Author note: I do not own Dragon Age: Inquisition or the Last Story.

Warning: This is the first time I've written a fanfic for the Dragon Age fandom (aside from the oneshot series I have, called 'From one thing to another'), so anything regarding characterization or anything else would be VERY VERY USEFUL. Thank you. XD

More Warnings: Possible pairings (don't know what yet but will be solidified by the end of the fic), fic starts during chapter 34 of the Last Story so spoilers there, though the events that follow after that are completely not canon. Violence, more possible spoilers for both Dragon Age: Inquisition and the Last Story, language, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be some theories about the Outsider's mark I thought up that will apply to this fanfic, they will be explained later on either in the story itself or in author notes and I just hope they all make sense, so I hope you don't mind, thanks! XD

ALSO PLEASE NOTE: For the character of the Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition, since you can technically customize literally almost everything about the Inquisitor when you first start out the game (from the race of the Inquisitor-qunari, elf, human, etc) to the gender of the character (female or male) to a lot of other things (for example, give them a British accent or American accent), I made the Inquisitor a female elf mage for this fanfic, so please keep that in mind. Thank you! XD

Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks! XD


Rising Hope


The energy of the Outsider flowing into his body felt perfect.

At least, that was what it felt initially. Count Arganan could just feel the power seeping into him through the sword he'd used to provoke the Outsider's rage to make it do something against the Gurak that were attacking.

Sentinel Beast Mitra emerged. The next thing he remembered about that was that he was helpless to it draining his energy. He kept feeling more and more tired as it kept doing so, the very essence of his life being pulled out of him.

And then he'd regained his senses and he remembered that he was trying to get the Outsider's power, trying to do something. He might have lost himself completely-he wasn't exactly sure of what was going on with himself as he tried to pull his sword out of the Outsider.

"This island, this power...it is all mine!"

He remembered Calista screaming ("Uncle, please!") and then-and then-

The energy of the Outsider within him began to hurt. He remembered screaming in pain-that alone was obvious. Was it just him screaming? He didn't know-it sounded like a chorus to him.

He remembered growing weak, all the power he thought he had dripping out of him, and nearly falling backwards, his vision blurry.

He would have hit the ground had someone not reached out and grabbed his outstretched right hand.

"Wait."

Count Arganan's vision cleared as his eyes opened to see a young man pull him to his feet. The man had a bit of a lanky figure, a brown hat with a wide brim obscuring some of his face depending what angle you looked at him from. His clothes were worn out, indicating that he could be someone of lower status, or someone travelling. It was hard to tell.

"Who are you?"

The younger man made sure that Arganan was standing steadily before speaking. "I've been watching. I'm Cole. We're inside you. Or I am. You're always inside you."

"I'm in my own head? So...I am unconscious?" Arganan winced as he looked around. His surroundings were completely jumbled up-none of it was like what it looked like when he found the Outsider by himself with all of the structures around it. Right now it was of the Ballroom of Lazulis Castle, except it was completely put in smithereens. "You think that one's unconsciousness would be less complicated..."

Cole actually seemed to almost laugh in amusement. "It never works that way." He murmured quietly, looking around. "If it disturbs you so much, I can make you forget."

Arganan shook his head. "Not now. I think I..." He looked around again, frowning at his surroundings. "I'll decide later."

This man may have come out of nowhere, but Arganan had an idea in mind. Yes, this 'Cole' might be mysterious, but he seemed like the only person to trust at the moment. He didn't seem like someone who was out to cause harm, not like the Gurak.

"Can you help me get out of here?"

Cole seemed to nod, disappearing from view before reappearing at a nearby doorway. "Follow me. The more you travel, the more it stretches. It breaks down, you break out." He whispered, his voice strange and real and unreal at once.

Arganan hesitantly nodded, beginning to follow the younger man. As he continued to make his way through, he started asking questions. Might as well know more of this person's motives.

"Can you end up in other people's minds like you're doing to me at the moment?"

"No. They have to need me. Pain, fear, sadness, guilt, anger, hurt...things I can fix." Cole looked to Arganan quietly as he continued to speak. "Like you. You need me."

