Author's Note: Sorry for the rather lengthy 2nd chapter!
"You think I'm responsible?" Evelyn asked the intimidating woman standing before her. She was trying to wrap her head around what she was being accused of. The Conclave destroyed, the Divine killed…and they said she had walked out of the Fade itself. She stared down at the glowing green mark emblazoned on her left palm. It was throbbing with pain, her whole arm twitching in agony as she stared at it, trying to understand. She couldn't remember a thing, save for running, and a faceless woman made of pure light. She wanted to cry. She wanted to wake up; surely this was a dream, surely this was a trick of the Fade. No one could enter the Fade physically, not even a mage.
The woman, a Seeker named Cassandra, pulled her to her feet and marched her from the room, silently guiding her by the vice-like grip she had on Evelyn's upper arm. As they passed through the gathered crowd, murmurs and eyes followed her, some of which were filled with tears, some fear, others hatred. She lowered her gaze, avoiding their stares and letting the Seeker lead her where she may. Evelyn was beyond caring what happened. Until Cassandra led her outside and her eyes fell upon the heavens.
A swirling vortex of green took up almost the entire sky above the mountains, large masses of ruin and debris swirling among emerald green clouds. It was ominous, looming above all of Thedas with imminent threat. She stared at it, her mouth hanging open as she tried to comprehend. Another painful stab tore through her newly marked palm as it glowed anew and she cried out, falling to her knees momentarily blinded by the agony. Cassandra knelt before her, a grim look in her eyes. "Every time the Breach expands, your mark does as well – and it is killing you," the Seeker informed her, her voice breaking slightly with the weight of her words.
Evelyn took deep breaths, trying to clear the fog of pain from her mind. "You still think I did this? To myself?" she questioned, lifting her blurry vision to the other woman's dark eyes.
"Not intentionally," Cassandra replied, helping to lift Evelyn to a standing position once more. Her hands were still bound, and Cassandra stared at the binds for a moment, and the glowing mark. "If there is any chance of closing the Breach -"
"I'll do what I can to help," Evelyn interjected. Cassandra raised her eyebrows as she stared at her, but if she wasn't mistaken, it almost looked like the Seeker approved of her words. She hadn't meant to sound so eager, but the sight of the Breach had terrified her. If she had a chance to do something about it, to be helpful, she had to take it.
"Let us be on, then," and with that the Seeker turned and led Evelyn through the rest of the village. Evelyn continued to avoid the stares of everyone they passed, keeping her eyes downcast and focused on her steps. She noticed that the Seeker's grip on her arm was looser than it had been previously, as though she only meant to guide her the right way and keep up the appearance that she was dragging her for the benefit of the onlookers. "Open the gates," she commanded when they reached the gates of the village to continue into the mountains. As the soldiers at the gate complied, Cassandra turned and pulled a dagger from her belt. She cut the rope that bound Evelyn's wrists and threw it aside. Evelyn rubbed her chafed wrists with a sigh of relief, and she noticed the Seeker watching her warily for a moment before she turned and led the way out of the gate.
They followed the path for a while, but another surge of stabbing pain ran up and down Evelyn's left arm and she fell once more to her knees, bruising them with the impact. She had never felt anything like it, feeling as though her entire arm was going to explode, or fall off of her. At her cry, Cassandra turned and took a few steps to close the distance between them. The Seeker knelt and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Not much farther, now," she reassured her. Again, she reached beneath Evelyn's arms and helped her to her feet. Evelyn mentally shook herself; as much as she wanted to believe this was a dream of the Fade, the intense throbbing in her hand told her otherwise. No pain in the Fade ever felt so authentic.
The silent pair was halfway across a bridge bustling with soldiers and healers when a bolt of green rained down from the sky like a meteor and everything around them exploded. Evelyn felt the ground shift beneath her feet and she fell as the bridge beneath her collapsed. She landed roughly on the frozen river beneath them, her shoulder colliding roughly before she finally rolled to a stop. Cassandra was struggling to push herself to her feet beside her on the ice. "Demons!" the other woman called out suddenly, and she picked her shield and sword up from where they had fallen. "Stay behind me!"
