FATE/CURADH BEAG
"Little Champion"
Chapter 22: The Roles of Children and Adults
The chilly early morning hours gradually gave way to a mild breeze that softly swayed the colorful leaves still clinging to their branches. As Deirdre, Fir and Fial made their way to Emain Macha, they never suspected that the trip would be anything but uneventful. However, as they made it to the edge of the hill where the town resided, the ground violently vibrated beneath their feet and they needed to stumble onto their knees to keep their balance. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it certainly spooked Fial.
"Uwah!? Wh-Wh-What was that!?" the frantic girl exclaimed.
"An earthquake?" Fir wondered. "But that's strange. I've never heard of this area being hit by quakes before."
Deirdre gasped for breath, still a bit startled by this unexpected occurrence. She soon picked herself up and asked the others, "Are you two all right?"
"We're fine."
"Say, is this weawwy a good idea?" the suddenly nervous Fial asked her brother.
He shot her an annoyed look and retorted, "Isn't it a little too late to be asking that?"
"But what if another one happens while we awe in town?"
"Then we just take it slow and cautious. Besides, Papa's still pointing us toward Emain Macha. That must mean we're going in the right way."
"I know, but…"
Deirdre silently frowned when she heard them talking about their father Cruinnuic. Even after following them for this entire time, she still couldn't see this ghostly farmer that they were supposedly being guided by. All she could do was trust that they knew what they were doing and make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Besides, she had her own reason for being here - she couldn't stand being apart from Naoise any longer. The earthquake only served to heighten her fears and concerns for him, and she worried that he might have been injured just now.
Finally, she said to the twins, "Let's hurry and catch up with Naoise. I want to make sure that he and Connla are okay."
At the entrance to the horse race track, pandemonium had ensued amongst the employees and townsfolk. The stadium had been heavily damaged by the seismic tremors, and the horses that lived in the facility's stables had panicked and wound up fleeing. This forced their owners and some of the town's men to run after the, while others struggled to keep curious onlookers away from the epicenter until the guardsmen could arrive.
"Everyone, please stand back!" the track's owner bellowed at the crowd milling around the gates. "We can't guarantee that another one won't hit us! For your own safety, please do not breach the front gates!"
"Say, weren't there those lesser tremors that have been happening in the last few days?" a man asked his friend.
A woman looked at her husband and asked, "Was anyone hurt?"
"It doesn't look like it. Today is cleaning day, so the place should have been closed."
"Ahh, what am I going to do!? This is going to cost a fortune to get fixed!" one of the merchants exclaimed. "Knowing Medb, she's going to use this as an excuse to tax us through the nose!"
"Unbelievable! Is that all you can think about!?" a young man shouted angrily. "Someone could have been killed just now!"
"Shut it, you punk! I can barely meet ends enough as it is!"
"It's the same for me too, you know!"
The owner could barely get everyone to calm down as they bickered and argued amongst themselves about how these damages were going to affect their livelihoods. Meanwhile, Naoise was off in a separate corner interrogating the worker who had last seen Connla before the quake struck.
"You can't be serious!" the swordsman raged, his usually pale cheeks flush with incredulity. He grabbed the man's collar and howled, "You're telling me you turned tail and left her behind!? Why didn't you try to rescue her!?"
"Shh! Sir, please keep it down!" the terrified employee urged. "If word got out that a child fell in, there's going to be panic everywhere!"
"I don't care about any calm and order, mate! If you're not going to do a damn thing, then let me inside so I can look for her myself!"
"I can't! I've been ordered to allow no one inside!"
"So that's it!? You're just going to abandon her again!? The whole bloody lot of you are worthless! If you won't allow me to go in, then I'll just force my way through!"
"The guards will be here soon enough! If you could just be patient and let them-!"
Now having lost his patience, Naoise drew his sword out and pointed it at the frightened worker. Upon seeing the polished blade being shoved in his direction, the poor man collapsed onto his buttocks and yelped, "Heee~eeek! O-O-Okay, do what you want! Just don't kill me!"
