"This isn't right," Cole said voice frustrated and confused, "It is the stone. The stone cracked, split, jagged, but it is the same stone. It is the same stone, but it carries a different tune."
"Different tune?" Leliana queried sharply.
"Multiple tune"
"Great, I would suggest a leash darling, it might retaliate" Came the sultry tone of Vivienne as she too suspiciously looked over the man who materialized out of the fade not but a moment ago. The man with the glowing green hand lay unconscious free from the uproar that his entrance made. The body were then moved to an isolated building at the far end of Skyhold.
Is there perhaps another survivor of the fade?
By than the place was filled with familiar circle of friends and advisors. With Solas being called in to check the credibility of the man's glowing green hand. Others simply remain to either restraint or put down the man once he regain consciousness. All of them agreed that secrecy is of utmost important. Leliana made sure that all rumors was kept to the bare minimum--non-existent even. With only her few trusted and selected spies scattered in front of the tower for lookout.
"It isn't right, it isn't right" Cole repeated again and again as he peered closer into the man's face, "The voice as same as me but more human, 'What do you think I'll learn next?' The man chuckled voice soft and gentle as if talking to his own kin, 'Have you used the privy yet? That should be enlightening'
Varric would have laughed at the notion if the situation weren't so- novel.
"Kid, can you read him?" Varric asked the frantic boy instead, "Is he possessed?"
"He isn't possessed" Cole answered, "They are the same, they are the same but at the same time they are not. " Voice barely a whisper, "I don't understand, there were so many voices!"
"Yeah, remind me to teach you a lesson or two about normal human interaction" Iron Bull growled as he crossed his arm across his broad chest. Tense, "I'm getting a headache just listening to it"
"As I suspected..." Solas trailed off watching with growing fascination as the green mark on the man's palm was way bigger and more complicated than their female Trevelyan's.
"What can you tell us about the mark Solas?" Cassandra asked from her perched far enough to observe but close enough to defend. "Where did he come from?"
"I would not know where he originated from " Solas started as he poured more magic into the green mark successfully elevating some of the pain he was sure the strange man would be grateful for. "I have sensed a rift opening not too far from Skyhold but I would never has suspected that it would let out a man. " And more strange, the fade closed right after, as if it's sole purpose was to sent him here in Skyhold before banishing back into the fade. Could the fake rift was opened by this man?
"It would appear that his hand is not a fake"
"Are you saying that the Maker has sent another Herald?" Leliana asked voice light and almost curious as Cullen stood not too far looking over his form with a frown of his own before opening his mouth and said, "If that is true, than the Maker has an extremely weird sense of humor."
"Ah, how wonderful, at least our beloved Inquisitor has a partner when she sign her paperworks" Dorian said jovially eyes never leaving the man in question not for a second. The man is an enigma, it's like reading a complicated book in elvhen when you barely know the language. "That would stop her from mysteriously disappearing just because she 'could have sworn' she saw a rift nearby"
Iron Bull snickered, "Oh , I don't doubt that."
"I do not think it would be that simple, having two Herald? I do not think the Chantry or anyone for that matter would take this lightly." Josephine shook her head in doubt, "It would cause chaos at most and a full out war at worst"
"Lock' em' up? I'm fine with that" Sera glared, feeling uneasy among all these ancient magic, she could feel it around her, moving, slithering and intertwining with each other . "Ya' need arrows 'stead? I'll even let you borrow it, as long as you shoot em' in the head. Yeah?"
"I don't think that would solve anything" Blackwall said and patted her on her back in comfort. They grew closer over the months, evil-magister could do that to you. Now they just treat each other like siblings they never had.
"Piss off!" She swatted his hand playfully.
"I do not think that is the case." Solas said instead before he was interrupted by a sudden movement of the corner of his eyes.
The mysterious Herald stirred groaning in pain as everyone went on guard.
The first thing they noticed were his eyes, it was an unnatural silver, sharp and glinting as if looking for ten different ways to kill them, observant and calculating enough to scan his surrounding looking for escape routes as he struggled briefly at his binding and it wasn't long before a flicker of confusion entered his eyes once his muddled mind cleared up enough to see the faces of his hostages.
Hair as black as midnight and eyes as silver as a feline cat, quite a contrast on his white skin. In fact, his entire attire consists of black now that everyone have a proper chance to stole a glance amidst the darkness of the cellar.
