FATE/PARALLEL COLORS

Chapter 22: Branching Narratives

The following evening…

Roman sat in his office going through the medical files for Chaldea's staff and arranging check-up appointments. Due to the Hedron invasion and subsequent reveal of an alien god as a genuine threat to the organization, some of the technicians were experiencing some serious physical and emotional fatigue. Some members had trouble eating, others couldn't get to sleep, and even the most experienced staff found it hard to concentrate on their work. The workload got so much heavier for Roman, yet he didn't want much help from most of the Servants who offered.

For all of his own exhaustion that he was coping with, he was a meticulous man who wanted to oversee all facets of Chaldea's inner workings on his own. Many thought of it as him shouldering the dual burdens of a doctor and as the organization's emergency Director after the previous leader Olga Marie Animusphere died suddenly so many months ago. However, there was more to it than that. His memories before joining Chaldea were shaky at best, but there was one thing he could never forget…

A vision.

It was a horrific sight comprised of numerous malevolent tendrils reaching out for the planet Earth and crushing it within their grasp.

Roman didn't consider himself a clairvoyant, but his very soul told him that something terrible was going to happen, and he needed to confront it despite being just an ordinary man. He wanted to take full responsibility for ensuring it never came to pass, even if it meant jeopardizing his own health. He wasn't expecting to take on an actual leadership role, but the unexpected promotion gave him a much stronger drive to succeed than he ever thought possible. He couldn't explain why – it was just a compelling part of his personality.

Unfortunately, Roman was sure that what he saw was related to the Incineration of Humanity. The Outer God's invasion had been a complete unknown to him, and it probably would have been had Connla not been summoned to Chaldea just after the Fifth Singularity was resolved. Of course, he would never, ever blame her for it. In fact, he somewhat understood how frightening it was to have the ability to observe events outside of the present. For him to have that one vision of the future was jarring enough. For a small child to have repeated dreams of parallel worlds must have been too much for her to handle anymore. He was honestly more shocked that Connla didn't go insane earlier than this.

Naturally, that was something he would have to think about discussing with the staff members – to not accuse her of the invasion. He knew humans were quick to find scapegoats and point fingers at each other, and that was the absolute last thing she needed right now. He didn't want such ugliness to pervade within his team. It was a lot to worry about, but he knew he had to do it if he didn't want flagrant infighting to destroy the group before the King of Mages could.

As Roman rubbed his fingers beneath his tired eyes for what was probably the millionth time, he heard the door knocking. He called out, "Come in."

The person who entered was Cuchulainn Caster, who looked just as tired as the doctor did. The druid tipped his hood and said, "Hey, doc. Just wanted to let you know that we finished up."

"Whoa, really?" Roman uttered and glanced at his clock. Indeed, just over 24 hours had passed since he left Caster and the others to perform their Runecraft procedure. "Gosh, I've been so busy that I barely noticed the time. So, how did it go?"

"Well, I've got good news and bad news. It'd be better to hear the good news first so that the bad news makes a little more sense."

"Fine, lay it on me."

"First off, Sigurd and I managed to make it work. As of this moment, Alter and Connla are now a single Foreigner Servant."

"Does that mean her Spirit Origin has been stabilized?"

"Yeah. She's no longer under the threat of total collapse now that she's linked with Alter. We have no idea how this is going to affect their combat performance and Noble Phantasms, but just keeping the kid alive is good enough for now."

"We'll just have to put them through the paces in the simulator once they feel better."

Caster smirked as he said, "As an added bonus, we Cuchulainns don't have to tether our Spirit Origins to Connla's while she's having an Imbas Forosnai dream anymore. Alter said he can handle that part from now on, probably now that he has some of Daoloth's power to help him keep track of where the kid's mind is inside the Kaleidoscope Plus, there shouldn't be any further risk of Daoloth hijacking Connla's body since he would have to go through Alter first."

"That's great! It's one less thing for us to worry about! But then, what is the bad news? Are there any side effects we need to worry about?"

Caster scratched the back of his head and frowned sheepishly. "Again, it's a little too early to be sure of everything, but we do know one thing. Whatever Connla's eyes have been perceiving, Alter will wind up seeing the same thing as well. Once Sigurd and I finally completed the binding process, Alter nearly freaked out and immediately demanded for a blindfold that he could wear all the time."

