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But he suddenly paused in his steps. He did so because he recognized something chilling: it seemed the timeline would become even more chaotic for him. The Chapter in another timeline that he observed with his [Knowledge] ability had succeeded in bypassing the anti-divination wards that Cintra had put in place.
Even with all his thinking, and despite their swift retreat, Gustave was able to see zero-point-googolplex seconds into the future and noticed that some had succeeded, discovering that Cintra had been involved in the brief battle.
Not only that, but considering that even the Chapter of the Gift and the Art had been able to bypass the anti-divination wards Calanthe had set—and had acted swiftly upon realizing Cintra was involved, along with many hidden mages—Gustave suddenly became anxious.
If the Chapter could do this, it meant that the Aen Elle, now agitated, could do the same with his family, now that they knew his face. This implied that, even before tomorrow arrived, he knew the Wild Hunt would attempt to kidnap his mother, Meve, before he had time to react.
Although he was not yet able to see that future—since he could only observe zero-point-googolplex seconds ahead, a point at which they had not yet begun thinking or acting to kidnap his mother—it was still highly likely, given their character, that now awakened from their idleness, they could manipulate the timeline.
This also meant that making a connection with the Lake Guardian and Aucwenn would be pointless if he were too late to defend his family from the Aen Elle's swift and rabid response.
Raging over his past foolishness—thinking he could be the protagonist of an era, wanting to shape the timeline according to his own desires without consequences, trying to bolster Cintra—followed by the realization that the butterfly effect had already begun the moment he was born, Gustave eventually settled into fear.
Fear of what he now faced: the Aen Elle, who, unable to see the future once more, had transformed their indulgence and lethargy—from pride in manipulating the timeline—into diligence born of uncertainty.
Although uncertainty is a sucks and unsettling emotion, it can also be a powerful motivator for someone to improve themselves.
Considering human history and the experience of elves, humans on the First Landing, filled with anxiety and uncertainty while living among elven societies with magic, eventually turned that fear and frustration into fuel to challenge the elves' dominance.
Gustave knew that if he did nothing, the complacent, lazy, and prideful elves he knew would be transformed into something far more chilling, because they could no longer see the timeline they desired due to the potent anti-divination aspect of his [Recall] ability.
Not only that, but considering they held the keys to many advanced worlds with countless weapons—allowing them to reverse-engineer technologies and sciences they had never needed until now—he fell into a deep trepidation that he could scarcely comprehend.
But instead of dwelling on that fear, and following Vesemir's advice to act in the best interest of his present self, he began to consider how to remedy the situation, which had begun with him and had been gently pushed by the Devils into a chaotic state beyond his control.
Sweat poured down his face as he suddenly conceived an idea that might—or might not—help his family and possibly force the Aen Elle—or even the gods—to become complacent and lazy once more, though at a very great and unknown cost.
Knowing that sorceresses could cast a collective spell together, he activated his [Recall] ability with a full surge of his Elder Blood and hurried toward Calanthe, taking her hands to strengthen their connection.
"What's happened to you, child?"
"Aunt Calanthe, I am scared. Gustave saw many people discovering our location—like the assassin and the elves. B-because of that, Gustave needs to hold Aunt's and Ciri's hands."
Unable to comprehend what Gustave's Eyes of Knowledge perceived, Calanthe wanted to seek the answers herself, using her own Eyes of Prophecy, just as her mother had.
Seeing countless visions in which her Cintra was burned by fire, consumed by the jealousy of the world, she gritted her teeth until they audibly cracked, causing those around her to look on with concern and fear at the almost demonic expression on her face.
"Ermion, bring Ciri to me!!! And the House of Raven—each of you, come without delay!!!"
Holding Ciri's and Calanthe's hands, Gustave was quickly surrounded by the members of House Raven, each placing a hand on him and those connected to him—one of them even being Alvin.
Unable to dwell on memories of The Witcher 1, he focused instead on ensuring that his Elder Blood [Recall] ability resonated perfectly with the [Knowledge] ability inherited through his bloodline.
Hoping that his family back home would also receive the blessing of concealment, Gustave continued to concentrate as each of them slowly funneled all manner of Aether Power into him.
"Everyone—awaken your Elder Blood and give it everything you can!!! Pour it into this child!!!"
With a sudden surge of energy—like his adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, working thousands of times beyond its natural limit—his elemental affinities ignited: the heat-dissipation of Fire, the limitless oxygen flow of Air, the fatigue-cleansing properties of Water, and the cellular reinforcement of Earth.
Gustave's ATP was overcharged by Aether to such an extreme that he felt as though he could sprint around the entire planet without ever growing tired.
