"Mom and Dad?" Happy blinked, unable to believe what he had just heard.
He had never known his parents. From the mont he was born, he was already an egg sent to Earth Land. He had no mories of them, and they had never seen him either. Even his na, Happy, was sothing Natsu had given him.
By all logic, neither side should have been able to recognize the other.
Yet, Gemini, who had taken on the form of the white Exceed, Lucky, confird without hesitation that they had recognized Happy imdiately. When Gemini transford into the blue Exceed, his mother Marl, the answer was the sa.
There must have been so instinctual bond, so unexplainable connection. But Gemini never lied.
And that left Rhodes feeling... awkward.
"I’m so sorry!"
Rhodes rushed forward to untie Lucky and Marl, stepping aside and bowing in apology. He gave them space, allowing the long-separated family to reunite.
The two small blue cats tearfully embraced, sobbing in each other’s arms. Even Lucky, who tried to keep up a stern front and muttered that both mother and son were "soft," eventually gave in. He pulled his wife and child into a tight hug, hiding the tears welling in his own eyes.
Moved by the heartwarming sight, Lucy wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "This is so wonderful... To think we found Happy’s parents so quickly. But... why are they living in such a far-off, isolated place?"
"Wiggle wiggle~
We know!" Gemi and Mini chid in cheerfully.
Lucy blinked. "Really? Then tell !"
"We can’t say~"
"Because they’re not enemies~"
"And we must respect our friends’ privacy~"
"So if you want to know, go ask them yourselves! Bye bye~"
With that, Gemi and Mini vanished back into the Celestial Spirit Realm, leaving Lucy scowling in frustration.
"Ugh! You two never protect my privacy like that!"
"Ahahaha, I guess... being brought to Edolas wasn’t all bad," Natsu said, beaming at the scene.
Lisanna smiled softly too. As the one who had watched over Happy’s egg all those years ago, she felt just as joyful. "Hmm... Should we call this a lucky accident, or a ss caused by my future Onii- san?"
"A blessing in disguise," Rhodes said, laughing. Even he hadn’t expected that their mission would lead to sothing so precious.
Happy, having cried his fill, excitedly introduced everyone to his parents.
Marl warmly greeted them all, her gaze lingering on Natsu a little longer. She chatted with him especially, after all, Happy had called Natsu his best friend, but in truth, he was sothing even more: his family, the one who had raised him.
Marl gently stroked Happy’s head, her paw trembling with emotion. "For six years... I’ve dread of just doing this one more ti."
"You made friends with humans, huh?" she said softly.
"Aye!" Happy puffed out his chest, proud.
But then he tilted his head at her tone. "Wait... Is that bad?"
Marl’s eyes darkened slightly as she explained, "Among the Exceeds in Extalia, most believe they are gods, divine beings sent to judge or rule over humans. They see humans as foolish, inferior creatures."
She sighed, gently shaking her head. "That... wasn’t sothing your father and I could agree with. That’s why we left. That’s why we’ve lived here, away from everyone else."
"Hmph!" Lucky huffed, his voice still carrying that odd, abrupt tone. "Do young people these days not even know sothing so basic? How utterly shaful!"
Happy, still adjusting to his father’s unique way of speaking, scratched his head and replied awkwardly, "Aye."
"Hmph! You’re a hundred years too early to use that catchphrase!"
"Aye," Happy blinked, unsure if he was being scolded or praised.
Marl giggled softly and turned to the others. "Don’t mind him. Lucky always talks like that. He ans well." She smiled warmly, her heart full just watching her son bumble through a conversation with his father. This mont, this family exchange, was sothing she had longed to witness for six long years.
"Oh, by the way," Marl added, "it’s not very polite to keep you all standing around. Why don’t we—"
But she suddenly paused mid-sentence, a bit embarrassed.
Her cozy little ho, built to suit Exceed like her and Lucky. There was simply no way it could accommodate a group of human-sized guests.
