FATE/BROTHERS IN DESTINY

Chapter 1: Lady in the Kaleidoscope

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This and any future stories involving Connla will assume that you have read all previous stories, so some details already covered there will not be explained here. If you haven't read those, I recommend you do so before this one so you aren't too confused.

Two weeks earlier…

Within the realm of dreams, a lone man drifted through the nonsensical space of shapes and colors. Though he dreamed, he was perfectly alert and capable of discerning what he was witnessing. It was an awareness that normal humans would not be able to possess, but by no means was this man ordinary. He was born with the blood of both humans and gods, destined to act as the last link between the fading deities and the mortals who were supposed to revere them, yet they forgot this duty and lavished in their own self-worth.

Self-worth was literally the definition of this man's personality, for he was none other than the Sumerian King of Heroes, the king who stood above all other kings – Gilgamesh, the owner of every Noble Phantasm in the world before his possessions were scattered across history and came into the hands of numerous heroes. If there was an object defined as a 'treasure', he could easily lay claim to it as his original property, and no one would be able to refute it. However, there were some things that remained even beyond his grasp. His nearly limitless treasury, the Gate of Babylon, only housed physical items of notable worth. There was nothing saying that he possessed anything intangible. Even immortality slipped through his fingers, though he laughed it off and discovered his humanity as a result.

Another thing Gilgamesh could not claim he possessed was the ability to rule over parallel worlds. Even he didn't know how much the gods from the ancient world were aware of these alternate possibilities, or if they sought worship from humans of other universes to make up for the lack of faith they received in their own world. It was certainly a fascinating concept for him, being able to journey to other realms and add their treasures to his collection.

But he had to be careful.

Journeying through alternate worlds haphazardly could wind up causing him to be a wandering soul, lost in a maze of endless what-ifs for all eternity. As if that wasn't convoluted enough, he possessed a kind of clairvoyance that allowed him to actually witness what these strange worlds entailed. He kept these visions heavily restrained though so that his memories would not get confused within the quagmire of millions of possibilities. He refused to allow his profound sense of self to be drowned out by numerous other possible versions of himself experiencing things that he claimed were utter nonsense, such as death or defeat.

His high divinity plus his clairvoyance were what allowed him to appear in this landscape, far removed from the concepts of time and space, staring into the distant kaleidoscope that was the realm between parallel worlds. Although his body was back in Chaldea, his spirit could be temporarily detached and allow him to reach this fantastic plane of existence through his dreams. It was easy for any other person to forget who they were and where they belonged when they gazed upon this incredible aurora of fantasy and wonder, but Gilgamesh would not allow that to happen. He knew his identity perfectly well, and not even the allure of endless exploration would deter him.

Humph… This is the third or fourth time I have come here. Is even the Kaleidoscope boorish enough to try and challenge my ego? I am not so foolish as to be casually entranced by this hallucination. If someone is responsible for me being here, I will have to demonstrate my innate superiority over them.

Gilgamesh scoffed at the colorful sight and attempted to forcefully wake himself up. However, as he turned his back to the chromatic scenery and faced the darkness of empty space, he noticed something shine all by itself in the far distance. Isolated from the colorful space was a single star twinkling in the darkness, as if it wanted nothing to do with the myriad of parallel worlds. Imagine a tiny black spot on an otherwise perfectly white sheet of paper – this little star was no different than that. Just like such a black spot, this shining twinkle grabbed his attention. No other 'stars' existed in this place, so why was he able to see one?

That itching feeling of wanting to find out got the better of Gilgamesh. It was the same sort of sensation he felt whenever he got word of a potential treasure he could add to his collection. Was the star actually a treasure floating within this bizarre realm? He couldn't resist the allure of claiming a unique object that had been stranded between worlds, even if the item itself was inherently worthless. He willed himself to venture closer to the tiny light. As he got within viewing distance however, he came to realize that the source of the light wasn't an object he could grasp within his hand.

He narrowed his eyes as he wondered aloud, "A Reality Marble?"

