The Mage

Ch. 1: Initiation

simison: Yes, I have decided to begin this fanfic. Not my best decision since I still haven't finished my Resident Evil fanfic. But when inspiration hits you...

Yunska: I'd like to thank simison for his interest in Aellie and taking the steps to make sure she's as I had always seen her. Hope you all enjoy the mageling.

Why does everything about this place have to remind me about my height?

Aellie, a young, svelte elf, huffed as she climbed the last of the stairs. For the time being, her exercise of the day had come to an end. ...until I have to climb back down. She noted glumly. Why does the Circle have to be in a tower, anyway? The annoying climb was pushed to the back of her mind as she surveyed the chamber with her bright blue eyes that were highlighted by a blue tattoo. This tattoo was painted on the right side of her face and made two curving, thick lines that ended beneath her right eye.

It was huge. The room was far bigger than any other room in the entire tower; its size only heightened her own awareness of how short she was. Light streamed in from stained-glass windows that occupied the wall even though it was nearing the end of the day. If that was not enough light, on every support pillar was a lantern. The floor was carved with geometric shapes and long, sloping angles. The young elf didn't have much time to admire the architecture. The templar that had guided her to the top of the tower was silently urging her onward to the small party ahead.

Four individuals stood near the center of the room, all of them focused on the apprentice mage. Three of them were templars, two of which had left their helmets elsewhere. Aellie recognized them as Knight-Commander Gregoir and templar Cullen. The commander of the templars wore a mask of calm duty. This would not be the first Harrowing he would witness nor would it be the last. The younger armored man was a different story. His gaze was much more focused than the others. He tried to look as detached as his superior, but even Aellie, who was still closer to the stairs, could see his ill-hidden nervousness. Aellie tried to ignore him. Normally, the templar's infatuation called forth an inward giggle from the young woman and, on her more adventurous days, she'd flirt with the shy man. But today was the biggest day of her life.

The presence of First Enchanter Irving guaranteed that much. Some apprentices would become tongue-tied in the presence of the most senior mage in all of the Ferelden Circle. But Aellie knew the old man well and was perfectly comfortable in his presence. A trait, the First Enchanter had once remarked, that made his duty as her senior both easier and harder at the same time. He was one of the few people that the young mage knew she could trust.

Her blue apprentice robes swayed as she meandered toward them. She knew this was important and it would behoove her to march straight toward them. But this was the first time she had ever seen the Harrowing Chamber. It may be her last chance to memorize the somber room. And even now, she had trouble refusing her curiosity's desire to absorb everything on this auspicious occasion.

She came to a stop before the party. Gregoir stepped forward. "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him." Aellie immediately stopped the urge to zone out as the oft-familiar phrase flowed into her pointed ears. As she succeeded in looking serious, the senior templar continued the lesson, even as the elf woman wished that he would get on with it and tell her what exactly the Harrowing was. Yes, Andraste beat the Tevinter. Yes, magic is gift and curse. Please tell me this won't end up as an hour lecture!

"This is why the Harrowing exists." The First Enchanter's gravelled voice entered as Gregoir finished his short review. Suddenly, it was much easier for Aellie to be attuned to the conversation. "The ritual sends you into the Fade, and there you will face a demon, armed with only your will."

Oh, is that all? She tried to shut down the nervousness that now tried to seep into her. Aloud, she declared, "I am ready."

"Know this, apprentice, if you fail, we templars will perform our duty. You will die," Gregoir somberly revealed to her.

Aellie took a deep breath. She, along with many other apprentices, had noticed that not all returned safely from the Harrowing. But to hear the warning repeated and directed at her added so much more weight. The elf summoned a mental image of her mentor, trying to fill herself with the same sense of quiet confidence and assurance that her mentor seemed to exude in every moment of her life.

Ignorant of Aellie's inward struggle, the Knight-Commander pointed to one of three black basins in the room. Each one was carved onto a long, thin pedestal, and was filled with glowing blue liquid. "This is lyrium, the very essence of magic, and your gateway to the Fade."

"The Harrowing is a secret out of necessity, child," the First Enchanter chimed in. "Every mage must go through this trial by fire. As we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but your own will is real."

"The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter," Gregoir interrupted. Aellie fought to not look cross at the templar leader. Must he state the obvious? The armored elder gestured toward the lyrium. "You are ready."

The elf blinked, surprised to hear the templar make such a confident assurance of her abilities. Especially after the antagonism the two had built over the years. She turned her gaze from Gregoir to her new destination. Slowly, she approached the basin. Lyrium was always reserved only for passing mages and their superiors. Apprentices were expected to learn and master magic without this well-known aid. Aellie dipped her finger into it. There was an immediate reaction as the liquid's glow clung to the wet finger. She jerked back her hand and waited for a moment.

