The days after the battle at the Mirror Cradle passed in a quiet haze. With the rift sealed and the Wyrm destroyed, the strange tension that had gripped the land slowly began to lift. The air in the Echo Vale smelled cleaner, less charged. The ground felt steadier underfoot.
Alina stayed near the Cradle for a while, needing time to rest—and to understand what she'd become.
She sat often beneath the twisted remains of the old tree, watching the wind move through the valley, her fingers absentmindedly tracing runes in the dirt. Her body still ached from the strain, and her dreams were quieter now, but she could feel the magic humming just beneath her skin. Not chaotic like before—more like a river she could step into when needed. A part of her now. Balanced.
Yennefer came and went, sometimes in the middle of the night, always with news of how the world beyond was responding. The mages of Aretuza were whispering of Alina now. Some were wary. Others were curious. But all agreed: something rare had happened, and the world was shifting.
"Do you regret coming here?" Yennefer asked one night as they sat by a new campfire, smoke curling into the stars.
Alina shook her head slowly. "I didn't have a choice. But no—I don't. I think... I was always meant to come."
Yennefer gave her a long, unreadable look, then nodded once. "You've done well, girl. Better than most would've."
The compliment was simple, but from Yennefer, it meant the world.
Kaelen lingered the longest. They traveled together for a few more weeks, riding along the quieter paths near Kaedwen, clearing minor contracts and occasionally getting involved in local disputes when needed. Word of their actions at the Cradle began to spread, though distorted—as stories do.
In some versions, Alina was a sorceress born of stars. In others, she was a demon sealed inside human skin.
Only she, Kaelen, and Yennefer knew the truth. And that felt enough.
One evening, under a sky streaked with gold and purple, Kaelen looked at her from across the campfire and said, "You could keep going. Travel the Continent. People would follow someone like you."
She smiled faintly. "Or I could go back."
He raised a brow. "To your world?"
Alina stared into the fire. "I don't know if I'd even fit there anymore. I've changed too much."
"Maybe that's the point," Kaelen said. "Maybe you were never meant to stay in one world."
The silence that followed wasn't heavy. It was calm. Like something was settling into place.
Eventually, they reached a fork in the road. One path led east, toward Nilfgaardian territory, where rumors of unrest stirred. The other led toward the coast, where Yennefer had told Alina of a rare celestial passage that might—just might—open a way back to her world.
Alina stood at the crossroads for a long time.
In her pocket was a small stone Yennefer had given her—an anchor, she'd called it. Something to focus on, should Alina ever want to return, in either direction.
Kaelen didn't ask what she'd choose. He simply said, "Whatever you decide, don't look back."
She gave him a tight hug before stepping away, eyes stinging. "Thank you. For everything."
He touched a hand to his chest in the witcher's sign of farewell. "Stay sharp, Alina of Nowhere."
She smiled at that. Then turned toward the coast.
The road was long and empty, but Alina didn't feel alone. The wind whispered softly, carrying echoes of the world behind her. She walked with a steady pace, the weight of magic at her side, her dagger at her hip, and an entire story etched into her memory.
Whatever lay ahead—home, or another frontier—she was ready for it.
Because she was no longer just a girl from another world.
She was a traveler between them.
And her story was far from over.
THE END.
(Or perhaps... just the beginning.)