Chapter 18: Unlocking Ciri's Magic
The first day of training began with a simple breakfast of porridge and warm bread, before they all moved to the training room. Ciri was pleased to see that Geralt was going to be training Jaskier in fencing; at least she wasn't the only one undergoing hard lessons. Everyone was dressed in their training gear given to them by Vesemir, which encompassed black stretchy pants, short comfortable shoes, and a long-sleeved black shirt. The gear was comfortable and allowed for easy movement.
Yennefer took a seat along the back wall, in a chair placed for her, while Vesemir guided Ciri over to the biggest part of the room. On the floor surrounding them, was a bright red circle painted to the stone. They stood facing each other, Vesemir seeming to contemplate something.
Geralt looked over towards them in sudden shock, his eyes wide and angry. "Vesemir! No," Geralt shouted, moving towards them. His entire body was rigid, and Ciri could see the instant tension in his shoulders and the set line in his jaw.
Vesmir moved back a step, drawing Ciri's eyes back to him. The old Witcher held up his finger towards Geralt. A grimace marred his face and his bushy brows furrowed. "Not another step Geralt. You know the way this works."
"She is not trained, she cannot fight you yet," Geralt argued, moving closer still, amber eyes locked on the old Witcher with fury. Ciri's stomach flipped nervously, and she moved backwards to step out of the circle, only to hit an invisible wall. Instant panic set in as she whirled around, placing her hands on the invisible wall. Pushing on it, Ciri's terror heightened when she realized she was trapped in the small space with the Old Witcher. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she flipped around once more to look at Vesemir.
"Let me out," Ciri demanded, her voice shaking and betraying her fear. Her eyes looked over at Geralt, eyes pleading for him to help her.
"Geralt! What's going on?" Yennefer was angry, as she quickly appeared up next to Geralt, who looked ready to kill Vesemir the moment he got his hands on him. Jaskier walked up, looking at Ciri with a very worried expression. He murmured something low to Geralt and Yennefer, but the blood pounding in Ciri's ears kept her from hearing what was said.
Despite being in the same room as her companions, she felt suddenly very alone. She did not know what was going to happen, but she had the awful feeling that Geralt was going to be unable to help her in this situation. The breath in her lungs no longer seemed like enough, as the air came in fast, raspy gasps. Ciri's chest suddenly felt tight, as if constricted by the very fear she was feeling. She startled when Vesemir spoke suddenly.
"I am going to unlock her magic, exactly as you asked me to do," Vesemir stated, as if he hadn't just sealed them in a circle. His wrinkled hands came up in front of him, making a a sign. The sound of Yennefer and Geralt went completely silent; the only sound being Ciri's breathing and Vesemir's cloak rustling as it moved. They could no longer hear anything outside the circle. "Now, we shall fight."
"What?" Ciri inhaled sharply, just as Vesemir signed another symbol, his hands quickly moving through the motions. None of the Witcher signs had been taught to her, and she had no idea what to expect from the spell he had cast.
A visible shockwave ripped through the air, blasting towards her at incredible speed. Ciri moved to get out of the way, only to ram into the invisible wall that enclosed them. The force slammed into her from behind, slamming her body and head hard into the wall. It released as quickly as it had started, and she fell to her knees. Stars danced across her vision as she looked around, unable to register anything but Vesemir standing before her.
With shaky limbs, she began to stand up and face him, only for him to send another blast at her. This time her back slammed into the wall, and she was held suspended against the invisible barrier by her throat. Hands lifting, she clawed at her throat as she was deprived of air. The force tightened for a moment as darkness crept in slowly, before releasing her to slam into the ground. Deep coughs ripped from her throat as she tried to breathe in as much of the precious air that she could. Her lungs burned, aching for the oxygen they were deprived of.
"Damn it you weak child!" Vesemir shouted, startling her as her coughing fit subsided. "Fight me! Show me what power you truly have!" Another symbol came at her while she still kneeled on the ground, and this time she was burned by a blue fire that shot forth from his fingertips. The blaze scorched the skin on her arms and chest, leaving them blackened and bubbling. The blinding-hot pain registered immediately, and a scream ripped out of her throat, the shrill sound echoing in the training hall.
In her moment of pain, her eyes flitted around, noticing Jaskier and Yennefer covering their ears. This meant that they could still hear what was happening inside the circle. Geralt looked furious as he stood resisting the urge to cover his ears, sending different signs at the barrier, which stood strong despite his attempts to bring it down. Her scream ended quickly, and Vesemir removed his hands, a tremor rippling through him. "Yes," he encouraged in an excited voice, a grin lighting up his face. "That is just a window into your power. More! Feel it! Use it!"
