Chapter 83

【His gaze is somewhat hazy, as if he is recalling the happy times of these past years.】

【"Among this group of children, you are the one with the highest talent, the most mature mind, and the firmest conviction. This is what makes you extraordinary."】

【"But it also means that heavier and greater burdens will be placed upon you. Although I do not wish for this, we have no other choice."】

【"In the torrent of the era, the power of one person can achieve so very little. I wanted to give you the most carefree life, wanted to watch you grow up laughing heartily."】

【"But, it is a pity, I cannot do it..."】

【"Some things are destined for you to shoulder, whether you are willing or not. This is the choice of the era."】

【"But..."】

【"Your performance over this past half-year has allowed me to stop worrying about you completely."】

【"On the contrary, I have begun to look forward to what heights you will eventually reach."】

【Speaking of this, Igneel seems to have begun to fantasize.】

【The smile on his face also becomes increasingly rich.】

【At this moment, he is like a father proud of his child, unable to suppress his smile and the joy from the bottom of his heart.】

【Finally, Igneel takes a deep breath.】

【"So! Go to the stage that belongs to you, Natsu!"】

【"This era has shouldered too much blood and tears, and has birthed too much sin. This is not what you should face; your stage is in the future!"】

【"When you get there, use your power to tell the whole world!"】

【"You! Are my, Igneel's, child!"】

【"The son of the Dragon King!"】

【The more he speaks, the more heroic he becomes. Igneel slowly lifts Black Natsu up and gently places him on top of his head.】

【Then, he wraps him in magic power.】

【Immediately after, Igneel braces his body and spreads his wings.】

【A gale rises in response!】

【The vibrating wings drive Igneel's body, and he begins to fly.】

【In mid-air, the Fire Dragon King begins to stretch his limbs, then starts to move, flying toward a certain direction.】

【"Above Igneel's head, where Igneel cannot see, Black Natsu's eyes slowly open."】

【He gazes at the habitat that is growing further and further away, tears gradually shimmering in his eyes.】

【He heard it.】

【The words Igneel spoke, Black Natsu heard every single one.】

【Sure enough, from the moment he received Igneel's gift yesterday, Black Natsu had keenly sensed that something was wrong.】

【How could a rough fellow like Igneel give him a gift for no reason?】

【Furthermore, during the banquet earlier, the atmosphere was also very wrong.】

【Even though the dragons and Anna tried to hide it, the reluctance in their eyes could not escape Black Natsu's sight.】

【But, he did not speak out.】

【He did not know exactly what would happen, but he was certain that they were about to part ways.】

【He also did not know why this matter had to be carried out secretly, to the point where they didn't even intend to tell him.】

【However, he knew that this must be a decision Igneel and the others had made after deep consideration.】

【Therefore, Black Natsu chose to trust Igneel. Since they did not want him to know, then there must surely be their own hidden reasons.】

【No matter what it was, it did not matter.】

【Black Natsu respected Igneel, and therefore, would not expose it; he would just watch quietly like this.】

【Quietly watching what would happen next, and then...】

【Find a way, find everything that could be utilized, and change it!】

【The wind is howling.】

【The flight speed of a dragon is enough to shock anyone.】

【In just over ten minutes.】

【They have already reached the destination of this trip.】

【A no-man's-land similar to a canyon, where a massive gate standing several dozen meters high is erected.】

【And Anna has already been waiting here.】

Hades: "Gate?! What kind of thing is that?"

Makarov: "Could it be that the mystery of time surrounding Natsu is because of this?"

Ur: "Not quite sure, but let's keep watching; this gate doesn't look simple."

Hisui E. Fiore: "This gate..."

Brain: "Looking at your tone... do you know it?"

Hisui E. Fiore: "No, no, no, I don't know."

Inside the Kingdom of Fiore.

Hisui's brows were tightly furrowed; that gate in the Sky Screen looked so familiar no matter how she looked at it.

It made her recall the sealed gate buried deep beneath the royal palace.

"The Eclipse Gate? That is actually the Eclipse Gate!"

The kingdom's Minister of Defense, Arcadios, leaned on his sword, his expression also slightly serious.

He looked at Hisui: "Princess Hisui, the Eclipse Gate is a magic device capable of traversing time. Could it be that they relied on the Eclipse Gate to cross four hundred years of time?"

Hisui: "It's very possible, but what I'm worried about now is something else."

Arcadios: "What?"

Hisui: "Information regarding the Eclipse Gate is absolutely confidential."

"And now, if it is revealed through the Sky Screen, the whole world will know the secret that the Eclipse Gate can traverse time."

"By then... things will be completely troublesome."

"Countless people will covet the Eclipse Gate; for our Kingdom of Fiore, this is almost a disaster!"

Hisui's voice was very serious.

It was also filled with deep worry.

"Forget it, we can only take it one step at a time." Finally, Hisui shook her head and stopped dwelling on it.

At this moment.

Inside the Sky Screen, there was a new development.

[As the image zoomed in.]

[Everyone could clearly see all the details of the gate.]

[It had a golden frame, blue and green intersecting stripes, and a sun-like emblem on the tightly closed doors.]

[Twelve locks held the gate tightly shut.]

[And in front of this gate was Anna, who had been waiting for a long time.]

[Seeming to notice the sound of the howling wind from the sky.]

[Anna raised her head.]

["You finally arrived, Igneel, and... Natsu, sleeping so soundly."]

["It's good that they are asleep; if they were awake, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause. After all, it's better not to let them know about this plan for now."]

["Bearing such a heavy burden at such a young age, they won't be able to handle it."]

[Black Natsu, on top of Igneel's head, frowned slightly, but quickly returned to calm.]

[The conversation below continued.]

[Anna did not refute Igneel and nodded gently.]

[Then she took Natsu from Igneel's head and held him in her arms.]

[Smiling as she looked at that face.]

["I really don't know how sad they will be when they wake up and find that we are completely gone."]

["I don't know about others, but this kid can handle it!"]

[Speaking of this, Igneel immediately straightened its back, its whole body exuding a proud expression.]