Evelyn pushed herself to her feet and watched as the Seeker charged the shades that were coming across the ice toward them. But behind the Seeker, another shade turned its faceless hood toward Evelyn, and began to make its way toward her. Cassandra didn't see it. By some divine providence, Evelyn saw a staff lying near her, no doubt thrown from one of the healers now caught up in the bridge's wreckage. She stumbled over to it, her feet sliding on the ice as she tried to maneuver through the debris. She didn't need a staff to channel her magic, but she hadn't ever been in a fight before and appreciated the idea of a staff's assistance with her focus. She snatched the staff up and felt the usual tingle and surge of her energy when her hand came in contact with the enchanted wood. Finally, something familiar.
Electricity crackled through the air around her as she focused, turning her mind inward as she conjured up her training and the lightning that seemed to run through her veins. Evelyn pictured the targets she used to practice this on, harmless poles of metal as the Senior Enchanters encouraged her to concentrate. The shade was closer now, and she took a steadying breath as she felt the sparks sizzle between her fingers. She raised her hand, and a single bolt of lightning struck the shade so powerfully it was shocked, paralyzed by the strike. Evelyn twirled her staff as she always did, taking advantage of the shade's momentary halt to throw smaller bolts of lightning at it. The electricity charged through her fingers until the wood of the staff hummed with its energy and released the excess in the direction of her opponent in bursts. The storm within her was also around her, and when the shade tried to approach her, another bolt of lightning struck it, as though a tempest hung above Evelyn and shielded her from harm. The shade finally gave an eerie wail and began to disappear as though disintegrating from her attacks.
From her right, Cassandra charged with her shield and sword drawn, but Evelyn saw no other demons. It took her a moment to realize the Seeker was pointing her weapon at her. "Drop your weapon!" Cassandra commanded, still in a battle stance, ready to take Evelyn on if she dared to disobey.
Evelyn stared at the other woman, and she tightened her grip on her staff. It continued to buzz with the energy her fingers contained. "I don't need a staff to do magic," she pointed out flatly. "And I haven't tried to use magic on you, yet, have I?"
Cassandra eyed the staff warily, and then began to straighten, relaxing her shield and sword. She gave Evelyn a disapproving frown, but she sheathed her sword all the same. "You're right," she conceded. "I should try to remember that you agreed to come willingly. And you should have a staff. I can't protect you all the time."
Evelyn nodded at Cassandra gratefully and loosened her hold on her staff, and its hum of energy faded. The Seeker nodded in the direction of the path they had been on and Evelyn followed her silently. They continued on their trek toward the Breach, coming across demons as they went and working together to take them down. Cassandra seemed silently impressed with Evelyn's actions, watching her closely as she finished off another shade with a twirl of her staff. "We're almost there," Cassandra said as she led the way up stairs carved into the hillside. The Seeker charged ahead and Evelyn ran to catch up, quickly out of breath as she mounted the stairs as quickly as she could. She had never had this much activity at the Circle, and she was struggling to keep up. Ahead of them she could hear the sounds of a battle, and the green glow of the Breach seemed brighter somehow, closer and more tangible as they approached.
An Elven mage and a Dwarf with an impressive crossbow were fighting alongside soldiers, demons pouring out of a glowing green tear above them. Evelyn slowed her run, staring in disbelief at the sight of what seemed to be a smaller version of the Breach above them. "Is that -" she began, but a shade charged her and she cut off her question as she instinctively threw a shimmering, electrical barrier around herself.
