After Ciri taps into fire magic, she feels strangely powerful — almost too powerful for her own good. This enhanced state induces painful visions, where she sees Geralt and Yen tortured and killed. Disgusted, she relinquishes all her magic, choosing to be powerless rather than bring suffering to those she loves. After Ciri passes out, she is captured by a group who intend to sell her for a bounty, but she is rescued by the Rats, a group of rag-tag bandits. This directly leads to Ciri’s bandit arc, where she, as one of the Rats, gets addicted to the thrill of murder and chooses to forego any gentleness inherent within her. With no one to guide her, Ciri chooses a bloody, morally-bankrupt path, nurturing Falka’s rage within her when she tells the Rats that she now goes by that name.
Falka’s presence in Korath could be real or imaginary, as it is unclear whether Ciri actually spoke to her spirit or imagined her when she was on the verge of losing her mind. Either way, Falka is a reminder of the wrath that nestles inside anyone with unimaginable power, and Ciri chooses to finally give in to this brutal side. This is not a sudden change in character, as the books always hinted that Ciri was prone to such extremes, evidenced in a conversation with Geralt in “Blood of Elves.”
In this scene, Geralt argues that a witcher’s sword is a heavy burden, as it is an instrument that ushers pain and death, but Ciri states that it is an instrument of freedom and empowerment, which allows her to choose brutality to ensure survival. Given Ciri’s traumatic past, this perspective makes sense, as she does not want to feel helpless after a life of suffering anymore.