Future Lucy wiped away her tears, her mind completely blank.
Her so-called “boyfriend” claid he could restore her lost right arm. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.
“Can I really stay here?” she asked.
“Why not?” Nate countered.
Future Lucy’s expression turned sorrowful again as she thought of her fallen comrades. “I wanted to change history and save them, but now I don’t know what to do…”
Her original plan had been to return to the days before the Grand Magic Gas and prevent Princess Hisui from opening the Eclipse Gate. If the gate was never opened, the 10,000 dragons would never appear, and everyone wouldn’t have died.
But now, having arrived in this strange yet familiar world, she realized her plan was impossible to execute.
Future Lucy shared her thoughts with Nate, then nervously asked, “Does this world have an Eclipse Gate? Do you know what it is?”
“It does,” Nate replied, “but it’s too late to change anything.”
He pondered briefly, then pulled out a light pen from his Requip space. “Let explain the concept of tilines to you. Once you understand this, everything will make sense.”
Nate used the light pen to draw a straight line in the air, marking three key points along it. “The first point is X784, when the Eclipse Project began. The second point is X791, when the Tenrou Group returned after seven years. The third point is the Grand Magic Gas.”
“According to what you said, after this point, the Eclipse Gate was opened, and 10,000 dragons erged, right?” Nate asked.
Future Lucy nodded, listening attentively.
Nate extended the line beyond the Grand Magic Gas and wrote, “Gate opens, 10,000 dragons destroy the world.”
“Now, suppose you go back in ti to before the gate was opened. What happens then?” he said as he drew a second line branching off from the Grand Magic Gas. He answered his own question: “A second future would split off.”
In this new parallel world, the Eclipse Gate would remain closed. Everything would proceed normally. The Grand Magic Gas would conclude without incident, and Fairy Tail would survive.
“So, do you understand now?” Nate put down the light pen. “Even if you successfully change the past and prevent the gate from opening, your original world won’t change.”
Future Lucy froze in place, her expression blank as the harsh reality sank in. Tears began to flow once again. “So there’s no way?”
Nate shook his head.
“I still want to try!” Future Lucy said, wiping away her tears once more, her voice trembling with determination. “Nate, please help .”
You’re so stubborn, aren’t you? Nate thought with a sigh. “I understand how you feel.”
Future Lucy stood up and gripped his hand tightly with her left hand, pleading, “Please… help .”
Ah, don’t use that desperate tone, Nate thought. Faced with such a heartfelt request, he couldn’t refuse. She might not be the sa Lucy he knew, but she was still Lucy.
“All right, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Nate.” Future Lucy’s face lit up with joy. As expected of “her” boyfriend—he was willing to take on even the hardest of tasks.
“Don’t thank just yet,” Nate said, patting her head with a smile. “I’ve already told you what the outco will be. Now, let tell you sothing that might cheer you up. Stop looking so glum.”
“Sothing cheerful…?” she asked.
“In your world, your father, Jude, passed away, didn’t he?” Nate said as he opened the Magic Net, searched for Jude’s profile, and sent him a private ssage. “In this world, your father is still alive.”
“Huh?” Future Lucy froze for a mont, then a glimr of hope lit up her eyes.
Sigma Man: “Father-in-law.”
Jude Heartfilia: “My dear son-in-law, the next batch of rings is still in preparation. Just a few more days, and I’ll need to trouble you again. 😄”
Sigma Man: “It’s not about the rings this ti. Where are you right now? I want to bring Lucy to see you.”
Jude Heartfilia: “Haha! I’ll head ho right away and prepare a banquet! Cheers! 🍷”
It was clear Jude was delighted by the prospect of his daughter and son-in-law coming ho. Nate guessed he must have already cleared his schedule.
Future Lucy stared in surprise at the chat interface. “What is this? Ancient Script Magic? No… it doesn’t seem like that…”
“It’s called the Magic Net, a modernized magic system I created,” Nate explained, pulling out a ring. “Here, I’ll give you one. Once you wear it and infuse it with magic power, it’ll activate.”
Future Lucy noticed the sa ring on Nate’s hand. Curious, she accepted it and attempted to put it on, only to rember she had only one hand.
“Let help you,” Nate offered gently, taking her left hand and sliding the first-generation Magic Net ring onto her middle finger.
He then began teaching her how to use the Magic Net. Following his instructions, Future Lucy infused magic power into the ring. Imdiately, a translucent interface appeared before her eyes:
[Welco to the World of the Internet.]
[Please enter your Internet Nickna.]
[Nicknas cannot be changed later. Please choose carefully.]
[Nickna: ______]
What an incredible magic system, and without any visible flow of magic…
Future Lucy’s astonishnt deepened as she experinted with the interface. Her “boyfriend,” Nate, was far more mysterious than she had imagined.
“The first step is to choose a nickna—it’ll be your unique identity on the Magic Net. By the way, in this world, your counterpart’s nickna is ‘Gotta Earn Money.’”
Hearing this, Future Lucy couldn’t help but smile faintly. It really is , huh? That odd nickna was likely inspired by her struggle to pay her 70,000J monthly rent back in the day.
As mories of joining Fairy Tail for the first ti flooded her mind, she felt a mont of genuine warmth and joy. She considered her options before carefully typing with her left hand. It was clumsy work.
Nate noticed her struggle and offered a tip: “You can also imagine the words in your mind, and it’ll type for you.”
Future Lucy blinked, then followed his suggestion. Sure enough, her imagined text appeared in the nickna field:
[Gotta Be Strong]
“Amazing!” she exclaid. “It actually works!”
Nate chuckled at her choice of nickna. ‘Gotta Earn Money’ and ‘Gotta Be Strong’—typical Lucy, always consistent in naming style!
From there, Future Lucy began exploring the Magic Net. She browsed information, watched a few episodes of Pokémon: Indigo League, and even forgot her worries for a ti. Her bright, cheerful deanor began to resurface.
Seeing her smile again, Nate patted her head and asked, “Feeling better now?”
“Mm…” The touch made Future Lucy shyly lower her head. Although this man claid to be her boyfriend, he was still a stranger to her. Yet his warmth and kindness made her feel comforted and safe.
“A cheerful Lucy is the real Lucy, and a lively Lucy is the best Lucy,” Nate said. “Let’s go see your father first, and in a couple of days, you can et the others in Fairy Tail.”
Hearing his comforting words, Future Lucy’s eyes shimred, and her lips curved into a smile. “Thank you, Nate.”
She felt a strange warmth. Although they were technically strangers, being treated with such care made her feel as if she’d known him for a lifeti. For the first ti, Future Lucy found herself envious of her counterpart—having a boyfriend like Nate must be wonderful.
“No need to thank ,” Nate replied with a smile. “First, let’s head to your father’s house. I’ll join you for dinner, and afterward, I’ll work on restoring your right hand.”
“You can really fix it?” Future Lucy asked, her tone filled with nervous anticipation and hope. No one truly wished to live with a missing limb, after all.
“Of course I can,” Nate said confidently, imdiately lifting her spirits.
As he planned how to help her recover, another thought crossed his mind: Wouldn’t it be fun to introduce Future Lucy to her two counterparts?
Three Lucys, triple the happiness!
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