Roman grew quite worried when he heard that. "What did he see?"

"He wasn't really specific. He was mostly going on about how we looked like crackling humanoid static that jittered about unnaturally. He could hear our voices fine, but he was unable to see us as humans. Connla was the only person that Alter could see properly due to their new connection."

"Damn. That sounds weird enough on its own. Is this a permanent side effect?"

"I don't think so. What Alter is seeing simply mirrors Connla's mental deterioration. Considering how dire her situation is, I doubt she even understands she in Chaldea, much less recognizes any of us. Sigurd's already brought Alter to his office so he can craft a new pair of glasses to help him lessen the severity of this 'visual static'."

"Heh, that totally sounds like something Sigurd would do," Roman chuckled. "So, aside from their shared mental corrosion, is there anything else we need to worry about? What about their geasa? Both of them have multiple geasa that they need to uphold. Between the two of them, that's five in total. Is it even possible to abide by so many vows at once?"

Caster shook his head. "You're misunderstanding how the geas works. Yes, they are vows that must be absolutely upheld, but they only apply to the individual in question. You could say that it is directly attached to their soul, not their body. Alter and Connla's bodies have been stitched together into a single Spirit Origin, but their souls remain as separate individuals."

"So then, it'd be fine if Alter said Connla's name, or if she ate dog meat somehow?"

"Yep. The only fate they share is that if one falls in battle, the other will automatically disappear with them, just like with Anne Bonny and Mary Read, or Hessian and Lobo."

"I see. Well, that certainly makes things a little less convoluted than they already are."

"No kidding," Caster chortled. "Obviously Connla is the weaker one of the duo, so Alter's going to have to work double time with fighting the enemy while simultaneously keeping her safe. Like you said, we can always iron out those wrinkles in the simulator later. For now, Sigurd asked me to report everything to you so we can move ahead with replenishing Connla's drained magical energy."

"Which means it's almost time to put her into a coma and force her to experience an Imbas Forosnai dream. I hope this won't be too much of a strain on her mental faculties, but restoring her physical health comes first. Da Vinci said that ever since Connla dreamed of the alternate Fuyuki, she's been working on a secret project related to those long sleeps she has."

"A secret project?"

"I don't know anything about it myself, so this is the first time I'll be seeing it too."

Caster frowned slightly, unsure if Da Vinci's little 'project' involved any sort of unnecessary experiments. Nonetheless, he said, "Well, she's with Alter in Sigurd's office if we want to go get her now."

"Yes, let's get this underway."

The two men arrived in Sigurd's room a few minutes later. He had part of the space converted into an optometrist's office so he could work on a side job as an eye doctor for the Chaldeans. Roman found it particularly weird for Cuchulainn Alter to sit in any sort of doctor's chair accepting medical treatment, yet here he was having his eyes checked out. Off in the corner, Connla was seated on a pillow against the wall, continuing to absently play with the Mini-Cu plush without saying a word. Medb sat next to her, making any sort of attempt to communicate with her and failing each time.

"Good. I've got all of the measurements I need," Sigurd said, allowing Alter to sit back and rub the back of his neck. "Just give me a moment and we'll be all set."

"Hurry it up," Alter complained as he hastily put his blindfold back on. "Seeing all of you as walking static is starting to drive me nuts."

He glanced at Roman and Caster, but couldn't recognize them whatsoever. The doctor said, "Hey there. Are we making any improvements?"

"Not 'til Four-Eyes here finishes making me some glasses. God damn it, not in a million years did I expect that I, of all people, would need corrective eyewear. If my prescription has to be strong, I can't imagine how powerful the kid's pair will have to be."

"It's more accurate to say that glasses simply won't work for Connla until her Spirit Origin is fully repaired," Caster admitted.

Alter exhaled a deep sigh of frustration. "You know… I think I'm starting to get something."

"What's that?"

"What the kid meant when she believed that all humans have some kind of 'inner alien' lurking within themselves."

"Wasn't that just her way of coming to terms with her death?"

"Maybe. Yet, I can't help but see some grain of truth to it. Her mind is so far gone that she can't see us as humans anymore, which is also affecting me due to our new shared Spirit Origin. At the same time though, the human brain can't handle witnessing aliens as they truly are, whether they be within humans or from outer space. This static that Connla and I are seeing must be some kind of filter to protect our brains from experiencing a total mental meltdown."

