Chapter 13:

Envy, the meanest of vices, creeps on the ground like a serpent. - Ovid

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A Few Moments Later

Current Year: 1259

These past couple of days had been stressful, to say the least. I awoke from an excruciatingly painful Mutagenic experiment andI entered into a 'sort of' romantic relationship with a powerful sorceress. I also met the emperor of the most powerful nation in the world, threatened him with assassination and mutually assured destruction, and got away with it. Then I killed one of my mentors, one of the most gifted alchemical minds this world had. Besides me, of course.

I had finally awakened after what was no doubt a few hours of rest. My head was pounding, I wondered why that was for a few moments before I remembered what happened. Ivar sure doesn't throw his punches. I got up off my feet and gazed around at where I was. I was obviously inside the cave I had seen previously once we reached the top of the mountain. There were stalactites in a few key places and it was cold. There were a few torches that lined the walls that illuminated my surroundings well enough. Curiously, the entrance to the cave seems to be plugged up. The giant boulder outside seems to be covering the way that I came, or rather 'dragged', in. There must be a few holes to this cave for oxygen, otherwise the torches would have gone out.

I went over to the large stone and pounded on it a few times.

"Ivar! What is this? Lock me into a cave till I feel better? That's your plan? It's a stupid one!" I said, but soon ceased my attempts at trying to communicate. No one was going to respond.

I looked down at the supplies that I had with me. My share of the food and water was in here with me. I had a sword, it wasn't a witcher sword mind you, just a rather common steel one. A couple of throwing knives and some rope and that was it.

I decided to explore the area I was in, in hopes of figuring out a way to escape. I gathered up my things and headed off. I walked deeper into the unknown. Curiously, the cave aesthetic was slowly turning more structured the more I walked in. There were signs of ornate tiles on the floor and there were some pillars the further I made my way through. Most of them were destroyed and cracked, but a couple looked to be in good condition.

The architecture was obviously of elven, or Aine Seidhe if you were a scholar like me, origin. Great, a possibly dangerous elven temple inside of a cave on a mountain directly above the witcher school. I'm moderately strong, but I'm not a witcher yet. I don't know If I'll be able to face what lies within. There's probably elementals, wraiths, and who knows what else.

Well, I'll just have to suck it up and stop being a baby. No great man has ever changed the world without sacrifice. I readied my sword just in case anything happens. I would probably have to rely more on my signs if there were any wraiths within. This is just a steel sword, it probably won't do much to them.

I continued to walk, occasionally glancing behind me every few moments. I will not just be relying on my newly enhanced witcher senses in order to check if there was anything coming up behind me. I will not make Geralt's mistake and get stabbed in the back by a common peasant with a pitchfork. Geralt had faced enemies like Vilgefortz before and he dies to something stupid like that? Preposterous, but such is the way of the world.

I eventually made my way through a particularly well preserved corridor. It seems these parts of the ruins held up to time better than the rest. After I had passed through, I came upon a decently large clearing in the form of a circle. It was no larger than the courtyard used for training back home, but the walls were still intact and the floor was covered in elvish designed tiles. There were a few pillars holding up the ceiling.

I lowered my weapon, this was a dead end and nothing had attacked me the entire time I was here. Despite my failure at finding a way out, I continued walking into the clearing. The architecture here was quite beautiful. There was nothing quite like it to compare it to on earth. It was amazing, I'm glad I was reborn into this world. To see sights like this almost makes all the pain worth it.

"Hey!"

I immediately dropped all of my supplies to the ground except for my weapons, then I turned around and drew my sword with the quickness of a cat. A voice had appeared from behind me. I wasn't skittish, at least not anymore, but I was ready for a fight. I gazed around, but did not see where the child-like voice had come from.

Sensing nothing and seeing no one in my surroundings, I almost dropped my guard, but I felt a touch on my shoulder. I turned around once more and saw….well….Someone I did not exactly want to see.