"You must drink it, child," Irving serenely reminded her.

"Yes, First Enchanter," she automatically replied. She stopped staring at her new shiny finger before reaching in with her whole hand. She cupped her hand and was able to bring a small drink up to lips. With one last hesitation, she drank. The liquid was cool; the taste bizarre. If power had a flavor, Aellie was sure that she tasted it at that moment. There was a flash...

...and Aellie knew that she no longer stood in the tower. The dark, orderly structure of the tower had been replaced by an unruly landscape that was composed of islands of dirt and rock adorned by misshapen statues. Random aspects of architecture sprung out of the ground like weeds. Stone tiles fought rocky ground for the floor of the island. Trees, or some equivalent of, twisted into strange loops and shapes. As always, it did not take long before her eyes spied the infamous Black City. She was in the Fade now.

Aellie took a breath, a reflex, before she took her first step on the path. She knew what she had to do, but she was still nervous, though not afraid. As she walked down, she caught a glimpse of her first opponent. A small ball of light lazily hovered ahead of her. Despite its bright appearance, she knew it was a wisp. And although it was akin to a pest within the Fade, it was a pest that had a stinging attack and a relentless, aggressive nature. She briefly wondered if she could sneak up to it. Despite the wisp being eyeless, she doubted she'd succeed.

Without further ado, she ran at it, until she was within range for her own spells. The wisp quickly took notice of the charging mage. Though it did not move one bit, a small glob of lightning shot out from it. Aellie constructed a mental image of a shield that wrapped around her body. The Wisp's attack connected and the elf winced though the blow was no worse than a bee's sting. But she quickly moved from defense to offense. She slowly raised her hands, pouring her own mental strength and will in the form of glowing energy. With a snap, she shoved her hands forward, the gathered energy coalescing into a bolt of arcane power. The wisp, weak as it was, could not defend itself and evaporated as Aellie's attack struck.

With a small smile on her lips, Aellie lowered her arms and continued onward. Two more wisps tried to block her path. Another two arcane bolts swept them away. Just as the young woman began to wonder when the real test would begin, she spied a large, brown rat in her path. As she approached to inspect it closely, it spoke in a masculine, dreary voice. "Someone else thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever." It declared angrily, "it isn't right that they do this, the templars. Not to you, me, anyone."

Aellie, who was more than used to the strangeness that accompanied trips to the Fade, ignored the fact that a rat was talking to her. What made her more curious was the fact that it was referring to the Harrowing. "No, it isn't right at all," the blue-tattooed elf agreed.

"But they keep doing it, don't they? We get treated like rabid dogs, and we let them get away with it!" The rat let out a heavy sigh. "It's always the same. But it's not your fault. You're in the same boat I was, aren't you?" The small furry creature suddenly shined as brightly as a star. And as Aellie watched, it grew bigger until it was taller than she was. Not only that, but it went from the form of the rat to the form of a human being. The shine vanished as it finished. Before her stood a young, dark blonde-haired man wearing red and gray robes. He threw his arms open as he continued, "Allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me...well, Mouse."

Several questions stormed the apprentice's mind. She decided to go with the one that most concerned her. "You took the Harrowing?"

Mouse massaged his temples as he answered weakly. "It's fuzzy, that time before. They wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you to the Harrowing Chamber," Aellie found herself nodding in agreement, her own memories agreeing with Mouse's tale, "and then the templars kill you if you take too long, you see. They figure you failed, and they don't want something getting out. That's what they did to me, I think."

Aellie tried to calculate how long she had while Mouse finished his piece. Time didn't seem to rule as strictly as it did in the real world. Had she been in here for a few minutes, an hour, or longer? "How long do I have exactly?" Mouse's answer was unhelpfully vague. She moved onto her next question. "What am I supposed to do?"

"There's something here," Mouse began darkly, throwing a suspicious glance over his shoulder for good measure. "Contained, just for an apprentice like you. You have to face the creature, a demon, and resist it, if you can. That's your way out. Or your opponent's, if the templars wouldn't kill you. A test for you, a tease for the creatures of the Fade."

...That's it? Aellie frowned. "Anything can die. I doubt it's as simple as that."

Mouse agreed with her assessment, warning her of the dangerous opponent she was against and how other, nearby spirits may be able to help her. "I'll follow, if that is alright. My chance was long ago, but you...you may have a way out." And before the apprentice could say yay or nay, Mouse reverted to his tinier form.

