"Aiden, aren't you stressed?" Ciri asked, arms crossed as she looked at me intently.
"Of course I am, Ciri," I replied, trying to smile. "But you know I have to face this trial."
Today marked the day of the final trial. The one everyone feared. The one that would force sorcerers to confront their deepest fears. A witcher must never give in to fear, never lose their composure.
"There you both are," said a familiar voice behind us.
"Yen," I murmured.
She approached but paused for a moment, her gaze turning to Ciri with a sly smile.
"Ciri, aren't you going to say hello?" she asked playfully.
"Hello, Yen," Ciri replied, avoiding her gaze.
"Tititi," Yen tsked, shaking her head. "And what about our bet?"
Ciri bit her lip, her face flushing with embarrassment, before muttering reluctantly, "Hello, big sister."
"That's better," Yen said with a triumphant smile.
She then turned her eyes to me, her smile fading as a flicker of worry crossed her face.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, are you worried about me, Yen?"
"Of course I'm worried about you," she said, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We made a promise, you and I. And I intend to make sure you'll be here to keep it."
-----------------------
I remembered that promise like it was yesterday.
When I woke up from my sort of coma, everyone decided it needed to be celebrated. Bottles were brought out, and the evening quickly ended with drunk witchers. I had stepped outside to get some air, even though it was winter. There was something calming about the falling snow.
That's when Yen joined me, slightly tipsy, her steps uneven on the snowy ground.
"Yennefer," I murmured, seeing her approach.
She squinted at me. "No need to call me Yennefer. Just call me Yen."
I shrugged and turned my gaze back to the sky, watching the snowflakes fall silently.
"Aiden, right?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"Yeah," I replied.
"You wanted to ask me something, didn't you? You kept looking at me while the others were drinking."
I hesitated. "Actually, yeah. I have a question."
"Go ahead, I'm listening," she said, moving closer. She sat on the steps, legs crossed, her dark eyes fixed on mine.
"Geralt told me a bit about your relationship," I began, "but I want to hear your side. Maybe it's because I've only ever seen the good side of Geralt, but I can't believe he could have hurt you."
Yen raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "That's all? I thought you were in love with me."
"What?! No!"
She laughed. "No need to get so worked up. I'm just teasing you."
"Alright," she said, her tone softening. "You want to know, huh? Fine."
She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Before I became a sorceress, I lived in a village where I was considered a monster. A hunchback, a crooked jaw… Even my parents treated me like an animal. But despite all that, I still loved them, naively. I hoped that one day my father would realize his mistake and bring me back home."
Her voice grew colder. "But instead, he sold me. And in that moment, I understood that the love I had for them would never be returned."
She continued, her voice trembling with bitterness:
"Later, I thought I'd found love with a mage. I thought he loved me for who I was... But it was a lie. It broke me, Aiden. To the point where I realized I could only rely on myself. I sacrificed my ability to children in exchange for an appearance that others would accept."
"children?" I asked
"Yes," she said calmly. "An ancient elven spell seals away that possibility. And after that, my life was just a series of struggles until I met Geralt. He saved me when I was putting myself in danger trying to reclaim that ability… But even now, I can't bring myself to thank him."
She turned to me, her gaze heavy with emotion. "You see, Aiden, you're not the only one who's afraid. I'm scared too. Scared of giving my trust… and having it thrown back in my face."
Silence fell between us, broken only by the soft sound of falling snow. Then, without thinking, I smiled at her and said:
"What if we made a magical promise?"
She blinked, surprised. "A promise?"
"Yeah, like a contract between mages."
"What kind of promise?"
"A promise to help each other and trust each other, no matter what."
She hesitated, then laughed. "You're serious? That's adorable."
"I'm serious, Yen."
She smiled, calming down, and extended her hand. "Alright. Let's do it."
We clasped hands, and I began:
"I, Aiden, swear to give you my trust and help you in all circumstances."
"I, Yennefer of Vengerberg, swear to give you my trust and help you in all circumstances."
A glowing chain appeared, briefly binding our hands before vanishing. The promise was sealed.
--------------------------------
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."
"Good," Yennefer said, visibly reassured.
"What promise?" Ciri asked, curious.
