Chapter Summaries

Ciri reunited with He Shenyan at Kaer Morhen, and he promised not to leave her for so long again. Over drinks, He Shenyan confided in Geralt about his longing to return home and his doubts about risking himself to save others; Geralt reassured him that he was his friend and a hero.

• Ciri prepared to face a possible intruder, but He Shenyan and Geralt surprised her at the door.
• He Shenyan proved he was real with a flame trick, and Ciri made him pinky swear that he would not leave for so long again.
• After Ciri fell asleep, He Shenyan told Geralt about his recent adventures and admitted he was exhausted from repeatedly saving people and worlds.
• He Shenyan explained that he still wanted to return to his old home but could not ignore people in danger, and Geralt called him his friend and a hero.
• The next morning, He Shenyan and Geralt woke with hangovers, while Ciri refused to come downstairs and make them breakfast.
• He Shenyan conjured armchairs, and he and Geralt decided to spend the day doing nothing.

Geralt left Kaer Morhen with He Shenyan and traveled toward the coast, planning to sail to Skellige and collect a commissioned sword. Their journey ended with the discovery of a murdered boy, whose arrow bore a military mark.

• Geralt prepared to leave Kaer Morhen and told He Shenyan about his breakup with Yennefer and his lingering feelings for her.
• Geralt and He Shenyan traveled through February and March, and Geralt explained that he planned to sail to Skellige to retrieve a sword from a blacksmith.
• Geralt’s new mare stumbled on the road and threw him to the ground beside a dead boy.
• Geralt and He Shenyan found a military-issue arrow in the boy’s body, and He Shenyan buried him without using necromancy to question his soul.

Geralt and He Shenyan traveled through Kaedwen, where they encountered an Elf archer and uncovered signs that the Scoia'tael conflict might involve more than revenge against human soldiers. The chapter ended as five Elves charged at them while they prepared to investigate.

• Geralt worried about the eight-year-old child they had left behind, while He Shenyan explained that his magical power was greatly reduced after losing a fight with a god.
• Geralt and He Shenyan stopped at a village tavern, ate, and learned that Ghouls and Nekkers were active nearby.
• Geralt explained that King Henselt's persecution of nonhumans had driven some Elves and dwarves to join the Scoia'tael and retaliate against humans.
• An Elf shot an arrow at He Shenyan, who caught it and hurled it back, wounding her; he then healed her leg and questioned her under magical control.
• The Elf said she had killed seventeen soldiers and that her leader had forbidden attacks on civilians, prompting Geralt and He Shenyan to suspect something was wrong.
• Five Elves charged from the trees as Geralt and He Shenyan prepared to investigate.

He Shenyan and Geralt defeated a Scoia'tael ambush and questioned the surviving elf, Leotini, about stolen Kaedweni armor. Her account led them to suspect that the child’s death and the arrow blamed on the Scoia'tael were part of a political scheme.

• He Shenyan killed or incapacitated the armored elves who attacked him and Geralt, while Geralt struggled to damage their armor.
• He Shenyan intimidated Leotini and learned that the Scoia'tael had obtained weapons from a warehouse in High Rock City after guards accepted a bribe.
• He Shenyan left Leotini and another elf alive as a deterrent, then rode away with Geralt.
• Geralt and He Shenyan concluded that the Scoia'tael’s access to Kaedwen’s military equipment suggested political involvement.
• He Shenyan suspected that neither the Scoia'tael nor any elf had killed the child or fired the arrow attributed to them.

Geralt and He Shenyan arrived in High Rock City, where they stayed at Nanna’s inn while delaying their investigation into the elves and the stolen warehouse. Geralt found a notice from Baron Targaryen about a possible haunting and went to investigate for a reward.

• Geralt and He Shenyan reached High Rock City and checked into Nanna’s inn.
• Nanna welcomed Geralt and met He Shenyan, while Geralt teased him about her interest.
• Geralt and He Shenyan ate beef stew, then Geralt went out to search the notice board while He Shenyan meditated.
• Geralt found Baron Targaryen’s notice describing a year of feeling watched after participating in the massacre of the Elves.
• Geralt took the address from the notice and headed to Baron Targaryen’s home.

