The Witcher S3 Vol 2: Ciri's Playing With Fire - What To Expect Based On The Books

Contains potential spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 3, Volume 2

There's a lot that people in "The Witcher" can get away with, but playing with fire isn't one of them. The Netflix series has already explained how fire magic works, with Seasons 1 and 2 showing the drastic consequences of tapping into the forbidden element. However, the latest trailer for "The Witcher" Season 3 shows Ciri (Freya Allen) with her hand engulfed in flames, and the books may give us an understanding of what's to come for the young Witcher. 

"The Witcher" Season 3 adapts "Time of Contempt," the fifth book in Andrzej Sapkowski's "Witcher" series. In the book, Ciri uses a portal that takes her to the desert of Korath, trapping her in the seemingly endless barren landscape. There, she befriends Ihuarraquax, a white unicorn poisoned after fighting a sand monster. To save her new friend, Ciri has no choice but to use the Chaos found in her dwindling campfire, using fire magic to heal Ihuarraquax. 

With "The Witcher" Season 3, the series tries to get back on track, staying more loyal to the source material than previous seasons. It looks like that promise is paying off, as the trailer not only shows Ciri wielding fire magic, but also a shot of her falling from a portal into a desert, a white unicorn accompanying her, and a sand monster, meaning the Princess of Cintra is about to face her toughest trial yet.

As "The Witcher" has established, using fire magic comes with a price. In Season 1, Fringilla's Nilfgaardian mages die one by one as they try to conjure fireballs to attack Sodden Hill. Yennefer then uses fire magic to destroy the Nilfgaardian army, only to be cut off from Chaos entirely at the start of Season 2. So what will Ciri face when she dabbles in the forbidden element?

Again, we return to Andrzej Sapkowski's "Time of Contempt." After healing Ihuarraquax, Ciri falls unconscious, having visions of what she could become if she gives in to the dangerous fire side of Chaos. She sees herself as a powerful witch, destroying parts of the Continent with her fire. The visions terrify her so much that she gives up on using magic altogether, fearful of what she would become if she continued.

For a mage to use fire magic in "The Witcher," they must give in to whatever forces are trying to consume them, much like how fires swallow everything in their path. For Ciri, it's revenge, and when she's unconscious in the desert, her visions try to convince her to give into the fire, seeking revenge on those who have abandoned her. Although she manages to prevail, the trial is one of the most challenging she goes on throughout the "Witcher" story, and it certainly seems to be on the way for Netflix's Ciri.