Listening to Ciri's sigh, Axel rolled his eyes.
He knew parts of The Witcher's story. In the novels, Geralt and Yennefer ultimately died after being attacked by a mob of peasants wielding pitchforks.
Even Axel found it difficult to understand how two people of their caliber could meet such an end.
Yet the fact remained that they died.
At least temporarily.
Both would eventually return.
At the end of the novels, Galahad, one of King Arthur's knights in Avalon, had already informed Ciri that Geralt and Yennefer had been restored to life there.
The game trilogy told a different version of events, following Geralt and Yennefer after their resurrection through Ciri's efforts.
The details varied, but the conclusion was the same. Their story was not over yet.
Still, Axel had little interest in whatever narrative the world's higher powers intended for them.
As for the current timeline, things were even more confusing.
Even if he brought Ciri back to her world using his more accurate teleportation abilities, Axel could not determine exactly when they had arrived.
The timeline itself seemed tangled.
More accurately, the entire continuity felt inconsistent.
In the novels, when Ciri began fleeing through different worlds to escape Eredin and the Wild Hunt, Geralt and Yennefer were still alive.
Yet in the first game, Geralt and Yennefer had already been resurrected while Ciri had not yet experienced many of the journeys mentioned elsewhere.
The contradiction extended further.
The novels portrayed Geralt and Yennefer's revival in Avalon under Galahad's protection.
The games attributed their return to an agreement involving the Elder Blood and Eredin's intervention.
The current world seemed to be a strange fusion of both versions, with conflicting histories somehow existing together.
Through several conversations with Ciri, Axel gradually pieced together the situation.
In this reality, Ciri had not yet encountered the Wild Hunt before Geralt's death.
After she encountered them, Geralt had neither been resurrected nor begun searching for her. He had not even lost his memory yet.
Likewise, his relationship with Triss Merigold had not progressed to the point Axel remembered from the games.
Of course, Triss and Geralt had a complicated history long before that.
Axel did not dwell on it.
Instead, another thought crossed his mind.
"Interesting."
A grin spread across his face.
Since Geralt and Yennefer were still absent, what was Triss doing now?
"Geralt and Yennefer are still being resurrected, so where's Triss these days, Ciri?"
"Huh?"
Ciri blinked in surprise.
"Triss?
You actually know who she is?
Have you been to this world before?"
"No. I'm just curious. Do you know where she is?"
"How would I know?" Ciri replied helplessly. "After Geralt and Yennefer died, I've spent all my time trying to bring them back.
"I went to the Isle of Apples, traveled through several worlds, and eventually reached Avalon, where I met Galahad himself.
"Then the Wild Hunt started chasing me because of my powers.
"I haven't seen Triss in ages."
Her expression softened slightly.
She missed Triss.
When she was younger, Triss had visited Kaer Morhen and treated her like a young woman rather than another Witcher apprentice.
While the Witchers often regarded her as little more than a tomboy, Triss had taught her about makeup and helped her embrace her femininity.
Even now, Ciri still remembered the first eyeshadow Triss had shown her how to apply.
Triss had also stopped her from undergoing the Trial of the Grasses.
To Ciri, she had always been like an older sister.
Geralt and Yennefer occupied a different place in her heart, somewhere between a flawed father and a terrifying mother.
The problem was that she genuinely had no idea where Triss was.
Without any reliable long-distance communication, finding someone in a medieval world was far from easy.
Axel nodded.
It seemed he would have to locate her himself.
Just then, Avallac'h looked up from stroking the Celestial Wyvern's scales.
"Your Grace, if you're searching for the Fourteenth of the Hill, perhaps I could attempt a prophecy and determine her approximate location."
"No need."
Axel waved dismissively.
"Prophecies are unreliable. I'll find her myself."
He closed his eyes and extended his senses.
His awareness spread across islands, seas, mountains, forests, and cities.
It swept through the world in an instant.
Far away, the waters near Toussaint stirred.
A beautiful woman emerged from a secluded lake and sat upon the grass.
She tilted her head toward the distant sea.
"Whoever you are, if you can observe the entire world at once, then surely you can hear me."
