FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR

"August Harvest"

Chapter 26: Sunshine and Warmth

Slowly but surely, Gilgamesh extracted the conical 'wand'-like sword from the portal until he wielded it properly. It wasn't technically right to call it a 'sword' since it was created long before the concept of swords and blades in general existed.

"Normally I would not utilize one of my greatest treasures to destroy an insignificant creature such as yourself, Demonic Shield Turtle," he declared coldly. "However, your shell contains the power of fruitless destruction, seeking to eliminate any and all creation in your wake, solely out of petty vengeance. I, who bear the primordial power to cleave the formless into Heaven and Earth, will not permit you to taint my lands and my people any further. If you seek to be Destruction incarnate, then I will rain the fires of Creation upon you without hesitation."

Ea's top and bottom segments rotated counterclockwise, while the middle section spun clockwise. Their spinning intensified, and a blazing hot wind spun around both him and the mythical weapon until they converged at the top as a singular blob of pure heat.

"Return to the silent depths where you belong! Enuma…"

He pointed Ea at Aspidochelone's head.

"ELISH!"

"Oh, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad!" Connla panicked, realizing how much trouble she was in.

She didn't have any time to waste being angry with Gilgamesh for using his Noble Phantasm without ensuring she escaped first. All she could do was dive off of the nerve vessel she stood on and surround herself in a sphere of roaring flames. She hit the bottom of Aspidochelone's skull and concentrated on increasing her magical output to increase the fire's strength. She soon burrowed into the thick flesh, trying to look for a way out.

After a minute of worming through the Phantasmal's neck, she discovered a particularly large injury along its carotid artery – the same one Cuchulainn Alter caused earlier. This made it significantly easier for her to break through without wasting too much energy. Then the familiar rush of cold water hit her skin, instantly extinguishing the fire surrounding her, and she tumbled through the ocean just moments before the King of Heroes used his strongest attack.

With a deafening cracking sound, Gilgamesh's weapon unleashed its stored-up power. A concentrated streak of raw destruction, burning bright red and white, tore through the air until it struck the Phantasmal. It happened so quickly that any semblance of pain never registered in its mind. Its head melted, and its skull fractured into thousands of pieces. Luckily, Gilgamesh didn't actually unleash Ea's full might upon the beast. Even he wouldn't be foolish enough to do that. He only utilized enough power to incinerate its head and neck, intent on eradicating its brain so it had no chance of ever moving again.

When the Noble Phantasm settled enough, everyone else could see that a giant gaping hole was left behind where Aspidochelone's cranium used to be. Cooked flesh smoldered, and a terrible acrid smell wafted everywhere. Of course, there was still a certain Servant who had been atop the monster's spine, and thus had to run for his life to avoid being caught in the conflagration.

"GOO-OO-OLDENNN!" Sakata Kintoki cried out in total shock. The sudden force threw him clean off of Aspidochelone's shell, and he sailed in a wide arc before plummeting to the ocean below. Despite this, he couldn't resist quipping, "If I didn't have my sunglasses on, I would have gone blind!"

He hit the water with a mighty splash. A few seconds later, he shot his head back up and cried out, "WAAA~AAAH! HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT! This must have been what it was like for Goemon when he was executed! Holy crap, I'm boiling like a golden lobster!"

Boudica spotted him and cried out, "Hang on, we're coming to get you!"

Cuchulainn Prototype steered the boat toward the Berserker. Boudica and Mata Hari helped him climb aboard, then Cuchulainn quickly drove the vessel away from the dead Phantasmal.

Inside Aspidochelone's esophagus, Lucius and the others were forced to retreat as waves upon waves of Fomorians kept advancing upon them. While Crom Cruach fought against Connla, he had been commanding his familiars to keep any interlopers away. With how congested and claustrophobic the battlefield was, the Servants had no choice but to leave Connla behind and go back to the stomach region.

"Shit!" Beowulf cursed. "The kid had better be okay! If I find out she was killed, I'll bust my own head open!"

