(Hello everyone, it's your author speaking, and yes, I'm back to serve you. I hope you're all doing well.
I had said I'd be back at the beginning of September, well, that was the plan, but let's just thank the administration of my country that took an incredible amount of time for my move, and my internet connection which, even now, is still far from exceptional.
I want to thank those of you who read my chapters all the way through despite my beginner status as a fanfiction writer, and especially those who keep on reading whether you leave no comment at all, or whether you share positive or constructive ones. Because it's thanks to you, your comments, and sometimes your power stones, that I'm able to keep going with my story.
Because yes, I'll admit it, it's hard, very hard, to see people criticize and give me the impression that their only goal is to find the fanfiction that's the holy grail for some, and for others, just to be purely mean.
Because behind every person who writes their story, never forget that there's a human being taking their time, their imagination, and their passions to write for you. I don't have authority or any kind of special powers, but I speak as a beginner writer, just like many others on this app. So yes, it's hard for us to create some "holy grail" that satisfies everyone, but we do our best to at least give you an enjoyable moment through our writing.
Thank you for continuing to read my fanfiction, and don't forget to leave a comment I love that. Thank you as well for taking the time to read how I feel when faced with the many people who post needless, mean comments.
Enjoy your reading!)
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POV Aiden
I stared at the horizon from Beauclair's walls. Out there, beyond the hills, Thúrlas would soon appear. Arrogant. Certain of his victory.
The icy wind brushed against me, tugging at my hair. Maybe I'd see the sun tomorrow. Maybe not.
Yes, I was afraid. Just like everyone else here. The knights checked their weapons, fighting not for glory but for their families. The soldiers prayed to gods that would never answer. Everyone knew the man at their side might be dead before dawn.
Calm footsteps approached. Regis stood next to me, hands clasped behind his back. He stayed silent for a while, observing the landscape as I did, before speaking in his measured voice:
"Aiden… you can still step back. You don't have to face Thúrlas alone. You could let others hold back the higher vampires. Cruel, but less suicidal."
I didn't answer. The leather of my glove cracked under my clenched fingers.
Regis went on, his tone heavier: "Why you? You've already defeated one higher vampire, yes, but that was thanks to your strange gifts and a bit of luck. Thúrlas is not the same kind of opponent. Your chances don't exceed ten percent. Even with the best mages on the Continent, they'd barely reach thirty."
I exhaled slowly, then turned my head toward him. "Regis… do you know the witcher's creed?"
"Yes," he said with a soft nod. "Geralt explained it to me. You are the line between monsters and men. You kill those who threaten mankind, but you protect those who deserve to live. But what you're planning…" His piercing eyes locked on mine. "No witcher would choose this. It's madness."
My gaze drifted down to the knights below. Some sharpened their swords, others prayed. Anna Henrietta, clad in armor, gave clear orders: prepare supplies, send scouts, move the civilians to safety. She had even canceled the festival, despite the political cost.
"Before being a witcher, I was a knight of Cintra," I said, my throat tightening. "Well… knight, that's saying a lot. When the war against Nilfgaard broke out, I saw my comrades fall. They had accepted me despite my age, treated me as one of their own. And when the queen ordered them to protect me, they sacrificed themselves without hesitation. Not just out of duty. But out of conviction."
I clenched my fist, leather groaning. "I want to be like them. The one who stands when no one else can. I know many will die tonight. That I won't be able to save them all. But I refuse to just watch. They gave me a name Aquila, the bearer of hope." I paused, my voice firming. "Maybe it's madness to believe in a single word… but if that name can give courage to those about to die, then I'll accept it."
I locked eyes with him. "And you, Regis? Why this fight? Is it only because of your promise to Geralt? Or because of Dettlaff? Will you be able to kill him if necessary?"
Regis stayed silent for a moment, his fingers brushing the ring on his hand. Then he murmured steadily: "I do it for Geralt, yes. Promises are rare for creatures like me. So I intend to keep it." His gaze darkened. "As for Dettlaff… I will do everything to reason with him. But if I must…" He drew in a deep breath. "I'll help him end his sorrow."
We stood there, side by side, without a word. The wind alone still spoke.
A commotion shattered the silence. A horse galloped into the courtyard, its rider covered in blood and dust. The man collapsed to his knees before the duchess, breath ragged.
"The vampires!" he cried with a broken voice. "They're coming… like a wave!"
A chilling silence fell.
Anna raised her hand, her voice echoing against the stones: "Knights! It is time to fulfill our duty. Protect Beauclair!"
