Chapter Summaries

Dick witnessed the original timeline, from the original owner’s betrayal of Little Tom and Xiya to the disasters and deaths that followed across the region. The vision shifted to a decorated, bustling castle, and Dick recognized that the event he had dreaded was about to begin.

• Dick followed the original owner through the Black Forest and watched him hand unconscious Little Tom to the Broom Witch as a catalyst.
• Xiya attacked the original owner and the Broom Witch, but they overwhelmed her, bound her, and took her away with Little Tom.
• The original owner fled toward Free City, met Master, Vesemir, and Geralt, and Geralt killed him after their confrontation.
• Dick witnessed disasters and deaths across the region, including Odinburg’s fall, Kardashian’s illness, and the deaths of Leidi, Aisha, and Weisha.
• Dick saw the castle filled with lanterns and decorations and realized the dreaded event was about to happen.

Dick witnessed a vision of Ruiwen destroying the Witcher Order and taking her own life, then woke to learn only seconds had passed. The next morning, Aode and Beier named Dick the Order’s future leader and proposed making him grand master.

• Dick watched Geralt leave Kaer Morhen with Ruiwen before Ruiwen and Brownie led villagers and monsters in an attack that killed the Witcher Order’s members.
• Ruiwen avenged her grudge, then plunged her lightsaber into her heart and vanished as white fragments.
• The vision shattered, and Dick was dragged toward darkness before Aode’s shaking brought him back; Aode and Beier confirmed he had only stood still for a few seconds.
• Dick wondered who had shown him the vision and called out for a reward, but Aode yelled at him from the next room to be quiet.
• At breakfast, Aode and Beier told Dick to sit at the head of the table and proposed making him head of the School of the Lynx and grand master once Vesemir returned.

Dick reviewed the Witcher Order’s surviving members and agreed to become grandmaster on the condition that Aode and Beier handled daily affairs and let him take contracts. Aode and Beier planned to rebuild Kaer Morhen and recruit sorcerers, leaving the Order with a small roster and a hopeful but uncertain recovery ahead.

• Aode showed Dick an inventory and roster showing that Kaer Morhen’s main keep had been destroyed and only seventeen witchers, plus Aode, remained available.
• Aode explained that Aisi would not return to the Order, reducing the available number to seventeen.
• Dick agreed to become grandmaster if Aode and Beier managed everyday chores and allowed him to take contracts whenever he wanted.
• Aode said he and Beier had sent letters to Vesemir and Geralt, who might return with Yennefer, Alice, and Ibu, bringing potential recruits for the sorcerers.
• Aode revealed that he had more than ten thousand crowns and planned to use the money to ship supplies, rebuild the main keep, and recruit wandering sorcerers.

Dick helped Aode and Beier plan the Witcher Order’s rebuilding and secured their acceptance of Carter’s wings. Geralt, Little Yennefer, Alice, and Ibu returned to Kaer Morhen, and another carriage approached as Geralt prepared to visit the fallen witchers’ graves.

• Dick gave Aode and Beier his savings and monster-hunting spoils to help rebuild the main keep.
• Dick learned that Beier would accept Carter’s wings and explain them to the young witchers as an ability called “Soaring.”
• Geralt, Little Yennefer, Alice, and Ibu arrived at Kaer Morhen; Ibu said he had come to help but had not agreed to join the Witcher Order.
• Geralt reunited with Beier and said he wanted to pay his respects at the graves of the witchers who had died in battle.
• Dick and the others saw several horses and a carriage approaching along the mountain road.

The survivors returned to Kaer Morhen, where Dick accepted leadership of the Witcher Order and welcomed Carter’s wings and Jenna’s decision to stay. The witchers then honored their fallen comrades at the cemetery, with Dick recalling their lives and urging the Order to remember its losses.

• Vesemir returned with Russell, Harden, Carter, and supplies, and told Dick to become the Order’s grand master; Dick accepted.
• Carter revealed his tawny wings and briefly flew, while the young witchers celebrated and encouraged him.
• Jenna arrived with messenger pigeons and chose to live at the Order; Dick welcomed her, and Aode showed her to a room.
• The witchers unloaded the carriage, shared a celebratory meal, and Aode tried to persuade Ibu to stay with the Order.
• The next morning, Dick read the names and deeds of the fallen at the cemetery, and everyone laid gladioli on the graves.
• Dick urged the survivors to remember their grief and scars as they continued the Order’s fight against darkness.