For a few moments, battle was the only thing she could focus on. She threw lightning at the demons, and watched in satisfaction as it jumped between the demons but didn't harm any of the fighters on her side. Practice in the Circle in that regard had always been hypothetical; to see that she could pull off that precision when it counted most pleased her. Cassandra had already gotten into the rhythm of battle with Evelyn. She knew to look for the enemies paralyzed by the shocking energy of the mage's magic, swiftly cutting them down while they were vulnerable. When the last demon fell, the green energy above them seemed to change and become formless, struggling to return to its previous form, the jaggeed portal in the air that it seemed to be.
"Seal it, now!" the Elven mage cried, and he grabbed Evelyn's wrist and thrust her marked palm toward the rift. She felt a throbbing pain, but also something else; she felt an invisible, tangible energy that she knew she could direct. She concentrated on it, turning her hand as one might a key as she tried with all her might to seal the green rift above her. The rift gave one last burst of energy, knocking them all back a few steps, and then all was still. The Elf dropped her wrist and stared at her, a look of surprise and triumph in his slanted eyes.
"You did it!" Cassandra cried behind her, wonder evident in her voice. Evelyn turned to face her, and they exchanged a meaningful look. Evelyn hadn't been sure she could actually do anything to help when she'd offered, but now she knew she could. She found herself resolve to see this through.
"It appears she did," the Elf chimed in, still watching Evelyn closely. His voice was deep, each of his words sounding careful and measured as he spoke. Cassandra introduced him as Solas, an apostate mage who had come for the Conclave.
"You weren't a part of the Circle?" Evelyn asked, unable to fathom a life of magic outside of the Circle of Magi. She couldn't tell if it was jealousy she felt, or just curiosity.
He gave a small chuckle. "No, I was not."
"Solas is an expert on the Fade," Cassandra remarked. "He stayed to help keep you alive after you walked out of the Fade."
"I didn't realize," Evelyn murmured. "Thank you, Solas."
"You can repay him by fixing the hole in the sky," the dwarf interjected. Evelyn turned to him, studying him carefully. She had met few dwarves in her life, but she could already tell he was different from any she had met. For one, the front of his coat was open with roguish flare, exposing his curly golden chest hair. He lacked a full beard, only sporting light stubble; she didn't think she had ever seen a dwarf without a beard, and she frowned at the sight. He was a puzzle, and she found she wanted to get to know him better. He returned his magnificent crossbow to his back as he smiled at her, and then looked to the Seeker, who was scowling at him. "Since we're making introductions - Varric Tethras, at your service," he gave a half-bow in Evelyn's direction, and she acknowledged him with a nod and a small smile. Varric had an easy friendliness to him, and she warmed to him, recognizing a potential ally quickly.
"I realize," Cassandra said with sudden shock as she too looked at Evelyn. "I do not know your name. We tried to identify you, while you were unconscious, but we had no way…"
"Evelyn," she replied steadily. "Evelyn Trevelyan."
The Seeker's eyebrows raised. "Trevelyan?" Evelyn nodded silently to the Seeker's recognition, the rest of her inquiry hanging between them unspoken; the Trevelyan family was well known even outside of the Free Marches.
"Well, Lady Trevalyan, shall we?" Varric asked, his voice casual and light, as though they weren't faced with a sky that was tearing open. Evelyn gave a small smile at his joking, gentlemanly gesture for her to precede him. She couldn't precisely place his accent, but it was definitely from somewhere in the Free Marches. Cassandra turned to lead the way down the path toward the Breach and the Temple's ruins. The Seeker's brows were furrowed, as though she were lost in thought.
The four of them continued walking, occasionally fighting off demons that blocked their path. As they walked on, Varric made small talk, trying to ease the tension. Solas said little, except if it pertained to the Breach or the rifts, and Cassandra forged ahead, still frowning as though deep in thought. She could be brought out of her musings by Varric's teasing commentary it seemed, scornfully responding to his poking and prodding, exasperation evident every time she did so. Evelyn's brow cocked at these responses, amused at the dynamic between the two. She wondered what had brought them together; Varric's name had sounded familiar, as though she had heard it mentioned in conversation before. She couldn't remember where…
Another rift was before them, blocking the gate that led to the forward camp. Evelyn tightened her grip on her staff and threw up an electrical barrier around herself, and noticed that it shimmered in front of the other three as well. It must have been more powerful than she had anticipated, since it extended to those around her.
