Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 28: Dual Awakenings

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 28: Dual Awakenings

Lancer...

Bazett's mind seemed to drift in the realm between wakefulness and sleep. She was slowly being pulled out of her long nightmare and returning to consciousness. The light feeling of floating in some unknown space vanished, replaced by the heavy sensation of her own sweat-covered body weighing her down. She was sweltering from the many hot flashes she experienced, yet the room was so chilly that she didn't want to get out from beneath the covers.

"Bazett?" she heard a lady's soft voice murmur her name.

The Mage breathed hard, then mustered the courage to open her eyes for the first time in weeks. She gazed up at a white-haired nun, and their eyes met for a moment.

"Caren..."

"Welcome back, sleepyhead. How was your trip to dreamland?"

Bazett disregarded the derisive remark and slowly sat up in her bed. She tried to prop her left side up, but forgot that she had no arm on that side anymore, so she almost lost her balance. Sakura rushed to her side and held her up while imploring, "Please, don't try to move so much."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Bazett mumbled, then shuffled her bare legs over the side of the bed. She was only wearing a white button-up shirt and underwear, which explained why she felt so cold. She ignored the low temperature and asked, "Where's Lancer?"

"Which one, the first or the second?" Caren wondered.

"... Both."

Right as she said this, bright orange flames suddenly lit up the night with an intense flare. A wave of heat rushed into the room, startling the four girls. Rin stepped back in astonishment and yelped, "Whoa!?"

"What happened!?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Second Lancer... She... burned him alive..."

Bazett paled with fright and immediately stumbled toward the bedroom door, then rushed outside. Sakura was about to pursue her, but Caren grabbed her shoulder and shook her head, silently telling her not to follow. Bazett absolutely wanted to see what had become of the two Lancers she had summoned in this war, even if it meant running outside while improperly dressed for the winter weather. She thrust open the front door and hurried around the corner of the manor.

That was when Bazett came upon a most heart-rending scene. Connla was kneeling over Cuchulainn's dead body, hugging his head against her chest and sobbing uncontrollably. His chest had a clean circle pierced through, and the stench of cooked flesh wafted in the air. His internal organs were gone, including his heart. The Lesser Grail had likewise been eliminated, leaving absolutely no traces behind that it ever existed. Cuchulainn's form gradually began to vanish as azure particles, but Connla would not let him go until he had completely faded. Even though his body was utterly destroyed, he maintained his light smile as his death mask so that she wouldn't see him in pain.

"Lancer," Bazett murmured.

Connla glanced up at her. Her eyes and cheeks were totally drenched with tears, and she hiccupped several times before regaining enough composure to speak.

"M... Mas... ter..."

Cuchulainn soon vanished for good, leaving Connla kneeling there and trembling her hands as if desperate to latch on to something. She and Bazett stared at each other for a long moment, and the child's grief intensified with each passing second.

"Lancer!" the woman cried out and rushed in to hug her wailing Servant.

****

Archer and Muramasa quietly watched the exchange, unable to bring themselves to interrupt them. Muramasa made his katana disappear in a flurry of burning embers, then turned around and murmured, "My job here is done."