Yavi held his breath and advanced slowly against the damp stone wall. As the distance shortened, the scene at the end of the stone corridor gradually became clearer: five or six sorceresses in high-level apprentice robes gathered in a circle, with a thin figure curled up in the center. They kept spitting out evil words. Poisonous curses, mixed with contemptuous sneers. Every time someone raised his foot to kick the girl who was curled up with her head in her arms, Yavi could hear a suppressed groan - the girl was obviously used to such bullying, and even knew how to protect her vitals by curling up.
He could have turned around and left. What did Academy of Sorcerers's overt and covert fighting have to do with him? But looking at the trembling body, some more primitive instinct took over. Yavi's fingertips dug into the cracks in the stone wall, and with a little force, he broke off a piece of sharp-edged gravel. He weighed the weight and locked his eyes on the leading girl who was giving orders arrogantly.
The roar of the rocks tearing through the air was almost inaudible.
"Bang!"
The muffled sound of a precise hit on the back of the head stopped all the curses. The leading girl let out a heart-rending scream, and blood instantly poured out of her golden hair. She staggered a few steps, fell down like a felled tree, and fell to the ground holding her head. The others were in a mess, some were checking their wounds in panic, some were casting hemostatic spells in vain, and another was looking around vigilantly - but only the swaying torches cast swaying shadows in the empty stone corridor.
"Send her to the recovery room first!" one of them shouted. As they fled in a hurry with the bloody leader, Yavi's figure slowly appeared from under Snake Talisman.
It wasn't until the footsteps completely disappeared that the bullied girl stood up tremblingly. When she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, she suddenly heard new footsteps approaching. She shrank into a ball like a reflex, but unexpectedly felt a warm green light covering her whole body. The bruises were fading, the cracks were healing, and even the dull pain in her ribs was receding like a tide.
She raised her head and saw a slender figure standing against the light. Her blond curly hair hung down on her shoulders like molten gold, and her blue eyes were more dazzling than Emerald Wing's most precious gem. The young sorcerer apprentice withdrew his spell-casting gesture, and the unique healing light of Horse Talisman still remained on his hand.
She subconsciously looked down at her twisted hands - her knuckles were thick and deformed, and there were still bruises on her skin that had not completely subsided. A familiar sense of shame came to her heart, and she hurriedly hid her hands behind her back, saying in a voice as thin as a mosquito's fly, "Thank you... thank you."
Only at this moment did Yavi really see the bullied girl clearly. She had unforgettable features: long black hair hanging down to her waist, with a few strands of hair sticking to her sweaty forehead; the most astonishing thing was her pair of violet eyes, which flowed even in the dim corridor. She has a breathtaking brilliance. However, this beauty is cruelly distorted - her spine is slightly rickety, her facial bones are asymmetrically bulged, and her right shoulder is significantly higher than her left shoulder. When she noticed Yavi's gaze, she immediately turned her face sideways, letting her long hair cover the deformed outline.
"You're welcome, classmate." Yavi said in a calm tone, neither deliberately avoiding his eyes nor showing mercy. He has seen too many cursed and twisted bodies, and this appearance is just one of thousands of sufferings in his eyes. "Why do they bully you? It's because you... um..."
He regretted it before he finished speaking. The girl lowered her head suddenly, and her protruding spine was clearly visible under the thin robe. She twisted her fingers hard, and her knuckles made a slight "click" sound. "Because..." Her voice trembled, "A monster like me should not appear in Academy of Sorcerers..."
"No... don't say that," Yavi saw her fierce reaction and realized that his words might have hurt her. His tone was gentler, but with unquestionable sincerity, "The body... may go through hardships and take on different forms," he considered the words and avoided. "Flaws" are such harsh words, "But what truly defines a person is the tenacity of the soul and the inner brilliance. The appearance is just a temporary body. Believe me, there will always be someone who can penetrate the appearance and see the true appearance of your soul." He paused, and his voice was low and powerful, "Before that, please take care of yourself."
He tried to change the topic and pointed to the passage of the training ground behind him. "I train here almost every afternoon. If... if they come to trouble you again, they can come here to find me." He tried to make his smile look natural, "By the way, my name is Yavi. What about you?"
Yennefer's body was still tense, but the undoubted affirmation in Yavi's words penetrated into her frozen heart like a faint warmth. She had never heard such words before. Her lips moved a few times before she made a thin, stuttering sound, "I... my name... is... Ye...Yennefer."
"Yennefer?!"
This name exploded in Yavi's mind like a thunder! The calmness on his face shattered instantly, his pupils shrank violently, his body became stiff, and his jaw opened slightly, as if he was really about to fall down in shock--Yennefer?! That legendary sorceress who has a world-famous appearance, is extremely powerful, and has been entangled with the son of destiny Geralt for half her life? How could this curled up, bullied, and twisted girl in front of her be...?
Yennefer saw Yavi's violent reaction, and the huge panic instantly overwhelmed her. Sure enough! Even the only person who showed kindness to her was frightened by her name (or herself)! She shrank back like a frightened beast, held her head in her hands, and cried in her voice, "Yes... I'm sorry! I know... I know this name is also scary..."
"No! It's not!" Yavi interrupted her with almost a roar, and the voice reverberated in the stone corridor. He immediately realized that he had lost his temper, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and explained quickly, "I'm sorry! I lost my temper! Yennefer... This is... a very good name! Really!" He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and suppressed the turmoil about the future back to the bottom of his heart.
A decision was made instantly. He no longer hesitated, solemnly took a step forward, extended his right hand to Yennefer, his eyes burning. "Yennefer, classmate, nice to meet you." His smile returned to his face, this time with incomparable sincerity, "I look forward to becoming friends with you in the future."
Yennefer stared blankly at the outstretched hand with distinct joints, and then looked down at her twisted and deformed hand with thick knuckles. A fierce struggle and humble retreat flashed through her purple eyes. She hesitated and raised herself extremely slowly. The ugly hand, with its fingertips trembling slightly, moved closer to Yavi's hand. However, just before the fingertips were about to touch the palm of the other person's palm, a huge sense of inferiority seized her again, and the hand suddenly shrank back like an electric shock!
But Yavi's movements were faster and more determined. The moment she flinched, his hand had already reached forward and firmly and irresistibly held her half-stretched right hand, which was covered with scars and deformities!
That hand was cold, rough, and jagged, like holding a jagged stone. But Yavi held it very tightly and steadily, conveying a silent power. Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Immediately, Yavi naturally let go of his hand, as if it was just a common courtesy. The gentle smile on his face did not change at all, as if the hand he just held was a perfect hand.
Yennefer froze on the spot, the hand that had been held still retained a strange and heart-stopping warmth. In her violet eyes, there was shock, confusion, and a faint light that even she herself had not noticed.