Dick and the others continued clearing Kaer Morhen when Barbara and West arrived with carts of supplies to help rebuild the fortress. West relayed news from Queen Meve, and the chapter ended with him giving Dick her letter.

• Little Yennefer accepted water from Geralt while Russell offered a cup to Alice as the group discussed rebuilding Kaer Morhen.
• Dick and the others spotted a supply procession approaching and prepared for an attack before recognizing Barbara among the arrivals.
• Barbara showed Dick an image of Xiya and explained that she had advanced to a full-fledged sorceress, though an elemental rampage had burned down three laboratories.
• Barbara and West brought supplies from Queen Meve to support Kaer Morhen's reconstruction.
• West told Dick that Queen Meve had returned safely to Ravenstern City after Duke Yalike was beheaded, and that Kebi had killed eight Jatu soldiers.
• West handed Dick a letter from Queen Meve.

Dick considered Queen Meve’s apology and request for help against Manslayer’s army, then negotiated terms for the Witcher Order’s support. He agreed to travel to Ravenstern City with Geralt and Vesemir, while Barbara promised to report his demands to the queen.

• Dick read Meve’s letter, which apologized for the attack on the Witcher Order and asked for help against Manslayer’s barbarian army.
• Dick rejected the idea that a simple apology could absolve Brownie and demanded three promises: aid to rebuild Kaer Morhen, a proclamation restoring the Order’s authority over witcher misconduct, and a blood oath from Prince James, along with Brownie’s head as a deposit.
• Barbara accepted the first two demands on the queen’s behalf, and Dick agreed to support the fight but initially proposed going alone.
• West argued that Dick needed more allies, and Dick settled on joining the expedition with Geralt and Vesemir.
• Barbara and West agreed that Dick, Geralt, and Vesemir would travel with them to Ravenstern City.

Dick, Vesemir, and Geralt left the rebuilt Kaer Morhen for Ravenstern City to join Queen Meve’s forces against Manslayer’s army. In Ravenstern City, Queen Meve confronted the nobles over their plot against the Witcher Order and warned them not to interfere with her policies again.

• Sorcerers and laborers rebuilt most of Kaer Morhen, and Queen Meve provided the Witcher Order with four heavy repeating ballistae.
• Dick rejected West’s suggestion to kill the craftsmen who knew Kaer Morhen’s location, and he considered relocating the Order if danger arose.
• Dick learned that Queen Meve had punished the minor nobles involved in the attack on Kaer Morhen and that Odin III had evacuated Odinburg’s residents to Dawn Furnace City.
• Dick, Vesemir, Geralt, Barbara, and her companion set out for Ravenstern City to join Queen Meve’s army near Dawn Furnace City.
• Queen Meve accused the nobles of targeting the Witcher Order to undermine her hunting-rights and subject-status policies, then threatened them with labor in the Firstfall Bay silver mines if they interfered again.

Queen Meve spoke privately with Kebi about his service, his prospects for inheriting Odinburg, and the looming battle against Manslayer’s army. She revealed her concerns about Prince James’s son Brownie just as Dick arrived to seek an audience.

• Meve thanked Kebi for protecting her from the Jatu and told him to value his own life as much as hers.
• Meve explained that Odin III had been stripped of his baron title, while Kebi could earn a barony or even a viscounty by distinguishing himself against the Misty Mountains savages.
• Meve discussed Dick’s expected arrival and the forces assembled to fight Manslayer’s army, while Kebi said he had missed Dick and credited him with saving Vanessa’s family.
• Meve told Kebi that she suspected Brownie had helped provoke an ambush against her and feared he wanted the throne, while Prince James refused to surrender him.
• An attendant announced that Dick, Grand Master of the Witcher Order, had arrived, and Meve went out to meet him with Kebi following.

Dick returned to Ravenstern City and made his way to the palace to meet Queen Meve. He arrived at the main hall, where Meve and the Falcon Knight Kebi were waiting for him.

