Chapter Text
One evening, a man returned home after a long day of work at the hospital. He had short brown hair and ocean-blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, a black tie, and gray pants.
He walked with the aid of a cane, passing a painting in his hallway that depicted him with a woman with black hair and green eyes, as well as a 10-year-old boy with brown hair and green eyes, all standing in front of a forest bathed in the soft light of dawn.
He smiled at the painting before continuing down the hallway into a room that served as a combined kitchen, living room, and dining room. There, he poured himself a cup of coffee and was about to sit down to enjoy his drink when someone knocked on the door.
Grumbling in frustration, he set down his cup and headed toward the entrance, his cane tapping the floor as he approached. And when he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with someone whose mere sight made him smile.
The child from the painting, now a young adult, stood there, smiling at his father.
"Hi, Dad." the young man said with a proud smile.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you this late. And, judging by the look on your face, you've got some great news to share with me." the man smiled, stepping aside to let him in.
The two men gathered around the large table after the younger man poured himself a glass of Coca-Cola.
"Is Mom still in her studio?" the young man asked.
"Yeah. She's working hard on these new paintings a studio commissioned from her for their video game." Her father replied before taking a sip.
"And do you know what the game is?"
"No idea. And even if we asked her, she's bound by a confidentiality clause in her contract. So it's better not to pry, or we'll bring down the wrath of their lawyers... or your mom's. Honestly, I don't know which one I'm more afraid of." Said the father, which made his son laugh. "So, Kalem, what's this news you're so proud of? Did you finally find a girlfriend?"
"Did you suck off a clown?" Kalem asked sarcastically.
"No, I'm just hilarious." His father replied with an amused smile. "Well, are you going to spill the beans?"
"Okay. Okay." Kalem laughed before showing two photos on his phone.
In the two photos were the Platinum trophy and a 100% completion save file for The Witcher 3.
"Look at that. You finished the entire game. I'm pretty impressed, considering how much you hate having to complete a game 100% instead of just enjoying it." His father congratulated him.
"Thanks. I'll admit the Heart of Stone DLC was pretty weird to play through. Especially the part about Olgeird's late wife."
"I understand. It's a very sad story that happened to her." the father agreed, his expression growing slightly darker, though barely noticeable.
"That's not it." Kalem sighed. "It's more like I felt like it was really Mom in the game. My heart grew heavier and heavier as the quest progressed. The further I went, the more I wanted to help her... And when I had a chance to let her rest... I had to force myself to do it, then reload a save to make the other choice once I'd earned the trophy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the courage."
"I understand." His father smiled. "I replayed the game in my free time, and I couldn't do it either."
"Does that antique of yours still work so you can play it?" Kalem joked, pointing at the PS4 under the TV in the living room area.
"Hey! That console's still holding up." His father defended. "Okay, the immersion and graphics aren't as advanced as they are today. But it still works."
"Sorry, Dad. But it's true." Kalem smiled, shrugging. "That console is over 27 years old. It's an antique by video game console standards."
"I can't wait until you have kids so they'll say the same thing about your favorite console." His father mumbled, frustrated at having lost the argument. "But aside from that, you may have completed the game 100% and earned the Platinum trophy. But are you sure you've solved all its mysteries?"
"Of course. I've completed all the contracts in the game and its DLCs." Kalem replied.
"That's not what I said."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't say anything about hunting. I said something about a mystery." His father smiled. "There's a mystery in *The Witcher 3* that still hasn't been solved. A mystery that isn't part of the game's quests. A mystery just for the players."
Kalem leaned forward, intrigued.
"I'm all ears..."
"I'm not going to spoil the surprise for you." His father said, his smile growing more mischievous. "Besides, no one has solved it yet. I think I'm the only one who's figured it out."
"So why haven't you shared the information yet?" Kalem asked skeptically.
"Because I wanted to see if you could figure out this mystery on your own." His father replied with an enigmatic smile. "I'll give you just one clue: it has to do with the worst ending in the game."
"O... k..." Said Kalem, both intrigued and still skeptical.
"But anyway." Said his father as he poured a second cup of coffee. "You should take this to your mom. I don't know how long she's been in her studio, and I think she needs a little pick-me-up. Plus, she'll be happy to see you."
"Yeah, you're right." Kalem smiled as he took the cup, then headed toward his mother's painting studio further down the hall.
At that very moment, Kalem entered his mother's painting studio. It was a room reminiscent of those found in luxurious 13th-century manors, filled with various painting supplies, from blank canvases to easels, as well as a whole stock of paints in every color and shade.