"A promise that even a little girl could understand," Yennefer teased Ciri.
"Hey!" Ciri said, indignant.
Ciri's sly smile made me laugh, but I knew it was time to go. I headed toward where Vesemir and Geralt were waiting. As I arrived, Geralt turned to me, his gaze stern but caring.
"Ready?"
"Yeah." I said that, but deep down, I wasn't sure I was.
"Good. Lie down."
I lay down on the bed, arms outstretched so they could strap me down. Geralt fastened the belts with precision, but his silence made me doubt. I knew what awaited me, but the tension was rising as he made the final adjustments. This was a significant moment, one that would mark a turning point in my journey.
"You know you can still back out, Aiden." Triss entered, holding a bowl of herbs. She sat gently by my side and placed her hand in my hair, a gesture that, paradoxically, brought both comfort and anxiety.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Her gaze was filled with concern, almost maternal. Her eyes, bright and searching, seemed to capture mine as though, with just a look, she could understand everything running through me.
"Yeah, I want to." I didn't really have a choice. It was this trial, or... there would be no turning back.
"You don't have to do this, Aiden. I can guarantee there are other ways."
She leaned in a little closer, her voice softer, almost pleading.
"I know you want to prove something, but are you willing to risk your life for it?" She was so close now, I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin. Her hands gently rested on my face, as if urging me to face the truth she wanted me to see: that there was another way.
"I'm not ready to back down." I knew that was the truth. Every part of me told me this trial was the only way I would truly understand who I was. But a small voice, Triss's voice, crept into my mind, making me doubt, just a little.
"Aiden..." She lowered her head as if preparing to say something she was struggling to express. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with tenderness and desperation. "If you want to prove you're a witcher, you don't have to do it alone. Geralt, Ciri, I… we're here for you. Don't think you have to face everything by yourself."
I looked at her, then turned my eyes to the ceiling, trying to hide the truth I knew. I had never really been alone... but this trial, this moment of growth ahead, it was my own journey. And the promise I had made to myself from the beginning gave me the strength to keep going.
"I don't want to back down. I want to do this." I saw her shake her head gently, a small, sad smile on her lips. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, as if gathering her thoughts.
"Alright." She straightened up, and for a moment, the look she gave me was that of a desperate yet determined friend. "But promise me, Aiden, that you'll come back."
"I promise." I wasn't sure what the future held for me, but I knew that this promise was all I could offer her.
She poured the contents of the bowl into my mouth. It was a bitter taste, the taste of the unknown. The instant the liquid hit my throat, I felt my body relax, my thoughts blur. The world around me slowly dissolved, everything becoming distant and fuzzy.
Then, nothing.
--------------------------------
"Where am I?"
I found myself in a dark space, a heavy silence surrounding me. Not a sound, only the echo of emptiness, as if even the air was afraid to touch me. Then, figures appeared. My parents. But their faces were no longer filled with love, as I remembered them. No, this time, their gazes were full of hatred. These weren't the people who had raised me, who had given me their affection… These were strangers.
"Look at him, honey, how he's enjoying his new life."
"Yeah, after nearly draining us to death, he's having a good time."
"Stop!"
I placed my hands over my ears, trying to block out the sound of those words, but they pierced my mind like knives. My heart was pounding faster, each beat echoing in my chest, pinning me to the ground. I crouched down, hoping to stop hearing, to suffocate under the weight of those accusing voices, but they kept coming, relentless, striking my mind like waves of pain.
"You used all our money, we couldn't even go on vacation. You were a burden, a leech!"
"Every time I came back from work, I had to see you, even when I was exhausted, and on top of that, pretending to be concerned for you was hard, you know!"
The words spun around me, repeating like a grim refrain. I drowned in sadness, suffocating with each new accusation. I had always believed they loved me. But these voices... These voices weren't about love, they were about disappointment, rejection. Was this really how they felt? Had I always been a burden, a weight they couldn't shake?
I felt trapped. A part of me, a part I couldn't understand, knew it wasn't real. But another, deeper part of me, called out to believe that this was part of my story. Maybe I had tried to escape their love, their expectations. But now, it was turning against me, like a slap in the face. It was my past catching up with me, a truth that hit me brutally.