• Dick and his companions entered Ravenstern City, where the guards recognized them and let them pass.
• Dick visited the smithy where he had bought back Ivan’s belongings and spoke with the half-elf blacksmith.
• The palace guards welcomed Dick and allowed him to enter without surrendering his weapons, while Vesemir and Geralt stayed outside.
• Barbara left with West to meet a sorcerer from the Magic Academy who had offered to fight the barbarians of the Misty Mountains.
• Dick concluded that Barbara and West were lovers, then followed the palace guards’ directions to the main hall.
• Queen Meve and Kebi waited for Dick outside the hall.

Dick met Queen Meve at the palace, where they discussed the coming battle against Manslayer and the planned gathering of the Northern Kingdoms’ allies. Kebi suspected Dick was hiding something and warned the queen, who agreed to follow his suggestion.

• Dick greeted Queen Meve and joked with Kebi about the stories Vanessa had told him.
• Queen Meve apologized for the Witcher Order’s tragedy, discussed the nobles’ conspiracy and Manslayer’s approaching army, and asked Dick to stand with her.
• Dick agreed to focus on the invaders, though Kebi noticed his cold demeanor and remembered his earlier determination to rescue Xiya.
• Queen Meve told Dick that a banquet would bring together the allied families, Prince James, Brownie, Vigo, and Xiya.
• Kebi quietly warned Queen Meve that Dick might pose a danger, and she agreed to do as he suggested.

Dick surrendered his weapons to Kebi at the palace banquet, then met the sorcerer Vigo and discussed their plan to face Manslayer. Xiya returned and reunited with Dick, who told her he had missed her.

• Dick handed his weapons and spatial waist pouch to Kebi for safekeeping, keeping only a gold necklace as a gift for Xiya.
• Dick noticed that his Energy Points were gone and his Hypnosis skill had changed, then studied a letter before meeting Vigo.
• Vigo introduced himself as a sorcerer skilled in martial arts and magic, and he and Dick agreed they might defeat Manslayer together.
• Xiya arrived at the banquet, ran to Dick after Vigo left, and embraced him.
• Dick told Xiya that he had really missed her.

At Queen Meve’s banquet, Dick gave Xiya a gold necklace, and she accepted it despite two noblewomen’s mockery. Queen Meve announced the coming battle against the Misty Mountains, and the arrival of Prince James and Brownie left Dick watching the new guests.

• Xiya comforted Dick, and he gave her a gold necklace that she gladly wore after two noblewomen ridiculed it.
• Barbara teased Dick about his choice of gift, and he promised Xiya he would bring her a better one next time.
• Queen Meve announced that she would lead the nobles into battle against the Misty Mountains army and introduced Dick, Vesemir, and Geralt as allies.
• Dick spotted Marquis Zubaci and Earl Mann, saw Geralt leave with a noblewoman, and found Vesemir talking with Vigo.
• Guards escorted Prince James and Brownie into the banquet hall, and Dick focused his attention on them.

At the banquet, Dick faced Prince James, Brownie, and the nobles while Queen Meve tried to smooth over their strained relations. Barbara considered how the queen’s hidden injuries might affect the court and her own position, as Dick found the three nobles he had come to confront.

• Earl Kofi entered the banquet and headed for the wine station as nobles watched Dick and Brownie cautiously.
• Queen Meve called Dick over to meet Prince James, and Dick left Xiya with Barbara before approaching them.
• Barbara reassured Xiya that the Witcher Order would remain valuable and recalled West’s warning that Queen Meve might be near death.
• Prince James shook Dick’s hand, but Brownie recoiled and his guards formed a protective line when Dick looked at him.
• Queen Meve introduced Dick to the nobles, and Dick spotted the three nobles whispering together before approaching their table.

At Queen Meve’s banquet, Dick exposed the nobles who had backed the attack on Kaer Morhen and killed them in front of the court. As panic spread, Vesemir blocked the palace guards while Geralt rushed to join him.

• Earl Kofi taunted Dick and mocked the witchers, prompting Dick to reveal a dossier linking Kofi, Earl Mann, and Marquis Zubac to the retainers behind Brownie’s attack on Kaer Morhen.
• Dick killed Earl Kofi, Earl Mann, and Marquis Zubac with silver cutlery in a swift attack at the banquet.
• The nobles screamed and fled as the queen’s court erupted into chaos.
• Vesemir took Vigo’s staff and used it to block the guards trying to enter the palace.
• Geralt left his Gwent game, grabbed a broken stool leg, and ran toward Vesemir.

