FATE/CURADH BEAG
"Little Champion"
Chapter 5: The Stranger of Skye
16 AD
Lost Depth: C+
Celtic Lostbelt: Taoide Olc
Little Champion of Ulster
A fierce and chilly wind rushed through the Ben Nevis mountain ranges, reaching well below 10 degrees Celsius. Anyone who found themselves in this harsh environment would swear that the wind was shearing through their very skin and musculature, no matter how properly they dressed for the climate. It wasn't snowing, but the thick grey clouds encroaching on what little blue sky was visible signaled that a terrible snowstorm was fast approaching.
"Shit… it's bloody freezing…"
A tall and gaunt man garbed in a heavy black cape and draped hood fell onto one knee as he struggled to feel his toes beneath the thin layer of purple bodysuit he wore only over his legs. Obviously, he had not come prepared to do any mountaineering in some of the coldest climates in the world. This was exacerbated by how high the Celtic Isles actually floated off Earth's surface, exposing the terrain to near-unbearable cold weather and thinning levels of oxygen. No human dared to ever venture along the mountains anymore due to how dangerous the environment had become. Many of the local fauna likewise retreated to lower ground, leaving only some insects and birds behind.
Of course, this man wasn't any ordinary human. No matter how difficult his journey would be, nothing would stop him from taking one step at a time towards his destination. There was a limit to how much he was willing to endure, and even he wasn't stupid enough to fight through an impending blizzard while stuck in the mountains alone. That was why he needed to think about finding shelter as soon as possible.
Despite the bitter cold he found himself trudging through, he did at least have one advantage – for whatever reason, he knew where he was going. The curving pathways, tree formations, and rock outcroppings all looked familiar to him… and he didn't know why. It annoyed him that his memory was reduced to little more than an indistinct haze of thoughts and feelings that he didn't understand. It wasn't so much his mind that remembered this place, but rather his body. Why was that? What made such an impression on him that he could navigate these mountains on nothing but pure instinct?
Nevertheless, he kept climbing. The path he took kept ascending towards the isolated peaks that hadn't seen human life in many years. Once upon a time, horses and oxen ferried people around these parts, and giant Demon Boars tended to be a common sight. Now, there was nothing but rugged pathways that he could at least make his way through to some destination that he had no clue about. All he knew was that something was at the end of this roadway, and he wanted to see what it was to rekindle some sort of memory. He was pretty sure it would give him shelter from the snow as well, but he wasn't sure why. Was it a hollowed tree? A cavern? An underground grotto?
He soon got his answer when he reached the top of the spiraling path. To his surprise, he had discovered an abandoned cottage with a stable attached at the back and a doghouse in the front yard. He froze on the spot and stared at the house for a long while, taking in every inch of wood, dirt and foliage, and committing it all to memory.
I know this place…
The front door was sealed shut with a wooden plank, but it took no effort for him to rip it off the door, crudely granting himself access to the inside. It was still cold, but not as bad as it was outside. There were some blankets and sheets left behind, plus there was a fire pit that he could use to warm up. He got a small fire going to light up the interior, allowing him to see the tables, chairs and shelves that had been left to rot. However, something on the table caught his eye, and he took a closer look. It was a folded piece of yellowed paper that hadn't been opened for who knew how long. He gently gripped it betwixt his fingers, unfurled it, and read the contents, which had been written in Gaelic:
"To anyone who visits this place, you are more than welcome to take refuge here if you need to. We, the original owners, have decided to leave this house behind, so you may take possession of it if you want. The only thing we ask is that you leave this house intact as much as possible so others may find shelter. Take care, and farewell."
There wasn't a name written anywhere, but he figured it wouldn't have meant anything anyway. He had spent so long on his rampage across the world that he denied himself any semblance of human interaction. For 15 whole years, he existed solely as a monster incapable of rational thought or emotion. No one would have ever recognized the man lurking within the sea monster's carapace. Hell, he no longer recognized himself as a human being. Why would some other person's name cause any sort of reaction for him?
