Chapter Summaries

Ailin and Dante rescued the wounded Big Iron Shield and Furi from Drakkenberg and arranged to take them to the Temple of Melitele for treatment. As the group traveled toward Mahakam with Evans captive, Dante questioned whether they should release him to avoid retaliation against the School of the Wolf.

• Ailin asked Dante whether Rebidia or other sorcerers had ever spoken of a great undertaking, and Dante suggested asking Aristo back at Kaer Morhen.
• Ailin, Dante, and Sam reached the North District hospital, where Wyatt and Polina were treating Big Iron Shield and Furi, and Ailin offered to take them to the Temple of Melitele.
• Wyatt and two shield guards helped disguise the wounded as corpses and carry them out of Drakkenberg, and Wyatt gave Ailin money to support them while they recovered in Arland.
• Ailin told Wyatt that he could seek work for the wounded through Duke Mason or the temple, and thanked Wyatt as Good Girl arrived to carry the injured men away.
• Vesemir kept Evans under the Axii Sign during the journey past the Pontar River toward Mahakam, while Dante raised the possibility of letting Evans go to avert retaliation.

Ailin and the witchers planned to expose and execute Evans while trying to prevent the Ban Ard Academy and Rissberg Civil Conglomerate from turning the Conclave of Sorcerers against the School of the Wolf. As they prepared to return to Kaer Morhen and report to Chieftain Soyer, Good Girl’s egg was about to hatch.

• Ailin rejected Dante and Fred’s reluctance to punish Evans and proposed killing him before witnesses who could expose his crimes.
• Vesemir warned that the Ban Ard Academy and Rissberg Civil Conglomerate could rally the Conclave of Sorcerers against the School of the Wolf, so Ailin suggested asking Tissaia de Vries of Aretuza to witness Evans’s death and investigate him.
• Ailin and Vesemir agreed to return to Kaer Morhen the next day so Chieftain Soyer could learn what had happened.
• As Ailin descended toward the Temple of Melitele, he wondered how he would answer Soyer’s question about whether he wanted to become Chieftain.
• Good Girl gave an unusual cry, and Ailin realized her egg was about to hatch, making the witchers eager to return to Kaer Morhen.

Ailin, Vesemir, and Dante returned to the Temple of Melitele, where they learned Huus was recovering and were summoned to speak with Tissaia de Vries. As Ailin left, Gisela encouraged Lyra to pursue him, and Lyra decided she would not let anyone take her place.

• Lyra told Ailin and the witchers that Huus's surgery had gone smoothly and he was expected to wake that day.
• Dante thanked Lyra for saving Huus, and Vesemir teased that they were family, prompting the others to joke about Lyra and Ailin.
• Nannick told Ailin, Vesemir, and Dante that Tissaia de Vries wanted to discuss something with them, and they went to meet her.
• Gisela taught Lyra how to stitch a wound, then urged her to act decisively in love rather than let another woman take her place.
• Lyra admitted she did not want anyone else to take her place and resolved that her life belonged with Ailin because he had saved her.

At the Temple of Meritellie, Tissaia introduced the young sorceress Philippa Eilhart, who had come to monitor sorcerers for the Conclave. High Priest Ianna announced that Ailin had been named Meritellie’s Holy Son, leaving Philippa astonished and Ailin overwhelmed by Ianna’s tenderness.

• Tissaia introduced Philippa Eilhart as a talented transmutation sorceress and Conclave monitor, and Philippa studied Ailin with suspicion.
• Ianna called Ailin the Godslayer and revealed that he was also Meritellie’s Holy Son, shocking Philippa and the others.
• Ailin learned that the temple had approved his appointment and would soon announce it across the Northern Continent.
• Ianna insisted that Ailin could remain a traveling witcher and said he would not be at fault if his actions ever brought shame upon Meritellie.
• Ianna wiped blood from Ailin’s temple and soothed his exhaustion, leaving him flustered and defenseless under her affectionate gaze.