The Count of Lazulis stared at him. "I...need you?" He repeated.

The younger man didn't really answer the question, starting to mutter to himself. "Screams, cries, 'You killed my husband!' Lina cries that you killed her husband. She runs to the west, tears falling down her cheeks. A young girl, little girl-her daughter-"Mommy, what's happening?"

Arganan's good eye widened at this. "How do you know that!?" He demanded, glaring at him. Can he read my mind? I-I am unconscious, and he said that he was in me-he meant that he was in my head...so he could be...

Cole just kept speaking as they walked. "She throws herself down, spiraling downwards. You're screaming 'no!' but it's too late. She got away. She got away, blood on the courtyard dirt. Years later, you see her face in her daughter, you see the hurt, but you don't know how to fix it. Everything is hopeless, you cloud yourself with a thirst for power to dull the pain. The cycle repeats, is more vicious with every time. You call her ugly things like 'wench' and 'fool,' you've slapped her a few times. She cries more and more."

Arganan wanted to shut out those memories for the moment. "...Cole, for the love of the Outsider, please stop looking into my head." He managed weakly.

"A-a whisper of hope. Whispering that there is still time to put things right with her before it's too late. 'I'm sorry,' you say, you've practiced saying this over and over in your head and now is the time to truly say it. 'I'm sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you and it's all my fault and I never should have done this.' You want to make up, but don't know how to word it. You're trying very hard to keep it inside, the anger, the sorrow. That's why you lash out at her and cloud yourself with power, because power is your escape. It's...become unhealthy. You need to stop using that escape."

"Cole." Arganan muttered quietly, looking downwards and halting in his walk. "Please."

Cole turned to face him. "You can make things right with her." He spoke, his eyes making contact with Arganan's one eye. "Let me help you make things right with her."

Arganan hesitated for a moment, to think. He wasn't sure how to ever patch things up with her niece-especially after he tried to harness the power of the Outsider. And if he could trust this person-mind-reading thing-whatever he was...well.

"I accept your help."


Therius rushed to Zael and the others as soon as he saw them enter the Military Wing.

"Lady Calista!" He exclaimed, rushing to Calista. "Are you alright? Where is Count Arganan-"

Calista seemed to look down. "My Uncle...he's..."

There was a pained fit of coughs from behind her, and she turned to see none other than Count Arganan himself limp out of the the entrance that led to the depths where the Outsider was. He looked up at Calista, blood trailing from a cut on his real arm, barely standing without the support of his cane.

"I..am here." He managed, before he fell to his knees. He appeared to be trying to look around, as if trying to find someone.

"Uncle!" Calista rushed to him, trying to get him to his feet. "How!? You-you died..."

He frowned slightly, tasting blood on his lips. All he remembered after accepting Cole's help was that he managed to get out of some space. Perhaps while he'd been talking with Cole in his head, he was in reality running out of the underground section where the Lazulis half of the Outsider was and rejoining the others.

"D-did any of you see a young man?" He managed. "Tall, blond, scarecrow-like?"

Therius shook his head, helping Calista get Arganan into a standing position, the white knight letting Arganan lean on him. "No, Count Arganan. None of us saw such a man..."

"Sir Therius!" A Lazulis knight rushed over to them. "A large hole, a green hole of sorts-it's opened up in the sky!"

"What!?" Therius' eyes widened. "What is this hole, exactly?"

"None of us know, sir."

Arganan pushed himself away from Therius' arms, approaching the nearest gaping hole in the wall, caused most likely by the Gurak attacking.

The knight was right-there was indeed a green hole in the sky. Perhaps hole was the wrong word for it-would a 'tear' be the right word? Something like that?

That was when a puff of smoke clouded Arganan's vision. It faded, to reveal none other than Cole.

"What the-!?" Sir Therius and the others took out their weapons, but Arganan knew that it wasn't a good idea.

"Wait!" He tried to move so that he was in front of Cole, blocking the others. "He...he's not harmful. I think." He looked to Cole behind him. "Why are you here?"

The scarecrow of a man looked back at him. "I came with you to help. I would have told you before, but you were busy."