Geralt investigated Baron Targaryen’s suspected haunting and learned that the baron blamed himself for failing to stop the massacre of his nonhuman friends. After guards reported the baron had hanged himself, Geralt doubted it was suicide and set out with He Shenyan to question the coroner.

• Geralt searched Baron Targaryen’s home but found no sign of a ghost or other monster.
• Baron Targaryen told Geralt how he had been powerless to prevent Henselt’s massacre of High Rock City’s nonhuman residents and said he believed his guilt was his punishment.
• Geralt told He Shenyan about the baron’s guilt and worried that he would not survive the winter.
• Guards informed Geralt that Baron Targaryen had died by hanging during the night.
• Geralt suspected the baron’s death might involve a ghost, and He Shenyan agreed to go with him to find the coroner.

Geralt and He Shenyan investigated Baron Targaryen’s apparent suicide and found evidence that he had been strangled. They followed the trail to the baron’s home, where they confronted a royal agent overseeing the seizure of his property and donations.

• Geralt examined Baron Targaryen’s corpse and concluded that someone had strangled him, while the royal coroner had concealed the truth.
• He Shenyan suggested searching the baron’s house, and Geralt suspected King Henselt was involved.
• At the baron’s house, a royal agent ordered his belongings sold and planned to reclaim the money he had donated to the Temple of Melitele.
• Geralt and He Shenyan entered the house after the guards were incapacitated, and He Shenyan knocked the royal agent unconscious with magic.

He Shenyan and Geralt entered King Henselt’s palace by haunting its guards and servants with visions of the dead. They reached the king’s bedchamber, where Geralt opened the door to confront him.

• Rahl saw the dead dwarf approaching the palace gate after his horn crumbled to ash and his companion appeared to be a skeleton.
• Rahl pleaded with the dwarf’s spirit for mercy, believing it had come to punish him for failing to help when the dwarf died.
• He Shenyan told Geralt that Rahl was suffering from guilt and said many more people would face the same reckoning.
• He Shenyan and Geralt walked through the palace as guards and servants panicked and begged the spirits they imagined were pursuing them.
• Geralt opened the door to King Henselt’s bedchamber as he prepared to question the king.

He Shenyan and Geralt confronted King Henselt over his role in murdering Baron Targaryen and manipulating hatred between humans and nonhumans, and Henselt was later reported dead. A month afterward, Geralt and He Shenyan were in Vengerberg, where a stranger's fixed stare caught Geralt's attention.

• He Shenyan woke Henselt by smashing a wine bottle against his face, and Geralt demanded to know whether the king had sent men to kill Baron Targaryen.
• Henselt admitted ordering Targaryen's death and defended expelling nonhumans, while Geralt accused him of driving them into rebellion and harming ordinary people.
• He Shenyan revealed that Henselt had secretly armed the Scoia'tael and arranged massacres to provoke a conflict with Aedirn, then explained that the court mage had fled and the guards were haunted by nightmares.
• A newspaper in Novigrad reported Henselt's death and named Geralt and He Shenyan as suspected perpetrators, while a guard recounted seeing a dead dwarf from the High Rock City massacre.
• A month later in Vengerberg, Geralt and He Shenyan joked about the phrase “lighting hatred benefits no one” and Geralt complained about hiding his identity.
• Geralt noticed a man in the tavern staring fixedly at him.

Geralt and He Shenyan encountered Geralt’s old enemy Blade Cat in a Vengerberg tavern, where He Shenyan swiftly drove him off. After two men followed them through the city, He Shenyan discovered they were working for Councilman Olverson and planned to visit him.

• Geralt told He Shenyan that Blade Cat had murdered a family of four in 1231, and Blade Cat revealed he worked for a Vengerberg councilor.
• Blade Cat tried to intimidate Geralt and invited He Shenyan to meet someone, but He Shenyan injured him with a glance.
• Geralt and He Shenyan walked through Vengerberg and noticed two men following them.
• Geralt and He Shenyan cornered the followers in an alley, where Geralt questioned one and He Shenyan identified Councilman Olverson as their employer.
• He Shenyan sent the two men flying from the alley and told them to inform Councilman Olverson that he would visit soon.

