Chapter Summaries

After Gors Velen’s destruction, Ernesto departed to seek the School of the Viper while Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary boarded a merchant ship bound for Bayerly Most. The chapter left Ailin and Mary alone in their cabin, where Ailin noticed Mary seemed distracted.

• Fiora Duli told her daughter that her father had gone to Vizima, though she knew he had died and been burned to ashes after being freed from the ice.
• Vesemir gave Ernesto a letter inviting the School of the Viper to join the hunt against the Wild Hunt, and Ailin added his signature.
• Ernesto, Ailin, Vesemir, Mary, Yennefer, and Royce left for the harbor after Vesemir comforted Fiora Duli and promised the dead would be avenged.
• At the harbor, Ernesto introduced Ailin to Radu Kun and credited him with killing a Greater Griffin and providing news that helped the Kun Merchant Guild.
• Radu Kun welcomed the group aboard his merchant ship and arranged the best cabins for them.
• In the cabin, Ailin noticed Mary was unusually distracted and asked whether she felt unwell.

Ailin told Mary that the Wild Hunt might be pursuing him because of his connection to the Conjunction of the Spheres, and she vowed to help him face them. After Vesemir returned with news of Radu Kun's alliance and bounty, Radu sent the group valuable gifts, ending with a special sword for Ailin.

• Mary warned Ailin about the Wild Hunt's powerful ice spell and urged him not to risk his life confronting them.
• Ailin revealed to Mary his knowledge of the Wild Hunt, the Aen Elle, and the Conjunction of the Spheres, explaining that the Hunt might be after him.
• Mary accepted that Ailin had no choice and promised to help him, while Yennefer remained unaware of their conversation.
• Vesemir reported that Radu Kun had joined their Wild Hunt operation, arranged transport for Ernesto, and offered a one-hundred-thousand-Oren bounty for the Hunt's heads.
• Radu Kun's attendant presented Mary with Elinor's alchemy book and Vesemir with Gilna's silver sword.
• The attendant knelt and presented Ailin with a specially chosen gift, a longsword.

Ailin received Balmor, the legendary sword of Zatret Voluta, as a gift from Radu Kuhn and discovered that it was a relic whose owner had also been a Child of Miracle. After the group left the merchant ship, Ailin and his companions questioned Ernesto's identity but chose to treat him as a friend, then continued toward their next destination.

• An attendant presented Ailin with Balmor, and Ailin tried to refuse it after learning it was Zatret Voluta's divine sword, but accepted it after the attendant insisted it was a gift.
• Ailin appraised Balmor and learned it was a relic with powerful functions and that Zatret Voluta had been a Child of Miracle.
• Vesemir explained that accepting the sword preserved Radu Kuhn's honor and defended the School of the Wolf's neutral principles.
• At Bayerly Most, Ailin learned the attendant's name was Navav Voluta, then watched the merchant ship depart with Radu Kuhn and Ernesto aboard.
• Mary noticed that Ernesto seemed to outrank Radu Kuhn, and Ailin said Ernesto's other identities did not matter because he was their friend.
• Vesemir set off with Ailin and Mary to remove the Great Old One's Curse from Ailin and return to Kaer Morhen.

Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary arrived in Arland and visited the Temple of Melitele, where they reunited with Lady Vesemir and met the priestess Nannick. Ailin recognized Lyra but concealed who she was, leaving Mary suspicious.

• Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary entered Arland, admired its flower-filled streets, and learned that the May Festival was approaching.
• Vesemir told Ailin that pregnant women had never suffered fetal distress on the road to the Temple of Melitele, and Ailin regarded the supposedly blessed path with new reverence.
• At the temple entrance, Lady Vesemir called Ailin inside, and priestess Nannick welcomed the group and offered to guide them during their stay.
• Lady Vesemir observed that Ailin had grown taller, then introduced Nannick and the girl beside her as people he knew.
• Ailin recognized Lyra but claimed she was a girl they had once rescued, prompting Mary to watch him suspiciously.

Ailin and Lady Vesemir brought him to the Temple of Melitele, where High Priest Ianna examined his curse and told him to stay for seven days. After they left him cleaning the sanctuary, Ianna asked Vesemir whether she planned to tell Ailin about his origins.

• Lyra revealed that she was Viscount Hudson’s daughter, and Vesemir fondly recalled his late friend while Lyra and Mary became friendly.
• Nannick guided Ailin and Lady Vesemir through the Temple of Melitele to meet High Priest Ianna, while the others went to rest.
• Ianna examined Ailin and identified the curse as the work of an unfamiliar Evil God, then said seven days at the temple would be enough to remove it.
• Ianna gave Ailin a rag and suggested he help Lady Vesemir clean the sanctuary while he stayed there.
• After leaving Ailin behind, Ianna asked Vesemir whether she really did not plan to tell him about his origins.