With this newfound, seemingly limitless stamina, he forced everyone whose bloodline was connected to Lara Dorren to briefly [Recall] through both past and future—if only for a fleeting 0-point-Googolplex second.
And because he possessed such boundless energy, he repeated this effect over and over, like a piston—only a piston built for jet engines, firing thousands of times faster.
Within just a single minute, the history of the House of Raven and their possession of the Elder Blood lineage was partially erased. If he had continued, it would not have been just their powers disappearing—everyone connected to Lara Dorren, including Gustave himself, would have ceased to exist from the strain of his own ability.
As a deep, crushing fatigue settled in behind his eyes, Gustave collapsed on the spot, unconscious from the overwhelming exertion—leaving only the fearful yet awestruck stares of those who had just witnessed two child monsters in a single day.
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Thumping heartbeat pounding in his ears—as if some unfathomable demon of knowledge were staring into the very data and details of his being, capable of erasing him with information alone—Alvin shivered uncontrollably and asked his aunt Calanthe, "Aunt, w-what is that?"
Glancing up at the sky, which had suddenly darkened with thunder and lightning crackling across it—almost as if the heavens themselves were anxious over what had transpired—Calanthe tried to steady her own breath.
With her visions of the future and the past now strangely quiet, she understood one thing clearly: whatever the boy had done, he had bought Cintra precious time to grow strong.
Turning to Alvin, she answered, "The details are of no consequence. Little Gustave has bought us time—to study our enemy and to make ourselves stronger."
Then, facing Ermion, she commanded, "Druid, watch over Gustave with utmost care. He will sleep for a full three years. It took everything he had to accomplish something so far beyond his limits."
"You have my word, My Queen."
Calanthe turned back to Alvin once more.
"And you, my cousin—enough of this fixation on our Elder Blood. Return to Kaer Morhen and study the wave patterns of the five Runestones that young Gustave devised to open the portal with Ciri. Your sorcery will grow far stronger, and your progress far swifter, if you devote yourself to these patterns rather than continuing your Elder Blood research for now."
"And once you have studied these patterns and removed them, bring along a Second-Degree Spellweaver and a Second-Degree Enchantress to Lyria and Rivia—specifically, to the island near Rivia."
"That place is a gateway to our enemies' realm. I demand every scrap of intelligence on those long-eared hypocrites. Why do they covet Ciri? What knowledge do they hold of the Elder Blood? And trace every link between Tedd Deireadh and their kind—the only clues I possess are Frost and White."
"As you command, My Queen."
"And you, Vissegerd and Aurora Tasso! You have brought a considerable portion of the Cintrian Elite Force and Cintran Intelligence to undertake an expedition to the Southern Continent. Seek out the kingdoms that adorn themselves in black and bear the sun as their emblem, all the way to the very edge of the Continent, where Nilfgaard lies."
"And you know what, Réponse de Salm? You are the sister of my late husband. He once told me that his homeland was nearly overrun by Nilfgaard—which is why he married me. So you ought to know the lands surrounding Nilfgaard and be able to identify the kingdom that wears black and bears the sun as its emblem, shouldn't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is very likely that the Nilfgaardian Empire itself is what Your Grace seeks, My Queen."
"Ptui! An empire… Be that as it may. Go with Vissegerd and Aurora Tasso. I want to know every last detail about them—even the names of their children, their grandchildren, and the servants who attend them."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Having finished instructing her subjects, she stroked the hair of the two‑ or three‑year‑old boy who had become the key to their family's survival.
Examining the complexion of her former lover's son, which so closely resembled Meve's, Calanthe couldn't help but sigh, knowing that without this boy there would never be a prosperous line of Elder Blood—or even a thriving Cintra.
From the countless visions she had witnessed, it always seemed as if the entire world were against them—either attempting to seize their power for themselves or, jealous of her family's prosperity, striving to destroy everything if they could not possess it.
Looking up at the sky—from Kaer Morhen to Cintra, where the weather had grown unpredictable, as if the heavens themselves feared what had just occurred—Calanthe sensed some force beyond her control had influenced the destiny that had almost come to pass, especially as she recalled glancing at Ciri and Gustave looking up at the sky.
Activating her eye ability—the very same one her mother had possessed, which she had suddenly acquired after being near Ciri's magical explosion hours earlier—she saw scenes of a future that would now never come to pass flash before her eyes, one by one.
She loathed each and every one: those that would have turned her granddaughter into a product of experimentation, a mare to be bred, or some combination of the two—most of which stemmed from the bastard Wild Hunt.