"Hey there! Who are you?" The form of an eight year old little boy with a moderately good looking face and brown hair and eyes said. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a grey shirt. He also had a venomous green sweatshirt on that was unzipped. He had an incredibly happy and chipper tone when he spoke.

This was the form….Of myself. When I was eight years old, on earth, this is what I looked like. I looked down at him, I was a couple inches taller in this life than I was in the last. The feelings I got from seeing..myself, well, it wasn't exactly pleasant.

"I'm sorry, kid. But, I promised that if I EVER met my younger self, there was ONE thing I would do." I said while glaring at my younger self.

"Hey! Who are you calling kid? You look just as old as I-" He said, but was not able to continue. I reamed my fist back as far as I could and sucker punched him right in the face.

He fell to the ground from the power of my fist. It was alright, he deserves everything he's about to get.

"Hey! What did you do that for?!" My younger self screamed as he rubbed his cheek.

"Because you're a cunt, 'Morgan', that's why." I said with a bit of anger in my voice. That used to be my name. Morgan. It had truly been a long time since I even thought about it.

I truly didn't like my younger self. He was always too kind for his own good. He 'believed' in humans and saw the best in them. It truly disgusted me. He believed that evil was in the world to remind humans what being 'good' truly is. How naive. Evil is just evil, there's nothing more to it. Sometimes lesser, sometimes greater, it's all the same.

"If I could, I would kill you. However, if I did that, I would never become me. You're lucky. You're one of the only people who is beyond my reach." I seethed out. It truly disgusts me to have to talk to him.

"Well, from where I'm standing," 'Morgan' looked down at the floor and then back at me. "All I see in front of me is a bully. You became what we hated the most."

I just looked at him while he said that. He wasn't completely wrong. When I was his age though, I didn't realize what I truly hated. I discovered it as I got older. What was the quote they used to say? "Inside every cynical person is a disappointed idealist"

"You do not know what I hate most, 'Morgan'. You only think you do. You 'think' that you hate those who are 'unjust'. That is not true. You'll learn as you age. What you really hate, is the completely flawed and utterly distasteful thing that is humanity. You despise them. Hypocritical as it may be, you even despise yourself for being one of them." I said while making sure to nail the point home by staring into morgan's eyes.

"That's not true!" Morgan said with a quivering lip. "Inside of us, me, you, and everyone around us is potential. We can be better than what we are. Kindness costs us nothing!"

I glared at Morgan again. It truly is disappointing. This is the world view that only a child could have. Humanity is evil, I know this to be true. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or trying to sell you something.

"Kindness," I spoke before pausing to make sure 'Morgan' understood what I was saying. "Kindness, Is a weakness 'Morgan'. It is reserved only for the family that you have gathered around you and trust. Everyone else will take advantage of that side of you. You need to temper yourself."

I tried to warn Morgan, but it was futile. He won't believe me until he sees it for himself. 'I' was stubborn like that. He'll know soon enough though. Eventually, he'll grow into the man that is my older self.

"Now, 'Morgan', why are you here. Is this some type of test? You trying to bring out that 'kindness' that you see inside of me?" I said while giving 'Morgan' a questioning stare.

"That was...One of the options. I should have known that you were already too far gone to accept something like 'Kindness'" Morgan said with a smile. "There are only two ways of escape from what you are about to face. Accept peace and love and forgiveness, or you must fight against the 'Sinful One'."

Morgan seemed to shudder when he mentioned this 'Sinful One'. I glared at him once again, I was sure he wasn't real, but it didn't matter. The illusion was capable of affecting reality. I knew that much from the moment Morgan touched my shoulder and I punched him in the face.

"Who is that? What is this 'Sinful One' you speak of?" I asked Morgan.

"He is a manifestation of ourselves. Whereas I represent the love that is buried deep within your heart, he represents the evil. He is an amalgamation of all your pain, fear, anger, frustration, suffering and most importantly, Hatred." Morgan said with a smile. He is acting truly child like.

"Bring him out then." I said with certainty. "I will not cower before myself. I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul. If anyone is gonna come out of this, it's going to be me. Not you, not this 'Sinful One', just me."