"Relax," Li Shuwen told him. "She might be young, but her eyes possess experience and wisdom. She will not be so easy for our enemy to defeat."

The group had to fend off Fomorians while running for a while, but eventually several peculiar things happened. First, a strange light coursed through the cavern like wires in some futuristic wall. It was only a single flash, but it certainly alarmed the Servants. Then without warning, the Fomorians began to slow down in their pursuit, as if they were losing their energy for some reason. Their bodies slowly broke apart like old dolls, with their limbs and torsos collapsing onto the ground before melting into goo. In less than a minute, they went from threatening to disappearing like a bad dream.

"What's going on here?" Jack wondered. "I didn't dismember them, but they're dismembering anyway."

Lucius' grin broadened widely. "Isn't it obvious, my girl? The villain who controlled them is no more."

"Then… Connla did it!? She killed the bad guy!?"

"So it would seem! My Lugh Faction has emerged victorious from this war! Not that I ever had any doubts, mind you!"

"Yay, she did it, she did it! We can go back and get her now!"

Right as Jack shouted this though, the entire area around them began to shake. It started as a light vibration, but rapidly escalated into an uncontrollable quake. Heroine X yelped, "A little too early to be pullin' out the champagne bottle, folks! Something's seriously wrong here!"

"What's happening!?" Nursery squealed, then fell backwards as she lost her balance.

Li caught her, then grumbled, "I don't like the look of this. We had best make a considerable amount of distance posthaste!"

"What about Connla!? We can't leave her behind!"

He picked up the frantic young Caster, while Beowulf punched Jack in the stomach and hauled her with him before she could try looking for her friend. Lucius and X led the way back through until they reached the larynx, where a second cavern split off into the trachea and bronchial region. They kept going through the esophagus, but about halfway through their escape, that was when they felt a tremendous heat searing through the entire neck. Before anyone could say anything though, the fiery wrath of Enuma Elish blasted through Aspidochelone's head. The six Servants were sent flying through the cavern at ridiculous speeds, easily enough to kill an ordinary man.

At the same time, Nero and her group felt the ground rumble beneath their feet. Fortunately, everyone who stayed inside the stomach was too far away to be caught in Enuma Elish's line of fire, so all they felt were light tremors that shook the sand and treasures like flour in a sifter.

"Oh, for the love of Zheng, now what's going on!?" Wu Zetian screeched.

"I think it's coming from that direction," Parvati said as she pointed to the esophagus' entrance. "There's some kind of incredible wind blowing all around us."

"You think it's a Noble Phantasm?"

"Could be. Hard to imagine many Servants possessing this much strength though. It's enough to incinerate a Phantasmal with little effort. I doubt even divine heroes like Heracles or Achilles could accomplish such a huge feat of destruction."

"Wait a moment," Nero blurted. "Didn't little Connla say that she spoke with Gilgamesh earlier? As in the Gilgamesh? The King of Heroes himself?"

"I believe she did. He's supposed to be in the outside world, isn't he?"

"Holy frickin' hell, this is nuts!" Ashwatthama snapped. "If we're only feeling the tremors from way over here, who knows what that motherfucker is doing to the head right now!"

Medusa looked over and murmured in her usual cool tone, "That could be a problem for the assault team. If they don't get out of there quickly, they'll be vaporized along with Aspidochelone's brain."

"Hey, are you joking!? Just what the hell does that golden-haired jerk think he's doing!?" Elizabeth yelled. "He knows his friends are right there, doesn't he!?"

"It would seem those children don't constitute as 'friends' for a king of such a high and mighty stature. He either didn't know they were there, or he deemed their deaths a necessary sacrifice."

"No way! I refuse to believe that! Jack and the others are gonna be fine! I just know it!"

"Suit yourself. I don't have much faith in their survival, but as long as we are able to escape, then that's good enough for me."