At the back of the room stood a woman with black hair, her back to the doorway, wearing a black shirt and pants. In front of her was a blank canvas on which she was painting, with a screen in front of her displaying a 3D rendering of a woman with ash-blonde hair.
"Was that work, honey?" She asked cheerfully, though she didn't look up from her painting, focused as she was on her work.
"I think her day went as usual." Kalem replied, setting the cup down on a table.
His voice startled the woman, who turned around, her green eyes resting on her son before she set down her paintbrush and embraced him.
"I'm so happy to see you." His mother smiled. "How are you?"
"Great. I won the lottery and was finally able to open that shop I was telling you about." Kalem smiled.
"That's fantastic. I'll have to stop by once I've finished the paintings I've been commissioned to do."
"Speaking of which, don't you want to at least give me a little hint about why you're doing these paintings? Dad told me you landed a big contract, and I have to admit I'm really curious." the young man asked.
"I won't say anything. I'm not going to risk the news leaking out again, since you brought it up in a conversation." His mother said.
"Oh, come on, when did I do that?" Kalem asked, shrugging.
"The time you told me that Vader is Luke's father in *The Empire Strikes Back*." His mother reminded him.
"Are you still on that? That was 10 years ago!" Kalem complained.
"Yes, I'm still on that, young man." the woman replied with an amused smile before pushing her son out of the workshop. "You'll find out when the game comes out."
Then, once he was out of the workshop, she kissed him on the cheek and closed the workshop door.
"Did you try to pry any information out of her?" asked Laurence, with an amused smile.
"Yeah... and she pulled that 'The Empire Strikes Back' line on me again." replied Kalem, scratching the back of his neck.
A few more minutes later, Kalem left, spending his walk home thinking about the famous mystery his father had posed.
He spent his evening on his PS8 digging through the game, specifically at the Moires' cabin, where the game's worst ending took place, the one where Geralt learns of Ciri's death. He was looking for the slightest clue that might point him toward what the mystery might be.
He realized, after rewatching the ending online, that the last Crone was weaving a tapestry when Geralt came to see her.
He then entered the hut, switched to photo mode, and examined in detail the tapestry depicting the tower where Ciri had last been seen. But one detail stood out from the rest. A swallow flying out of the tower was clearly visible.
Ciri had always been associated with swallows in the game, most likely because of the name of her sword and the nickname Avallac'h had given her.
That could only mean one thing...
"She's alive..." He realized, in a whisper that echoed through the room.
Just as her son solved the mystery, Laurence heard someone behind him whistling a sinister tune.
"It's been a long time." Sighed the man, who was walking with a cane, as he turned toward the source of the whistling.
In a corner of the room stood a man with a shaved head and a thin beard, dressed like a medieval merchant in a yellow and blue tunic. In his hand was a wooden spoon.
"It's been a long time, Laurence." the man greeted him, as if he weren't in someone else's house uninvited. "More than 27 years, if I'm not mistaken."
"Indeed, Gaunter. Already 27 years." Sighed Laurence as he stood up to shake hands with his surprise guest. "What brings you to my home? Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you. Unfortunately, I bring bad news, my friend." Gaunter said, sitting down where Kalem had been sitting. "Someone is wreaking havoc across the worlds. He's stolen various things from some of them, and he's heading toward the world of our mutual friend."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't really know what he's up to. All I know is that he's got something in mind, and it doesn't bode well." Gaunter replied. "We need a new defector."
"I don't know if you've noticed from my cane and my age, but I'm not really up for that kind of thing anymore." Laurence retorted, raising his cane. "Because of this thing, they call me Dr. House at work."
"I know. And to be honest, even if I treated your leg, I don't think you'd be in as good shape as you were before." Gaunter agreed. "But we both know who's best suited to take on that role."
Laurence sighed in defeat.
"Is there really no other choice?"
"I'm sorry, my friend. But you sealed this fate when you told him about this mystery. And he's just solved it as we speak." Gaunter replied solemnly. "I wish there were another solution, so your family wouldn't be involved in all this anymore, after all the effort you went through to free Iris from the torment Olgeird put her through. However, there's no other option."
The man then looked at the merchant wearily, aware that he couldn't spare his son from what lay ahead.
"Promise me he'll get what he needs."
"You know as well as anyone that with me, that kind of request comes at a high price." Gaunter declared, sitting down where Kalem had been sitting earlier. "However, since I still owe you a favor after that card game, I'll honor our little friendly bet. I'll see what I can do to help your son."
"Thank you, Gaunter." the father nodded, knowing he couldn't ask for more.
When he looked in the direction of his "old friend." the man had vanished.
