Fate/Catbox Fiction

Chapter 33: What Must Be Done

Chapter 33: What Must Be Done

Connla knew she was falling into the dream world again. She was getting better at comprehending what was happening to her while in this state, and knew that she would land within the familiar Reality Marble located deep within the Kaleidoscope. As expected, her feet planted on the soft grass and dirt within the small apple orchard. She looked around, but couldn't find her counterpart anywhere nearby. Without a word, she hurried out of the forest toward the log cabin. As she emerged into the clearing, she finally found the lavender-cloaked girl sitting on the tree stump just outside the cottage.

"Cliste!" Connla exclaimed and ran up to her.

The tired-looking girl glanced at her approaching counterpart. Her skin appeared pale and clammy, and her torso teetered as she struggled to stay awake. Connla sat down next to her and made her look into her eyes as she said, "I'm here, just as you asked. What happened, anyway? One moment we were talking in the physical world, and now you wanted me to come here."

"Geal..." Cliste moaned. "I was... slipping away. Something powerful was taking hold of my mind. I wonder if it's that 'Alter' of me you were talking about..."

"Could be."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I can't apologize to everyone at Chaldea enough. But... I'm just so confused. How did I not notice something like this? I thought for sure that I would be the one who would do something dangerous. How could my own subconsciousness gain sentience of its own? I just don't understand anymore..."

"It's not your fault. I'm sure the Akakor Holy Grail had something to do with it. In my dream of the Fuyuki Grail War, I found out that Holy Grails can be corrupted by many things, like malevolent Servants or even the twisted desires of humanity. I bet that's what happened with the Terminal as well."

"The twisted desires... of humanity..." Cliste murmured as she thought about the countless Mages who plotted against her.

"Don't blame yourself for this. Even if your Alter tries to do something, my Master and fellow Servants are here to fight her now. We've defeated powerful opponents before, and this won't be any different."

"Mm..."

Connla stared at Cliste for a short while. It was sort of funny in a bizarre way. When she landed in this hidden place for the very first time, Cliste helped her when she was confused and lost. Now the roles had been totally reversed. Cliste looked so pathetic and helpless that Connla was compelled to try and get her back to normal.

However, there was a much more pressing concern that needed to be addressed. Connla held Cliste's shoulders and firmly told her, "I... No, we need to know what happened with Marquis de Sade, and by extension Aisling."

Cliste stared into her counterpart's eyes, growing increasingly wistful as she murmured, "I suppose so. It's all because of them that everything went so horribly wrong in the first place."

"Exactly. Why is Aisling involved in any of this? Why did they send Sade to be a Denialist and ruin your world's future?"

Cliste held her hands tightly. She shivered, bit her lip, grabbed her hair, and started to weep. Soon, she whimpered, "It's all my fault..."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I... I experienced a certain Imbas Forosnai dream..."

"Did you see Aisling in it somewhere?"

Cliste shook her head. "I didn't 'see' Aisling... I was Aisling."

The world practically vanished beneath Connla. She wanted to fall onto her side in horror, but she needed to maintain her composure. In a shaky voice, she asked, "Are you saying Aisling is... another version of us?"