Yet he was sensing something he had forgotten this whole time. What was it? A memory? A longing? Or just plain nostalgia? He couldn't explain it, but he was sure that something 'important' had happened here. He knew the layout of this place perfectly well – the bedroom was in the far back, the cellar was hidden beneath some urns in the kitchen, and the curtain on the far north side obscured a dent he had made with his spear many years ago. He knew everything about this place, and it bugged him to no end why that was the case.
"Damn it…"
He cursed to himself as he sat in front of the fire and glared at the note. He would have recognized the handwriting, but it was one rare thing that wasn't familiar to him. He had never seen such scribbled and untidy writing before, meaning it was probably written by a child. He chortled to himself – even if he met this kid, they would be an adult by now. That was how much time had passed since he was last here.
For all of his foreign pangs of nostalgia though, he couldn't recall there ever being a child in this house when he was here last time. It had been well over 15 years since then. Maybe about twenty? Twenty-five? Somewhere in between? He had been here a while before the Cattle Raid of Cooley, while he was still training under Scathach, so that sounded about right. The thoughts kept nagging at him as he practically bored his eyes into the paper. It bothered him so much that he wasn't sure if he should just toss the paper into the fire and forget all about it. However, some inexplicable compulsion made him reconsider burning it, so he opted to just pocket it and save it for later.
As he stared at the crackling fire though, his mind refused to stop racing.
I know this place like the back of my hand, yet I can't remember for the life of me if there was a kid here…
As he laid on his side and tried to get some sleep, he couldn't shake the sensation that something 'bad' had happened here…
Or perhaps that it was going to happen.
Fifteen years passed since Scathach brought Connla to the Land of Shadows. It had been a long and grueling life for the young girl, always having to do her best to keep up with her mentor's strict training regimen. Fortunately for her, Scathach wasn't as harsh with her whenever she made mistakes, especially when compared to how Aife would react. Connla certainly made a lot of errors along the way, particularly when it came to learning Runecraft for the first time. Even after so many years of studying and practicing, she could only grasp the full power of the basic Runic alphabet. Combining them together into advanced patterns would take a lot longer for her to understand.
At least Connla's physical exercises were not so difficult. She was already familiar with using a spear, so she could easily build on those foundations and devise some techniques to help her counter Scathach's fighting style during their more intense duels. Furthermore, instead of forcing herself to learn advanced Runecraft, she integrated the basic spells into her actual fighting style, such as enchanting her spear with an Ansuz Rune before throwing it to create an explosion, or sticking a Hagalaz Rune at the spear's tip to pelt an enemy with a concentrated hailstorm before going for the kill. Scathach decided to focus on Connla's ability to adapt to any given situation, rather than forcing her to be some kind of powerhouse when she wasn't capable of it.
No matter what the lesson would be though, Connla always took it seriously. If there was one thing she constantly fretted over, it was disappointing Scathach in any conceivable way. This was especially true when the warrior queen had given her pupil an ultimate goal that she needed to work towards. However, she hadn't given any specific details about what the truly disturbing nature behind her penultimate foe actually was. Despite her advanced intelligence, Connla was not mentally ready to hear the truth. Scathach had no choice but to keep quite about it until the time came.
Now, on the fifteenth anniversary of Connla's arrival to the Land of Shadows, Scathach believed that her pupil was prepared to hear why she was going through such rigorous training.
The pair stood upon the castle's tallest battlement and faced toward the Atlantic Ocean. The vast horizon was nothing but water, stretching for countless miles on end. That was, all except for one particular spot where a familiar white tower loomed over the endless ocean, literally reaching high above the clouds into the stratosphere.
Scathach started the conversation by stating, "I'm sure you have been most curious to know what that white pillar is."
"Of course I have," Connla nodded. "I've always wanted to ask, but you're always so tight-lipped when it comes to keeping secrets. Plus I didn't want to be rude and try to pry."
"Your patience will be well-rewarded now. I think it is time you understood what exactly happened to make the world the way it is."
The young girl gulped with anxiety as the woman asked, "You know about how the rest of the planet is completely submerged under water?"
"Of course I do. It has to do with the god of destruction Taoide Olc that materialized in this world a long time ago."