I still heard them, their voices ringing in my head, circling around me like flies that wouldn't leave me alone, leaving no room for peace.
"I never asked to be a burden..." I murmured into the void, as if my words could erase the pain. But nothing would erase it. Nothing could make it better, nothing could undo those words that suffocated me.
The memories hit me square in the chest, and despite myself, I believed them to be their true feelings. This time, I wasn't the child they protected, I was an intruder, a stranger in their life. This pain was real, and I didn't have the strength to push it away.
-----------------------------
But Aiden wasn't aware that outside, everyone waiting for him was filled with worry. The silence was heavy, tense. At that moment, they saw Aiden's body rejected, foam spilling from his lips, and a deep anxiety was visible on their faces.
The Witchers knew that Aiden had failed, but even Geralt couldn't bring himself to say the words aloud. He couldn't admit that Aiden had failed, that it might already be too late for him. Because admitting that would also mean admitting that all hope was lost, and Geralt couldn't do that. Not after everything they had been through.
"Geralt, is Aiden...?"
Triss asked the question, but fear was evident in her voice. She was waiting for an answer, but there was none. Only silence, heavy and suffocating.
"Geralt?"
"Triss, he has..." Geralt didn't finish his sentence. The truth stuck in his throat, too heavy to say. He didn't want to lose Aiden. Not now.
But then, like a miracle, a brilliant light appeared on Aiden's arm. Geralt immediately rushed toward him, closely followed by Vesemir. As they approached, they saw a strange eagle tattoo appearing on Aiden's left arm, the mysterious ink slowly forming like the imprint of ancient magic, a mark that seemed... alive.
"What is...?" The words escaped Geralt's mouth, but both of them knew, without a doubt, that this was no mere coincidence.
At that moment, as if the tattoo was a signal, a glimmer of hope emerged from the silence. The Witchers, with their sharpened senses, suddenly heard Aiden's breath return, faint but present, like a breath regained after a long battle with death.
He was breathing again. Slowly. Weakly. But life had returned to Aiden.
-----------------------------
I stood up, struggling against exhaustion, but a strength I didn't know I had pushed me forward. Memories flooded my mind: Ciri smiling at the festival, then crying when Cintra fell. But most of all, the promise I made to Yen. That promise she, even she, probably didn't know she was happy to make.
"Yes, I'm a freeloader, but even though I'd like to apologize, I can't, because I still love both of you, but I have a family waiting for me, people with promises made!"
"The past has to stay behind me, and I have to move forward. Yes, I'm afraid of ending up in the same situation, but I'll turn that fear into fuel!"
I said these words with a certainty I had never felt before. I knew this was the only way forward. And as I spoke, the silhouettes of my parents faded, swept away by my new choice, leaving no final encouraging smile. Their judgment was no longer mine.
Then, out of nowhere, the silence was broken. A powerful eagle cry pierced the air, and a magnificent white eagle descended before me.
Its feathers shimmered, pure as snow, its eyes a deep mix of blue and green, and it locked its gaze with mine. There was no threat in its look, only trust. A trust I hadn't felt in a long time.
I instinctively reached out my hand, and the eagle, as if it understood my pain and my quest, lowered its head to my palm, allowing me to stroke it gently.
"You're magnificent," I whispered, in awe.
The eagle let out a cry, almost as if it were responding, and then, suddenly, it turned its head toward a distant point. Following its gaze, a snowstorm erupted, violent winds whipping around me. But instead of feeling the biting cold, I felt a warmth, as though an invisible blanket had been draped over me.
Everything around me seemed to dissolve, time standing still. Then, a voice, neither masculine nor feminine, echoed around me.
"You have finally overcome your fears, and thus begun your journey toward your destiny."
"What destiny?!" I shouted, but no answer came immediately. My frustration grew.
"Please, just give me answers! That's all I'm asking!"
The voice persisted, calm and enigmatic.
"Find the swallow, the cat, and the raven, for without them, you will not succeed in fulfilling what you seek, when you understand your destiny."
The words pierced through me, leaving me caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty. But before I could ask anything more, I felt an invisible force pull me in. My body felt light, as if carried by a powerful wind, and everything became blurry. Then, a final flash of light… and I awoke.
I had passed the trial.