Before Elizabeth could angrily retort, a terrific gust of blazing wind rushed through the entrance to the esophagus. Suddenly, several figures were expelled along with the wind storm, and they let out chilling screams as they tumbled violently along the sand dunes. They soon came to a stop near a ruined pirate ship, and sand blasted everywhere around them.

"What was that!?" Nero cried out, and she ran to see what the commotion was. Everyone else followed her, mostly out of curiosity. They soon reached the ruins and discovered Lucius' team scattered around the area. Lucius laid sprawled on his back, Heroine X's face was buried in the sand, Li Shuwen struggled to get up on his side, and Beowulf held the stunned Jack and Nursery as he groaned in agony after hitting his back against the ship's rotting wood.

"It's you guys!" Wu barked. "What is the meaning of this!? We demand an explanation this instant!"

"Unnnngh…" Lucius moaned and massaged the nape of his neck. "Quit your screeching, you pint-sized windbag. My ears are ringing like crazy…"

Elizabeth ran up to Beowulf and kneeled next to him before helping Jack and Nursery recover. She asked the girls, "Are you okay?"

"Y… Yeah…" Jack whimpered tiredly. "It kind of hurts, but I'll be okay."

"I think my joints got some sand in them," Nursery said as she popped off one of her doll joints and poured out a copious amount of sand. She looked up at Beowulf and asked, "Are you okay, Mr. B?"

"Guh… Hurts like hell, but at least I'm alive," he replied. He scowled and glared at the cavern entrance, then muttered, "I'm more worried about Connla."

Elizabeth did a quick head count of the assault team, then realized, "She's not here!? Where did the little puppy go!?"

"She went to fight the enemy god by herself."

"You're kidding, right!? You mean she was caught in the middle of that storm!? What the hell are you people doing!? Why'd you let the puppy run off and do something so dangerous!?"

"Damn it… Believe me, we tried to stop her, but…"

Li sat up and explained, "It shames me to admit this, but I expected such heavy resistance once we got closer to the enemy's stronghold. It is difficult to overcome an enemy that can respawn by using small chunks of Aspidochelone's flesh as material. As soon as one was cut down, the material would just be reused to produce another one. I must say, that was a gross miscalculation on our part."

Beowulf smirked and said, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about that anymore. Connla must have successfully killed the god, because his minions melted like ice cubes in a bowl of soup."

"So that means we are safe from further attacks," Parvati declared. "It is hard for me to say this, but we must put the search for Connla on hiatus until we evacuate everyone. If Gilgamesh really used his Noble Phantasm on Aspidochelone's head, then a new path must have been made leading to the outside world."

Nero nodded. "You're right. Let's regroup, then investigate the caverns once more."

She was about to tell the citizens what was going on, but stopped as she passed by Heroine X and asked, "How long do you plan on shamelessly sticking your hind quarters in the air?"

The Assassin pulled her head out of the sand, then grumbled bitterly, "Shut up…"

On the beaches of Okeanos' main island, all of the Servants moored their respective boats and regrouped. They gazed in awe at the spectacle before them – Aspidochelone, now completely missing its head and upper neck, was sprawled on the sand as lifeless as could be. The flesh that somehow survived Enuma Elish's wrath smoldered and cooked, leaving an unpleasant acrid smell in the air.

"Hot damn…" Cuchulainn Prototype gasped in astonishment. "So that's the thing that swallowed the kids."

"The demon turtle said to be the size of an island, huh?" Emiya muttered. "I thought it was an exaggeration, but that was probably wishful thinking on my part."

Kintoki grinned and asked, "Say, how many steaks do you think we could make out of this?"

"I wouldn't want to hazard a guess."

"No harm in finding out, right? … OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow! Hey, Nightingale! At least give me a warning before using that antiseptic crap on me!"

"Be quiet," the bikini-clad nurse commanded as she treated his many burn injuries. "If I don't take care of this right away, your skin will be infected, and that will lead to disease and eventually death."

"I already told you, I have my Natural Body skill! I can take care of myself no problem!"

