He turned his head and looked towards the portal, where he saw Ciri curiously and hesitantly reaching out her little hand.
It seemed she wanted to touch the edge of this seemingly illusory door woven from golden sparks.
Karl reminded her in time, whispering a warning: "If you don't want your fingers severed by space, you'd better not do that."
He paused, then urged: "Come over here quickly, Ciri."
Hearing the terrifying consequence of "finger amputation," Ciri, like a frightened rabbit, immediately withdrew her hand.
But faced with Karl's urging, the unfamiliar surroundings, and the crowds on the other side of the portal, her little face showed hesitation and struggle.
"I... I think I need to escape from this manor, right?" Her mind was in complete chaos.
"How did I end up having to leave with a stranger who possesses strange magic? This is completely illogical!"
However, just as she hesitated, her gaze involuntarily met the gaze of the cold, white-haired man on the training ground.
It was Geralt, his calm, slightly glowing amber cat-like eyes intently scrutinizing Ciri.
The moment their eyes met, Ciri's heart stopped for no apparent reason.
Her heart began to beat faster and faster, uncontrollably, and her pupils slightly trembled.
An indescribable, strong feeling of security and an inexplicable closeness dispelled all her vigilance and hesitation.
It felt like a small boat, long adrift on the open sea, finally seeing a familiar harbor.
As if by a strange coincidence, her legs seemed to gain a will of their own, no longer obeying the brain's command to "run."
Instead, they found themselves walking step by step to the other side of the portal, without even realizing it.
Passing by Karl, she didn't even stop. Her gaze seemed drawn by a magnet, heading straight for the white-haired Witcher on the field.
Karl casually waved his hand, and the portal silently closed, disappearing without a trace.
He glanced at Ciri's unusual expression, as if her soul was captivated, then, slightly frowning, looked at the man opposite, in whose eyes there was emotion and surprise.
Geralt seemed lost in memory but lacked important clues and couldn't remember anything.
Karl pressed his lips together, looked thoughtfully at the azure sky, then lowered his gaze again.
"It seems the goddess of fate is again exerting her power, using her 'Law of Surprise'."
Ciri is the "child of surprise," obtained by Geralt through the "Law of Surprise," and their fates have long been intertwined by invisible threads.
Geralt always vaguely feels that Ciri is in danger, even dreaming of echoes of her life.
At this moment, standing face to face, they feel the full force of fate's attraction.
At that moment, as if confirming Karl's words, Ciri suddenly reached out and sharply pulled off her hood.
Suddenly, in the sunlight, her young, freckled face, full of life but also bearing the marks of a long journey, was fully revealed to Geralt.
The moment Geralt saw her face, his memories of Cintra and Calanthe forcing him to choose among those children suddenly became crystal clear.
Geralt froze, his eyes reflecting an extremely complex mix of disbelief, understanding, and a hint of fatalistic helplessness.
He spoke slowly, his voice softer than usual: "I... I remember you. I was in Cintra."
"Among the children Calanthe asked me to choose... I saw you, but... I refused. Who are you...?"
Hearing Geralt's admission that he had seen her and even remembered "refusing" her, he was overjoyed.
Ciri's eyes instantly filled with tears, which flowed like pearls breaking from a torn string.
She sobbed, her voice trembling with excitement and full of sadness: "My name is Ciri... Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon."
"...My mother was Pavetta... she... she already..."
Before she could finish, her words, filled with undisguised grief, said it all.
Ciri could no longer contain her emotions and, rushing forward, tightly hugged Geralt.
She buried her head in Geralt's clothes, her thin shoulders shaking with sobs.
Geralt was shocked to learn that she was Pavetta's daughter, the child he had saved and refused years ago.
He was stunned, as if struck by lightning, and then, by Ciri's unfinished words and undeniable grief, deeply moved.
He already understood that Calanthe's daughter, Pavetta, had likely met with some misfortune.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Geralt's heart: fate, responsibility, guilt, and echoes of confusion over the sudden appearance of his "daughter."
He paused for a moment, then finally raised his hand and patted Ciri's sobbing back, somewhat awkwardly but as gently as possible.
He remained silent, not knowing how to comfort this child who had suffered such a tragic fate.
Karl watched all this, and with a wave of his hand, his bio-field instantly enveloped Geralt and Ciri.
Isolated from the outside world, Dalton, Phillip, and Roche exchanged glances with curiosity and interest.
All three saw only a blurry spot before them, and Geralt and the strange girl had disappeared, as if dissolved into the air, leaving behind only an empty lawn.
They immediately understood that this was done by their lord Karl, and all three simultaneously turned their gazes to Karl.
Karl shook his head slightly and explained: "It seems they are old acquaintances."
"It seems they have things to say and emotions to express. Let's give them some private space and let them talk it out."
Hearing this, Dalton, Phillip, and Roche immediately expressed understanding, nodded in agreement, and simultaneously stepped back a few paces.
Out of respect, they moved further away from the invisible world where Geralt and Ciri were.
Karl's words seemed to be addressed to Dalton and his group.
But in reality, every word reached Geralt's ears within the bio-field's range.
He knew Geralt too well; he knew that when faced with responsibilities and emotions a Witcher would rather not deal with, the Witcher's first reaction was often to run away.
This time was no exception; Karl nudged him again, preventing him from turning away as he had done before.
Inside the bio-field, Geralt heard Karl's words, especially the phrase "talk it out," and for a moment, a flicker of panic appeared in his eyes.
He stopped patting Ciri's back and hastily tried to stand up, mumbling: "Wait, Ciri... I... I need to do something..."
Ciri looked up at him, her eyes full of tears, and asked hastily: "Hey! Where are you going?! You... you're not going to run away again like last time, are you?!"