Content Warning: This following sections contain references to torture, wartime violence, and genocide/ethnic cleansing.

While camping in the woods with Geralt, Ciri experiences a nightmare about the kingdom of Nilfgaard’s recent attack on Cintra. She is terrified by the image of a knight in black armor with a large feather on his helmet. When she wakes, Geralt tries to comfort her. Ciri worries the black knight did something to her that she cannot remember. She falls asleep holding Geralt’s hand.

Roughly one year later, Dandelion performs a ballad about Geralt and Ciri for an outdoor audience at Bleobheris, a great oak tree colloquially referred to as the “Seat of Friendship” because people of many races—humans, elves, dwarves, etc.—gather there. The audience asks what happened after the events of the song, but Dandelion insists his work is fictional and addresses “universal matters.” One significant comment during the crowd’s debate pertains to Ithlinne’s Prophecy, which purportedly predicts the world’s end. Some believe Nilfgaard is the North’s punishment for being selfish and prideful, while others believe the black-armored forces are one of the apocalyptic signs Ithlinne foretold. The prophecy also famously cites the “Blood of Elves” as the first sign.