Chapter 8:

If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not, after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster, the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance, the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty, the creator of ambition, the author of modesty, of inquiry, of doubt, of investigation, of progress and of civilization. - Robert Green Ingersoll

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Current Year: ?>1\$<%

I was…..somewhere else. I was in a dark, open field, right in the middle of a forest. I was currently sitting on the ground, unaware of where I was or how I got here. There was an unnatural red tint to everything. I stared up to see the sky. A crescent moon adorned the heavens. Except, instead of the natural bright and holy glow a moon would naturally produce, it was a rusty blood red color. I tore my gaze away from the moon for a moment and took notice of the fact that the leaves on the trees in the landscape surrounding me shared that same color.

It looked beautiful, in a way. I personally like the aesthetic. I slowly got up off the ground and admired the beauty of the landscape for a moment.

After I was finished, I turned around to see what else was in the area. As soon as I turned around, I saw it. A giant tree, similar to the much smaller ones surrounding me. It was larger than some buildings in my past life. It had the same blood red leaves and charcoal like bark. I noticed that there was a hole that looked suspiciously like an entrance.

Slowly I made my way over and admired the tree, before walking inside. It wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. There were candles placed on iron holsters that adorned the area. Slowly they carved out a path towards a structure. A throne. It looked menacing, made out of jagged metal and bark. The throne didn't interest me though, more so the person sitting upon it. He wore a hood, but he was wearing luxurious green robes with black accents. He raised his head that was resting comfortably on his fist.

"So, you're here." The man intoned. His voice was dark and deep. He commanded an aura of authority with his words alone.

He seemed to gaze at me and I felt like all of my secrets were exposed to this man. The power he commanded was intense. I didn't know what to say, anything I did say would leave me at a disadvantage.

"You're here a bit early, but that's alright. I can work with this." The man said before I could introduce myself. I didn't know what he meant by that, but it didn't sound good. Finally I worked up the courage to speak.

"Good evening, Lord. My name is Harkon. I was wondering if you might know where I am?" I said, trying to be as nice and modest as possible.

"Well that is an interesting question, isn't it." The man said with a small chuckle. "The answer to it is not simple, but I suppose you could say that you are in my domain."

I almost frowned at that, but I dared not too. This was someone who I could not offend.

"Ah I see. If I might trouble you, my lord, would you happen to know how I may be able to return home?" I said, getting to my point. I can tell he's the type of person who hates useless questions.

"Well, It would be quite rude to leave without learning this lord's name, would it not?" The man said, forming what I thought was a smile under his hood. His aura seemed to expand and it carried with it a sense of dread.

I freezed up. I have never experienced a power like this, something like weaponizing a presence. I almost did not want to believe it was real, but then I remembered magic was a thing.

"I-I apologize my lord, tell me, what is your name?" I said with a pleading tone. This is not a situation where I can appear to be powerful.

The man slowly got off his throne. He walked over to me, his steps booming all the while. His presence seemed to get stronger and stronger, bringing me to my knees. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, he arrived at my side. He glanced at my kneeling position and chuckled.

"Tell me "Harkon", what is it they say about fruit and serpents?" The man smiled a way only a devil could.

I tried to meet his gaze, if he was going to kill me I would look into his eyes as he did so. All of a sudden, I clutched my heart in pain. An incredibly severe burning and suction force came over me. I felt like my body was being pulled into itself.

The man looked at me, his face still indistinguishable. From the tone of his next few words, I imagined he had frown on his face..

"It seems our time is up. Your soul can no longer withstand my presence. You must finish your trial, you will survive, of that I can be certain. Unfortunately due to some 'unfortunate' complications… You'll have to experience the trial while awake. You won't be able to pass out due to shock." The man said. This time he sounded like he pitied me.

"Goodbye Harkon, next time bring some fruit with you. I do so love apples." The man finally said with a small chuckle as my whole body seemed to snap back to reality. I was back in the basement underneath the keep of Kaer Lorna. For a second, I looked around seeing the mages and druids watching each of the students.

Then, all of a sudden, I realized something. I was in excruciating, mind numbing, soul crushing, existential pain.

