FATE/CATBOX FICTION
Chapter 3: Otherworldly Warning
The next morning, Connla woke up and immediately put on the specialized glasses that Sigurd crafted for her before. He instructed her to wear them anytime she experienced an Imbas Forosnai dream, no matter how mild it might have been. If she didn't, she would experience crippling headaches and sometimes see alternate versions of Servants that behaved completely foreign to her. Being able to witness events in parallel worlds wasn't as great as most believed, and she sometimes wished she didn't have this ability.
Right now though, those thoughts never crossed her mind as she thought about Cliste's pleas. Connla never imagined that one of her counterparts would directly ask her for help, so she was filled with sensations of dread and confusion. Numerous questions raced through her mind, yet she knew she wouldn't be able to find all of the answers here in Chaldea. However frustrated and disappointed she was with her inability to help Cliste right now, she knew she needed to calm down and pace herself. She was aware of her tendency to get antsy like this, so she decided to go for a walk to shake off the anxiety, then concentrate on investigating what she could.
Once she got dressed, Connla left her room and went for a stroll around Chaldea. She passed by the other Servants' rooms as they were busy conversing with each other. Some rooms were empty because those Servants were out collecting Ascension materials for Ritsuka. Delectable scents came out of the cafeteria as a brunch consisting of pancakes and sausages was being served. She wasn't hungry, so she quietly passed by and continued on her way.
Without any particular reason, Connla stopped in the middle of the hall leading to the royal Servants' grandiose chambers. That peculiar chill struck her again. She fidgeted her hands over her chest and glanced around nervously. During her walk, she kept experiencing that strange, heavy feeling in her upper breast. It was the same way one who behaved poorly in rainy weather would possess a gloomy mood during a storm.
There's no doubt in my mind now. Someone is pursuing me.
What was she supposed to do? The moment she made any movement to try and catch her pursuer, they would retreat into the shadows once more. Judging by the way she lost their presence as quickly as she noticed it, she believed she was dealing with one of the Assassin-class Servants activating their Presence Concealment as soon as she noticed them. The only Assassins she was cordial with were Mata Hari and Mysterious Heroine X, and neither of them were the type to slink around like this. Most of the other Assassins, particularly those of the Hassan-i-Sabbah cult, always kept to themselves and never interacted with her, so they had no reason to follow her.
Then again, Connla had to remember that she wasn't familiar with every Servant around Chaldea. So many new Servants were summoned on such a regular basis that it became difficult to acquaint herself with everyone. Maybe it was a newcomer who gained a peculiar interest in her, but didn't actually want to talk with her. Well, regardless if it was a new or veteran Servant, the fact remained that she didn't enjoy this heavy atmosphere looming over her whenever they were around. She needed to do something to catch this person and get them to talk.
"Good morn to you, Child of Cuchulainn," a man's deep, smooth voice snapped her out of her daze.
She looked in front and discovered Sigurd, the Saber who crafted her glasses, standing tall over her. He spotted her about a minute ago and waited to see if she would acknowledge him. She was so entranced with her concerns that she failed to notice he was there. She pitifully uttered, "G-Good morning, Lord Sigurd…"
"Is something the matter? Your eyes appeared particularly glazed over just now. You're wearing those glasses, so you must have had another vivid dream. Maybe you should go back to your room and lie down for a bit?"
"It was just a mild dream, so I'm okay."
"For a mild dream, you seem unusually distressed about something."
She mumbled to herself, then asked, "Um… I don't want to be bold or anything, but do you think I could ask a favor from you?"
"Of course you may."
Connla beckoned Sigurd to lean in close so she could whisper her request in his ear. He listened, and his expression turned grim. He nodded, then murmured, "Understood. Leave the rest to me."
"Thanks."
That night, the door to Connla's darkened room slid open. However, the person who stepped in wasn't the child Lancer. It was a fairly tall male figure donning a hooded capelet and a black bodysuit. His lower face was covered with a mask, making it almost impossible for anyone to see his eyes. His steps were slow and perfectly silent… Yet, he wasn't using Presence Concealment. The fact that the door slid open already betrayed his position. No, he was using a different tactic than most Assassins would.
Time Alter: Double Accel.
He turned his body into a condensed Reality Marble, using a form of time manipulation to heighten his speed. It wasn't affecting the world around him, but was instead localized to manipulating his own body's sense of time. This allowed him to escape from the doorway undetected and hug the darkened walls until he slipped into the kitchen. He canceled the spell and activated a variant called Time Alter: Double Stagnate, which slowed his heart rate and blood flow down to a barely detectable level. This allowed him to get in close to the figure sleeping under the covers of her bed without them noticing his presence.