This wasn't the same as the numerous parallel worlds he saw just now. This was a secluded space that reflected a person's inner world, detached from the concept of space-time and overriding existing space for a temporary period of time. Gilgamesh could sense an immense amount of mana emanating from whoever was inside the Marble, and he could tell it was enough to sustain their personal world for a much longer time than any mage or Servant was capable of.

It meant only one thing to him – someone had removed themselves from all of the millions of alternate universes and had set up this Reality Marble within imaginary space as their home.

Gilgamesh didn't know what to think. On one hand, he silently called this person a fool for shutting themselves away from every possible civilization out there, preferring to live alone like some kind of hikikomori. On the other hand, he wanted to know who could possibly possess enough mana to sustain a Reality Marble in the world between worlds, and for what purpose.

Perhaps I could find a practical use for such talent instead of allowing it to languish in total isolation like this. But if they're the one purposefully pulling me here…

He arrogantly folded his arms and declared in a loud tone, "I don't know who you are, mongrel, but if you're the one responsible for summoning me here time and time again, I'll teach you a worthwhile lesson in soliciting the King of Heroes' attention without reason. Tell me your identity immediately, or face my indignation!"

He fully expected the unknown mage to come out of hiding quivering in respect from being in the presence of humanity's oldest known Heroic Spirit. Although he was disappointed in the lack of response from the unknown mage, deep down he wasn't really surprised. Not everyone revered him in the way he demanded everyone around him to. It was times like these that he needed to enforce his own laws to get upstarts like these to obey him.

"You've made your grave, mongrel," Gilgamesh warned in an icy tone.

To accentuate his threat, dozens of rippling golden portals formed all around him. These were miniature warp holes to his infamous treasury, which housed untold amounts of gold, ancient treasures, and every original Noble Phantasm before they reached the hands of other heroes. Countless weapons – swords, spears, axes, knives, lances, sickles, and everything in between – slowly slid out of the portals, waiting to be fired upon the Reality Marble simultaneously.

Just then, the king caught sight of hundreds of flickering pink lights surrounding him. Shock was not an emotion that he experienced often, but when it happened, it was for a good reason. Right now though, he had every right to be startled. Without any warning, one of the cherry-colored lights had smashed against a golden portal and destroyed it before the weapon inside it could be thrown. Then another while he was distracted, followed by another, and another.

"Insolence!" Gilgamesh screamed. "That's it, mongrel! I'll make you experience the depths of hell for sullying my property!"

Without any further ceremony, he mentally commanded his weapons to fly out of the warp holes and shoot straight for the twinkling stars. What he didn't realize was that there were actually way more tiny stars than he anticipated. Hundreds? Thousands? No, probably millions of shining lights gradually started glittering in the distance, perfectly flanking him before he could find an escape route.

"Guh!?" Gilgamesh choked up as the countless pink light arrows shot straight for him in a fusillade of hair-thin, lance-like projectiles. Even if he possessed enough weapons in his treasury to counter this onslaught, he was not prepared to take them out in time to retaliate. Even stranger was how these spears appeared to have the ability to duck and weave their way like slithery snakes around any obstacles he was actually able to launch. He realized that even if he had thrown all of his weapons, it wasn't a guarantee that they would have actually intercepted the lances.

Instead of targeting the mage with his own barrage, he had now become the target instead. Whatever their reasoning was for attacking him, it was clear that their fury was much greater than his.

Suddenly, he felt something wrap around his waist. He glanced down to discover an arm – obviously a woman's from how slender it was – and grew curious because there was something he recognized on her right thumb. The newcomer 'leapt' through space with him in tow and proceeded to outpace the spears as they crashed and exploded all around the duo. Despite hauling the King of Heroes around her arm, the woman was surprisingly graceful and quick in her movements. From what he could tell, she probably moved as fast as his airship Vimana. He was too stunned by these sudden events to be humiliated at the idea of having to be rescued.