"No excuses. Give yourself up and let me treat you to the fullest extent."

"GAAAH! Get off me already, you harlot!"

The others shrugged and left them alone before approaching the gigantic Phantasmal's corpse. Mata Hari became apprehensive as she wondered, "Do you think it's safe to go inside now?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Nitocris wondered. "You could at least wait until its flesh cools down."

"But I'm so worried about the children. I think Gil acted too hastily in using his Noble Phantasm, and the girls could have been caught up in it."

Ozymandias grinned and said, "There is no such thing as haste when contending with a beast of this magnitude. If he tarried for too long, Aspidochelone could have struck this very beach. Where would that have left us? Why, beneath the crushing weight of a living island!"

"That's true, but…"

Jing Ke quietly drank some sake from her cup, then shifted her eyes toward the headless beast and murmured, "Hm? Did you guys see that?"

"See what?" Boudica wondered.

"I think I saw movement."

"Really?" the red-haired queen wondered and squinted her eyes to get a better look. Soon, she exclaimed, "You're right! Someone's coming out!"

The other Chaldean Servants looked to see what they were talking about. From the cavernous hole, numerous figures hurried through and joyfully bounded upon the hot beach sands. The humans and Servants who had been trapped inside Aspidochelone for countless years cried out in astonishment almost simultaneously.

"Unbelievable! Is this truly the mythical land of sunshine and warmth!?" a former Zhou woman cried out happily.

"It's so beautiful!" a former Roma noblewoman exclaimed. "This view is more breathtaking than my entire collection of jewelry!"

"Mom, look! There's water here!" a boy pointed at the ocean.

"Wooo~ooow!" his little sister squealed and ran up so that the waves submerged her feet. "There's so much water! It just goes on forever and ever and ever!"

More children joined her, and another girl from Uma shouted, "It's so sparkly too! It looks like fairies dancing on the surface!"

Then and there, any thoughts of rivaling factions vanished as the adults watched the children play with each other. Meanwhile, the Servants were beginning to emerge from the crevice. Parvati covered her eyes to block out the sun's intense light, and she remarked, "My goodness! So this is the outside world! What a momentous occasion! We truly are stepping into the land of legends itself!"

"No way…" Ashwatthama breathed as he gazed not at the beach and ocean, but rather at Aspidochelone's corpse. "We were inside this freak of nature the entire time?"

"So it would seem," Medusa muttered, cool and calm as always.

"Incredible!" Nero cried out as she twirled on her toes and took in her surroundings. "The endless blue sky… The bleached white sands… Palm trees swaying in the wind… The invigorating taste of seaside air… Someone pinch me, for I fear I am suffering from a delusion! I cannot believe I am standing within the very realm of fantasy itself!"

"It's not a dream! We're really back!" Jack shouted happily and ran around with the equally elated Nursery Rhyme.

"Oh!? Is that…!?" Kintoki yelped and pushed Nightingale off of him to run up to the girls.

"It's Golden! Heee~eeey, Goldeee~eeennn!" Nursery shouted, and they ran up to hug him together.

"Hey, kids! Y-You have no idea how happy I am… to see you guys!" he whimpered, and sniffled a few times.

"Tee hee hee! Are you crying?"

"No way! I… I just have… some sand in my eye! Yeah… Yeah, that's it!" he objected as he wiped his eye.

"Nursery! Jack!" Boudica cried out as she and Mata Hari rushed in to hug them as well.

"Aunt Mattie! Aunt Boudie! Were you worried about us!?" Jack asked.

"Of course we were! How could we possibly enjoy our summer vacation knowing that you poor things were trapped inside such a dreadful beast!?"

"Well don't worry! I dismembered any bad guys that tried to hurt us! I would do anything to both keep Nursery and Connla safe, as well as to come back to Mommy and all her friends!"

"Good girl! I knew you could do it! I should think about baking a nice big cake for you guys!"

"Yaay, cake! Cake, cake, cake, cake!" the children chanted happily, and the women giggled.