"Haven't you found it a bit strange that in all of your studies regarding the Tuatha de Danann and the Fomorians, not once was there ever mention of a god named Taoide Olc?"
"Well… I did find it kind of odd. I just thought that he was some obscure god that had been long lost to time."
"How about the reason that he inhabits the body of Curruid?"
"That, I honestly have no idea. Maybe he's formless and needs a physical vessel to exist in this world?"
Scathach slowly shook her head. "No, my pupil. Disregard anything and everything you assume about that so-called 'god's nature."
Connla's skin blanched a little when she heard that. What in the world was she going to hear? Was she actually prepared to learn the reason why the rest of the world had been destroyed?
The maroon-haired queen brushed her thick hair aside as a strong ocean breeze rushed past the pair. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, then finally murmured, "We have that abomination to thank for our troubles."
Connla gazed intently at the strange ivory tower protruding from the ocean. She remained silent for a moment, then whispered, "Crann Ban… The White Tree of Endless Deluge, and the enemy you have tasked me with destroying. Even now, it continues pouring water from its body…"
"What do you think of Taoide Olc and Crann Ban? Don't you believe there is some sort of connection between them?"
"Hmm… I would think so, given that Taoide Olc is a sea monster who would benefit from having so much water. I honestly don't think it's a coincidence that they both exist, but I just don't see how they're related to one another."
Scathach grimly narrowed her eyes. "Let me give it to you straight – there's no such thing as Taoide Olc."
Now Connla was really confused. "No such thing? But he's somewhere out th-"
"Just listen to me. The truth is that there is no such thing as a Celtic god of destruction. It is only a creation unique to this world… Nay, to this timeline."
"This… timeline? I don't understand."
"Think of the choices you made throughout the day. Did you have porridge, or pudding and sausage for breakfast this morning? Did you decide to stay inside and study, or hunt some monsters to stock our food supply? Did you polish your spear, or did you clean your laundry? You inevitably made a choice among each option, which have thus defined how your day has proceeded in this timeline. However, the decisions you didn't make could very well exist within their own timelines. This very day could have played out completely different for you in a parallel world had you made different choices for yourself.
"It's the very same principle behind Taoide Olc's existence. The choices that others made in this timeline have resulted in an outcome where a fictional god, who is never supposed to exist in any other world, has been created and is leading this timeline to ruin."
"So then, he's a manmade entity?"
Scathach nodded. "Precisely."
Connla's blood practically chilled in her veins and arteries. "How in the world could that happen? What sort of forces exist out there to create something so terrifying?"
"Forces that do not exist in any world besides this one. You could say that this timeline has become an unrecognizable aberration among all parallel worlds."
The young girl suddenly became pensive as she thought back to that morning 15 years ago. No matter how much time passed, she could never forget that nightmare of the unknown man being swallowed by a much larger creature. Scathach had told her to dismiss it as a mere dream, but now she wasn't so sure anymore. She had so many small hints and clues, but she was missing so much information and context that she couldn't quite fit them together into a coherent explanation for all of this. Nevertheless, she was sure the man from the dream had something to do with this - the vision felt way too real for her to truly ignore.
Scathach sighed when she saw Connla's perplexed expression. Despite how bewildered the girl looked, she had to keep going with her lecture. She leaned against the wall and languidly gazed at the white tower dubbed Crann Ban. Soon, she continued speaking:
"While there were plenty of other factors involved in Taoide Olc's construction, one of the greatest was the appearance of Crann Ban. It is the object you are tasked with destroying."
"What is it, anyway?" Connla wondered. "It doesn't look like a part of Taoide Olc, so it must be manifesting on its own."
"You're right. Crann Ban… No, I shouldn't use that name. It's true identity is the Tree of Emptiness, Circinus."
"The Tree of Emptiness?"
"Think of it as a god that has no business being in our world.
Connla became shocked as she blurted, "Are you telling me that's actually a living creature!? It's not just some inanimate object!?"
"You are most astute."
"That's insane!"
"Trust me – once you hear the full story, that will be the last thing you call 'insane'. Now then, have you heard of the concept of aliens?"
