Chapter 30: Temple of Melitele & Geralt
POV: Adam
The Temple of Melitele rose from Ellander's heart like a prayer carved from white marble and desperate hope, its spires reaching toward sky that promised healing for wounds that went deeper than flesh. Pilgrims moved through courtyards with the careful steps of people seeking miracles they weren't certain they deserved, their voices creating harmony from dozens of languages united by shared need.
Sanctuary. Real sanctuary, if the stories are true.
Adam and Ciri approached the main temple through gardens where herbs grew in careful rows beside flowers that spoke of beauty maintained through discipline rather than chance. The air itself felt different here—cleaner, charged with potential that made his airbending respond with unusual sensitivity to atmospheric currents.
Sacred ground. Something about this place resonates with elemental magic.
"Pilgrims seeking audience with Mother Nenneke?" The voice belonged to a young priestess whose brown robes spoke of novice status but whose eyes held wisdom that came from witnessing suffering transformed into strength. "She's in the main sanctuary."
Nenneke. Head priestess, if the merchant's information was accurate.
They found her kneeling before an altar that bore symbols of the Great Mother, her gray hair braided with small charms that clinked softly as she moved. When she turned to face them, Adam felt the peculiar sensation of being examined by someone who saw more than surface appearances.
Perceptive. Dangerously perceptive.
"Pilgrims," Nenneke said, her voice carrying warmth mixed with authority that spoke of someone accustomed to providing comfort while making difficult decisions. "What brings you to Melitele's house?"
"We seek information about Geralt of Rivia," Adam said, offering honesty that felt safer than deception in a place dedicated to truth. "The witcher."
Please let him be here. Please let this chase finally end.
Nenneke's expression shifted to something approaching sympathy. "The witcher was here. He left yesterday."
Yesterday. One day behind, after weeks of pursuit.
Adam's frustrated groan echoed off stone walls designed to contain prayers rather than profanity, his disappointment raw enough that Ciri's hand found his arm with comfort that felt like the only solid thing in a world built on missed connections.
Always one step behind. Always missing him by hours or days.
"You have the look of destiny about you, child," Nenneke said, her attention shifting to Ciri with intensity that made Adam's protective instincts flare. "The kind that reshapes the world whether the bearer wills it or not."
"People keep saying that," Ciri replied, her voice carrying exhaustion that went beyond physical fatigue. "I'm not sure I believe in destiny anymore."
Destiny. She sees it too. Whatever makes Ciri special, it's visible to people who know how to look.
"And you, boy—your magic is unusual. Not Chaos-based, unless I'm much mistaken."
She can sense the airbending. Of course she can. Sacred ground, trained perceptions, decades of experience with supernatural phenomena.
"It's complicated," Adam said, which was true enough without being the whole truth.
Nenneke's smile suggested she understood exactly how complicated such things could become. "Most worthwhile magic is. But tell me—why do you seek the White Wolf? What makes his path cross yours?"
Connection. Destiny. The Law of Surprise. How do I explain without revealing knowledge I shouldn't possess?
"He's connected to her," Adam said, gesturing toward Ciri with movements that felt heavy with implications. "Her destiny, whatever that means."
"Ah." Nenneke nodded as if confirming something she'd already suspected. "Geralt travels to Blaviken. Something about unfinished business with his past."
Blaviken. Where his reputation was made. Forty miles, maybe two days' travel.
"You're welcome to sanctuary for the night," Nenneke continued, her voice carrying offer that felt like blessing. "Rest, healing, meals. No payment required for those who serve purposes larger than their own comfort."
Free lodging. Hot food. Clean beds. Luxuries we can't afford to refuse.
The temple's guest quarters provided the first real rest they'd experienced since leaving Cintra's ashes, rooms that spoke of careful attention to pilgrim needs rather than profit maximization. Adam soaked in hot water that washed away weeks of accumulated grime while his mind processed the luxury of being truly clean for the first time in memory.
When did hot baths become miraculous? When did clean clothes feel like royal garments?
He emerged from the bathing chamber to find Ciri waiting in the main room, wearing a simple dress that temple servants had provided while their travel-stained clothes were cleaned and mended. The transformation was startling—from warrior-survivor back to something that reminded him why bards wrote songs about beautiful princesses.
Beautiful. When did she become so beautiful?
"What?" Ciri asked, catching him staring with attention that probably qualified as inappropriate under most social circumstances.
Heart skipping. Pulse racing. She's wearing a dress and suddenly I can't form coherent thoughts.
"Nothing. You just... you look nice."
Understatement of the century. She looks incredible.
Ciri's blush painted her cheeks pink in ways that made his chest feel too small to contain his heart. "You too."
Clean clothes, actual grooming, freedom from constant survival stress. We both look like people instead of refugees.
The evening meal provided conversation with other pilgrims whose stories painted pictures of a world larger than their individual journey. Merchants fleeing wars, families seeking healing for ailments that conventional medicine couldn't address, scholars pursuing knowledge that might help them understand supernatural forces that shaped human destiny.
Normal people. Dealing with normal problems. When did our lives become so abnormal that this feels strange?
"Darkness hunts you both," Nenneke said quietly as the meal concluded, her voice pitched for their ears alone. "But your bond is strong. Trust in it. Love forged in fire burns brighter than passion born in comfort."
She knows. About us, about what's hunting us, about what we mean to each other.
"What kind of darkness?" Adam asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"The kind that serves empire. The kind that sees power and wants to claim it for purposes that would destroy the vessel."
Nilfgaard. Cahir. The hunt that follows us like shadows cast by flames we can't control.
They departed Ellander as morning light painted the temple walls gold, carrying supplies that Nenneke had pressed into their hands along with blessings that felt more substantial than words alone. Forty miles to Blaviken, where Geralt's past waited to intersect with their future.
Finally. Finally going to find him.
The road stretched ahead through countryside that promised sanctuary or might simply present new challenges disguised as solutions. But walking beside Ciri—clean, rested, hopeful—Adam felt something approaching optimism for the first time since Cintra fell.
Together. Whatever we find in Blaviken, we face it together.
[Experience Gained: 100 XP - Temple rest and recovery]
[LEVEL UP! 16 → 17]
[Free Stat Points: +5]
[Allocation: +2 AGI, +2 STA, +1 STR]
[New Stats: STR 31, STA 41, AGI 39, HP 310, MP 410]
The temple bells faded behind them as distance transformed sacred ground into memory, but the peace they'd found there traveled with them like internal sanctuary that external forces couldn't easily disturb.
Blaviken. Where the Butcher earned his name. Where our hunt finally ends.
One way or another.
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 4 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ] with exclusive access to 40+ min chapters (up to chapter 60 for other tiers+ 5 chapters every week ) on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!