After the initial shock of Raizel's words had passed, Layla Heartfilia regained her composure.
She had once been one of the most famous Celestial Spirit Mages in Fiore, a woman who had tamed the Zodiac.
She was not one to be easily rattled by a teenager words.
"What about July 7th, X777?" Layla asked calmly, smoothing her dress. "It is currently the year X774. That date is three years in the future."
Seeing that Layla was still unwilling to admit the truth, Raizel sighed, setting his teacup down with a deliberate clink.
"Lady Layla," Raizel said softly, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "On July 7th, X777, the Eclipse Gate will open. It requires the twelve keys of the Zodiac to activate. And as far as I know, the gate itself is currently located deep beneath the Mercurias Palace in Crocus."
Layla's forced composure faltered.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the fabric of her skirt. She looked at her husband, then back at Raizel.
"Who exactly are you?" Jude Heartfilia stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
His tone was angry, but there was an undeniable edge of panic beneath it.
"Our Heartfilia Consortium collaborates with many Magic Guilds. We are not afraid of you. If you think you can blackmail us—"
"I am not blackmailing you," Raizel interrupted calmly, raising a hand. "I am here to help you fulfill a responsibility passed down through the Heartfilia bloodline for four hundred years."
He leaned forward slightly. "Aside from your family, there is another party involved in the Eclipse Plan. You can consider me as acting on behalf of... mutual interests."
'Though Zeref hasn't actually commissioned me,' Raizel thought dryly. 'But saving the world counts as mutual interest, right?'
"Please sit, Lord Jude," Raizel gestured to the chair. "I mean no harm and have no intention of interfering with your business. I just have three crucial points I'd like Lady Layla to take note of. But before I say anything..."
Raizel glanced at the small, blonde girl hiding behind Layla's chair.
"...I'd suggest you have Lucy taken away. This conversation is not for a child's ears."
Layla nodded quickly to a nearby maid. "Please take Lucy to the garden."
"But Mommy..." Lucy whimpered.
"Go, darling. Mommy will be there soon."
Once the heavy doors closed behind the child, Jude sat back down, though his posture remained rigid.
"You may speak now. If your answers don't satisfy me, I will have security escort you out immediately."
Raizel straightened his posture, his expression solemn.
"First," Raizel began, ticking off a finger. "I advise you to use the resources of the Heartfilia Consortium to locate and notify those who currently possess the Zodiac keys you do not own. You must borrow or retrieve them as soon as possible. The timeline is tighter than you think."
"Second," Raizel raised a second finger. "One of Layla's former servants, a woman named Grammi, has moved to the Western Continent of Alakitasia. You must find her quickly. The key to Aquarius is with her, isn't it? It's best to start searching now. If the Eclipse Gate cannot be opened due to a missing key, I believe Lady Layla knows the consequences better than anyone."
Layla flinched.
The consequences were death.
Not just for her, but potentially for the world if the magic backfired.
"Third," Raizel's eyes narrowed slightly. "During my travels, I heard rumors that another of your former servants, Zoldeo, has betrayed the family trust. He has fallen into dark magic. If you encounter him again, be extremely cautious. It would be best to retrieve the key to Capricorn from him immediately."
This third point was technically Raizel's speculation based on future knowledge, but he presented it as fact.
In the original timeline, Zoldeo fused with Capricorn and possessed the spirit for seventeen years.
By Raizel's calculations, that fusion had likely already happened or was about to.
Raizel had spent nights doing the math. Layla retired in X764.
Zoldeo disappeared around X767.
If he had possessed Capricorn then, he would have been roaming the human world for seven years already.
"Zoldeo...?" Layla gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "He was always so loyal..."
"Loyalty fades when dark magic is involved," Raizel said grimly. "In any case, you'll be recalling him for the Eclipse ceremony in X777. You can verify my words then. But I strongly advise setting an ambush. If you need assistance capturing him, send a request to Fairy Tail in Magnolia. We will handle it."
Jude remained silent, processing the information.
The mention of Grammi and Zoldeo—names Raizel shouldn't know—shook him more than the magic talk.
