A/N: Hello possible readers,

The story is based on all the book lore plus game events up to the battle of Kaer Morhen. Some explanations were added for stuff the book only alluded to, just to fill in the gaps.

This is mostly a romance with some adventures mixed in later on (starting on chapter 24). Fluff and fun are sprinkled on as an interlude before more serious things. Beyond chapter 13, it contains smut and other mature content so read with that in mind. Also, not a native speaker, so I apologize in advance for any errors that slipped through.

Update (01/15/2023): I'm currently editing some older chapters and will be posting some new ones soon enough.

As Ciri lost control, a whirlwind of debris surrounded them. The ground shook and the already decrepit walls of the fortress crumbled around them. The Hunt fled in fear of the destruction and chaos she unleashed.

The ice encasing Geralt's body cracked and broke with a harsh sound, and he awoke to the image of Ciri's unleashed raw power. History was repeating itself. Like in Cintra so many years ago when Pavetta had wrecked the banquet hall and almost killed everyone. He had to stop her before the vortex of energy expanded to engulf them all. With Ermion's help, Aard had been enough to break Pavetta's concentration and end the rampage. Now, as he looked around, he found himself to be alone; the witchers were still frozen in place by the Hunt's spell, Vesemir was dead and Yennefer was nowhere to be seen.

The air became viscous, as if the spell caused it to compress, making his ears hurt from the pressure. He pushed through to get closer, but it was like walking through a thick bog. Each step was a struggle, the muscles in his legs ached from the effort and protested with every move. With no option in sight, he reached out and moved his fingers to cast his sign, but, unlike in Cintra, the spell backfired, shattering the bones in his hand. He groaned in pain and clutched his hand, fighting not to be pushed back by the powerful vortex.

"Maybe if I can get to her..." he thought as he pushed through the pain and took another step, bringing him just a little closer to Ciri.

Small rocks were sent flying through the air, whipping his face, cutting into his skin, making him wince. Larger, heavier ones were starting to move as well. If only his hand wasn't useless, he could cast Quen to protect himself. He grit his teeth and endured. A few larger rocks hit his side, knocking the air out of him. Yet, he was getting closer.

"Almost there."

A fallen sword got caught in the whirlwind, it swerved and twisted in the air before he could move out of the way, slicing deeply through his right calf, bringing him to his knees.

Another burst of energy erupted from Ciri and everything went black. Geralt fell to the ground unconscious. As the world grew dark around him, he saw Avallac'h cast a spell and the destruction subsided, but it was too late for him.

The chaotic energy dissipated and the remaining witchers shook off the spell that kept them frozen in place. They had all witnessed Vesemir's death and Ciri's unravelling, but could aid none of them. Now that they were free from the spell, Lambert rushed to Ciri's limp body while Eskel jumped to help Geralt.

"Check if she's still breathing," Eskel said as he leaned over Geralt.

"She's alive!" Lambert shouted back.

Lambert shook her, hoping that she would regain consciousness.

"Fucking elves and their fucking magic! Come on, Ciri! Wake up!" He gave her cheek two quick slaps. "Don't go all sleeping beauty on me, now!"

After a few seconds, she cracked open an eye, tried to open her mouth to speak, but instead turned to the side and became violently sick.

Eskel knelt next to Geralt, head on his chest as if he couldn't trust what his witcher hearing was telling him. A shallow breath and a dull heartbeat were the only signs his brother was still alive.

"Lambert! Find Yennefer!" he shouted. He worked open the clasps of Geralt's breastplate deftly. His own breath hitched in his throat as he pushed back a thought he refused – Geralt might die.

Yennefer woke to a flurry of sounds with a ringing in her ears. Lambert was pulling at her arm, trying to get her off the ground. He was saying something. His lips moved, but the cacophony of sounds in her head made no sense.

"Geralt... something about Geralt..."

Sounds became clearer and the image around her came into focus. Geralt lying still on the ground, his skin paler than usual, Eskel pushing down rhythmically on his chest. She finally understood and motioned to Lambert to help support her so she could walk. The closer she got, the worse the situation looked. She ignored Vesemir's lifeless body as she walked past it; there was nothing she could do for him, but for Geralt there may still be hope. Eskel had already pulled off his armour to check for wounds, frantic and desperate to help his witcher brother.

"Move, Eskel! Give me space to work!"

Yennefer lifted a hand to focus chaos into a spell to stabilize Geralt's condition while she thought of the best way to help him. The spell wrapped around the body like electric blue ivy and kept him breathing just barely. She inspected the wounds on his body, felt for a pulse, and frowned.

"His heart is beating much slower than it should, even for a witcher. He hasn't lost that much blood, so that's not the cause. His breathing is shallow, and he's getting colder. This isn't physical, it's magical. Did any of you see what happened?"

"A burst of energy from Ciri, it hit him and he just... fell... I couldn't move..." Eskel said, defeated.

"I did this to him?" Ciri had stopped vomiting and crawled next to them. The look of despair on her face, mixed with sorrow and guilt, looked too much like the one she had when she lost control. It sent a cold shiver down Yennefer's spine as Eskel mumbled something reassuring, trying to help her keep it together.

"Yennefer, please tell me you can help!" Ciri pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks. "I can't lose him too! This can't happen!" A small tremor rippled underneath them. She was losing it again.

"I'm doing all I can," Yennefer said in the calmest way she could muster. It was imperative to keep her composure, for everyone's sake. She racked her brain to think of something. Anything! He was fading and no spell she knew could help. They'd been through this before when they were caught in a pogrom. That had been the one other time death had come close enough that they felt its icy breath as it wrapped its claws around their hearts. They escaped it then, maybe there was a chance they could do it again.

"Ciri... daughter..." she said soothingly, grabbing her hand. Her emerald eyes focused on her and the tremors stopped. "Can you take us to the healing island with the orchard again?"

Despair faded and Ciri's gaze took on a look of steel resolve.

"It wasn't the island," she said. "But I'll find her again. In the perfect time and perfect place." The cadence of her words sounded like and incantation to Yennefer's trained ears. "Where and when she knows how to help." And with that said, Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt disappeared once again from their world and their time.