"Aliens… I'm not really sure."
"They are beings from beyond the heavens. They originate from the stars, and are said to be beyond human comprehension. That tower is actually an alien that has taken root here and granted our manmade god the ability to drown the entire planet. While it's not responsible for creating Taoide Olc, it did fan its flames of fury by granting it a facsimile of Dagda's Cauldron, effectively making him this dying world's invincible king."
"So then, the world is not supposed to be totally submerged?"
"Of course not. There are many different lands and countries, each brimming with their own life and culture. Taoide Olc and the Tree of Emptiness took all of that away over the last 15 years. The only reason Scotland and Ireland are still intact is because the Queen of Connacht and I entered into a pact, where we cooperated on using our respective authorities plus the assistance of countless druids to make both countries float high above the rising ocean. You could say that these two nations are the only ones left in the entire world."
"Whoa…" Connla gasped. She had to take a moment to understand just how grave the situation was. No wonder Scathach refused to tell her anything until now. All of this seemed so beyond her scope of experience… but then again, Scathach said they were dealing with an alien being, so who knew what it was capable of?
"You had best compose yourself, because I haven't told you the worst of it yet," the warrior queen warned.
"Right… Of course. I'll listen to anything you have to say."
"Good. So you understand that due to the Tree of Emptiness' influence, this world has strayed far off of the intended course for human history. In fact, it has veered so badly that even if we were able to slay the alien, there still would be no hope left for humanity's recovery."
"…"
"Even so, this timeline can still be dangerous to other worlds. I didn't explain to you about the concept of parallel universes for no reason. All of our worlds are connected to the Greater History of Man, or the primary history that all of the 'possibilities' stem from. However, there are only so many 'possibilities' that the World can maintain at any time before its prana stores are fully depleted. Furthermore, there are external threats that will descend upon these alternate realities and wreak havoc upon that world's intended course of history, such as what has happened here. The World has an automatic function to cut off such toxic realities from the Greater History of Man, either to ward off these invaders or to sustain its mana supply. This is what's known as the Theoretical Pruning Phenomenon, or Pruning for short."
"Pruning…"
"In particular, if a parallel world goes too far off its natural growth and history, then the World will Prune it. From there, it should be erased, along with any potential threats that that cut-off reality may pose for the primary history. I think you realize what this means, don't you?"
Connla paled. She thought she was going to be ill, but she kept herself in check and murmured, "We're in a Pruned world…"
"Yes. Since there is no hope for human civilization recovering from this calamity, the World deemed it fit to cut this world off from the primary history."
"So then, we shouldn't even be here, should we?"
"That's what it should be. But that Tree of Emptiness is trying to keep this world attached to the Greater History of Man for its own purposes. You could say that due to its existence, our reality is now a cancer trying to infect Proper Human History. The Tree of Emptiness is using this dead universe to try and burrow its way into the World itself, much like a parasite. I believe the word I have heard for such a toxic reality is called a Lostbelt."
"A Lostbelt…"
Scathach gravely nodded. "I've been training you for these past 15 years precisely so you could gain the strength and skills necessary to cut the Tree of Emptiness down."
Connla gasped in horror. "You want me to take that thing down!? But it's so huge! I couldn't possibly make a dent in it, never mind slay it!"
"Don't fret so much. It is not the size of the warrior that matters, but how effectively they are trained in pinpointing the enemy's weaknesses."
"Even so… I don't think I have a conceivable chance at felling something so massive…"
"Do you think I wasted 15 years' worth of my time training you to do something that's impossible? You have a better shot at taking it down than trying to challenge Taoide Olc."
"Why is that?"
"To put it bluntly, he's unstoppable. It would be suicide for you to fight him when you can make all of our problems go away by destroying Circinus. Once the Tree of Emptiness is gone, the World will be able to erase this timeline from the Greater History of Man. Not even Taoide Olc can do anything about that."
