— –Alexander Montclair– —
With one simple flick of his wrist, Vesimir knocked the sword out of Alex's hand with enough force to send him stumbling back and crashing onto the ground for what felt like the hundredth time.
His muscles burned. His arms felt like wet ropes. As he lay there, breath scraping in and out of his lungs, he tried to push himself up again out of habit more than sense. But Vesimir raised a hand before he could get fully upright.
"You've done enough for today." Vesimir said, his tone firm but gentle as he sheathed his blade. "I'll go prepare the herbs and mushrooms. Get some rest. Yennefer will come looking for you soon." He gave Alex a faint, approving smile before turning away.
Alex let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and let himself drop back down, this time carefully. The cold stones felt almost soothing under his back. He let his eyes fall shut and focused on the slow rhythm of his breathing, letting each inhale and exhale settle his heartbeat. It wasn't quite meditation, but it was close enough.
It was strange, really.
For the first time since he had stepped through that portal. No… even before that. For the first time in years, Alex felt at peace.
Even with the sand slipping through the hourglass. Even with his body aching from training and his mind burning with everything he'd done to the Wild Hunt. Even with that constant feeling of a sword hanging over his head. Somehow, he was at peace.
He wasn't quite sure as to why, if he were being honest. But he wasn't going to deny the feeling, at least not while it lasted.
Everything had been a whirlwind, but things were finally moving in their favor.
When they'd arrived in Kaer Morhen with Avallac'h, they'd stumbled into Vesimir, who had just returned from traveling to White Orchard with Geralt, the two of them searching for Yennefer. And by luck or fate or whatever cruel force ruled this world, Vesimir knew their route well enough that they'd been able to teleport nearby and intercept them before they reached Vizima.
Alex didn't even want to imagine how messy it would've gotten if they'd had to walk into Emhyr's court.
After that, they'd all returned to Kaer Morhen together, and one by one, they'd retold everything that had happened to them. Or, at the very least, a highly compressed version of it. Enough for everyone to understand what had led them here, even if the truth was messy and full of gaps.
Not long after, Avallac'h had finally succumbed to the curse. One moment he'd been the composed, mysterious elf Alex had just started to get used to… and the next, he'd twisted into a tiny, hunched creature with a scrunched face and limbs that seemed one size too small.
Yennefer called him hideous without a shred of hesitation, but Alex couldn't help finding something oddly endearing about the little guy. Strange, sure. Ugly? Maybe. But there was charm in there somewhere.
He even remembered the name the games gave Avallac'h after the Wild Hunt's curse took hold. Uma. The Ugliest Man Alive. Charming nickname, really.
Either way, Yennefer had gotten to work immediately. Breaking a curse wasn't simple, even Alex knew that much, and she wasn't rushing the process. She was still in the experimental phase, testing combinations of spells between short breaks, watching for any sign of progress or regression.
Luckily for Alex, those breaks gave him an opening to ask for help with his own curse.
And as if summoned by his thoughts alone, he heard footsteps approaching. Alex opened his eyes to see Yennefer herself walking across the training yard, her raven hair drifting in the breeze, her posture as effortless and regal as ever. One of the strongest sorceresses on the Continent. Ciri's mother in everything but blood. Well… close enough.
Alex pushed himself to his feet, wiping dirt off his clothes out of habit. Yennefer lifted a hand before he could finish, muttering a soft incantation. A faint ripple of magic brushed over him, cool and clean, leaving his skin fresh and his clothes spotless.
"Thanks." Alex said, offering her a genuine smile.
Yennefer didn't answer, only giving him a long, evaluating look before letting out a small sigh. She turned without a word, her cloak brushing lightly against his arm as she walked back toward the keep.
Alex hesitated for a second, then took it as an invitation to follow.
They moved through the cool stone halls of Kaer Morhen, the echoes of their footsteps soft against the old walls. Faded banners hung overhead. Dust clung to corners untouched for years. It all felt ancient and lived in, the kind of place that held too many memories to ever be quiet.
