[ The sharp burst of light makes him squint. He frowns, turns to look because even though they're in the Horizon, instinct tells him the sky illuminating out of nowhere is a bad sign. Only when nothing else comes of it does he return his attention to Himeka.
Frankly, he didn't come here to provoke an epiphany. This was meant only as careful reminder of what should be important. Only now does he sense that it's as though the thought hadn't occurred to her—like she's never looked at it this way. He thinks of Estinien telling him he was trying to decide whether this world was more like his own or the one Geralt is so intimately familiar with. It'd seemed an irrelevant point then. How readily change can be wrought hasn't anything to do with how blind pursuit of duty so often leaves a path of ruin.
But Himeka is different. Not duty, exactly. Faith, innocently misplaced. He wonders, suddenly, despite all the battles and wars she's fought, if she's somehow never found herself astray. Abandoned, alone. Consumed by the kind of bitterness and loathing that threatens to swallow you whole. ]
Yes. [ There's a reason he isn't in Solvunn. He trusts no one who claims neutrality and yet sits so comfortably in the midst of all this fighting: harbouring prisoners, summons of their own, doling out missions. Solvunn has staked their own claim in this war. They just haven't said what it is. A wildcard at best. At least the Free Cities have been upfront about their aims.
He leans forward, his gaze fixed on Himeka. ] How long did it take the others to replicate Thorne's summoning spell? A handful of weeks? Chances are, they were already looking to make their own attempts long before we came. [ The Free Cities, shunning magic, and Solvunn claiming they have no interest in the Singularity. Both far less steeped in Thorne's powerful magics. And they succeeded that fucking fast? A ritual capable of ripping multiple people out of space and time? Hard to believe that it was a path they never considered until Thorne showed its hand. ] We are not their defenders. We are the cost to achieve their ends.
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Frankly, he didn't come here to provoke an epiphany. This was meant only as careful reminder of what should be important. Only now does he sense that it's as though the thought hadn't occurred to her—like she's never looked at it this way. He thinks of Estinien telling him he was trying to decide whether this world was more like his own or the one Geralt is so intimately familiar with. It'd seemed an irrelevant point then. How readily change can be wrought hasn't anything to do with how blind pursuit of duty so often leaves a path of ruin.
But Himeka is different. Not duty, exactly. Faith, innocently misplaced. He wonders, suddenly, despite all the battles and wars she's fought, if she's somehow never found herself astray. Abandoned, alone. Consumed by the kind of bitterness and loathing that threatens to swallow you whole. ]
Yes. [ There's a reason he isn't in Solvunn. He trusts no one who claims neutrality and yet sits so comfortably in the midst of all this fighting: harbouring prisoners, summons of their own, doling out missions. Solvunn has staked their own claim in this war. They just haven't said what it is. A wildcard at best. At least the Free Cities have been upfront about their aims.
He leans forward, his gaze fixed on Himeka. ] How long did it take the others to replicate Thorne's summoning spell? A handful of weeks? Chances are, they were already looking to make their own attempts long before we came. [ The Free Cities, shunning magic, and Solvunn claiming they have no interest in the Singularity. Both far less steeped in Thorne's powerful magics. And they succeeded that fucking fast? A ritual capable of ripping multiple people out of space and time? Hard to believe that it was a path they never considered until Thorne showed its hand. ] We are not their defenders. We are the cost to achieve their ends.