Ailin learned that becoming the Child of Prophecy required a lengthy public ceremony, then let Dante recount the witchers’ ordeal at Drakkenberg. Tissaia identified Ailin as the one who killed Ronnie Dickinson and questioned whether she should help the witchers; Ailin appealed to her belief in the Power of Order, leaving her response unresolved.

• Ianna and Nannick began arranging a month-long fast, a three-day blessing, and other ceremonies after Ailin accepted the Child of Prophecy role, but Ailin said the witchers had to return to Kaer Morhen the next day.
• Dante recounted how the witchers had been deceived at Drakkenberg and said he had killed Ronnie Dickinson, but Tissaia insisted Ailin had done it, and Ailin confirmed her suspicion.
• Ailin identified Evans as the Riedanian noble who had plotted to murder witchers and said they intended to expose the person behind the plot and kill him.
• Ailin claimed responsibility for the plan, despite Philippa’s concern that it would cost him the influence and protection the Child of Prophecy role could bring.
• Tissaia warned that she might avenge Ronnie Dickinson rather than assist the witchers, and Ailin appealed to her past defense of Arland and her commitment to the Power of Order.

Ailin persuaded Tissaia de Vries to bear witness for the School of the Wolf against the Conclave’s corrupt factions. Tissaia revealed that Ban Ard and the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate planned to establish a Sorcerer Kingdom, then asked the witchers to rescue Henn Gedimidis.

• Tissaia de Vries agreed that witchers helped preserve order and promised to support the School of the Wolf before the Conclave of Sorcerers.
• Ianna requested that Duke Mason and a bard be invited before Evans was unsealed and questioned.
• Tissaia reported that Ard was close to annexing Kedwen and that the Wild Hunt had apparently inflicted severe losses on Demavend II’s army.
• Tissaia revealed that Ban Ard and the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate had taken in Kedwen’s remaining army and nobles to establish a Sorcerer Kingdom.
• Tissaia told Ailin that the Conclave of Sorcerers commissioned the School of the Wolf to rescue Henn Gedimidis.

Tissaia de Vries questioned Evans in the Temple of Melitele after the School of the Wolf and its allies brought him there. Under her magic, Evans confessed that the Grand Principle Merchant Guild had ordered him to kill every witcher.

• Tissaia de Vries confirmed that the School of the Wolf had been asked to rescue Henn Gedimidis, then guests from Arland arrived through a portal.
• Duke Mason pledged to protect Ailin, and Ianna had Vesemir lift the Axii Sign that had kept Evans confused.
• Evans accused the witchers of betraying humanity, but Tissaia used magic to make him admit he had conspired with Patrick Vasquez and Young Huus to lure Dante and his apprentice into a Leshen hunting ground.
• When Tissaia pressed Evans to name who had arranged the plot, his body convulsed as the witchers' School Emblems hummed.
• Tissaia forced Evans to meet her gaze, and he revealed that the Grand Principle Merchant Guild had ordered him to kill every witcher.

Tissaia de Vries exposed a devil contract protecting Evans and learned that a Sorcerer with a Kedwenian crest had hired him to kill witchers. After Tissaia killed Evans, Duke Mason arranged to have the death recorded as an execution by Arland, while Tissaia left Ailin to decide how to repay her favor.

• Tissaia de Vries questioned Evans and discovered that a hooded Grand Principle Merchant Guild visitor had promised him a royal guard captaincy for killing five witchers.
• A devil contract erupted from Evans when Tissaia recovered his memory of the visitor's crest, but she dispelled it and recorded the crest as a black acorn on a golden diagonal stripe.
• Tissaia assigned Philippa Eilhart and Ailin to investigate the likely Kedwenian Sorcerer, and Ianna healed Evans so he could answer more questions.
• Evans confirmed that the target was all witchers, then Tissaia killed him before Ianna could carry out the punishment.
• Duke Mason asked Yevgeny Villard to record that Arthur had beheaded Evans on Mason's behalf, then left through Tissaia's portal with the bard.
• Tissaia told Ailin to rest and said she would return that night for his choice, while Ailin recognized the favor she and Aretuza had done him.