Kintoki looked around, noticing that Connla was still missing. He spotted Wu Zetian strutting out of Aspidochelone and approached to get a closer look. The empress unfolded a fan and waved it before her face as she murmured, "Mm… Mm, hmm! A little warm for our taste, but this scenery is most pleasant to behold. To think that we, of all the rulers who have come before us, are enjoying the privilege of witnessing the fabled land of sunshine and warmth fills us with great pride. Ahhh… Perhaps we should partake in wearing this thing called a 'swimsuit' and taking a nice dip in the water…"

"Connla! You're safe too!" Kintoki ran up to Wu, snatched her petite waist with his large hands, and lifted her high off the sand. "You have no idea how much I was worried about you!"

"Wha-!? Unhand us this instant, you ruffian! Do you have idea who you are sullying with your filthy paws, you muscle-bound mutt!?" the empress squealed angrily.

"Whuh? Oh, sorry! I thought you were someone else!" he apologized and carelessly dropped her.

"Ow! Unngh… W-What is with this improper treatment!? We have half a mind to dunk your brainless cranium in a vat of bubbling hot poison!"

Kintoki ignored Wu's complaining and asked Jack and Nursery, "Where's Connla? Isn't she with you guys?"

"No," Jack shook her head. "She went to fight the bad god by herself."

Nursery looked around in worry. "We thought she would be out here, but…"

"What!?" Kintoki roared. "You're kidding, aren't you!? This is no time to be celebrating! If even one of you is missing, then I have to go and look for her! Big Bro won't rest easy until he makes sure everyone is okay!"

"Calm down," Emiya told him. "You're still winded from using up so much magical energy and being blasted away by Enuma Elish. If you run around without a plan, you'll wind up exhausting yourself before you can find her."

"But-!"

Boudica grabbed Kintoki's wrist and said, "I'm sure Cu Alter's searching for her right now. Let's leave her to him and take care of everyone here. Some of the Servants appear to be heavily injured, and we need all the help we can get to treat them. You'll be a big help in making sure Nightingale doesn't go too far with her treatment."

"Ugh… Fine. But if that spiky jerk takes too long, I'll go and search myself, exhaustion be damned!"

Cuchulainn Alter floated underwater, limp and unconscious. Once Enuma Elish struck Aspidochelone, the raging torrents threw him many miles away from the battle site. The tremendous G-forces caused him to black out for a while. While his sleep was devoid of dreams, the darkness felt strangely comfortable to him. The sensation of freezing cold water snapped him awake however, and bubbles escaped from his mouth as he tried to gasp for air.

He wasn't too far from the surface, so he swam back up and inhaled deeply. Once he regained his composure, he looked around and found the headless Aspidochelone lying like a beached whale on the main island.

Good, it's dead, he thought.

He wasn't really interested in Chaldea's victory over the monster though. He thought he felt something tugging at him from deep below the ocean, so he dove back underwater and swam around for a short while. The peculiar feeling grew more intense as he got closer to whatever it was. Then he finally found something; a faint light that twinkled like a distant star. He thought that it was calling to him directly.

"Se…ta…"

Cuchulainn narrowed his eyes, unsure if he heard a voice in his head or not.

"Se… tan… ta…"

There was no doubt about it now – a masculine presence was beckoning him. He wasn't sure if this was a trap, but he found it weird that they were addressing him by his childhood name.

"Setanta…"

He kept diving closer and closer to the glittering light. Soon, he could finally make out that it was a radiant aura emanating from a little girl's body. His chest seized up with dread as he immediately recognized her.

Connla!

When Connla's eyes opened, the only thing that registered in her mind was the gentle cerulean color of the ocean. Next came the sight of bright rays of sunshine piercing through the water's surface. She couldn't hear anything except for the water running past her eardrums. She didn't have the strength to breathe, never mind move. She had no idea if she was floating or sinking, and she didn't really care. Even though she was in danger of drowning, for some reason this beautiful underwater scenery made her feel at ease. Aside from the sunlight, her body seemed to shimmer with its own glittery vibrance.