"Hah! Should've said so from the start, asshole!" the annoyed warrior retorted, then barged past him into the race track. He immediately saw that the damage was much worse than he anticipated, with massive gaps stretching out along the worn dirt where the horses normally raced. About half of the rafters split apart and collapsed, while other areas simply had broken chairs and stones strewn about everywhere. Naoise had to navigate his way around the dangerous holes in the ground, which opened into chasms that were probably several hundred meters deep.
Somewhere in the furthest corner of his mind, a strangely rational thought crossed his mind as he realized, That's odd. The rest of the town looks perfectly fine, but this place is a total war zone. Was the earthquake contained to just this one area?
It didn't make much sense to him, since he had heard stories of seismic attacks affecting much wider stretches of land than this. However, that wasn't what he was worried about. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs, "CONNLA, WHERE ARE YOU!? IF YOU'RE THERE, ANSWER ME!"
His cry echoed a couple of times in the silent stadium, but only an eerie stillness followed. He tried calling to her again, with nothing but the wind rushing through his hair as the only response. He soon reached the spot where Connla had last been seen, and he finally got a good look at the gigantic fissure which the worker said he saw the child fall into. He got onto one knee and stared down the seemingly endless pit. In that moment, an uncharacteristic fear welled within his chest, and his breathing became rapid.
"By the gods…" he gasped in desperation.
He had every right to be mortified. Unlike the other holes that had opened up, this one seemed to reach into the very heart of the floating island kilometers below the surface. Another peculiar thing he noticed was the presence of a very faint blue glow ebbing within the otherwise pitch black darkness. Even if he could see it from this distance, he suspected it would take upwards of several minutes to reach it should he choose to jump in.
Any air that was in his lungs escaped from a horrible gasp he uttered. What was he supposed to do? He now understood why the worker he threatened was helpless to do anything for Connla. No one would be insane enough to go after her, while also expecting her to be alive after such a long fall. No coherent thoughts came to mind, and he just kneeled there staring into the abyss in stunned silence.
Inside the Leyline, Cuchulainn controlled Connla's body to navigate through the torrent of magical energy rushing past her. Trying to find something to use as a foothold was proving to be much harder than the Mad King expected, but he wouldn't give up until he found something.
Deep in her subconsciousness, Connla sat there and watched Cuchulainn for a short while. However, curiosity won over as she asked him, "By the way, did you see anything else while you were looking for me?"
"Nothing other than endless white mist. Why do you ask?"
"Well, while I was lost, I saw some kind of vision. It was incredibly disturbing, almost to the point of making me go mad. To be honest, I'm still a bit shaken over it."
This was definitely a concern for Cuchulainn. Without hesitation, he asked, "What did you see?"
She described everything that she witnessed to him. Now he was starting to feel slightly upset as well, and he grit his teeth in disdain. Once she finished, she wondered, "What do you think it was? Some kind of trickery to try and confuse me?"
"I'm not sure. But there's always that distant possibility…" he murmured, and his voice trailed off.
"A possibility? Of what?"
"Ngh… I don't want to imagine it… but you have to remember that we exist in a Lostbelt – a timeline that has erred so grievously that it shouldn't exist anymore, yet is forced to sustain itself due to the Tree of Emptiness."
"Teacher mentioned that to me too. She wanted me to destroy Circinus so that the Lostbelt could be Pruned from the Greater History of Man, as it should be. I wasn't expecting to have to help Lord Cathbad summon a Grand Servant to do it instead, but the result is the same regardless."
"Then think about it for a second. If our timeline is not how human history should have occurred, then it's reasonable to think that our lives would have played out very differently in the true timeline."
Connla's eyes widened in horror. She didn't want to verbally express what she was thinking, and fell silent with total disbelief. Cuchulainn's strained expression was likewise a strong enough indicator that they were sharing the same thought right now. Instead of stating what was incredibly obvious to them by this point, Connla blurted, "B-But, why? Why would you do such a thing?"
