CHAP 1: AWAKE IN NEW WORLD

"Wake up, my child! Your destiny is await."

A voice rang through his ear, shocked him into the land of living. He blinked, tried to understand what had happened to him. One minute he was in front of his computer to play his favorite game, Dragon Age and the next thing he knew was sudden darkness. He knew that he couldn't be simply passed out for the lack of food and sleep because otherwise he would be inside his room, face down on the floor not inside a make-shift tent. He tried to move, but then moaned softly at the pain shooting through his body.

"No dream then. What am I gotten into this time?" He thought wryly, unsurprised.

He was always an unusual child: lightning appear on his hands, objects moved around based on his will, his least favorite people sometimes transfigured into stone for hours. Even his parent thought he was a demon child and tried to get rid of him.

"It's good to see you awake, Falon."

An aged voice appeared in the thin air and he wiped his head around to find the newcomer. He stared in disbelief when an old woman moved next to him and started to examine his boneless body. He knew this woman, and he also knew that there no way that she should be in his world, if he could really call this world his world anymore. This is ridiculous. Marethari was just a NPC in Dragon Age, not a real person. Yet when he felt the warm hand rested on his forehead, he had no way but admit that this is real, and Marethari actually sat next to him.

"You're lucky when we saw you yesterday, otherwise you would have already died." Maretheri said softly

"Err…well" He cleared his throat "Ma serannas, keeper, for saving me."

Marethari was taken back when she heard the elvish language came from a human, but she quickly recovered, and gave him a warm smile.

"You're welcome, Falon. I must admit, I didn't expect to hear elven language from your kind. May I asked where did you learn it from?"

"I was raised by a Dalish." He lied smoothly "She was the one who taught me all the Dalish custom."

"I see." Marethari nodded, then said "There is something that I wish to ask you, Falon, if you kindly answer for me."

"Please, just call me Silveras, and I would happily answer your question." He said. Well, Silveras wasn't his real name, though Silver was technically his pet name. In this forsaken world, it would be better if he played his card close to his chest.

"Silveras, then. Three days ago, our hunters, Theron and Tamlen were missing. When we came to find them, a large lightning appeared from the sky and stroke down in the earth, where we found Theron alongside with you unconscious on the ground while Tamlen was nowhere to be founded. Theron claimed that they found a mysterious ruin and they went inside to investigate it. All that he saw was a mirror and then nothing. I thought that since you was there nearby, you must know what had happened to our missing clanmate."

Silveras stared, unsure what to say. In the origin, Duncan supposed to save Theron Mahariel and gave him the chance to become a Grey Warden, but it seemed that this timeline Theron was not the chosen hero. About Tamlen, well Marethari was right about him knowing about Tamlen's fate, yet he wondered if he should be truthful about it. What if Maretheri then question how he appeared next to Mahariel? He didn't wanted to give Marethari any reason to distrust of him. Getting yourself an enemy in this forsaken land when you didn't know if you could go back was a very stupid thing to do, especially when the enemy was also a key for the future in Kirkwall.

"I do not know for sure." He decided to tell a half truth "But if I have to guess he was probably somewhere in the Deep Road, since I was there when the Eluavian was evoked. "

"The deep road?" Marethari frowned, looked extremely sad and resigned "Then we truly have no hope in saving him."

"I'm sorry, I know that he probably lost somewhere in the deep road but why do you think he couldn't be save? The dwarf could have saved him for all I know." Silveras said, knowing all the truth but trying to feign ignorance toward Mahariel and Tamlen's so called illness.

"Even so, he would not survive without proper treatment. Even my magic can barely weaken your and my hunter's decease. If Tamlen was as ill as you two, I really fear for the worst."

"I see…wait, what?" He gasped at Marethari, his voice shaken "What do you mean I have a decease?"

"You do not know?" Marethari frowned "Do you really feel well? Can you reach your magic now?"

"I am what now?" Silveras really wanted to scream, yet somehow couldn't, since he always expect himself to be one. Expecting is one thing, knowing the truth is entirely another thing, however.

"You don't know you are a mage?" Marethari looked surprised "Back when we saw the lightning, it came from you, Falon. It protected you and Theron from harm of the dark ones until we arrive."

Silveras blinked, and blinked. He didn't remember anything like that and he sure as hell couldn't control his lightning ability when he was unconscious. Just what the hell was going on?

