[Chapter Size: 2700 Words.]
Third Person POV
Skellige.
...
...
It couldn't be said that Yennefer was paying attention to her surroundings as she fed the campfire near her feet, staring at the sea in the distance while standing still, feeling its breeze, and it was at that moment that a portal appeared.
She was startled, immediately preparing herself. However, the one who stepped out of the portal was a very familiar face, someone she hadn't seen in quite some time.
Margarita, the current rectoress of Aretuza after Tissaia.
"You...", she said, frowning, while the person before her merely displayed a small smile.
"Hello, Yennefer. It's been some time, hasn't it?" Margarita murmured.
"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Yennefer narrowed her eyes.
"Well, it wasn't easy," she said. "I had to follow your trail all the way to this little village. I used a spell to finally locate you after figuring out where you'd been and tracking your footsteps."
She stepped closer, while Yennefer still kept her eyes narrowed, although her posture had already relaxed. "Why are you here? Why are you looking for me? I've already turned down the Lodge of Sorceresses' offers..." she said.
The woman before her merely nodded. "I know. But things are happening across the Continent, and you've isolated yourself too much. You don't even answer your megascope," she said.
"As you can see, I'm in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of hard to find me. My things are still in the hideout, but I haven't been there in weeks," Yennefer explained.
"I know. I also know you're searching for the Sunstone," the sorceress said.
Yennefer frowned. "How do you know that?"
"Oh, come on... It's not that hard to figure out. You're focused on trying to bring them back," she replied with a small smile.
"That's none of your business. If that's what you came here to talk about, you can leave," Yennefer grumbled.
The woman kept smiling. "That's exactly why I'm here: to talk about it, Yen."
"Don't call me that..." Yennefer said with a grumble.
Margarita didn't seem to care and continued. "...After everything that happened, there are things you can't even imagine. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, at the edge of the world, isolated in a deserted corner of one of the archipelago's islands, without contacting anyone. But I can't blame you either. It's only been a few days since everything started happening, and it all happened so fast."
Yennefer kept her gaze fixed on the sorceress before her, disliking those words, finding them far too suspicious, as though they were being used to draw her attention and stir her curiosity... Knowing Margarita, it was certainly something she wanted to boast about.
It was true that she was searching for the Sunstone. Perhaps her research, as well as the place she had chosen to hide, had already revealed that much. Surely, people knew that Vilgefortz had been searching for it years before as well.
Through the manuscripts and books she had found, she discovered that perhaps the Sunstone could interfere with the boundaries between worlds. It could even be used as a beacon. If she could create a spell using that enormous structure, with the Stone serving as a massive central source of power, there was no doubt that she would finally be able to establish contact with the two of them by using things that connected them.
That was why she remained so determined.
The problem was the barrier preventing her from advancing deeper into the mountain's structure. A barrier created with chakra. Madara himself had erected it, and she didn't know all the details. She only knew that he had done it after killing Vilgefortz so that no one could enter the place.
She had personally sought out the vampire who had been with them when they killed Vilgefortz, Eleanor. She searched for months until she finally found her and asked for every detail. Since then, she had come to Skellige, trying to assemble the perfect setup. She only needed the central piece: the Sunstone itself.
Unfortunately, she hadn't been successful.
She had already tried to find every possible cave, searching for a passage around the enormous mountain or any hidden entrance besides the main one.
And hearing that irritated her. Knowing that her plans had been exposed so easily, especially to those sorceresses of the Lodge, with their foolish idea of manipulating the entire Continent...
Fools. They could never control the Continent while those two were still alive. Yennefer was certain they were somewhere out there and would return.
That was why she would do anything to bring them back.
She had to bring them back.
The emptiness she had felt over the past three years still hurt. She had distanced herself from Geralt because she was hurting him as well.... Not seeing Madara and Ciri... It was like losing her own children.
She hadn't even been able to face the child who was at the temple. She hoped that, one day, they would forgive her for that.
But she would do anything to protect them.
Perhaps she should put her pride aside and ask for help. Tissaia was with the Akatsuki, together with Triss and the others, while the Lodge of Sorceresses followed a separate path. Maybe she could ask both groups for help. Perhaps they would agree to cooperate.
But at that moment, she needed to pay attention to what the sorceress had just said.
She finally gave in to her curiosity, just as Margarita had expected... "What's happening on the Continent?" Yennefer finally asked.