He frowned hard. "We're Celts. Anything's possible with us."
"That doesn't explain anything!"
"Look, I really don't know. I'm only familiar with what goes on in this Lostbelt. As far as we're concerned, you never met me when you should have, and grew up in the Land of Shadows as Scathach's pupil. I'm sure my transformation into Taoide Olc played a huge factor in us never meeting, but that doesn't tell me anything about what happened on your end."
"On my end?"
"All I know about you is that you're my kid, you were that woman's student, and that you have three geasa. Those vows are a particular point of contention for me, considering that me possessing two geasa is harsh enough as it is. Plus you told me before that your mother was quite abusive toward you."
"Abusive? I always thought that was her method for training me to be as strong as her. Once I turned seven, she put the geasa on me, saying they would give me greater strength as long as I upheld them."
This was a brand new revelation for him. He glanced back at her in surprise and uttered, "Your mother did that?"
"Yes. Is something wrong with it?"
"Damn it… So that's what it is…" he glowered to himself, then lividly thought, Aife, you twisted bitch!
Connla tilted her head, wondering what was bothering Cuchulainn. He shook his head to compose himself, lest he risk losing his control over Connla's body. He inhaled sharply, then asked, "What happened after you received the geasa? Where is Aife right now?"
She became despondent as she replied, "Teacher told me that Mother was maimed to death by a Demon Boar."
He immediately became suspicious. "Did you ever actually see your mother's death?"
"No. I just took Teacher's word for it. Mother's never appeared again since then, so I'm sure Teacher was telling the truth."
He narrowed his eyes and pondered, What a load of crap. I saw firsthand how strong Aife was in battle, and there's no way she would have allowed a Demon Boar to kill her. If Aife was mistreating Connla so harshly, then Scathach would definitely have seen her as an obstacle to her plans for raising the kid on her own. I'd bet all the money in the world that Scathach killed Aife to get her out of the way, thus preventing Connla from going to Ireland to find me. Since the nature of her geasa forbids her from introducing herself to a king, that would have been taken as an affront to Conchobhar's dignity, and he would have summoned me to fight her.
In other words, due to a sick plot that Aife concocted to get back at me for violating her body… Connla would have died by my hands.
Despite how distressing this knowledge was to him, at least it gave him a much better understanding of how incredibly lucky Connla was to be alive. He then asked, "Do the geasa bother you?"
"Sometimes. Never being able to turn away from a journey isn't so hard, but having to fight battles that I may not be strong enough to win is always a terrifying possibility. I think not being able to say my name is the most inconvenient though, since I constantly have to apologize for my rudeness and explain what's going on. Teacher did tattoo my name on my arm, and provided a letter that I have to carry with me wherever I go, so that's helped a bit."
"I see," he murmured, then sighed under his breath. He had to force himself to not dwell on it, but it was impossible for him to not at least think about how unfair Connla's life would be regardless if it was the Lostbelt or Proper Human History. He was doing what he could to help her achieve her goal, but was it enough? Could he truly do anything to save her from experiencing such a miserable end in this timeline as well?
However, Cuchulainn's inner musings were interrupted when he spotted something unusual through Connla's eyes. Within the vivid azure pool of raw magical energy, the intricate details of what looked like an extremely complex Runic circle gradually came into view, glowing an intense white light in contrast to the blue aura surrounding him. Hundreds of thin lines radiated from the sigil and coursed along the bedrock like shining blood vessels.
Connla was also seeing what was going on in her own vision, and she asked in surprise, "What is that?"
"It's kind of hard to tell from here," Cuchulainn admitted, then smirked a little. "But I think we've hit the jackpot."
"What do you mean? I thought you were trying to find a way for us to escape."
"I am. But I can't pass this up now. If we're really looking at the source of Macha's curse, then this is our chance to get rid of it."