Sensing the awkwardness, Rhodes quickly stepped in. "No need to worry! We’re on a rescue mission, and things are quite urgent."
He pointed toward the airship nearby. "We were actually hoping to use the land near your ho. Is this area usually busy?"
Marl shook her head. "Not at all. Compared to the cities closer to the capital, this place is remote and poor. Hardly anyone cos out here."
"Perfect," Rhodes nodded. "Happy, stay here and catch up with your parents. We’ll begin preparations imdiately."
Happy looked torn. He wanted to help with the mission, but he had just reunited with his mom and dad. After a pause, he smiled and said, "Aye!" choosing to stay with them for now.
He would join the others when they truly needed him.
Lucky and Marl exchanged a look of pride. Seeing their son so devoted to his friends filled them with joy.
"Open! Gate of Lyra!"
A burst of starlight shimred from Lucy’s Silver Key, and a petite, cheerful girl holding a harp appeared before them.
She gently strumd a single string, her voice as lodic as ever. "Really, Lucy? It’s been so long since you last called ."
Lucy sighed. "I know, I know. It’s because of the contract we made, I’m only allowed to summon you three tis a month."
Lyra blinked, counted on her fingers, and tilted her head. "Wait... Today isn’t my summoning day."
Then she gave an elegant spin, ready to disappear. "Sorry! Goodbye~"
"W-Wait!" Lucy jumped forward and hugged her around the waist, her voice rising in panic. "Please don’t go! This is really important! Think of it as... overti!"
The supposedly rule-abiding Celestial Spirit Mage had completely thrown away her dignity, clinging and begging her Star Spirit to bend the rules just this once, for the sake of her friends.
Lyra blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "Alright, alright~ Since Lucy said so..."
"Thank you, Lyra!" Lucy bead with gratitude.
Lyra smiled back, her golden eyes twinkling. "So then... what do you need?"
"It’s Moon Drop! Please teach us how to use Moon Drop!" Lucy pleaded, pointing urgently at the magic crystal. She quickly summarized the situation to Lyra.
Lyra nodded thoughtfully but raised a concern. "But last ti, the mages who used Moon Drop needed three whole years just to unseal Deliora... Will there be enough ti here?"
Lucy’s face went pale in an instant. "Oh no! I forgot about that! Mr. Rhodes, what do we do?!"
Rhodes let out a long sigh, already used to Lucy’s occasional scatterbrained monts.
"Didn’t I already explain this?" he said, clearly exasperated. "The magic that Lyon and the others tried to unseal was Absolute Zero, the magic that Gray’s master used to freeze Deliora. It was a spell cast with a life on the line, literally life-for-magic."
He continued calmly, "They were working against that kind of extre magic, and even with Ultear’s power and years of effort, it was difficult. But what we’re trying to undo isn’t sealed with life, it’s just ordinary transformation magic. It’s not nearly as complicated."
Then he gestured up at the sky. "And more importantly, haven’t you all noticed that Edolas has nine suns during the day and nine moons at night? The magic power of moonlight here gathers much faster than it does in Earth Land. Just look!"
Everyone turned their eyes skyward.
Sure enough, two large, silvery moons were already high in the night sky, and a third was slowly rising over the horizon, bathing the land in cool, magical light.
"Whoa, he’s right!"
"That’s incredible!"
Lucy, Wendy, Lyra, and Carla all gasped in amazent at the sight.
"This ans we really can save everyone quickly!" Natsu grinned, fist clenched with excitent. "You’re amazing, Rhodes!"
Rhodes glanced at them, unimpressed. "Didn’t any of you look out the window last night?"
The others fell silent, their faces flushed with embarrassnt. Now that he ntioned it... they had seen multiple moons and suns, but they hadn’t thought much of it at the ti.
They just never imagined that this difference could turn out to be their greatest advantage.
Lyra nodded confidently. "In that case, it might really work. I’ll teach you all how to cast Moon Drop right away!"
...
Bonus @400
Read 40 chaps ahead @patreon/Keepsmiling818
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