The woman merely displayed an even wider smile. "Ah, my lovely sister..." she began with a mischievous grin. "Should I speak first about King Radovid's death... or should I speak about the King of Kovir's death? Both were found with their heads severed on their own thrones, left there for everyone to see."
Yennefer heard that and her mind went completely blank. Killing one king was no simple feat. But killing two kings...
Yennefer didn't even have time to process it before the sorceress continued, in an almost amused tone.
"Or should I tell you about the annihilation of the entire Black Knights' army? Fifty-five thousand soldiers were killed in the span of two hours. Do you understand what that means, Yennefer?" Margarita said in a seductive tone.
Yennefer was already in tears upon hearing that. The ground seemed to vanish beneath her feet as she felt overwhelming relief, but at the same time, fear... and a growing sense of anticipation.
Then that meant...
No force in that world could accomplish something like that.
No one... except them.
"Yes. They returned, Yennefer. You saw them as your children, didn't you? While you were here, in the middle of nowhere, all this time, searching for a useless way to destroy a barrier he created years ago, unable to get through it, even when Lord Madara didn't even seem to be at the height of his own power..." She spoke in an amused tone.
Yennefer, however, stepped forward and grabbed the sorceress by the shoulders. "You're not lying?" she asked, practically growling, searching her eyes for any sign of deception.
The woman merely kept her amused smile at that reaction. "No. I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, go to the Continent and visit any royal court. Go to Redania or Kovir. Things are quite tense over there. In the south, they're saying that a god appeared on the battlefield..."
Yennefer released her immediately and took a step back. "I want to find them."
"Excellent. Then come with us. We've already contacted our sister Ida, who's within the Akatsuki. Tissaia and Triss refused our invitation, but Francesca and Philippa will arrange the meeting. Isn't that what you want?"
Yennefer narrowed her eyes despite the overwhelming anticipation she felt at the possibility of seeing them again. "You want to use me. You want to use me to get close to them during this meeting."
The sorceress merely smiled. "Come now, Yennefer. You know how these things work. The Lodge of Sorceresses wants to establish contact with them, and we know we'll have a much better chance if you're involved. You reunite with them with our help... and in return, you help us speak with them."
"He won't be your tool," Yennefer growled.
The woman simply started laughing. "Yennefer... Do you really think we're foolish enough to believe we can manipulate that person? We'd be doomed before we even tried to do anything. Weren't you listening to me? He wiped out fifty-five thousand men, and it seems the girl was involved as well. She returned unbelievably powerful. Powerful enough to make us, sorceresses with decades of experience, look like foolish teenagers, while she's only twenty-one or twenty-two years old. And she's still capable of making entire cities tremble."
She paused briefly before continuing. "You don't know this yet, but she herself terrified all of Novigrad when she cast an enormous spell that made the entire city shake and plunged it into chaos in a single night... It got to the point where everyone believed she was some kind of goddess who had descended upon the world. It drove the entire population to rise up against the Eternal Fire out of fear after the goddess's arrival and warning... Can you believe that?" Her voice carried an amused tone.
Yennefer, on the other hand, disliked the way she spoke about Ciri. Even so, she wasn't a fool. It was obvious that the Lodge of Sorceresses would be interested in someone as powerful as she described. But they also knew that Madara and Cirilla were not people who could be manipulated.
"All right..." Yennefer nodded.
Even if she went looking for them on her own, she might never find them. It would be much easier to rely on the resources, contacts, and spies of the Lodge of Sorceresses. She wouldn't even be able to find the Akatsuki, which might be an even better option.
But just as she was about to speak, someone appeared in the middle of that rocky shore. Their footsteps were immediately heard, and crimson eyes settled upon them.
The two women immediately turned their attention to the figure calmly walking toward them.
"Madara..." Yennefer exclaimed.
He walked with all the calm in the world, wearing his usual robe. His hair was much longer now, and his face had gained the maturity of a young adult.
"Or rather... Just a clone," he added as he watched the sun setting.
That, however, didn't stop Yennefer from running toward him. Madara was caught off guard for a brief moment before simply returning to his calm expression as the sorceress embraced him.
"You may be just a clone... But I'm sure your real self will experience this when you disappear and pass on your memories."
She spoke with tears in her eyes. "You really came back... Tell me... Are you and Ciri alright?"
"As much as possible, yes," he replied in a calm, friendly tone, smiling at Yennefer.