"AHhahha! Ahhaha! AHHHHHahHHaaaHHHH!!!????!??!!!!!" I screamed out incoherently like a beast.

I wasn't capable of understanding anything that was going on around me as all I felt was extremely excruciating pain. It was everywhere, crawling up my spine and into my eyes, heart and brain. I did not know how much time had passed since the trial had started, all I knew was that my entire existence was the pain.

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P.O.V Switch: Ivar Evil-Eye

3 Days Into The Trial

Current Year: 1259

I don't know what was happening, Harkon was screaming in pain for the first three days of the trial, but now it was like he had gotten a second wind. Usually by now, the witcher trainees will have screamed so much that their vocal cords were destroyed and then remade by the elixirs of the trial.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked Torsten. He would know more than I when it comes to these trials.

Torsten looked at me before speaking humbly.

"This is actually a good thing. He's fighting extremely hard, which is good. I would be more worried if his body stopped moving and screaming altogether. That would be a sign that the body was getting ready to give up. This second wind he seems to have gotten will probably help." Torsten said, but I knew it was an educated guess. You never know with these trials, one of the trainees could be doing extremely well one minute and then be dead the next.

"Where's Revna?" I asked no one in particular.

"She went upstairs," A woman that Harkon had warned me about, Fringilla Vigo, said before continuing. "She muttered something about not being able to watch her 'son' go through this anymore."

I nodded at her words. I began to trek my way up the stairs to check on her. Harkon wouldn't want to see her suffer after all. I reached the top and found the door to the courtyard open. I walked through before taking a gander outside. Revna was sitting down on the dark gravel and crying her eyes out.

I walked over to her and sat on the ground while putting my arms around her. No woman should have to witness something like this happen to her child. It was actually her idea to come here. I'd been sending her letters back and forth for the entire seven years that Harkon had been here.

I'll admit, I've grown quite fond of her. I visited her sometimes to inform her of Harkon's progress over the years while I was on jobs and searching for clues about the Wild Hunt. It's 'possible' that our relationship was closer than I'd admitted to Harkon when I talked to him earlier, but that's not important.

I was here to comfort her, I had told her not to come. She knew the risks and accepted them anyway. She glanced up from the ground, her sobs growing more controlled before she spoke.

"I don't know how anyone can go through that much pain." She said in sniffles.

I looked at her, hugging her a bit tighter.

"He's fighting very hard," I told her and paused for a moment before continuing. "I've never seen someone fight this hard to survive after days of the trial."

She looked into my eyes at that. She reached over and gave me a peck on the lips. She calmed down a little bit before she deigned to speak again.

"Do you think he'll win?" She asked, pleading to know my answer.

My gaze was serious, but I had a smile on my face.

��If there's anyone that cou-" I started to stay before I was suddenly cut off by the shaking of the ground. The castle shuddered.

An earthquake? Now? A coincidence like that doesn't just happen.

An idea sparked into my head. I looked at Revna and told her I had to go. She asked me what was wrong, but I had no time to answer. I dashed my way through the keep and made my way to the door that led to the basement. The castle was shaking all the while. I bolted down the stairs and reached the basement to figure out what was happening.

"What's going on?!" I asked everyone at the same time. The rumbling was getting worse and there was a pressure being exerted on my body.

"It's Harkon!" Torsten shouted, the noise almost drowning him out. "Somethings gone wrong!"

"He's a source!" Fringilla, the sorceress, exclaimed. "He's acting as a conduit for chaos itself. We need to stop him before he brings down the castle walls on our heads!"

I glared at the sorceress, she did originally come here to try and destroy MY school afterall.

"Do you know how to stop him?" I asked suspiciously. We haven't dealt with this kind of situation before. There has never been a witcher who has also been a source. I idiotically assumed that Harkon had not yet accessed his powers as a source, with no training for his source powers he should have been alright. Unfortunately, the mutations seem to be causing a serious reaction.

"Do I know how to stop him?" Fringilla scoffed at that notion. "I'm not sure there's any magic in the world that can 'deactivate' a source having some sort of conduit moment."