Connla wasn't sure what to think. Sure, she had a better understanding of what she was preparing to fight against, but she didn't like her chances one bit. A lot of things simultaneously made sense, and yet didn't make sense. How was she supposed to respond to such outlandish claims? Turn around and say, "No way, I'm out of here"? That would go against her very principle as a human being. Even if Scathach's explanation sounded like total nonsense to her, there was something obviously at stake here, and she didn't want to abandon her teacher when she needed her the most. Perhaps the biggest thing on her mind was whether or not she was capable of living up to such ridiculous expectations.
Scathach noticed how nervous her niece looked and kneeled before her, resting her hand on her shoulder as she said, "I know I've told you to learn how to fight so that you can protect something, yet here I am telling you to destroy this timeline's very future. I can't blame you for feeling so troubled over this foolish woman's mixed messages."
"Well… I just… don't know anymore…"
"You don't need to think about it so hard. If you want to fight for someone's behalf, then do it for your counterparts who live in complete ignorance of Taoide Olc's reign of terror."
"My counterparts…"
"You don't want that god of destruction to find a way to cross to their worlds and destroy them as well, do you?"
Connla closed her eyes. Then, she shook her head and responded, "… I don't."
"Then fight for them. Nothing more, nothing less. If you can do that, I will be happy."
They stared into each other's eyes for an intense moment. Soon, Connla gently nodded and mumbled, "Mm."
"Good. It's getting late, so turn in for the night. I will be preparing to travel to Ireland come this time tomorrow."
"Another meeting with Queen Medb? I thought you just had one with her last month."
"The situation is getting a little chaotic over there, so she requested my presence to help calm tensions between the various magistrates."
"Sounds like a lot of work."
"Yes, bureaucracy can be a pain at times, but it is necessary for maintaining order. Not that you need to worry about it, of course. Just do your usual routine and keep an eye on the spirits while I'm gone."
"Understood."
The following afternoon, Scathach departed for Ireland and entrusted Connla with her usual duties. For the next two weeks, the young girl mostly focused on hunting some wild boars and local fowl to stock up for the coming winter months. Today was dedicated to fishing around the bogs near the castle, and Connla found a good spot to fish up plenty of bluegill. Naturally, she erected several Runic fields to repel the angry spirits so they wouldn't harass her. She realized that she had filled her bucket up with so many fish that it would be too heavy for her to carry if she kept going. She hauled it with both arms back to the castle's cellar where she could prepare it later.
During the short time that Connla was absent, the ghosts who came to check out what she was doing realized that something felt amiss. There was an incredible presence that seemed equal to, if not even stronger than Dun Scaith's queen, which made them uncomfortable. Fearing they would be hunted down, they bid a hasty retreat. As Connla was returning to her fishing spot, she noticed the spirits' hesitation and wondered what was going on. As she approached the nearby trees, that was when she spotted something unusual.
Slumped against the tree was a heavily wounded man who looked to be in his early twenties. His long blue hair draped over his shoulder, soaked in blood oozing from his shoulder and chest. Although he had crimson tattoos etched on his face, arms and chest, it was difficult for her to tell them apart from the many egregious cuts that bled profusely. His ruby eyes were languid and tired - clearly an indication that he was exhausted from losing so much blood. He didn't wear much except for a torn bodysuit on the lower half of his body, although his arms and legs had some kind of black bones and spikes wrapping around them. A massive black spiked tail slumped languidly upon some ancient driftwood. The man heard the grass rustling under Connla's boots, and he shifted his eyes up to meet her gaze. His breathing was labored, as if just looking at her was a challenge for him.
It took her a brief moment to realize what was going on, but she soon yelped, "By the gods! What happened to you!?"
"Ungh…"
The young girl whimpered and looked around to see what she could do. Since Scathach was not in the Land of Shadows, she had to handle this on her own. It had been so long since she met anyone other than Aife and Scathach though, so she wasn't used to dealing with outsiders. Hell, this was probably the first time in her entire life that she ever met a male. She couldn't tell if he was supposed to be friend or foe, but that didn't matter much when her conscience was screaming at her to tend to his wounds.
"Uh, um, I-I'll be right back! Just stay right there!" Connla yelped and ran back to the castle.