Eventually, Yennefer pushed open a wooden door and stepped into a small room she'd been using as a study. Books lay open across a desk, candles half-melted, ink-stained notes scattered like battle plans. The faint scent of lilac and gooseberries lingered in the air.
Alex closed the door behind them.
Yennefer didn't look up right away. She lifted a thin vial toward the candlelight, turning it between her fingers, watching the shimmer inside like it was trying to tell her something.
"I've never been an expert in demonology." She said at last, setting the vial down. "Which complicates the discovery process."
Her tone wasn't irritated, just honest.
"However." She continued. "I've dealt with my fair share of curses and binding spells. And whatever Belasco carved into your tongue… it's not simple. It isn't just a shackle." Her eyes flicked briefly toward him. "It's a leash."
Alex nodded. He could still remember that day vividly, and the curse hadn't just activated when he'd tried to cast a spell. It moved when Belasco wanted it to. Like a hand wrapped around the back of his neck, waiting to squeeze. This and learning to control his ability were the last real obstacles standing between him and Illyana's rescue.
"Can you remove it?" Alex asked.
"In due time." Her voice was calm, but not comforting. She wasn't looking at his face anymore. She was looking through him, analyzing him like a surgeon examining a wound no one else could see. "A few weeks at the very least. Perhaps a few months if I am being careful. And I will be." Her brow furrowed slightly. "The magic in your tongue is unlike anything in this world."
"I don't have months." Alex whispered.
She shot him a sharp side glance, as if the words were a personal insult.
"What if…" Alex hesitated, hating himself for even suggesting it. "What if we just cut it off?"
Yennefer's glare could've frozen a river. He could practically feel her judgment burning through him.
Sure, it wasn't ideal. But he was pretty damn sure someone could regrow a tongue eventually, magic, science, something. Worst-case scenario, he'd go home and join Dr. Connors in his limb-regeneration research and hope he didn't accidentally turn himself into a lizard.
Judging by Yennefer's expression, she did not share his optimism.
"No. Cutting your tongue out wouldn't solve anything." Her tone went cold. Very cold. "He didn't simply seal your magic. He buried it. Like a boot pressed to someone's throat while smiling sweetly at them."
She crossed her arms, leaning slightly against the desk.
"It's also keyed to you. Not your soul. Not your essence. You. That is what makes it difficult."
"What does that mean?" Alex frowned.
"It means…." Yennefer said, exhaling slowly. "That if I break it the wrong way, I could sever more than the curse."
"…Like what?"
"Your ability to speak. Your ability to channel anything. And though I don't fully understand it yet, your ability to travel between worlds." Her voice sharpened, irritation threading through the last word, like the concept itself annoyed her. "So forgive me if I'm not rushing to indulge your impatience."
"Right. Yeah." Alex swallowed and let out a long, tired breath. He paced once, twice, fingers brushing the edge of the desk before he forced himself to face her again. "What about just blocking Belasco from activating it at will? I can deal with the magic block later. Hell, even if I can never cast a spell again, I'll live. But I won't be able to beat him if he still has this over me."
Yennefer watched him quietly, eyes narrowed just enough to show she was holding back several opinions at once. Her brows furrowed as if she could already feel the headache forming.
"You don't understand magic." She said, voice firm, clipped. "You can't even begin to grasp how difficult what you're asking is."
She reached for one of the journals on the table and flipped it open, her movements precise, practiced. Pages fluttered beneath her fingers as she skimmed her notes, lips pressed into a thin line.
"And so quick to give up on the possibility of magic." She added sharply. "Especially after looking so eager to learn during our first meeting."
Alex looked away at that, jaw tensing. Because she wasn't wrong. And worse, she knew it.
Yennefer had been thankful to him for helping Ciri deal with the Wild Hunt, and so when she'd offered to help him should he need it, he had immediately asked her to teach him magic. Basic theory, simple spells, something he could build on once he returned to his own world. Something that could prepare him for eventual supernatural encounters.
