They began to simulate various possible battle scenarios.
Which spells are more effective against infected or distorted areas? How to quickly provide support if your team is separated?
Dalton, Phillip, and the other knights were not idle either; they put on their new plate armor every day and underwent intensive adaptation training.
They mastered the new weight and flexibility, practicing formations to protect the spellcasters and coordinate attacks in complex conditions.
After everyone had chosen the magical artifacts left by Karl, each tried to familiarize themselves with their properties as best as possible.
In this tense and busy atmosphere, only one small figure stood out from the crowd – it was Ciri.
At first, she was full of excitement and curiosity, thinking it was cool that so many influential people were gathering together to prepare for a "battle against a huge monster."
She pestered Geralt with questions, wanting to follow Triss and the others to watch magic demonstrations, and even imitated the knights' movements on the training ground.
But soon she realized something was wrong; the adults always looked very serious and whispered.
When she approached, they would immediately change the subject or give her encouraging smiles.
Geralt spent less and less time with her, and Triss and Yennefer were always rushing off somewhere.
Moreover, even her fiancé, Karl, had disappeared into the sky and hadn't been seen for a long time.
She felt this invisible pressure, the feeling that a "great battle was about to begin."
And also the subconscious protection the adults were giving her, or rather, their isolation.
She began to frown, often sitting alone on the steps of the training ground, propping her chin on her hand and staring blankly at the sky where Karl had disappeared.
Finally, in the second week of preparation, the delegation from Cintra was ready to leave.
Eist planned to take Ciri back to the country, but convincing her would not be easy.
"I'm not leaving!" Ciri clung tightly to Geralt's arm, her emerald eyes full of tears, but even more so, stubbornness.
"I want to be with you! I can help! I'm not a child anymore!"
Geralt crouched down and looked at her with his unusual, cat-like eyes – tender, but firm.
"Ciri, listen. It's not about helping or not."
"What awaits us next... will be very dangerous, so dangerous that all of us will have to give our full effort and won't have the strength to care for others."
"I don't need care!" Ciri shouted.
"But everyone needs it," Yennefer said, approaching him, her voice much softer than usual.
She gently stroked Ciri's gray hair: "Geralt needs to know that you are safe in Cintra, under the protection of the palace."
"That way, Geralt won't be distracted during the fight and can focus more carefully."
"Your safety is his main protection, do you understand?"
Triss also knelt down and took Ciri's little hand: "Ciri, you are very smart and sensible."
"You know that, right? Your staying here won't help us; in fact, you might scare us."
"Go back to Cintra, to your grandmother, and practice the spells Karl taught you."
"Once we're done here, Geralt will come for you as soon as possible, okay?"
Ciri bit her lip, looked at Geralt, then at Yennefer and Triss, and finally tears flowed.
However, she didn't cry out loud; she just nodded vigorously.
She really is very smart and sensible; she understands the unspoken concerns of the adults.
Her special "Elder Blood" being used in situations involving evil gods,
could become an unpredictable factor or even attract additional dangers.
Her presence here could indeed become a burden.
"...Then you have to be careful, you have to win, and then come get me as soon as possible," Ciri said, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Of course," Geralt promised solemnly.
In the end, with tears in her eyes, Ciri followed Eist and the Cintran delegation into the carriage returning to Cintra, looking back every few steps.
Anger and reluctance were on her face, but the straight posture with which she walked away showed a strength of spirit not typical of her age.
After seeing Ciri off, Mousesack did not go with the mission; the druid stayed.
Under the questioning gazes of the crowd, Mousesack simply stroked his gray beard and said calmly...
"I have lived long enough to witness the grandeur of nature and the destructive power of evil."
"The abomination described by Lord Karl is a perversion of nature, and as a druid, I cannot remain indifferent."
Finally, he looked at Geralt and Yennefer, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"Moreover, he is now Ciri's betrothed and can be considered the future... King of Cintra."
......
Time passed, and the preparations on the ground became increasingly complete.
Finally, at the end of the month, around noon, high in the sky...
Karl slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed for nearly a month.
In an instant, two beams of golden light, as solid as metal, burst from his eyes, like two sharp swords piercing the clouds.
The light radiated an indescribable sense of majesty and sanctity, but quickly receded and dissipated.
He opened his palms, turning them upward, and his mind stirred slightly.
HUM... From beneath the skin of his palms, two incredibly tiny, pure, and breathtaking golden droplets appeared.
Karl stared intently at the two droplets of divine power, frowning slightly.
"One month... at a rate of about one droplet? That's a bit slow," he muttered to himself, a note of disappointment in his words.
Divine power is the only power he currently possesses that can potentially cause serious damage or hinder "Dagon," so naturally, the more, the better.
Just as he was pondering, a familiar, otherworldly female voice, now tinged with helplessness and irritation,
sounded directly in his ear, or rather, at the level of his consciousness, without any warning.
"Karl!" It was Freyja's voice.
"Your harvest in one month surpasses the efforts of an ordinary person in ten thousand years. Are you not satisfied?"
The voice conveyed a complex mix of emotions, including a complaint about his "greed."
His rapid progress aroused surprise, and perhaps a hint of... well-hidden satisfaction?
Hearing this, Karl was startled. He instinctively looked up at the vast sky above him.
However, as soon as he looked up, he noticed nothing unusual...
BOOM! A massive beam of light, so dazzling it was indescribable, woven from countless brilliant colors,
pierced the boundaries of space, suddenly crashing down from an incredibly vast emptiness.
The beam of light, swirling like a rainbow, precisely struck Karl, hovering high in the sky, and completely enveloped him.
The beam of light, causing no harm and no tangible impact, possessed a soft but irresistible force of attraction.
Karl suddenly felt a lightness in his body, and the surrounding landscape instantly blurred, stretched, and transformed into a dazzling passage.