The man watched her leave. Once she was out of sight, he sighed in relief and closed his eyes. Now that someone saw him, he was sure it wouldn't be long before he'd get to have his long-awaited reunion with Scathach. He felt a little guilty for scaring such a young girl with his grotesque injuries, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. After leaving the Ben Nevis mountains and reaching the Land of Shadows, he had to traverse through the monster-infested swamps that protected the underworld from foreign invasion, and they were as deadly as he remembered. Being assailed by a horde of gigantic Demon Boars and wrathful spirits for two days straight was no joke, even for someone of his strength and pedigree.
About ten minutes later, he heard the grass rustling again, this time in a running pattern. Connla returned with some food and supplies. She kneeled next to him and started wrapping the worst of his cuts with bandages. He grunted when pain flared in his arm, and she uttered, "Was that too rough for you?"
"I'm fine… Pain is no big deal. Still, you look like you're one of Scathach's pupils, so shouldn't you know healing Runes anyway?"
"I'm afraid I haven't started learning advanced Runic formulas yet. I've mastered the basics, but when it comes to combining them to make new spells, I'm a total amateur."
"I see. Guess it was too much to ask of a little kid to know how to heal. Those Runes were a pain in the ass even for me to learn."
"Are you saying you used to be one of Scathach's students too?"
"That was ages ago. But yeah, I trained under her for a short while."
Connla's eyes seemed to light up a little as she said, "So you're like my senior apprentice. What's your name?"
"Hmph…" the man scoffed derisively. "I've thrown my birth name away a long time ago. Everyone knows me as Cuchulainn."
"Cu… chulainn…"
As she dabbed one of his wounds with an antiseptic, he stared at her intently. She noticed this and averted her eyes from him bashfully. He couldn't tolerate this uncomfortable atmosphere, so he asked, "Did Scathach ever talk about me to you?"
"I'm afraid not. She doesn't care to talk about her former students. Says it makes her feel too melancholic if she dwells on the past."
"Hah. Figures she wouldn't. Especially not about a worthless failure like me."
Connla tilted her head. She couldn't resist wondering why he'd say such a harsh thing about himself. Even without the injuries disfiguring his body, his gruff expression and vapid tone of voice told her that he had been through a lot in his life. Despite this, she tried not to pry into his past. Whatever his business was in the Land of Shadows, she felt it was not her place to know. All she had to do was patch him up, then figure out what he wanted here and now.
Once Connla finished treating Cuchulainn, she gave him some bread and glasses of water. She told him, "I was in the middle of curing the fish I just caught. Give me a moment and I'll prepare some for you."
"Yeah."
She got a bonfire going and roasted some fish on sticks for them to eat. It wasn't the most elegant-looking of meals, but he couldn't deny how hearty it was. It had been ages since he last had a decent feast prepared for him like this… Probably not since he was living with his foster parents and brother, back when he was a young lad. Once he took up the spear in his late teens, life simply got too hectic for him to enjoy anything outside of combat. Sitting there and watching Connla cook made him realize how much he missed the simpler things in life – reading, sparring, playing with his friends, sitting at the dinner table with family…
Damn it. This must be why Scathach doesn't like dwelling on the past too much.
The weary man rubbed his face and sighed deeply, fighting back the urge to agonize like some cranky old dude about wanting to go back to his childhood years. Connla asked him, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a little tired."
"Take it easy. Losing so much blood must be doing a lot to your mental state."
"You're right. I'm thinking of a lot of weird shit. I just need to compose myself for a bit."
"Sure… So, why are you here anyway? Did you want to talk with Teacher about something?"
"I wouldn't go through that hell if I didn't. Is she here?"
"She said she had some important business in Connacht, so she told me to hold the fort here. She should be back in a day or two."
Cuchulainn's lips thinned into an imperceptible line. His brows creased and his eyes flared with quiet fury when he heard the word 'Connacht'. His breathing increased dramatically, as if he was a livid boar trying to keep its rage under check. He trembled so hard that Connla yelped, "What's the matter? Does it hurt somewhere?"
"No… No, I'm fine… Just let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
"There was a war between Connacht and a neighboring province 15 years ago. Do you know anything about it?"