Is this what Cliste, Jack and Nursery were talking about earlier? About how my body was glowing for some unknown reason?

She wasn't entirely sure, but felt certain that Lugh had some influence. She very much wanted to regain control of her arms and legs so she could swim back up to safety, but she simply didn't have the energy. Just trying to escape from Aspidochelone as Enuma Elish decimated its head, plus the whirling sensation of being shot through the water like a torpedo, was brutal enough for someone of her small stature to withstand. She was way too exhausted to do anything except float there like she was in the middle of outer space.

I guess this is it… So long as everyone else is okay, then…

As Connla was about to resign herself to death, that was when she noticed something large and dark moving in the water. She shifted her eyes over so she could get a better look. Something, or rather someone, was swimming straight for her at an alarming speed. She couldn't make out their features at first, but once she saw the long spiked tail swishing around his back, she immediately recognized him.

Father…

Cuchulainn finally reached Connla. She felt him wrap his arms around her, then the water rushed past them as he frantically rose to the surface. Shortly afterwards, they broke through and gasped for air. Connla coughed up water and struggled to regain her breath through agonizing wheezes.

"You okay?" Cuchulainn asked. She managed to open her eyes and look upon his ruby irises, but she couldn't respond coherently. He muttered, "Good. Just stay still and focus on breathing."

He looked around, realizing they were near one of Okeanos' smaller islands. He gently swam toward the beach, making sure not to accidentally dunk Connla's head back underwater. A short while later, his feet touched sand and he lumbered out of the ocean while carrying his tired daughter. He laid her down and did a quick inspection. She was breathing fine now, and there didn't seem to be any injuries. In fact, he was surprised by the complete absence of her numerous scars that she was always afraid of showing, and was equally perplexed by how she was wearing a swimsuit he didn't recognize.

Connla blankly stared at the sky, then moaned, "Is this… the outside?"

"Yeah," Cuchulainn said. "Gilgamesh blew that monster's head clean off. You must have been swept away by the explosion."

"Mm…" she moaned, then gazed at the bronze necklace wrapped around her wrist.

He likewise inspected it. His expression quickly turned to shock as he murmured, "What the hell is this!? These idols are the same ones as Crom Cruach's!"

"That was something… Crom Cruach gave me… after I killed him. A catalyst… for Master to… summon him."

Anger welled within the Berserker, but he didn't want to yell at her. If he did, he had a bad feeling she would misinterpret his concern for her as another bout of abuse like what Aife subjected her to. Yeah, he didn't like that she fought one of the most dangerous gods in human history, but she came back from it alive regardless. How could he complain after she pulled off such a momentous feat like that?

Cuchulainn let out a disparaging sigh, then rubbed Connla's head and grumbled, "Just… don't do something that crazy again. If there ever comes a time when it's better for you to wait for me, then you do exactly that, got it?"

"O… Okay…"

He sat down next to her and said, "It was a good thing I spotted you. For whatever reason, your body was glittering like a bunch of stars."

"That was… Grandfather's… influence."

Cuchulainn shifted his eyes away, then snarled darkly, "Shit. Goddamn old man. Why'd you have to go and drag the kid into this?"

"…"

"Tch, whatever. The important thing is that you're fine now. Go ahead and get some shut-eye."

Connla lightly nodded, then closed her eyes and passed out after listening to the waves for a few minutes. The warm sunshine dried off the water clinging to her body, and the ocean breeze smelled so refreshing compared to the stale air she had been breathing while inside Aspidochelone. Cuchulainn felt rather tired himself, so he laid down next to her and watched her sleep before eventually blacking out himself.

Connla knew she was having another vivid dream.

However, this was not one where she fell into a different Connla's mind and watched them live their life from the sidelines. She was definitely herself this time around. She found herself standing within an endless plain of golden wheat and sunflowers swaying in the wind. She never saw such a rustic and gorgeous place before, but a soothing calm washed through her, and she felt like she could build a country cottage and live here forever.

