FATE/PARALLEL COLORS

Chapter 8: Little Guardian's Exam

Cuchulainn Alter sat next to Connla's bed and watched over her as she took a much-needed nap. He held her hand and connected his Spirit Origin with hers through her thumb ring, the symbol that bound them together for eternity. He hoped that this would prevent the Outer God from interfering with her body, since then it would have to abduct her while she was under his strict supervision. He remained silent like this for the next two hours, anxiously waiting to see when someone would return from the meeting and tell him what they discovered.

The tension was starting to get to Cuchulainn, and he grew impatient. However, he couldn't bring himself to just leave her here and take off for the simulator. He had considered hauling Connla on his back piggyback style, but decided that it would be a bad idea after she came so close to death out in the Antarctic wasteland. He sighed multiple times, trying to convince himself to be patient and wait.

Eventually, he heard the door click open, and he shot his eyes over to see who was coming inside. To his surprise, it was a rather small crowd of people who surrounded the bed. Among everyone present were Roman, Nightingale, Sigurd, Cuchulainn Caster, Irisviel, and Medea. Cuchulainn Alter was rather baffled as to why such a motley crew were here to see him.

"We need to talk, Alter," Roman said. "Is Connla asleep?"

"She's been like this for the last two hours. She should wake up anytime soon. Why, is it an emergency?"

"We're thinking of performing an operation on her."

The Berserker was genuinely baffled. "An operation? What for?"

Medea told him, "We don't want to alarm you, but there's something we need to extract from the young lady before this situation gets any worse."

He was growing more and more confused with their vagueness. Cuchulainn Caster approached the opposite side of the bed and shook Connla's shoulder to stir her awake, while urging, "Come on, kid, get up. We've got to talk to you."

"Mmgh…" the child Lancer moaned and cracked her eyes open, making eye contact with him. "C-Caster… Is something the matter?"

"There's a lot we've found out about you, and we need to take care of it as soon as possible."

"Like what?"

He proceeded to explain everything that had been revealed during the meeting. The Outer God's identity appeared to affect Connla, as she looked wistful while whispering, "Daoloth…"

"Do you remember hearing that name somewhere before?"

She paused for an uncomfortably long while. Eventually, she murmured, "I'm not sure. It kind of feels familiar, like that déjà vu sensation you get when you experience something you somehow predicted was going to happen. It's not exactly a clear memory… More like something my body remembers, rather than my mind."

"I see. Well, we think you somehow made contact with the Outer God back when you were alive, which has had an effect on your summoning as a Servant. Can you recall anything like that?"

"Not really. I don't even know what it takes for a human to witness an alien god's presence in the first place."

"Van Gogh told us what the criteria is for her being summoned as a Foreigner-class Servant," Roman said. "Apparently, a person needs to make contact with an Outer God and survive with their sanity intact. If they went insane, that'd be no different than them becoming a Berserker. Not only that, the person winds up gaining a piece of the Outer God's power, so they can use it as a Servant. We want to perform an operation on you in order to find that piece and extract it for analysis, if it's possible."

"You think there's a piece of Daoloth's power inside me?"

"It might be what's causing these strange occurrences with you lately."

Connla tilted her head and wondered, "What makes you think there's something inside me in the first place?"

Medea told her, "There's an alien entity lurking within the Andromeda Galaxy, and my Spirit Origin was affected just from looking at it through the observatory's monitor. With Roman and Iri's help, I managed to remove its lingering effects from me, and I crystallized it into a fragment of Sorcery Ore."

She showed her a necklace with a small blue crystal affixed to the chain like a pendant. Medea continued, "I want to use this to try and dowse your body, hopefully to see if we can find a similar wavelength. If it's a match, then we know it's Daoloth we're dealing with."

"I see… Well, go ahead."

Connla laid flat on her back and allowed Medea to stand over her while dangling the crystal pendant over her. She hovered it over her feet and legs first, then gradually moved to her arms and torso. The reaction seemed to be getting stronger as she progressed to her shoulders. Just then, the gemstone pulled with such force that it snapped itself off the chain and affixed itself directly atop Connla's geas mark on her collarbone, similar to a powerful magnet. The girl was so stunned that she yelped, "Ah!?"

"W-What the-?" Roman gasped. "What's going on here?"

"Damn it. This is worse than I expected," Medea grimaced. "This is a much stronger reaction than I could've ever imagined."

"What does it mean?"

