Aaron returned to his home, exhausted from the day's work. It's no easy task being a cop in Chicago. Getting out of his car, he started unbuttoning the top buttons of his uniform. He climbed the stairs to his apartment, hanging on to the handrail as he ascended. The memory of the day played through his mind.

His last call had been to a neighborhood across town. A mother and her daughter had been raped and killed in their own home. Aaron's dispatcher gave him the coordinates to the location and he was the first to respond on the scene, catching a glimpse of the killer as he ran around the corner. Aaron pursued him in his police cruiser. The killer ran on foot down an ally that was too small for the cruiser to fit. Aaron got out and drew his gun, pointing it at the suspect.

"Stop, in the name of the law. If you do not stop, I will shoot!" Aaron commanded.

The killer continued to run. Aaron aimed and fired at his legs. The bullet grazed the suspect's calf and he went down, clutching his leg on the ground.

"You're under arrest for rape and murder of your wife and daughter," Aaron began. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Aaron brought the killer's arms behind his back and handcuffed him. He raised his hostage to his feet and brought him back to the police car.

"Fuck you, prick," the killer said. "I didn't fucking do anything."

"Yeah? Then why were you running?" Aaron said.

The killer didn't answer. Instead, he spat in his face. Aaron wiped the spit from his face and punched the suspect in the jaw.

"Whoops," Aaron said as he put his suspect in the backseat of the cruiser.

Back at the station, Aaron pulled up with the killer and he was taken down to the cells for processing. Aaron reported to his chief, who informed him of the mess at the house. Detectives arrived on the scene shortly after he did and assessed the crime scene. Blood was splatted all over the living room. The mother left exposed on the couch had been internally decapitated as her husband snapped her neck. The daughter was a bloody mess on the floor with thirteen stab wounds all over her body.

Aaron shuddered at the scene and was grateful he wasn't a detective.

He blinked back to reality wiping away the image his chief described. His keys jingled in his hand as he unlocked his front door. He switched the light on and closed the door behind him. He emptied his pockets and put his wallet, keys, and phone on the end table next to the door. He opened the storage closet and shredded his uniform and hung his empty holster on the wall.

Gun in hand, he made his way to the bedroom. He looked at his half naked body. His arms bruised, his hands callused, his chest heavy with exhaustion. He threw on a white tee shirt and sweat pants and passed out on his bed.

Aaron woke suddenly to an explosion. He grabbed his gun from under his pillow. The explosion came from outside. He heard people screaming. Barefooted, he turned the door handle on his front door to see what was happening.

The door flew open and Aaron was knocked back by the explosion. Aaron shielded his face with his hand, gun pointed blindly in front of him. He cracked his eyelids and saw green light flooding his apartment.

He got up and could not see anything but the green light. The explosion had stopped, but he felt a gush of wind whip at his back, pulling him to where his front door would have been. The invisible force continued to pull at him, bringing him closer to the blinding light. Aaron put his hands out to grab on to anything he could touch. He felt nothing. With the final push, he passed the threshold of where he thought his front door was.

Aaron opened his eyes fully now that the light vanished. He saw an old woman, dressed in white robes. She was being held in midair by an invisible force. The mysterious green light was swirling around her body.

"What's going on?" Aaron shouted.

"Run while you can, warn them!" the woman said in a strange accent.

He rushed to her to see if he could aid her.

"We have an intruder," a shadowy figure said. Aaron looked at it and could not tell what exactly it was. He fired his gun at it but the bullets went through the shadow. "Slay the human."

The shadow reached for Aaron and exploded its energy. Aaron was forced to drop his gun by the burning sensation he felt in his hand. Power surged through his body.

Aaron blacked out.

Slowly opening his eyes, he woke to the sound of jingling keys and footsteps of two people. Fully awake, he tried to stand, but his feet and hands were chained to a wall. He looked around for anything he could touch, anything he could see to determine where he was before the footsteps reached him. He saw nothing. The green light flashed, this time from his left hand. He looked down. The green light sparked, burning his hand. He clenched his fist, willing the green light to stop.

Two figures stood in the doorway to his cell. He could not determine their faces. He heard the keys unlock his cell and the door creaked open.

