I was working on this for awhile and was uncertain of whether or not to publish it on FFN. I've already got 19 chapters, so I'll post them. Hope you like it.
Tan fingers slid over the mirror, gray eyes looking it up and down, full of befuddlement as the eyes tried to unlock its secrets.
The College of Winterhold was abuzz with fascination over the mysterious mirror found in the depths of the Midden that cast no reflections, humming with an unfamiliar magic, neither aedric nor daedric, from what could be told.
The fingers tracing over the mirror belonged to a human, a Nord with Imperial blood. Grayish mage robes adorned her, and her dark hair, pulled into a simple ponytail, kept out of her examination. She was short for a Nord, compared to the other Nords standing behind her, instead on-par with the other two apprentices, J'zargo and Brelyna, falling short of Onmund. Tolfdir stood with his hands behind his back, silently observing his student study the mirror.
A tall Nord with a slightly paler skin tone and the same gray eyes, coupled with lighter brown hair, watched her nervously. He was decked in heavy Wolf armor, a sword at his side and a shield on his back. "Sister," he stated hesitantly, "are you done yet? We don't know what this...thing...could do to you."
The mage at the mirror shrugged. "Vidar, this is my job as a mage. I am being as careful as I can be, just as careful as you are with the Companions and Legion." She gave him an exasperated look. "Considering recent events involving a certain pack of wolves, you're one to talk."
He rolled his eyes. "Fair enough, but why not let one of the other apprentices look at it?"
"Oh, yes," J'zargo agreed eagerly, "Tanya has had her fun. Let J'zargo try looking at it."
Onmund sighed. "I'm afraid I have to agree. I'm worried about what prolonged exposure might do to you."
Tanya frowned at the other mages. "All of you, just give me one more moment. I think I can feel some sort of tracing on the mirror."
"What sort of tracing?" Brelyna asked, fascinated. "You have to share it with us. We're all here to learn."
Tanya shrugged. "Some sort of...magic residue. From a spell, maybe." she murmured, placing her palm flat against the glass. "I think it's meant to be a portal of some sort. I can't place the exact enchantments on it; they're not of this world, certainly. Perhaps Oblivion." She turned to Tolfdir, not moving her hand off of the mirror. "Master Tolfdir, it...it's saying something to me. A spell I can't put into words, but may I try?"
The elderly mage nodded. "Yes, but be careful, and only do this if you feel safe doing so. Safety comes first." The apprentice at the mirror sensed it; an ancient magic, singing instructions of a spell she could barely make heads or tails of, but she had to try.
She wasn't she how or why she did what she did next. Pushing her magic out, muttering words she barely understood from the mirror, a great flash of white light sprang from her fingertips and blinded all the onlookers. Tanya was knocked back from the mirror, briefly stunned as she laid flat on her back. Onmund quickly knelt down to help his girlfriend up, who ruefully rubbed her head and gawked at the mirror, which was reflecting and warbling images of a blurred realm beyond.
"Well done!" Tolfdir praised. "It seems you were correct; it is a portal, or appears to be."
"But to where?" Brelyna asked. Tolfdir grinned.
"I don't have a clue, but it is a fantastic discovery! Divines know what we could find in there." He looked to the apprentice who had opened it, who was left grinning proudly at the mirror. "We shall explore it. Tanya, you opened it, you should have the right to view it first, and we shall follow."
"Let me come in at the same time," Vidar begged, "I almost lost you to a headsman's axe, if there is mortal danger to be had within-"
"-then I will be prepared," Tanya retorted, "I am Dragonborn, and we are both Strong-Steels, descendants of the Hero of Kvatch! I will be fine." She breathed in and out nervously. "Allow me to use the Become Ethereal shout. If there is death inside, I will be unharmed and can return to inform you."
"Just...be careful, alright?" Onmund pressed, gaining her attention. "Maybe cast a Mark spell in case you need to Recall?"
The Dragonborn nodded. "A good idea. I'll do it." She quickly cast the spell and inhaled sharply. "Feim Zii Gron!" Her skin became translucent, and with a split second's hesitation, she went through the mirror...and froze.
It was beautiful. Rocky paths and bridges spiraled over a clear, endless pit below, and waterfalls trickled into the abyss. A breath caught in her throat, she pushed through the mist covering this strange new world...Oblivion? Aetherius?
The strange realm was an array of grays to her eyes, but she was still left mystified. The shout wore off, and she found her whole self breathing in this strange new place, mysterious as it was beautiful. She had to tell the others.
She used her Recall spell and found herself back in the Midden. Facing Tolfdir, her brother, the other apprentices, a dreamy look was on her face. "It's safe," she confirmed dazedly, "and beautiful. You must come see."