Connla mumbled to herself in contemplation, "Hm… Hmm… I don't really know much about the world's history since I've been isolated here for many years."
"Oh? How intriguing. You must have been too young to know anything about it at that time."
"Back then, yes. But Teacher told me bits and pieces about some major war between Connacht and another region called Ulster. I believe Connacht won in the end, and Ulster was merged with it as a result. Not only that, Connacht's ruler took over Ireland's other provinces, so it's common to say that Ireland and Connacht are the same thing."
"…"
"Um… Does that answer your question?"
"… Yeah, it does. Thanks for the info. I have a better idea of what I should do now."
The girl looked pensive as she realized, "Wait a minute. The rest of the world sunk beneath the ocean due to the evil god Taoide Olc, so there aren't any other nations besides the Celtic Isles. You can't possibly come from anywhere else, so how could you not know something that was so obvious?"
Cuchulainn snorted mockingly. "Let's just say I've been away for a while."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't you know it's impolite for a young lady to pry into someone else's business? Or is Scathach not teaching you a damn thing about etiquette?"
"Oh… Please excuse me," Connla whimpered forlornly. "I have a bad habit of being too curious for my own good. Teacher told me over and over again to keep it in check."
"Well whatever. It's a kid's prerogative to be precocious. Just don't go butting into my business with Scathach, or you might be asking for a lot more trouble than you can handle."
"I understand."
They sat there in an uneasy silence for a while, listening to the crackling fire. The late afternoon gradually turned into night, and Connla gazed up at the setting sun to keep her mind off of the gruff stranger she had to take care of.
"Say," Cuchulainn suddenly muttered. "Since we're just killing time, tell me what training under Scathach is like."
"Huh?" she uttered and stared at him. "I don't mind, but don't you already know yourself?"
"I wanna know what it's like for a small kid to try and keep up with that demon of a woman. I was in my teens when I started my training, plus I already had my previous experience as a boy-troop soldier, so I could put up with those rigors well enough. It must be a total nightmare for someone like you to appease that battle freak when you aren't as strong as I was."
"Well…" Connla murmured and scratched her head. "Actually, I was kind of used to it already. My mother always put me through some seriously tough endurance tests."
"Endurance tests?"
"Like walking on hot coals for an hour, or hunting a giant Demon Boar and bringing its entire carcass back on my own, or running up and down the mountain in an entire day. That's on top of cleaning the house and looking after the horses. Most of it was geared towards enduring torture from any potential enemies, since she always said that I should see everyone else in the world as my enemy. I kind of found that hard to believe, but I didn't want to disobey her either."
"You don't say…"
"Take a look," she said and rolled up her sleeve to show him the many hideous scars covering it. "Mother said these wounds are the marks of a real warrior. I'm usually embarrassed to show them, but Teacher always says to be proud of surviving Mother's strict training. She keeps calling these scars 'battle trophies', and that I shouldn't be ashamed of them."
"…"
The child warrior looked upset as she admitted, "Even though she says that, I kind of don't like how they look, so I try to keep them covered as much as possible. I figured you would understand though, since you're my senior apprentice."
"…"
"I mean, that's how all soldiers in Scotland and Ireland are trained, right?"
Cuchulainn couldn't bring himself to say anything at first. Even though his boyhood was indeed a nostalgic feeling for him, at least it gave him a sense of peace in this otherwise chaotic world. If this weird girl was saying she never got to read, spar, play with friends, or even sit at the dinner table with family, then…
He soon muttered, "Let me ask you something."
"Y-Yes?" she tensed up, noticing that something felt off about his demeanor.
"Is it just me, or do you seem abnormally mature for your age?"
"Huh? Of course I am. I spent the last 15 years in the Land of Shadows, and we both know that time doesn't matter here."
"How old were you when you first came here?"
"I was seven."
His eyes widened a little. "Seven?"
"You could say I'm 22 years old now, although I don't really like thinking of it that way. If I were to leave here now, I wouldn't look any different than when I first arrived. Everyone's just going to see me as a child anyway, so I might as well swallow my feelings and go along with it."