Laurence walked into his wife's workshop shortly afterward and wrapped his arms around her waist, making her jump.
When she turned to look at him, her loving smile faded as she saw the serious expression on the face of her child's father.
"What's wrong, Laurence?" She asked, worried.
"I'm afraid for Kalem, Iris." He sighed. "Gaunter plans to turn our son into a defector."
Iris's eyes widened for a moment, filled with worry. But that worry gave way to tenderness as she rested her hand on her husband's cheek.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. He's our son, isn't he? He'll manage just fine." She said, giving him a reassuring smile, even though her gaze betrayed that she was just as worried as he was. "You taught him well how to defend himself."
The next day, Gaunter wandered through the living room of an apartment filled with numerous bookshelves, each one seemingly dedicated to something. On one side of the wall where the television was located, one bookshelf was dedicated to video games, and the one on the other side to DVDs and Blu-rays.
But what caught his attention was a shelf on the wall opposite the window. On it sat an all-black lightsaber, with a sort of rectangular steel ingot next to it, marked in one corner with the symbol of the former Empire; in front of both was a label that read "The Mandalorian".
Next to it, hanging on the wall, was a sword resembling Geralt of Rivia's silver one, with three Witcher medallions from different schools, the wolf, the cat, and the lynx, hanging from small hooks on either side of the hilt. Above the sword hung another label marked "The Witcher".
He also noticed, between the two, a figurine of a person in armor with a black bat symbol on the chest and a Mandalorian helmet on the head.
An idea then took root in Master Mirror's mind, and he vanished from the room.
While Gaunter was looking around the living room, Kalem was behind the counter of a store when a woman walked in and approached him.
"Hello, and welcome to Hard Corner. How can I help you?" He asked her.
"Yes, hello. I was wondering if you had Mario for the PlayStation?" the customer asked.
"... "I'm sorry? Did you say Mario on PlayStation?" Kalem said after a brief silence, taken aback by the statement.
"Yes. My son showed me a video where you could see a game icon." the woman explained. "I wanted to buy it for them, it'll give me an excuse to stop my husband from buying the new Switch."
"A PlayStation with the Mario icon... Oh!" Kalem exclaimed, realizing what was going on. "That must be an old video you saw. Back when physical media was still popular, people would use their console's Blu-ray player to pop in a Blu-ray copy of the Mario movie and make it seem like it was actually available on PlayStation instead of being a Nintendo exclusive."
"So I got tricked by an old video?"
"Well... yes." Said Kalem, discreetly holding back the urge to make fun of a customer. "But if you're looking for something for your kids or your husband, maybe I can help you out."
"No, it's fine. I was just taking advantage of the fact that I work nearby to check in, just in case." Said the customer as she headed for the exit. "Have a nice day!"
"Have a nice day." Kalem replied, before finally laughing. "I wasn't expecting that."
A few hours later, he walked out of the store with a long-haired coworker wearing glasses.
"I still don't get why he won't let me close up." Said the coworker in a raspy voice.
"Because the last time he handed you the keys, you swallowed them." Kalem laughed.
"Oh, come on. When I returned them, they came out just the same." the coworker downplayed. "How's your little project coming along?"
"Not yet. But I'm still working on it."
They chatted a little longer before the coworker headed off into the night.
Kalem was about to do the same, heading toward his car, when he caught a glimpse of a golden light out of the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze toward the source of the light, and his eyes widened at the sight of a portal of golden energy coming to life a few meters away from him in an alley.
His confusion grew when a young woman with ash-blond hair staggered out of the portal, her hand pressed to her side as the portal closed behind her. The blood soaking through the fabric around her hand indicated that the wound was serious.
Upon discovering this, he adopted a less defensive stance; while remaining vigilant, yet nonetheless fascinated, he approached her slowly, so as not to provoke her into drawing the large sword she carried on her back.
Strangely, the first thought that came to his mind when he saw her was that she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her exotic appearance was complemented by a piercing gaze, her green eyes meeting his, and a scar that ran from the lower corner of her left eye down to her cheek.
The more he looked at her, the more he realized she looked exactly like Ciri.
He finally decided to break the tension by sheathing his weapon and asking the question.
"Do you... Do you need help?" He asked, and the young woman's eyes quickly filled with relief at the question.
"I'd be very grateful for some bandages." She replied with a wry smile.
Kalem nodded at her, then motioned for her to follow him.
"My car isn't far. I could drive us to my place and tend to your wound."