Vesemir and Ianna reconciled as they caught up on Ailin’s recent adventures, while Ianna refused potions that would prolong her life. As Ailin left the sanctuary, the Great Old One’s Gaze made a final attack, but Ianna drove it away and left him safe.

• Ianna warned Vesemir not to use Chaos Magic to silence her, then teased her about their estrangement and Vesemir’s relationship with Ailin.
• Vesemir urged Ianna to use life-extending potions, but Ianna refused, calling natural aging a blessing from Lady Meritellie.
• Vesemir told Ianna about Ailin’s achievements and recent troubles, and the two discussed his possible romantic interests before deciding to go to dinner.
• Ailin finished cleaning the sanctuary and asked Ianna whether his damaged amulet could be repaired; she told him it was single-use and offered a replacement.
• As Ailin left the sanctuary, the Great Old One’s Gaze overwhelmed him, but Ianna’s power drove it away and restored him.

After the Evil God's mark weakened, Ailin joined the temple for dinner and asked Lady Vesemir to test Yennefer for magical talent. The group discussed the Wild Hunt, and Ianna ordered Nannick and Lyra to search the temple archives before turning their attention to Yennefer.

• Ianna explained that the Evil God's outburst had consumed most of its projected power, while Lady Vesemir insisted Ailin remain in the sanctuary for seven days.
• Ailin asked Lady Vesemir to test Yennefer for magical talent, and Ianna promised that the temple would support Yennefer even if she lacked it.
• The group ate dinner with the temple priests, and Lyra cried as they discussed Haxor's death.
• Ailin recounted the Wild Hunt's appearance in Gors Velen, and Ianna asked Nannick and Lyra to search the old archives for records about it.
• Ianna stopped Vesemir and Mary from rushing to the archives and said they first needed to do something for Yennefer.

Yennefer underwent a magical awakening and was found to have considerable talent, so Ailin arranged for Lady Vesemir to teach her and promised she could stay with him. After Ailin was sent to rest in the sanctuary, Verala returned to her quarters and sensed someone hiding in the shadows.

• Yennefer accepted Lady Vesemir’s invitation to awaken Chaos Magic and fainted when she saw the abyss.
• Ianna explained to Lyra that magic was dangerous but that mages used it to control their power and protect people.
• Yennefer’s magic erupted, and Lady Vesemir shielded her as Nannick confirmed her considerable talent.
• Ailin asked Lady Vesemir to teach Yennefer, then assured Yennefer she could stay with him.
• Ianna sent Ailin to the sanctuary with Nannick, while Verala questioned her about his safety.
• Verala reached her quarters and called out to someone lurking in the shadows.

Mary asked Lady Vesemir to teach her combat magic so she could protect her companions, and Lady Vesemir agreed to begin lessons the next day. At the Temple of Melitele, Lyra apologized to Ailin for her past resentment and secretly handed him a paper covered in names, beginning with Donato Rogliderus.

• Mary told Lady Vesemir that she feared being unable to help against enemies like the Wild Hunt and asked to learn combat magic.
• Lady Vesemir agreed to teach Mary, and Mary hurried back to her quarters after arranging a lesson for the next day.
• Nannick and Lyra led Ailin to the sanctuary, where Nannick told him the temple would bring breakfast and left after Lyra asked to speak with him.
• Lyra apologized to Ailin for resenting him after he stopped her from becoming a witcher, and she mourned the possibility of never seeing her younger brothers again.
• Lyra told Ailin that the temple had become the happiest place of her life, then explained that she avoided Nannick because Nannick treated her so well.
• Lyra handed Ailin an expensive sheet of paper covered with names in Noble Cursive, beginning with Donato Rogliderus.

Ailin received Lyra’s list of nobles who had grievances with witchers and learned about Vesemir’s past conflicts with two of them. After sensing his curse lighten in the Temple of Melitele, Ailin fell asleep and woke the next morning wondering who had called his name.

• Lyra explained that the listed nobles had ties to sorcerers or past disputes with witchers, and Ailin thanked her for gathering the information.
• Lyra told Ailin that her aunt had helped compile the list and offered to send more names to Kaer village by carrier pigeon.
• Lyra revealed that Vesemir had defeated Gerson Gardner in a duel over his fiancée and had clashed with Voyvond Alaya over a flamboyantly dressed lady.
• Ailin entered the sanctuary at night, felt lighter, and wondered whether the sensation meant the curse was weakening as the Fragment of Ad Gaes's Gate continued to be absorbed.
• Ailin fell asleep in the sanctuary and woke to Lyra bringing breakfast; after she left, he wondered whether the voice calling him had been hers.