Inside the Reality Marble, a gentle breeze blew upon a dirt path, swaying the grass and wildflowers so that they danced in unison. Everything was illuminated with pastel colors thanks to the constant early evening sunset dappling the world with dramatic flares of pinks, purples and blues. The weather was always nice and mild – perfect for a couple seeking a night of quiet romance. Yet there seemed to be a hollow loneliness looming around the world, as this was a beautiful space which no one except for one person could enjoy. Even then, the Marble's creator was so detached from everything around them that this majestic scenery failed to catch their attention, despite it being the reflection of their inner world.

The one responsible for creating their ideal getaway was a short-statured person garbed in thick layers of red druid's robes. A hood covered their entire face save for their expressionless mouth, so it was impossible for anyone looking at them to tell what age or gender they were. There was no doubt that this druid was an exceptional mage however, since creating a Reality Marble was like stepping into the realm of gods in terms of how much mana was needed. Normally, Marbles would only last a few minutes before the World would override its effects and return everything back to normal space.

This Marble was outside the confines of the World, existing in the space between parallel worlds without being attached to any of them. That, coupled with the constant influx of mana being siphoned in from dead or dying alternate realities, allowed the druid to maintain their personal space for as long as they wished. It was the perfect way for them to escape from any and all civilization, enjoying their days in absolute silence without anyone trying to tell them what to do.

The only real source of noise one could find in this desolate realm was a lantern that flew next to the druid. It had elegant gold patterns etched around its base, and a soft pink light emanated from inside the glass. A small pair of wings on the ring attached to its top fluttered fervently, demonstrating considerable effort to stay aloft from the uneven distribution of weight. This lantern was a sentient familiar who took care of the menial duties that its master had no interest in dealing with.

The druid soon stopped walking and turned their attention to the colorful sky. They paused, which was unusual for the lantern to see.

"Is something wrong?" the familiar asked. Although it possessed no distinct face, it appeared concerned because its owner never looked at the sky.

"…"

"Outsiders? Wow, it's been a while since anyone's tried to pay a visit, huh? Well don't worry – if they didn't know how unwelcome they were before, they should now."

"…"

"Ah… 'Why are they still moving around?', you ask? M-My apologies!" the lantern uttered in surprise. "I'll send some of the golems after them! No, no, I'll double up the security and see about procuring a new location! I should never have allowed them to find this spot in the first place! I'll do everything I can to fix this! Just please don't smash me into smithereens!"

The red-garbed druid paused, listening to the lantern's frantic ramblings in silence. Then they kept walking forward along the quaint path while giving another unspoken command to their vassal.

"Eh? 'Don't bother'?" it wondered. "Why not? Isn't it your policy to get rid of everyone who gets close to this space?"

"…"

"Oh, I see. You used up all of your energy just to drive them back. Yeah, I guess so. Your walking pace has really slowed down - you're probably too tired to even make it back to the cottage. Just a second."

The lantern shook several times like a jingle bell, and then the immediate landscape began to tremble. A couple of trees sprouted straight from the ground in rapid motion, and the soft leafy branches ensnared each other like ropes until they formed a makeshift hammock. The trees soon stopped creaking with life and froze into solid structures.

"There you go," the familiar guided its charge to the impromptu bed and helped them lie down. "Sturdy enough for a power nap. I'll take care of everything else, so you just have yourself a good rest, okay?"

The druid said nothing in response as they closed their eyes. It didn't even take two minutes for them to fully pass out. The lantern conjured a fur blanket and fluttered above the sleeping figure to gently drape the animal pelt over its master's body, although it took some effort since the fur was heavier than the lantern itself. Once it was sure the druid was tucked away, the familiar flew off to take care of other business.

The woman carried Gilgamesh away from the Reality Marble for a few more minutes, making sure they lost the pursuing magic spears before she could release her arm from his waist. They hovered in a safer area of the Kaleidoscope, allowing him to get a better look at her features. She looked to be in her early 20s, with long lavender hair tied into a low ponytail with a pink ribbon. She wore a green bodysuit with distinct Celtic markings all over, along with a pair of pauldrons on her shoulders. She carried a familiar leaf-bladed spear with a pink tassel on the opposite end. Although she could be easily classified as a Lancer, Gilgamesh wasn't quick to judge due to the existence of other classes such as Alter Ego or Foreigner.

