'Girl clothes' were good for people who wanted to wear them; girls, women and people like Andrea Rhodea who did whatever they wanted. But not for Cloud. Definitely not for Cloud.

At first, it had been nightmares. Then, it had been waking up in cold sweat every few hours. And, one day, he had been awake.

It had started well. Or more exactly, it had started as it should have. And then, things went south.

For the first time, Vesemir had the distinct thought that, among all the lies spread about witchers, "witchers don't have feelings" was the worst one.

Everything was going on just fine. Geralt had finally taken his responsibilities concerning his Child Surprise. Yennefer was in Kaer Morhen to teach her how to control her chaos. The witchers were wary, not used to so many strangers in their keep, but none of them was outwardly aggressive. So, yeah, everything was just fine. At least as long as no one paid too much attention.

"Monsters don't smile." He wondered why it came back to him now.

Life is a cycle, just like the years, just like the seasons. For Malik, it started with blue flowers blooming around the house.