She wasn't displeased by this development; indeed, continuing to put her skills to use was oddly thrilling. If this hadn't happened, would she have simply continued to study skills she may never have used for any purpose other than studying, stuck in an endless loop of learning and training without intent? Again, her lightning bounced from demon to demon, leaving her party members unscathed as it crackled and surged through the battle. Any shade that came near her was again struck by lightning that seemingly conjured itself to defend Evelyn where she stood. The First Enchanter had always marveled at Evelyn's effortless ability to call lightning to her like this, and remarked frequently that it was as though Evelyn carried a storm within her. She had always had an affinity for lightning magic, even feeling the magic coursing through her body as a tingling, electrical current even when not casting spells. It felt like the core of her very being.
The four of them quickly dispatched the shades that poured through the rift, and Solas again encouraged Evelyn to use her mark to seal it before more could arrive. She threw her marked palm into the air, again feeling that energy course through her, different from the usual electrical current. She focused on the different feeling, and turned and twisted it until the rift sealed. Above them she heard cries of triumph; the soldiers on the gate's ramparts were celebrating.
"The rift is sealed, open the gates!" Cassandra called, and the gate creaked open to let them pass. The bridge they were upon was bustling with activity; healers were running to wounded soldiers lining the stone barrier on each side, soldiers were regrouping and running further down the bridge, toward the Temple. In the center was a Chantry cleric bent over a table, arguing with the other woman who had interrogated Evelyn.
Cassandra led their small party toward the argument, and as soon as the cleric saw Evelyn he pointed a finger and let out a strangled cry. "Why is the prisoner here? Clap her in irons, send her to Val Royeaux -"
"We don't have time," Cassandra snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "She may be able to close the Breach, and I intend to let her try."
"You intend to let the mage who caused this mess try to fix it?" the cleric cried shrilly. "It could be a trap, she could -"
"Chancellor Roderick," the other woman interrupted. She was Orlesian, her harsh tone softened slightly by the accented lilt of her voice. Her eyes were hard, though, her gaze piercing enough that the cleric stopped speaking at once. "This woman may be our only hope of fixing this problem."
The cleric scoffed, but before he could continue his objections, Cassandra and the other woman began planning the best way to approach the Temple and the Breach. "My scouts could get us through the pass undetected," the Orlesian woman said, but Cassandra shook her head.
"There's too few of them, Leliana," Cassandra countered. "We should take a direct approach, charge from the front with all of our soldiers. It's the fastest route, it could be our only chance to make it through the demons."
They continued debating for several more moments, Roderick interjecting himself into the conversation; Evelyn wondered if he only did that to feel important. She noticed a need to seem important in the way he carried himself, and it came off as incredibly pompous. He was glaring at her, and suddenly she realized all three of them were staring at her. She had tuned out the actual words they were saying, only listening to their tones as she tried to push the pain out of her mind, focusing instead on her old habit of watching people to distract herself from the throbbing in her palm. "Well?" Cassandra prompted her.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"You're the one we need to get to the Breach," Leliana remarked. "It seems fitting we let you have a say in how you get there."
Evelyn raised her eyebrows, surprised. They wanted her to decide? Her palm gave another painful twinge and she gritted her teeth against the pain. Cassandra noticed and folded her arms, concern evident on her face. Evelyn was momentarily surprised by the continual anxiety Cassandra had about her well-being, considering how sure she had been of her guilt not long before. She decided it had to be because Evelyn was their best chance to stop the Breach.
"The forward charge," Evelyn muttered, rubbing the glowing mark with her other hand. "We need to get this over with as soon as possible."
Leliana and Cassandra nodded gravely. "Leliana, gather everyone. We'll head to the front."
