just stared at Zorn for a long time, as if trying to find memories related to Zorn in his mind.
"Well then, one last question, Lucy!"
Zorn slowly walked to the bedside, bent down, met Future Lucy's questioning gaze, and continued speaking.
Will I exist in the future world?
"Or to be more precise, in your world, have you ever seen me in the Fairy Tail from beginning to end?"
"No...!" Lucy slowly shook her head, replying uncertainly.
"What!!"
Everyone in the Fairy Tail gasped in surprise.
I was already shocked to hear that it happened in the future year X791.
While they were wondering why Zorn would ask such a childish question, Lucy's answer shocked them so much that they gasped in astonishment.
They all looked at Zorn with suspicion.
To be continued~