For his part, he was tempted to try to find someplace like Kamar Taj. But if his guess was right, they would only be found if they wanted to be found. And Alex wasn't willing to risk leaving himself completely magic illiterate were they to reject him. No, he had to begin planning for the future.
But even then, she'd warned him there wasn't enough time. That anything she tried to teach him would barely scratch the surface. He had known she was right, but hearing it again still made heat creep up the back of his neck.
He didn't speak. He didn't have to. His silence said enough.
Yennefer sighed, soft, reluctant, but undeniably real. She closed the journal and finally looked up at him fully.
"Ciri cares for you." She said, her tone easing only slightly. "So I will be kind enough to tell you this directly. Your plan is foolish."
The words hit him harder than he expected. Not cruel, not mocking, just blunt truth.
"It's assisted suicide at best." She went on. "I told you I'm not an expert in demonology, but I do know what it means to challenge a demon in its own realm. Doing so is beyond foolish. Especially if this 'Belasco' is the king of that dimension."
Alex flinched at that, but she didn't pause.
"To be acknowledged as the ruler of a realm grants a sorcerer almost unlimited power." She said. "Their magic becomes the air, the ground, the laws that govern their world. Dimeritium or not, all it takes is for a ruler to will it, and you will not escape. Not as you are now."
Alex opened his mouth, maybe to argue, maybe to beg, but she cut him off with a single raised hand.
"And don't start." She warned, voice icy. "You have no control over your ability. None. Your power reacts to your emotions like a frightened animal, and you expect to walk into a dimension ruled by a demon and come out alive? Foolish doesn't begin to describe it."
She stood then, slow and deliberate, as if she wanted him to see just how serious she was.
"And though Ciri might be tempted to help you." Yennefer said, her voice dropping into something lethal. "I promise you this, Alexander… even if Ciri hates me for it, I will kill you before you ever drag her to Limbo with you."
"No." Alexander finally said at last with a tired sigh. "I wasn't planning on bringing her into this either way."
There was a moment of silence in the room before he heard Yennefer sigh, and as he looked at her, he could see her bringing a hand to her head, almost as if trying to stifle a headache.
"I'll try to cure Avallac'h as fast as I can." She said at last. Her tone wasn't warm, but it had lost its razor's edge. "I'm not sure you noticed it, but that damned elf was looking at you like you were his long-lost beloved before he turned into that hideous thing."
Alex blinked at the phrasing, unsure whether to be confused, insulted, or both.
It was true, he'd noticed that after explaining his powers Avallac'h had taken an even bigger interest in him, but the elf was strange enough that it was hard to understand what he wanted from Alex. He had wanted to help Alex learn more about his power, but sadly, he had fallen to the curse before they could make any real progress.
Yennefer continued before he could comment.
"He was obsessed with Ciri for her blood and powers. Perhaps…" She said, shifting a page aside with a flick of her fingers. "...you might be able to manipulate him by using your power as leverage. Just be careful you don't let him use you in return."
Her gaze met his again, sharp and assessing.
"I'm sure if you ask him nicely, he might be able to assist you in rescuing that girl you care so much for. He's a strong enough sorcerer, and he has enough experience behind himself that he might be able to rescue her without your help. Bring her home on your behalf."
Alex's breath hitched slightly, though he kept his face as neutral as he could. Yennefer noticed anyway, in the few meetings they've had together, she always seemed to notice, but she didn't press.
A brief pause lingered as she scanned one of her journals, then she closed it with a soft thud.
"You're still young, Alexander." She said, and for the first time since their conversation began, her tone eased. Not soft, exactly, Yennefer rarely softened for anyone, but something close. "There's a light in your eyes that is rarely seen in this world."
Her voice dipped, a faint note of something that might've been sincerity threading through her usually controlled tone.
"Don't let this place, or that demon, or your own desperation snuff it out."
Yennefer held his gaze for another moment, studying him in that quiet way she had, like she was peeling back layers he didn't even know he had. Then she exhaled, slow and deliberate, and set the journal aside.