Then he turned his attention to the sorceress who remained a few meters away. "It seems someone managed to get here before me. I guess I'm losing my touch when it comes to tracking people across the world..." he commented.
The woman, still surprised, immediately bowed. "Lord Madara. It is an honor to have you back." She quickly smiled and bit her lip as she looked at him with a lustful expression.
Madara merely raised an eyebrow, ignoring that hungry gaze. "I've already heard about your organization through Ida. I've also been observing it in secret. Ever since I returned, my clones have been gathering information about all of you," he said in a serious tone.
"We want to talk," the sorceress replied, still smiling as she leaned forward slightly to better reveal her cleavage. "The Lodge of Sorceresses wishes to speak with you, Lord Madara."
Madara ignored that pathetic attempt to seduce him; after all, he was only a clone. His clone carried no carnal desires. "The time for that hasn't come yet. Not until I've settled a few matters. I owe your organization nothing. But if you want a meeting, it will take place three days from now," Madara said.
The sorceress simply nodded, having no problem with that. "Very well. We'll wait. We're still somewhat confused by your actions. We assume you're planning to do something...?" she asked immediately. If everyone was going to ask those questions during the meeting, it was better to ask now than to be caught off guard.
"My clone was created before the destruction of the Nilfgaardian army," he replied.
She had no idea what that meant. What she failed to realize was that Madara had invaded her mind the very instant their eyes met. The woman was trying to seduce him not because of some political scheme, although she certainly wouldn't have minded having that kind of support.
But she genuinely wanted to take him to bed and have wild sex with him. That wasn't unusual for most sorceresses, and she certainly wouldn't be the only one to feel that way about him, as Coral's example had already made quite clear.
Margarita, however, wasn't so extreme that Madara would have to eliminate her as he had done with Coral when she crossed the line. This woman simply enjoyed promiscuity and already had about three lovers. Obviously, Madara wouldn't pay attention to someone like that, even if Ciri weren't in his life.
He also searched through all of her other memories and intentions, effortlessly breaking through every mental defense she possessed. The sorceress never even realized that he had kept his Sharingan activated the entire time.
"But, knowing my original self and how he would act..." the clone continued, "it's very likely that, at this very moment, they're already on their way to the capital of the Empire."
Those words left the woman completely stunned. In the end, it wouldn't make any difference. If they wanted witnesses to watch what would happen in the capital, they could go. Nothing would be capable of stopping them.
He was absolutely certain that his true self and Cirilla would finally settle things with Emhyr.
And it would certainly be quite a spectacle. Even Yennefer remained silent as she looked at him.
"Anyway, from what I've gathered, you were trying to enter the mountain, but you couldn't get past the barrier I created," Madara said.
Yennefer sighed and returned to the arrogant tone she always used, though a small smile appeared on her face. "Well... I ran into a few setbacks, as you know. But everything was planned. I would've broken your barrier soon enough."
Madara merely shrugged. He knew exactly what she was like.
Even so, he was surprised that his barrier had endured for so many years. Not even a sorceress of Yennefer's caliber had managed to destroy it.
It was one thing to reinforce that barrier from time to time. It was something entirely different to leave it abandoned for years and still have no one capable of breaking through it.
Perhaps, with the combined efforts of several sorceresses, they might have been able to destroy it. And searching for the Sunstone wasn't foolish. As he observed the memories of the conversation Yennefer had had with the other sorceress before his arrival, Madara fully understood the reasoning.
After all, that Stone had once been used to summon the Wild Hunt during the final battle in The Witcher 3. It could also serve as a beacon. By using certain spells directly connected to it, it might be possible to establish contact between worlds, provided there was enough power.
In that case, the Sunstone would be the key piece.
It was no wonder that, years earlier, Vilgefortz himself had also tried to obtain it in order to recover his powers after being gravely wounded by Madara.
Madara and Ciri could have been drawn to that power, using it as an anchor point in this world if they were still traveling between worlds.
"Well, let's get out of here. And don't worry, we'll contact you, sorceress," Madara said.
Before anyone had time to react, his clone simply grabbed Yennefer by the shoulder and disappeared along with her.
The sorceress let out a long sigh. She had no choice but to inform the Lodge of Sorceresses that they would have to wait a few days.
At the same time, she knew that something terrible was about to happen in the capital of Nilfgaard that very night.
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