Damn it, this woman was useless. It looks like I need to take care of this with my own two hands. I need to get through to Harkon somehow. Should be easy enough right? I fought a higher vampire once, I'm sure I can take care of a kid that's having a tantrum.

I slowly walked over to Harkon. Surges of power slowing my approach. The shaking of the ground was growing even stronger and the 'winds' or whatever magical version of them that were exuding from Harkon's body grew more fierce.

I finally reached Harkon's side, barely able to stand. He was still screaming his lungs out, making sounds I never thought a human, or rather half-elf for that matter, could make. I grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.

"Harkon! You've got to stop! I know you're in there somewhere, you have to fight this." I screamed out with little effect. Harkon was still out of control. It's time to change my approach.

I reared my hand back and gave Harkon the harshest slap I've ever given. Already there was a red mark appearing on his face. It didn't work, Harkon was still screaming and allowing his energy to go out of control.

"Harkon." This time I pleaded. "Remember what you told me before? You told me you wouldn't die here, you said there's work to be done. I believed in you. Remember what I said ya cunt?! I told you to prove it to me ya whoreson!"

I screamed out to him, hoping my voice would reach him.

All of a sudden, the shaking and the winds stopped. I blew out a fresh sigh, thankfully the danger had passed. I looked towards the witchers, mages, and druids and told them it would be alright now, Harkon had managed to reign himself in. Now all we had to do was wait. In a few days, Harkon and the other trainees would be witchers, or they would be dead. Harkon was still screaming, but he had managed to stop his source powers from going out of control.

I sat down on one of the chairs we had moved to the basement in order to take a breather from standing all day. I sat down and put my head in my hands. Unknowingly, this half-elf kid from Skellige and his mother had grown on me. I didn't want to lose him. I started to relax as I tried to block out the screams

"Dear Lebioda, I need a drink…" I muttered to no one in particular.

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3 Days Later:

Current Year: 1259

The pain wasn't that painful any more compared to the earlier pain. That pain truly caused some deep pain. Didn't it cause more than that though? Hmm, I could not remember a time when there wasn't pain, so it's useless to think about.

I heard something, what was it? Was it pain? I opened my eyes, they were no longer in pain after all. I saw a room that didn't cause me any pain. There were...things? Bright lights on sticks….What were those called? Toms? Turnin's? Torches! That's it, they were called torches. I remembered them, how did I remember that though? My only memory is of pain.

Wait, that's not true, I remember something else. What was it called again. The burning feeling…..Hmm, what was it called? Honey? Hammock? God this is hard. Hatred! That's what it was. I feel hatred.

I looked to my right. There was a….woman? Is that what you call them? Did she make the noise that wasn't pain? She wore the color black. Her hair was black, her dress was black, and her eyes were black. She slowly walked over to me, waiting for something. Her black eyes looked into mine.

She came over to me and undid the….restraints that were holding me. She looked at me again, sporting a…..what were those things called? The things that make your lips move up? Oh! Smiles! Those things are nice, usually they're not painful I'm pretty sure.

She undid the restraint thingies on my legs first, then she did my left arm, then the right. Why did she do that? Were those things in the way of something?

She looked at me, smiling a bit wider.

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P.O.V Switch: Fringilla Vigo

Moments Before The Awakening

Current Year: 1259

It was late in the evening. Everyone else had gone to sleep. Most of us had been up for days while watching over the prospective witchers. I volunteered to stay awake and then use my magic to call somebody down if there was an incident.

I needed this child to wake up soon, tomorrow I would need another one of his potions so that I could live. I was already feeling the withdrawal systems that he was talking about, I was begging to have another one of those delicious drinks.

It wasn't on the level of feeling like I was dying yet, like he told me. But I could feel that I didn't have long. For now, the thought of having another potion was just simply exquisite. This damn kid, I don't think I'll be able to live without these potions now. I'll be indebted to him forever, I really don't want that.

Wait a second, what was that sound? I strained my ears to hear even the slightest noise. However, try as I might, I couldn't seem to hear anything.