"How? I don't have anything in my arsenal for dispelling a powerful formula like that."
She had a point. Even though they had come this far, she really had nothing to help her combat the curse directly. Cuchulainn grit his teeth and wondered, If that's the case, how the hell did Cathbad expect her to deal with this particular blight?
Then a thought occurred to him:
Or is it that he predicted this would happen?
It wasn't impossible for him to consider. Cathbad wasn't only proficient at discerning the future; his prophecies could actually alter the course of reality, so long as he spoke of it to whomever would listen. For instance, Cuchulainn himself had heard Cathbad's prophecy of him growing up to be a great warrior, yet being destined to die young as a consequence. If Cuchulainn had never heard that prediction, his life would have taken a much different course. It was the same with Cathbad's prophecy regarding Deirdre's exquisite beauty, and how kings would wage war over her. If Cathbad had remained silent, Deirdre would probably have lived as an ordinary woman.
Was Cathbad sending Connla on this mission also some form of destiny forcing the world's logic to bend to its will? Did Cathbad intend all along for Connla to be the guide who would bring the actual person to destroy Macha's curse? Cuchulainn didn't want to imagine it. If that was the case, then Cathbad was also using Connla like a disposable tool, just like Aife and Scathach were. Cuchulainn could only guess that Connla's role was to actually bring him to the curse's formula so that he would destroy it.
Shit… Every last one of you bastards, making the kid's life as miserable as possible…
Alas, it meant he had a job to fulfill. Since he was this world's god of destruction, he certainly possessed the means and ability to accomplish it. Unfortunately, there was a huge problem:
"Tch. If only I had Gae Bolg, I could make short work of this thing," he grumbled.
"Gae Bolg?" Connla wondered. "How can you possibly use it when it's with you in Scotland?"
"Hmm…" he closed his eyes and contemplated for a moment. "It might not be entirely impossible… But it's going to be incredibly tricky."
"Do you have an idea in mind?"
"I do. But it's going to require every ounce of my concentration. I need you to be quiet for now."
"O-Oh, all right…"
He shut his mind to all else except focusing on harnessing the most valuable tool he possessed; Dagda's Cauldron, the Irish equivalent of the Holy Grail. If he could use it to find the 'heart' of Macha's curse, then fling Gae Bolg from Dun Scaith all the way to Emain Macha to pierce its core, there was a chance that he could destroy it despite physically being hundreds of kilometers away. Of course, the logistics behind such an outrageous plan were shaky at best. He wasn't too worried about unleashing Gae Bolg's full destructive capacity – it was more an issue of accuracy, and contending with any potential defenses Macha may have erected that Cuchulainn wasn't aware of. He was sure that Gae Bolg would ignore any form of resistance and 'pierce' Macha's curse before the spear was even thrown, as was the spear's horrifying ability to reverse cause and effect.
But it was going to be pointless if he couldn't make out where exactly to aim. If he energized Gae Bolg too much, he could risk turning it into an explosive weapon that could destroy anything and anyone in its path, including Connla. Hell, he'd probably eradicate his own psyche by accident, since the pair were sharing the same subconsciousness after all. Cuchulainn needed to make the spear as strong as possible, yet precise enough to not hit anything other than the Runic circle.
A beacon… Is there some kind of beacon I could use?
He looked around for anything noteworthy that caught his attention. There was nothing except the persistent azure glow ebbing all around him, making it difficult for him to discern any sort of useful landmark. He searched on Connla's person to see if she had anything on hand. There wasn't really anything noteworthy besides a slingshot with some stones, and a few Runestones in her skirt pocket. He initially dismissed her spear as just an ordinary polearm…
But that was when Cuchulainn finally noticed it.
What the-?
Was his mind playing tricks on him? Upon closer examination of the spear, he realized that the wooden pole and steel blade were actually illusions being generated by a series of tiny Runes. He had never spotted them before because their magical readings were way too faint for even the most experienced druids to pick up. Since they were deep inside the Leyline however, any and all forms of Runecraft dwelling within gained a substantial boost to their power. That was the whole reason why Macha planted her curse in here to begin with.
