A/N Sorry, I may not be going word for word in any of these, and please forgive any bad grammar; this is my first time writing something like this.
Drifting through the Fade as she dreams, Sarliana comes to a door that is marked with runes in a language she has never seen. As she studies the runes, she hears a voice say:
"Wake up, apprentice".
She opens her eyes to see Knight Commander Greigor and First Enchanter Irving standing off to her side. She gets out of bed to notice that her brother, Sarlin, is also being woken up by another Templar. Rubbing her eyes, Sarliana asks:
"What's going on?"
"It's time for your Harrowing," responds Irving.
Sarlin opens his eyes to see an armored helmet looking down at him. Letting his anger get the better of him, he pushes the armored figure out of his face, saying loudly:
"Damn Templars! Waking me up in the middle of the night."
Looking over at his sister he sees that her face is pale and she looks afraid. Rushing over to his sister's side, he holds her tightly, all the while glaring at Knight Commander Greigor and First Enchanter Irving.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demands loudly. Irving sighs.
"It is time for you two to face the Harrowing."
Sarlin holds his sister tightly and whispers in her ear.
"Let's go show these old fools that we are ready to be to be full-fledged mages."
Sarliana looks up at her brother and nods meekly.
As Sarlin and Sarliana walk through the tower towards the Harrowing chamber, Sarlin opens his mind to his twin sister. Knowing her as well as he does, he knew she had been dreading the Harrowing. She knows all too well how easily she could fail and be killed.
As they reach the Harrowing chamber Sarliana breaks down and starts crying out of terror. Sarlin holds on to his sister, whispering:
"You know that I would never let a demon take control of you. I will always be your shield and your sword, so smile and relax, dear sister."
Irving looks at his two young apprentices and sighs, knowing that one or both of them may fail. Taking a deep breath, he speaks up.
"At last, we come to the Harrowing."
Greigor picks up on Irving's hesitation and says:
"You shall be sent alone into the Fade to deal with a demon, with nothing but your will to guide and protect you." Looking at the two mages, he can't help but scowl, but he continues. "If you fail and become possessed, we will do our duty." He turns to the small basin in the center of the room. "Lyrium, the raw essence of magic., it shall be your gateway into the Fade. I wish the both of you luck."
Sarlin takes his sister's hand and walks up to the pool of Lyrium. He smiles and turns towards the Templars watching.
"We shall pass this test of yours," he says. "My sister and I will both come out of this stronger, just you watch."
After he says that, Sarliana grips his hand more tightly. He turns towards her and nods. They both reach their hands out towards the Lyrium, they both feel themselves being pulled in opposite directions. After a moment or two, Sarliana blacks out. Sarlin, gritting his teeth, trying to remain conscious, lasts a few seconds longer, but he too is unable to remain conscious.
Sarliana opens her eyes and leaps to her feet. With a start, she immediately notices that her brother is nowhere to be seen.
"Sarlin!" she cries out, listening for a response that never comes.
She sobs a little. But then realizes that she needs to be strong, she needs to find a way to beat the demon that is hunting her.
She closes her eyes. She can still see the images of the runes that she saw in her dream, but in recalling them she notices that a few of them are brighter than the others. As if controlled by some other force, her arm and hand start moving on their own and begin drawing the runes in the air. As the runes are being drawn, Sarliana can feel her mana.