Chapter Summaries

Ailin and Lyra walked through Arland, where the city’s residents celebrated him as the hero who had saved them. After showing him the tributes to his legend, Lyra asked whether he would reconsider staying.

• Ailin told Lyra that Ard was winning its war against Kedwen, then listened as she described her happy life as a priestess apprentice.
• Ailin and Lyra found children playing at being Ailin, Vesemir, and wraiths, and Ailin revealed himself to the children.
• A young boy excitedly recognized Ailin and touched the bandaged hilt of his sword, Elsa.
• Lyra took Ailin around Arland, where a bard sang about him and residents had made flowers, carvings, and other tributes to his likeness.
• On their return through the city, Lyra asked Ailin whether he would reconsider staying in Arland.

Ailin rejected Lyra’s plea to stay in Arland, insisting that the School of the Wolf was his home, while Lyra urged him to consider the people who cared for him there. After Lyra prayed for his safety, Ailin decided to fly to Ban Ard to investigate the Wild Hunt’s recent attack and assess his enemies.

• Lyra told Ailin about her family’s deaths in service to Kedwen and pleaded with him to stay in Arland, but he said his home was with the School of the Wolf.
• Lyra described the witchers turned into jade statues and feared Ailin could suffer the same fate; Ailin assured her he could resist such a spell and had saved Ernie and the others.
• At the Temple of Melitele, Lyra told Ailin that people across the Northern Continent could be his family and that he did not need to decide where to belong yet, then ran inside before he could reply.
• Back in her room, Lyra carved the words “Lyra’s Hero—Human Ailin” onto a wooden figure and prayed to the Mother of All Things to protect him.
• After lunch, Ailin considered visiting Ban Ard by Greater Griffin to investigate the academy’s condition and learn more about the Wild Hunt’s attack.

Ailin left the temple to investigate the attack on Ban Ard, with Vesemir trusting him to go alone. As Ailin approached the smoke-covered city, Vilgefortz received Senne, who asked whether a Greater Griffin had been attacking Vengerberg every day.

• Vesemir agreed to let Ailin investigate Ban Ard alone and urged him to stay safe.
• Ailin summoned the Greater Griffin in the Mahakam Mountains and used an Experience Orb to upgrade Portal to level two.
• Ailin flew high toward Ban Ard, avoiding notice and missing the troop movements caused by his influence and Demavend II's orders.
• Ailin saw thick smoke hanging over Ban Ard as Senne visited Vilgefortz's tower.
• Senne asked Vilgefortz to verify reports that a Greater Griffin attacked Vengerberg every day.

Vilgefortz told Senne that Vengerberg was being terrorized by a Greater Griffin, while Senne secretly searched Ban Ard’s library for the Wild Hunt’s stolen Adagath’s Gate and learned it was tied to Jens’s research. After Lian returned wounded, Ailin surveyed Ban Ard’s devastation from above and weighed whether to leave or stay.

• Vilgefortz used magic to show Senne an illusion of Vengerberg, where frightened residents spoke of a Greater Griffin and blamed Demavend II for failing to stop it.
• Senne promised Vilgefortz a vote at the year-end assembly, then went to Ban Ard’s hidden library to investigate Adagath’s Gate, which the Wild Hunt had demanded.
• Senne learned that Adagath’s Gate meant “Grand Gate” or “Great Gate” in Elder Speech, while Miguel reported that Dean Hen Gedimidis had sealed his office and that the stolen item came from Jens’s research project.
• A wounded Lian was found at the spiral staircase, and Senne identified him as the Sorcerer he had sent to track the Wild Hunt.
• Ailin surveyed the ruined city and Ban Ard’s protective barrier, concluded the Wild Hunt could be defeated, and considered whether to stay or leave.

After Lian reported that wounded Wild Hunt members were hiding upriver, Senne sent Miguel to track them and recover the stolen relic while he remained at Ban Ard. Elsewhere, Ailin pieced together the attack’s aftermath and headed toward the Wild Hunt, intent on taking advantage of its weakened state.

• Senne explained to Miguel that the Wild Hunt’s apparent invincibility came from its refined spells and ability to replenish mental power, then argued that its survivors might have been badly wounded by Dean Henn Gedimidis.
• Lian woke and reported finding the Wild Hunt in a cave upriver on the Rixhil River, where only two members remained and both seemed seriously injured; he gave Senne a bloodstained piece of their clothing.
• Miguel took the cloth and volunteered to lead the pursuit, leaving Senne at Ban Ard to help hold the academy together.
• Before Miguel entered the portal, Lian added that the Wild Hunt members he had seen appeared to be elves.
• Ailin gathered an account of the attack from a Riedanian noble and observed the refugees fleeing the devastated region.
• Ailin set out toward the Wild Hunt, reasoning that only a dozen or so members remained and that Ban Ard had been badly weakened.

