Fate/Laoch Gan Finsceal

Epilogue: Reunion of the Hounds

FATE/LAOCH GAN FINSCEAL

"Hero Without Legend"

Epilogue: Reunion of the Hounds

"-ster... Master...?"

Ritsuka's eyes twitched, and she slowly opened them. She blankly stared at the white ceiling for a few moments.

"Are you okay?"

She looked over to see the young Lancer sitting on a stool next to her bed. Her light smile was reassuring to Ritsuka, who just went through a series of vivid and violent dreams involving the child Servant. The details weren't as candid as told throughout this story, but she saw enough of the important parts to make her feel like she had just run a marathon.

"Senpai!" Ritsuka heard Mash's voice exclaim nearby. "You're finally up! You're totally drenched in sweat!"

"That's..."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kyrielight," Lancer implored. "It's my fault. I showed Master my past through a dream, and it knocked her into a temporary coma."

"A coma?" the young Magus wondered.

"You were asleep for two whole days," Mash said as she wiped Ritsuka's forehead with a damp cloth. "Your vitals were nominal the entire time, but nothing we did could wake you up! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Lancer looked aside shamefully. She felt responsible for making Mash worry about Ritsuka so much, having failed to anticipate how showing the teenager such a graphic tale would affect her. She stayed quiet and folded her hands in her lap, while Mash helped her exhausted friend sit back up on her bed. The door whirred open, and Dr. Roman entered with a concerned look on his face.

"You're finally up?" he asked Ritsuka. "The other Servants have been asking me how you've been."

"Oh..."

"Man, that must have been one heck of a dream Lancer showed you. She apologized over and over again for causing this, but she told us that her history was bound to be incredibly violent and difficult for a normal person to bear in just one night. With no way of waking you up though, we agreed to have Lancer extend the dream through multiple days so your mind would remain intact."

Lancer sighed despondently and said, "I've caused so much trouble for everyone. Master and Ms. Kyrielight should be out resolving conflicts, and yet I paralyzed Master's mind so badly. I should have been more considerate of Chaldea's situation..."

Ritsuka suddenly put her hand on the girl's head and rubbed her hair. She smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. Thanks to that, I have a much better understanding of who you are and how you can help us."

"That's right. Senpai's not the type to get angry over something like this," Mash added. "Don't beat yourself up anymore. If Senpai believes it is a good thing, then I will as well."

"Mm..." Lancer nodded, still feeling unsure.

"Say, Ritsuka," Roman said, "if you saw so much of Lancer's past, does that mean you figured out what her True Name is?"

The Magus shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I heard her name called out a couple of times, but it was too hazy for me to pick up."

"Shucks. Her Identity Concealment must affect her Master as well. As I thought, the only ones privileged to know her name are those who knew her in her lifetime."

"Well, I wouldn't get too worked up about it, Doctor. Her dream allowed me to see how she fights, so I'll make good use of those skills in our upcoming battles. Da Vinci can analyze the data and do some research to see if any Heroic Spirits match her description."