Furthermore, Cuchulainn recognized the latent energy being heavily suppressed by the illusions. The spear's true power was being sealed on purpose, but he instantly knew what it was. His eyes widened to the size of saucers, and his darkened skin paled as the inevitable thought crossed his mind:
Connla's… got her own Gae Bolg!?
While Naoise was inside the stadium lamenting on his failure, Deirdre, Fir and Fial discovered the bedlam of townsfolk ambling around the damaged race track. The woman grew concerned as she wondered, "Is that where the quake hit?"
"It must be. Everyone's going crazy," Fir murmured.
"But we gotta find a way in!" Fial exclaimed. "Papa's telling us to go inside!"
"How are we supposed to get in? There must be guards everywhere."
Deirdre looked around, then suggested, "Most of the soldiers are busy barricading the front entrance. Maybe if we go around the back, we could find another way."
They snuck past the pell-mell while trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. The damage around the stadium's perimeter was much worse than they anticipated, making it difficult for them to trudge along the broken roads and hollowed out grass fields. Although the twins were focused on following their invisible father's trail, Deirdre couldn't help but notice how surprisingly contained the destruction was.
It's almost like someone just wanted to attack the race track, she mused to herself.
Growing more and more worried, she kept thinking about Naoise and how he would definitely want to come here to investigate as well. She prayed that her husband wasn't injured. This momentarily sidetracked her from the search, because she jolted when she heard Fir's voice call out, "Miss Deirdre! I think we found something!"
"Huh? O-Oh… What is it?" she blurted.
"Wook! Thewe's a big cwack in the wawl!" Fial exclaimed as she pointed to the human-sized gap carving through the masonry. She ran through easily and said, "I think we can make it thwough hewe!"
"All right. Nothing to it, then."
Deirdre went in first, and the children followed her as they weaved their way through various rooms. Since everyone else had fled the scene during the quake, no one was around to stop them, which made the place much too eerie and silent for their liking. Tiny stones broke off from the walls and clattered everywhere, making Deirdre fearful that something would collapse on them at any moment.
The trio unexpectedly stopped when they heard a bunch of soul-rending cries howling in the distance. Fial trembled and murmured, "W-W-What's going on? Why is evewyone scweaming awl of a sudden?"
"I don't know," Fir replied nervously, the placed his hand next to his ear lobe to listen in more closely. "But… doesn't it sound like it's just coming from men?"
"Hmm… Hey, I think you might be wight. I don't hear any women."
Deirdre did not like where this conversation was going. If it was just men shouting in agony, and they were investigating Macha's curse… then, was it possible?
"Naoise!" she shrieked as the horrific realization dawned upon her. Without warning, she barged past the twins and scurried through the wrecked stadium to the nearest entrance where she could find the race track.
"H-Hey, Miss Deirdre! Don't go off on your own!" Fir cried out, and both he and Fial chased after her. The frantic woman barely paid them much mind as she hurried down the sloping steps as fast as she could, hoping to find any sign of the swordsman. She let out a shrill gasp as she spotted someone in black armor keeled over in sheer pain next to the largest fissure. She dashed with all her might toward the man, and she immediately recognized him as her husband.
"Naoise!" she screamed.
"Deir… dre!" Naoise gasped. "W-Why… are you… here!?"
"Never mind that! What has stricken you!?" his wife exclaimed as she kneeled next to him and held his shoulders.
"Ungh… Aaaagh… Shit! I feel like… I'm being… torn apart!"
"By the gods! This must be Macha's curse being activated!"
"Aaaagh… Y-You… might be… right!" Naoise heaved. His face and hair were heavily drenched with sweat by this point, and he could barely contain himself as he writhed about helplessly on the ground.
"But why!? We're not being invaded by an outside army, are we!?"
"Uuuugh… I… don't know!"