Seeing no other options, the young woman nodded, and after a short drive and a brief climb up some stairs, the pair arrived at Kalem's apartment, the very same one whose living room Gaunter had observed. She sat down on the couch, and the young man came in with thread, a needle, and nearly the entire contents of his first-aid kit.
"Do you mind if I take a look?" He asked as he knelt down beside her.
"I don't really have a choice." She said jokingly, before her face contorted with pain.
Slowly, she pulled her hand back, revealing that her glove was stained with blood.
Kalem noticed that, although her wound was deep, it wasn't life-threatening.
"What do you think?"
"You're lucky your vital organs weren't hit. But if the bleeding isn't stopped soon, it'll get dangerous. You'll have to take off your corset and shirt so I can treat you."
He realized too late that he probably should have phrased his request differently, his colleague must have rubbed off on him.
She began to do as he asked, but added a joke halfway through as she loosened her corset.
"I hope it's not just so you can get a good look at me."
He smiled wryly at the joke before shaking his head.
"I'd rather not upset a woman with a sword within reach." He replied, pointing to the sword lying next to her on the couch. "By the way, do you have an explanation for your injuries and how you managed to... teleport?"
He had a hard time believing he'd actually said that out loud.
"I was being hunted. My friend teleported me to protect me."
"Real teleportation? If that's the real Ciri, I'll let Benzai take the collector's edition of Doom from the storeroom." Kalem thought as she removed her blouse, leaving only a veil over her chest to preserve her modesty, revealing the scars of her life.
Numerous small scars dotted her body, bearing witness to many battles. The musculature of her arms and abs indicated excellent physical condition, while the concentration of sword scars on her arms revealed intensive sword-fighting practice.
In short, while he had initially assumed this was a cosplay party that had gone wrong, that hypothesis was now definitively ruled out.
He also admitted that he'd been a little tempted to look at her longer. But he knew this was neither the time nor the place, especially not with someone he'd just met, and above all, because she needed help. And he wanted to make a good impression on a pretty girl. He looked away from the rest of her body and focused on the cut on her side.
He uncorked the bottle of alcohol, which allowed him to inhale the pungent smell of the liquid, and brought it closer to her.
"I'm warning you, this is going to sting."
The woman nodded, and the young man began pouring the alcohol around the wound. A sharp whimper of pain escaped her throat, but she managed to stay still until he was finished.
Next, Kalem poured a little alcohol on the needle and thread he was going to use, and rubbed it on his hands to disinfect them. He looked at the rest of the bottle and held it out to the woman in case she wanted to drink it. She took the bottle, took a quick sip, and then lay down on the couch.
Before he began working, he bent the needle into a hook shape with his thumb. It was a technique his father had taught him. His father had insisted that he know how to administer first aid.
"My name is Kalem. Kalem Doang. And you, what's your name?" He said, trying to distract the woman from the pain of her wound being stitched up, and dispelling any remaining doubts about his identity after what he'd said and what she'd said.
"My name is Ciri. I would have preferred that our meeting take place under better circumstances." Ciri replied, taking another sip from her bottle, confirming his doubts. "Could you tell me where and when we are?"
"At my place, in northern France, in 2042." He replied.
"A world so far in the future... At least I've been to stranger places before." Ciri thought to herself; the alcohol and the pain had surely made her more sensitive to talking about this sort of thing.
"Ah, we're still the ones with metal in our bodies." Kalem remarked. "Unless you're counting prosthetic limbs to replace the ones amputees have lost."
Ciri let out a laugh at the joke.
After finishing the sutures, Kalem snapped off the needle and tied a knot. Then he motioned for the girl with ash-blond hair to sit up.
She examined the stitches on her side, and since she didn't seem to have any complaints about my work, I felt a twinge of pride.
"You're pretty good at stitching people up. Do you have a lot of experience?"
After covering the stitched wound with bandages, he finally tied a knot and stepped back.
"My father is a doctor. He taught me everything I need to know about first aid." He replied.
"Well, your father taught you well." Ciri said, beginning to carefully get dressed again, while Kalem stood up. "Thanks for your help."
"Well... it's night, and I think we're both pretty hungry. I'll grab some popcorn from the kitchen, and we can eat it while watching a movie if you want?" Kalem suggested.
" A movie?" Ciri repeated, curiously. "I don't know what that is, but I'll admit that something to eat would be welcome."
Kalem smiled and left the living room, returning a short while later with a popcorn bowl fitted with a lid. He set it on the coffee table, selected a movie, and played it; they chatted throughout while munching on popcorn.
This went on until Ciri fell asleep, her head resting on Kalem's shoulder. He then gently laid her down on the couch and covered her with a blanket before going to bed in his room.