A way out, hm? She didn't like the sound of that. She had never heard of a soul being able to survive without its body for any length of time, Fade or not. Of course, she was still young and still learning, so it could be possible. There were always the rumors of how much more powerful Tevinter mages were because of their willingness to indulge into blood magic. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let him follow me.

"A dangerous spirit is not far. Don't go near it unless you're ready to fight," Mouse interrupted as he stared at her with those black dots that were his eyes.

Aellie focused on the path. "I'll be careful." She walked, hearing Mouse's infrequent squeak along the way. The small valley where she ran into Mouse opened up as it smoothed from hilly to plain. Off to her right there was a circular area that was distinguished by the ring of fire that almost surrounded it, save where the ground melded into the path. Mouse quickly warned her that this is where the test would actually take place. A part of her wanted to walk in and finish the test now. But she remembered Mouse's advice of friendly spirits and decided to continue onward. She would have to come back sooner or later. It would be better if she could come back prepared.

Another wisp tried to bar her way, which she dispatched quickly. Right after that, she noticed a glowing figure who wore, of all things, a templar's set of armor along with a sword and shield on his back. Do good spirits ever show their faces? Aellie wondered as she moved to greet him. The spirit stood next to a flaming anvil and several racks of weapons.

"Another spirit this way. It never seemed to equal its name, to me," Mouse declared gloomily.

She shot the depressed rat a frown before she smiled at the spirit. But before she could form a greeting, the spirit said, "Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn, I see. Your mages have devised a cowardly test," he continued with contempt, "Better you were pitted against each other to prove your mettle with skill, than to be sent unarmed against a demon."

"Fight each other?" Aellie repeated, surprised by the spirit's preference. "We're not warriors."

"They would have you battle a demon." The masculine spirit countered. "With magic or weapon, to be the victor makes you a warrior still. That you remain means you have not yet defeated your hunter. I wish you a glorious battle to come," he encouraged with, what Aellie suspected, a small degree of jealously in his voice.

But Aellie wasn't ready to leave yet, especially with her curiosity unsated. "What kind of spirit are you?"

"I am Valor," the spirit declared proudly. "A warrior spirit. I hone my weapons in search of the perfect expression of combat."

"Fascinating," Aellie said sincerely. "What else do you know about the Harrowing?" To the elf's disappointment, Valor knew almost nothing. Her eyes shifted over to the rack of staves that Valor had made. I wasn't allowed to bring my own staff. But Irving never said I can't get one while in the Fade. She smiled broadly at Valor and asked, "Did you create all of those weapons?" Valor proudly answered affirmatively, while expressing his surprise and pity that he felt for non-mage mortals who couldn't will things into reality. Silently, Aellie couldn't agree more. Despite the templars and the Tower, she loved her magical gifts and wouldn't trade them for the world. They were a precious gift, no matter what anyone else said. But, she still could use a staff. She fixed a look of awe on Valor as she asked if any of the weapons would affect a demon.

"Without a doubt," Valor replied with complete certainty, subtly enjoying the mortal's attention. Aellie had to stand through a very brief lecture of how he could create the weapons by merely expressing his will and thought. But it paid off as he questioned, "Do you truly desire one of my weapons? I will give you one of my weapons..." Aellie's spirits rose. "If you agree to duel me first." And her spirits quickly plummeted. "Valor shall test your mettle as it should be tested."

The apprentice tried to keep the vexation out of her countenance. "And what are the rules of the duel?"

"If I believe you capable of slaying the demon, I will stop the duel and give you the staff. If I find you unworthy, I will slay you," he said bluntly. He finished with a small tone of condescension. "I trust those rules are simple enough to remember, mortal?"

Her vexation boiled over into anger. And before she could keep her mouth shut, she blurted testily, "It seems to me you would prefer to kill me yourself."

Valor immediately took offense at that. "How dare you accuse me! I am no demon, preying upon helpless mortals to steal their essence! I am a being of honor and valor! I am a warrior!"

Aellie tried to rein in her anger, but the spirit's pride merely irked her again. "So, you challenge helpless mortals to duels?"

"You are insolent." Aellie lost all hope of winning a staff now. "...but your will is unquestionably strong."

...huh? Was the mage's only thought.

"Very well, mortal," Valor said amicably. "You proved to me that you possess the strength to resist this demon." The spirit summoned one of the staves to his hand and offered it to the apprentice mage. "Go, prove your worth as you must. I am confident you will succeed."

A surprised Aellie took the staff in both hands. She quickly bowed her head to the spirit. "I thank you kindly for your aid, Valor."