Connla heard footsteps behind her and turned around. A tall male stood there, garbed in traditional Celtic armor with a fur-trim mantle wrapped around his shoulders. His chest and arms bore numerous tattoos of Celtic knots and Runes, and he had various weapons strapped to his waist like a sword, a spear, a small shield, and a slingshot. What caught Connla's notice was that his hair looked extremely similar to Cuchulainn Lancer's, but was either darker blue or black in color. His facial features were more gaunt and chiseled compared to Cuchulainn's smoother complexion.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

He just smiled lightly at her, refusing to answer her question right away. She grew nervous, but was sure this fellow wasn't a threat to her. Soon, his smile vanished as he said, "Forgive me."

"Hm?"

"Because I was so weak, I put you through such a harrowing experience."

"You mean… with Crom Cruach?"

"Yes. You must be so angry with me for using you. But I had no choice. My power is not as it once was, and Crom Cruach had spent so much time regaining his strength throughout the eras. I had to compensate by inhabiting a Servant's body and guiding them in the right direction. Even more so since it was my own family I chose."

Connla became quiet as she thought, This man is…

She then fervently shook her head and replied, "I'm not angry. In fact, I'm actually kind of glad."

"Oh?" the warrior murmured curiously.

"That I got to know another member of my family. All I ever had were Father, Mother, and my aunt Scathach. I felt so lonely, not being able to have siblings or cousins around my age to talk to."

"I see. I knew all about you as you grew up, but I had long since vanished from the world and was thus unable to take action on your behalf."

"Don't say that. How would I have expected a dead man to do anything for me?"

The man chuckled. It sounded hearty, but also rather bitter. "I suppose so. It's that rational logic and your fortitude that have carried you through the many trials you've faced. He he he… You sure do remind me of your grandmother Deichtine, especially with the color of your eyes."

"My grandmother…"

The armored fellow then turned around and declared, "I fear my time here is short. My power will soon wane once more, and my influence over your Spirit Origin will disappear. You will return to your rightful Lancer class in due time. Yet, it would be a shame to allow your abilities as a Saber to vanish into the ether."

He grabbed the stem of a sunflower, then used a knife to cut the flower off. He approached the girl, kneeled before her, and placed it in her hands as he said, "I will condense any power I have left into this memento. If you need to call upon my strength at any time, send your prayers through this flower. I shall do anything in my power to lend my assistance."

She nodded. "I understand. I'll keep it close to me…"

Her lip quivered, and her throat choked up as she started to cry a little. The wheat-filled dreamscape was beginning to break apart, indicating that she was going to wake up. She suddenly threw her arms around the man's shoulders and hugged him tightly. He likewise embraced her as she exclaimed her last word in this dream:

"Grandfather!"

During the next 24 hours, the Chaldean Servants were busy guiding the formerly trapped Servants and civilians around Okeanos and explaining everything about the outside world. They also reported to Romani and Da Vinci about their success. While Connla's testimony about Crom Cruach and his motivations were still missing from the report, Chaldea could officially declare the Fomorian Singularity resolved. Concern still lingered in the air about Cuchulainn Alter and Connla's disappearances, yet Da Vinci assured everyone that their Spirit Origins were still intact.

A search party consisting of only Boudica and Mata Hari was dispatched to look for the lost duo. They had some navigational tools that Da Vinci made to aid their search, but they needed to investigate the eastern region of Okeanos in order to pick up their magical signatures. Throughout the entire night, the women carefully scoured any landmasses, no matter how small they might have been, in the hopes of finding their allies. Their exhausting search was eventually rewarded when the device picked up a pair of Spirit Origins lying stationary on a sandy stretch of sand directly east of Pirate Island.

Mata Hari steered the boat toward the beach. Boudica inspected the area with her binoculars. She quickly let out an elated gasp and shouted, "I found them!"

