Calls from the Land of Shadows

...Master. Master. Please wake up. Master.

I'm not sure myself. But we're not in Chaldea, nor any recognizable era.

What I do know

I'm not sure. What I do know

？！

I'm detecting a great deal of magical energy here. Besides you and me...

Yo. You guys wandered in here too?

Cú Chulainn! Does that mean...

Must be Scáthach's doing. We've finally been invited into the Land of Shadows. I apologize on behalf of my mentor, since I'm kind of involved here.

There's nothing for you to apologize for... Oh, so this is the Land of Shadows?

No, it's slightly different than the place I once visited.

It's not the Isle of Skye. It's like a remnant of the Land of Shadows when it was still connected to the real world, but it's different somehow.

The part where the air is filled with frigid magical energy is about right, though.

...Which means, we were dragged into my mentor's memory, or something like that.

Memory?

I'm not sure if this was deliberate or not, though.

Either way, even if this is just a memory, the Land of Shadows isn't somewhere we should linger.

If things go badly, we'll all be swallowed up and die, including Master. The world will end, and we'll all end up in the gutter.

No...!

Eh, don't worry. This is just carelessness on her part.

It wouldn't have been an issue if it was just me, but I can't let the both of you get sucked into this.

Which means, we need to exterminate that nuisance of a woman. Let's go take her out!

There are dead spirits floating around everywhere...

The real Land of Shadows was close to the realm of the dead. Don't let them see you. They won't be friendly.

O-okay.

Fou!

...Fou, you're here too!?

Oh come on, don't shout! ...Oh crap.

...They've noticed us.

...My bad. Well, we'll just call this more training...or something. Yeah.

Missy, don't let them take you down!

All right! Master, your orders!

Whew. You all right?

Yes. ...But why would Scáthach lure Master to the Land of Shadows?

Scáthach is pretty well beyond rational understanding or anything like that.

From the looks of it, I don't think it's anything serious. She probably got a bit lonely.

She's been stuck in this land for a few hundred years. There's nobody whom she could fight, let alone hate.

A long time ago, ambitious fighters like me...

Came over to challenge the famed Scáthach to gain fame and glory, but she beat the crap out of every single one of us.

...Aaand then we all ended up as her disciples...

Well, none of us could live forever. So this situation might be partly our fault.

What do you mean?

Our mentor trained the crap out of us.

Every one of us loved women and booze more than anything. We were a bunch of barbarians.

Scáthach would kick us around for being so rowdy, but it must have been fun for her.

"The spirits of the dead would miss no chance to infiltrate the real world, but your ruckus has managed to frighten them away."

That's what Scáthach would always lament.

But we all had a place to go home to. The Land of Shadows was just a stop on our journey.

And so, Scáthach's disciples all died young.

...As for me, I turned up as a Heroic Spirit.

Come to think of it, I guess there was the option where we could have fought Scáthach in the Land of Shadows for eternity.

But I chose not to. I think she may have resented me for that.

...I don't think that's true.

Maybe. I was just rambling. Ignore me.

...Whoa, whoa. That's a sight. The castle gates are completely different than I remember.

There weren't any knights in plate armor standing as gatekeeper, either. Hey Master, give us your orders!

Yes, please!

Got 'em!

They're easy compared to the Dragonkin we faced last time. Missy, how're you doing?

I'm fine!

Okay, then. Hey Scáthach! We're coming in!

We know you're hiding in there! Brace yourself, we're coming in!

...There's no answer.

Well, we ARE in a memory... I'm not sure what's going on.

And this might be late in the game, but in the Land of Shadows, the inside of the castle is far more dangerous than outside.

Mostly because fearless and clueless ghosts who want to challenge Scáthach are roaming around.

We have to try to run. But, be prepared to fight. Okay, run!

Master, you run so magnificently! Fou, hold on tight!

Fou!

？！

There are three up ahead. We can't evade them. We're charging in, Master!

...!

I've detected a strong magical energy reaction. And this sensation... Is this bloodlust?

No. At least it's not her bloodlust.

Then what

...So it's you.

Hey, what the heck? Gathering all these spirits in one place, are you planning on forming an army or something?

That's not a bad idea. I wouldn't have to keep my air of being aloof and reckless.

Stand down. Lifeless one.

What the hell? It's not really like you to respond to my heckling, Scáthach.

Is that so? Many months and years have passed while I presided over the gates of this demonic land. I've seen many lives and deaths here.