"Where's Connla!? Is she all right!?"
"Gh… S-She's… in trouble…"
"Trouble?"
He struggled to point toward the crevice as he gasped, "She… fell… in there…"
Deirdre's horror intensified, and she covered her mouth to conceal her gaping open jaw. Despite the chaos unfolding around them, Fir and Fial remained oddly calm as they approached the fissure. They glanced at each other, as if they silently understood the entire truth in this moment.
"I get it. Connla and Naoise discovered where Mama's curse is, and that made Mama angry," Fir explained.
"So, she's twying to kiwl evewyone to keep them quiet?" Fial asked.
"I think so. That must be why Papa brought us here – he wants us to stop Mama before she kills all of Ireland's men."
"You'we wight. Mama's awl awone down thewe, hating evewyone who spuwned her wath. We gotta save her fwom her own madness, oh ewse wots of peopwe awe gonna die."
"This must be why we appeared as unsent spirits, and why Auntie guided us this whole time. She must have been preparing us for this moment."
"Then what awe we waiting fow? Wet's just do it!"
"Usually I'd argue with you about how you never think things through, but this time, I totally agree with you. There's nothing to think about except finding Mama."
"And wescuing Connwa too!"
"Yeah," Fir became visibly determined. "Let's go, Fial!"
"Wight behind you, Fir!" Fial happily chirped.
Deirdre stared at them as they walked toward the very edge in perfect unison. She reached out her hand and uttered, "What are you doing!? Get away from there at once!"
They ignored her, keeping their backs faced toward the couple. Then they spread their arms out wide… and tumbled forward!
"STOP IT!" Naoise howled, but it was no use.
"HYAAAA~AAAH!" Deirdre completely lost her mind to pure terror, pressing her hands against her face as she shrieked.
Inside the Leyline, Cuchulainn reeled at the discovery that Connla had possessed her own Gae Bolg this entire time. He shot his eyes toward the befuddled girl and exclaimed, "Hey! Did Scathach give this to you!?"
"Huh?" she fervently blinked. "What's gotten you upset all of a sudden?"
"Just answer the question!"
"Uh… Y-Yes, she did."
"Even though you're not old enough to use its full power!?"
"Well… she did show me how to use its power to reverse cause and effect, but I never got to use it since I didn't age past my seventh birthday. She said that I'm physically too young to harness it without my body exploding from the force, but she gave it to me anyway as a last resort. You know, to purge the Lostbelt…"
He turned away and visibly trembled. So many thoughts raced through his stricken mind that he couldn't think straight for a minute.
This can't be right! This has to be some kind of demented joke! Aife and Scathach had their own separate plans for what to do with Connla, and both of them involved her dying! If Aife was breeding her for me to slay her in combat… Then Scathach was grooming Connla to be my sacrificial replacement!
He pressed his hand against his forehead in despair. The more he learned of what the two warrior women intended for their progeny, the more repulsed he became by the ridiculous expectations they heaped onto the girl's shoulders. The most disturbing part was how Connla just accepted this as normal behavior and went along with whatever her mother and aunt wanted, never complaining whenever she was put through years of grueling training and torture sessions to strengthen her body and mind. Her noble intention to never disappoint them was being exploited in such a cruel fashion.
And Cuchulainn had never been there to save her from it. He was just as guilty as them for abandoning her when she needed him the most.
Oh, god…
He gripped Connla's Gae Bolg tightly, then shifted his weary eyes back toward the confused girl. She merely tilted her head, wondering what was bothering him so much.
Connla… I'm so sorry…
His heart grew heavier with every second. Now he had even more of a reason to make it up to her for being selfish in his own way. How he would do it, he wasn't sure at the moment. But he would do something, anything, to try and ease the burden as much as he could. It was something he would need to ponder on once this mission was over.
Despite his melancholy, Cuchulainn shook his head to shake out these depressing thoughts and refocus his attention on Macha's curse. He forced a sharp-toothed grin to hide his shame as he said to Connla, "All right, I think we can make this work."