They moored the boat, then hopped out and ran along the sand towards Cuchulainn and Connla. They would have called out to them, but stopped themselves when they saw the most charming sight ever – that of father and daughter sleeping in identical poses on their sides. Moreover, Connla held a brilliantly blooming sunflower in her hand. The women didn't want to disrupt their friends, so they lightly giggled at each other and took some photos of the pair.

"This is just too precious!" Mata Hari chuckled as she reviewed her photos.

"I know. We'll have to pick a good one to print out later," Boudica agreed.

Although they tried not to cause a commotion, their muffled laughter was enough for Connla to stir awake, and she opened her eyes to find the two women flocking around her. She wearily sat up, yawned and stretched. Boudica implored, "Take it easy, honey. You look really waterlogged."

"L-Lady Boudica…" the girl moaned while rubbing her eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm not feeling 100%, but that nap certainly helped. I know Father saved me from drowning after Lord Gilgamesh killed Aspidochelone, but everything else is a total blank. Is everyone else okay? Is Aspidochelone dead?"

"Yes, it is," Mata Hari said. "The opening left behind on the monster's neck was large enough for the survivors to escape through."

"What about Jack and Nursery?"

"Kintoki is looking after them. The rest of us are being flooded with questions about the outside world from the people who were trapped inside the monster. I tell you, it's total pandemonium back at the base camp. Gilgamesh and Da Vinci realized that you and Cu Alter were the only ones who had not come back yet, so they sent me and Boudica to search."

"I see."

"Oh, it's such a relief to see you again!" Boudica yelped and threw her arms around Connla. The little girl's face was practically buried beneath the British queen's cleavage, bewildering her as the lady added, "Now that we know you're safe, we can finally put this whole thing to bed and enjoy the rest of our summer in peace!"

"Y-Yeah."

Mata Hari joined in the hug-fest, and her breasts likewise swarmed Connla's face as the spy crooned, "Let's get you back home and prepare a nice big meal for you. What would you like for dessert? Ice cream? Popsicles? Shaved ice?"

"Uh… um…"

"What are you talking about?" Boudica retorted. "You know she doesn't like sweet things! She would sooner eat a whole mound of zucchini than take even a tiny nibble of cake!"

Mata Hari laughed, "Oh, that's right! Silly me! I'm so used to the children begging for treats that I have to remind myself of how different Connla's tastes are!"

"Ah… I can't… breathe…" the child Servant gasped.

Just then, she felt a large hand grab her small arm and pull her away from the two women, freeing her from the stifling atmosphere that was their combined cleavage. Cuchulainn held her close, then glared at the women and muttered, "How long do you plan on sitting there and squealing like a couple of high school brats? I was having a nice dream until you came along and ruined it."

"Sorry about that!" Boudica exclaimed. "We were so relieved to see Connla that we forgot to keep it down!"

"Damn it. So we're the only ones unaccounted for?"

"Yeah," Mata Hari nodded. "Master said that she's going to Rayshift here with Mash and some other Servants to help out. I bet they'll be happy to see that everyone is back together."

"Is that right? Guess we better haul our asses back to the base pronto."

Connla slowly got up and murmured, "Master and the others were away on their own vacation. I hope we didn't… make her worry… too much… Whoa!"

Cuchulainn caught her as she lost her balance due to a sudden bout of vertigo. He picked her up and grumbled, "Geez, take it easy. You must have expended a lot of magical energy fighting against Crom Cruach. You're in no condition to be running around for a while."

"Mm…"

She gazed languidly at the mysterious sunflower in one hand, and the bronze-jeweled necklace wrapped on her other wrist, as the other Servants brought her over to the boat. The trip back home didn't really register in her mind as she thought about the Fomorian god she defeated, the man in her dream, and of the gifts they both left behind for her. Everything happened so quickly that she didn't have much time to ponder about it until now.

Without saying a word, she pinned the flower next to her hair bun to keep it safe.