He Shenyan confronted Councilor Olverson and Vilgefortz at Olverson’s estate, killing the councilor after forcing him to admit his fear. He then turned to Vilgefortz and demanded to know where he had learned He Shenyan’s meditation technique.

• Olverson explained that he wanted to capture the regicides to gain political benefits for Aedirn, while Vilgefortz promised to handle the Black-Robed Mage.
• He Shenyan arrived by walking down through the sky, ignored Vilgefortz, and ordered him to stay still.
• He Shenyan pressured Olverson until the councilor confessed that he was afraid.
• He Shenyan sent Olverson high into the sky, saying he had sent him to the sun.
• Vilgefortz asked what He Shenyan had done, and He Shenyan demanded to know where Vilgefortz had learned his meditation technique.

He Shenyan learned why Vilgefortz had targeted him and killed the mage, while Geralt slaughtered the remaining men at the councilor’s estate. The two friends reunited and settled their bet, with Geralt complaining about the work.

• Vilgefortz confessed that he had pursued Elder Blood, studied Francesca’s meditation technique, and sought to make trouble for He Shenyan before He Shenyan killed him.
• Geralt used Axii to get a servant to summon the councilor’s men, then announced that he had killed Blade Cat.
• Geralt swiftly killed the man who insulted him and defeated the four armed men who attacked him.
• He Shenyan paid Geralt twenty gold coins after Geralt finished the fight, and Geralt complained about the effort.

Geralt and He Shenyan helped a Noonwraith take revenge on Cyril, then discussed Geralt’s reunion with Yennefer before meeting the traveler Emiel Regis. He Shenyan revealed that Regis was a vampire, leaving Geralt poised to draw his silver sword.

• Geralt and He Shenyan brought the Noonwraith to Cyril, who had killed his mother, and let her take revenge on him.
• At their campfire, He Shenyan explained to Geralt why he had not intervened to stop the Noonwraith.
• He Shenyan asked Geralt about his last night in Vengerberg, and Geralt recounted his emotional reunion with Yennefer.
• Emiel Regis approached the camp and introduced himself as a barber and herbalist, then shared wine with Geralt and He Shenyan.
• He Shenyan identified Regis as a vampire, and Geralt dropped his cup and reached for his silver sword.

He Shenyan, Geralt, and Regis reached Wyzima after two months on the road, then split up to pursue their own plans. He Shenyan found his apprentice Andrea working at St. Lebioda's Hospital and began questioning Captain Rupert about her activities.

• Regis revealed that he was a higher vampire who had given up drinking blood, and Geralt and He Shenyan shared a night of conversation with him.
• Regis joined Geralt and He Shenyan on their journey to Wyzima, where he planned to visit his higher-vampire friend at the House of Night.
• After they entered Wyzima, Geralt declined to visit the brothel and went to meet Triss Merigold, while Regis headed to see his friend.
• He Shenyan rode to the Temple Quarter to find his apprentice Andrea and discovered that she was treating injured city guards at St. Lebioda's Hospital.
• He Shenyan approached Captain Rupert and used magic to make him agree to explain what Andrea had been doing at the hospital.

Andrea helped a young woman through childbirth at her hospital before reuniting with her mentor, He Shenyan. Geralt visited Triss, was thrown out after admitting he had met another woman, and found unexpected company at a tavern sobriety meeting.

• Andrea calmed Lilo during a difficult labor and delivered her baby boy.
• He Shenyan praised Andrea's work at the hospital and magically revealed a crown-like pattern on her forehead.
• Geralt arrived at Triss's home with lavender after bathing, and they spent the night together.
• Triss became angry when Geralt admitted he had met another woman and ordered him out.
• Geralt went to the Big Barrel Tavern and met Zoltan Chivay, Cecilia Vanny, and Jonathan Dorken at their mandated sobriety meeting.