Her words steadied some, though others still trembled.
Then Syanna strode onto the platform, her footsteps sharp and firm. She stopped at her sister's side, standing tall and proud. "I won't lie to you," she declared in a clear voice. "I hate Beauclair. I hate this land that abandoned me. But despite my hatred, I'm here. Because someone reminded me that this land I despise… is still my home."
A heavy silence followed. She turned toward me, a fleeting smile crossing her lips. "Aiden, come. The knights need to hear the voice of a professional."
I hesitated, frozen. Regis pressed a discreet hand against my back, urging me forward. Anna, stepping aside, bowed her head slightly as if granting her sister the importance she had never had.
I climbed the steps slowly. Every gaze weighed on me. Damien clapped my shoulder, a silent go on. Syanna took my hand for a moment, her discreet smile pushing me forward.
I drew a deep breath, heart pounding. "Some of you know me. Others don't. But today is not the time for introductions. Today is the time to fight."
My voice rang out. I let go of Syanna's hand, though she stayed beside me. "We fight for our future. Here, there are no more divisions, no more quarrels. Brothers, sisters, knights, or simple soldiers… we are united by one goal: survival. Today, we fight. Today, we survive."
Faces lifted. Eyes, once heavy with fear, burned with light. I went on, louder: "We fight for our families, for our children, for those who still believe in tomorrow. Vampires see us as prey. But today, we'll prove to them we are no one's quarry. Today, we'll show them that we, too, know how to hunt!"
I let silence settle for a heartbeat, then spoke with even graver strength: "I won't promise you we'll all live. I'm no hero, and I'll never pretend to be one. But they gave me a name: Aquila, the bearer of hope. And tonight, I'll carry that name for you. Not for myself. Not for a legend. But so that each of you can find the strength to hold on one more minute, strike one more blow. Together, we'll make this night our victory and we will hunt those who hunt us!"
A roar burst from the crowd. The knights raised their swords, fists hammered against shields. A war cry rose, swelling from dozens into hundreds of voices.
The clouds thickened above us. In the sky, flying shadows appeared. The first swarms of vampires already descended toward the city.
I rushed to the ramparts with the knights, Syanna and Damien at my heels. Soldiers braced themselves, archers drew their bows, streets filled with makeshift barricades.
And on the hill, there he stood. Thúrlas. His three higher vampires at his side. His gaze locked with mine. A silent duel.
He raised his hand.
The black tide broke loose. Vampires on the ground, vampires in the air.
The battle had begun.
---
A few minutes later, the battle erupted on all sides.
Arrows whistled through the air, sinking into vampire flesh as they swarmed the city like a cloud of shadows. Knights roared, their swords striking with the desperate fury of men who knew there was no choice but to kill or be killed.
Beauclair was already burning. Flames devoured rooftops, walls crumbled, screams blended with the beasts' roars. The air stank of smoke and blood. With every passing second, new corpses piled onto the cobblestones.
We pushed forward through the chaos. Anna Henrietta and her personal guard carved a path ahead. Syanna stayed close, her hand clenched tight around her blade. Regis fought at my side, cutting down creatures with cold precision, while my ice magic tore through the air, freezing their assaults mid-charge.
And then we saw him.
Thúrlas.
He stood tall on the hill, his three higher vampires at his side. The carnage around him seemed beneath his notice. His face showed neither anger nor joy only the cold contempt of a predator who already knew how it would end.
With a single leap, Dettlaff stepped forward. His eyes locked with Regis's, and without a word, he hurled him violently away, ripping him from our formation. I saw Regis tumble into the dust as Dettlaff lunged after him. That was their fight and none of us could interfere.
The second higher vampire came for me. I parried his strike with a sharp twist, steel screeching as sparks flew. I was about to counter when a third burst in from behind. Syanna and Anna barely dodged, the creature's blade smashing into the ground and leaving a smoking crater.
The second pulled back, eyes burning with impatience. He knew he couldn't beat me head-on—so he turned toward the duchess's guard. Damien shouted an order, his men raising their shields, ready to die at his side.
My heart screamed to run to Syanna, to Damien, to Regis. Every cry, every clash of steel pulled me backward.
But my feet stayed rooted.
I wasn't a hero. I knew that. I couldn't save everyone.
And so, I didn't need to look back. I trusted them. Each would carry their share of the fight.
Mine stood before me. Thúrlas.
I tightened my grip on the sword. Ice crawled up my arms, my breath misted in the cold air. My mind emptied of everything else.
I charged.
Straight at him. Without a word. Without a glance behind.
