I was once Alvin, born and raised on the outskirts of Vizima. I lived with my beloved older sister Caroline. Although it was only the two of us depending on each other, I was happy.
Until that summer, when my sister and I were going into the city, we ran into barghests in the wilderness. At the time, I did not yet know those things were called barghests. My sister died protecting me, and I was saved by a witcher named Geralt of Rivia.
Stimulated by my sister's death, my magic erupted for the first time.
Later, I lived with Geralt for several months. He was always very good to me, but he often changed female companions, so I was constantly being cared for by different women. The two I remembered most deeply were, at first, the herbalist Abigail, and at the end, the sorceress Triss Merigold.
When my magical eruptions became more and more frequent, Triss gave me a dimeritium amulet to help me, hoping it would suppress my powerful magic.
During that sudden disaster, the city fell into chaos. I was terrified. Even wearing the amulet could not stop the power that erupted. I crossed into a strange place, where the White Frost covered everything, and heaven and earth were deathly silent.
Would I never be able to go back? Would I never see Geralt again? After meeting some people and hearing some things, I finally understood. This was the future.
I gradually grew up and was chosen to lead them, but I could only watch as they died before me one by one. I tried to change it, again and again, but that unreliable crossing through time and space was never fully under my control.
And when I was close to despair, I came back, back to a time before I had met Geralt.
I instinctively knew that I could not meet my younger self.
I had to save the world. I had to change everything!
I was no longer Alvin.
I was, Jacques de Aldersberg!
...
In the warm slanting light of evening, in the forest outside Vizima, Victor opened his eyes. There was no familiar ceiling.
His limbs moved normally, and he felt no other discomfort. His face was simply somewhat swollen and painful, proving that his memories had not been a dream. The downside of having a strong physique was that he did not faint easily, so to knock him out, that bastard Jacques had really used a heavy hand.
Sitting up, he saw an unexpected back and unexpected attire.
Standing on the hillside and gazing toward Vizima, Rose Knight Siegfried of Denesle was actually not wearing that suit of Flaming Rose armor that had almost become one with him. Instead, he wore armor bearing the lily emblem.
Judging from the fact that his whole body could move freely, Victor seemed to have escaped his status as a captive. All his weapons were intact, and even Lightning Cutter in his herbal satchel had not been taken away. Then was there anything that could be used to threaten him? Thinking of this, he nervously reached into his clothes. Fortunately, Keira was still at his side.
Before being knocked unconscious, Victor had already mentally prepared himself to wake up and find everything settled, to have become an employee of the Flaming Rose, or even to find that months had passed and the world had changed.
Now it seemed some unexpected event had occurred, leading to this unexpected result.
Victor took a deep breath. "Hi. We meet again! Siegfried, why are you here?"
Turning around, the Rose Knight's features were still handsome, but his eyes were red, and his gaze was sharp. In all the time they had known each other, even when they parted last time and Siegfried charged toward the Scoia'tael, he had never shown this side.
"I would also very much like to know why you are here. Why were you knocked unconscious by the Grand Master and brought to the Grand Master's office?
"Why, at the Order's most critical moment, did the Grand Master only want me to take you away, far from the chaos of us fighting the city guards, solely so that you would not be harmed?
"Can you tell me the answer, Mr. Victor Corion of Bell Town, east of Zerrikania?"
The wind passed through the trees, making them rustle. The Rose Knight's words were very clear, giving Victor enough clues to infer what had happened. King Foltest had made up his mind, and the military strength of a feudal society had been fully mobilized. Although he did not know why Jacques had not opened a portal and escaped, since Jacques had chosen to let Siegfried send Victor away, it was enough to explain his decision.
"...I believe he must have left a message for me. Before I answer you, can you tell me what he said?" the witcher sighed softly.
Siegfried trembled slightly. After thinking it over, he stared into Victor's eyes and said, "The Grand Master said, since you chose to refuse, then take responsibility. Do not let things become worse!"
Looking up at the sky, the witcher revealed a bitter smile. What was this supposed to be? A handover of the mission to save the world? What had Jacques seen in him? If he said it out loud, Victor would change it immediately!
Although he was somewhat irritated, Victor was not panicking inside. Because unless something unexpected happened, according to Ithlinne's prophecy, the Witcher world would ultimately be saved in this era by the inheritor of the Elder Blood, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon.
That was how the game played out. Ciri was the final savior.
Wait, that was wrong!? The prophecy spoke of the final inheritor of the Elder Blood. In other words, Jacques could also be a child of destiny who fit the prophecy?
And according to him, he was gathering people to deal with the White Frost, which meant the disaster had not been stopped, but had happened in the worst way, just as the prophecy described? Could this still be a multiverse, with many different endings like the Marvel multiverse?