Silence answered her.
She smiled.
"Since you do not wish to speak, may I come meet you instead?
"It has been a very long time since I left my lake.
"If other gods or creatures of Chaos threaten me for doing so, would you be willing to lend me your aid?"
Suddenly, her body trembled.
An invisible force briefly pinched her chest.
A soft sound escaped her lips.
Covering herself, she quickly slipped back into the water.
"Your Grace is rather mischievous.
"Still, I shall take that as permission.
"Please wait for me. I'll make myself presentable before seeking you out."
The woman vanished.
A ripple spread across the lake's surface and raced northward through interconnected waterways.
Meanwhile, on a small island in Skellige, Axel opened his eyes and smirked.
Ciri immediately noticed.
"What was that?
"For a moment, it felt like something brushed across my entire body."
Axel laughed.
"Nothing important. I simply took a look at your world.
"You really are sensitive. The Elder Blood certainly has its advantages."
He patted the bewildered Celestial Wyvern.
"As for this fellow's language problem, I'll discuss it with Triss later.
"She's one of the founders of the Lodge of Sorceresses and the famous Fourteenth of the Hill. I'm sure she won't disappoint me."
He chuckled.
"And while searching, I noticed several gods and a few troublesome beings nearly on their level.
"Eredin sensed my observation.
"There was also a certain Master Mirror who seemed interested in making a wager."
Ciri stared.
"Wait.
"Gods? Demons? Master Mirror?
"When did my world become this complicated?
"I thought the Wild Hunt was bad enough.
"More importantly, did you find Triss?"
"I did."
Axel beckoned.
"She's at Kaer Morhen."
Without further warning, flames erupted around them.
The next moment, the world changed.
Snow-covered mountains stretched in every direction.
The air was sharp and freezing.
Ciri immediately shivered and instinctively moved closer to Axel.
Nearby, Avallac'h felt the same chill.
For a brief moment, he considered moving closer as well.
Then he immediately rejected the idea and hurriedly cast a warming spell around himself.
Inside Kaer Morhen, Triss suddenly raised her head.
Her unusual sensitivity to magic had alerted her moments earlier.
Someone had been observing her.
Before she could investigate further, another powerful magical disturbance erupted in the mountains nearby.
She rushed to a window.
One glance was enough to leave her stunned.
"What in the world..."
A gigantic Celestial Wyvern stood upon the snowy mountains.
Even stranger, it appeared to be lying on its back.
Its claws waved in the air while it rolled around in the snow like an oversized puppy.
Triss hurried out of the laboratory.
The room had originally belonged to Yennefer, though much of Kaer Morhen had long since fallen into ruin.
Only a handful of structures remained intact.
As Triss descended the tower stairs, she encountered Vesemir organizing old Witcher records.
"Miss Triss?"
The old Witcher frowned.
"You seem alarmed."
"A Celestial Wyvern!"
"What?"
"A giant Celestial Wyvern has appeared near Kaer Morhen!"
Vesemir's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Stay careful.
"Eskel and Lambert are both here. If it's only one monster, we can handle it."
He immediately climbed to the tower roof.
The sight before him made him inhale sharply.
The massive creature was rolling through the snow, nearly triggering avalanches as it explored its surroundings.
"Damn it..."
Concern filled his voice.
"This isn't any species I've ever seen.
"Could it be another result of the Conjunction of the Spheres?
"We haven't seen monsters like this in centuries."
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the alarm bell.
Moments later, its warning rang throughout Kaer Morhen.
In the dining hall below, Lambert and Eskel were drinking heavily.
Geralt's death still weighed heavily on them.
Eskel had grown up alongside Geralt.
Lambert, though younger, had fought beside him for years.
The loss affected them both deeply.
The alarm bell shattered the silence.
The two Witchers immediately looked at each other.
Eskel pulled two small bottles from his pocket and tossed one across the table.
"White Honey."
Lambert caught it.
"I owe you one."
Both drank quickly, clearing their minds.
Then they grabbed their weapons and rushed from the hall toward the source of the alarm, searching for Vesemir.
===
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