"Well, it's definitely a match. We can say with total confidence that Daoloth is the one lurking in the Andromeda Galaxy. The thing is that I wasn't expecting such an intense response. It must mean that his influence on her Spirit Origin is much greater than we could have anticipated. If I had to go on a limb, I would assume that the young lady possesses the qualifications necessary to be summoned as a Foreigner-class Servant herself."

That assessment swallowed the entire room in a disconcerting silence. Then, Connla nervously clasped her hands together and murmured, "Well… actually… Aisling is this so-called Foreigner class herself."

Medea's eyes widened in surprise. "Is she?"

"But I don't think she's on the Throne of Heroes. She was originally summoned as a Lancer, but something horrific happened to her, and she wound up being corrupted into a Foreigner by Daoloth."

"Hm…" Roman murmured to himself. "I am rather curious about Aisling's circumstances, but the important thing for now is to do something about Daoloth's control over you. It's obvious that he's trying to put you into dangerous situations as a means of killing you, and we need to put a stop to that immediately. That's why we need to operate on you – to remove the fragment he's using to possess you. Medea's dowsing has allowed us to pinpoint exactly where the fragment is, so it's just a matter of excising it, then having our best minds analyze it."

"So that's why you have so many Servants with you?" Connla wondered.

"Yes," Irisviel said. "I was asked to focus on healing you alongside Ms. Nightingale, since I'm sure this will be an incredibly difficult process for you."

"As for myself," Sigurd said, "Cuchulainn Caster and I will be monitoring your cranial Runes. There's the possibility of Daoloth tampering with them during the surgery, so we will make sure nothing happens with them."

"Medea and I will be handling the extraction," Roman added. He faced Cuchulainn Alter and told him, "There's something we're going to need you to do as well."

The Berserker narrowed his eyes, then grumbled, "Let me guess – tethering my Spirit Origin with hers while she falls into an Imbas Forosnai dream."

"You catch on quick. There's no doubt that she has to be put under anesthesia. That, coupled with the stress from all of the physical and mental trauma she's been going through lately, will inevitably trigger another one of her visions. To be honest with you, I'm surprised she hasn't had one yet. Still, better to cause one under a controlled environment like this, don't you think?"

Alter sighed deeply and contemplated everything he was being told. Connla glanced at him nervously and moaned, "Are you… against it?"

"Hmph. If I was, I'd literally be agreeing to let you walk around with a piece of an alien inside you. If that's not the summit of insanity, I don't know what is."

"Mm…" she shuddered, then held his hand close to her. "I'm scared… I don't want this thing inside me… I'm already having a hard time understanding my cranial Runes and Imbas Forosnai abilities as it is. To think that an Outer God could potentially mess with them and turn me into a vegetable at any time…"

"We're not going to let that happen. He's done more than enough damage to you already. If this will let us figure out a way to defeat Daoloth, then I'm all for it. The sooner I can run Gae Bolg through him, the better," Alter assured. He then glared at Roman and demanded, "So when do we start?"

"Right away, if you want."

"Good. Let's do it."

With that, Alter and Nightingale prepared Connla for the surgery while the others went to the operating table and discussed their individual tasks. Once the Lancer was ready, she was brought in and laid upon the table. In that moment, she truly felt like she had no control of her life. Yet, she knew that she was surrounded by people she could trust, so she wasn't quite as scared as she thought she would be. Alter's firm grip on her hand also helped calm her nerves. Eventually, Roman injected some anesthesia into her arm, and the soothing sensation of slumber immediately overwhelmed her.

"Sweet dreams," was the last thing she heard the doctor say to her before she fully blacked out.

In a certain living quarters designed to resemble the interior of Uruk's grand ziggurat, Gilgamesh sat upon his throne. To say that his mood was foul was quite the understatement. He sported a clearly displeased expression as he filled a golden goblet with high-class wine, then added a potent sedative to help him fall asleep faster. After consuming some of the beverage, he felt his eyelids become heavy, and he allowed the sensation of sleep to take him over. He remained sitting upright, and he rested his chin upon his hand.

It didn't take long for him to control his subconscious persona through the realm of dreams, navigating through an endless sea of stars until he landed upon a familiar desolate cliff. He glanced around to see if he had company. When he realized he didn't, he called out in a stern tone, "I know you can hear me, mongrel. Come out, or you will be put to death for making me wait."

A few seconds later, an array of white and mint green glitter twinkled before him. They coalesced into a humanoid figure, then burst with a bright light as a familiar young woman materialized before him. The lavender-haired lady in the bright green bodysuit appeared rather confused as she said, "Goodness. I know it's been a while, but I never thought you'd want to contact me on such short notice. Normally you don't give out the death penalty unless it's for a very good reason."

