Chapter 12:

The mediation by the serpent was necessary. Evil can seduce man, but cannot become man. - Franz Kafka

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Current Year: 1259

I continued to stare at Torsten, my smile never leaving my face as I did so. I wanted him to feel nice and happy.

"Sure, Harkon. What's on your mind? I'm here if you need anything." Torsten said, chipper as always.

"Well Torsten, I do need your help with a few things. I was wondering… Do you have any tips for me? I know that I'm a pretty good alchemist and you've seen my work. I was wondering if you knew of anyways to increase my mastery of the subject?" I said with curiosity.

I needed Torsten to be as calm and unaware as possible. I have absolutely no chances of defeating him in a real fight. He might not conduct Witcher activities as much of the rest of the school, but he has been a witcher for decades. I have barely been a witcher TRAINEE for seven years and I've only undergone the first trial. The only reason I was able to beat Fringilla was because she spent all of her time improving her magic skills. A quick dimeritium bomb rendered those skills useless. Fighting him is off the table, fortunately, my martial skills are not my only weapons.

"Well Harkon, there's no doubt you possess talent for the art and the mental fortitude to carry you to success. You have put much more stalk into your alchemy and sign classes then you have in any other subject. I've noticed you have a particular fascination with mutations. Most of us alchemists only learn as much about them as we need to in order to conduct the trials. Mutation and mutagenic experiments are some of the rarer sub-fields in alchemy, so maybe… Your efforts are better spent elsewhere? Perhaps...work more on your poisons? I've noticed you have quite a gift for them as well."

What he said was the truth. I have been spending a lot of my research time on mutations. Witchers are a cut above the rest of the world because they have them. If I can extract permanent boosts to my strength by studying them, then It is well worth the investment.

"You truly are wise master, and you are correct as well. One more thing, before I go, I've been working on a new type of bomb filled with my brand of sleeping dust that I had shown you a few months ago. I was wondering if you have any spare bomb parts in here. The armory seems to have run out." I said while I managed to control my heart beat. My new trial and subsequent mutation have allowed me to control my body in ways that a normal human would never understand. I wasn't good enough to fool Ivar yet, but Torsten shouldn't be a problem. He might be a spy, but in order to spy you have to show your true self. No one is capable of acting like someone else for years on end. They would start to forget who they really are.

"Of course, my laboratory is always stocked!" Torsten said with a smile. He began rummaging through his drawers looking for the parts I 'needed'. I slowly walked closer to Torsten. He looked back at me for a moment, hearing my approach. I simply smiled back at him. He ignored it and began looking through his drawers once again.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the remainder of the sleeping dust I had in the potion bottle. Fringilla had returned it to me after I had given it to her. There was still some left over from the 'unfortunate' situation with Svend.

Slowly, I uncorked the potion bottle. Torsten sniffed the air once. He suddenly turned around, faster than I could see. It was too late however. I Tossed the contents of the bottle all over Torsten's face as soon as I saw him move.

"*cough* *cough* Harkon! What.. What have you done?!" Torsten screamed out as he fell to the floor in a coughing fit.

I leaned down on my knees to get a good look at the traitor scum.

"What I had to do Torsten… You were a rat. A rat pretending to be a serpent, but a rat nonetheless." I said with venom in my voice. If there is anything I hate, it's traitors. No matter what, it disgusts me. Torsten kept coughing as he tried to fight the sleeping effect.

I slowly got up and went over towards the door. I unlocked it and then opened the door. A few very familiar faces met my gaze as I opened it. It was Ivar, accompanying him was a giant group of Viper witchers. Letho, my sign instructor Vormis, and around eleven others.

"Good job son, we'll take care of it from here. You've done enough for one day. Go wait for me in the courtyard, I'll join you shortly. Right after we take care of this goddamn traitorous piece of filth." Ivar said in a moderate tone, but seethed near the end.

I just smiled at Ivar's antics. It had been a long day indeed. I turned to look at Torsten one more time before he left this world.

"Good luck, Torsten. You're gonna need it where you're headed." I said with a tinge of sarcasm.

I walked out of the alchemy lab with a smile on my face. My work is done. Now all I want to do is get to the mountains. I need to heal my condition. Right now, If anyone even brings up the trial in my presence, I will fall to the ground in pain. This problem won't go away though something simple like meditation.

As I was thinking these thoughts, I reached the courtyard. A couple of the younger generation of trainees were going through their everyday workout routines. I sat down on the ground and waited. Ivar probably wouldn't be down here for a little while. They probably will take their time with Torsten.

I began to meditate for a little while. I was trying to figure out my feelings for Fringilla. I knew that I was definitely attracted to her. She was kind to me despite what I put her through. I was also certain of her morality. She helped Yennefer and Ciri despite the fact that there was no benefit to herself. The only problem was this body of mine, I was still quite young. Although, the mutations will probably accelerate the time it takes for me to go through puberty.

As I was thinking about these things, the woman in question appeared and patted my shoulder, bringing me out of my meditation. I looked up at Fringillas face, it was smiling. I gave a smirk back to her.

"Fringilla, it's good to see you. We need to talk." I told Fringilla, serious with my words.

"Hmm? What do you need to speak about, Harkon?" Fringilla said sensually.