After debating the dangers of rescuing Henn Gedimidis, Ailin argued that Senne had found the right moment to establish a Sorcerer Kingdom, which could threaten the School of the Wolf and witchers across the Northern Continent. Ailin withdrew to his room and opened the Witcher's Handbook, where he was prompted to use Ronnie Dickinson's Vessel of Great Deeds.

• Ailin, Vesemir, and Dante checked on Huus, Bont, and the injured shield guards before returning to the witchers' longhouse.
• Vesemir warned Ailin that rescuing Henn Gedimidis in Ban Ard would be too dangerous, but Ailin said he would wait to hear Tissaia de Vries's plan and what help she could provide.
• Ailin explained that Kedwen's exiled nobles, Ban Ard's resources, and Ard's halted advance gave Senne a rare opportunity to build a Sorcerer Kingdom.
• Ailin suggested that Otolan and other Sorcerers might support Senne, and argued that the growing number and influence of Sorcerers made their pursuit of secular power inevitable.
• Vesemir and Dante realized that a Sorcerer Kingdom hostile to witchers could endanger the School of the Wolf, while Vesemir wondered whether Ailin had already made up his mind.
• Ailin entered his room, opened the Witcher's Handbook, and received a prompt asking whether he wanted to use Ronnie Dickinson's Vessel of Great Deeds.

Ailin rejected Ronnie Dickinson's Vessel of Great Deeds and chose to use Leshen's Element, which drew him into a mysterious forest. At the lake, he saw a giant beast reflected in the water, named it Kano, and fell into the lake as the forest erupted into chaos.

• Ailin decided not to use Ronnie Dickinson's Vessel of Great Deeds and planned to ask Ianna and others about it.
• Ailin used Leshen's Element and awoke in a forest where the plants and animals seemed to respond to him.
• Ailin followed the sound of water through the forest as animals watched and the trees cleared a path for him.
• Ailin approached a magnificent Reindeer at a lake, and it eventually stepped aside to let him pass.
• Ailin saw a giant beast instead of his own reflection, called it Kano, and fell into the lake when a storm suddenly broke out.
• A voice in the lake said it would remember the strange pronunciation of Kano.

After awakening from an extraordinary woodland, Ailin discovered that he could sense and control plants with an authority resembling a Leshen’s. Meanwhile, Druids of the Circle of Myna debated the unknown golden-furred Spirit of Nature and gathered after hearing the Grand Master’s bells.

• Edus asked the Druids of the Circle of Myna about an unfamiliar golden-furred Spirit of Nature, but Erwin and Ezekiel had never seen it in Skellige.
• A Druid said he had seen Mother Nature grant the newcomer an origin in the sacred grove, and the Druids headed into the forest when solemn bells rang.
• Ailin awoke in a temple room filled with out-of-season flowers and discovered that vines responded to his thoughts.
• Ailin checked his Witcher’s Handbook, noticed his physical attributes had increased, and found that his listed affinities had not changed.
• Ailin realized he could control plants directly and suspected that the woodland belonged to the Druids and that the Reindeer might have been a demigod.

Ailin wondered whether the Reindeer was a demigod and sought a way back into the mysterious grove to ask about Elements, the Vessel of Great Deeds, and his beast form, but he could not enter it. In Myna Forest, Druids gathered to discuss Ailin’s journey through the Sacred Forest, and emerald light rose from the forest’s heart.

• Ailin concluded that the Reindeer seemed human rather than divine and questioned whether the being was a demigod connected to a path toward godhood.
• Ailin realized that he could ask the Reindeer about Elements and the Vessel of Great Deeds, along with his transformation into King Kano, but failed to return to the grove.
• Erwin, Ezekiel, and Edus discussed the many senior Druids gathered in Myna Forest and recalled the Grand Master's former teachings.
• Ezekiel told Heinrich that a golden-furred giant beast had crossed the Sacred Forest and touched Source Lake before appearing before the Grand Master.
• Erwin began to suggest that the assembly might not concern the beast, but emerald light shot into the sky from the heart of Myna Forest.

