Something within the fog shifted, it didn't twist into something monstrous or unseen. Instead, it opened, subtly, almost gently and a figure stepped through it.
A boy.
He looked no older than them, perhaps even younger at first glance. His clothes were worn and damp, his shoulders trembling as if he had been wandering in the cold for far too long. His breathing was uneven, panicked, and his wide eyes darted around as though he were surrounded by things only he could see.
"Be careful!" he cried, his voice raw with fear. "There are monsters...look! They're all around us!"
Ciri reacted instantly, her body turning as her eyes started searching for movement, for shapes hidden in the mist. Her grip tightened around her blade as she scanned left, then right, then behind them.
Nothing, not a single thing stirred.
Her brows pulled together as she lowered her weapon slightly. "I don't see anything…"
Sebastian hadn't moved, he didn't even glance away from the boy.
"It's an illusion Ciri, his words don't mean anything." he said, his voice indifferent. "Foglet trick."
Ciri knew it was an illusion, but she still hesitated. The boy looked real, too real. The fear in his voice, the way his chest rose and fell, the tremor in his hands… it wasn't easy to dismiss.
"Look at his eyes," Sebastian added.
Ciri focused, forcing herself to push past the surface. She looked at him more carefully this time, ignoring the panic in his voice, the way he reached out as if begging for help.
Then she saw it.
"…Cat eyes."
The realization followed immediately,
"He's a witcher…"
"Was," Sebastian corrected quietly. "Foglets don't invent details like this. They remember them."
His gaze hardened just slightly,
"They remember his face, his voice and the fear he felt." A faint pause followed. "They probably killed him themselves."
Ciri's expression shifted, her eyes lingered on the boy, but now she wasn't seeing him the same way.
"He must've come here for the trial as well," she said, her voice becoming more grounded. "One of the boys…"
Her jaw tightened faintly.
"And he didn't make it."
Sebastian gave a small nod. "He was already mutated," he said. "Look at him, he might be a year older than us and he still didn't make it.. Now you understand," he added, his tone steady, "this was never easy for them as well."
Ciri didn't look at him.
"I never said it was," she replied,
The illusion flickered.
The boy's form distorted, like a reflection breaking apart in disturbed water, and then it collapsed entirely, dissolving back into the fog it came from.
The crying was gone, the fear vanished with it.
What replaced it was something far less subtle. The fog twisted violently in front of them, gathering into a shape that no longer bothered to hide behind deception. The foglet revealed itself fully, its gaunt, unnatural form stepping forward.
It knew the trick had failed on them since none of them got too close.
Sebastian adjusted his grip on his sword, rolling it once in his hand with ease.
"Here it comes," he said.
The creature flickered and vanished, its form dissolving into the air.
But it wasn't gone.
Sebastian's stance shifted, his attention dropping to the ground instead of the empty space ahead. The wet earth told a different story, subtle impressions, displaced water, movement that betrayed what the average human eye couldn't see.
Ciri followed his lead, adjusting her position, her breathing steadying as she focused on the same signs, just like they were taught.
It was circling them.
Closing in and the moment it stepped within reach, Sebastian's hand snapped forward.
Aard.
The invisible force burst outward, striking the creature mid-attack and forcing it back into visibility as it was thrown across the ground. Sebastian moved immediately, his blade cutting through where it landed, but the figure shattered on impact, dissolving into nothing.
An illusion.
"It can copy itself Seb!" Ciri said, her voice tightening slightly.
Sebastian didn't take his eyes off the shifting ground. "Yeah, I know."
He exhaled slowly, making a decision.
"Step away from me."
There was no hesitation this time. Ciri moved back at once, putting distance between them while keeping her guard raised.
Sebastian stood still for a brief moment.
Then the flames came and they didn't crawl along his sword this time. They erupted from him, consuming his entire body in an instant. Fire wrapped around him, rising and intensifying with every passing second. The heat surged outward, distorting the very air.
Ciri felt it immediately.
Even at a distance, she raised her arm to shield her face, squinting against the sudden brightness. The temperature spiked so fast it forced a breath from her, heat settling against her skin as sweat began to form along her brow.
The fog didn't stand a chance, it thinned first, then broke apart entirely as the heat evaporated the moisture that sustained it. The heavy mist that had surrounded them began to vanish, burned away by sheer intensity of his flames.
Ciri looked around, her eyes widening slightly as the world around them came back into focus.
"That's…" she exhaled, almost in disbelief. "That's actually smart."
With the fog gone, the battle changed instantly.
The foglet had nowhere left to hide.
Its form flickered into view again, caught in the open now, its unnatural body exposed as it tried to shift and vanish once more, but there was nothing left for it to blend into.
Sebastian didn't give it time, he attacked, the distance between them vanished in a moment as he closed in, his blade driving forward with precision. The silver edge pierced straight through the creature's neck, the force of the strike clean and decisive.
Before it could react, his other hand rose.
Aard.
The blast hit at point-blank range.
The foglet's head tore free, sent spinning through the air before it struck the ground with a dull, lifeless sound. Its body collapsed a second later, unmoving.
The flames around Sebastian faded just as quickly as they had risen, disappearing as if they had never been there. He pulled his blade free from its neck and sheathed it in one smooth move.
Behind him, Ciri lowered her arm slowly, exhaling as the heat finally receded. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her body still adjusting to the sudden shift in temperature.
At this point, the shock was fading faster than it should have.
This was becoming normal to her.
"The fog's gone," she said, glancing around, her voice steadier now. "We can actually see."
Sebastian nodded once, already looking ahead.
"I can see the cavern entrance," he said.
Ciri followed his gaze.
Through the now-clear air, the outline of stone emerged, a dark opening in the mountainside, hidden before but unmistakable now that the fog was gone.
Her lips curved slightly.
"…Yeah," she said. "I see it too.."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / Shadow Monarch in DC
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my pat-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to More Chapters Ahead of Release on All of My Stories!