Ailin followed a powerful call of destiny near Ban Ard, suspecting it led to another Fragment of Ad Gaes's Gate held by the Wild Hunt. After tracking signs of a battle between the Wild Hunt and a Ban Ard Sorcerer, he hurried upstream to find the Wild Hunt before the injured Sorcerer could return.

• Ailin reached the Rixhil River near burning Ban Ard and used Francesca's Night and Color magic items to conceal himself.
• Destiny called to Ailin and drew him upstream, where he suspected another Fragment of Ad Gaes's Gate was nearby.
• Ailin reasoned that the Wild Hunt might use fragments to track Adagath's Gate and followed the call while hidden in the darkness.
• Ailin found traces of a battle, including a black-robed Sorcerer's cloth and blood marks showing that the wounded Sorcerer had escaped toward Ban Ard.
• Ailin concluded that both the Sorcerer and the pursuing Wild Hunt were badly injured, then hurried upstream to find the Wild Hunt first.

Vilgefortz used an illusion to reveal the wounded Wild Hunt fleeing upstream, restoring the Ban Ard Sorcerers’ resolve to pursue them. Meanwhile, Ailin followed their blood trail through a lightless forest and spotted orange lights ahead.

• Vilgefortz recreated the riverbank battle with an illusion, showing the Sorcerers that two wounded Wild Hunt creatures had fled upstream.
• Miguel rallied the Sorcerers by promising them the chance to defeat and study the Wild Hunt, and they rode after the creatures.
• Miguel offered Vilgefortz books on staff techniques, while Vilgefortz privately remained fascinated by the ice-blue Cat Eyes that haunted him.
• Ailin followed the bloodprints away from the Rixhil River and entered a dense forest, conserving his limited Cat Eyes potions as he traveled through darkness.
• Ailin climbed a muddy slope, saw orange lights in the forest, activated Night Color, and cautiously moved toward them.

Ailin ambushed two wounded Wild Hunt members, disarmed them, and fought through their magical defenses while learning that their skeletal appearance was a disguise. As he pressed his attack, an unexpected development occurred when his sword touched one member’s barrier.

• Ailin approached the Wild Hunt camp in disguise, memorized the members’ speech, and discovered two treasures on them.
• When the Wild Hunt noticed him, Ailin used Flash to appear between them and kicked their staffs into distant trees.
• Ailin activated Demon Hunt and struck both members, sending one crashing into a tree and wounding him through his magical defenses.
• Ailin attacked the fallen member repeatedly, drawing blood and confirming that the Wild Hunt’s skeletal appearance was a disguise.
• The Wild Hunt member repelled Ailin with a magic barrier while the other formed a fireball, but Ailin charged back toward the barrier.
• Ailin’s sword touched the barrier, and his Cat Eyes contracted as something unexpected happened.

Ailin fought two Wild Hunt riders, killed Cerys, and found a Guiding Stone of Ad Gaes's Gate on her body. After Parnovius unleashed a devastating spell that hurled him through the forest, Ailin hid as the approaching Sorcerers neared the battlefield.

• Ailin damaged the Wild Hunt's barrier while dodging spells, then exploited an opening to strike the rider behind it and reveal his Witcher mutations.
• Ailin's Blizzard-enhanced attacks reached full Witcher Hunt progress, allowing him to kill Cerys and discover a Guiding Stone of Ad Gaes's Gate in her pouch.
• Parnovius emerged with two staffs, recognized Cerys's body, and attacked Ailin in a rage.
• Ailin survived Parnovius's powerful fire spell, which shattered his shields and hurled him through the forest.
• Ailin activated Oterrohp Sign and Night Color, hid behind a boulder, and waited for the approaching Sorcerers.

Ailin watched the Wild Hunt member unleash a devastating fireball barrage that overwhelmed Miguel and the Sorcerers, then killed a wounded Sorcerer who landed near him. When the bombardment stopped, Ailin considered whether Vilgefortz had survived as the Wild Hunt member approached through the burning forest.

• Miguel and the arriving Sorcerers discovered a headless Wild Hunt member trying to tend to his dead companion, then attacked.
• The Wild Hunt member summoned repeated fireballs, shattering the Sorcerers’ barrier and killing or scattering the defenders as the forest burned.
• Ailin fled the inferno, and a wounded Sorcerer crashed near him; Ailin killed him with an Igni Sign and pushed his remains into the stream.
• Ailin wondered whether Vilgefortz had been injured in the bombardment and considered killing him if he had the chance.
• The fireball barrage stopped, and the Wild Hunt member advanced toward Ailin beneath the red moon.