After Ailin heard an unexplained voice calling his name, Mother Ianna advised him to remain in the sanctuary and explained how the gods and Chaos Magic were withdrawing from the world. Vesemir arranged for Ianna to teach Ailin ritual studies, and his startling speed at learning rituals left them amazed.

• Mother Ianna told Ailin to stay in the sanctuary while they investigated the voice he had heard, though she said the curse was fading normally.
• Ianna explained that Goddess Meritellie rarely intervened in the world, while Vesemir described the decline of divine power, Chaos Magic, and monsters.
• Vesemir asked Ianna to teach Ailin useful rituals, and Ianna agreed that he could teach them to other witchers afterward.
• Ailin learned three rituals in one morning and used the Purification Ritual to restore Ghoul Oil to Dog Oil.
• Ailin consulted the Witcher's Handbook and examined the Purification Ritual and Magical Message, including their functions and costs.

Ailin learned several costly rituals from Ianna while remaining at the Temple of Melitele for treatment, and Vesemir left after privately admitting to Ianna that she felt upset. Three mornings later, Ianna teased Ailin about fertility rituals before Lyra arrived with an urgent message from the Old Duke.

• Ailin learned Purification, Magical Message, and Water Divination, though he failed to glimpse the Wild Hunt and instead saw the ice cluster in Gors Velen's trading market.
• Vesemir left ritual materials for Ianna and departed, then told Ianna in the garden that she felt upset but firmly refused to tell Ailin why.
• Three mornings later, Ianna confirmed that no Evil God energy remained in Ailin, but told him to stay for the full seven days and taught him more rituals.
• Ianna teased Ailin with the Pregnancy Ritual, Childbirth Ritual, and Stag's Blood before explaining that few of her remaining rituals suited him.
• Lyra arrived and told Ianna that the Old Duke urgently wanted to see her.

Ianna brought Ailin to meet Duke Mason, who had summoned her ahead of Arland’s May Festival. Mason enlisted Ailin to protect them on the festival commission, and the group set out with Ailin accepting responsibility for their safety.

• Ianna confirmed that the sinister mark inside Ailin had vanished, though she told him to remain in the sanctuary for three more days after their return.
• Ianna explained that Duke Mason was a Temerian prince who hated sorcerers because of their alleged role in Falga’s Rebellion, and said he might help Ailin oppose the Wild Hunt.
• Ianna told Ailin that the May Festival procession through villages near the wilderness forest required rituals to drive away monsters and wild beasts, and hinted that the procession was itself a ritual.
• Ailin and Ianna met Mason outside the temple, where Mason recognized Ailin as the Blue Death and invited him to travel with them.
• When an officer reported that fifty armored soldiers were ready to escort them, Mason dismissed the soldiers and ordered Ailin to protect him and Ianna; Ailin agreed, and the carriage departed.

Ailin traveled with Ianna and Duke Mason to the first ritual site, where he learned that Temeria’s recent upheavals had left many necrophages in the region. He prepared Necrophage Oil, then killed a pack of wolves with an unexpectedly powerful Igni Sign and regretted destroying their pelts and other materials.

• Ianna described the wars, plague, and rebellion that had brought necrophages to the area, then argued with Duke Mason about the royal family’s scandals.
• Duke Mason said Ghouls were common and Giant Ghouls and Rotfiends appeared occasionally, while Ianna explained that Ailin had created his own Sword Oil formula.
• Ailin applied Necrophage Oil to Elsa and considered whether the Old Duke’s interest in it might offer the School of the Wolf a new source of income.
• At the first ritual site, Ailin discovered that the apparent monsters were eight wild wolves and went out to deal with them.
• Ailin burned the wolves with a powerful Igni Sign, finished them with his sword, and found that the flames had ruined their pelts and fat.
• Ianna checked whether Ailin was injured, but he said he was fine and lamented that the weak wolves had left no loot.

Ailin learned the Exorcism Ritual from Ianna while traveling with Duke Mason, then detected a pack of Ghouls attacking the convoy and jumped out to stop them. He killed the first Ghoul with an ice spear, but the battle was still underway.

• Ianna taught Ailin how to perform the Exorcism Ritual using Wyvern urine, and he realized the ritual could also lure monsters.
• Ailin completed the final two rituals himself as the convoy traveled without encountering monsters, puzzling Duke Mason and impressing Ianna.
• A pack of at least thirty Ghouls, including a larger one, attacked the convoy, and Ailin told Duke Mason to continue to the final location while he dealt with them.
• Ailin gave the coachman Necrophage Oil, climbed onto the carriage roof, and prepared to fight the pursuing Ghouls.
• Ailin hurled an ice spear through a Ghoul's mouth, saving a rear guard, then launched another spear as the knight stared in shock.