"That certainly is a plausible theory," Sigurd agreed. "Luckily for you, it's a temporary side effect. It's hard to say if it will be the same for Connla, or if there will be permanent ocular damage. Once she recovers, I will do more analysis to see if you both need to continue wearing noise-filtering spectacles."

Medb got up and approached Alter, pressing her body against his arm as she crooned, "Ahh, you're just amazing, Cu. Not only are you deadly in a fight, you're also very smart. Exactly the kind of things I look for in a man coveting my hand in marriage."

"Hmph. If my intellect is good at anything, it's seeing bullshit for what it is," he grumbled in annoyance. Cuchulainn Caster voiced his agreement with a suppressed chortle.

"Oh, come now. You don't need to be so embarrassed by your queen's compliments. I also find you just that extra bit dashing with you wearing a blindfold."

"Don't get used to it - I can't fight like this. Hell, I can't even walk around Chaldea unless someone's showing me the way."

"You don't need to worry about that! If that's what you need, then I'll gladly guide you around!"

"Yeah, straight into the bedroom."

"Ah…" Medb stopped, slightly startled that Alter figured her out so quickly. "Ah hah hah hah! That's the mark of a true king – knowing exactly what his queen wants!"

"And that's the mark of a true narcissist – misconstruing the facts to suit her own narrative."

As Alter and Medb argued with each other, Roman and Caster sat on the floor next to Connla. She didn't acknowledge their presences whatsoever, instead brushing her fingers against some wooden blocks to make them tumble about randomly. The doctor forced his best smile and said, "Hi there. How are we doing, missy?"

"… Gauntlet experienced sombrero offshoots into the hadal skies. Left wine, right milk, blood cells multiply until the macrocosm implodes. I like radials."

"Wow," he murmured. "Hearing about her condition is one thing, but to see it is genuinely chilling."

"I bet you never imagined you'd have to treat something as crazy as this. Ain't that right, doc?" Caster remarked.

"Well, given that we're dealing with Servants, I've always kept an open mind about witnessing bizarre symptoms. This, though… Yeah, I'm gonna level with you – I wasn't expecting mental corrosion caused by an Outer God. It goes to show how much I'll have to look into Lovecraftian horror, considering that Daoloth plus the god affecting Van Gogh are indeed real in our universe. With how Servants are basically high-density ghosts possessing malleable Spirit Origins, it's not impossible to consider treatment for future incidents such as this."

Caster then lowered his voice and whispered as quietly as he could, "As difficult as it is for me to say this, it might actually be a blessing in disguise for Connla's connection with Daoloth to have grown so much stronger. This actually gives us an opportunity to research so many mysteries in preparation for a similar attack in the future."

Roman likewise replied in a hushed voice, "You may be right, but don't ever tell Alter that. He'll lose his shit if he thinks Connla's being experimented on without his consent."

"I know, I know."

As the two men conversed with each other, Connla suddenly cast her soulless gaze upon them. Although she could only see Caster as pure static, for some reason she was making out Roman as a mixture of static and a human she had never seen before. Her smile was equally as empty as her stare as she pointed her shaking finger at the doctor and uttered a single word:

"… Caster."

"Huh?" Roman widened his eyes.

Cuchulainn Caster pointed at himself and corrected her with, "No, I'm Caster. That's Dr. Roman."

Connla was probably so confused that she couldn't say anything. Unable to string the words racing in her broken mind into coherent sentences, she simply gave up on the effort and returned to fiddling with her toys. Caster raised an eyebrow and muttered, "That was weird."

Roman thinned his lips as he pensively stared at the absent-minded child Servant. Despite her condition, she seemed resolute in pointing at him and addressing him as a 'Caster', for some reason. Given her ability to glance into parallel universes, he didn't want to dismiss it as offhandedly as Cuchulainn Caster did. It was highly likely that she was just talking nonsense, yet he couldn't eliminate the possibility due to that vivid vision he had of the world's destruction, plus the fact that he had no memories of his life before joining Chaldea.

While Roman was lost in his thoughts, Sigurd used his Runecraft to forge Alter's pair of glasses. He designed the frames to be large and oval-like, yet the lenses weren't so thick that they would make him look too nerdy. He gave them to Alter and said, "Try these on."

