3 MONTHS LATER -
Time passed differently in Kaer Morhen. Not marked by dates or seasons, but by progress and small changes.
The sound of hammer striking steel echoed through the courtyard.
It wasn't the rough, careless kind that came from simple repairs. There was thought behind each strike now, force, controlled angles, pauses in between as if the one holding the hammer was listening to the metal itself.
Sebastian stood by the makeshift forge Vesemir had arranged for him. It wasn't much, an old furnace brought back to life with his flames, a sturdy anvil, tools gathered from years of neglect, but it was enough.
For now, the blade in his hands was… uneven.
Functional but flawed.
He turned it slightly, eyes narrowing as he traced the edge with his thumb, feeling every imperfection.
"…Still off," he muttered.
Behind him, Vesemir watched in silence for a moment, arms resting loosely behind his back.
"You're being too hard on yourself," the old witcher said at last. "That would've been considered fine work for a trained smith's apprentice."
Sebastian huffed faintly.
"I'm not aiming for just 'fine.'"
He set the blade down carefully.
"I can see where it fails. The balance is slightly off, the edge isn't as clean as it should be… and the steel itself..."
He glanced toward the furnace.
"...isn't good enough."
Geralt, leaning against one of the stone pillars nearby, let out a quiet chuckle.
"Listen to him," he said. "We get ourselves a smith, and he's already complaining about the quality of the keep."
Sebastian didn't even look up.
"I'll help on some occasions," he replied. "Not permanently though."
Geralt smirked faintly.
"Shame. Could've been useful. We kind of need a permanent one."
Then, he said more seriously,
"But really that was smart of you to use your flames like this… And getting this good in such a short time?"
He shook his head slightly.
"You keep this up, you'll be a grandmaster in a few years."
That made Sebastian glance at him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then,
"I'd need a real grandmaster for that," he said. "Someone who actually knows what they're doing to learn from, the books we have aren't enough."
His gaze drifted briefly over the forge, the tools, the limited supplies that Kaer Morhen offered.
"We lack knowledge here. And materials."
"What I'm doing now… is mere imitation."
Vesemir nodded slowly.
"And yet," he said, "you're improving."
Sebastian didn't argue that.
Because it was true.
Not far from the forge, Ciri sat on the low stone steps, watching.
She had been there for a while.
Long enough to see the process. The repetition. The small corrections.
The progress.
Her fingers curled slightly against her knees.
"…You make it look easy," she muttered.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder briefly.
"It's not."
Ciri tilted her head.
"Could've fooled me."
Sebastian studied her for a second, then turned back to his work.
"It's just time," he said. "And focus."
Ciri looked down.
'Time…'
Her jaw tightened slightly.
That was the problem, wasn't it?
Time passed.
And she… didn't improve.
****
Sometime Ago Back in the courtyard,
Ciri stood again before Yennefer.
Hand raised.
"Again," Yennefer said calmly.
Ciri exhaled focused then tried,
Nothing.
Her hand trembled slightly,
Then dropped.
"…I can't," she said quietly this time.
Not angry or shouting.
Just… tired.
Yennefer didn't respond immediately.
She watched her.
Studied her, something in her expression shifted, and it was not impatience or frustration…
"We're approaching this the wrong way," she said at last.
Ciri blinked.
"What?"
But Yennefer didn't answer her directly.
Her gaze drifted toward Geralt, standing at the edge of the courtyard.
****
A BIT LATER -
When Ciri had stepped away again, frustration weighing on her shoulders,
Yennefer approached him quietly.
"She's blocked," she said.
Geralt frowned slightly.
"Blocked?"
Yennefer nodded once.
"Her power isn't gone," she said. "It's… restrained."
A brief pause.
"Emotionally."
Geralt's gaze hardened slightly.
"Meaning?"
Yennefer crossed her arms.
"The only time she's used it properly," she said, "was when she felt something strong enough to break control."
Her eyes met his.
"Fear. Anger. Desperation."
"That's the only trigger. For now."
Geralt was silent for a moment.
Then,
"That's not something we can just… teach."
"No," Yennefer agreed.
"But it is something we can understand, at least that's how I see it now."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward Ciri in the distance.
"We need a different approach."
****
Inside the keep, in one of the quieter chambers, Yennefer stood with a book in hand.
Ancient text. Elven script.
She didn't need to look at it as Sebastian spoke.
"…Shaerrawedd en aep morvudd," he read aloud, the words careful, but smooth.
Not hesitant anymore.
Yennefer closed the book slowly, studying him.
"…Again," she said.
Sebastian repeated it, this time cleaner, more natural.
The cadence of Elder Speech no longer foreign on his tongue.
Yennefer's lips curved slightly.
"Impressive.."
Sebastian shrugged faintly.
"It's just a language."