"You know…" She began, her voice quieter now. "...you don't have to throw your life away for this."
Alex blinked, unsure he'd heard her right.
Yennefer continued before he could speak, fingers absently rolling the corner of a parchment between them.
"This world may be brutal, but not every choice in it needs to be." She looked toward the window, toward the falling snow outside. "You could stay here. Settle somewhere. It's not unheard of for someone from another world to make a life for themselves in this one."
Alex opened his mouth, but Yennefer raised a hand.
"Listen to me before you argue." She said, tone firm. "Ciri… cares about you. And that is not something I say lightly. She trusts few people, and fewer still manage to keep her grounded." A faint shadow of a smile tugged at her mouth. "You seem to be one of them."
Alex looked away, caught off guard by the sincerity. Yennefer crossed her arms, leaning back slightly in her chair.
"She respects you. And somehow, Saints know how, you've managed to keep her stubborn impulses from getting her killed. That alone is rare. From what she told me, had you not been there for her in Novigrad and offered her a different path, she would have landed herself in the hands of Whoreson Jr., the bastard."
For a moment, she hesitated, just a flicker, barely noticeable.
"You'd be good for her." She said finally. "Better than most."
Alex felt something twist in his chest at that, some mixture of warmth and guilt that he couldn't name.
Yennefer watched him, and the edge in her voice softened another degree.
"You don't owe this demon anything. You've already done what you could to save Illyana. You already gave your life for hers once." She said. "You don't need to martyr yourself to prove anything. If you stayed… if you let go of this suicidal plan… you could have a life here. A future. Friends. Safety. And Ciri would not lose another person she cares for."
Yennefer's gaze sharpened slightly, but not with anger, more like she was trying to make him see something he kept ignoring.
"You're allowed to choose peace, Alexander."
She paused, studying his expression with a long, assessing look.
"And despite what you seem to believe, your existence does not revolve around pain or sacrifice. You have options. Even now."
The room fell quiet again, the only sound the faint crackle of a candle burning low.
Then, softer than anything she'd said that night, Yennefer added:
"You don't have to die for a world that may not deserve you."
Alex didn't answer right away. He had barely gotten a chance to speak at all ever since he'd walked into this room with Yennefer, and now that she was allowing him to speak, he couldn't find the words.
Yet, after a few seconds of Yennefer staring at him in silence, he finally opened his mouth.
"You make it sound easy." He said softly. There was no bite to it, no sarcasm, just exhaustion. "Choosing peace. Choosing to stay. It's not the first time I've been offered that, you know?"
He took a deep breath.
"It's a nice thought, it really is. Part of me wants that more than I'll ever admit."
His hand unconsciously reached for the Gwent card O'Dimm had given him. A card he had carried in his coat pocket ever since. A card that even though Alex knew was nothing but trouble, he refused to throw away.
He'd rejected the demon's offer, but rather than be upset, O'Dimm had simply smiled and given him a way to contact him should he ever need his help.
Nothing but trouble.
"I have far more close friendships here than I do back in that world." He admitted. "Dudu, Dandelion, Ciri, and now even Vesimir could start to be added to that list."
Back in the Marvel world, he had grown somewhat close to Tony. He was like an uncle to him, if he were being honest. No, perhaps something more of an older brother. A distant, irresponsible older brother, if anything. But even if he suddenly vanished, he was sure that Tony would be fine. He had bigger things on his plate.
But then there was Tandy. His first real friend, his anchor, the first person he had really begun developing feelings for.
Remembering her left a bitter taste on his mouth. And, if he were being honest with himself. He had been trying to not think of her lately. Because he had promised he would never leave her. He had promised to be there when she needed him. And she had promised to be there for him.
It wasn't his fault that he'd been taken away. But he knew that she would take it the hardest out of anyone else. Alex wouldn't be surprised if she had done something stupid after he hadn't returned home. But he hoped, something harmless.
Alex truly hoped that she, more than anyone, would be safe. That she would have learned to move on after he had left her.