The Celt removed his blindfold and placed the spectacles over his nose, then looked at each person in the room carefully. Although his head was practically splitting from a migraine, the sharp pain subsided enough that he could properly discern everyone as humans. He nodded and said, "They're working."

"Good. That should help ease the stress on your Spirit Origin."

"Wow, look at you, Cu! What a refreshing image change!" Medb gushed, and her cheeks flushed bright pink. "Maybe they don't match so well with your usual battle attire, but imagine us going on a New York date in trendy casual clothes! We'd be the talk of the town, no question!"

"Maybe if these were sunglasses, this wouldn't be so bad," Alter remarked, completely ignoring the queen's fantasizing. "Still, they're better than nothing. It's a temporary thing anyway, so I'm not going to complain."

"Then this part of my job is done," Sigurd said. "Now we can move on to restoring Connla's magical energy. Doctor, is the madam inventor ready with her new device?"

Roman didn't answer him right away, still pondering Connla's cryptic behavior. The Saber called out again, "Doctor?"

"O-Oh… right, yes. Da Vinci said it was ready. We just need to prep the patient for it."

"Let's not waste time then," Alter got up from his chair, then kneeled next to Connla and grunted, "Up we go."

He picked her up, then followed Roman and the others to the medical bay. An existing room had been converted into a specialized quarantine chamber, which no one save for Da Vinci, Nightingale and some trusted technicians were allowed into until now. That was why Roman appeared as equally awed as everyone else when they saw the darkened room with little more than a coffin-shaped pod in the center, plus some sophisticated computers and monitors surrounding it. Da Vinci was at one of the computers running some numbers, while Nightingale waited impatiently with some child-sized hospital garments to change Connla into later.

"Ahh, at last!" Da Vinci exclaimed. "It's finally time for the grand unveiling of my latest project!"

Caster glanced around, then asked, "What is all of this supposed to be?"

"Tee hee… I could start off with some preamble about the many inspirations behind this invention, but considering we're in the middle of a medical procedure, I'll skip ahead to the good parts."

The inventor dramatically gestured to the coffin-pod and declared, "Ta daaah! Here it is – the REM Catcher!"

Everyone else looked bewildered. Medb was the one to finally wonder, "The… REM Catcher?"

"Yep. In case you're not familiar, REM stands for rapid-eye movement sleep, which is the state which humans are most likely to experience dreams within. Combine that with the dreamcatchers of Native American cultures, and we have a method of capturing visions and turning that data into a video we can observe in real-time! Quite frankly, it's not that much different from how you can decode SSTV radio signals and convert them into still images, except that we're turning the brain signals from Connla's cranial Runes into a viewable movie, of sorts."

Alter appeared incredibly uncomfortable once he heard that it literally involved reading Connla's brain. Before he could say anything, Da Vinci interrupted him and said, "Before we go wondering if this is dangerous, let me assure you that I've tested it on several of the staff, and all of them report feeling perfectly fine after waking up."

"You seriously expect me to believe you just like that, woman?"

"No, but we don't have the luxury to argue with each other, do we? Not while the little lady's Spirit Origin is so unstable."

"Tch… Fine. You might be gung-ho about recording her visions, but I only care about replenishing her prana stores."

"Not to worry. The REM Catcher also doubles as a healing pod for severely injured Servants. There are settings for fast healing, but I've turned then down as low as possible so her recovery will be nice and gradual. If we try to reintroduce too much mana into her system, her body might actually go into shock."

"How long are we talking about?"

"Oh, maybe a month or two. Considering that we'll be purposely sedating her for so long, her mind could wind up going to a parallel world for some lengthy, epic adventure. Or maybe she'll witness a bunch of short vignettes. Who knows, really? When you're dealing with the Kaleidoscope, it's all a throw of the dice."

"I see…" Alter murmured. "That's a long time for me to stay out of battle, but it'd be too much of a risk for me to fight when the kid and I are now one Servant. I'd probably have to stick around and act as a guard for her body anyway, in case Daoloth tries to hijack it again."

Roman nodded. "You're right. Until we understand how you two will function as Foreigners, I can't recommend doing anything too hasty for now."

"Don't worry. I may not be the most patient guy around, but even I know how high the stakes are here."