---
POV Regis
I let Dettlaff pull me away from the others. The plain opened up naked and cold, swept by wind. No walls, no witnesses. Just him and me, two vampires branded by loss, condemned to settle our scores.
He stopped, his blood-red eyes locked on mine. "Regis! Leave. I'll spare you this time. But if you stay… I won't have a choice."
I shook my head slowly. "No, Dettlaff. I'll stay. Aiden needs me, and Toussaint too. And you… you need to hear what you've been refusing for far too long."
He roared and launched himself.
Talons flashed, air split. We collided with inhuman force. Each impact sounded like thunder, each step left a crater in the earth. The plain trembled under our duel.
I sliced his flank; he sent me skidding with a sweeping blow. I rolled in the dust, sprang up, and dove back in.
"You carry a hatred that eats you alive!" I spat, crossing claws with him. "If you keep going, it will destroy you long before your enemies do."
His eyes blazed. "Let them burn, let them all die! Men have brought only lies and cruelty. Amelia trusted them, Claire loved them… and they slaughtered them!"
I blocked a strike, our arms trembling under the force. "No! It isn't men who killed them all. There are monsters among them, blinded by fear and hate. You know I don't defend the guilty…but condemning an entire people is to kill those they would have protected."
He growled, claws hissing around me. "You refuse to see the truth! Humanity is rotten to the core!"
I answered with a counter, fangs bared. "Then tell me, Dettlaff! Why did Amelia love you? Why did Claire call you father? They were human. They saw in you what you refuse to see in them."
He hesitated just long enough for me to strike. I seized him by the throat and drove him into the ground. Dust rose around us.
"Look at me!" I growled. "I've seen the same darkness you have. I saw Saphir die for nothing, because of men's cruelty. But I have seen other things too!"
I tightened my grip. "I've seen fathers die for their children. I've seen a sister forgive despite a life of rejection. I've seen a friend love a son who wasn't his by blood. That's what I saw!"
He spat in my face, claws ripping at my arms. "You lie! You haven't felt what I feel!"
I answered with a low rumble. "I understand you more than you think. But the difference, Dettlaff, is that I didn't let my pain decide who I am. You let it consume you."
His eyes widened; his rage flickered for a second. In that brief silence I struck again not with claws this time, but with words. "You talk about vengeance. Tell me, if Amelia and Claire saw you now… would they be proud? Or would they turn away from the man they loved?"
He froze. His breath broke. The images I'd awakened began to crack his hatred.
I loosened my hold on his throat. He lay gasping, fists trembling, prisoner to his own memories.
I rose, eyes still fixed on him. "I never forgot Saphir. But I chose to honor his memory, not to soil it with slaughter. You think you're strong, but in truth… you're only a slave to your anger."
Silence fell. The wind sent dust dancing around us.
I laid a heavy hand on his shoulder as a final plea. "Choose, brother. Either stay a prisoner of the shadow."
Then I turned away, leaving him alone with his torments, and ran back to where Aiden faced Thúrlas.
---
POV Syanna
Dodging at the last second with Anna, we had been cut off from the guard. Around us, the plain was nothing but a field of ash and screams. In front of us, the higher vampire watched with cold contempt.
"Two pitiful humans," he sneered. "I'll kill you, then join my lord. Perhaps he'll keep the witcher alive… for sport."
I wanted to scream Aiden's name. But I knew: if I fell here, there would be nothing left to protect.
We only dodged, again and again, our bodies marked with wounds piling up. Our blades barely scratched his skin, our bombs were nothing but toys.
"Keep dancing," he mocked. "Royal blood has such an exquisite taste."
I glanced at Anna. Her breath was ragged, her arms trembling. Yet she smiled. A smile that pierced straight through me, a memory of an almost forgotten childhood.
"Don't you remember, Syanna?" she said between gasps. "I've always been tougher than you. So hold on."
I wanted to believe her. But inside me there was only emptiness. We were pathetic. I had thought I could be useful to Aiden. But I was nothing but a burden.
My foot slipped on the wet grass. I fell. The vampire lunged, his claws gleaming for my throat. The world narrowed to that single black point. Death was here.
The faces that flashed through my mind weren't the ones I expected: Aiden, and Anna. My sister, despite all my resentment. I loved her. And I had never been able to say it.
An impact. Blood splattered across my face. But it wasn't mine.
Anna lay on top of me, collapsed. Her left arm lay a few steps away.
"Anna!" I screamed.
I froze, unable to move, unable even to breathe. The vampire was already advancing, a sadistic smile carved into his lips.
