Gray looked embarrassed, as if his childhood thoughts had been exposed.
He had indeed wanted to learn it long ago but had been too shy to ask, especially since he still carried memories of an unforgettable master.
"If you don't speak up, how can I teach you? Should I beg you instead?" Marco chuckled.
Truthfully, he had held off teaching Gray the "Diamond Dust Fist" for two reasons: initially, there was no "master-disciple system," and secondly, because of those words left by Gray from the future.
Only after growing stronger and more confident did Marco dare to recklessly alter the future by imparting the Diamond Dust Fist to Gray.
"Well, that should cover everything."
Marco pondered briefly and found nothing else needing special emphasis.
His gaze swept over the young, familiar faces before him, subtly comparing them to the "future versions" he briefly encountered in his memories.
While changes existed, their core appearances remained vivid—though those few hours of interaction hadn't revealed much depth.
"Marco? What does this all mean?"
Lucy whispered, feeling thoroughly confused by Marco's explanations.
"Is it this book?"
Erza, who had been listening calmly nearby, pinpointed the key issue.
Raising her gauntlet-clad arm, she pointed at "Memory of Time" with a puzzled expression.
"This book?"
Natsu picked up "Memory of Time," flipping it carelessly back and forth while rubbing his fingers over its smooth cover, searching for hidden mechanisms.
He hadn't fully grasped Marco's murmured exchanges with Lucy and Gray, having been busy wrestling snacks away from Happy.
The snacks on the table were dried fruits Mirajane had prepared.
Though Mira herself wasn't present, her presence was felt.
"Exactly, because of this book."
Marco nodded, his eyes fixed intently on Natsu.
The scatterbrained Fire Dragon was now gritting his teeth, straining to pry open the book's transparent "Crystal Wall" with both hands.
His muscles tensed, neck flushing red, but the seemingly fragile barrier remained immovable—his efforts futile.
"Natsu, do you remember an incident in X778—six years ago? Back then... you encountered a strange fellow who beat you black and blue, forcing you to run back to the guild for reinforcements."
Watching Natsu struggle with "Memory of Time," Marco deliberately brought up the past, guiding the conversation purposefully.
Marco's specific details instantly triggered Natsu's memory of that encounter, and his expression shifted dramatically.
"I remember!"
Natsu roared, the event etched deeply in his mind—all thanks to Marco's timely rescue back then!
"Bzzzt!"
Seizing the moment Natsu's emotions ignited, Marco deactivated the "Crystal Wall."
Natsu's straining hands abruptly flung "Memory of Time" open, stunning everyone present.
"It... it opened?"
Natsu stared dumbfounded at the glowing book in his hands.
Then, magic erupted from its spread pages, distorting space and time.
"Bzzzzt! Bzzzt!"
Natsu and Happy vanished first, followed by Gray, Lucy, and Erza.
Feeling the spacetime energy enveloping him, Marco offered no resistance, willingly allowing himself to be drawn into the vortex.
"Ahhhhh!"
After a surge of magical energy, Marco, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy appeared in an empty clearing.
The Memory of Time was still in Natsu's hand, and the magical fluctuations had already vanished.
"This... this is..."
The sudden change of scene left everyone momentarily stunned, except for Lucy, who stared at Marco in shock.
The recent magical surge, the strange spell, and Marco's earlier words all pointed to one possibility—a possibility Lucy found hard to believe.
"That's right, this is Magnolia in the year X778. Look, that's our guild over there. It really brings back memories," Marco nodded at Lucy and spoke.
Over six years, Magnolia had actually changed quite a bit.
The Fairy Tail guildhall had undergone some modifications too—though not rebuilt, it had been expanded and renovated in several places, making it noticeably different from how it was six years earlier.
Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy followed Marco's gaze and, sure enough, the impressive Fairy Tail guildhall stood not far ahead.
They could immediately spot the differences in the building before them.
"What in the world is going on?!" Natsu, Gray, and Happy were dumbfounded.
Erza, however, remained relatively calm.
She took the Memory of Time from Natsu's hands and directly passed it to Marco.
"Did this book bring us back?" Erza had already guessed the truth.
Her demeanor was composed because she knew that with Marco here, they would be safe and sound.
Natsu and Gray were still excitedly about to say something when Lucy, sharp-eyed, noticed someone emerging from the guildhall.
"Wait! Someone's coming out! Let's hide for now!" Lucy immediately urged everyone to take cover.
Marco responded to her, Erza followed closely behind, and though Gray, Natsu, and Happy were confused, they obediently went along with the plan.
The group hid behind a temporary stall across from the guild. At this hour, the stall wasn't operating yet.
This area actually belonged to the guild grounds, and by X784, it had been developed into various stalls—like those selling Fairy Tail souvenirs—as a means of generating income.
"?!"
When they saw the three small figures stepping out of the guild's main entrance, everyone was startled, and even Marco couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Because the ones who had emerged were none other than Natsu, Gray, and Erza—only in miniature versions, just around twelve or thirteen years old at the time.
Little Natsu sported a head of unruly pink hair, little Gray was bare-chested, and little Erza had a somewhat bulky crimson braid hanging down her back.
Her youthful face already carried a trace of valor and stubbornness.
Marco recalled: 'It seemed Natsu and Gray had provoked Erza, and she had chased after them, leading to the subsequent events.'
"Are you two teaming up today?"
"I'm enough on my own!"
"That's my line!"
"Today, I'm definitely going to..."
"Defeat Erza!"
Right at the guild entrance, Natsu and Gray charged at Erza together.
"Thump! Thump!"
The outcome was no different from in X784: Natsu and Gray were instantly K.O.'d, lying soul-less at Erza's feet.
This scene naturally left Gray and Natsu with dark lines over their heads—they had just witnessed an identical scenario unfold at Marco's home moments earlier.
"What a nostalgic sight."
Marco shook his head with a chuckle.
Little Erza still wore her hair in thick braids back then, whereas the grown-up Erza more often wore her hair loose when not in costume.
Just as now—Marco glanced at the adult Erza, her smooth crimson hair cascading down her back.
One version sported thick braids, the other flowing straight red locks.
"What did you do to our childhood selves?!" Gray and Natsu protested to Erza in unison.
The sight of their helpless younger versions lying paralyzed on the ground was utterly mortifying.
Of course, it also made them wonder: how had they even managed to survive this long?
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