Outside the Eclipse gate, the light flickered, obscuring the view beyond.
"Haha, if I don't beat those dragons to a pulp, I'm not Dragon Slayer!" Natsu waved his fists and rushed towards the gate with an excited expression, as if he couldn't wait to engage in a fierce battle with those dragons.
His happiest companion, Happy, flapped its wings and followed closely behind with a joyful smile on its face.
"Natsu is really excited!" Gray stood to the side, watching Natsu's departing figure, a slight smile playing on his lips as he spoke with a hint of teasing.
"Ah, it's finally time for us Dragon Slayer to make our appearance!" Gajeel grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth, his eyes gleaming with a fiery light, and shouted excitedly towards the gate.
"Very impressive, Gajeel," Panther Lily nodded happily as he followed behind Gajeel.
"It's a good opportunity to vent my anger!" Laxus, his body crackling with dazzling lightning, strode firmly toward the gate, exuding a powerful and majestic aura.
"Laxus, the coolest!" Tami shouted, raising her cat paw.
"Wendy, I'm counting on you from now on!" Erza gently reached out and patted Wendy's head, her eyes revealing trust and expectation in her.
Through the experience gained in each match, Wendy has demonstrated remarkable growth and strength.
"Mmm!" Wendy hugged Carla and nodded confidently with a smile.
"Then let's go!" the crowd shouted in unison, their voices echoing in the air as if declaring their determination and courage to the whole world.
"Grandpa Guild Master, I'm entrusting the Fairy Tail to you!" Zorn turned around and waved his hand, expressing his entrustment to Guild Master Makarov.
Ximi stood on Zorn's shoulders and politely waved goodbye to everyone.
"That kid!" Makarov chuckled and scolded. How has the Fairy Tail managed all these years? Does it still need Zorn's instructions?
With a command given, the group marched forward with firm steps.
Bang! A figure crashed heavily into the Light Curtain above the door.
"Huh?" Natsu rubbed his head in confusion, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.
He reached out again uncertainly, and as before, he touched a solid barrier that blocked his hand.
"What happened? Is the door broken?" Gajeel was surprised to see this.
He stepped forward and gently tapped the Light Curtain above the door, producing a crisp sound.
"Impossible..." Future Lucy's expression changed drastically, her voice filled with panic and unease.
She quickly and slowly reached her hand towards the Light Curtain, praying that everything would return to normal.
However, when her fingers touched the Light Curtain, a miracle occurred— the Light Curtain rippled like a drop of water falling into water, and then, like a soft silk, allowed Future Lucy's hand to pass through it easily.
Future Lucy was stunned by this scene. She turned around in disbelief, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. She looked at the people behind her, trying to explain everything, but she didn't know where to begin.
Lucy, witnessing this miraculous scene, was filled with curiosity.
They walked over eagerly and reached out to touch the Light Curtain as well.
However, the result was beyond her expectations—her hand touched not a soft Light Curtain, but a hard barrier.
"This is!" Princess Hisui was shocked as she witnessed all of this.
She gaped in surprise, her eyes revealing deep confusion.
Meanwhile, Ultear walked thoughtfully to the Light Curtain, placed her hand on it, closed her eyes, and seemed to be sensing something.
Only a moment had passed when Ultear seemed to suddenly understand something, and her eyes became very firm.
She snapped her eyes open, a look of regret and sorrow in her eyes as she gazed at Future Lucy. Then, in a low voice, she said slowly, "I'm so sorry, Lucy, but the world you live in and the timeline we live in now are no longer the same!"
"We can't get through!"
Upon hearing this, Future Lucy seemed to lose all her strength, and her body went limp as she collapsed to the ground.
"Then how did I get here..."
Fortunately, Mirajane reacted quickly, caught her in time, and held her tightly in her arms.
Seeing Future Lucy appearance, Happy anxiously perched on Natsu's shoulder and voiced his doubts. "But if that's the case, then we should all be able to go to Edla! Why can't we go here?"
In response to Happy's question, Ultear patiently explained, "That's right, Edolas is another parallel world in our timeline. However, the world Lucy comes from may no longer be in the same timeline as ours! That's why we can't go there."
Ultear voiced her speculation, and although it sounded hard to believe, it was indeed the case according to the information transmitted back from the mysterious Light Curtain.
Does this mean our future is truly over?
Natsu, Gray, Erza, the Guild Master, everyone... how could this be...? Future Lucy's face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with despair and pain.
She couldn't accept this fact, couldn't accept that her future had been destroyed.
She thought of her comrades who had fought, laughed, and cried alongside her; they were all gone now.
And all of this was because she didn't have enough power to protect them.
Why give her hope? How can she bear this pain? Everyone is still waiting for her.
Since that's the case, then she'll be left alone, and she'll fight alongside her comrades to the very end.
Thinking of this, and looking at the Fairy Tail Emblem stamp that the Guild Master had given her again, Future Lucy's eyes became firm.
Future Lucy slowly stood up, her body swaying as if she might collapse at any moment.
His eyes were filled with despair and sorrow, which moved everyone who saw them.
The crowd around them had tears in their eyes, looking at the strong girl with heartache and regret.
"How could this be? How could this Light Curtain possibly block my attack? I don't believe it!" Natsu roared angrily, his fists burning with scorching flames as he slammed his fists into the Light Curtain again and again.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the seemingly thin Light Curtain remained unbreakable, showing no signs of cracking.
"It's useless. This level of defense is not something we can break through easily." Zorn stood quietly to the side, looking at the Light Curtain in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed. He recalled what Ultear had said before, and gradually understood the truth of everything.
He took a few steps forward and gently placed his hand on the Light Curtain. Ripples appeared on the Light Curtain, like waves on water stirred up by pebbles. His arm could easily pass through the Light Curtain and extend outside.
Zorn's gaze sharpened, and he thought to himself, "Just as I thought..." He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if deep in thought. Then, he raised his head, looked at everyone with a determined gaze, and smiled confidently.
"It seems only I can go!" Zorn looked up at the crowd and said with a smile. His voice was steady and powerful, revealing an irresistible determination and courage.
Upon hearing this, Cana's face flashed with surprise and worry. She quickly stepped forward, took Zorn's hand tightly, and her eyes were filled with concern and unease.
She wanted to ask the question that was on her mind, but she held back, afraid that it would affect Zorn's decision.
The others seemed to understand what Zorn meant, and their expressions turned serious.
If only Zorn could traverse this world that doesn't belong to the same timeline, what does that mean? The only reasonable explanation is that Zorn himself did not originate from this timeline.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Zorn knew they had already guessed the truth. However, he had no intention of hiding it any longer.
So he gently patted Cana's hand to reassure her, and then turned to face the crowd.
"I'll explain everything when I get back!" Zorn said, then looked at Laxus and said, "Laxus, I'll take you with me next time!" After saying that, he extended his fist and apologetically wanted to bump fists with Laxus.
Laxus stared at the outstretched fist, recalling the many times Zorn had told him about the next time, and a sense of frustration washed over him.
"You bastard! We'll talk when you get back!" Laxus punched him hard.
"Aaaaaah, that's not fair! I want to go too! I want to go too!" Natsu shouted from the side, not caring who was from this timeline and who wasn't.
To be continued~