The Assassin gripped his still-sheathed knife and approached the bed. He really had no intention of hurting his target – it was just a precaution in case she woke up and attacked him. He wouldn't blame her for it either, but his personal safety took priority over proper social graces. Still in his Double Stagnate mode, he gripped the edge of the covers, then slowly pulled them back.
"… Hm!?"
The 'figure' he discovered was actually a bundle of pillows tied together with rope.
Before he knew what was happening, the lights flicked on. He canceled his spell and immediately tried to escape through the door. However, he unexpectedly smacked against an invisible wall and stumbled back. He noticed flashes of light coming from the corners of the room and inspected them.
A Bounded Field comprised of Runes?
Then he remembered his target whispering something in a bespectacled man's ear earlier that day. If he recalled correctly, the black-garbed Saber's True Name was Sigurd, the great Dragon Slayer of Norse mythology. That meant he had to be familiar with Runecraft that his beloved Brynhildr taught him. This must have been the 'favor' that the Assassin's target requested for the Saber, and he cursed himself for being so careless.
"Hah!" the hooded man heard Sigurd's battle cry from behind him, and he turned around to parry a full-swinging Gram with his combat knife. The Assassin retreated and hit his back against the corner of the wall. He snatched his Calico M950 and attempted to shoot Sigurd down with machine gun fire. Before he could get a single shot out though, the gun was cleaved into two pieces. He stared in disbelief as the weapon and several unused bullets clattered to the ground. Sigurd was nowhere near the Assassin to destroy the gun, so what in the world happened?
Then, a sharp point poked against the hooded killer's chin, restraining him against the corner of the wall. He couldn't use Double Accel to escape since this second attacker could slice his throat faster than he could even flinch. He had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender.
"Excellent," Sigurd replied. "We've apprehended him. I believe it's safe to lower your weapon now, Connla."
"I'm nOt sO sUrE aBOuT tHAt," a heavily warped voice echoed from out of nowhere.
"No need to worry. I have him trapped in this Bounded Field. If he wants to leave, then he'll first have to discuss what his business is with you."
"What the-?" the Assassin uttered, wondering where Connla was. His eyes shifted down when he noticed the air in front of him shimmer and distort. The spear pointing at his throat materialized first, followed by its wielder. Indeed, the one who destroyed the Calico M950 was Connla. She had turned invisible with her inherent Identity Concealment skill. On Sigurd's insistence though, she retracted her weapon and allowed the Assassin to recover his senses. His nearly-covered eyes fiercely glared at her as he demanded, "What's going on here? Why did I not detect either of you?"
"When you're dealing with practitioners of Runecraft, you really shouldn't be too surprised by the tricks we can pull off," Sigurd said. "One of Connla's geasa forbids her from saying her name, but it also gives her Identity Concealment – the ability to shield her presence by turning herself invisible and obscuring her name so that even a Ruler's True Name Discernment won't work. I figured I'd analyze that particular geas and try to copy its invisibility properties. Considering how well it worked on an Assassin, I'd say it was a successful experiment."
"Damn it. So you were both watching me the whole time."
"Correct. You were the one in the trap, not us."
"Hmph."
Sigurd got in front of Connla in case the Assassin had any plans of attacking them again. Even so, the young Lancer said to him, "I don't think I've ever met you before. Who might you be, anyway?"
She had a point; the two Servants had never spoken with each other until now. If he wanted this discussion to go smoothly, he would have to at least show his face to her. The man lowered his hood and mask, revealing a dark complexion, very messy white hair, and tired grey eyes indicating that he had seen his fair share of tragedy and sorrow in his lifetime. Any semblance of joy that he might have had was gone. All that remained was a hollow man who existed to end lives – an Assassin, and a Guardian.
"You're…" Sigurd whispered in surprise. Out of all the Assassins in Chaldea's ranks, he genuinely had not expected his Bounded Field to capture this particular one.
Connla tilted her head, wondering who the hooded fellow was. She glanced up at Sigurd and asked him, "Do you know who he is?"
"I have seen him on one or two occasions, though they have only been in passing. He was speaking with Irisviel though, so I asked about his identity and she divulged it to me."