Dick unleashed Blood of Madness in the palace and slaughtered the guards who attacked him. After striking Prince James aside, he killed Brownie with a full-strength blow as the queen and others watched.

• Dick activated Blood of Madness and moved through the guards, killing or crippling them with overwhelming speed.
• Vigo watched Dick fight and concluded that he could not match him in close combat, while considering recruiting him for future plans.
• Dick deflected the guards' crossbow bolts with Mind Shockwave and injured the remaining guards before approaching Brownie.
• Prince James stepped between Dick and Brownie, but Dick struck him aside despite the queen's cry.
• Brownie apologized as Dick raised his hand, but Dick said Brownie regretted only that he was about to die and killed him with a full-strength slap.

Dick killed Brownie and questioned Prince James about his role in the destruction of the Witcher Order, while Queen Meve ended the banquet and confronted her brother. The chapter left Meve asking Dick what he wanted.

• Prince James mourned Brownie as Queen Meve and the palace guests reacted to Dick's killing.
• Dick used a Hypnosis Sign to question Prince James, who denied involvement in the Witcher Order's destruction and any desire to become king before the effect wore off.
• Queen Meve dismissed the guards and nobles, and Dick suppressed his Blood of Madness.
• Meve asked Dick what he wanted, and he said he wanted to know Prince James's true attitude toward the Witcher Order.
• Prince James accused Meve of allowing Dick to kill her family, so Meve slapped him and rebuked him for his immaturity and favoritism toward Brownie.
• Meve turned back to Dick and asked what he wanted.

Dick secured Queen Meve’s promise to protect the Witcher Order and saw Prince James stripped of his title and confined to the palace. Afterward, Vesemir and Geralt praised Dick’s strength, and Vesemir entrusted the Order’s future to him.

• Dick asked Queen Meve whether the nobles would stop harming the Witcher Order, and she promised their debts were settled and admitted she might not always be able to protect the Order.
• Barbara proposed that astrologers could conceal the Order’s entrances with a phase diagram, energy stones, and a password, while Vigo offered to help.
• Queen Meve stripped James of his princely powers and ordered guards to confine him to the palace.
• The queen arranged rooms for the witchers, while Barbara pulled Xiya away and Vigo left the palace.
• Dick told Vesemir and Geralt that he had acted to avenge the Order’s dead, while privately reflecting that he had hidden the limits of his [Blood of Madness] ability.
• Vesemir praised Dick’s strength and said he could safely leave the Witcher Order’s future in Dick’s hands.

Queen Meve and Duke Amara reviewed the Northern Kingdoms’ battle plan against Burd III’s army, expected to reach Windwail Town the next day. After the others left, Duke Amara gave Kebi a test for winning his daughter’s hand and prepared to face the coming battle.

• Vesemir overheard the late-night council and worried that Queen Meve’s relationship with Dick would not recover.
• Duke Amara described the Northern Kingdoms’ defenses and their plan to ambush the barbarians near Windwail Town.
• Duke Amara reported that Burd III led two thousand barbarians, including three hundred Berserkers and a newly arrived shaman leader.
• Queen Meve approved the plan and said Dick’s strength, aided by two master swordsmen, could help against the Berserkers.
• Duke Amara told Kebi to bring back ten Misty Mountains Warriors’ heads with their ears intact as a betrothal gift.
• After midnight, Duke Amara stabbed the terrain model’s red figure of the Manslayer and wondered whether his steel army could defeat the transcendents.

Dick traveled with Xiya, Geralt, and Vesemir toward the queen’s army, reflecting on the day’s events and reassuring Xiya about her unstable magic. Their carriage stopped outside Ravenstern City when a familiar girl blocked the road, and Dick teased her about being a bandit again.

• Dick recalled Kebi picking him up for the oath-taking ceremony and giving Kebi two Dragon Tear Potions.
• Vesemir explained that the witchers would join the queen’s army and attack when enemy bears charged, while Barbara faced the shamans.
• Dick remembered Xiya waiting for him and later learned that her fire magic was powerful but difficult to control after her awakening.
• Dick promised to hold Xiya if she ever lost control, and she leaned against his shoulder as they joked together in the carriage.
• The carriage stopped outside Ravenstern City when a blond girl blocked the road, and Dick got out and asked if she had returned to banditry.