Geralt and Zoltan stole Beauclair White Wine 1236 from the Trade Quarter patrol camp after a city order barred them from buying alcohol. They escaped the guards with the wine and decided to drink it at Zoltan’s tavern, while He Shenyan praised Andrea for using magic to help the poor.

• Jonathan lamented that a city official had forbidden alcohol sales to the group for three months, and Fanny described the distinctive flavor of Beauclair White Wine 1236.
• Geralt, tempted by Fanny’s description, joined Zoltan in sneaking into the Trade Quarter patrol camp to steal the wine.
• He Shenyan drank Wyzima Champion while Andrea drank milk, and he praised her for helping the poor rather than pursuing power.
• Geralt and Zoltan escaped the guards with six bottles of wine and laughed over their reckless theft.
• Zoltan refused to return the wine, and he and Geralt headed to the tavern to drink while Geralt pretended that an elf’s curse was an expression of respect.

After a night of drinking with Geralt and Zoltan, He Shenyan ended up in Wyzima’s sewers, where he killed three Ekimmaras and fell asleep beside their corpses. Geralt and Zoltan found him unharmed, then swore off drinking—only to resume three days later.

• Geralt returned to Big Barrel Tavern with wine and found He Shenyan there; he, He Shenyan, Zoltan, Fanny, and Jonathan shared stew and several bottles of Beauclair wine.
• Geralt woke hungover in Wyzima’s sewers with Zoltan and remembered that He Shenyan had teleported his silver sword before they went hunting monsters.
• Geralt and Zoltan searched the sewers for two hours, fearing He Shenyan had been killed by the monsters lurking there.
• Geralt and Zoltan found He Shenyan asleep beside three slain Ekimmaras and the bodies of their victims.
• Geralt and Zoltan vowed to stop drinking, but three days later they drank all night again.

Geralt investigated reports of monsters in Wyzima’s sewers and found Botchlings being cared for by a mysterious woman. He watched in disbelief as they fed gently from her blood, leaving him uncertain how to respond.

• Zoltan told Geralt that a Sorceress at St. Lebioda’s Hospital had blamed a marriage law for abandoned babies, some of whom might have been dumped in the sewers.
• Geralt told He Shenyan he suspected Botchlings were among the sewer monsters, and He Shenyan warned him to be careful.
• Geralt entered the sewers, followed the Botchling stench through a narrow tunnel, and found unborn creatures hanging from the ceiling.
• A filthy woman arrived and called the Botchlings her children; they climbed onto her and licked blood from a cut on her arm without attacking her.
• Geralt confirmed that what he saw was real, recalled the established knowledge about Botchlings, and stepped forward.

Geralt told He Shenyan about a woman in the sewers who was letting Botchlings feed on her blood because she considered them her children. He Shenyan agreed to investigate, and they left to post a notice seeking her family.

• Geralt returned home distressed after abandoning his contract to kill the Botchlings and told He Shenyan about the woman caring for them.
• The woman insisted the Botchlings were her children and refused to leave them, despite Geralt warning that their feeding would kill her.
• He Shenyan used a Memory Key to extract the woman's image from Geralt's memory without reading his thoughts.
• He Shenyan deduced that the woman was likely of distinguished birth and had a missing child, possibly because her family had discarded a deformed baby.
• He Shenyan and Geralt went to city hall to post a notice asking people with missing family members to come find them.

Geralt and He Shenyan searched for the family of a missing woman, and Gustav la Valette identified her as his sister before revealing the abuse that had destroyed their family. He Shenyan told Gustav to prepare to enter the sewers and bring her back, while Geralt remained reluctant to continue the commission.

• Geralt turned away visitors seeking the missing woman while He Shenyan reassured him that they would find her family.
• Gustav la Valette arrived, recognized the woman through the hatch, and offered He Shenyan a purse of money.
• He Shenyan revealed that the woman was in the sewers feeding a Botchling, then asked Gustav to explain his family’s history.
• Gustav recounted how his family drugged him and his sister to force them to produce a pure-blooded heir, leading to a deformed child and his sister’s disappearance.
• He Shenyan told Gustav to bring a sword and armor to the Wyzima sewer entrance at three o’clock, and Geralt objected that he would rather not take the commission.