The Druids gathered beneath Sacred Myna after the Grand Master cast Life's Praise across Myna Forest and explained that a mysterious newcomer had reached the Sacred Forest's Source Lake. They learned the newcomer was Kano, a visitor from another world who could not return because Mother Nature had granted him an extraordinary source.

• The Grand Master's Life's Praise healed and renewed life throughout Myna Forest, astonishing Ezekiel and the other Druids.
• Edus, Erwin, Ezekiel, and Heinrich reached Sacred Myna and joined the gathered Druids as the Grand Master appeared in human form.
• The Grand Master said the gathering was about a new fellow traveler, and the Druids discussed how a newcomer had reached the Sacred Forest's depths without prior experience.
• The Grand Master identified the newcomer as Kano, and the Druids suspected he had come from another world through the Conjunction of the Spheres.
• After Edus confirmed that a Conjunction of the Spheres had occurred at Ban Ard three or four months earlier, the Grand Master said Kano could not return because he had sunk into Source Lake and received an extraordinary source from Mother Nature.

The Druid Circle of Myna learned that Kano had entered Source Lake and received a prophecy to find and protect a new Spirit of Nature connected to him. Meanwhile, Ailin failed to re-enter the Sacred Forest and wondered whether Geralt’s mother, Visenna, was the Druid Circle’s master; a knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.

• The Grand Master explained that Mother Nature had demanded he let Kano pass into Source Lake, and the Druids agreed not to search for him directly.
• The Grand Master revealed a prophecy about new life linked to Kano and sent the Druids north to find and protect it.
• The Grand Master asked the Conclave of Sorcerers and the Northern Continent’s rulers to watch over Kano, hoping to meet him when he returned to the Sacred Forest.
• The Great Druids discussed Kano and the new Spirit of Nature, then the Grand Master asked why Visenna was absent.
• At the Temple of Melitele, Ailin failed to enter the Sacred Forest again and considered seeking instruction from a Druid.
• Ailin speculated that Geralt’s mother, Visenna, belonged to the Druid Circle of Myna and might soon send Geralt to Kaer Morhen, when someone knocked on his door.

Ailin’s room transformed into a flourishing flower garden after his training, while Lyra struggled to confess her feelings before learning that he would leave for Kaer Morhen the next day. The group went to check on Huus, and Fred sensed something strange near Ailin’s closed room.

• Lyra told Ailin that Huus had awakened, then discovered his room was covered in flowers and learned he planned to leave the temple the next day.
• Lyra pleaded with Ailin not to die and embraced him, but Kray interrupted them before she could finish speaking.
• Lyra explained that Huus would need at least a month to recover, and the witchers gathered to visit him before dinner.
• Vesemir teased Kray for interrupting Lyra and Ailin, while Ailin shut the door on his transformed room.
• Fred stopped near Ailin’s room, sensing something strange, and Ailin asked him what was wrong.

Ailin discovered that he had gained the Growth Element and used it to make a linden tree bloom, while Fred revealed that he had absorbed a weaker form of the same power after the Leshen possessed him. The group checked on their recovering companions and waited for Tissaia de Vries, but someone else arrived instead.

• Ailin used the Growth Element to make linden branches bloom, and Fred recognized the same natural resonance in Ailin.
• Fred made a few flowers bloom himself, and Ailin determined that he had absorbed part of the Growth Element when the Leshen possessed him.
• Ailin appraised Fred and considered developing him toward the School of the Griffin, then told him he would teach him a move.
• Ailin and the others learned Huus had fallen asleep again and that Bont and the shield guards remained unconscious, though none were in serious condition.
• Ailin, Vesemir, Dante, and Lyra waited in the reception room for Tissaia de Vries, but someone else arrived instead.