These visions showed her Cintra, and even the House of Raven, falling into obscurity, leaving only Ciri to carry on the bloodline of Lara Dorren.
Not just obscurity, but total annihilation. In distant visions, she saw that when burning pyres engulfed the Continent and symbols of the sun appeared in blackened territories, every land with traces of Elder Blood—like Aedirn, Temeria, Kaedwen, and Redania—would vanish from the map.
The House of Raven and all descendants of Lara Dorren would be erased from the face of the Continent, leaving only Ciri—vulnerable and manipulable as the sole bearer of the Elder Blood. She even foresaw her granddaughter wishing to become a Witcher just to escape this choking web of destiny, a futile attempt, for the story did not end.
Although those distant scenes would become a core reminder, she knew they were not what she needed if she wanted to change destiny.
Recalling these visions, which had become the initial reasons her Cintra did not survive, four predominant images emerged repeatedly, guiding her thoughts on the causes and on what she needed to do if she wanted her Cintra to survive.
In one of the images, she foresaw Alvin, the heavy hitter of her Cintra, and the rest of the Fourth‑Degree Mages surrounded on an ice‑ridden world, trapped by skeletal female elves destined to remain there for eternity—except for Alvin, who managed to escape.
This made her realize that her Cintra would face enemies on two fronts: one physical, the other magical. She knew she would not have deployed Alvin unless the situation threatened the very life of Cintra—or perhaps even the entire world.
That was why she had sent Alvin on a suicide mission in the first place: to ensure that her kingdom and every living member of the House of Raven on the Continent could survive.
In the second image she foresaw, Calanthe saw her House of Raven kin dying one by one in a magical explosion meant to halt the expansion of the Black Army—a sacrifice that proved futile—because of the advanced magic and weaponry the Black Army possessed.
And, considering her best forces were trapped on that same frozen world, she understood why they had all failed to stop the expansion in the first place. This confirmed that the Nilfgaardian enemy, against whom her army fought, possessed power beyond imagination; even the ultimate sacrifice of burning every Elder Blood at their disposal had failed.
In the third image, she saw Ciri kicked and spat upon while staring at the red roses, before being thrown into a gladiator arena by a bald bounty hunter. Calanthe couldn't help but rage at the world, but more importantly at herself, for even allowing that scene to happen.
Reasoning that if she ever saw Ciri become a vagrant, it would mean they had all failed to survive the jealousy of the entire world, she kept this image in mind, her thoughts consumed by a fury she could not calm.
Finally, Calanthe saw herself leaping from a balcony with the rest of her family as Cintra burned before them, the air filled with the cries of children and the elderly.
This image served as the final reminder that she had failed as a Queen and had lost in a life full of choking destiny, for it explained why only Ciri had survived with the blood of Lara Dorren, while the rest had been wiped from the face of the Continent.
Even though she knew these scenes would not come to pass—thanks to Gustave's small display, which had even made the heavens fear his capacity for mutual destruction—the knowledge did little to soothe her when confronted with such horrors. After handing Gustave over to the druids, Calanthe ripped off her shoulder guard, hurled it to the ground, and bellowed:
Bang! Clink, clink, clink.
"Haxo! Bring me the strongest wine in the treasury! I want to drink myself senseless!"
"Here, Your Majesty."
After calming herself with a bottle of Cintrian Plum Brandy, she shook her head to rid herself of these troubling images and said to Haxo once again, "Oh, and yes—write a letter to Meve telling her they are not to use the name House of Raven anymore. Not only that, we as well. Remove any record mentioning House of Raven from the archives."
"Ehmm… Your Majesty, pardon my rudeness, but what is the House of Raven?"
Having witnessed the potent, history-erasing ability of the sleeping little Gustave firsthand, she, Alvin, and many members of the House of Raven were stunned. Calanthe dismissed Haxo and turned to her head of intelligence in Cintra, Aurora Tasso, who came from the House of Raven lineage.
"It's nothing, Haxo. Just forget what I said. Aurora, you know what to do."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
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References may break immersion. Just go ahead to the next chapter.
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References
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I will find the exact reference when I have the time.
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I swear I heard an NPC in Skellige in The Witcher 3 talking about Cintra's own specialty drink. I found it—it's Cintrian Plum Brandy, mentioned when Crach an Craite spoke with Geralt at the feast.
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Aurora Tasso is from the House of Raven because, in The Hexer—or in my case, according to the fandom—she has resistance to mental attacks. Although somewhere in the books it says that every spy has some kind of mental technique to defend against mind attacks, I decided to include Aurora Tasso in this fanfic as a member of the House of Raven because of that ability alone.
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