The next morning, the sun's early light seeped through the cracks in the ruined castle walls, casting long shadows over Kaer Morhen. In the won quarters, made specifically for won, thanks to Yennefer, Triss stretched, feeling the soreness of travel still clinging to her limbs.
She was about to start her usual morning routine when she caught sight of Keira sitting at the small wooden table near the window, brushing her teeth—with a brush and so kind of froth from her mouth.
"Keira… what are you doing?" Triss asked. Keira turned toward her, her mouth still full of foam. She quickly spit into a small bowl before smirking.
"What does it look like? I'm cleaning my teeth."
"With a brush? And what is that paste?" Triss was confused. Keira chuckled, tapping the wooden handle of her brush against the table.
"It's called a toothbrush, and this—" she held up a small glass jar of thick white paste— "is toothpaste. Both were given to by my student."
"Liam gave you these?" Triss stared at her in disbelief.
"Yes. He said these are common where he's from. A part of everyday hygiene." Keira nodded, clearly pleased with herself.
Triss frowned. She'd never heard of such a thing. Sure, she had ways of keeping her teeth clean with herbs and rinses, but this seed far more efficient. Before she could say anything else, Keira reached into her satchel and pulled out a small bottle, popping the cork open and pouring a bit onto her hand. A sweet, floral scent filled the air, making Triss inhale deeply.
"That slls wonderful. What is that?"
"Shampoo. Another thing Liam gave ." Keira said. The Continent did have shampoo but they didn't anything like this small lotion with such a good scent.
"Liam gave you shampoo?" Triss was clearly jealous by now.
"Of course. He gave several things, actually. It's part of our deal. He's my student, and I help him understand magic—though, truth be told, he's been struggling. So now, he's learning alchemy instead. In return, he gives so rather marvelous things from his world."
"And would I get so of these marvelous things if I helped him with magic?" Triss said, her jealousy clearly showing his jealousy now.
"You could try. Though, I doubt it would change much. He has the potential, but he struggles to channel it outward. Even after months, he still can't cast a single spell properly." Keira laughed softly.
"Still, I wouldn't mind trying. If it ans I get so of that sweet-slling shampoo…"
"You know, we've been so focused on Liam's magical talent that we never really stopped to wonder about where he ca from. If these are just normal things in his world, then what kind of place does he live in?" Keira said after she rinsed her mouth properly.
"A world far more advanced than ours, it seems." Triss said as she looked at the bottle and labels written on it. One could see that the ink was definitely cheap since one wrote in such small letters and that too on a bottle. There were ingredients written on it and almost all of the nas of the ingredients, she had never heard or read before.
This was definitely not magic, since such labels were written for everyone to see.
"And a world I'd very much like to see." Keira spoke the mind of Triss.
While this was happening in Kaer Morhen, sothing else was transpiring in Redenia. What Liam did had a lasting impact on the kingdom of Radovid.
The news spread like wildfire.
From the fields outside Novigrad to the noble halls of Tretogor, whispers carried the sa tale—a monster had descended upon the Redanian forces, slaughtering knights and soldiers alike in a rciless display of power. Those who had fled the battlefield, the lucky few who had escaped with their lives, brought stories of a warrior who had cut through n as if they were wheat before the scythe.
At first, many refused to believe it. Radovid, the Stern, was a man feared by both friend and foe alike. He had outmaneuvered assassins, plotted against the Lodge of Sorceresses, and played the ga of power better than any king of his ti.
And yet, he was dead.
Not by poison. Not by treachery in the night. No, he had been hunted down and butchered. Publicly. His body, desecrated and broken, had been displayed for all to see.
The people of Redania had no choice but to believe.
And so, a na was born. A title that would haunt their nightmares.
The Crimson Reaper.
A figure clad in dark armor, his sword dripping with the blood of thousands. So said he was not a man but a demon summoned from the abyss, a punishnt for Radovid's sins. Others claid he was an avenging specter, the wrath of every mage and non-human who had suffered under Redania's rule. The most superstitious whispered that he was the Wild Hunt's newest rider, co to deliver death upon the world.
The impact of his actions was imdiate and absolute.
With their king dead, the Redanian nobility fell into disarray. There was no clear successor—Radovid had no heirs, no family to claim the throne. His most loyal generals scrambled to consolidate power, while opportunistic lords plotted to take the crown for themselves.
The Church of the Eternal Fire, which had stood strong under Radovid's rule, now found itself fractured. Without the king's iron will to hold them together, factions within the faith began to erge. So priests, terrified by the slaughter, called for peace, believing the Reaper was divine punishnt for their sins. Others, more fanatical, declared him the ultimate enemy of the Eternal Fire and demanded a holy crusade to wipe him from existence.
The common folk were divided.
So rejoiced. Radovid's rule had been cruel, his hatred for mages and non-humans unmatched. To the oppressed, the Crimson Reaper was a liberator, a bringer of justice.
But others, others outside the kingdom, feared him. His power was beyond human. A single man had killed an entire army and toppled a kingdom in one night. What would stop him from doing it again? What if he wasn't a savior, but a harbinger of sothing worse?
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