No sooner than did she give the word did the others eagerly head for the mirror, crossing the glass. Vidar followed after her, but almost found himself frozen in place as he gawped at the new world, just as the other mages did.
"Where are we?" Brelyna gasped. "It's...it's so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It's so...colorful, clear."
Onmund gave her a baffled look. "What do you mean, colorful? It's all muted grays to me, and misty."
"Don't be ridiculous," J'zargo scoffed, "it's clearly bright and beautiful. It's more colorful than Elsweyr after the new year's festival."
"No, it's gray to me, too." Tanya agreed. "What about you, Vidar? Master Tolfdir?"
Both men nodded silently, still stunned by the view. "I must agree," Tolfdir said, amazed, "it's beautiful, but gray, and a bit foggy to me."
"Same." Vidar muttered. J'zargo began to peek and look in every corner, fascinated.
"You humans are all mad," J'zargo argued, not looking up, "J'zargo sees that it is bright, shiny, and magical."
Brelyna paused, tapping her chin. "What if it looks different for elves than other races?" she suggested. J'zargo's ears twitched.
"J'zargo is not an elf." he protested.
"Khajiit were said to be bosmer before Azura changed them," Onmund pointed out, "if you've seen an ohmes or ohmes-raht khajiit, it's very apparent."
"Fascinating! I wish I was an elf, in this moment, so I can truly see this realm's splendors." Tolfdir exclaimed excitedly. He paused, looking around for the fourth apprentice, spying her some yards away, peeking behind a very large boulder. "Tanya, have you found anything?"
Tanya turned to him, eyes wide. "I found another mirror! Come look!"
They rushed behind the stone, stopping a short distance away from another mirror, this one dormant. They would have rushed forth to examine it and study it, had it not sprung to life on its own.
The Inquisitor, Dawn Trevelyan, trailed behind Morrigan with Sera, Cassandra, and Dorian as the witch led them through the Cradle of Sulevin. Morrigan had been speaking at a steady pace, explaining everything about the mission they were on. Since Morrigan had drank from the Well of Mythal, new secrets had been revealed to her, one of which was located within the ruins: an eluvian once housed in the Temple, long since hidden in the Cradle.
"There should be an eluvian here, in the far back, behind a wall. I know a spell to open it." Morrigan explained. "The voices from the well tell me of a spell to unlock the eluvian itself, which is to lead to a new part of the crossroads. If we could locate it and bring it back to Skyhold, it would be well worth investigating."
Cassandra gazed around the ruins hesitantly. "I was here with the Inquisitor, Cole, and Solas when we found the Sulevin Blade," she said, "I didn't recall seeing any hidden passages. You know where this wall that is supposed to part is?"
"Not part, per se," Morrigan corrected, "but rather...it will become intangible, of a sorts. We will pass right through it."
Sera shuddered. "Creepy."
"Interesting, if true," Dorian said with a shrug. They went around the gaping hole in the center room, all the way to the back, which was overgrown with ferns and weeds. A large poisonous spider made itself known as it scurried out from behind the bushes, eliciting a shriek of terror from the Inquisitor, who began shooting fire spell after fire spell at the arachnid.
A bolt from one of her frantic spells flew and hit the back wall, turning the stone translucent, revealing a dusty eluvian hidden behind it. Dawn hadn't even noticed, too busy burning the spider to a crisp. "Kill it with fire!" she shrieked.
"It's dead, Inquisitor!" Cassandra yelled, alarmed. Dawn blushed as she stopped, seeing her handwork having burned away half the vegetation. A crisp and blackened corpse of a spider was left behind. Morrigan gawked at the eluvian and then back to the Inquisitor.
"That seems to have unlocked it. Well, let's come along."
Dawn cleared her throat and quietly placed her staff on her back, cheeks a bright red. She caught up with Morrigan, who stood opposite from the mirror. Morrigan focused and lifted her hands up, sparkling with magic, and the eluvian came to life, showing a distorted picture of the Crossroads.
"Shall we?" Morrigan said, stepping aside, gesturing welcomingly to the eluvian. They filed in, Inquisitor first, followed by her companions. Morrigan came in last, almost bumping into Dorian, who had froze in spot. In fact, all four had stopped to gawk at...something, in complete awe, jaws agape.
She stepped around them to see what the fuss was, the source of the shock was obvious: a group of mages in strange robes with a warrior with unfamiliar wolf-styled armor. One of the mages was an anthropomorphic cat with a mustache, fur, ears, swinging tail and all, who gawked right back at the humans and elf. The other one of note was a grayish-purple skinned elf with red eyes, which were wide in alarm.
There was what felt like a long pause of several moments' duration until Vidar spoke.
"We come in peace?"