Morgan nodded at my answer and slowly faded away. There was silence, except for the burning of the torches on the walls. All of a sudden, the lights slightly dimmed as a form of shadows coalesced next to me. Slowly, shadows stacked on top of eachother until It built itself up from the darkness to match the characteristics of my current body. It was wearing the same clothing and looked exactly like my present self, pointy ears and all. The shadow being let out a hysterical laugh and summoned a sword made of shadows to his hands. His eyes glowed a frightening red color.

"You should have accepted the goodness into your heart, it was a mistake to refuse. Now, you'll have to suffer." The 'Sinful One' said with a demonic laugh, its voice distorted.

"Oh I think a mistake has been made." I let out a battle loving smile. "But by whom? Well, it's yet to be determined."

I lashed out with a vicious overhead strike, intent on cleaving this 'Sinful One' in two. He met my sword and we entered into a fierce blade lock. It did not last long as he pushed me away with a powerful kick to my sternum. I flew across the clearing, but managed to barrel myself into a controlled roll.

I quickly got up and rose to my feet. I would not give this creature time to deliver another blow. I activated a Quen sign to attempt to protect me from future damage. A Pale wisp of orange energy surrounded me.

I charged the 'Sinful One' once again. We began to engage in a swift exchange of blows, blocks and parries. This assault continued for several moments until he switched up his attack pattern and attempted to bisect me with a slice to my rear. I leaned back as far as I could and moved underneath the blade, barely avoiding a direct hit.

I quickly summoned a quick burst of flames with my Igni sign, setting the 'Sinful One' alight. The creature made of shadows screamed out in agony and backed off for a moment, intent on creating some distance in order to ward off my attack. That was fine with me as I began to cast the alternate sign mode for Yrden, creating a floating rune in the air that periodically shot out bolts of lightning.

I quickly reapplied my Quen sign as it had run out during my earlier exchange of blows. I moved in to attempt another attack. The creature was still damaged from my Igni sign and was recovering. I moved over to his flailing form, intent on delivering a precise cut and finishing this battle.

All of a sudden as I approached to deal a powerful blow, the 'Sinful One' suddenly moved with deadly ferocity. He made an underhanded strike reaching upwards. I managed to move myself before the full force of the blow could connect. However, I was not able to dodge completely out of the way. The strike completely shattered through my Quen sign. A deep cut appeared on the left side of my lip. It went all the way through from above my chin, to my upper lip.

"Damn you! You've almost tarnished my stellar good looks! It will be a cool scar, true, but you're affecting my chances with the ladies!" I screamed out at him in rage. I really hope Fringilla likes cool scars, otherwise I might be in trouble. Well, if it looks anything like Ezio's, I should be fine. Although, it was on the opposite side.

The 'Sinful One' tried to keep up his attack, but was shot by my Yrden sign which made him stumble for a moment. After he recovered, he attempted to attack me with the alternate sign mode for Igni. A huge gust of flames came out from his hands in the form of a giant fire stream.

Before the flames managed to reach me, I managed to block with one of my most recent acquisitions, the Heliotrope sign! I crossed my arms together and using this unique sign, I deterred the attack. Unlike my Quen sign, Heliotrope was capable of blocking powerful blows, but only once it was cast. It did not stick to you like the Quen sign did. After a moment, my Yrden sign which was still on the ground hit him again. He stumbled backwards once more.

I knew this was my chance and I sprinted at him. I delivered a fierce upwards strike, similar to what he attempted to achieve earlier. My blade bore into the flesh, or 'shadow flesh, of his torso and made its way up towards his neck. It was a clean blow, my blade met little resistance. The 'Sinful One' dropped to his knees, the fight had been decided. Just in case, however, I took out one of my throwing knives and stabbed it into his eye and through his brain.