And then… a voice echoed.
"Syanna… are you afraid?"
Yes.
"Why?"
Because I'm weak. Because I keep losing what I love. Because I never forgave my sister. Because I wasted every moment of my life behind hatred.
"And what will you do for her? For the man you love… but never dare to tell?"
I… I…
I WILL DO ANYTHING. No matter the sacrifice. I'm done hiding behind my mask. Done running. I will show them who the real Syanna is. Let them taste my rage, my fury! No one will touch my sister. No one will touch Aiden.
The voice thundered.
"Then accept. Heir of the Black Sun, accept the gift that flows in your blood. Heir of Guinevere… accept the Twilight of Autumn!"
A black aura wrapped around me. The wind rose, carrying dead leaves that did not exist. The sky darkened. The vampire stepped back, eyes widening with a fear he did not understand.
I laid Anna gently on the ground, as one lays down a sleeping child. Then I took my sword. My shadow stretched wide around me, vast and menacing.
In a heartbeat, I was upon him. His hand tried to block. Too late. My blade had already torn him apart, reducing him to five bloody pieces.
His body collapsed without a scream.
I turned. Damien and the knights, drenched in blood, still fought another higher vampire. Many had already fallen, but they held, straining against the horror.
I charged, the shadow surrounding me like a blade. In a few strikes, the other vampire was silenced. His body hit the ground, and I stood still for a moment, panting. Blood streamed from my hands, but I felt nothing… nothing except urgency.
My eyes fell on Anna. Her mutilated body rested a few steps away, held by trembling knights too afraid to approach her. Pain ripped through me, savage and deep, but I had no right to stop. Not now.
I turned to Damien and his men. "Care for my sister. Save as many wounded as you can. Then take shelter."
They hesitated, paralyzed by the dark aura surrounding me. I clenched my fist, my voice cracking like a whip. "That's an order!"
At last, they obeyed, rushing to Anna. My heart screamed to stay by her side. But I knew one thing: if Thúrlas wasn't stopped, her sacrifice—and all the others—would mean nothing.
So I turned my back, throat tight, and left.
I reached the other side of the plain.
And I saw hell.
Regis lay on the ground, limbs shattered, unable to regenerate fast enough. And before him… my worst nightmare.
Thúrlas.
He held Aiden by the throat. His silver sword, broken, dangled uselessly from his hand. His body was nothing but a battlefield of wounds.
Thúrlas lifted his gaze to me. His face showed nothing but icy curiosity. "Interesting," he said. "I didn't think Guinevere still had an heir worthy of her power. But it doesn't matter. You've lost. Still… I congratulate you. Few manage to slay my servants. Few survive long enough to see me."
He looked back down at Aiden. "Let's finish this. I still have a world to conquer."
Before I could move, his arm pierced through Aiden's chest. Blood burst forth, staining the plain.
"AIDEN!" Regis howled, his voice shattered with a grief I had never heard from him. He thrashed like a chained beast, clawing at the earth, unable to rise.
Aiden, his eyes already dim, drove his broken sword into Thúrlas's neck. A pitiful gesture. The vampire pulled it free as one plucks out a splinter.
"Do not worry, Aquila," he said calmly. "You fought well. But silver… has never frightened me. You fought like a bearer of hope. Now, give way to the night."
And he cast his body aside like a broken toy.
I watched as Aiden sank into the black waters of the lake. My heart broke. My knees struck the earth.
I had never told him how I felt. I had never protected him.
I had never saved him.
Aiden… was dead.
---
POV Aiden
My body sank slowly into the icy water. Every movement felt pointless, every heartbeat weaker than the last. My blood spread in dark spirals, tracing red patterns that dissolved into the abyss.
I tried to move, to rise, but my limbs refused to answer. My vision blurred, swallowed by the darkness.
Faces flickered through my mind like the flames of a dying fire: Jaskier's infuriating yet comforting laugh… Vesemir's stern gaze… Geralt's firm hand on my shoulder… Ciri's green eyes, shining like a beacon in the storm… Syanna, her smile always hidden behind shadows… Yennefer. Triss. All of them passed, fleeting silhouettes, before fading away.
I wished… I could see them one last time. Say goodbye. But my eyelids closed. My breath slipped out in silence.
And then, the water changed.
The biting cold turned into a gentle warmth. A glow pierced the depths soft yet relentless as if the night itself parted to let the dawn through. Arms enveloped me not flesh, not shadow, but something older. They lifted me with a tenderness that did not belong to this world.