"I'm glad I came in time," the woman said. "You should be more careful. What if your Spirit Origin had been destroyed before I could reach you?"

"Huh!" Gilgamesh scoffed and haughtily crossed his arms again. "I would have bestowed my gratitude had you not been so crass as to tell me what to do."

"In this realm, if you die while dreaming, you will die for real. Is your pride so important that you would discard your life for it?"

"What a foolish question to ask. I am the very embodiment of pride in my status and nature. To say that pride defines my life is like saying that gold is the most precious metal in the world."

"Actually, that would be rhodium. But I get what you're saying."

"… If you wish to be another victim to my Gate of Babylon, then feel free to continue running your mouth off like that, mongrel."

Rather than show him any sort of remorse or apology for her words, the woman suppressed a chuckle and said, "That's so like you, King of Heroes. But I'm afraid our time together is very limited, so I have to pass along my request to you immediately."

"Request?"

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that you have been brought here multiple times, yes?"

"Of course I noticed. What are you insinuating, mongrel?"

"Simply that I was the one responsible for pulling you here each time, but until now, you woke up before I could reach you."

"Hoh? So the culprit has the courage to admit their hand in this little conspiracy against me. I hope you are prepared for the consequences, woman."

"I'll take whatever punishment you have to dole upon me, but please hear me out first."

"… Then speak. And be concise about it. I hate having my time wasted on plebeians like you."

She primly put her hands in front of her chest and continued, "You may have sought to challenge that mage for affronting your dignity… However, I wish to save them. Unfortunately, my strength alone will not be enough. My understanding is that you're part of an organization of Servants who are contracted to a single Master, correct?"

"How would you know about such a thing?" Gilgamesh demanded. "Have you glimpsed into the world that I have been summoned into?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Please tell me – is there a little girl among those ranks who wears this?"

She showed him the golden ring with red markings on her thumb. He stared at it for a moment, then replied, "There is. Nothing more than the runt in the litter though - not even worth calling a proper mongrel."

"Oh, good. So she's on the same side as you in your world. Could you tell her and your Master to be careful when dreaming? That mage's Reality Marble can only be accessed through this forbidden land, and if anyone ventures too close, either intentionally or by accident, well… They'll wind up experiencing the same thing you just did."

"A thorough rejection, with extreme prejudice."

"Yes. Furthermore, there is a powerful barrier surrounding that small world that is nigh on impossible to break."

"'Nigh on', you say. Are you implying that there is some kind of weakness?"

"A very tiny one, but there is. Even so, no one can breach that army of magic spears that will disintegrate anyone they touch."

"Ridiculous. So that mongrel has the gall to rival the number of weapons in my treasury."

The woman shook her head dejectedly. "I'm terribly sorry to have to say this, but your collection doesn't even come close."

"What…?" his expression hardened, and his ruby eyes seemed to shine with fervor for a moment.

"If you possess a million weapons, then that person has all of the pebbles in the world to counter them. I'm sure even you could respect how many pebbles there are on Earth for them to transform into those weapons. And even if you were able to break through such a barrage, their barrier is practically perfect. Only those bearing the exact same Spirit Origin as me can remove it."

"…"

"You're free to be upset with what I just said, but facts are facts, and we need to face them."

The Sumerian king was definitely angry with the woman's bitter words. At the same time though, he held a tinge of respect for the weight behind her warning, so he found it difficult to be outright furious with her. She was only looking out for his well-being, and she did save him from his perilous situation without benefit to herself. He murmured, "Very well. I'll forgive your lack of prudence within my presence. So then, you said you had a request of me. If it winds up being too ridiculous, I'll be taking your head as compensation for insulting me."

The woman nodded in understanding. "Since there's another 'me' among your ranks, I want you to make sure she becomes strong enough to be able to break through that Reality Marble's barrier and reach that isolated mage."