"Is that all?" Jude asked finally, his voice hoarse.
"That is all," Raizel stood up. "The future of the gate rests in your hands. Do not fail."
"Then we'll take our leave," Ultear added, standing up beside him.
She had remained silent throughout the meeting, observing the adults with a calculating gaze beyond her years.
After Raizel and Ultear were escorted out, Layla looked up at her husband, her eyes wide with fear.
"Darling... what should we do? Should we believe them?"
Jude stared at the door, his businessman's mind racing.
"Let's reserve judgment for now. But I will immediately send our best agents to search for Grammi in the West and investigate Zoldeo's whereabouts. If what he says about them is true... then we must take the rest seriously."
"Alright," Layla whispered, looking down at her hands.
The weight of her ancestor's legacy felt heavier than ever.
....
On the walk back to the train station, the air was crisp and cool.
"How did you know all of that?" Ultear asked finally, breaking the silence. "You knew the names of her servants. You knew about the gate."
"I saw it," Raizel said simply.
"Like you saw the Sagittarius key on Galuna Island?" Ultear raised an eyebrow. "Which wasn't there."
"My visions aren't always 100% accurate on location," Raizel admitted with a shrug. "Timelines shift. People move."
"Then why did you speak so confidently to them?" Ultear stopped walking, grabbing his arm. "Wait... so when you said you 'saw' me in the past... you actually saw me?"
She recalled Raizel's explanation at the Magic Development Bureau—that he had tracked her down because he "saw" her potential.
"Yes," Raizel met her gaze.
"Wait..." Ultear's face turned bright red. "You didn't see anything... inappropriate, right? Like... when I was crying in bed? Or changing?"
"Hahaha! Don't worry," Raizel laughed, patting her head. "It wasn't that high-definition. Just general events."
Ultear swatted his hand away, pouting. "Pervert."
"So," she changed the subject, walking briskly ahead to hide her embarrassment.
"Are there other places you still want to visit? We've been gone a long time."
"There are," Raizel paused, looking south. "At least one more. Rosemary Village."
He needed to find Erza and Kagura Mikazuchi before the cultists arrived.
He didn't know where Mirajane's village was, and frankly, he couldn't save everyone.
Mirajane's demon takeover event was tragic but necessary for her power, and ultimately resolved without mass death.
But Rosemary Village? That was a massacre waiting to happen.
"Then I'll go with you," Ultear said firmly.
"Alright."
...
They took the train back to Magnolia Station and walked the rest of the way to the guild.
As they approached the town, the familiar rumble of gears shifting echoed in the distance.
"The town is in Gildarts Mode," Raizel noted. "Looks like the old man is back."
They walked down the straightened central avenue.
As they neared the guild hall, Raizel spotted a gaping hole in the wall right next to the main entrance.
"Looks like Cana couldn't hold back her dad in time," Raizel chuckled.
Ultear stepped forward. She held out her crystal ball, her eyes glowing faintly.
"Arc of Time: Restore."
The scattered bricks and splintered wood on the ground trembled, then flew backward into place.
The dust swirled and solidified. In seconds, the wall was perfectly whole again, as if it had never been broken.
"Show off," Raizel grinned. "Though I bet Makarov will cry tears of joy. You just saved him a fortune in repair costs."
"Yo! We're back!" Raizel pushed open the doors.
"Welcome back!"
"Oh! It's Ultear!"
"Ultear, you've gotten even prettier!"
The guild members swarmed them—or rather, they swarmed Ultear.
Raizel was largely ignored, much to his amusement.
"Ultear! Over here!" Cana waved frantically from a table. "I missed you!"
Ultear smiled, walking over to her friend.
"I heard you went on a long trip with Raizel alone," Cana wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. "Are you two... you know?"
"Shut up, Cana!" Ultear hissed, her face turning as red as a tomato. "It wasn't like that!"
Raizel watched them from the bar, shaking his head.
'How exactly did Gildarts raise his daughter?' he wondered.
'She's already picking up his bad habits.'
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A bit of boring chapter till chapter 30 so i will upload 4 more tonight