Ailin approached the battlefield and discovered that Vilgefortz and three sorcerers were using a Magic Ritual to strengthen their spells while holding their ground. He found the Wild Hunt burning as he fought to protect the corpse of a female Aen Elle, and the chapter left Ailin conflicted as the sorcerers continued wearing him down.

• Ailin used Primal Tongue and was overwhelmed by nature’s killing intent until his mirage pearl cleared his mind.
• Ailin followed the renewed battle and saw Vilgefortz’s Alzure’s Lightning Spell strike with extraordinary force.
• Ailin crossed the smoke and discovered Vilgefortz, Miguel, and two other sorcerers standing on a Magic Ritual circle that increased their magical capacity but prevented them from moving.
• Miguel and the other sorcerers discussed the missing Quinn and their losses while Vilgefortz continued casting lightning.
• Ailin found the Wild Hunt burning and fighting without retreating, with a female Aen Elle’s corpse lying unharmed behind him.
• Ailin realized the Wild Hunt was enduring the sorcerers’ attacks to protect the corpse and felt less satisfaction at the prospect of his defeat.

Ailin witnessed Eredin possess Sadia’s corpse, reveal himself as the Wild Hunt Lord, and threaten the Sorcerers with a future return. After Eredin vanished, Ailin stayed hidden instead of pursuing the fleeing Wild Hunt, and the chapter ended as Vilgefortz and Miguel warned Jared of danger behind him.

• The Sorcerers’ assault weakened the Wild Hunt until Eredin’s voice interrupted the battle and the Wild Hunt pleaded with him.
• Sadia’s corpse rose, reattached its head, and was possessed by Eredin, who erased the Sorcerers’ spells and drove the injured Wild Hunt away.
• Eredin identified himself as Eredin Breacc Glas, threatened the Sorcerers with the Red Riders’ return, and collapsed Sadia’s corpse before disappearing.
• The Sorcerers argued over whether to pursue the Wild Hunt, while Jared chose to examine Sadia’s corpse as valuable research material.
• Ailin remained concealed and watched the Sorcerers, then Vilgefortz and Miguel suddenly warned Jared to watch out.

Ailin survived the Wild Hunt warrior’s self-destruction, recovered the Fragment of Ad Gaes’s Gate, and left the devastated battlefield through a portal. As his reward settlement began, he warned himself never to empathize with his enemies.

• The Wild Hunt warrior returned in a blazing state and detonated himself beside Sera, blasting Ailin far from the battlefield.
• Ailin drank a Swallow Potion, found the sorcerers missing from the crater, and realized they might have survived.
• Following fate’s guidance, Ailin found the Fragment of Ad Gaes’s Gate and used the Witcher’s Handbook to absorb it and remove its tracking rune.
• Ailin reflected on the Wild Hunt warrior’s sacrifice, then rejected his sympathy for the Aen Elle and reminded himself never to empathize with his enemies.
• Ailin opened a portal and stepped through as the Witcher’s Handbook began settling rewards for subduing the Aen Elle and sorcerers.

Ailin escaped the destroyed battlefield with the Greater Griffin and received an S-rank settlement for defeating the Aen Elle and sorcerers. Meanwhile, Vilgefortz and Miguel tracked a Wild Hunt member to a hidden stone, but Miguel noticed the ground had been disturbed.

• Ailin crossed the Rift while exhausted, arrived beneath a red moon, and asked the Greater Griffin to carry him back to the Temple of Melitele.
• The Witcher's Handbook awarded Ailin an S-rank evaluation, including six Immortal's Memory Crystals, thirty-six chests, and forty-five Experience Orbs.
• Ailin realized ten sorcerers had died and wondered whether Ban Ard had only two sorcerers left before passing out on the Greater Griffin's back.
• Miguel grieved over the burned ruins while Vilgefortz suggested the Wild Hunt's mission might have left something behind.
• Vilgefortz used the Stars of Ilar to lead Miguel to a birch tree, where they watched a Wild Hunt member bury a stone.
• Miguel promised to help secure Vilgefortz a seat on the Advanced Council, then stopped before digging up the stone after noticing the ground had been disturbed.

Miguel and Vilgefortz found that divination could not reveal who had taken the buried treasure, and Miguel suspected someone had framed them. Ailin regained consciousness at the Temple of Melitele after a severe fall, where Ianna began treating his injuries and discovered his wounds were unusually serious despite his intact bones.

• Miguel searched the burial site by hand, but his divinations failed to locate the treasure or identify who had taken it.
• Miguel concluded that someone had arrived before them, taken the treasure, and framed them for the Wild Hunt's deaths, then asked Vilgefortz whether he had seen anything similar.
• Ailin drifted back toward his body as Vesemir searched for him and the Greater Griffin guarded him until Ailin assured her that Vesemir was a friend.
• Vesemir carried Ailin to the Temple of Melitele, where Lyra and the others gathered around him and Ianna took charge of his treatment.
• Ianna found that Ailin had torn muscles, internal bleeding, and minor fractures, and explained that witchers could recover unusually well from healing magic.
• As Ianna began treating Ailin, she questioned whether Nannick had brought the wrong scalpel.