Vesemir circled her, like a beast stalking its prey before finally making the kill. She was forced into the center of the circle, just as another sign from him came at her. With what energy had left, she threw up a shield using her magic, which momentarily stopped the shockwave coming towards her. Ciri tried her best to keep the shield up, but she felt her energy waning quickly. The pain from her wounds distracted her and drew what little strength she had. Remembering Yen's warning about the cost of magic, Ciri was forced to drop the shield. Instantly, the shockwave slammed into her, sending her flying onto the floor and skidding back into the invisible wall, where her head once again collided.
"Weak! You have more power than that, pathetic child," Vesemir hissed. "Your grandmother died in vain if that is all you can do, and so did all of Cintra. Useless. Can't even defend herself from the simplest of spells!"
Ciri pulled herself off the ground slowly. Her arms and chest burned from the scorch marks, and blood ran down the side of her face from where she'd cracked her head against the stone floor and barrier wall. She reached up with shaky fingers to brush hair out of her eyes, wincing when she hit a cut on her head. She couldn't even look at the expression on Geralt's face, scarred of seeing disappointment at how weak she was.
Vesemir's words angered her. Her grandmother had not died in vain. Nor had her city. Her body began to vibrate with anger, and as Vesemir lifted his hands to do another sign, a foreign chant began to come from her lips. As quiet as a whisper, and beyond her control. Similar to the last time this happened, only now… she realized that she could still move her own body. Perhaps she had some sort of control. Yen's training had helped, and as the chant continued to come, her mind automatically knowing the words, she shot out her hand. Wind kicked up inside the circle, sending Ciri's hair tumbling across her face and out beside her. The strength of its blast made the Witcher take a step back to balance himself as he went to finish the sign.
A force, greater than any that the old Witcher had sent her way, blasted from her open palm, sending Vesemir flying into the shield, his eyes wide in surprised. Fear and anger pumped hard through her veins, and before the man could rise, she sent another blast. She stalked towards him slowly, the adrenaline blocking out the pain, and used her magic to lift him by the throat, just as he had done to her, up to look him in the eye. His amber eyes looked proud, if not a little scared. This was what he had wanted, Ciri realized.
In disgust, she threw him down and turned to the shield. Gathering energy from the enormous blazing magical core she had found deep within herself, she sent out a blast to the invisible wall. The blast came from all around her, shooting at every inch of the invisible barrier with a blinding white light. A loud explosion echoed off the stone walls of the room, and Ciri's chanting came to a stop, as the barrier fell, shattering into inexistence.
Geralt and Yennefer looked at her in shock, while Jaskier grinned like a cat who found the cream. Recovering quickly from his surprise, Geralt's eyes turned towards his old teacher, and he stalked towards him as the man was still on the ground. Geralt hauled him up by the front of his shirt, his face mere inches from the older Witchers'. "I should kill you where you stand," Geralt hissed, spit hitting the Vesemir in the face. Any human would have fainted in fear from the look in Geralt's eyes, but Vesemir merely grinned.
"She has unlocked her powers. She now knows the strength she possesses and can learn to control it," Vesemir grunted out, his injuries paining him. "My words were untrue, merely things I knew would anger her enough to let her magic out. There is no better way to access one's magic, then through strong emotions. Ciri is chaos."
Yennefer inhaled sharply beside them but said nothing.
Angrily, Geralt shoved the man to the ground before turning back to Ciri, his eyes drifting over the blackened flesh on her arms and chest, and to the blood which dripped down her hair and face and into a small puddle on the floor beneath her feet. Her shirt had mostly been burned away, leaving her belly and shoulders exposed. The skin was all black, oozing clear liquid and blood.
Ciri looked at Geralt, and back at Yennefer before tears slipped down over her cheeks. The fear and adrenaline of the fight had finally worn off, and her mind collapsed from the mental exhaustion. Instantly Geralt's arms were around her, supporting her as her knees buckled. Her limbs felt unbelievably heavy, as if they had turned to lead. His arm came around her knees and scooped her up gently before she could hit the ground. "Can you heal this Yennefer?" he asked, his voice rumbling through his chest. Ciri thought his voice sounded awfully far away, as darkness crept in around the edges of her vision.
"Yes," was all she heard of Yennefer's reply, before the darkness claimed her, taking her away from the pain.