Arganan let out a slow breath. "Right, right. Busy with trying to escape my own head and the collapsing place where the Outsider was, yes." He muttered.

"Count Arganan?" Therius' voice was laced with confusion as he looked to Cole. "Who is he, exactly?"

Arganan looked to Cole, before looking to Therius. "I honestly don't know, except for the fact that he saved my life. We can trust him for now."

Cole looked to Therius. "My name is Cole. I'm a spirit. I help people, and then...make them forget."

THe white knight blinked in surprise. "Make them forget? Why?"

"It's...better that way." The spirit responded after a moment. Before he could say any more, however, that was when Arganan felt his right hand throb painfully, his knees going weak. He fell to his knees, and Therius tried to help him get up.

"C-Count Arganan!?"

Arganan couldn't say a word as he realized he was going headfirst into unconsciousness.


He would wake up slowly, his vision a fuzzy blue. He blinked a few times, a sore feeling radiating throughout his body, especially where he left arm and half his left leg were supposed to be, as well as his right hand. The left side of his face, usually covered by a large eyepatch due to the scars and lack of an eye, was also nowhere to be felt on his face.

"Oh?" An unfamiliar voice, one of a male, caught Arganan's attention and brought him back to consciousness. "You're awake. Not that I wasn't expecting you to be awake, but...considering how much damage you took after you tried to harness the Outsider's power, I thought you'd be out for three days."

Arganan let out a pained groan escape him, turning to his right to see a man sitting by his bed. He had neat, dark hair that was parted at one side, a matching-coloured moustache on his face. He wore simple but nice clothes, clothing that reflected that he seemed to come from a noble, or at least wealthy, family.

"Wh-who are you? How...long have I been out?"

The other man seemed to grin slightly. "Pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of the Tevinter Imperium. And for your information, Count Arganan, you have been unconscious for the past two days."

"Two days!?" Arganan moved to sit up in bed, but then covered the left side of his face instinctively with his metal hand as he looked to Dorian, managing to sit up somewhat with the pillow for help. It didn't help him, either, that his entire body was still aching. "I've been out for two days and the Gurak didn't take over Lazulis Castle?"

"Oh, them? They fled as soon as they saw the Breach. Probably the best thing for them to do. They weren't expecting a third army to show up-especially not an army of demons."

The Gurak had fled? Well, at least Lazulis was safe for now. That was the good thing.

The bad thing, though, was that the idea of demons roaming around because of this 'Breach' probably wasn't making things any better.

"The Breach?" Arganan repeated, his one eye looking to Dorian, making eye contact with him. "What is that?"

Dorian blinked. "Oh, wait, you don't know. Right, you were unconscious during the past while. Well, then, allow me to inform you..."

As Dorian talked, Arganan felt his hand sting. He paused, before lifting his right hand hesitantly, despite the pain throbbing throughout his hand, particularly the back of his hand...

"What?"

Dorian blinked. "Hm? What is-oh."

The mark of the Outsider was on the back of Count Arganan's hand. Dorian looked at the mark, his eyes widening in surprise.

"That's interesting. I don't think any of us noticed that on you until now." He quipped. "That's the same mark as what's on Zael's hand, isn't it?"

Arganan nodded slowly. He figured that Dorian must have learned the entire situation between the Gurak and Lazulis by now-who wouldn't have-? The thought of Cole came to mind, and he immediately voiced it.

"Where's Cole?"

Dorian had to think. "Cole? You know of him? Oh, yes, right, he saved your life. He was here earlier, rebandaging some of your wounds, but he left moments before you woke up. Probably went to go talk to Solas or the Inquisitor about things."

Arganan blinked. "You know him?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." The Vint responded. "We both work together in the Inquisition..."

"Wait, what Inquisition...?"

Dorian let out a slow breath. "I...suppose I'll need to explain a lot, don't I?"

Arganan nodded. "Yes. And since I assume I'll be stuck in bed for a while longer, Dorian, please explain. Every last detail."

Count Arganan had the feeling that...things were definitely not going to be the same. Not as long as he had the Outsider's mark on his hand and as long as these other people (Cole and Dorian and who knows who else) would be around.