"Did you figure something out?" she asked.
"Yeah. Since you have a Gae Bolg, it means that if I pierce the Runic circle with it, I can then turn it into a target that I can aim my Gae Bolg towards. Since one Gae Bolg can't destroy another Gae Bolg, you should be able to retrieve your spear afterward."
"But you can't use my spear's curse with my body, or else you'll cause me to self-destruct."
"Don't worry - I'm just going to throw it like you would a dart to a board. I'll then unleash my Gae Bolg's full power and launch it from Scotland to this very spot."
"Uh…" Connla paled as something dawned on her. "Are we… going to be okay?"
"It'll be fine. I'll get us out of here before I attack. Just trust me, okay?"
She hesitantly nodded and mumbled, "Mm…"
Cuchulainn glared at Macha's magic circle and grumbled, "The only problem is whether or not Macha's going to retaliate in some fashion. I'm not exactly in a position to fight a long-distance battle against a goddess while we're stuck in the Leyline."
The moment after he said that, they heard a familiar young boy's voice cry out, "Not to worry!"
"We'we hewe to hewp!" an equally recognizable young girl's voice exclaimed.
Both Cuchulainn and Connla were shocked to find Fir and Fial plummeting towards the possessed Connla's body. Once they reached the same depth as their friend, they hovered before her. Fial spread her arms out and exclaimed, "Ta-dah! We came to wescue you, Connwa!"
"Fir!? Fial!? What are you two doing here!?" Connla cried out.
"It's a bit of a long story," Fir sheepishly admitted. "We're short on time, so let's just say that Papa's ghost told us to come here. One thing led to another, and here we are."
"Your father led you to us?"
"Miss Deiwdwe couwdn't see Papa, but she fowwowed us anyway. She's with Sir Naoise back on the suwface. But it's awful! Awl of the men awe suffewing fwom Mama's cuwse! If we don't stop Mama, then they'we gonna die! That's why we gotta tawk with Mama!" Fial implored.
"I see. But since you two are unsent spirits, you're not going to last long in the Leyline. You'll dissolve into magical energy and become a part of this vein of pure mana."
"It's okay. Fir and I wanna set Mama fwee fwom her hatwed. We wanna give it awl we got."
"…"
The twins floated past Connla, then Fir said to her, "Thanks for traveling with us. Having you around made it a lot more fun. But I think this is what Auntie wanted us to do, and we don't want to let her down."
She lightly nodded and replied, "Yeah. I know what you mean."
Cuchulainn grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. The twins' determination to not disappoint Morrigan was exactly the same as Connla's desire to appease Aife and Scathach, even if it meant ending their very short lives to make their loved ones proud. He couldn't deny how wonderful and innocent their aspirations were. Yet, it equally disgusted him at how brazen and irresponsible the adults in their lives (including himself) were toward them. It was as if they were born just to be discarded because the adults were too cowardly to do it themselves.
"Take cawe, okay? We gotta go tawk with Mama now befowe we wind up dissowving," Fial said, then she and her brother flew towards the center of the huge Runic circle. She called out, "Mama! Can you hear us, Mama!?"
"We're your unborn children!" Fir shouted. "Please, come to your senses! We don't want you to kill all of Ulster's men because of us! We don't want to be the reason why so many people die all at once!"
The Runes didn't seem to respond to their pleas, maintaining their haunting glow as Macha spread her curse throughout all of Emain Macha. If she wasn't stopped here and now, she could potentially spread it across all of Ireland, causing thousands of adult men to die from artificial, and quite excruciating, birthing pains.
Fir started to cry as he begged with all his soul, "Stop it, Mama! You're making a terrible mistake! Soon, Ireland is going to fight in a huge war against the god of destruction, Taoide Olc! If all of Ireland's men die, no one will be around to protect this country!"