"Well, I certainly have a valid reason for my harried summons," Gilgamesh told her.

His demeanor was rather terse, which made her rather uncomfortable. She fidgeted her hands, then asked, "Have I done something wrong?"

"Not at the moment. However, if you insist on hiding information from me any further, then I will have no choice but to be upset with your impertinence."

"What do you mean? Has something happened with Geal?"

"Let me make something perfectly clear, woman. I do not cavort with everyone within Chaldea's walls so easily. I only give my attention to those who personally work to their utmost to please me. That is why it was particularly difficult for me to observe the runt merely on the whims of a stranger I only met in a dream. Despite maintaining the professional distance required of a king of my stature, I have watched over the runt as she feverishly worked to keep my chambers clean, and provided much-needed entertainment with the shenanigans she has been involved in."

If the king's glare wasn't harsh enough before, his eyes were probably sharp enough to chop a tree down.

"However… this has gone on far enough. Even I know when to establish limits with how much one of my retainers can suffer. I already decided that the runt was worth my blessing after the Akakor incident. Now she has an alien god targeting her, and there's another version of her corrupted by said god? What kind of jest is this? Just how much does the runt have to soldier through before the whims of fate, destiny and karma are satisfied? Is her luck really so terrible that she's had to grow adjusted to living like this just to make it through the day?"

The woman cast her eyes down in anxious silence. She then murmured, "I apologize… I did not mean to keep you ignorant of the truth. I was simply fearful of what Daoloth would do to you if he knew you were involved."

"So you're aware of what is going on."

"Yes. Cliste asked me to keep an eye on Aisling, since she wasn't able to do so herself."

"Hoh. So that's why you got me away from Aisling's wrath during our previous encounter. It appears that Cliste's reach into the Kaleidoscope was greater than I anticipated."

"Indeed. She was amazing at peering into so many different dimensions and making contact with as many counterparts as she could, all so she could save Aisling. She was probably close to understanding the Second Magic itself, even if it was something she never asked for. It's just a shame that Geal had to go through such a cruel ordeal to put Cliste to rest. And now you're telling me that Daoloth is going after Geal when she's in such a fragile state?"

"Precisely."

Gilgamesh then approached the lady and forcibly snatched her wrist.

"That's why I'm not letting you go until you tell me everything I want to hear. As of this moment, you have the threat of death looming upon you unless you come clean."

"Quite the subpoena you're making there."

"I'm a king. I don't need to go through such a frivolous procedure."

"I suppose so… Well, we have all the time in the world. If it will help Geal in any way, then ask me anything you would like."

"First of all, I must know what to address you as. The runt would be thrilled to learn that another one of her counterparts was concerned about her welfare, and my understanding is that you all address each other with nicknames to circumvent the geas you all possess that seals your True Names."

"You're right. I figured you knew what my True Name was, but I never did tell you what my nickname was. Well, I kind of went through a lot in my own world. Cliste witnessed what my life was like and decided to call me Aibi, or 'the Mature One', because my outlook on other Servants… well… let's just say it's not the best. That's why I prefer staying by myself in this little space, detached from every other world out there."

"Yet you appear to have gotten along with some other version of me."

"That's a story and a half in itself. I don't think it's relevant to our discussion right now."

"Very well. Once I make you my personal property and drag you into Chaldea, then you may regale me with your tale. Now then, Aibi, you are to tell me everything you know about Daoloth and Aisling. Be prompt and concise about it."

Aibi nodded. "I understand. This might take some time, so please bear with me."

At the same time Gilgamesh fell into slumber, so too did Connla as the anesthesia overwhelmed her physical senses. It was that same, familiar feeling of sinking through an ocean of shifting colors. Her mind drifted through the Kaleidoscope, until she felt one of her counterparts pulling her in on some sort of ambiguous tether. Before long, Chaldea Connla's psyche was fully absorbed into this mystery Connla's Spirit Origin, and she would once again passively watch as a new adventure unfolded before her eyes.

It was a beautiful day, just like any other. The vast fields of green grass and wild flowers swayed in the breeze, and the occasional cloud dotting the bright blue sky drifted along wherever the wind carried them. The temperature was perfectly mild – not too hot, not too cold. In particular, the strong smell of bergamot and various herbs tickled the child Lancer's nose, bringing a brief sense of calm. She was sitting against a thick tree eating some sandwiches and crackers, taking a break from her training to recover her strength. She was in the middle of a very important exam, so she wanted to make use of this rest period as much as possible.