"Well, It's about us. Listen, I'm quite young and obviously I've gained feelings for you. You've no doubt noticed it. I don't know exactly how to deal with them either. I think it's better if I just come out and be direct. So, knowing this, how do you feel about me?" I said seriously.

Fringilla looked away in contemplation. It was probably quite a difficult question for her to answer. If I was in her position, I probably would say no. However, I'm not her. She's an incomparably powerful and old witch. She probably sees things from a completely different perspective than I do. Something like age might not even mean anything to her.

"Well...I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you. You're quite smart and possess a strong will. Also, that manipulative side of you….It's incredibly beautiful to me. Despite your age, you've proved yourself to be extremely cunning. Someone that is capable of threatening me and Emhyr as well as actually getting away with it too...You would make a fine apprentice. And perhaps, after we get to know each other more….I would consider being with you." Fringilla said, smiling at me all the while.

I was...Pleased with this answer. I had been in a few relationships in my past life, but they never worked out. I simply never felt...Connected with my other partners. Not as much as I do with Fringilla, and we aren't even dating yet!

"Well, I don't think anyone has ever told me that my 'manipulation was beautiful", but... I'll accept this answer for now. Continue to stick with me, Fringilla. I'll show you things beyond which you thought were possible soon enough." I said while making sure to show her my signature devilish smile.

I saw her shudder for a moment at my gaze. No normal ten year old smiles the way I do. No one in general 'enjoys' the fine art of manipulation. I'll admit I've grown fond of the feeling because of its strategic nature and value.

"Of that, I have no doubt Harkon." Fringilla muttered out. "No doubt in my mind at all"

We both just stared at each other for a moment, smiling and just enjoying each other's presence. The moment would not last long and we were soon interrupted by my esteemed mentor figure.

"Oi, you two lovebirds make me sick. Not only is this relationship between a more than hundred year old witch and a ten year old, but the real heavy hitter is the way you stare at each other. It makes me queasy." Ivar said, his face had a mock look of disgust on his face.

"Hey! Don't they teach to never make fun of a woman's age! I'm still a tender young maiden at heart, you know?" Fringilla said with a pout. I just sighed at Ivar's antics.

"It's the same way I feel when I see you and my mother together. An old fart like you doesn't deserve my mother's beauty and other extremely respectable traits." I said while wearing the same mock disgusted look Ivar had on previously.

"Haha! Well, 'tis true. She truly is too good for someone like myself. Enough of that for now, the traitor has been dealt with appropriately. Are you ready to head off?" Ivar asked me questioningly.

"I am. Let us take our leave." I said.

I had already said goodbye to everyone in the keep, including the other witchers and my mother. She already knew of the situation and understood I needed time to heal. As Ivar and I left the castle grounds, I caught her waving at us from afar. Mirroring the situation that occurred years ago, when Ivar first took me from Skelllige in order to become a witcher in the first place.

My face was resolute as we travelled up the mountain. The terrain was quite rocky and dangerous. Ivar led the way to the top the entire time. We mostly walked in silence. He had told me I needed to prepare myself before we left. The undertaking I was about to embark on will test me, at least that's what he told me. He hadn't really given me a lot of information.

I made a promise to myself as we were travelling though. After this month is over, I will be healed. I needed to be in top shape for the wars to come. A little mental damage would not stop me from achieving my goals. I want to experience more from this world. I want to do more, to become something more.

Finally, after several hours, we had reached the top of the mountain. The breeze up here was pleasant and the view was beautiful. I could see the entire mountainous valley of Tir Tochair. We walked for around five more minutes before we reached a cave with a giant boulder in front of it.

"Here we are." Ivar intoned dryly.

"What is this place?" I asked with curiosity as I took a look around.

"Here is where I will attempt to cure you. Here, before we begin. Drink this." Ivar said as he handed me a blue glowing iridescent potion.

"What is it?" I asked while popping off the cork and gazing at the liquid held within. I was a potions master, but I couldn't begin to guess what this was made out of unless I either saw it get made, or was able to study it for a few hours in the lab.

"Enough questions. Drink it. This is the only way I know of to cure you." Ivar responded. His tone lacked emotion. That put me off because that meant he was hiding his true intentions.

I stared at Ivar for a moment before sighing and relenting. I trusted Ivar, he wouldn't cultivate me from when I was a young boy in the arts of being a witcher just to throw me away now. I lifted the potion bottle up to my lips and then drank the entire thing in a few short gulps. It tasted like absolute filth. It tasted like I was drinking expired milk with bits of soy sauce mixed within. Witcher potions are supposed to taste awful though, so this is something I would have to get used to.

"Alright, what now?" I asked, eager to get this project underway.

"Now...Now comes the hard part." Ivar intoned ominously.

Ivar sprinted behind me and hit me in the back of the head with a nice sucker punch. I fell to the ground. Similar to how Torsten must have felt earlier, I struggled to keep myself awake. It was a futile battle. Soon the cold lull of unconsciousness took me into its arms. Before I completely passed out, I thought I heard Ivar mutter something.

"You'll survive. You have to. Your mother will kill me if you don't." I thought I heard Ivar say as I felt my limp body being dragged across the ground.

God, this certainly was looking like a long day. Wasn't it?