"Did it work?" The man queried in a hoarse overused voice as if he'd been screaming for hours as the man rubbed his forehead and muttered something in elvhen, everyone stared at each other in surprised. Even Solas grew silent as he studied him properly trying to made out his hushed muttering.
'Durlahn! ar eolasa esh' ala'
Solas eyes widened in recognition.'Quiet, I know them'
Iron Bull watched with observing eyes from the way Solas flinched by the language the man murmured to... Who? He looks like a man on a mission so not crazy, no all the way to how the man referred to them as if he knew them. His gaze hardened as he stored what little information he's got inside a box to be fully analyze later as he watched leaning against the bars eyes never leaving the man, watching as he absentmindedly rubbed his ring finger that was encased by thick gloves over said hands instinctively.
He's wearing a ring?
Not knowing how to respond, Cassandra looked over his form and frowned "Does what work?" She couldn't help but asked, "Who are you?"
Eyes snapped open and she was met with a wild feline eye.
Everyone froze as the mysterious man practically ripped his binding like it was made of papers instead of hard metallic shackles.
Cassandra moved first, before anyone could react she shield bash him and by the grunts and an audible crack, both fell off their feet and into the air before rolling down on the floor not before the rogue took advantage of the upcoming attack by using the friction to once and for all tore open the shackles. Cassandra quickly went up to her feet, ready for action whereas the former went still on the ground, unable to move as he was grunting in pain holding on to his cracked ribs. His former wounds ripped open by that fall.
Everyone froze in bewilderment, impressed.
Solas was on his feet and by his side in second checking over his wounds and broken ribs. "Isn't there another way to restrain him without the use of force, Seeker?" Hands glowing blue, mending the broken bones together and reclosing the wounds.
Cassandra frowned, "He could be a risk"
"-Of which there are handful of us here and only him alone in this tower"
She grew silent. No one faulted her however, years of experience in the art of killing and fighting has developed a certain kind of sense in them. The kind of sense that tells them which kind of foe is nothing but dummies to be put down and the kind of foes that one need to be wary and cautious for. Refusing to understand that would sent one into an early grave. An unspoken rule.
It was obvious what kind of foe the silver-eyed man would be if she were a minute late in bashing him into the ground.
Suddenly the man's eyes shifted his placid gaze to the elf with burning ferocity, stopping their squabbles easily. His eyes clear and calm as if seeing the bald elf for the first time, Solas shifted slightly under his intense gaze. "Of course it's not over." He breathed out, half delusional. Cole could see it, snippet of corpses littering about, an unstoppable forces killing and slaughtering millions. An army of both red templars and mages slaughtering, dismembering innocents as demons upon demons filling out of each and every rifts across Thedas. the sound of screaming, the smell of deaths and-
'I let that happen'
He heard it, the man's inner thoughts pouring in him like waves.
'I let them die so I could go back to my universe, and I was still thrown back in time'
'It...didn't even work'
The man laughed.
Everyone wince at the sound, it was a laugh that only a weary soul would omitted. Only those whose souls were ripped apart and beaten again and again for so very long that it stopped remembering how it looks like before. A soul that was so tired that they would spread their arms and embraced death as if it were their only salvation given a choice.
A broken broken man.
It started out as a slow sobbed of laughter, and raised higher and higher in frequency till they can hear nothing but madness in his voice. The voice eerily bounced off the enclosed walls of the cellars duplicating the voice in an echo.
And just as suddenly, he stopped.
"How many times..."
Was his only wry muttering before he shifted his gaze to the roof above, motionless and unresponsive.
'Hinterland, Val Royeaux, Allying with mages-'
The man lay completely down on his back on the floor motionless as he stared up at the ceiling on the roof, as if knowing that it was futile to even attempt to fight back and completely ignored the elf who was busy mending his broken bones and wounds. The shackles lay forgotten a few feet away.
The door cracked open and the bright lights from outside filtered through the damp and dark room in silver lining as a form of a woman entered the room. It's funny, the rogue's lips lifting up in a cold humorless smile. How the crack on the ceiling he's been staring at for a past few minutes only appeared in great detail when there were lights.
'Enlea or las'
'Why could I not see it when it was dark? I've been here repeatedly did I not?' The muttering in his mind increased as each and every ancient lips overlapping each other to form incoherent rumbling of elvhen words that the rogue couldn't be bothered to translate.