"Connla."

She was distracted from her gazing by a woman's sharp contralto voice. She hurriedly munched the last of her food and swallowed it before turning to face her visitor. The maroon-haired woman in the deep purple bodysuit approached her student with a rather bemused expression as she remarked, "I said you could take it easy for now, but you should know never to let your guard down."

"Of course I know, Teacher," the girl replied. "This is a brand new territory that the Moon Cell created. Who knows what sort of untamed enemies might be lurking around here?"

"Very good. That sort of diligence will carry you far, especially since I'll be tasking you with guarding this particular territory should you graduate."

"You make it sound like that conclusion is all too obvious for you."

"Well, I won't deny that you're making good progress. But don't get sloppy – the hard part of the exam starts now."

"A combat simulation…" Connla murmured, becoming anxious as she tightly gripped her spear. She had to show that she was at least ready and willing to take on her next trial.

"Right," Scathach said, then waved her arm in an arc. The area seemed to transform into isolated islands on her silent command, each connected by wind tunnels that could be used to jump between them. "As of this moment, Erin's Expanse is now divided into multiple sectors. Your mission is to drive out the enemy forces and recapture each sector. How you approach this task will be at your discretion. You will be on a time limit of 20 minutes. Make it back here before that time expires, and you will pass the combat portion of your exam." †

"Okay…" the younger Lancer murmured as she took a minute to examine the map her mentor provided.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then without further ado. Five… four… three… two… one… GO!"

On the word 'go', Connla instantly sprinted for the nearest tunnel and leapt through, flying to her first sector. Her dash was so potent that it ripped several blades of grass out of the ground, swirling in the air before falling back down in a miniature whirlwind. Scathach couldn't help but chuckle as she adjusted her hair and muttered to herself, "Heh heh… What an eager beaver. Maybe 20 minutes was a little too generous for her?"

In the first sector, Connla was greeted by a tremendous horde of humanoid robots wielding swords, all clearly intent on killing her with them. She knew what these were – it was already covered on the written portion of the exam she took earlier in the morning. These were Attack Programs, programmed only with the prerogative to invade territory through any offensive means necessary. While their numbers were limitless, they were nothing in the face of a Servant's full might. Despite having to challenge such a daunting force, she wasn't particularly worried. She just needed to kill enough of the Attack Programs in order to draw out the Aggressors, the main units responsible for controlling the sector.

With that, Connla got to work. Since Servants summoned on the Moon Cell were granted Anti-Army combat abilities by default, her sweeping spear swings and stunning stabs could affect any and all opponents who interfered with her. Robots were sent twisting and flying everywhere as she tore through them like a living wind storm. As each one disappeared, a gauge filled up indicating when the Aggressors were ready to appear. Once enough Attack Programs were felled, the more robust Aggressors appeared and attempted to gang up on her. She conjured a volley of viridian-colored wind around her boar spear and hurled it with great force like an arrow, defined as an ability called Magic Spear Throw. This blew away the newcomers with frightening ease, but she needed to actually finish them off with some more concentrated strikes.

Once the final enemy was destroyed and the sector belonged to her, all of the lesser Attack Programs were immediately decimated. Within the deluge of robots raining around her, Connla wasted no time rushing at full speed for the next sector. She dashed through the tunnel and landed in new territory occupied by more Attack Programs, plus some stronger Aggressors wielding axes. These wouldn't be as easy to catch off guard due to them having sturdier armor. Since Connla didn't have a lot of endurance, she had to be quick and precise with taking them down without getting hurt too much. After all, she didn't have a Master's Command Spells to rely on for a resurrection if things got bad.

Let's try a Pommel Twist and see if that'll scoop them off their feet.

Connla planted her spear blade-first into the ground, then conjured some wind Runes on her feet and performed some acrobatic kicks while twirling her body around the pole. With a strong upward kick, she pulled the weapon back out and slashed once at the crowd of stunned Aggressors, whipping them back with the strongest wind blast her Runes could muster. This was enough to finish off the stronger opponents without sustaining any damage. Satisfied that this sector belonged to her, she proceeded through a new tunnel to her next destination.

The Aggressors this time were hulking behemoths with arms made out of spiked orbs, accompanied by more sword- and axe-wielders. Even if she used her attack skills, she suspected they wouldn't even budge. The difficulty was clearly being amped up here, so she needed to start getting serious.

