Sebastian's hand found the edge of the shore first, fingers digging into wet stone as he pulled himself up from the freezing water. He rose, water streaming from his clothes, his breath steady despite the cold. The moment his boots met solid ground, his attention shifted outward.
The fog here was very thick.
It was swallowing the trees, the shoreline and everything beyond a few steps. Even sound felt wrong here. Sebastian's Witcher eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the area, every sense straining. There was no movement, no immediate threat, but the calm itself felt unnatural.
He turned back toward the pond, gaze fixed on the pale surface.
"C'mon, Ciri," he called,
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then the water broke again. Ciri emerged through the fog, dragging herself onto the shore with a sharp inhale, her movements heavier than his had been. She rolled onto her back, breathing hard, strands of wet hair clinging to her face as she stared up into the grey nothing above.
"Give me a moment…" she muttered, her chest rising and falling quickly.
Sebastian crossed his arms, giving a small nod. "Take it."
However, he didn't relax. His eyes never stopped moving, scanning the edges of the fog, the water behind them, the ground beneath their feet. Something felt off.
Then he saw it. A ripple in the water.
Another followed, closer this time.
His posture changed instantly. His arms dropped, and in the same motion, his hand went to his silver sword. The blade slid free.
"Get behind me."
Ciri pushed herself up, confused. "What.. why?"
"The pond," Sebastian said, already stepping forward, his gaze locked onto the water. "Drowners."
That was all she needed. The exhaustion vanished from her posture as she scrambled to her feet, drawing her weapon and moving behind him without another question.
The surface of the pond broke violently.
One creature dragged itself onto the shore, then another, then a third. Their pale, bloated bodies glistened with water, long limbs clawing forward as screeches tore through the air.
Sebastian didn't move from where he stood.
Flames ignited along his silver blade, crawling up the steel in a sudden burst of heat and light. The glow pushed back against the fog, casting flickering shadows that twisted and shifted around them.
The drowners attacked and Sebastian stepped forward.
Just once, his blade moved in a single, fluid arc, the strike was so clean it almost looked effortless, but the force behind it was something. The flaming edge cut through all three creatures in one sweeping strike, slicing through flesh and bone as if they offered no resistance at all.
Then the wounds ignited.
Fire spread across their bodies instantly, the drowners letting out broken screeches as the flames consumed them from within. They staggered, limbs jerking, before collapsing onto the ground in a heap of burning flesh that quickly fell still.
The flames along Sebastian's blade faded as he lowered it, the light disappearing back into the silver as if it had never been there. He slid the sword back into its scabbard with the same calm precision.
Behind him, Ciri hadn't moved.
Her eyes were wide, fixed on where the drowners had fallen, her grip on her weapon loosening slightly as the reality of what she had just witnessed settled in.
"…That's it?" she breathed, almost to herself.
She had seen him fight before. Spar, train, move with control and skill.
But this,
Sebastian didn't even look back at the bodies. As far as he was concerned, the threat was already gone.
"There were just Drowners, let's get moving," he said simply.
Ciri blinked, then quickly shook her head, forcing herself back into focus. She stepped forward to join him, though her gaze lingered for just a second longer before she turned away.
They moved deeper into the fog together, the shoreline disappearing behind them within moments.
The further they went, the thicker it seemed to become, visibility shrinking to only a few paces ahead.
Ciri's earlier excitement had dulled into something sharper, more cautious. She glanced around, trying to make out shapes through the mist, her senses straining.
"It's hard to see anything in this," she said quietly.
Sebastian nodded, his own gaze sweeping the area in slow passes.
"It's not much better for me," he admitted. "We need to assume we're not alone."
He paused briefly, listening.
"Geralt didn't mention Foglets for no reason," he continued. "They thrive in places like this."
Ciri exhaled, tightening her grip on her sword.
"Yeah… and they don't just rush you," she said, her voice steadier now. "They play with you first, trick you and lure you into traps using magic."
Seb smiled. "Good," he said. "You do remember these details."
Ciri shot him a look of pride.
Then she looked ahead again, her focus returning fully to the path.
"We need to find the entrance to the caverns," she said.
Sebastian gave a small nod.
"Of course."
They moved carefully through the fog for some time,
then it came, a faint sound at first, so distant it barely registered.
Ciri slowed, her brow furrowing as her head tilted slightly to the side. She held her breath without realizing it, listening.
There it was again. The sound of a child crying.
She stopped completely this time, turning her head slightly as if trying to pinpoint where it came from, but the sound didn't behave like it should. It drifted, shifting unnaturally through the fog.
"…You hear that right?" she asked quietly.
Sebastian had already stopped moving. His posture had changed, every sense sharpened as he focused on the sound.
"I do," he said.
The crying came again, a little clearer now. A small and helpless cry. It was a little too real.
Ciri's expression tightened,
"That's not possible," she said, more to herself than to him. "No one would be out here."
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.
"It has to be a trap."
Sebastian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping the fog, trying to read movement where there should be none.
"No one lives in this valley except us," he said evenly. "No one at all."
The crying shifted again, as if responding to them. It sounded closer now, just ahead, or perhaps just beyond sight.
"It's the Foglets."
Ciri exhaled slowly, steadying herself.
"…Nice try," she muttered, though there was tension in her voice.
Sebastian took a step forward, slower now.
"Keep your guard up," he said. "If they've started luring us, it means they already know where we are."
They continued forward, cutting through the fog with caution, neither speaking now, both listening. The crying persisted, never fully approaching, never fading. It lingered just out of reach, pulling at the edges of awareness, testing their resolve.
Then, without warning, Sebastian's arm came up across Ciri's path.
She stopped instantly, her body reacting before her mind caught up. Her blade lifted slightly.
"What is it?" she asked under her breath. "Do you see something?"
Sebastian's eyes moved, they were not fixed on a single point, but tracking the fog itself.
At first, it looked like nothing.
Then it changed.
Not the slow, natural drift of mist carried by wind, but it was faster with a sudden distortion, like the fog was being cut through by something moving just beyond sight. It twisted in unnatural patterns.
Sebastian's grip tightened around his silver sword as he drew it.
"It's here," he said.
/-\
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