I thought... I might as well rot.

But this body never decayed. My soul was forever frozen, unchanged.

Yet, my soul was always too...decent...to allow me to plunge into the morass of true evil.

My desires faded, and my senses told only of silence and eternity.

...And then...

Humanity was incinerated. And with its absence, I gained the chance to end my eternity of monotony...

...the one in a million chance to finally be embraced by true death.

Yet, I still do not know where my soul goes after death.

Is it to the Throne of Heroes? To the incinerated Land of Shadows? Or

...

Either way, I...desire. Through this body of ether, I have flesh and bones. Even a heart.

And though it is temporary, I have "life" as a Servant. So, I find myself wanting to test it.

No matter how much I try to hold back, I cannot contain it.

As a result, I have involved Master and my foolish disciples in this debacle.

I apologize. Though, I know that may not be enough.

What a roundabout way of doing things. ...Fine. Let's give Scáthach her last rites.

Missy, Master. You ready? Scáthach is serious now.

It's a sight rarely seen! Prepare yourself!

Then I shall die. Or perhaps, I shall kill.

Let's do this. I will try not to hold back!

...That is some fight you put up. You have grown, all of you.

It's over, Scáthach. If you've lost your wits, snap out of it.

I'm still not dead. You all are still alive.

Why do you stop? This fight is not yet over.

There's no point in this, Scáthy-teach.

Killing you in a memory wouldn't make it real. That's just death within a fantasy. It'll only leave a bitter aftertaste.

If you're going to die, do it in the real world. It should be an honorable death in battle, too, right?

...

Besides, why would you say you would TRY not to hold back!? That's not going all-out at all!

If you really went all-out, you'd bring out a gate or two, not just your spear.

A gate...

"Gate of Skye." Have you seen it? It's a move where her enemies are dragged down into the Land of Shadows.

At the bottom of the Land of Shadows, they're as good as dead. All living things simply perish.

But then you don't even use it! If that's not holding back, what is, Scáthach!?

H-hmmmmm...

Looks like I got you there. That's a once in a lifetime sight.

...Is it because you're summoned as a Servant now? You're showing off a human side of yourself.

But I guess that's partly due to Master's influence. After all, Master's the most human of all humans I know.

？！

It means you always try your best, as much as you're able. And anything you can't do, you still try to find a way.

You borrow wisdom from those came before you, and dream of a future. No matter how dire the situation, and fight as humanly as possible.

At times you may be discouraged. You may look back to the past. But stopping and looking back is only for a moment.

Right? Does that ring a bell?

...I suppose you have me there. I must have been affected by Master without realizing it.

If not, you wouldn't be so feeble.

？！

I guess it's her way of life. Her desires aside, it's not like Scáthach to look back.

I think...I understand that logic.

Not only were her mannerisms different from the normal Scáthach, but her way of fighting...and everything else.

Oh, Missy is starting to understand the way of the Celts. So there you have it.

Scáthach. For you to desire death is just your way of trying to escape. And that isn't you at all.

Isn't it more like you to dream of a swift yet beautiful death as the reward of a glorious battle?

...

You really didn't hold back there, Cú Chulainn. But you're right.

For me to renounce everything and seek death at a time like this is nothing more than running from the truth.

Sheesh. Took you long enough.

My apologies. And forget it.

...(Sigh) I cannot believe it...

To allow you, of all people, to see my doubts. As a mentor, there is no greater disgrace.

Hrm. In order to offset this disgrace, I may need you to die three times.

Now you're just taking it out on us!

Idiot. It's to clear my name. But since I wasn't falsely accused of anything, I simply need to overwrite my disgrace by doing something even more heinous.

Terrible. She really hasn't changed. But then again

Thanks to Master, I got to see a more human side of her. Let's just say that I had a valuable experience.

Hmph. You've grown bold, Child of Light.

I've had my fair share of turmoil.

I see. Then you may be the one who will eventually stand before me in battle.

Farewell, Cú Chulainn. It seems it'll be a while before your Gáe Bolg becomes the instrument of my grand end.

...Oh look. The dead spirits have disappeared.

Sheesh. She left me with a hell of a demand.

In order to end that woman's life, one would need the skills capable of killing even the gods.

Well anyway, why don't we go ahead and wake up, Master?

Scáthach and my desires aside, you've got a more crucial task up ahead of you.