The dark-skinned man scoffed silently, but did nothing to interrupt Sigurd. He continued, "This Assassin is not a traditional Heroic Spirit like you and I are, but a Guardian chosen to defend humanity from its own sinfulness. His name when he was alive was Emiya Kiritsugu. He used to be a Magus killer who hunted down criminal Mages, and then was contracted by the World to be a Guardian just before his death."
Connla narrowed her eyes and wondered, Emiya Kiritsugu… Where did I hear that name before?
After a moment of thinking, she remembered it from the dream she had of the alternate Fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Specifically, it was when Illyasviel confided in her Fuyuki counterpart about how her father Kiritsugu had abandoned her and adopted a boy named Shirou. Her eyes widened slightly as she recalled something else.
Wait a minute. Illyasviel said that her mother was named Irisviel, right? Is that the same Irisviel who has been summoned as a Caster here?
Connla stared intently at Kiritsugu, who likewise turned his attention to her with a listless gaze. She swallowed and realized, So then, that means Illyasviel's parents are here as Servants.
Was this something she really wanted to mention to Kiritsugu though? The Kiritsugu of this world was not the same as the Kiritsugu of that one, meaning that this one probably never met Irisviel and gave birth to Illyasviel. If Connla tried to ask him anything about it, he wouldn't know what she was talking about. Given his moody countenance, he would just get annoyed with her and refuse to explain what his business was with her.
No. I better not say anything. Best not to stick my nose into his business.
"What is it?" Kiritsugu demanded tersely. "If you have something to say, then say it."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Connla quickly replied. "So, is there something you wish to discuss with me about? I don't believe you would want to follow me unless you had something important to ask me."
"I suppose so. It's just that I'm not entirely sure of what is going on myself. If I simply tell you without any context, you might dismiss it as mere folly."
"If you're saying you've sensed something strange going on, then that's nothing new for Chaldea, right? Bizarre happenings are considered normal here."
"…"
"I don't want to sound trite, but if there's something you don't understand, then let's pool our resources together and figure it out. It might lead to something important, especially considering you're a Guardian."
He grunted, yet his lips couldn't resist curling into a slight smirk. "All right. At the risk of sounding insane, I'll explain why I have been following you. The truth is, I had an inexplicable nightmare a few days ago."
"What was it about?" Connla asked.
"I didn't 'see' anything per se, but I heard a young girl's voice. She kept begging for someone to kill her, all while surrounded by constant cries of anguish and confusion. When I woke up from that nightmare, I was drenched in a cold sweat like never before. I am accustomed to ignoring the cries of my victims as I mercilessly end their lives, but this is the first time I have ever heard of someone begging for me to kill them."
"I see. But what does this have to do with me?"
Kiritsugu's expression became dire as he responded, "The girl's voice sounded exactly the same as yours."
She froze up. "What?"
Sigurd asked him, "Are you certain of this?"
Kiritsugu nodded. "I have no doubts. That's why I was following this particular Servant for the last few while. I thought she was subconsciously reaching out to me and requesting a hit on her own life."
"Not at all!" Connla yelped. "I don't have any reason to do such a thing! Although I have been getting involved in some crazy incidents lately, I still enjoy my time here at Chaldea! I want to live my life out as a Servant as much as possible!"
"Is that so? Then I suppose this conversation is over," the Guardian grumbled and looked away.
"Wait," she stopped him. "It's true that I don't want to be assassinated… but what if we're actually dealing with one of my counterparts from a parallel world?"
"Hm?" His brow raised in curiosity as he mulled over the possibility. "Explain yourself."
"Have you read any of my records about the dreams I have of my alternate selves in other worlds?"
"I'm afraid not. I see little purpose in perusing such literature."
"Right… Well, the basic gist is that I experience a different version of myself through powerful dreams, usually after I suffer from extreme stress or am gravely injured. So far I've witnessed two major incidents, along with some minor ones here and there. Not only that, but I've actually made direct contact with one of my counterparts."
"You have!?" Sigurd barked in astonishment. "You never told me about this!"
Connla cringed. "Uh… Well, I was trying to keep it a secret until the time was right…"
"Incredible! This is a major step towards understanding the long-lost Second Magic! To think that you have spoken with someone from a completely separate universe! Why, that is just insurmountable for me to comprehend!"
Kiritsugu didn't seem as excited as Sigurd, since he bluntly interrupted, "Get to the point."
The Lancer then asked him, "Has this 'voice' given you any clues about who she could be? Has she said anything that sticks in your mind?"