Philippa Eilhart joined Ailin’s planned rescue of Henn Gedimidis, explaining the Roglides family’s power and why Tissaia de Vries was moving against Berendir Roglides. Ailin agreed to work with Philippa and return to Kaer Morhen first, while Ianna reminded him that he still had to complete the Child of Prophecy ritual in Arland.

• Philippa Eilhart explained that the Roglides family wielded influence through six sorcerers and powerful nobles across Kedwen, Riedania, and Ard.
• Philippa said she would accompany Ailin to rescue Henn Gedimidis, and Tissaia de Vries had specified that the operation would involve only the two of them.
• Ailin questioned whether he and Philippa could cooperate, then agreed to travel with her to Kaer Morhen so they could prepare together.
• Ailin warned Philippa that the Greater Griffin might not answer his summons because she needed to incubate her eggs, and he declined to promise her one of the chicks.
• Ianna reminded Ailin to return to Arland for the Child of Prophecy ritual after the rescue and his return to Kaer Morhen.

Ailin agreed to return to Arland after rescuing Henn Gedimidis, said goodbye to Ianna and Lyra, and discovered that the plants in his room had become unusually intelligent. He gathered their seeds and went to Meritellie's sanctuary to open the many chests he had accumulated, hoping to obtain more sword oil formulas before his next dangerous journey.

• Ailin accepted Ianna's proposal to be named the Temple of Meritellie's Child of Prophecy and promised to return to Arland after rescuing Henn Gedimidis.
• Ianna told Ailin that Duke Mason had sent Temeria an official account of Evans's execution, while Lyra said goodbye and left with Ianna.
• Ailin failed to teach the witchers Beast Roar: Primal Tongue, but Fred independently learned Battle Cry: Wild Tongue after Ailin helped him with Battle Cry: Berserk.
• Ailin found that the plants in his room behaved affectionately and could retreat into the soil, then collected their seeds and the green vine's rootstock.
• Ailin checked his Witcher's Handbook, saw that he had accumulated seventy-seven unopened chests, and headed to Meritellie's sanctuary to seek sword oil formulas.

Ailin failed to use Meritellie's Concealment Ritual to open a gold-tier chest, then opened twenty-three Sorcerer's Chests and gained equipment, experience, and formulas that could help him face Ban Ard's Sorcerers. He left with new preparations for rescuing Henn Gedimidis, while the Wild Hunt remained a major danger.

• Ailin prayed in Meritellie's sanctuary, but the Concealment Ritual remained ineffective, so he decided to save his Experience Orbs for unlocking "Roar: Grounding."
• Ailin opened twenty-three Sorcerer's Chests and received robes, magical items, Experience Orb Pouches, Sorcerer's Memory, and several alchemy formulas.
• Ailin inspected the Dispel Magic gemstone, a staff, and formulas for Enhanced Hangman's Venom, Dimeritium Bombs, Thunderbolt, and Petri's Philter, noting their usefulness against Sorcerers.
• Ailin imagined fighting through Ban Ard but reconsidered because of its powerful mages and the nearly hundred Wild Hunt warriors still nearby.
• Ailin cleaned up the ritual materials, left the sanctuary, and returned to the witchers' residence, where an owl watched him from a wooden charm.

Ailin recognized Philippa Eilhart disguised as an owl, but pretended not to notice before swiftly overpowering her. After she proved her identity and transformed back, he remained wary and asked why sorceresses’ transformations left their clothes behind.

• Ailin identified the owl in his room as Philippa Eilhart and wondered why she had come in disguise.
• Ailin approached the owl gently, then seized it and held a dagger to its throat when it prepared to fly away.
• Philippa revealed her identity and recounted the day’s trial and Tissaia de Vries’s invitation to prove who she was.
• Ailin kept his silver sword ready and ordered Philippa to transform back, warning that he knew sorcerers could read minds.
• Philippa transformed into human form, and Ailin asked whether sorceresses’ transformation spells always left their clothes behind.