I have enough Moon Drive. If I take out the more mobile Aggressors, then farm some more Moon Drive from the grunts while keeping my distance from the giants, I should have enough to fully charge my Noble Phantasm for the final sector.

Moon Drive was an ability that Servants summoned on the Moon Cell could utilize, granting them a temporary boost in strength and durability. All while Connla was killing Attack Programs everywhere, she was absorbing Moon Drive from their remains and keeping it on hold for an emergency such as this. Servants could technically be considered the highest level of Attack Programs, so the link between them made reasonable sense. She activated her Moon Drive mode, then dashed in and bullied the axe-wielding enemies with a bombardment of strikes where she swept back and forth at random everywhere along the ground, classified as her next combat skill, Spear Craft: Fangs of Earth. This cleaned up the area quite nicely, and when her Moon Drive expired, she continued assailing the grunt Attack Programs to prepare for a second one.

When her second Moon Drive was ready, Connla could finally rush at the giants and bash upon them with no remorse. While she wasn't particularly strong, she was much too quick for them to think about swinging their bulky spiked arms at her. Once she was ready, she activated her Drive Skill - an ability that consumed all of her Moon Drive to unleash a sure-fire killing blow. She summoned dozens of platform Runes and bounced along them so fast that a miniature tornado followed her wherever she went, scattering everything in her path and blowing them into shreds. With her Moon Drive drained, she landed a good distance away from the stormy carnage as it destroyed the last of the giants, and never looked back as she hurried for the final tunnel.

The force that Connla needed to contend with this time included a Facsimile Servant – roughly higher in intelligence than a Shadow Servant, but not as powerful as an actual Servant. The gigantic red-haired man in Chinese armor spotted his prey from the opposite side of the arena, stomped his foot so hard that it cracked the concrete ground, and unleashed a bellowing roar that rippled the air.

"GWOOOOAH!"

Connla cringed and thought, Uwah! The Flying General, Lu Bu Fengxian!? I know Teacher warned me to expect one of the Moon's Holy Grail War's strongest Servants, but I was expecting a copy of Father to show up! Then again, maybe that would have been a little too predictable?

Regardless, she needed to concentrate and defeat Lu Bu. Even if she used her Noble Phantasm, it definitely wasn't going to be enough to take down this living fortress of a man. Regardless, she had saved up for this moment, and she wasn't going to waste it fooling around. It wasn't just Lu Bu she needed worry about either – there were still giant Aggressors barreling for her. She needed to thin their numbers so she could focus on dueling Lu Bu without interruption. With her decision made, Connla raised her spear high over her head in an elegant pose as a violet flash of light surrounded her. The arena around her changed to a huge open field comprised of geometric shapes.

"Concealed identities… Blinking vignettes… Unsolved mysteries… Return from the void and be the wind that guides my nameless spear…"

Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny lights converged upon her weapon – the spirits of 'lesser heroes' who would never be summoned as Servants, yet performed heroic deeds of their own. This Noble Phantasm had two functions; to give these nameless heroes a Servant to loan their collective power to, and to also conceal her True Name. Usually, revealing a Noble Phantasm's name had the drawback of also revealing who the Heroic Spirit was. This particular Noble Phantasm circumvented that, since it represented the aspect of Connla being a 'hero without legend' – someone who had nearly been forgotten by history due to losing the only major battle of her lifetime, and thus would not be so easy to identify. This was especially beneficial to her since her biggest claim to fame was one of the geasa she possessed, specifically to never speak her True Name to anyone.

Lu Bu heard Connla chanting those words and positioned his spear Houtengeki in a throwing stance, then hurled it across the entire sector toward his much smaller opponent. The massive bronze lance descended upon her mercilessly, capable of bifurcating her if she didn't get out of the way. Luckily, the only thing Houtengeki struck was empty air.

"Bwuh?" Lu Bu yelped, looking around for where she disappeared to. Suddenly, his body was wracked with random flashes of pain, causing him to twist and turn uncontrollably on his heels. All he could see was a bright green streak of light rushing from all directions simultaneously, twinkling like a hundred stars each time it turned course and tore through his forces with reckless abandon.

"Laoch Gan Finsceal!"

