"So, what's the plan?" Liam asked, looking between the two of them.
"Geralt's inside with Vesemir and the others, preparing for the ritual," Steve said. "Yennefer is going to be leading the process, but they want all the help they can get."
Liam knew what Yennefer was supposed to do. She would give the same potion as the they gave to the new candidates for witcher. The initial potion for trial of the grass. Not the whole process. But of course he wouldn't say a word for it.
Steve and Geralt promptly went in search of the ingredients while Liam just helped Yennefer is setting up her the things required to start the process. Vesemir wasn't happy about it at all. He had seen kids suffering from trials of grass and subjecting Uma would be very painful.
Vesemir had actually tried to transform Uma but had failed and thus they were now following the way of Yennefer.
As the final preparations were made, the air inside Kaer Morhen's hall grew thick with tension. Uma sat on the wooden table, his grotesque, misshapen form looking even smaller. Yennefer stood before him, a flask filled with dark liquid in her hand.
"Are you all sure about this?" Vesemir asked once more. "This will be agony. If he even survives..."
"There's no other way," Yennefer said firmly. "We need to break the curse."
Liam stood by, he didn't care as he already knew. He was much more excited to see Avallac'h. A real Aen Elle. But he was also a bit hesitant. He had remembered what Cathbad had said, of being an anomaly in an already fucked up situation.
Natasha placed a steadying hand on Uma's shoulder, Triss prepared a binding spell in case things got out of control.
"Alright," Yennefer said, exhaling. "Let's begin."
She tipped the flask, forcing the thick, viscous potion down Uma's throat. The creature struggled immediately, coughing and gagging as the foul liquid burned down his throat. A second later, he let out a shriek so piercing it echoed through the hall. His small, twisted body convulsed violently.
"Hold him down!" Yennefer commanded.
Steve and Natasha reacted instantly, gripping Uma's arms and shoulders as his entire body jerked with unnatural strength. Triss cast a quick binding spell, forming spectral chains of magic that shimmered around Uma's form, but even that did little to stop the writhing.
Uma's skin began to darken. He thrashed harder. Then, blood. Dark streaks seeped from his pores, first trickling, then pouring, staining the table and the floor beneath. His limbs twisted at unnatural angles, his back arching violently.
"Almost there," Yennefer muttered under her breath. She uncorked it and poured the second potion into Uma's mouth, forcing his jaw open with magic when he refused to drink. Uma let out another horrible scream, one that barely sounded human. His eyes rolled back, his body shuddering so violently it nearly threw Natasha off balance. Then, suddenly—
Silence.
Uma's body went limp. The grotesque little creature collapsed onto the table. Blood dripped onto the floor, pooling beneath him.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
"Did... did we kill him?" Steve asked.
"No," she said. "He's alive." Yennefer checked on Uma. Suddenly, Uma's body began to change.
Slowly, unnaturally, his hunched, twisted frame started to stretch. His limbs lengthened, his grotesque skin shifting and smoothing. The features of the misshapen creature melted away, replaced by something—someone—else.
A tall, elven man now lay before them. His long, white hair cascaded down his back, his sharp, angular features both regal and exhausted. His golden eyes fluttered open, filled with an intelligence far beyond what Uma had ever shown.
"Avallac'h," Yennefer breathed. She had heard about him and how he had helped Ciri a lot, from the tales. But, tales were just that. Tales. They needed to be prepared incase this elf attacks them.
The elf took a slow, measured breath before speaking, his voice hoarse but steady.
"You... took your time."
"Well, that was dramatic." Liam laughed. No one laughed, but the tension in the room shifted. The curse had been broken. The real question for the rest was—what did Avallac'h know about Ciri?
Avallac'h slowly pushed himself upright, his golden eyes scanning the faces around him. There was recognition in his gaze when he saw Geralt and Yennefer, a hint of mild amusement as if he had expected nothing less from them. But when his eyes landed on Liam, something changed.
The elf's gaze lingered slightly as if he were seeing something beyond what was visible. A flicker of curiosity, maybe even confusion, crossed his features before he masked it with his usual unreadable expression.
"You..." Avallac'h muttered, still looking at Liam. "You feel... familiar."
"We've never met before." Liam knew what Avallac'h was feeling, but he wouldn't admit, and neither would the rest, as by now everybody knew what was inside Liam. Liam had actually asked the system of how people of another dimension was able to discern his abilities.
'Your abilities are merely suppressed, not obliterated like you would think.'
That was the answer he received and thus came this situation. Though he didn't have access to wraith powers, it didn't mean it wasn't there. Each of his powers were always there.
"Perhaps not in this life," Avallac'h said. "But your essence... it is unlike anything I have encountered, even my own kind. You do not merely carry the blood of magic—you are something else entirely."
Liam's expression hardened slightly, but he said nothing. Yennefer, however, had no patience for Avallac'h's intrigue. She stepped forward.
"We're not here to discuss Liam's past. Tell us where Ciri is." Avallac'h's gaze flickered to her.
"Always so direct, very well. I will tell you what I know."
"Start talking." Geralt stepped first.
"I can show you... but you will not like what comes next." Avallac'h said.
---------
The boat rocked gently over the dark waters, the rhythmic splashing of waves the only sound between them for a while. The Isle of Mists lay somewhere ahead, shrouded in mystery and fog, but for now, it was just Geralt and Liam, traveling together for the first time.