Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 496: Future Lucy: Where Are There Ten Thousand Dragons?! Layla: Thatʼs Too Few, Not Enough for Fairy Tail to Kill!

”Could it be that you already know that I…”

Future Lucy, or rather, Lucy from another timeline, trembled slightly after hearing Laylaʼs words.

Future Lucy had originally intended to pretend to be the Lucy of this timeline, properly meet her parents in this world, and then leave without looking back, as though she had never come here in the first place. However, what shocked and stunned Future Lucy now was that her identity had actually been recognized at a glance by her mother from this timeline.

”Using the Eclipse Gate to save the world is a responsibility that we Heartfilias bear!”

”Itʼs just that I originally thought this responsibility would end with my generation! There would be no need to place this responsibility upon your shoulders anymore. Yet what I never expected was that you ultimately still couldnʼt escape using the Eclipse Gate to save the world you live in… Perhaps this is simply the fate of our Heartfilia family~”

”However, even if this is a responsibility borne by our Heartfilia family throughout countless universes and countless timelines, I will still break it for you to see… After all, I am your mother.”

Layla gently held Lucyʼs little hand and spoke earnestly and seriously. Perhaps a mother truly became stronger for the sake of her child. Layla, who looked even younger than Lucy, possessed a will as firm as steel at this moment.

”M-Mother…”

”Actually, I-Iʼm not your daughter. Iʼm not the Lucy of this timeline.”

After hearing Laylaʼs words, Lucy felt warmth in her heart. At the same time, her eyes turned red, and she couldnʼt help but reveal her identity herself.

”Silly child. As long as you are Lucy, then you are my daughter, regardless of whether you come from the past, the future, or any other timeline.”

After hearing Lucyʼs words, a warm smile appeared on Laylaʼs face. She gently reached out and stroked Lucyʼs little head, speaking softly.

”Wuwu…”

After hearing Laylaʼs words, Lucy could no longer hold herself back. She curled up in Laylaʼs embrace, greedily breathing in the reassuring and familiar scent of her mother, while continuously murmuring, ”Mother, I missed you so much. I thought I would never be able to see you again in my entire life.”

”But youʼre seeing me now, arenʼt you?!”

”Lucy, if something is bothering you, donʼt keep it bottled up inside. Just tell Mother! Mother will find a way to help you solve it.”

Layla gently stroked Lucyʼs head and spoke softly.

”Mother, the world I live in encountered a group of very, very powerful enemies!”

”We did everything we could. We really did everything we could, but we still couldnʼt defeat them! They were too powerful. Ordinary magic couldnʼt even hurt them…”

”My companions, the friends I knew, my family! One after another, they fell before my eyes, while I could do nothing to help. In the end, I was the only one who survived. Only I survived, wuwuwu…”

At this moment, Lucy was like a child who had suffered an enormous injustice outside. Nestled in her motherʼs embrace, she continuously cried about all the hardships and experiences she had endured over the years.

”Lucy, youʼve suffered so much all these years…”

Listening to Lucyʼs words, Laylaʼs brows furrowed tightly. Her hand gently stroked Lucyʼs back, her heart filled with unbearable pain over all the suffering Lucy had endured throughout these years. Layla would rather have endured all those hardships in her daughterʼs place.

”Damn it!”

On the other side, at the corner of the staircase, Jude stood there with a cigarette between his lips, continuously taking puffs while muttering ”puff, puff.” His brows had already knitted into a tight knot. Although Jude couldnʼt hear what Lucy was saying to Layla, he could see his daughter sobbing uncontrollably. Clearly, Lucy hadnʼt been living comfortably during these years.

”With Laylaʼs Celestial Spirit and Brandishʼs help, Lucy could still have lived such an unhappy life. Where exactly has she been all these years?!”

Jude gradually calmed down. At the same time, he was puzzled by what his daughter had experienced throughout these years. Jude also began thinking: if even Brandish couldnʼt deal with whatever had happened, could he, Jude, really deal with it?!

”Forget it! Even if I have to spend my entire fortune, Iʼll make those who bullied Lucy understand that there will be absolutely no good ending for anyone who offends a member of the Heartfilia family…”