When Yavi opened his eyes again, he was back in his room. Having only just woken up, he still could not freely control his body and could barely lift his head to see his surroundings.
Besides him, Lambert, Eskel, and a white-haired Geralt were also in the room. All the other beds were empty. As his strength gradually returned, Yavi tried to control his body and slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. His head felt heavy and dizzy, as though it had been struck hard with a blunt weapon. He shook his head, trying to clear it, then went over to the bucket, scooped up a ladleful of water, and gulped it down. The cool water hit his stomach, and Yavi immediately felt much more alert. He let out a long breath and was just about to get dressed when Kharkov pushed the door open and entered. He looked at Yavi, then at the three lying in their beds, and remained silent for a long time.
"Were we the only ones who survived?"
Kharkov did not look Yavi in the eye. Instead, he lowered his head deeply, his iron-gray hair falling to hide his dark brown, catlike eyes.
Seeing this, Yavi lowered his head as well. The loss of his companions was what he least wanted to face, yet it was also the most unavoidable thing.
"Get some proper rest first. Your body still needs some time to recover. In a few days... in a few days, you'll begin entirely new training and studies as witchers." Kharkov's voice was slightly hoarse. After giving Yavi a few more brief instructions, he turned and left.
Yavi lay back down, but his heart would not settle for a long time. Whenever he closed his eyes, he recalled the days he had spent training with his companions.
After a brief spell of sadness, Yavi remembered that, before losing consciousness, he seemed to have heard a notification about a talisman activating. He closed his eyes and silently said, Talismans. Two talismans emitting a faint glow floated up in the pitch-black void: the Tiger Talisman and the Horse Talisman. He carefully checked the Horse Talisman's attributes.
Beginner Horse Talisman: Increases the host's health recovery by fifty percent. Magical activity detected within the host's body. Grants an additional twenty-five percent increase in magic recovery.
It seemed the Horse Talisman had undergone some changes as well, and it could also increase his magic recovery speed. That would be a considerable help in combat. If the talisman leveled up in the future, its recovery effects might become even stronger.
Yavi nodded in satisfaction at the Horse Talisman's effects. Becoming a witcher had already given him very powerful recovery, and the activated Horse Talisman enhanced it even further. As long as he did not suffer a fatal injury in future battles, he could slowly recover while fighting and wear his opponents down.
At this thought, Yavi secretly rejoiced. The joy of his successful transformation and the Horse Talisman dispelled his sorrow over losing his companions. Just as he was immersed in that joy, Geralt suddenly murmured from his bed, "Water... water..."
Hearing Geralt ask for water, Yavi immediately picked up a waterskin, helped him up, and began giving him water. Geralt drank in great gulps, nearly emptying the waterskin and filling his stomach with water. With his thirst eased, he recovered some of his energy. He glanced around and, upon finding that only four of them remained, said little. After noticing that his hair had turned white, however, he kept looking in the mirror, admiring his newly bleached hair. Not long afterward, Lambert and Eskel also woke up, one after the other. When they heard the news, neither could help feeling sad. After all, these were companions they had spent every day with for four years. Suddenly, only four of them remained, and they found it a little hard to accept. Meanwhile, Geralt was still admiring his peerless looks and flowing, lively white hair, leaving Yavi and the others somewhat embarrassed.
Over the following days, the four gradually began to understand and adapt to their transformed bodies. Discovering that their bodies had grown much stronger overall left them exceptionally excited, and they kept wanting to test their physical limits.
Seven days passed like this. During that time, Kharkov did not come to see them, simply leaving them to play around with the other young witchers who had successfully transformed.
On the eighth day, the assembly bell rang in the courtyard. All the young witchers lined up neatly there in their groups. Yavi took a rough look. There were six groups in total, and his group and one other were now the largest, with four members each. The remaining groups had two or three, while the worst-off group had only one.
While Yavi was looking around, Vesemir stepped up to the speaking platform. He cleared his throat and began, "First, congratulations to all of you for successfully passing the Trial of the Grasses and becoming true witchers. But while celebrating your success, do not forget the companions who failed and died. Let us observe three minutes of silence for the departed." With that, Vesemir lowered his head and clasped his hands at his waist. The other older witchers observed the silence just as Vesemir did, and the young witchers followed their example, lowering their heads in silence...
Once the three minutes had passed, Vesemir raised his head and began to speak. "I imagine you've more or less adapted to your transformed selves by now. Some of you may also have experienced different changes. Some may have undergone changes in personality, while others may have changed in appearance. But none of that matters. What matters is that you are still yourselves. Over the next ten years, you will go from witcher apprentices to master witchers. You have much to learn: wilderness survival, monster lore, alchemy, bombs, magical signs, and, most importantly, combat. So, starting tomorrow, you will begin entirely new training and studies as witchers! Everyone! Dismissed!"
After they were dismissed, Yavi was about to return to the dormitory when Kharkov suddenly walked over. "Yavi, come with me. Professor C wants to see you."
Yavi did not think much of it and went with Kharkov to Professor C's study. Upon entering, he saw Professor C sitting in a chair. Yavi was just about to speak when Professor C asked first, "How have you been feeling lately? Anything else out of the ordinary?"
Yavi thought carefully, but there seemed to be nothing different, so he shook his head. Professor C did not seem surprised. Instead, he came over and took hold of Yavi's arm. The instant Professor C grasped his arm, Yavi felt as though something inside him was surging and gradually forming a vortex within his body. He felt something in the surrounding air constantly being drawn into him along the vortex. This discovery immediately surprised him.
As Professor C let go, the sensation slowly faded until it disappeared.
"You felt that, didn't you? That is the power of magic. You have successfully activated the magic within your body, but you cannot yet guide, convert, and use it. During your transformation, I noticed another power guiding the magic entering your body. If not for that strange power, you probably wouldn't have activated your magic so easily. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Just carry on as usual from here. As time passes, you will become increasingly adept at using magic."