Amid his chaotic thoughts, Victor noticed that Siegfried was still waiting for his answer. He rubbed his nose. "Grand Master Jacques invited me to join the Order of the Flaming Rose. I don't know the reason, but he seemed to have very high expectations of me. I did not agree, so we had a slight conflict."
This was a truthful answer that avoided the most important parts.
The long day was drawing to an end. The Rose Knight said nothing.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the witcher said nothing either.
After a long silence, Siegfried nodded. "I understand. I have safely brought you out of that chaos and guarded you until you woke up. Since the Grand Master's final order has been completed, I am leaving!"
"Leaving? Where are you going? The Order of the Flaming Rose has been declared suspected of rebellion, surrounded and attacked by the city guards. The Order of the Flaming Rose is finished!"
"No! You are wrong. The Order of the Flaming Rose will not end! The Grand Master's ambition, our oath, will not end here. I believe there are still many people like me who have only temporarily removed their armor to preserve themselves for future use. I will go find them, find a monarch worthy of our loyalty again, and then continue fighting on the correct path!
"The Eternal Fire will not be extinguished, and neither will the Flaming Rose!"
Hearing Siegfried's words, Victor was somewhat choked up. He had originally wanted to pull Siegfried into his own Phantom Troupe. After all, a man of good character, solid swordsmanship, and, when necessary, capable of satisfying Angoulême's needs, was not easy to find. But from the sound of things, this guy was impossible to recruit. If Jacques had not ordered him to send Victor out, he would already have died fighting in Vizima.
Patting his thigh, the young man pulled a flask of pepper vodka from his herbal satchel and raised it high. "Then before you go, let's have a drink, like we said last time! May the road rise to meet you?"
Siegfried's red eyes stared at Victor. "Sorry, but forgive me for refusing this time. Right now, I do not want to drink with you. Not at all. Next time. Definitely next time!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Watching the Rose Knight's resolute departing back, the witcher did not know just how much he knew, whether about the knightly grand master's actions, or about what he had done to Victor.
But one thing was certain. If Victor had not saved Adda, and had killed the striga instead, many things would have changed because of it. For example, Roderick would have survived and become an important figure in the Order of the White Rose.
And without absolute evidence, Foltest might not have expelled the Order of the Flaming Rose. Even if Adda's rescue had been delayed by just one day, Jacques might not have been trapped. Perhaps he would have crossed again, heading to another dimension to continue his attempt to save the world.
Who could predict everything? Without seeing it with his own eyes, Victor did not know just how severe the tragedy caused by the White Frost truly was. But the comparison from having played the game made him understand that many background details summarized in a single sentence had cruelty and sorrow in reality that were hard to imagine...
Evaluating Jacques's actions from that angle, Victor rubbed his cheeks with both hands and then slapped them a few times. "I can understand it, but I still can't accept it!"
Putting aside his useless sentimentality, the witcher decided to rescue the sorceress first. She had not died, and the young man was sincerely glad.
...
Name: ?? gorgeous winged magic wand
Type: Consumable
Quality: Epic
Traits: Confident Heavy Strike, Ironclad Effect, Expert Completion
Effect: Removes the Artifact Compression spell
Note: Single-use item
Side Effect: Requires a mysterious magical incantation to activate, yes, that incantation.
...
Victor's motion as he waved the magic wand was smooth, elegant, and unrestrained. "O wand that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me! I command you now in the name of your master, Victor. Release!"
When his voice fell, the Keira Metz figurine on the grass made no response at all. It remained nothing more than a figurine.
"I summon you back. Be reborn, Keira! Obey my command, banish evil, undo the seal, break the binding. Be reborn, Keira! I restore your true form!"
"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"
"Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!"
"Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play!"
After the incantation he had been most confident in failed, and several random attempts also had no effect, Victor tore open his shirt and pointed the magic wand like a halberd. "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!"
And still nothing. The mountain wind blew, cool in the height of summer, and Keira Metz's figurine remained standing firm and unmoving.
Going bare-chested made it easy to catch cold, so Victor hurriedly put his clothes back on. He closed his eyes slightly and thought back, then adjusted his tone until it was burning with passion. "Ancient spirits, lend me your strength. Let heaven and earth resound, let no foe withstand me. Grant me power, unstoppable and unbroken. Come forth, Keira Metz!"
"Form feet and legs! Form arms and torso! Keira, hurry up and form the head!"
"Hocus pocus, alakazam, Keira Metz, full-body transformation!"
After a string of nonsense, he suddenly lowered the wand, because Victor had remembered what the incantation was. It had to be that incantation!
