Chapter 365: The White Frost Cometh
"Lady Tissaia?"
Lynn climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed. He lit a candle before walking over to open the door.
"Did I disturb you?" Tissaia stood outside, holding a candlestick.
"No, I was still awake," Lynn replied, stepping aside. "Please, come in."
Tissaia entered, placed her candlestick on the table, and sat down in a chair. Lynn closed the door and reached for the runic leather pouch on his bedside table.
"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Or something stronger?" Triss's gifted space-holding item was quite useful; he kept a supply of everything he might need for any occasion inside it.
Tissaia looked at the familiar runic pouch. "No, thank you. I prefer to sleep straight through the night, and I don't want to get up." She pointed to the chair opposite her. "Sit down, Lynn. I actually came here to discuss something with you."
"So formal, Lady Tissaia?" Lynn sat across from her. "Please, tell me."
"Yes, Lynn. I've been considering something since before you returned to Kaer Morhen."
"And what is that?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to arrange for some students from Aretuza to come here. They could serve as resident sorceresses for Kaer Morhen, helping to look after the children who are destined to become witchers."
Lynn paused, then spread his hands. "I truly can't find a reason to refuse, Rector."
"Ex-Rector," Tissaia corrected with a slight smile. "As for the issue of secrecy, you need not worry. I will carefully select students who are willing to devote their time and energy to research rather than those who are obsessed with power and politics."
Lynn smiled. "I will use gold to prove that your choice is correct."
Although the castle only housed a handful of apprentices right now, Lynn planned to significantly increase their number after the New Year. Over the next few years, he would ensure at least a hundred apprentices were training at Kaer Morhen.
Getting injured during training was secondary, but if sorceresses regularly monitored the children's physical conditions with magic and adjusted their training and nutritional supplements accordingly, it would certainly greatly improve the children's chances of surviving the Trial of the Grasses.
Having sorceresses of Tissaia and Yennefer's caliber perform such work would be a massive waste of talent, even if they were willing. Now that Tissaia was volunteering to send students from Aretuza, he was naturally delighted. The former rector was meticulous and trustworthy, so he was confident her selected candidates would be suitable.
Lynn was deeply grateful for Tissaia's proactive offer and thoughtfulness. But at the same time, a sense of confusion arose in his mind: Why is Tissaia so actively helping me?
Tissaia's actions clearly exceeded their initial verbal agreement. While his cause was rapidly gaining momentum, Tissaia had already given so much without receiving any substantial return. He was flattered to be held in such high regard, but he also wanted to know the reason.
"Lady Tissaia, I am grateful for your generosity, but if I may ask, I'd like to know the reason for your actions."
Tissaia offered an elegant and confident smile. "Of course."
Then, her smile vanished, and she spoke with solemnity, reciting a prophecy:
"Verily I say unto you, the Time of the Sword and Axe is nigh, the age of the Wolf's Blizzard. The Time of White Frost and White Light will arrive, the age of madness and contempt: Tedd Deireddh, the Final Age. The world will perish in frost and be reborn under a new sun. That will also be the time of Hen Ichaer—the Elder Blood's—rebirth. This seed shall not sprout, but shall burst into flame. Ess'tuath esse! It is necessary!"
"Then the leaves shall fall, the buds wither, the fruits rot, the grain turn bitter, and the clear waters of the valleys shall become hardened ice."
"The White Frost will come, followed by the White Light, and the world will be extinguished in blizzards and storms."
"Those far away shall die of plague, those nearby shall perish by the sword; those who hide shall fall to starvation, and those who survive shall be lost to the frost..."
"You shall all wail, for the destroyer of kingdoms is coming. Your lands shall be trodden and divided. Your cities shall be burned, and their inhabitants shall flee. Bats, owls, and ravens will haunt your homes, and serpents and vermin will make their nests there..."
Lynn's expression grew serious. What Tissaia had just recited was the Prophecy of Ithlinne, known to everyone in this world.
Ithlinne, whose full name was Ithlinne Aegli aep Aevenien, was the daughter of the legendary Elven physician, astrologer, and prophetess Aevenien, and a legendary Elven seer in her own right. Her accurate predictions of the decline of the Elves (Aen Seidhe) and the subsequent military expansion of Nilfgaard into the North starting in 1239 led many to deeply believe the second half of her prophecy concerning the world's end by the White Frost.
However, few truly understood the real meaning of phrases like the "Wolf's Blizzard," the "Time of White Frost and White Light," and "The world will perish in frost and be reborn under a new sun."
Of course, there were plenty of people who scoffed at Ithlinne's prophecy, dismissing the White Frost and the Wild Hunt—a popular folk tale—as mere stories to scare disobedient children.
But Lynn knew these things were real. Even in The Witcher 3, if you, playing as Geralt, made all the right choices, a century later—in the 14th century—northern kingdoms like Kaedwen and Temeria would still suffer from persistent global cooling, leading to the extinction of once-common crops.