He paused to think about his prior nightmares in candid detail. Soon, he replied, "I'm not sure if this is relevant to you, but she mentioned the word 'Akakor'. Other than that, she either rambled complete nonsense or kept pleading for death."
She was stunned silent, then suddenly became serious as she said, "I think I know what's going on. Or rather, I'm sure I actually know which one of my other selves is calling out to you."
He genuinely looked surprised by her assertion. "You do!?"
"Mm. None other than the counterpart that I directly spoke to."
Both men immediately felt uneasy when she said this. She then elaborated, "I, and any other versions of me that are summoned, possess the geas that Lord Sigurd described. That's why we've decided to call each other by nicknames. She goes by Cliste, or the 'Clever One', since she has a much stronger grasp of these dream-hopping abilities than I do."
"That makes sense. The girl from my dream told me the same thing," Kiritsugu said.
"But lately, I feel like something bad is happening to her. When I met with Cliste last night, she started acting totally out of character. She then mentioned the name Akakor, before I was suddenly cut off from her."
"Do you know anything about your friend's world? Did she tell you anything about what this Akakor thing is?" Sigurd wondered.
"No. Cliste said she knows about me and Chaldea though, so she definitely has dreamed of my life here. I wouldn't be surprised if she was dreaming about this very conversation right now."
"Hmm…"
"Furthermore, she said something that was quite unsettling for me."
"What did she say?"
"That she'll be the source of a new Singularity."
The Saber and Assassin became eerily silent after hearing her out. Connla became fidgety as she moaned, "I don't like this. I don't like it at all."
Sigurd nodded. "Agreed. At least she had the foresight to warn you though. This will give us an opportunity to prepare for what shall eventually transpire."
Kiritsugu then said in a cold tone, "If this Cliste girl really is the one requesting for me to kill her, then it is my prerogative to see it through to the bitter end."
Connla stared at the floor and sadly murmured, "I wouldn't say I totally approve of you killing her, but if it truly does come down to it, then… Well… I just don't know what to say."
"We have plenty of time to consider our options. It's just that we don't have enough information at the moment. For starters, do either of you even know what this Akakor business is supposed to be?"
"Not at all."
"I will have to second that," Sigurd admitted. "I find it hard to believe that there is something I cannot perceive with my Crystallized Wisdom. If anything escapes my knowledge, it would have to be something fictional that was written after my time."
"Fiction…" Connla whispered, recalling what Cliste said earlier:
"The line between… fiction and truth… will soon be drawn…"
She became serious as she said, "I need to go to the library. I'm sure there has to be some records of Akakor somewhere. If I find that out, then I could ask Ms. Da Vinci to run a detailed scan of that particular area."
"Didn't your friend say it was somewhere in the vicinity of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru in the South American continent?" Sigurd asked.
"She did. If it's not a real place that you recognize, then maybe it is from some sort of fiction. There's no rule saying that something which is fictional here can't be real in another world."
"Ah, of course," he grinned. "We must not apply our world's logic to another one, or we run the risk of limiting ourselves. In that case, I will accompany you in your research."
"Are you sure? You're not busy with any appointments or training sessions?"
"This is no time to be idling about. If our deductions are right, then we could be uncovering a major incident in the works. Besides, I would feel bad if I left you to do the legwork by yourself."
"Okay. Your help will be greatly appreciated, Lord Sigurd."
Kiritsugu remained quiet this whole time. Once he was sure they had reached their agreement, he interjected, "What do you want me to do in the meantime?"
"Well…" Connla murmured. "You don't have to help us with the research if you don't want to, but there is a favor I want to ask."
"What is it?"
"If you have another one of those nightmares, could you let me know as soon as possible? Especially if you pick up anything unusual she says. I don't know if she's calling out to you intentionally or not, but she might drop some more clues that way."
"I will. Now let me out of this barrier, Norse Dragon Slayer."
"Of course," Sigurd said and dispelled his Runes, allowing Kiritsugu to walk free. The Assassin quietly shifted into spirit form and disappeared out of the others' sights.
Over the next two days, Connla and Sigurd holed themselves in Chaldea's expansive library and pored over numerous books related to South American literature and history. They hadn't made much progress with Akakor itself, but they were gradually becoming more and more educated with South America's overall culture, geography and history. During the middle of the afternoon, Sigurd ran his fingers along the edges of many books he had already read, feeling frustrated that he couldn't find anything.