"Maker be with you," Leliana said, and she turned to gather the soldiers who remained on the bridge.
"On your head be the consequences, Seeker," Chancellor Roderick spat as Cassandra led the other three toward the gate at the end of the bridge. Evelyn wasn't sure if she imagined it, but it almost seemed as though Cassandra's back stiffened, her head lifting ever so slightly at the sound of the cleric's harsh words. For a moment, Evelyn found herself feeling sorry for the other woman.
"Open the gate," Cassandra called, and the gate before them rumbled. The sound of battle intensified as the towering wooden doors creaked open, and Evelyn gripped her staff more tightly, readying herself for a fight once more. She felt her energy flagging, but she steeled herself against her exhaustion. She was almost done; whatever happened to her when she attempted to close the Breach - that would be it. If it killed her, if it didn't work, or even if it did; that would be the end of it. She welcomed the inevitable conclusion, whichever way things went. This was her first chance to do anything important with her life, and she had to see it through.
Cassandra led the charge out of the gate, Evelyn and the others close behind her. They ran forward, another rift in their way, demons clashing with soldiers who were defending the gate. Evelyn ran into the thick of things, focusing her fading energy into a shimmering barrier, and she noticed it spread to all of the allies surrounding her, providing them with a bit more protection against the demons and shades that attacked them.
One of the soldiers turned in surprise to look over his shoulder, trying to determine the source of magic that suddenly shielded him. He was unusually tall, with wavy, golden hair, and his vast shoulders were covered by a red cloak adorned with a reddish brown fur mantle. His eyes widened when he saw her, and for a moment he was entirely distracted from the battle by her actions. A shade seemed to decide now was its moment to strike, but before it could, Evelyn sent a bolt of lightning at its lunging form, and it stumbled away from the man. The warrior regained his senses and turned, taking advantage of the paralyzed state of the shade to strike it down.
After a few more hurried minutes of battle, the last of the demons disintegrated under the electrical onslaught of Evelyn's magic. She rushed forward and thrust her marked palm at the rift before any more demons could escape. Again she twisted and clenched her fist, imagining a lock sliding into place as she did so, and the rift sealed before her. She dropped her arm and bent over, her palms on her knees as she tried to catch her breath; she wasn't sure how much more she could exert herself. Just a little longer, she pushed herself. You're almost done, no matter what happens.
"Sealed, as before," Solas said behind her. "You are becoming quite proficient at this."
"Let's hope it works on the big one," Varric mused wryly. Evelyn half-smiled to herself at his humor, but she kept her head down, eyes tightly shut as she tried to collect herself.
"Commander," Cassandra called out, and Evelyn looked up to see who she addressed. It was the man who had turned, who had been surprised by her magic. He was helping an injured soldier to his feet, and he made sure the man was steady before he turned to face Cassandra.
"Lady Cassandra," he nodded. "You managed to close the rift. Well done."
"Do not congratulate me, Commander," Cassandra corrected him. She turned to face Evelyn, drawing the Commander's eyes to her as well. "This is the prisoner's doing."
"Is it? I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here," the Commander stared at her, the look in his steady gaze indecipherable as he addressed her. This close, Evelyn could see that his eyes were a golden shade of amber, and despite the guarded look he gave her, she detected a warmth beneath his current reserve. The feeling encouraged her, and made her feel an easy trust for the man, even if it seemed he may not feel the same could be said of her. She knew her eyes were sometimes, for lack of a better word, shocking to people; they were so piercing, so vibrant that they could be unnerving. She could tell he had noticed, and he frowned slightly as he looked at her.
Evelyn noticed his eyes momentarily glance at her staff before returning to her face. "You're not the only one hoping that," she agreed finally. He held her gaze a moment longer before giving a curt nod.
"We'll see soon enough, won't we," he turned back to Cassandra. "The way to the Temple should be clear. Leliana will try to meet you there."
"Then we best move quickly," Cassandra nodded. "Give us time, Commander."