Ailin protected the duke’s convoy by slaughtering the Ghouls that pursued it, then chased down and killed a massive Giant Ghoul after it fled. He gained an A rating and rewards, and a new quest to kill twenty Giant Ghouls began.

• Ailin used the Ice Lance Spell to kill pursuing Ghouls while the convoy continued forward.
• The Giant Ghoul drove the remaining Ghouls into a frenzy and charged at the convoy, so Ailin drew his silver sword and decapitated seven attackers in one sweep.
• After seeing Ailin kill its underlings, the Giant Ghoul turned and fled into the forest, and Ailin pursued it for nearly half an hour.
• Ailin caught the Giant Ghoul, climbed onto its back, and decapitated it.
• Ailin accepted the Giant Ghoul hunting quest and received an A-rated reward, including essence fluids, experience orbs, and monster chests.

Ailin returned to the convoy after killing a Giant Ghoul and found the knights testing his Necrophage Oil on the corpse. The Old Duke offered 200,000 Oren for the formula, but Ianna advised Ailin to consult Vesemir and Vera first; the group reached Arland, where Ianna reminded Ailin that they were family.

• Ailin returned to the trail carrying the Giant Ghoul's head and found Ianna waiting anxiously for him.
• Ailin discovered the knights had been using Necrophage Oil to chop through a Ghoul's corpse, and the Old Duke awkwardly admitted he had taken the potion.
• Ianna and the Old Duke explained that specters and other ghost monsters plagued the lands around Arland, and the May Festival ritual helped the spirits rest in peace.
• The Old Duke offered Ailin 200,000 Oren for the Necrophage Oil formula, but Ianna told Ailin to discuss the offer with Vesemir and Vera before deciding.
• The Old Duke bought the Giant Ghoul's head for 1,000 Oren and had the carriage take Ianna and Ailin to the temple in Arland.
• Ianna stopped Ailin's thanks by affectionately telling him they were family.

Ailin reunited with Ianna and Lady Vesemir at the temple, where he secured a way to produce and sell Necrophage Oil without surrendering its formula. After learning Mary had begun practicing painful fire magic, he reassured her that they would defeat the Wild Hunt, and she parted from him smiling.

• Ianna welcomed Ailin as family and prepared him a late meal before taking him to Lady Vesemir.
• Ailin found Lady Vesemir teaching Mary fire magic and watched Mary suffer through casting Flash Fire.
• Lady Vesemir offered to arrange potion production and negotiate with the Old Duke, and Ailin agreed to a ten percent commission while keeping the formula.
• Mary blushed and denied that she had taken up fire magic for Ailin when Lady Vesemir began to explain her reasons.
• Mary worried that they could not defeat the Wild Hunt, but Ailin confidently reassured her and thanked her before they parted.

After the Evil God's curse disappeared, Ailin used his Giant Ghoul rewards and received five golden drops from five chests, including several valuable alchemy recipes. He discovered he had the materials for Blizzard and a Golem Heart, but postponed brewing it until morning, then wondered what price might accompany his extraordinary fortune before hearing someone call his name.

• Ailin confirmed that the Evil God's energy and curse were gone, then absorbed Giant Ghoul Heart Essence Fluid and gained attributes and Earth affinity.
• Ailin opened five Ghoul's Chests and five Giant Ghoul's Chests; the latter all yielded gold drops, making him suspect the goddess had blessed him or wanted something from him.
• Ailin received recipes for Giant Ghoul Decoction, Moon Dust, Blizzard, Enhanced Necrophage Oil, and Dragon's Dream, and considered their ingredients and uses.
• Ailin found a Golem Heart among Vesemir's ritual materials and realized he had the ingredients for Blizzard, but postponed brewing it because the alchemy equipment was with Mary.
• Ailin wondered what the goddess might demand in return for his great fortune, fell asleep in the dark shrine, and heard someone calling his name.

Ailin dreamed of a voice repeating “May Festival” and feared the Gaze of the Great Old One still lingered, so he warned Ianna that something might happen during the celebration. After learning a Magic Ritual that boosted his spells, he went to Vesemir’s residence to brew potions and prepare for the festival himself.

• Ailin woke from a dream in which a white light called to him about the May Festival and he saw a sinister red dot within his own soul.
• Ailin told Ianna about the dream and wondered whether it foretold danger during the May Festival; Ianna admitted the Church had not received a divine oracle for decades and agreed to ask Mason to make extra preparations.
• Ianna taught Ailin the Magic Ritual before leaving to inform the Old Duke, and Ailin used it to strengthen his Ice Lance and Signs.
• Ailin drained a small amount of Fifth Element from the ritual array, then headed to Vesemir’s residence to brew Blizzard and prepare for possible trouble at the May Festival.