That's right, Harkon had stopped screaming. This hasn't happened in days. I'll have to go check on him. I made my way over to Harkon's station. He was covered in sweat and blood and vomit and feces. It was an absolute mess. However, there was something else. Despite being covered in excrement, I could see Harkon's body. It was toned beyond belief, this wasn't the physique that belonged to a normal 10 year old. I could tell that his muscles were strong, and that he would only continue to grow as he aged.

I saw movement, out of the corner of my eye. Harkon's eyes were open. He looked around the room, his eyes looking at the torches and then at me.

I smiled at him and slowly walked over. I reached his station and then gazed at him. He certainly was a handsome child, his black hair and blue eyes will certainly swoon the ladies when he's older. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have those blue eyes for long. The trial of dreams would make sure of that, soon enough his blue eyes would become viper like and be stained with yellow.

I slowly undid his bindings, starting with legs and then removing the ones attached to his left and right arm. After I was finished, I stared at him with a smile. Happy to have him awake, he still needs to make me my potion after all.

He looked into my eyes before suddenly moving faster than my eyes could make it out. He sneaked his hand out like a Viper and grabbed a hold of my neck. I screamed out of reflex. I was afraid, with his now mutated strength, he could easily crush my windpipe if I made the wrong move.

"You.. Why do you do that? Why do you do the thing? The smile?" He said, while turning his head to the side and looking at me with eyes that were generously curious as he was grabbing my neck.

….What the hell is he talking about?

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P.O.V Switch: Harkon

Current Year: 1259

"You.. Why do you do that? Why do you do the thing? The smile?" I asked with….what do you call it? Curiosity? Yeah, that's it.

I was very….angry for some reason. I don't know why. Am I angry because of pain? Is that what pain does? Enough of that for now. I want to find out the answer, I want to know why the pretty lady smiled.

"I smiled…Because I was happy, Harkon." She said as I was crushing her throat thingy.

Harkon? Who's that? Is that me? What is "happy"? Is it like pain? The only thing here is pain and hatr-. No, no, no, no. That's not right, that's not all there is. I need to learn more information.

"What is happy?" I asked. I needed to know the answer to this.

The pretty lady looked…. Sad at that. Why was she sad? Is this 'happy' so important?

"Happy and happiness, Harkon," The lady continued. "Is a feeling you get when you're with someone you like. Or something like that, it makes you feel good."

Feel good...That would be….Nice, I think. All I can remember is pain. Something like this 'happy' would be nice.

"You said you are happy when you like someone," I said as I removed my grip from her throat. She thanked me for that. "Does that mean you like me?"

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P.O.V Switch: Fringilla Vigo

Current Year: 1259

"You said you are happy when you like someone, does that mean you like me?" Harkon said, asking with the mannerisms of a toddler.

Dear Lebioda, I feel like garbage. I was originally tasked with seeing if Nilfgaard should destroy this school. I was gonna dirty my hands with the blood of children…. This kid found me out right away and even threatened me and now I feel bad for him. I'm a mess.

I looked at Harkon and smiled again. I'll take care of him until he gets his bearings, this is probably a side effect of the trial, he'll probably be fine by tomorrow once he meditates and collects himself.

"Yes Harkon. I do like you." I said with a chipper voice. I want him to be as calm as possible.

Harkon frowned when I said that, He looked down at his chest and then gazed up at me again.

"Why does this 'happiness' that you talked about, hurt?" Harkon asked, this time though he was tearing up and crying. I know 10 year olds are supposed to cry, but this just broke my heart. Seeing Harkon who was so collected a few days ago break down like this hurt me for some reason. It really shouldn't, I barely know him.

"What do you mean Harkon? What hurts?" I asked, genuinely worrying about him.

Harkon pointed towards his heart and then stared at me.

"This thing. It's in my chest and it keeps beating. Whenever it thinks about you, I feel good, but it also hurts a lot. I don't want to feel the pain any more. I want to feel this. It hurts, but not in the way the pain does. I want to be with you. Please don't leave me alone. Please don't leave. Please. Please." Harkon said. He was completely sobbing at this point.

My heart was starting to break. I just witnessed this boy undergo intense torture and now he was crying and telling me he didn't want me to leave him alone. A tear left my eye as I embraced Harkon. I didn't care what he was covered with. He needed to be held after what he had just gone through.