'Again and again to the very same prison'
"I've come as fast as I can" A female voice penetrated through the thick silence of the room and the rogue vaguely noticed how the air itself seems to lightened by the arrival of this, woman that he unable to recognized by hearing alone. Even so, the elf was blocking the view even if he tried.
The rogue closed his eyes as he listened to this Cullen-this Cullen how funny it would seem how his delirious mind seem to alienate all these familiar faces in front of him. He's not stupid, Travelyans did not raise stupid children. He knew that this place. Wherever this place is. It is not home. His home. His Doria-
Stunned. Realization dawned on him.
It didn't work.
'-Fallow Mire, Storm Coast, find the wardens, meet Hawke, rescue wardens'
'WHY?'
Everything...I did everything differently why am I still thrown back?
'No'
'NO'
Mistake?
'Impossible'.
Then, isn't it enough?
'No'
Shouldn't you just give up?
'Is there... no hope left?'
No
'Am I stuck in a loop forev-'
He groan in anguish.
'Dori-'
"Not home, not home" Cole wide unseeing eyes appeared over his face boring hole into his skull. Vaguely he could feel the hand that was healing him not a moment ago disappeared but close by observing. "There is so many voices, reaching, wounding, wanting. They wanted to be friends. Why wouldn't you listen to them?."
'-thrown into fade, Forbidden Oasis, Crestwood, The Western Approach'
He could feel confused stares prickled through his skull from others as the voice discussing his situation quieted down. Seeming to shifted their attention to him and the boy in front of him. As if Cole brought well deserved water and cleared the mists away, he could hear it now. Multiple incoherent elvhen language echoing at the base of his skull.
'-to the ball, with Morrigan , drink from the Well '
For the first time since he was bashed to the wall and flat on his back with cracked ribs and broken bones. He closed his eyes, counting from one to ten as his beating heart slowly calmed down. Trying to remember how it were when he first came to be.
He smiled.
"Still creepy, kid"
Vaguely he could feel the air shifted around him as the feeling of being stared at intensified and loud footsteps that he was so sure if he were to open his eyes right this instance, the faces of his former comrades would be seen peering down on him with wide apathetic eyes.
Hopeless.
'-The Exalted Plains, Emerald Graves, Emprise du Lion'
'I'm begging you'
He shut his lids as if tired, like a battle-worn soldier that yearn to go home where he would be safe and loved once again.
'I yearn to see him'
'-The Hissing Waste, into the Eluvian, find the final piece'
'Let me go home'
'-Corypheus attack, two years apart-'
"Who are you?"
That female voice muttered softly, voice laced with pride and gentle prodding but at the same time firm and prideful.
A noble.
The man opened his eyes looking far too old for a man so very young and stared up at her placidly without really seeing. Behind her, each and every companions and advisors filled in the empty spot surrounding them both, making a circle with them in the middle. For a moment he caught scents of Dorian. His distracted pupil moved subconsciously to the source.
Cold silver met warm grey.
'-Reunion, Councils-'
He ignored the familiar ache, mask perfectly in place.
For some reason Dorian himself did not move or attempt to look away from his intense gaze either.
Just as suddenly, the looming figure of Iron Bull accompanying by a rough pat on revealed shoulder snapped Dorian out of his trance. Dorian gave Iron Bull a brief glance and look back to the figure on the ground quickly only to see that the rogue has already shifted his gaze to redirect his attention to the inquisitor.
'-Qunary invasion, betrayal, Meeting Solas, my hand'
Beautiful black hair that was tied firmly at the small of her back with soft skin and-
Silver meet silver.
She looked familiar.
She looked like him.
They were silent for a few minute before he laughed, harsh and humorless.
"Dearest mother always said she wanted a girl"
Her eyes widened in surprise and slowly, her silver eyes narrowed when comprehension dawned on her.
"Funny..." She answered lightly, voice quiet, "My dearest father always said he wanted a boy, instead"
RINSE. REPEAT.
A/N: This is my first work on this site, nice to meet you guys! I'm one of Naruto's fanfiction writers, Soooo I made myself another account and I will try (very veeery hard) not to write anime stuff like 'vein popped' or 'punch him on the head'.
Oh, I suck at grammar by the way. Still learning though, reviews are appreciated.
Peace :3