"No," she corrected, stepping closer. "It's not just anything."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"Most take months to grasp even the basics. You've done it in weeks."
A pause.
"You didn't just memorize it," she added. "You understand Its structure and meaning... Even the most educated mages struggled with it."
Sebastian crossed his arms lightly.
"I've always been good with patterns."
Yennefer hummed softly.
"Is it now?" she said.
Her eyes lingered on him a moment longer,
Then she turned away.
"Don't get comfortable," she added. "Understanding words is one thing."
A faint glance over her shoulder.
"Understanding what they unlock… is another thing. You should be careful with it as a Witcher, you'll find things out there regarding elder speech... curses even."
Sebastian stood across from her now, his gaze drifting over the pages, not aimlessly.
He had already read most of them.
Yennefer noticed.
Of course she did.
"You've run out of things to ask about Elder Speech," she said without looking up.
It wasn't a question.
Sebastian let out a quiet breath.
"…More or less."
That made her glance at him.
One brow raised slightly.
"More or less?" she repeated. "That language has layers most never uncover in a lifetime, there is still room for you to learn more."
"I know," he said. "But I've got what I need from it. For now."
"I want to learn something else."
That earned him her full attention.
Yennefer closed the book in front of her slowly, fingers resting against its cover as she studied him.
"…Go on," she said.
Sebastian didn't hesitate.
"Magic."
Yennefer leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Magic," she repeated.
"You already use it."
Sebastian shook his head faintly.
"Signs aren't the same."
"No," she agreed. "They're not."
"They're crude. Simplified. A child's grasp of something far greater."
Her gaze sharpened.
"But yours…" she added, quieter now, "are not."
Sebastian didn't react outwardly, but his focus tightened.
"Geralt told me, but I've noticed it myself," Yennefer continued, rising from her seat and circling him slowly. "The way you cast. The strength behind it."
She stopped just beside him.
"You don't struggle with it the way Witchers should."
"If anything…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"…your affinity is closer to a mage than a Witcher."
Sebastian finally looked at her.
"Closer than them," she corrected herself with a small, knowing tilt of her head. "But not quite like us either."
A brief silence stretched between them.
Then,
"Can I learn it?" he asked.
Yennefer's lips curved faintly.
"Oh, you can," she said. "The question is whether you should or not."
She stepped back, folding her arms.
"Magic isn't a sword you can simply pick up and master through repetition. It requires discipline. Understanding. Control."
Her gaze flicked briefly to his hands.
"And restraint."
Sebastian nodded once.
"That does sound like traits you need for swordsmanship."
"No," she said quietly. "I think you didn't hear the 'restraint' part.."
She made a small pause..
Then
"What kind of magic do you wish to learn?" she asked.
Sebastian didn't answer immediately.
He thought about it.
"…Constructs," he said at last.
Yennefer blinked once.
"…Excuse me?"
"Solid constructs," he clarified. "Golems."
Now she stared at him.
Not confused.
Just… surprised.
"That's what you want to start with?" she asked slowly.
Sebastian met her gaze without flinching.
"Yes."
A quiet breath left her as she turned away, one hand rising to pinch lightly at the bridge of her nose.
"Of all things…"
She paced a few steps, then turned back toward him.
"You do realize those are among the more dangerous branches of magic?"
Her tone sharpened slightly.
"They require constant control. Precision and a large amount of power. One mistake and they don't just fail.. they turn on you."
"Or worse."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"And you're telling me a teenage Witcher wants to create something like that?"
Sebastian didn't look away.
"I might find a use for them one day," he said simply.
Yennefer's expression didn't change.
"That's not an answer."
"It is," he replied.
Then, more quietly,
"Having the knowledge matters."
His gaze shifted slightly, distant for just a moment.
"I don't like being unprepared."
Yennefer watched him closely.
Measuring.
Weighing.
"Prepared for what? War with Nilfgaard?" she sighed.
Sebastian's eyes flickered back to her.
"I'd use my flames as the base element for them," he said. "If possible."
A faint tilt of her head.
"Your flames," she said slowly. "They're… unusual."
Sebastian nodded.
"They're not magical."
"Yes," she said after a moment. "I've noticed."
A longer silence followed.
Then Yennefer exhaled, shaking her head slightly.
"This is reckless, and Geralt won't like it..." she muttered.
But there was no real refusal in her voice.
Just… acceptance wrapped in reluctance.
She looked at him again.
Longer this time.
"You learn fast," she said. "Faster than you should."
"And that makes you a bit dangerous.."
Sebastian didn't respond.
"Fine," she said at last.
"If you're set on this, I'll teach you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"But we do it my way."
A step closer.
"Slowly and carefully. And if I decide you're about to lose control…"
Her voice dropped.
"I will stop you."
Sebastian nodded without hesitation.
"Seems fair to me."
/-\
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