Soon though, his eyes caught sight of a thin book nestled between two hardcovers, and the title jolted his senses to life. He grunted, "Hm!? Could this be-!?"
"What's the matter?" Connla asked.
"I think this is it!"
He pulled the book out of the shelf and kneeled next to her to show her the cover. It read The Chronicle of Akakor, authored by Karl Brugger and prefaced by Erich von Däniken. Both Servants were excited to finally find something relevant to their search, and they eagerly sat down on the sofa to read its contents.
"So there are four separate 'books' to this story, each representing an animal – the Jaguar, the Eagle, the Ant, and the Water Serpent," Sigurd said. "This is perhaps the intended order for them to be read in."
"There was a little bit of data in the computer about this anthology, and how it was exposed as a scam," Connla said, then visibly frowned. "The saddest part of it all is that three explorers died chasing after something that never existed."
"That is the power of persuasion at work. When used properly, it can inspire acts of love and creation. When it is abused though, only violence and death follow. I fail to understand what ends this fraudster Hans Günther Hauck sought when he posed as the Indian chieftain Tatunca Nara, but nevertheless, he advertised himself as the descendant of a long-lost civilization. If I had to ascertain any sort of motive, it would be for recognition."
She stared down morosely, unable to comprehend such a selfish thing. Sigurd noticed her behavior and urged, "Come now, don't look so forlorn. What's done is done. All we can do now is glean what information we can and utilize this fictional story as the basis for what might be considered real in your friend's world."
"Mm."
They opened the book and started carefully reading through its contents, taking detailed notes along the way. They started with the Book of the Jaguar, which detailed the departure of the Gods in an event known as the Hour Zero, and how they left their wisdom to the Chosen Tribe, the Ugha Mongulala. The tribesmen built underground cities, and erected three grand temples on the surface. Then around 12,000 BC, a calamity dubbed the First Great Catastrophe struck the world. The details weren't very clear, but the destruction was incredible. The tribe only survived thanks to the underground cities they hid themselves within.
"Wait a minute," Connla murmured. "Wasn't there something major that happened to the world about 12,000 years ago? Something about a huge giant that wreaked havoc across the entire planet?"
"Indeed. You speak of Sefar, the White Titan who descended from space to destroy everything in her path. To be more precise though, if the event occurred in 12,000 BC, then it had to have happened 14,000 years ago for us."
"That's a good point."
"Regardless of the details, the timeline fits. Perhaps Nara avoided being specific about what the First Great Catastrophe was either because he didn't know about Sefar, or wanted to avoid mentioning her. Then again, it's easy to write about a meteor striking the Earth or something to that effect. Whether or not this is a coincidence is impossible to determine."
"I see."
They continued reading.
What followed the First Great Catastrophe was the Era of Darkness, where the tribesmen struggled to scrounge any viable land for tilling. For 6,000 years, the tribe fractured into the original Chosen Tribe, and those deemed the Tribes of the Degenerated for their betrayal. Hunger overtook reason, and violence soon followed. The Chosen Tribe lost the war and retreated into the underground dwellings, living on in misery. Things only got worse when the High Priest usurped power from the rightful descendant of the Chosen Tribe and sequestered all knowledge and wisdom from the public, treating it as a tool of authority and greed. The Gods witnessed this and became greatly upset, leading to the Second Great Catastrophe.
"So humans may have been innocent for the First Great Catastrophe, but they were responsible for the Second," Connla said.
Sigurd narrowed his eyes and remarked, "This reminds me of the Genesis Flood Narrative."
"You mean with Noah's Ark?"
"Indeed. In Christian belief, God became angered with the corruption and violence that engrossed mankind. He instructed one of His followers, Noah, to build an Ark and have on board a male and female pairing of all species, so that they could ride through the great tide that God brought upon to cleanse the world of evil. The timing for that event is rather similar to this so-called Second Great Catastrophe. The reasoning even fits."
"Perhaps Nara wrote this story based on the logic that two such major events happened to the world, and then strung them together as one narrative. It even says that the Ugha Mongulala believed that everything repeats in a cycle every 6,000 years, and both Catastrophes were about that far apart."
"Hm. So if the Second Great Catastrophe happened about 3100 BC, then a hypothetical Third Great Catastrophe would be due around approximately 2,900 AD. Perhaps we already are in the midst of this scenario, seeing as how we're struggling to save the world from the Incineration of Humanity."
Connla shook her head. "That might be true for us, but not for Cliste. For her, there are no such things as Chaldea, the Incineration, and the King of Mages."