I let his 'corpse' fall to the ground. My mission was completed. I poked the 'Sinful One's' body a few times with the edge of my blade, making sure he was really gone. I smirked, I had won the duel. I walked away from him and over towards my supplies. I desperately needed water after that killer workout. It was a good fight to test my mettle. I reached down in order to grab my canteen from my pack. All of a sudden, I felt arms appear and grasp hold tightly around my neck. I looked up to see the 'Sinful One' smiling down at me.

"You will never escape your fate." The 'Sinful One' darkly intoned, ominously.

I just stared at him, rage on my face. Why can't this cunt just lay down and die already?! There is work to be done, he will not stand in my way!

"That may be so." I said while seething. "But you shall not be around too see if it's true"

I raised my hand up to the "Sinful One's' face and activated the alternate sign mode for Igni. A stream of flames covered the 'Sinful One's' skull in a cocoon of fire. His cranium was being melted into ash. He screamed, but he did not let go of the hold on my neck. Slowly, I felt unconsciousness take me once more.

"Well, at least I tried." I managed to say before I fell into a cold, dreamless sleep.

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A Little While Later:

Current Year; 1259

I woke up the sound and feeling of someone slapping my face. I also thought I heard someone saying something, but I couldn't quite make out what.

"Harkon….Hey Harkon!....Harkon! Get your fookin ass up! You're alive my boy, it was close, but you're alive." A man who sounded like Ivar said.

My eyes took a moment to adjust to what was happening. I was currently still inside the cave in the middle of the circle shaped clearing. There were scorch marks everywhere and obvious signs that a battle had been fought around me.

"It's been a long month, hasn't it Harkon? I swear you made me worried sick." Ivar said with a tinge of respect in his voice that I had survived.

"Ivar you're…. Wait...A month?! Ivar I've only been in here a few hours at most!" I managed to scream out despite my tired state.

"Haha, I thought that way too when I had to undergo this particularly distasteful journey. Nope, it has been a month, see for yourself." Ivar said while gesturing to all of the unpackaged food that looked like it had been eaten by a wild animal. "My additional mutations had caused my mind to break in a similar way to yours. When I was still a part of the School of the Bear, my master took me to a cave in Skellige and made me drink the same potion I gave you. It works like a charm, but there's a 60% chance that the witcher trainee in question will commit suicide."

Ivar gestured to my face and my neck. I was confused by what he meant until I touched my lips. The cut that I received from the 'Sinful One' during our intense duel was still there. Resting on my neck, however, was a noose. Most of the rope was charred and disintegrated beyond recognition, but the circle piece was still clasped and held tightly around my throat. I quickly tore the rope off of myself and threw it to the ground.

"Ivar, are you telling me that...All….All of this, was done by me and me alone? The cut on my lip, the noose around my neck and the damage that has been done to this cavern? Was it all self inflicted? There were no 'shadow demons' or anything like that, just me?" I asked, my tone full of doubt that it was all just a dream or vision.

"Yup. It's a pretty tough experience, but it was the only way I knew how to surely fix a broken mind." Ivar said with a chipper tone.

"Alright, as hard as it is to believe, alright. What now?" I asked, wanting to leave this place for good.

"Now, we head back down the mountain. You must face the Trial of Dreams tomorrow, afterall." Ivar said, reminding me of what was to come.

"Ok. Let us leave then. I no longer wish to stay within this place." I said with eagerness. I never want to come back here if I can help it.

I gathered what remained of my things and then we both made our way out of the cavern. It took us a few minutes, but eventually I saw the daylight. The boulder that was blocking the door had been moved.

"Did you move that boulder?" I asked Ivar questioningly.

"What? No, I didn't. I can't lift something like that. The most I could do was use Aard, but that would probably just destroy it. I simply placed you inside and then made camp out here until you awoke. Don't worry, I stopped any bears that wanted to make that cave their home. " Ivar replied back to me.

I just nodded at his answer. We began walking, making our descent down the mountain. As we embarked on our journey home, I turned my head to look at the cave behind me one last time. I glared at it for a few moments before returning my gaze in front of me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ivar asked sheepishly. He saw me looking back at the cave.

"No." I said, ending the discussion. We continued our journey home in silence as we made our way down the mountain.