Worse than all, he'd promised to be there for Illyana. He'd promised himself that he would protect her. She was just a kid, she was so innocent. And he couldn't imagine what kind of torture Belasco would put her through were he to get his hands on her.
"But I can't." He said at last, voice barely above a whisper. "It's stupid, and I know it. But I promised them I would look out for them. I promised I wouldn't leave them. So ironically enough, if I were to 'choose peace' I'd never be able to have it."
Yennefer looked at him for a moment, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment.
"You are a fool." She said, voice quiet but firm.
She didn't say it with malice. She said it the way someone might point out that the sky was blue or winter was cold, simply stating a fact she'd now accepted.
"But." She continued. "You're not foolish for the reasons you think."
She stepped closer, resting a hand on the back of a chair, fingers tapping against the wood as she weighed her words.
"You think loyalty demands you walk into your grave. " Yennefer said. "You think promises only matter if they hurt. As if dying for someone proves your worth more than living for them ever could."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"That's not loyalty, Alexander. That's guilt."
She let that sit for a heartbeat, watching his eyes flick downward.
"And guilt." She added, softer now. "Is a poor compass for someone as young as you."
Alex's face scrunched up in discomfort at her words, and he could feel himself wanting to look away, but he did his best to keep looking at her as she spoke. Then, unexpectedly, she slid the journal she'd been analyzing in his direction, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"A poor compass." She repeated. "But not an unfixable one."
Alex frowned slightly, unsure what she meant.
"You've built your entire plan around fear." Yennefer said, her eyes glancing at the journal she had slid in his direction. "Fear of failing Illyana. Fear of being captured. Fear of losing control." She paused, letting the candlelight soften the edges of her features. "You move like a boy terrified of repeating every mistake you've ever made."
That one stung more than the word 'fool'. Maybe because it wasn't wrong.
"And while fear can keep a man alive…" She said, finally meeting his eyes. "It can also choke the potential out of them."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Alex exhaled slowly. "Just… pretend they're not waiting for me?"
"No." Her answer was immediate, sharp. "You don't forget them. You don't abandon them. But you stop acting like your only value lies in running headfirst into a demon's claws on their behalf."
Her voice shifted then, less biting, more… deliberate.
"Ciri says you are a smart man, Alexander. Then prove it to me." Then, as she stood up, she walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder for reassurance. "Whatever choice you make, make sure you do it with both eyes open."
A quiet tap on his shoulder, almost like a punctuation mark, and then she withdrew her hand. She didn't wait for him to respond. Didn't linger to soften the blow or guide him further. She simply turned and walked away.
His gaze drifted down to the journal she'd left behind, its cover worn from use, edges softened by time. He opened it carefully, almost afraid the pages would crumble under his fingertips.
Inside, clean ink filled the parchment. Elegant handwriting, each line steady and precise. Runes sketched in the margins. Exactly what he'd asked her for when they'd first met. The basics of how magic worked. And judging by the age of the journal, it was probably something she had written and kept close to herself a long time ago.
https://discord.gg/WTgN9J3YgK
~A/N~
Not gonna lie, this chapter turned out entirely different from what I first pictured it to be. This chap kinda kicked my butt cuz I started it over from scratch like three times before getting into what it is now. Originally the conversation was supposed to be between Yennefer and Ciri, and well, I won't spoil what it was meant to be since I might still use it in the next chapter.
Also, if I may, Yennefer is now officially best "mom." That is at least unless I ever get the chance to introduce Alex's mother in some sort of way(Rip). For someone who won't get a chance to appear in the story I do have a lot in mind as to her character. Not sure how much I want to say about her, or Alex's dad though.
This is another of the things I don't want to elaborate on too much, but I will leave a short comment for now. It's interesting to see how Alexander's character and personality is shaped differently than what I originally planned for. And that's just because he has too many "good" influences around him lol.
I always wanted him to lose a bit of that spark and lean more towards a more "grey" morality. But at this rate he'll need a couple more bad influences in his life to shape him as he finishes maturing before I can fully settle the kinda person he'll become.