The Commander began to walk away, toward another wounded, limping soldier. He turned back. "Maker watch over you, for all our sakes." He nodded at Cassandra one last time, and gave that same indecipherable look to Evelyn before he grabbed the limping soldier's arm and pulled it across his shoulder, bending down to accommodate the other man's hunched gait as he helped escort him back to the gate.
"Let's go," Cassandra commanded, and the four of them turned and continued down the path.
They reached the Temple's ruins, and Evelyn halted her step when she saw the destruction before her. Only debris remained where the magnificent Temple of Sacred Ashes had once stood, and scattered around were charred corpses, some frozen in prostrate, terrified postures, only pillars of solid ash that spoke of the horror they had experienced here. A lump caught in her throat, and she felt a light tug at her arm as she continued staring in disbelief at what she saw. She looked down to see Varric pulling gently at her sleeve, encouraging her wordlessly on. It was quite a change from his previous humor, to see him looking at her so sadly, so understandingly. Somehow, the unspoken support behind his gentle tugging helped snap her out of her silent dismay, and she managed to force her feet on to follow the Seeker and the others.
The four of them wound their way through the wreckage, following the path of what had once been hallways as they made their way to the center of the temple and the site of the Breach. They continued in silence until suddenly their path became littered with a scattering of red, pulsating stalactites, seeming to grow out of the ground itself along the walls's debris. Evelyn felt a tingling run through her that she normally associated with lyrium, only something felt very wrong.
"Seeker," Varric muttered, and this time it was his step that faltered as he stared at the pulsating ore surrounding them as they continued venturing further into the Temple ruins. "That's…"
"I see it, Varric," Cassandra replied grimly.
"Red. Lyrium," Varric emphasized.
"Yes."
"But what's it doing here," he stressed the last word with heavy significance. Evelyn quirked a brow.
"What's red lyrium?" she asked.
"It's really bad shit," Varric supplied. "Whatever you do, don't touch it."
Before Evelyn could ask him to expand on his answer, a deep echoing voice rang through the air, and chills ran down her spine as she spun around, looking for the source. It pulled at her consciousness, and she tried to follow the threads of memory that sprang up in her mind, but it was like trying to remember a fleeting dream upon waking. "Now is the hour of our triumph," the voice rumbled. "Bring forth the sacrifice."
"What is that?" Cassandra called out, looking about her as she tried to place where the voice was coming from.
"An echo," Solas said. "The Veil is thin here."
"Someone – please – help me!" another voice, this time female, echoed desperately around them.
"That is the Divine!" Cassandra stopped in her tracks, looking around wildly as though she might see the Divine nearby.
"What's going on here?" another, very familiar voice echoed. Evelyn stopped in her tracks. But…
Cassandra whirled to face her, her face contorted. "That – that is your voice! You were there!" she sounded like she was accusing her.
"Please help me – warn them!" the echo of the Divine continued before the ruins fell eerily silent around them as the echoes died.
Cassandra was still glaring at Evelyn and she took a few steps toward her. "She called out to you, for help!" the Seeker sounded shocked, incredulous. "Who attacked? Where is the Divine? What happened?"
"I – I can't remember," Evelyn stuttered, just as shocked to hear her own voice echoing around them as Cassandra had been. The Seeker stared at her, glaring as she held her eyes, as though she could find the answer behind Evelyn's piercing gaze.
"Let us carry on," Solas gently urged them, and their small party continued on their way, Cassandra casting suspicious glances at Evelyn as they did so.
They turned the final corner, and were above what had been the center of the Temple. But in its place was a large tower of red lyrium, growing grotesquely as though a deadly weed. The debris around them was deteriorating, being pulled slowly into the air toward the epicenter of the Breach. It sprawled across every bit of sky in view, glowing malevolently as the vortex swirled around itself. Everything felt wrong about this place; Solas had been right, the Veil was thin here. Evelyn could feel her skin tingling, hairs on the back of her neck standing as the air pulsated with unsuppressed magical energy around them. She was almost struggling to breathe, the magic permeating the air was so thick it was suffocating, nearly tangible. The lightning in her veins tingled more intensely, and the mark on her hand gave another sharp, agonizing jolt of pain. She tried to keep from crying out when she felt it and bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood.