"How stupid. Are you implying that little runt is the key to dispelling that barrier?"

"It may be hard for you to believe, but it's the truth. There's something only she possesses that no other Servant can have. It's something that cannot be stored in your treasury either – she must come here in person and fulfill this task herself."

"Interesting," Gilgamesh grew curious with this claim. "If you and the runt are one and the same, you should be able to take that barrier down as well."

"True, but I'm afraid my power won't be enough. Along with myself, the majority of my 'other selves' in different worlds are either too weak or forced to fight against other Servants, leaving them unable to help this one. I think there is hope in a 'me' who can befriend many strong Servants while serving the same Master. If she can just overcome the many emotional obstacles surrounding her, I think she can finally get through to that poor soul who has completely shut out the outside world and refuses to face their inner demons with courage."

"So you really are another version of the runt… Why are you an adult, when the one I know is stuck as a child?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I come from a world that you will never get to experience, for I escaped its destruction and found myself here. As much as I want to help that isolated one, all I can do is be by their side while rescuing wanderers like you from their fury."

"Hmph… So you want the runt to come here someday and force that worthless shut-in to come out."

"Correct. All I ask is for someone to oversee her growth until she's ready to take this mission on. You don't need to do anything special either – just watch over her. Simple, isn't it?"

"Dealing with a pathetic pup like that is a far cry from 'simple' for someone of my exalted status, woman. Why should I bother with any of this? What exactly am I going to get out of such a deal?"

"Well now," the woman smiled lightly and put a hand on her cheek. "A man who shamelessly boasts his pride should have a good memory of whomever sullies his dignity, however slight it may be. Wouldn't you want to ensure that our secluded friend understands how much of a mistake it was to attack the King of Heroes unprovoked?"

"Teaching them a lesson for nothing more than pride's sake… Fwah hah hah hah!" Gilgamesh laughed. "You seem to know me better than you let on!"

"You and I had some dealings back in my world, so I'm quite familiar with how you work."

"Interesting! Then I will add my own stipulation to the mix!" he declared, then pointed at her. "I will observe the runt, as you so ask. Should she be successful in assisting me with meting punishment upon that sequestered mongrel, you will have no choice but to become my possession!"

"Oh my."

Surprisingly, the woman barely flinched at his outrageous demand. Her smile never faltered as she wondered aloud, "Have I become the next treasure you wish to add to your collection?"

"You sound like you have an objection to such a profound proposal."

"A 'proposal', you say…"

She covered her mouth and giggled softly. "You certainly have a strange way of proposing to a woman, King of Heroes. Well, I suppose I signed myself up for this, so I should see it through properly. At the end of it all though, I'm probably just the flavor of the day before you move on to the next thing to pursue."

"You're not familiar with the concept of being offended, unlike a certain Saber I've come across."

"When I've had such dealings with you in my world, such things cease to surprise me anymore."

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. "Just how exactly did we come to know each other in your world anyway?"

"That'll be my secret," she wagged her finger in a dismissive gesture. "If you really want to find out, then hold up your end of the deal first. After I become your property, then I'll tell you."

"You've got some nerve, mongrel. Just you wait – once the runt finishes her job here, I'm going to force you to talk."

"I'll be waiting then."

Soon enough, Gilgamesh woke up. Draped beneath perfect velvet and smooth silken blankets, he spent some time thinking about what he just experienced. Although it was a dream, he knew perfectly well that the events were very real. He had found a Reality Marble in the world between worlds, was rescued by a strange woman, and struck a deal with her. Although the bargain seemed pointless for both of them, he would not allow that unknown mage to tarnish his reputation without experiencing punishment for themselves.

To do that though, he would have to undertake an arduous task for someone of his standing; watching over one of Chaldea's weakest Servants, whom he had no real connection to other than they had the same Master. Maybe there was a tinge of regret for agreeing to this. To him, it was like picking out a single ant from a bustling anthill and nurturing only that one. The idea was utterly absurd, yet he had to trudge through the humiliation and figure out when the Servant was ready to undertake this task.

