Shift My World (Witcher x Reader fanfic)

Chapter 14

There was nothing but the sound of the soft crackling fire and the occasional flip of pages as Olivia sat by the fireside in her kitchen. The warmth of the fire did a good job to chase away the chilliness of the early morning beyond the walls of her home. Her blue gaze focused keenly on the pages in front of her as they flickered from one page to the corresponding one that was translated. She hated the fact she could not remember what she wrote in her drunken haze. The short small clips of what Istredd managed to decipher made her worried about what she would find once everything was decoded. She reached for her cup of warm tea and took a sip of the steamy herbal blend as she studied the writings. She jumped when a knock at the door jolted her from her concentration and she looked out the window to see the sun barely even peeking through the trees; it wasn't even dawn yet. The sky was a dull grey color that most would consider it still night time but she'd been up since before the wee hours of the morning trying to study the text. Her eyes were tired and burned from staring at the pages and words she could only partially understand. A break was much needed at this point since she was probably on her 5th cup of herbal tea at this point. Sighing she set her bookmark between the current pages before rising to her feet and shuffling over to the door. 

she wondered who on earth would come to visit at this hour. She had not spoken to Jaskier all week since he walked out of her cottage even though she'd often seen him in the tavern she'd work at a few times that week doing what he does best and entertaining the patrons. Perhaps it was him. But instead of the red leather coat-clad musician standing at her doorstep, her gaze fell further down to stare at the stocky small man standing at her doorstep with a book clutched to his chest. Gilgamesh looked like a mess as he shuffled inside without a word. He looked worried and not a small amount of panic as he watched her close the door and give her a curious look that held much concern for his well-being. 

"Hello, lass. I'm sorry for disturbin' yeh so early in the morn. But this couldn't wait." he rushed out. 

Olivia shook her head wildly. "Oh no don't worry about it! I was concerned when you didn't stop by sooner. What's the matter? You look awful." she stated ushering him to the table and going to grab him some tea drink in hopes to calm the small man down from whatever panic he had. 

He did not say anything at first as he looked around the familiar and homely cottage home that she'd made her own. Only when she placed the mug in front of him did he finally speak and place a book on the table; sliding it over to her with a serious look on his face. The book itself was not a book but more of a journal of sorts that looked in worse shape than the mysterious journal she'd found. She looked at it a moment; nothing on it made it look as if it were magical but it was old and dusty. The leather spine was barely holding itself together and the pages were frayed and some pieces were even torn at the corners. She was confused as to what this was. Her gaze rose to stare at Gilgamesh in question. He took a minute to gulp down the hot liquid of the herbal beverage before he was speaking in a rough voice.

"I have not been fully honest with you lassie. Remember how I told you that you were not the only one who shifted? But we did not speak much about that afterward...this will tell you all about it." he tapped the cover of the book. 

Olivia looked a little scared of his words and looked back down at the book before she carefully took the worn book. "Gilgamesh what are you talking about?" she asked softly; her grip tightening on the book before looking up at him again. 

There was a sort of pain on his face. "I told you there were others who have shifted into altered realities like this Olivia. You're not the only one. I will admit you are the first one whose case was this difficult and unique to solve but... you are not the only one who had trouble getting back to your dimension." he said pointing to her.