Another year passed.
The wind screamed louder over the walls of Kaer Morhen. Snow piled high against shuttered windows. But within those stone bones, two young Witchers honed their storm.
Cain and Callum had spent every day refining their twin-style fighting technique. Their synergy—once reactive—was now instinctual. Their strikes weren't planned. They were felt.
They moved like mirrored flames in the courtyard, facing not each other this time—but Geralt and Lambert.
Steel clashed. Sparks danced.
Cain ducked under a horizontal slash from Lambert, parried upward with Aard-enhanced force that sent snow exploding around them. At the same moment, Callum twisted behind Geralt, Igni flickering from his palm to force distance.
Geralt stepped back, reading the formation. "They're forcing isolation," he muttered.
Lambert snarled, "Tactics. Real ones."
Cain and Callum shifted, switching opponents without signaling. Cain caught Lambert's heavy sword against his Sign-enhanced Quen barrier, buying Callum time to slam a Yrden trap at Geralt's feet.
The circle crackled—limiting movement.
Geralt smirked and sidestepped it. "Clever. Almost worked."
He pivoted, slamming Aard toward Callum, who rolled with the blast, using the momentum to fire a crossbow bolt that Cain deflected midair into Lambert's side.
Thunk.
A padded hit. But a point scored.
Lambert groaned. "That's just disrespectful."
Cain grinned. "We're fast learners."
That night, the fire in the great hall cracked and popped as they rested, skin bruised and bodies sore.
Geralt leaned against the hearth, arms crossed.
"You're onto something. That formation of yours—it isn't just show. It has function. Pressure. Flow. Force distribution."
Lambert grunted. "You still need to tighten your exits. You overextend to protect each other. Against monsters? That'll get you killed."
Callum nodded, massaging his ribs. "We know. But if we get the timing right..."
"You will," Geralt interrupted. "You're already halfway there."
Cain stared into the fire. His mind drifted back to their spar—the moment he and Callum had redirected one of Geralt's own moves into a counter.
[System Notification: Combat Technique Progress – Synergistic Bladework: Tier 2]
You and your bonded partner gain +5% reaction speed when fighting in tandem.
Signs can be layered with +10% effectiveness when cast within 2 seconds of one another.
They were building something new. Something the old world had never seen.
Not just Witchers. Twin Wolves.
And during meditation that night, Cain felt it again.
Not a voice this time.
A vision.
He and Callum—older, armor darkened by blood and time—stood side by side on a battlefield surrounded by monsters, soldiers, and something... ancient.
They weren't afraid. They weren't alone.
Cain opened his eyes. The fire was low. But the embers glowed—soft, crimson gold.
Like eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.