"Shush, shush now. It's over Harkon. It's over. The pain is over. Come let's go get cleaned up and then we'll go to bed, alright? Does that sound like something you want to do?" I said in as sweet a tone as I could. Harkon was still crying, but he managed to nodd through the tears.

I helped him off his Gurney and we began to walk up the stairs. While we did so, Harkon asked me what my name was. I told him it was Fringilla and he said I'm a pretty lady and that it's only right that I have a pretty name, he's so cute sometimes. I led us to the bathing area so we could get cleaned up. The witchers at this castle receive quite a bit more gold than their counterparts at other schools do. Probably from their extracurricular services. Their bathing area had several tubs that were behind several different doors for privacy reasons. They also had a giant communal bath that was regularly drained and cleaned. It was heated up with magic, probably glyphs with Igni carved below the surface. I took us to the communal bath, I don't think Harkon will be capable of cleaning himself after all.

I told Harkon to get undressed so that we could clean ourselves. He nodded and undressed himself, then he stepped into the tub. I went around the corner to grab a litany of shampoos and body wash products.

As soon as I left for a moment, I heard a voice call out to me.

"Fringilla? Are you still there?" I heard Harkon say, worry in his voice.

"I'm still here, Harkon, just one second." I said as I grabbed the soaps.

"Ok good," Harkon said while staring down at the water. "I don't want you going anywhere."

"It's alright Harkon, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right beside you the whole time." I said as I came back around the corner.

I started to undress myself so I could enter the water. I caught Harkon trying to take a peak before looking away from me in embarrassment. He's such a cute kid, it's a shame he had to become a witcher.

After I had undressed myself, I walked into the steamy waters. I told Harkon to come sit with me so I could clean him. He looked reluctant at first, but then he moved his way over to me.

I immediately took out the shampoo and started scrubbing his hair. It was sticky with sweat and grime.

"This is nice, isn't it Harkon? Are you enjoying sitting with me?" I asked, teasing Harkon a bit at the end. His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment before he spoke.

"As long as you don't leave, then I'll enjoy myself. I love you after all, Fringilla." Harkon said while staring into my eyes.

This time it was my turn to blush. This kid sure is a charmer. Maybe when he's older...Well, we'll see what happens. I cleaned him and myself up. Then I gave him a hug and a little peck on the cheek.

We both emerged from the baths fully clean and ready for bed. It had been a long stressful day.

I magically summoned a black tunic and accompanying pants for Harkon to wear. For myself I summoned a black shirt and black pair of underwear, I don't like to wear pants while I sleep.

I grabbed Harkon's hand and led him to my room. I had been given one of the more prestigious rooms while living here. I had a mirror, dresser, trunk, and a double wide bed with black sheets, classic Nilfgaard style.

We both got laid down and got ready for bed. Harkon was hugging me like a koala. He didn't want to let go. A couple minutes went by in silence, before Harkon spoke to me.

"Fringilla? Are you awake?" Harkon spoke softly.

"Hmm? Yes Harkon?" I spoke just as softly while staring at him.

"I Love you, Fringilla." Harkon spoke while glancing at me with what I can only assume is affection. "You do know that, right?"

I stared at Harkon and smiled. He was very sweet when he was like this, nothing like how he was before.

"I...I Love you too, Harkon." I said, stuttering for a moment, but recollecting myself.

Harkon's smile grew wider once I spoke.

"Can I tell you a secret, Fringilla?" Harkon asked me.

I pondered for a moment.

"Sure Harkon, what is it?" I asked, ready to get some sleep.

Harkon moved his head, attempting to make it look like he was going to whisper something in my ear. At the last moment he moved too quickly and planted a kiss on my lips. I was a bit shocked, but Harkon smiled even more after that, so I let it slide.

"Hehehe." Harkon snickered. "I hope things stay like this forever, Fringilla. I like being with you."

"I like being around you too, Harkon." I said, hugging him closer so he would try to go to sleep.

Harkon grasped me tighter, snuggling into my chest. After a few moments, I heard his breathing. He had fallen asleep. I sighed, I would need to get some rest as well. It's going to be a long day tomorrow.