Nightingale approached him and said, "Now then, we must prepare the patient."

"Right."

The two Servants plus Roman went off into the corner and took care of Connla, while the others left the chamber to give them some privacy. Alter changed her clothing into a hospital gown, while Roman administered the strongest sedative he had. Once Connla was set into the pod, Nightingale hooked her up to numerous devices that would monitor her vitals, fixed dozens of wired pods around her head, and stuck a breathing tube down her throat. With everything ready, some warm water energized with a miniscule amount of mana filled the sealed pod, encasing her completely in fluid. She slightly floated within the water, but was otherwise comfortable as she slept soundly.

"There. If I'm following Da Vinci's instructions correctly, then we should be all set," Nightingale said.

Alter leaned over the pod and placed his hand on the glass as he stared at the sleeping Connla. Although it was difficult for him to see her like this, he also knew that she was in the best possible place, surrounded by people who wanted her to get better. Compared to how hideous she looked when he found her in the abandoned dimension, this was a much better sight for him to tolerate. Besides, he could feel what she was going through, as if her emotions had become a sixth sense for him. Waves of confusion and pain washed through him as he received emotional signals from her Spirit Origin. Although he couldn't verbally talk with her, he could respond with his own signals to keep her calm.

Don't worry, kid. The worst of it is over. Everything's gonna be fine from now on.

Meanwhile, Connla Aibi remained in Da Vinci's workshop by herself. The inventor asked her to wait there until she had called for her, but she didn't know how long it was going to take. To pass the time, Aibi entertained herself by solving some difficult mathematical equations from a textbook she found. In the back of her mind though, she thought, I hope Ms. Da Vinci doesn't take too long. Lord Gilgamesh must be itching for me to get to work as his full-time retainer, just as I promised him.

At the same time, she also fretted about Connla and her terrible condition. She felt responsible for not being there to prevent any of this. Da Vinci must have predicted this, because she immediately told her not to blame herself, and that everyone in Chaldea was going to take care of her counterpart. As much as Aibi wanted to follow such good advice, it was much easier to do so logically rather than emotionally. All she could realistically do was get herself acclimated with the organization and find out what she could do to help in the near future.

As Aibi completed another logic puzzle, she heard the door slide open. She expected to see Da Vinci, but was surprised to be greeted by someone else.

"Ah…" Van Gogh gasped when her eyes met Aibi's. "I-I-I'm sorry… I thought it was empty in here, so I…"

"It's okay. Are you looking for Ms. Da Vinci?" the Celtic Servant asked. "I'm afraid she's not here right now. Once she gets back, she said she has some business for me."

"I see… That's a relief."

"A relief? Why do you say that?"

"Well… eh he he he… I, uh… finished my painting that I promised her. But I'm way too nervous… to show it to someone… so famous."

Aibi tilted her head. "Really? I haven't known her for very long, but she seems like a nice person."

"I'm sure she is. But her legacy… is much, much greater than mine will ever be. I don't even think I deserve to breathe the same air as a true genius. I should just eat a tube of Paris green paint and die."

"Please, don't be so hard on yourself," Aibi assured, fully appreciating the irony behind her words. "If Ms. Da Vinci is expecting this painting of yours, wouldn't it be worse if she was disappointed over not receiving it?"

Van Gogh's eyes shifted away as she considered that possibility. "Well… maybe. A true starving artist never lets down their client, after all."

"How about this then? Let's bring it in here together, and we can set it up on an easel so she can look at it when she has free time."

"… Yeah. That would be good… Eh he he he…"

The two girls went to Van Gogh's atelier, then carried her canvas into the workshop and set it on an easel. While they were working, Van Gogh had the brevity to ask, "B-By the way… you wouldn't happen to be Connla, would you? You know, the little Lancer girl whose innocence attracts both good and bad company…"

"That, I am," Aibi confirmed.

"But… y-you're supposed to be a sick child… Or did you grow up and get better somehow? How did that happen? Am I missing something here?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that. I'm a different one who lived long enough to be an adult. The girl you know is resting in the medical ward."

"Oh… a second one. Right, I get it. How dumb of me. He he he he… I should've realized that after seeing so many variants of the same Servants. It's like Master's private copy-and-paste harem, wouldn't you say?"