"Think about it, Mama! If thewe awe no men weft to pwotect Iwewand, it means that the women… Maybe even the childwen will have to take up awms!" Fial exclaimed. "Is that something you want, Mama!? Do you want childwen wike us to be fwontwine sowdiers!? Do you want to watch hundweds of childwen die because you couwdn't wet go of your hatwed fow the men!?"
"Exactly! It's not just the men you would be killing! You'd be dooming everyone! Is it really worth sacrificing so many just to calm your vengeance!? It's true that we might not know anything about you, even of what you look like… But we can't believe that you would be this petty! That's not the Mama we want to get to know!"
"So pwease, Mama…"
"For everyone in Ireland, and for us…"
"STOP CURSING THEM!" they screamed together.
The world then became silent. Nothing but the gentle sound of a river flowing all around them ebbed and bubbled, as the mana coursing through the Leyline gushed past them. Then, the brightly shimmering Runes actually dimmed a little. Cuchulainn could now make out what the Runic circle looked like, making it easier for him to target it. Macha's curse started to get weaker, which meant that the twins' pleas were getting through to her.
"My… babies…" an unknown woman's voice echoed within the blue abyss.
"Mama!?" her children blurted.
"Why… are you… here? Who… sent you… here?"
"Papa's ghost said that you were suffering all alone down here," Fir explained.
"That's why we wanna set you fwee. Then evewyone will be happy. As faw as I see it, happy endings awe always the best endings," Fial added. She tried to reach out her hand, but half of her arm was already gone since her spirit was evaporating into the Leyline. "So wet's go, Mama. Wet's go to the big open sky, whewe we can watch over evewyone."
"… Yes. You may… be right. I guess… it's time… for me to… let go… of this… grudge…"
"Yeah!" Fir agreed. Most of his body had disappeared, being absorbed into the constant flow of magical energy like salt being stirred in a glass of water.
Then, Macha's voice murmured, "Cu… chul… ainn. Go ahead… and… destroy me."
"Hmph. Don't mind if I do," he said, and he controlled Connla's body to raise Gae Bolg in a throwing position. "Consider this as payback for you cursing my allies during the Cattle Raid. If it wasn't for that, I may have stood a better chance at fighting against Medb's army. Although, I don't really hate you for it – I perfectly understand why you can't stand the idiocy of this country's kings and nobility."
"I know…"
Connla watched in forlorn silence as Fir and Fial's forms fully faded as glittering light particles that twinkled within the bright blue sea of magical energy. She refused to blink, taking in every last moment of the twins' lives before they were fully extinguished. Macha's curse likewise dimmed so much that there was barely any energy left within it. The goddess had lost her will to maintain its effect, and quietly detached her essence from it so she could join her children within the Leyline.
Now that he was free to do as he pleased, Cuchulainn finally hurled Connla's Gae Bolg at the magic sigil's very center, and it shone a deep crimson to contrast with the overpowering waves of azure. He immediately guided Connla's body upward, floating in a bubble of bright red energy that safely carried her back to the surface.
In the Land of Shadows, Cuchulainn's sleeping body started to move a little. He raised his arms, as if issuing a command. His Gae Bolg, which was propped up next to the throne he sat upon, emanated a similar crimson aura and hovered between his hands. Then it pointed itself in the precise direction towards Emain Macha, and launched on its owner's accord. The energy surrounding it intensified until it was as powerful as a torpedo, as it traveled the tremendous distance between the two separated islands. It took several minutes for Gae Bolg to make the journey, but soon Ireland was within sight.
Then Emain Macha… then the race track… then the crevice… then the Leyline… and it finally found its target; Connla's Gae Bolg.
KA-BOOOO~OOOOOM!
A fantastic vermillion explosion rocked the land, bursting through the fissure like bright red flames. Everyone outside the race track screamed and huddled together in fright and confusion. It took about ten seconds for the worst of the detonation to subside.
Eventually though, all of Emain Macha fell into an impenetrable and disconcerting silence.
