Fate/Outside Experience

Chapter 4: The Seven-Year Constraint

FATE/OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE

Part II: Abhorrent Affection

Chapter 4: The Seven-Year Constraint

Back in Chaldea, Cuchulainn Alter was fast asleep in his quarters. He had been very busy these last few days due to Ritsuka bringing him along for multiple missions in a row. Her enthusiasm to test his abilities had gone a bit overboard, but at least he was a lot stronger compared to when she first summoned him. He had the toughness and resilience that she was looking for in a Servant, and she wanted him to reach his maximum peak as soon as possible. That was why he was so exhausted from all of the grueling fights he had to endure.

As his mind fell into the realm of dreams, a barrage of powerful images bombarded his subconsciousness. Eventually, the dreams were too much for him to take in, and he was forced to awaken. He wiped a bunch of sweat off his face and sat up on the bed. The sensation that lingered in him was extremely odd, as if he had transferred himself into someone else's body for a while and only just returned. It didn't feel like an ordinary dream either. It was more of a long-lost memory of his that had only resurfaced. He could remember the words he spoke as clearly as if he had said them:

"She's here... She's finally come as a Servant!"

"It's been a while, Connla. I was getting impatient with waiting for the World to summon you as my opponent."

"She is no unwanted bastard. I chose Aife to bear Connla because she was a magnificent warrior who could give me a child blessed with such skill. I waited in anticipation for Connla's arrival so I could pass my legacy to her."

"What if a hero were to fade into obscurity, never to ascend to the Throne!? Were their deeds not worth remembering!? Who decides who is worthy of remembrance!? What feats would a hero truly have to accomplish to remain in humanity's heart!?"

"You are just as pure and tragic as the innocent aliens who placed their trust in the real monsters – the humans who shattered that faith and used them as tools – and then were swept away as if they never existed."

Cuchulainn just remained sitting there, his mind wandering back to the myriad of memories that didn't belong to him. He never uttered such words, nor did he possess any motivation to destroy for someone else's sake, yet the foreign emotions were incredibly familiar to him. Those thoughts and feelings didn't originate from his mind, but they had melded with him so perfectly that he mistakenly thought he was having déjà vu.

"Shit," he cursed and rubbed his forehead, fighting back a pounding headache. "The hell was that all about?"

During the otherworldly nightmare, he also caught glimpses of Connla and some other Servants who accompanied her. They all seemed to be in some desert place in the modern era, and that he was on the side of evil while his daughter represented the forces of good. He couldn't entirely remember what was going on, but he had a strong suspicion that it had something to do with the child. He actually found it odd that she had been summoned as a Servant when she didn't have a notorious reputation like many other Heroic Spirits did. Maybe this unknown incident had something to do with it.

Cuchulainn cursed at himself and left his room to look for her. Regardless if she was scared of him or not, he wanted to ask her if she knew anything about this mysterious alternate world. He heard rumors among the staff and fellow Servants that Connla was frequently seen with Leonardo Da Vinci in her workshop working on some top-secret project, so he headed straight for there. However, the lady inventor suddenly emerged from the CHALDEAS chamber and spotted him