Aibi wasn't sure what to make of Van Gogh's statements, so she just shrugged and said, "I wouldn't know."

"Well, whatever. I better get out of here before Da Vinci sees me trespassing. When you have free time, come back to my place. I want to reward you with some elderflower cordial."

"All right."

Van Gogh scrambled out of the workshop, chuckling in a deranged manner to herself as she stumbled her way down the hall. Aibi didn't know what that was supposed to be about, and figured it would be smarter not to ask.

In the command center, Sylvia and several of her colleagues worked feverishly at the computers, analyzing the information that the Near-Future Observation Lens SHEBA was giving them. The blonde-haired technician kept going over the numbers repeatedly to ensure they were accurate, fearing she would miss some sort of crucial detail within the mad rush of information being fed to her monitor.

"Unbelievable…" Sylvia whispered in sheer amazement.

Roman, Ritsuka and Mash (with Fou on her shoulder) entered the command center and approached the stunned analyst. Mash leaned in next to her and said, "We got your call, Sylvia. Is something the matter?"

"I think it would be better if you take a look at this," was the vague reply as she pushed her chair back and let the others see the readings.

"… Ah!" Ritsuka gasped. "Is it true!? Did SHEBA finally find the Seventh Singularity!?"

"It would seem so. Thanks to the Lion King's hint about it being further in the past than King Solomon's time, and the fact that human history only really began leaving records in the Mesopotamian era, we narrowed the scope down between 4000 to 1011 BC. It was still a rather large search area, which is why it took such a significant amount of time to find it. However, it has been finally pinpointed at some time around 2600 BC in the Babylonian region. If we allow this Singularity to fully manifest, the most fundamental foundation of human history will instantly crumble."

"So the day has finally come," Roman said. "The other Singularities were just warm-ups for this one. Nevertheless, we must make our move. If we do not, the lost year of 2019 will become a reality."

"Mash…" Ritsuka murmured. She remembered what happened when they returned from the Camelot Singularity – of how Mash unexpectedly started bleeding, and then collapsed right in front of her.

"Senpai?" the Shielder glanced at her partner.

"Fou?" the white rabbit-like creature mimicked her.

"… No. You're right, Doctor. I guess the only question is, when do you want us to depart?"

Roman said, "We'll have the Spiritron Coffins ready for you two come tomorrow morning. I want you both in the Rayshift chamber at 10 am sharp so we can go over the pre-Rayshift briefing."

"That means I should decide which Servants to bring with-"

"I don't think it's going to be so easy this time. Remember, we're talking about a distance of around 5000 years into the past. Even Septem, the oldest of the six Singularities we fixed, was only about 2000 years ago. Reaching so far back into such an ancient time is going to put a significant strain on the Spiritron Coffins just for you two. Sending even just one Servant with you would be many times more difficult, if not outright impossible. Now if Mash was to set up a summoning circle, our connection may become strong enough to send you some Servants as backup."

"So we need to recruit allies there, and/or find a Leyline ASAP."

"I'm afraid so. Still, considering that it's Babylonia we're talking about, there's a good chance that you'll meet some notable Sumerian heroes."

"Like Gilgamesh and Enkidu, right?" Mash beamed.

"That depends on what point in Gilgamesh's life you wind up Rayshifting to," Roman admitted. "If it is during his reign as a wise king, you may fare better. If it's during his more tumultuous rule when he sought the elixir of immortality, well…"

Although Ritsuka didn't feel entirely confident, she still managed to assure, "We know how our Gilgamesh behaves, so I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"Say," Mash said. "If Senpai and I are Rayshifting there, what is Waver going to do in the meantime? It's been determined that he has the aptitude for Rayshifting as well."

Roman shook his head and firmly told her, "I'm not going to send him. We took the first four Singularities for granted, thinking they were formulaic investigations that wouldn't result in too many casualties. The Fifth and Sixth Singularities escalated in their destructive capacities so quickly that even I'm still reeling from it. I'm not willing to make that mistake with this one, and I estimate that what we'll face will be significantly worse than anything we have seen thus far. Waver witnessed the death of his parallel world, and I've been treating him for anxiety because of it. He doesn't have the mental fortitude to cope with such an outrageous incident like you do. Therefore, I'm keeping him on standby in case something else happens on our end."

