One moment there is darkness and the next the ether of the Fade curls before her gaze. She knows she can't be here physically, but it seems fuller, louder, than it usual does in dreams. She breathes in, but doesn't feel air enter her lungs. Her heart should be pounding in panic at the thought, but there is only silence in her chest. She glances down at quivering arms and watches them shift from solid to shear like sunlight between swaying tree limbs.
Wake up, wake up she cries in her mind, but she doesn't wake because she isn't sleeping. She's…she's…
"You're dead." Keela looks to find her spirit twin perched upon a blackened rock. She can still feel the dagger, see the malice in Andruil's eyes, but everything else is starting to become muted, hazy like a distant shore. She's drifting away from the shackles of life to something else, somewhere else.
"No," she whispers. She bends over and clutches pieces of ash and rubble between her fingers, a painful cry interrupting the quiet of the Fade as she tries to hold on to something, anything against the realization of her own demise. There is still fight left in her veins but she does not know how to war against the inevitable. "I can't…I have to-"
"The time for doing anything is passed, I'm afraid," that voice that's hers and isn't says as the apparition picks at dirt beneath fingernails. "You've already saved the world once so there's no shame in defeat now. Let some other well to do fool make the next sacrifice."
Keela bows her head against the harsh ground and wishes she could feel the pebbles dig into her flesh. She did all she could, pushed until there was nothing left. Maybe it is right. The world is full of heroes when pressed and she has grown so very, very tired. Does she not deserve to finally rest?
Peace settles over her being. Somewhere nearby music begins to play, sweet and gentle, welcoming her in its embrace. There are voices singing out to her and she hears Deshanna's call mingled in among their coaxing. Keela could be with her clan once more, free of every burden she picked up when she walked away from them all those years ago. She could be happy without any demands from a world that takes as much as it gives.
Keela.
Solas cuts through the symphony, silences the tempting music. Her name is full of a sorrow that chases away the calming waves surrounding her and aching with a love that holds her tight against the pull dragging her away.
"No!" Keela pounds her fists into the rumble. She clings to whatever magic she has left and attempts to anchor herself to the ground. She can't let go, not yet.
The spirit hops down from its place and stalks closer. "Why? Because of him?"
"I left him alone. He…he'll try to destroy the Veil again without me there, I know it. It will be the end of Thedas."
"The Thedas you know. The world has already been remade once so why not again? You think the humans will perish but there are a tenacious species. Weeds that refuse to die. They may yet survive."
"And grow hateful of us all anew. It will never end," Keela says and pushes off from the ground. Limbs wobble, weak and tired, but she manages to stand and face the spirit. "I have to do something."
"And what would you do?"
"Anything, everything. I have nothing left to lose."
"You do not know that, da'len." The spirit tilts it head, considering, before looking away into the distance. Keela follows the gaze to find the Black City standing sentinel on the horizon as ever. "We spirits have not been idle all these years. While many fight to find cracks in the Veil, twists themselves towards possession, others have searched for a more permanent solution. We are close."
It turns to her again and holds out a hand. "Come with me."
Keela hesitates. "What may I call you?
"Would it be too strange to call me your own name?" The spirit laughs. "I suppose so. If you must, Vhera will suffice. Are you coming? You have very little time to waste."
She has a thousand more questions, but Keela tucks them away for now. Vhera is right for Solas has no doubt stumbled upon the carnage in the main hall by now. Guilt squeezes her heart to imagine him kneeling beside her body, shaking fingers touching cold skin. No unnecessary risks, he had begged and she hadn't listened. This is all her fault.
Keela reaches out and everything flashes white. She knows they must be moving through the Fade, but her sensations are dulled with death. There is only that sweet song tugging, tempting her to accept whatever it promises. It would be an easy thing to close her eyes, lay down and let the void swallow her whole, but she has ever been a stubborn thing. Keela holds on tight to her companion and the tiny spark of life still left inside.
The Beyond rushes back and places them within reach of the Black City. It stands framed by an empty archway of rock and bone towering at their side. Keela can hear a quiet hum coming from the structure, can feel a steady pulse of magic rippling through the ground beneath her.
"We want to be free to roam the worlds again, but we do not wish for the humans to leave these lands. Their dreams are blazing, beautiful and terrifying, and we have never felt so alive in return. We believe there might be a way for all of us to not just survive, but thrive."
Hope beats between Keela's ribs. "How?"
"The humans suffer from being in the raw presence of the Fade. We need an object of both worlds, something to balance and soften the transition. Instead of a wall, we would create a bridge in its place. We have searched long and hard for such an object and have finally found it."
"What is it?"
Vhera approaches and stops just a breath away. The spirit lifts its hand and places a finger against Keela's chest. "You."
Dread seems to seep from the touch and into her heart. "What?"
"You are the link between everything. You can bend the mortal world and the spirit realm unlike any creature that has ever existed, even more so than any elvhen Kindred or dwarven Paragon. Your potential could be limitless. You can be the bridge to bring us all together."
"What must I do?"
Vhera gestures towards the architecture. "Walk through there."
"That's it?"
"No. If the bridge crumbles we will lose our way. It must be permanent, you must be permanent. You will not be able to leave here."
"For how long?" Keela asks, although she already knows by the way Vhera's eyes have softened.
"Until Thedas sinks into the sea."
Keela takes a step away from the spirit, from this imposing decision. She thought she was prepared to do whatever was necessary to save Thedas, but she did not expect this. To be left somewhere between life and death for eternity. Chained forever to another choice she would make for others. Was she never meant to be free?
"Is there no other way?"
"There is no other you."