"Forget about Scathach and the Land of Shadows for a second," he implored bluntly. "I want to know of your time before then. Are you telling me you went through torture endurance training up until you turned seven?"
"Yeah. I think Mother started me when I was two or three. Maybe younger, but I don't remember very well."
"What about your reading and writing skills? Did you go to school or do any sort of studying?"
"Not much, although I didn't really need to. Mother said that she had a druid come and place some Runes on my brain when I was a baby. I would read some difficult books or poetry if she wasn't around, and she often asked me to come up with strategies for battle scenarios she'd invent. I always liked mathematics though. There's just something rewarding about tackling a hard problem and arriving at the right solution, especially since the answer always has to be objective and finite, rather than subjective like in literature or philosophy."
"Didn't you have any siblings?"
"I was an only child. Apparently, Mother said I was the product of a rape," Connla said, as plainly as if she were talking about the weather.
Cuchulainn swallowed hard. "Did you have any friends your age?"
"Like I said, Mother taught me to treat everyone else as the enemy who was out for my life and secrets. She kept me secluded in the mountains for my safety. But Teacher keeps saying that's not true, even though she's kept me here for so long, so I have no idea what to believe…"
He sat back in total shock. He felt like he was receiving rapid-fire punches to his gut each time she said something unbelievable. As she kept confessing each detail of her younger life, that was when a bitter realization dawned upon him:
He might have missed his childhood and yearned for the good old days…
But this kid never had a childhood to begin with.
He clenched his jaw hard, and his eye twitched on its own. She stepped back in mild surprise. Only now did she realize his teeth were long and sharp, rather than blunt like normal teeth. She sensed an ominous aura surrounding him. Something seriously wasn't right with this man. She tensed up and moaned, "Did I upset you? I'm so sorry if I did. Please don't be angry with me. I was just telling the truth, and-"
"No, I'm not mad at you," he assured. Despite his terrifying features, he kept his temper in check so as not to frighten her further. "I was just thinking of something else."
"Oh," she relaxed once she realized she wasn't in danger.
"Now that I think about it, you never told me your mother's name."
"She was the warrior woman Aife."
"Aife…"
"She's also Scathach's sister. The thing is, she died from a boar attack a long time ago, so that's why Teacher adopted me."
"Aife… Aife… Aife… Aife… Aife… Aife…"
He kept repeating that name over and over and over again like a broken record. Something was tugging at the very recesses of his clouded memories. What the hell was it? Why did that name sound so familiar?
"Um… Cuchulainn? Are you okay?" Connla wondered worriedly.
He grabbed the sides of his head in frustration. "Ghhh… Damn it! Why can't I remember!?"
"This is awful! Are you suffering from amnesia!? Is that why you want to see Teacher!?"
"AAAAGH!" he roared and hobbled over the grass in pain. He tried to fight back against a throbbing headache that threatened to split his brain apart.
"Calm down! Stay with me now!" the girl urged and held his head in her arms. "If it hurts that much, don't force yourself to remember anything!"
"Unnngh! Gah… Hah, hah, hah… Shit! It's not coming to me!"
"That's okay. The fact that you remember your name is a great starting point. You came to the right place too. Teacher is bound to know a way to help you. If you stress yourself out like this though, your condition might get worse. Please take it easy."
"Ugh… You're right."
"It's unfortunate that she's not here though, and I'm totally useless in this situation."
"Don't say that. Patching my wounds and stuffing my belly is more than I can ask for. I wouldn't want to impose on you any more than that."
"Then if it's the least I can do, I'll make sure you're well enough to see her."
"Hm… Say, speaking of me remembering my name, I don't think you ever told me yours."
"Mine?" Connla replied, then frowned. "I'm afraid I can't. I have a geas that forbids me from speaking my birth name to anyone."
"I see. What a shitty vow to uphold."
"Teacher did tattoo my name on my arm though. Even if I can't say it, she thinks I can circumvent the curse if my name's presented in writing form. Let's see here…"
As she began rolling up her opposite sleeve to show him the tattoo, that was when a bloodcurdling scream pierced through the heavens.
"CONNLAAA~AAA!"