"Come on," she gritted out, and pushed her way forward to head toward the expanding rift beside the towering red lyrium.
Cassandra followed her closely, looking everything over to assess the situation. Solas approached slowly, his brow furrowed as he also analyzed and reached his own conclusions.
"This is it, the rift at the center of everything," Solas informed them. "It is closed at the moment, but if we open it, you should be able to stabilize it, preventing further tearing."
Evelyn nodded at him, taking a calming breath. Her hands shook, one from pain, the other from nerves.
"It will attract attention from the other side," Solas looked at Cassandra, and she gave a curt nod.
"That means demons," she said, and she looked at the gathering forces of soldiers behind them. Evelyn could see the Commander and Leliana at the front of the masses. "Be ready!" Cassandra called to everyone, and Evelyn saw an uneasy shift ripple through the soldiers as they steeled themselves for battle.
Evelyn gripped her staff, feeling her magic surge through it. She locked eyes with Cassandra, and realized the Seeker was waiting for her. She nodded, and the other woman readied her shield and sword before herself. Evelyn gazed at the rift, and slowly lifted her glowing palm toward it. She felt a stab of pain, her arm shook as it coursed through her. She took a deep breath and refocused herself, pushing the pained fog from her mind. Finish this, it's almost over…
She clenched her fist and felt the now familiar force surge through her, and this time reversed the motion. She opened her hand, twisting it as though to unlock, to turn a doorknob for entrance. The force blasted the rift open, and green energy exploded and again landed around them like meteors as demons rained down from the rift. A large roar rent the air as a towering horned Pride Demon pushed its way through the rift. Evelyn reflexively threw up her shimmering barrier as it charged Cassandra, and she saw the demon's first strike bounce off with a spark as it collided with the timely defenses Evelyn had conjured.
Shades were slithering through the battle, trying to catch soldiers unaware, and Evelyn focused on throwing bouncing lightning at them, the shock of the bolts providing her allies a chance to overwhelm them before they recovered.
"It's no use!" Cassandra yelled over the cacophony of battle clashes. "It is impenetrable!"
"There must be something!" Solas called as he threw the demons surrounding him back with a blast of arcane energy.
Evelyn looked around wildly, and noticed a pulsing energy that seemed to connect the Pride Demon to the open rift. It was drawing strength from the open gateway to the Fade. She dashed forward, weaving her way through the fight to get closer to the rift, and she stopped beneath it, thrusting her marked palm toward it. She felt the energy channel through her, and she tried to seal the rift, or at least distort it to interrupt the demon's connection. There was another roar from her right as the rift shifted and burst, and she heard Cassandra's triumphant cry answering the demon's howl as her sword finally made contact. Evelyn threw another chain of lightning through the battle, watching as shades disintegrated as they were struck, while Cassandra and the Commander led the assault on the now vulnerable Pride Demon. With several powerful strokes from both warriors, the demon collapsed before them, and Cassandra ran her sword through one of the demon's many eyes, piercing through the back of its skull.
"Now!" Solas bellowed, and Evelyn threw her palm up, once more envisioning a powerful lock and key.
But something was different; this rift was so much stronger than the others, being the eye of the storm. As she felt the rift seal, an unbearable pain tore through her, starting in her hand and coursing through her body until she felt sure she would explode, her mind feeling torn in two. She screamed. Her body felt like it was on fire, nothing but white in her vision as the agony blinded her completely to her surroundings. This was death, surely, for no one could survive this feeling. Evelyn found she didn't care. As her consciousness slipped away, her last thought trailed off as darkness finally consumed her. Finished…