Two ladies stood in front of him. One lady wore an armored breastplate, shield on her back, and a sheathed longsword around her waist. She had short black hair, and a small scar on the side of her cheek. The other woman wore hooded robes and had red hair.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now," the black-haired lady said with a strong accent. "The conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."

"The what? Where am I?" Aaron asked.

The ladies glanced at each other.

"Explain this," the black-haired lady said, grabbing my left hand.

"Explain what? I don't even know what that is or where I am!"

"You're lying!" she said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking him.

Like she was going to get anything out of me that way…am I in the middle of a medieval times reenactment? They are so into their rolls. He thought to himself.

"We need him, Cassandra," the red head said, pulling Cassandra off of him.

"I'm confused," Aaron began. "Are you guys live action roll players? 'Cause, I am not into this…"

"Live action roll players?" the red head questioned.

"Yeah, you know. LARPS?"

The ladies looked at each other confused.

"No?" Aaron inquired when they didn't respond.

The red head turned around to him. "Do you remember what happened? How this began?"

"What? You mean that green light, an invisible force pulling me through my door, and that old woman?" he said.

"A woman?" she said surprised.

"Yeah, she was floating in the air, captured…it must have been a dream. People can't float like that."

She glanced at Cassandra.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana," Cassandra said, calling the red head Leliana. "I will take him to the rift."

Leliana left and Cassandra picked Aaron up and unlocked his chains.

"Please tell me, I need to know what is going on here," Aaron pleaded.

"It will be easier to show you," Cassandra said.

She pushed him out the door and a guard grabbed his arm, leading him up some stairs. They walked down a hallway to find two doors at the end. Aaron noticed guards in armor with swords and helmets.

Yes, I must be dreaming, he thought to himself.

The doors opened and light shown into the hall from outside. A cold breeze blew through the door, Aaron realized he was still in his tee shirt and pants as he rubbed his arms to keep warm.

"Here," Cassandra said, holding out a long leather coat and moccasins to him.

"Thank you," he said taking it. He put it on. It was heavy, but it kept him surprisingly warm. The moccasins fit snug, but it was better than going around bare-footed. He began buttoning his coat as he looked up and saw a green sky. What looked like lightening, made a hole in the sky. But the lightening didn't go away.

"We call it the Breach," Cassandra said noticing him looking at the sky. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons. It grows larger every hour."

Demons? I'm sure I am dreaming now. Oh well. Serves me right to have this weird dream after a day in my line of work, Aaron thought.

"This is not the only one either. Just the largest," Cassandra continued. "All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

"You mean the place where I was when you found me?" Aaron asked.

"Yes. So you can see why we suspect this happened because of you."

"Wait, I'm a suspect? HA! Hahahaha I never thought I would be a suspect of anything in any of my dreams."

"This is not a dream," Cassandra said. "And if we do not act fast to close the breach, the whole world could be swallowed up in it."

The breach erupted like thunder. Aaron's left hand exploded with sparks. Aaron had to grasp it with his other hand. Pain and shock ran through his body. He clenched his fist trying to control the pain, hugging it close to his body.

"Every time the breach expands, your mark spreads…and it's killing you," Cassandra said, kneeling on the ground next to him. "It could be the key to stopping this, but we don't have much time."

"I understand…" Aaron said through his teeth.

"Then?"

"I'll do what I can to help," Aaron said. Can't be that bad to earn a good reputation in a dream I guess…Aaron said to himself, but he started to feel different. Like what if this wasn't really a dream?

Cassandra nodded and helped him up. They started towards the gate. People lined the sides of the wall with tents. Villagers with children and soldiers glared at Aaron.

"The people of Haven morn the Most Holy. Divine Justinia was head of the Chantry. The conclave was hers. The people blame you for her death," Cassandra said as we passed them. "It was a chance for peace between the mages and Templars."

"Mages and Templars?" Aaron said trying to conceal his laughter.

"Yes, ever since the Chantry in Kirkwall blew up, war broke out between the two groups."

"Kirkwall? Mages? Templars? I'm sorry, it all sounds realistic to me. Don't worry because soon I will wake up and be back in my apartment getting ready for my next day's work."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow to what he said. "Soon you will learn this is not just a dream."

The gate opened and Cassandra led the way to the forward camp.