"But if she warned you that she is the source of a potential Singularity, wouldn't it be safe to assume that a Third Great Catastrophe is about to happen in her world?"
"Maybe…" the child Lancer sighed sullenly. She closed her eyes, then murmured, "I don't know why, but when you say it like that, my mind keeps wandering to another frightening possibility."
Sigurd raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Such as?"
"I've been seeing the idea raised over and over again in the documentaries and literature I've been perusing in my spare time. If mankind went through two World Wars, with only an 18-year interwar period between them, then who's to say it's impossible that… well…"
She didn't want to say it. It was just too frightening for her to even think about. The Saber's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what she was getting at, and he said in a stern tone, "I see. The indiscriminate deployment of nuclear and biological warfare on a global level, said to be equivalent to the Apocalypse itself. In other words-"
He stared her straight in the eye.
"World War III."
Connla visibly shuddered. So many thoughts raced in her mind about what was going on with Cliste. That terrible, overly familiar sense of dread overcame her, and she needed to take a moment to breathe deeply. Sigurd rested his hand on her shoulder and assured, "Let's not rush to conclusions. Whatever may be going on in this Akakor world, the fact remains that your friend is still alive, which means there must be others who are alive as well. If she is trying to warn us of a potential disaster, then we can safely assume that it hasn't happened yet."
"That's true…"
He sighed, then wondered, "The thing is, why would she want to reach out to two Servants from another world and ask them for help? Furthermore, out of all the Connlas out there, she chose you. Is there some reason why it has to be you?"
"Well, I think Cliste warned me specifically because of Chaldea's ability to Rayshift to alternate dimensions and timelines. Since she's capable of seeing so many different worlds, she must have realized that I was the only one among us counterparts who could physically cross through the Kaleidoscope using the Rayshift technology. Maybe that's why she's been helping me so much with fine-tuning my Imbas Forosnai abilities – to strengthen my connection with her, and thus assist SHEBA in finding her world."
"I see," Sigurd nodded. "By that logic, you would be the best Connla for Cliste to reach out to. But then, what is the point? Can't she rely on anyone to help her in her own world? Not only that, why is she calling out to assassins like Kiritsugu to kill her? What is Cliste even thinking, going so out of her way to involve you when her world's issues are supposed to be localized? So many mysteries surround your friend that it is rather unnerving."
She tilted her head. "What do you mean by that last question?"
"I mean that whatever perils her world faces, it really shouldn't be our concern. It's as equivalent as the people of her world being wholly uninvolved with the Incineration of Humanity that we face. The risk of her world being the source of a Singularity notwithstanding, we really have no onus to venture to her world and fix its problems."
"…"
Sigurd suddenly chuckled, "Ha ha, but who am I fooling? Once Master finds out about how upset you are over these developments, she will feel encouraged to go investigate, if only to help you feel better. That's simply the type of person she is."
"Yeah… I kind of feel bad considering how Chaldea is still looking for the Seventh Singularity, but I just can't ignore this threat that Cliste is warning us about."
"I understand. There are still a lot of questions open in the air, but I'm sure no one can answer them at this time. Now that we have a somewhat better understanding of what Akakor is like, perhaps you should spend more time being physically close with SHEBA to fine-tune its search."
"But we're not done reading the chronicle yet."
"No worries. I will thoroughly educate myself with everything written in here. Should the time come that we must face a hypothetical Akakor Singularity, I will act as an advisor for all things related to Akakor. I would not want you to overwhelm yourself when your top priority is to make contact with your friend."
Connla nodded. "Thank you. I just have so much on my mind that I'm afraid I might not be able to think straight."
"That's what I figured. Your friendship with Cliste is a deeply personal one, which will inevitably cloud your judgment. I will function as the line of rationality you require for this mission."
"Mm."
"Go get some rest now. Dwelling on such doom and gloom for too long is not good for you."
"Okay," she murmured, then got up and left him in the library. As she wandered through the halls of Chaldea alone, her mind kept drifting to something she read. It was a brief statement that introduced the Book of the Jaguar, but it nonetheless left a lasting and disturbing impact on her:
"This is the jaguar. Mighty is his leap and powerful his paw. He is the lord of the forests. All animals are his subjects. He brooks no resistance. He metes out terrible punishment. He destroys the disobedient and devours their flesh."
Then her thoughts returned to Cliste's final warning:
"Whatever you do… don't let the cat… that has been locked inside… free."