At the thought of that incantation, a dense malice seemed to take physical form and fill his body and mind. So the finished products of Combat Attunement all came with the risk of social death!?
Helplessly scratching his hair, and after checking that there was no one around, Victor began dancing with strange steps. After about a minute, he struck an awkward pose and recited the bizarre incantation.
"Glitter Dance Magic! Keira, watch me sparkle you! Trust your heart and love the shimmer, Sparkle Kitty Wand, unseal!"
The instant he finished the incantation, an unbelievable law was set in motion. The magic wand bloomed with unparalleled rainbow light, then turned into rainbow motes of dust that revolved around Keira's statue.
As smoke spread, the sorceress's weak voice came from within. "...Ugh... don't do this, Jacques... damn it... cough, cough, cough."
Victor passed through the smoke and crouched in front of Keira. Her current clothing was very conservative, obviously the kind of attire prepared for battle. Victor could completely imagine the scene at the time, Keira hearing Jacques knock at the door, raising her guard, and then finding it utterly useless. That move of false time stop was probably something no one could resist.
"Relax, it's me. It's all right. Everything is over." Gazing at the petite sorceress, the witcher's eyes were bright.
Lying flat on the grass, Keira's vision gradually cleared. Although she could not recognize those mutated eyes, his features and the scar proved his identity. "Cough, cough... Oh, it's you, Vic. Damn it, my stomach hurts. My kidneys must be bleeding. You became a witcher!? Then what time is it now?"
Victims of Artifact Compression would enter a stasis state, completely unaware of the surrounding environment and anything that happened. The side effects of undoing the compression and restoring the original form often included headaches, nausea, confusion, loss of orientation, and extreme weakness. In more serious cases, it could also cause organ damage.
Knowing these symptoms very well, the witcher sat cross-legged, held her in the crook of his arm, took out a tube of vitality broth and a non-toxic Swallow, and slowly fed them to her. "Relax! It hasn't been that long. It is now the eighteenth day since we separated, and the fourth day of the Vizima riot."
Swallowing the potion one mouthful at a time, Keira stared at Victor with her hazel eyes. "Then what is the situation now?"
Faced with the sorceress's concern for state affairs, the witcher only found it amusing. Unlike some of his peers, he did not dislike women who were enthusiastic about politics. On the contrary, he found it somewhat cute.
So he told Keira Metz about everything he had heard and encountered regarding what had happened in Vizima over the past ten-plus days, excluding some relatively private matters.
"...In short, your king now controls the overall situation. The Scoia'tael have been blasted out of the city, and the city guards are besieging the Flaming Rose. No matter how many conspiracies were behind it all, in the face of his absolute ruling power, everything is about to end."
After hearing Victor's explanation, Keira muttered to herself, "Cough, cough... Damn it, damn it! I must hurry back to the palace. I still have some intelligence to add. I must prove my value before this ends!"
After saying that, the sorceress forced herself to sit up. Facing this situation, the helpless witcher could only support her. However, just as she was about to cast a spell and open a portal, she spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply back into his arms.
"Cough, cough, it hurts... my chest, cough, cough, cough... Aren't you supposed to be amazing at alchemy? Triss said you're very good at making healing potions. Why does what you gave me have no effect at all?"
Faced with Keira's huffy complaint mixed with coquettishness, Victor felt deeply helpless. What kind of potion did he have on hand that could work immediately after drinking... Wait... hold on...!
Gently stroking the sorceress's soft blonde hair, the witcher said hesitantly, "Actually, I do have something that works quickly. I have a potion that, once drunk, stabilizes injuries within ten minutes and restores stamina by leaps and bounds."
Before he could finish, Keira interrupted him. She grabbed Victor by the collar. "Then hurry up and take it out for me! I know it's precious. I'll compensate you afterward!"
Meeting her beautiful hazel eyes, and knowing he could not change her mind, the young man sighed deeply and took out a tube of potion. "Fine! But I still have to say, this potion has a few side effects." He suddenly raised his hand high, preventing the sorceress from snatching the potion away. "Do you never wait for me to finish speaking?"
The petite blonde woman glared at him. "Shut up. I'm in a hurry. Stop going on and on. As long as it doesn't cause permanent damage, it's fine!"
Your resolve, shining brighter than diamond, has indeed reached me!
No longer trying to stop her, Victor gently carried Keira to the bushes beside the grass. Just as Keira was baffled, thinking the young man had been overcome by beastly instincts, he shoved the potion into her hand and made sure she held it tightly.
"This is an old Victor family remedy. Make absolutely sure you wait until I'm far away before drinking it!"
After saying that, Victor fled without looking back, as if dozens of burly men were chasing him from behind with durians in their hands.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810