"It seem that I may lost some of my memories." He said finally "I don't really recall anything about me using magic to save me and your hunter."

"Then do you remember anything about you using your magic in general?"

"It was…vague." He lied "I always travel with a mage so I just assume that it was my companion doing. Still, when you speak about that, I might recall some incidents."

"I see." Marethari looked at him tentatively "It's rare to see an untrained mage who manage to keep his magic in place like you. With training, you would be very powerful."

"Ma serannas, Keeper, for your praise." He smiled politely, pausing for a moment to gather his thought.

He had two choices to decide right now. He could left Theron here to death just like in DA:O, or he could save him and dragged him into the fate that shouldn't have been for him. Saving him did have some promising merits. Firstly, the Grey Wardens in Ferelden were in shortage of recruitment, so anyone who had a skill in fighting is welcomed among them. Furthermore, with two additional Grey Wardens, the Blight would be slightly easier to breathe for Alistair and other companions. Secondly, he didn't know the road to reach Ostagar, and he was in dire need of a guide tour as well as protector in Thedas (of course the first reason is also important, just not as important as the second one).

"Keeper."

A high pitch and slightly childish voice rang through his ear, the violent one as he recalled, and he saw a black-haired elf came into the tent. He was tall, but feminine. His eyes were dark blue, yet they didn't look warm or welcoming. No, his eyes was tense and full of grief.

"This must be Mahariel." He thought, stared at the weary young man. He didn't know how old Mahariel was, but he knew that right now the man looked no more than a lost child.

"Da'len." Marethari said softly, gently hugged Mahariel close. "I take that you two can't find Tamlen."

"I searched everywhere. I thought that when we reached the eluvian, we might have found a trail of Tamlen, but it had been already broken."

Broken? Silveras frowned, yet not concerned. The blasted mirror can be blown into pieces for all he care.

"So there is no hope then." Marethari sighed sadly, gently caressed Mahariel's hair "I'm sorry, da'len. I know that you and Tamlen were very close."

"He's not dead." Mahariel said fiercely, but his eyes gave away his fear and uncertainty. "I'll find him."

"Even so, it would be too late. You almost died that day if it wasn't for my magic, Da'len. Even so, I could only slow it down. Now, I know you don't want to believe it, but we should make Tamlen a proper funeral before we depart. Please, tell Paivel to prepare a funeral."

"I…yes, Keeper." Mahariel finally said, defeated.

Marethari then turned to him, said softly.

"I'm sorry, Silveras. He was still grieving for his lost friend."

"I take that he's Theron." Silveras said.

"Yes, he is. He was one of our best hunters, yet I fear that the unknown decease hold within his body will weaken him."

"Or worse, dead." Silveras thought wryly. He cleared his throat and said, rather charmingly

"Keeper, if I may say, I believe I have a solution for his…our decease."

"You have?" Marethari looked at him, stunned and hoped filled her eyes. It seemed that Mahariel did have a special place in her heart.

"I don't know about me, but judging the look of him, I think that both of us were tainted by darkspawn blood."

"Darkspawn?" Marethari asked warily "Are you sure? We haven't found any darkspawn near here yet. How could…"

"Did Theron told you that he fought a giant beast deep inside the ruin?" Silveras interrupted "I saw that beast, it was infested by darkspawn blood and probably gave its decease toward us by its bite and blood."

Hence, that was not the real reason, but he couldn't say that the mirror was the main reason why they were tainted by darkspawn blood, because if so, why the hell was he infested? It's not like he came through the mirror, right?

"…now I'm babbling. I really should stop that."

"Theron did tell me about the beast, but…" a sigh "A darkspawn taint is something very serious. If what I thought was right, then you intend to lead Theron to the Grey Warden?"

"Ah hell, why did she know that…never mind, should have known she knew. She was an old acquaintance of Duncan after all."

"Yes." Silveras nodded "It is the best solution that I can give right now."

"But do the Grey Warden really accept Theron? He is a Dalish, and not many humans welcome us."

"As far as I know, the Grey Wardens are in dire need of recruitment right now, and someone who had skill in fighting is welcome among them." Silveras shrugged "besides, I have something to bargain with them."

"I see. Very well, I will leave you to rest for now, Falon. Theron needs to be informed of this situation."

"Yes keeper." Sliveras nodded, waited until Marethari out of sight did he finally released a breath and slummed down on his bedroll.

"This is madness." He thought miserably.