Fate/Curadh Beag

Chapter 13: Blood Connection

FATE/CURADH BEAG

"Little Champion"

Chapter 13: Blood Connection

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a little break from form, I'm uploading two chapters today to cover for the time some family members will be visiting from England for the next two weeks. Plus, summer is such a difficult time to do much writing because of the heat wave and other activities I want to do. Hopefully this will keep you guys satisfied for the next while.

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Chaldea

The heartbeat monitor began to show a slightly elevated level of stress, as the persistent beeping gradually increased in speed. Inside the sleeping pod, Connla showed signs of strain on her face as she struggled to cope with what she was seeing within her dream.

"Geal..." Aibi moaned, pressing a hand against the glass and staring in deep concern at her younger self.

"What's happening?" Gilgamesh asked.

"She's experiencing our Lostbelt counterpart's grief and fear, and it's beginning to reflect on her own Spirit Origin."

"So she has trouble separating herself from a counterpart's psyche. She becomes so absorbed into their world that she temporarily possesses the same mindset as them. That's why it becomes especially difficult to wake her up while in this state."

"More or less."

"I suppose this is what happens when an inexperienced runt tries to mess around with the Kaleidoscope."

Aibi shook her head and insisted, "It's not like it's Geal's fault. She... We didn't ask for this kind of ability."

"Calm yourself. I was merely speaking off the cuff. It was not meant to be an insult."

She really didn't understand how it was supposed to be anything other than an affront. Even so, she always had trouble understanding the Sumerian king's logic, whether it was in Chaldea or from her originating world. She figured it was pointless trying to prod him for more details, and opted to focus on Connla's state.

As the two spoke with each other, Cuchulainn Alter remained seated next to the pod staring at his sleeping daughter. He knew she would pull through this, just like with the other vivid dreams she experienced. However, this time felt much different. All the other times, he could only wonder what she was seeing, then read about it in a report later. This time, he was witnessing it on the monitor. The sight of his own Lostbelt counterpart being reduced to some kind of 'god of destruction' was enough to thoroughly disgust him. If he was able to go to that world and confront this 'Taoide Olc' version of himself, he wouldn't hesitate to gut him a thousand times over.

Alas, Cuchulainn could do no such thing. He had to content himself with holding Connla's hand and temporarily connecting his Spirit Origin to hers. Now that they were a single Foreigner Servant, the process was much more automatic compared to when they were separate classes. All he had to do was think about it, and he would be able to directly feel whatever was going through her mind. Now that she was connected to the Lostbelt Connla's psyche, it meant he could experience whatever she was going through as well. It was as if he needed to sort through two Connlas' emotions just to keep everything straight.

Damn it. This is just too fucking freaky...

If he was this repulsed over it, he couldn't imagine how scared and confused she had been this entire time. That was why he needed to keep his wits together and stay with her. If she could brave through these life-like visions over and over again, so could he.