"I understand. It would've been reassuring to have him around, but maybe having too many cooks in the kitchen would be a bad idea for this mission."

"That's right. Throw too many Masters onto the field, and the Servants might not know who to obey."

"Okay," Ritsuka said. "Mash and I will spend the remainder of our standby time resting."

"Good. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."

In the quarantine chamber, Da Vinci stood in front of Connla's healing coffin typing away at the keyboard. She wanted to make sure that the REM Catcher's secondary function was ready to go – that was, the ability to scan the child Servant's brain and transform what her eyes saw into images on a specialized monitor. So long as its primary function – healing her Spirit Origin – worked properly, Da Vinci could take her time refining her invention so that it didn't cause any unnecessary damage to Connla's brain.

With her were Chaldea's four Cuchulainns – Lancer, Caster, Alter, and Prototype. They sat on chairs surrounding the pod, and all of them couldn't take their eyes away from the sleeping girl's tranquil face. They listened to her rhythmic breathing through the oxygen mask and the constant beeping of the heart monitor. Between them, the mood was understandably despondent and somber.

"And that should do it," Da Vinci said. "Sorry for the wait, fellas. I just needed to make some last-minute adjustments."

"So why did you call us?" Lancer asked. "You said you had some kind of important announcement. Does it have anything to do with this crazy gadget you're working on?"

"Hmmm, not entirely. For starters, I did want you guys to at least know the REM Catcher's working like a dream, figuratively speaking. It won't be long before it starts picking up signals from Connla's ocular nerves and transmitting them as moving pictures. I can't promise how well the image quality will be though, so I'm going to stick around and refine the measurements until I get it right."

"So is about the Seventh Singularity being found?" Prototype wondered.

"Nope. Roman will be handling that business for now. Once my hands are free, I'll be joining him in the command center."

"Then what is it?" Caster grumbled. "Sigurd and I need to keep monitoring the kid's cranial Runes, yet you asked him to leave for a while."

"Calm down, mate. The computers are telling me that everything's hunky dory for now. I wanted to free you guys up so that I could introduce you to a new member of our team."

"Oh? Who would that be?"

"Hee hee… I've been saving this one so I can get your reactions on video," Da Vinci chuckled as she pulled out a camcorder and started shooting.

Alter smoked a cigar and growled, "Quit screwing around, bimbo. I'm not in the mood for your childish games."

"When are you ever?"

"Touche."

"Now, now, before we get our tights in a twist, let me bring her in so you can say hi."

The inventor pointed the camera toward the door, then called out, "You can come in now!"

The four Cuchulainns turned their collective attention upon the entrance. A few seconds later, the door clicked and slowly opened, as if the person on the other side was nervous was barging in on them inappropriately. A familiar yet simultaneously unfamiliar lady with long lavender hair done in a low ponytail slipped through, gradually revealing herself to everyone.

"Wha-!?" Lancer choked.

The other Cuchulainns reacted in a similar manner. Alter's jaw hung so low that his cigar slipped out from between his teeth and dropped to the floor. Da Vinci recorded their reactions with a delighted smile all over her face.

Aibi shifted her eyes across the room, anxiously inspecting each person before finally speaking:

"Um… hello, everyone."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hooray, another one finished! Now are you guys starting to see why I made that mini-poll about doing either the Babylonia rewrite or the Celtic Lostbelt? As you can see, the story's branching off in those two directions concurrently, so I wanted to be sure of what you guys wanted me to write first. I may do little bits here and there of the story that didn't win, but the bulk of my energy and uploads will be devoted to the winner for next year. The following year will be the other story.

As far as this story goes, hopefully all of the twists and turns that happened in the last few chapters didn't confuse you guys too much. I know it was a lot at once, and that was on top of this being my attempt at Lovecraft-styled fiction. Not so much in the writing style since mine is way more literal and concise than what is seen in Lovecraft, but in the reactions everyone has to experiencing such bizarre events and figuring out a way to overcome them. Plus this was a way to explain Foreigners into this universe without the Salem Pseudo-Singularity. I had been thinking about explaining what Aibi's class is, but decided not to since that'll be too much of a mind screw for you all, so I'm saving it for later.

In the meantime, enjoy speculating about Aibi's class, and I will see you guys again sometime in 2023. Bye for now!

- Benit149, 2022