Ianna discovered that ordinary scalpels could not cut Ailin’s skin, so Vesemir used Elsa to drain the pooled blood and help treat his injuries. After Ianna healed him and Lyra bandaged him, Ailin murmured that Ban Ard would never be a threat again.

• Ianna found that her Number Four Scalpel left only pale marks on Ailin, while the same blade cut Vesemir’s hand after a brief delay.
• Vesemir realized he had never seen Ailin wounded by a sharp weapon since the Trial of Grasses, and Ailin indicated that Elsa could cut him.
• Vesemir used Elsa under Ianna’s direction to open wounds and drain the dark, pooled blood from Ailin’s body.
• Ianna healed Ailin, and Lyra applied ointment and bandaged him as he recovered from the blood loss.
• Ailin murmured, “Ban Ard will never be a threat again,” leaving Vesemir and Lyra shaken.

Miguel blamed the elves for Ban Ard’s disasters and hurried back to warn the academy, while Vilgefortz wondered whether Ailin, the Child of Miracle, had been involved after all. At the Temple of Melitele, Ailin awoke and then entered a strange darkness where the Wild Hunt appeared to sense him watching.

• Miguel concluded that the elves had orchestrated the Conjunction of the Spheres, the war, and the Wild Hunt’s attack, and he rushed through a portal to warn Ban Ard.
• Vilgefortz considered whether the elves had caused Stars of Ilar to fail and whether Ailin had played no part in the events.
• Ailin awoke at the Temple of Melitele, where Lyra told him that Vesemir had carried him back and that the witchers had left to meet their agreement with Duke Mason.
• Ailin slipped back into sleep and found himself in a dark, stair-filled place where he could move his viewpoint at will.
• Ailin saw the Wild Hunt approaching on skeletal horses, and its leading knight turned toward him and demanded to know who was watching.

After waking from a nightmare, Ailin learned that absorbing the Adagath's Gate fragment had raised Portal to level 4 and granted him the special skill Spiral. He tested Portal’s new stealthy effect and discovered that he could commune with the Spiral in dreams, but he lacked the Experience Orbs needed to observe it directly.

• Lyra cared for Ailin’s wounds, fed him homemade blood-replenishing bread, and used Calm Mind to help him sleep.
• Ailin checked his upgraded Portal skill and opened a quiet portal whose spatial fluctuations barely disturbed the room.
• Ailin read Spiral’s effects and concluded that the dark space and Wild Hunt he had encountered in his dream were real.
• Ailin considered spending 50 Experience Orbs to create an Eye Shadow in the Spiral, but he had only 45 Experience Orbs and one Lesser Experience Orb.
• Ailin decided to focus on recovering and later hunt the corpse-eating creatures near Arland for more Experience Orbs.

Ailin used Collette’s Sorcerer’s Memory and spent two years experiencing lessons at Ban Ard Academy, where Henn Gedimidis taught the apprentices about magic and the elements. When Henn ended class, time stopped and the Witcher’s Handbook offered Ailin the skill Source LV1.

• Ailin used the Sorcerer’s Memory and appeared in Collette’s classroom at Ban Ard Academy.
• Henn Gedimidis taught the apprentices about Primal Magic and the risks and properties of the four elemental planes.
• Collette answered all five of Henn’s questions correctly, earning the Kashlaire Caravan Circus another day in Ban Ard.
• Ailin experienced two years of classes and watched Henn use entertainers to keep the apprentices engaged in their lessons.
• Henn announced the end of class, time stopped, and the Witcher’s Handbook offered Ailin Source LV1 for one Experience Orb.

Ailin unlocked the Source skill and realized it might be part of Henn Gedimidis’s effort to create Sources by balancing apprentices’ elemental affinities. As he recovered from his injuries, he planned to seek more information, but Lyra insisted that he rest for seven days.

• Ailin spent one Experience Orb to unlock Source and saw it balance his elemental affinities by lowering his strongest affinity and raising his weakest.
• Ailin suspected Henn Gedimidis was trying to guide his apprentices toward becoming Sources, but decided he needed more information before leveling the skill.
• Ailin used Sorcerer's Memory to learn Blind Dust and chose not to learn the costly astrology knowledge.
• Lyra tended to Ailin and urged him not to burden himself with worries while he recovered.
• Vesemir and the young witchers returned from hunting ghouls, and Ailin worried their success would leave him without a way to earn Experience Orbs.
• Lyra refused to let Ailin take Swallow potions or leave his bed before seven days of rest.