As for the Wild Hunt, they were more than just peasant folklore. Their true identity was the lost kin of the Aen Seidhe, known as the Aen Elle. The Aen Seidhe and Aen Elle were once one race, the Aen Undodde. They possessed the ability to travel between worlds and could even open large-scale world-gates for their entire people to migrate. The Aen Undodde attributed this power to their divinely granted bloodline.
But then, the White Frost came. It slowly froze their original homeworld, and then every world they traveled to. It was as if a cosmic deity was punishing them for the misuse of their bloodline talent.
After this, the Aen Undodde continuously tried to flee the White Frost. Until, in their long history, the gates between worlds opened two paths: one to a lush, green world, and the other to the mountainous Skellige Islands, as they would later be called by humans. The tribe couldn't agree on which way to go, which was safer, or which was further from the White Frost. So, they split.
Thus, the Aen Undodde became two. The tribe that went to the mountainous islands became the Aen Seidhe, and the tribe that rushed to the lush world became the Aen Elle. The Aen Seidhe virtually ruled their world for twenty centuries until the arrival of humans overthrew their dominion.
Unlike the Aen Seidhe, the Aen Elle completely conquered the green world, slaughtering most of the original inhabitants and enslaving the rest. However, the Aen Elle's good times didn't last long, as the White Frost, which hadn't pursued their brethren, caught up to them.
More disturbing and despairing for the Aen Elle was that, due to an unknown reason, they had lost the ability to create their own world-gates. Even by enslaving and exploiting the Unicorn race, who could still travel between worlds, they could no longer open the gates for their entire people to migrate.
To escape the White Frost, the Aen Elle spent a long time "cultivating" a female Elven sage with the Elder Blood—Lara Dorren. They believed the power of the world-gates originated from the divinely granted bloodline, and Elder Blood was understood literally as the ancient bloodline from before they lost the ability to travel between worlds.
Lara Dorren was supposed to marry the Elven sage Avallac'h, but she fell in love with a human sorcerer, Cregennan of Lod. Since both lovers were seen as traitors by their respective races, their fates were tragic. However, their bloodline was preserved.
It was to reclaim the Elder Blood that Auberon Muircetach, the King of the Alders (the Aen Elle ruler), frequently sent the Red Riders to the world of the witchers in search of Lara Dorren's descendants. The Wild Hunt was merely the truth that those rural peasants who miraculously survived the Red Riders' hooves and blades tried to convey in their madness and ravings.
The former rector looked at the witcher and said earnestly, "Lynn, I see endless potential and hope in you. Perhaps we can join forces and make this world a better place."
Before, Tissaia's sole reason for helping Lynn was to ensure a safe haven for her Aretuza students when the war came. But now, she had personally witnessed Lynn unite even the Circle of Druids and Brokilon, two powers that traditionally shunned outsiders. This immediately caused Lynn's importance and status in her mind to soar. Perhaps, besides providing refuge for her students, their combined efforts could achieve much more and much better things.
Tissaia had known for a long time that this world was a fractured place. The successive arrivals of dwarves, elves, and humans were proof enough. Unfortunately, the foolish Northern Kings failed to recognize this.
Even the most enlightened among them were uninterested in the "vague" Prophecy of Ithlinne and did not believe the Wild Hunt was real. They cared more about mortal squabbles, such as seizing more land under the sun.
Tissaia had repeatedly and patiently warned them about the severity of the White Frost and the Wild Hunt. Due to her position, the kings couldn't simply treat her like a hysterical minister (though they sometimes felt she was close to it), but over time, they found ways to avoid her. Tissaia, knowing the kings' attitudes, stopped putting herself in their way.
Regrettably, her colleagues did not share her views. Francesca Findabair, the only Elven sorceress, was focused on getting the Brotherhood to convince the Northern Kings to allow her to establish a neutral Elven preserve in the Valley of Flowers. The oldest member, Hen Gedymdeith, agreed with this. Vilgefortz of Roggeveen was the youngest core member.
Although the young man (from Tissaia's perspective) always appeared courteous and rarely displayed clear political intent, Tissaia saw rolling, endless darkness and great ambition in his eyes. As for Artaud Terranova... Tissaia would sooner believe kings and nobles would give their white silver to the poor than that Artaud would suddenly gain foresight.
The Brotherhood of Sorcerers was no longer the pure organization it once was. Even the core council members all harbored their own hidden agendas. This left Tissaia feeling deeply powerless.
Therefore, when she saw sufficient value in Lynn, she decided to increase her investment.
"Lady Tissaia, I am very grateful for your trust. I promise you I will not disappoint your expectations." Lynn paused, then continued, "However... Madam, since we are deepening our cooperation, may we begin now?"
Tissaia raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Lynn to make a request right now, but she wasn't averse to it. "Hmm, what do you have in mind?"
"I would like to purchase several amulets that grant disguise effects and the same number of pouches enchanted with an Extension Spell. The pouches should ideally have a permanent Extension Spell, but a long-lasting one will suffice. The internal space doesn't need to be as large as this one; much smaller is fine."
"That can be arranged. When do you need them?"
"Any time before the end of this winter."
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