Gilgamesh reluctantly got out of his lavish bed, sipped down a glass of high-class wine to wake up his taste buds, then summoned his characteristic golden armor over his entire body save his head before stepping out into the hallways of Chaldea. While preparing himself for the day, he heard several occasional footsteps running past his door, which piqued his curiosity. That's when he found Medb hurrying past him without so much as glancing his way. He had some previous debates with her about whose treasury was greater, but he found her too conceited to understand that there literally was no comparison.

"Woman," he stopped her abruptly. "What is so important that you would scamper past me like some headless rat?"

"Nothing you'd care about," the pink-haired lady retorted sharply. "More importantly, did you see Cu come this way?"

"That barbaric cur? Not a chance."

"He must be in the Spiritron chamber by now! Get out of the way! I don't have time to waste with you! Hang in there, Connie! Daddy and Auntie Medb will be there to rescue you!"

"… Connie?" Gilgamesh wondered. "Are you referring to that dog's 'son'?"

"Who else would I mean!? The poor girl's fighting a Berserker all by herself!"

"Hoh?" he murmured while watching the frantic Medb hurry on by. Judging from the Queen of Connacht's panicked expression, he assumed that whoever this Berserker was had to have been too powerful for the young Servant to handle without assistance.

Saves me the trouble of having to test her abilities personally. If she can defeat such a Berserker without any help from Chaldea, I won't have to worry about evaluating her combat progress.

A couple of Chaldea's staff members ran past him without a word, but he kept his stride even and composed while heading for the chamber. He found a decent crowd of Servants and staff clamoring about, including Ritsuka, Mash, Roman, Cuchulainn Lancer and Medb, so already he could tell this was a huge incident for them. He approached one of the analysts and asked, "Tell me, mongrel. Who is the runt's opponent?"

"I think Da Vinci said something about a corrupted version of Lancelot, sir. Compared to Lancer's statistics, Berserker's values are all much higher than hers. She has to turn the tide of this battle fast, or she's going to be killed," the man uttered, too focused on his analysis to actually notice who he was talking to.

The king opted to forgive this transgression due to the frantic nature of the situation, and muttered, "Is that right?"

He stepped back and leaned against the wall, purposely keeping his distance from the crowd. Although the memory wasn't perfectly clear, there was the faint image of a man clad entirely in black knight's armor who had the audacity to challenge him at least twice during a certain Holy Grail War.

So the runt is fighting against that mad dog, hm?

Gilgamesh's lips curled into a bemused smile.

Interesting. Show me what you can do in the face of the impossible, Child of Cuchulainn.

About half an hour later, the child Lancer known as Connla emerged from her Bloodstone and collapsed into Cuchulainn's arms. After that, she would fall into the two-week coma that allowed her to experience the alternate Fifth Singularity. Gilgamesh didn't have to worry about observing her for those 14 days and was free to do as he pleased. Once she woke up however, he would have to resume his observation and see if there were any other weaknesses he could assess.

There was one thing the strange woman said which kept bothering him:

"If she can just overcome the many emotional obstacles surrounding her…"

She wasn't specific about what these 'emotional obstacles' entailed, and he wasn't the type to ask such questions directly. If he wanted to find out what she meant, he would have to approach this with a more… refined touch.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again, y'all. Coming up on the first year anniversary of Laoch Gan Finsceal being published, as well as my FGO one-year anniversary on April 22. I'm not sure if I'll be updating at a super rapid pace like I do during NaNoWriMo, but I've got enough ideas circling around to write this fourth installment. The idea is to finish this around summer, take another break, then go at it again in November/December with the fifth story. Rather optimistic, but let's see how this goes, yeah?

As a side note, Gilgamesh is gonna be a really hard character to give justice to. Finding that balance between his ego and his fascination with interesting people is rather tricky, all while avoiding the typical Mary Sue archetypes for Connla. Don't be too harsh with me if you find him a bit 'off' from canon – I haven't seen every possible form of Fate media with him in it.