Connla cried out the name of her Noble Phantasm, concluding the intense barrage by allowing it to explode as a Category 4 hurricane that picked up everything that wasn't nailed down and tossing it everywhere like so much garbage. The Lancer landed a good distance from the vicious tornado and fell upon her knees in exhaustion. While her Noble Phantasm was good for hiding her True Name, it had a price of its own – draining a lot of her magical energy and health. No matter how talented or skilled she wanted to be, she was still a growing child. All of this fighting and training wound up severely hampering her physical growth, to the point that she was much shorter than a regular seven-year old would be. Someone of her delicate stature really had no business attempting to fight on par with famous heroes who possessed far greater stamina than her. Alas, she had to give everything she had to achieve victory, even if it wound up injuring her in the end. She knew Scathach would not accept anything less than that. Maybe that was going to be the case with Cuchulainn as well, once she reunited with him sometime in the future…

Connla shook her head to fight off the fatigue, then glanced around to see where Lu Bu had fallen. To her astonishment, he was already back on his feet and charging for her! She needed to make some distance between them to regain her senses, so she performed a backflip to avoid being cut apart by his slamming spear, then ran at top speed towards the opposite side of the sector. While she was out of his sight, she planted some Ansuz Runes on the ground to function as land mines. The tactic worked, as while Lu Bu tried to chase her, he kept stepping on multiple unseen sigils that detonated all around him, gravely wounding him. Through the rising smoke, Connla leapt and smashed her feet against his face, causing them to skid along the ground in a heap together before she vaulted off him.

That last kick was enough to snap Lu Bu's neck backwards, and he collapsed back-first onto the ground, never moving again. His body dissipated into Spiritrons before vanishing altogether, and the sector was successfully captured. Any remaining Attack Programs were wiped out in a flash, and Connla was left standing there all by herself.

Another collection of Spiritrons coagulated, then formed into a second person. Moments later, Scathach fully materialized and approached her pupil with a satisfied expression. She clapped her hands and declared, "Excellent work, Connla. You finished the exam with five minutes to spare."

"Phew…" the girl sighed and sat on the ground, too exhausted to move another step. "Never mind running out of time… I thought Lu Bu was going to pulverize me…"

"Well, you didn't do too bad. You should be able to go toe-to-toe with Servants now."

"No… I don't think I can. That was a Facsimile Servant, not an actual one."

"Heh heh. Excellent. If you had forgotten that little detail, I would've been rather disappointed. It's a good sign that you always keep the full picture in mind."

"…"

"Come now, don't be too hard on yourself. If you could defeat a facsimile of Lu Bu, you shouldn't have much problem with your run-of-the-mill Servant. That's precisely the reason why I selected him as your Servant opponent. Barring the truly famous heroes, most Servants possess about the same level of power as that. So long as you keep your wits together and think of a plan, you can overcome any opponent. Your talents shine the best when you utilize cunning tactics, not brute strength like Setanta does."

Connla looked up at Scathach and murmured, "So about the exam…"

"Yes, of course. Although your technique needs some refinement, I can graduate you with full confidence. I will now entrust you with guarding Erin's Expanse from any potential invaders."

"I wonder if I can live up to your expectations…"

"I'm sure you will. This region isn't as large as Rome or the Millennium Capital, and it has the added trait of giving Celtic Servants a territorial advantage. You'll do fine."

Connla shakily got back onto her feet, then moaned, "Teacher… Do you really have to leave soon?"

Scathach's jovial mood quickly turned serious. "How many times have we discussed this already? I'm a Top Servant. Although we represent the pinnacle of each class container's prowess, we are not meant to be summoned as the Moon Cell's guardians for very long. It's a coincidence that we were summoned at around the same time, and I fully intended to make use of our time together before I had to embark on my quest."

"But I still have so much to learn. You just said my technique was sloppy, right? What did you mean by that?"

"You're a smart girl. You can figure it out on your own – perhaps even develop a style that is unique to you. If you're still feeling stuck, you can seek your father out and ask him for further training. I should warn you that he is rather immature for his age, and tends to fight like a wild animal rather than a trained soldier."

Connla warily glanced away and whimpered, "I know that all too well…"

"Indeed… Still, he would be thrilled to see that you're here. He'd be more than happy to give you some pointers in my stead. Although saying that, I highly recommend you stay away from the civilized regions for now. There's a war brewing, and I don't want you getting involved when you're not yet ready to join a large-scale conflict like that. Stay in Erin's Expanse and keep your head low. If any Servants attempt to recruit you, regardless of what side they represent, turn them down at once. Your job is to maintain this tiny little corner of SE. RA. PH until I come back with new instructions. Is this understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Good. Get some rest for now. When you wake tomorrow, I will have already departed for the war. Keep yourself busy with your training and custodial duties in the meantime."

"Okay."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

† - Erin is one of many former names for Ireland. It's the anglicized version of Éirinn, or "Ireland", since the country is named after the goddess Éire.