"I…" How can fate ask this of her? She wants to crumple to the dust, disappear to whatever awaits beyond still whispering its song. She wants to turn back time until she resembles the woman Vhera shows her, vallaslin still curling beneath her eyes and unmarked from the hundreds of actions that brought her here. She wants to hide away in warm arms, shed the titles and responsibilities of legend and be herself, be his. "Will I endure all this alone?"
"I do not know, da'len. We may be able to reach out to you, to speak to one another. Or you may become like a great oak rooted into the fabric of the world, silent yet strong. I only know what must be done."
Keela sighs, eyes shimmering, heart breaking beneath the crushing demands of destiny, but there is steel in her spine yet to face what must be done. "You are positive that this will work?"
The spirit reaches out and squeezes her shoulder and despite the apathy of the afterlife, Keela can feel warmth in the touch. "You will not make this sacrifice in vain, I promise you."
Keela stares at the arch and watches it blur before the curtain of growing tears. She lets them fall, unashamed. She entered the world crying, fighting to be seen and heard, to exist, and she will leave this one just the same. Her feet take a step forward, then another, and it feels like every inch is weighed down by the dreams she is leaving behind, a future fading as her path becomes clearer. When she reaches the threshold she pauses, taking a breath her body no longer needs but her aching soul requires.
She thinks of Cassandra, Cullen, Dorian and Bull. Of Sera, Briala and every elf of Halamshiral and the Exalted Plains. Cole, Wisdom and the spirits who answered her calls. They will all be free, capable. Equal. It will not be easy, but they will be together and she knows what can be accomplished when Thedas works as one. This is what she can give them as the last act as Inquisitor. If her life can save theirs, then so be it. If her last, free act is to sacrifice herself for their freedom, then she will bear it with a full heart.
Her thoughts turn to Solas and Keela lets out a quiet cry as she remembers his face, remembers the gentle touch of his fingers. He will never forgive her for this, but he of all people should understand the burden of doing what no one else can. She lets their love sooth the trembling tethers of her resolve and closes her eyes, picturing him there to greet her on the other side.
"I'm sorry," she whispers and steps through the arch.
The world beyond is quiet. She expects to feel something, a pulling, pressure, anything, but there seems to be no difference. Did it not work? She opens one eye, then the other. The Fade still lingers dark and terrible before her and no chains hold her to any purpose. Keela turns to find Vhera smiling with a look of exultant triumph.
"I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"
"No." The specter moves and the stolen body its wears shifts, pieces of Keela's appearance changing to something else. Flames lick over skin and a great animal emerges from the ash and smoke. It is a black panther with green flames like tuffs of fur atop every paw and the sun in its eyes. Its thunderous voice fills the twisted sky and Keela feels it vibrate through every fiber that fills her being.
When the echoes of its power dwindle to whispers, it speaks again. "I am sorry for the deception. I had to be sure of your heart. Those rocks are nothing more than rocks, but you are what I have been waiting for, for a long time."
"You're…you're a Relic."
"I am and I have found you very worthy, noble one." The spirit comes closer until Keela must tilt to stare into its steady eyes. "However, I was not lying when I said you had the power to remake the world, but you needn't do it alone. Accept my companionship, become a Kindred like none before, and together we can create a Thedas with no limits."
The creature bends it head down and its body trembles in excitement, claws digging into the earth ready to spring towards new horizons. In the presence of the Relic, Keela forgets all her fears of becoming something else. They seem inconsequential compared to the oblivion she thought to sentence herself to.
There is an untamed power within the depths of its gaze that calls to Keela's wild heart. She can recognize herself in this creature as much as when it wore her skin. She will not become someone else. She will become what Solas promised what seems like thousands of years ago in the ruin of her sorrow and in the clutch of dreams. She will become something more.
Keela bares her teeth in a grin and rushes forward, burying herself into thick fur.
The world around them contracts, expands, ignites with the combined fire of their unconquerable desires. They embrace one another, meld until they create something new and break apart into unyielding pieces forged from eternity itself. Keela feels stretched across the universe, filled with a thousand lives, dreams and worlds that are and have yet to exist. New magic surges through her, bright and bold, but somehow utterly hers, and as a roar splits the Fade it is impossible to tell whose voice gives it life.
When Keela opens her eyes again, she does so bonded to her body once more. It is different, full of boundless power and connected to an ancient predator of the Fade, but she looks down and recognizes these hands. They shine beneath the skin and mark her as a Kindred, but they are hers still. She rises from the ground and takes a breath and even the stale air of the Beyond tastes sweet to her lungs. She is alive and as her gaze finds his form in the room before her, her heart soars. He is different too, a beacon in the blackness, magic swirling and barely contained. She can hear it howling, calling out to the kin within.
"Solas."
Keela watches his shoulders stiffen to hear a voice thought lost. He turns, slowly, and she cannot wait another second. She collides with him as he pivots to face her, arms wrapping tight around his neck, and tucks her face into his neck. Solas freezes against the embrace and she understands why he hesitates. Not many return from the dead.
She kisses the spot just beneath his ear she knows he loves. He takes a sharp breath and finally returns her touch, crushing her body against his. Hands run across her blood caked clothing, graze across warming flesh, before he pulls away to look at her. Disbelief and wonder war across every inch of him, sorrow and hope a violent storm in his gaze. "You are alive?"
Keela's smile widens as she brings her hands up to wipe away the tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. "I am."
"I do not…" His fingers tighten into her hips as he peers closer, deeper. His mana reaches out for her own and she welcomes the touch with open arms. "You are a Kindred."
It feels like the wildcat brushes up against her legs with affection. It is strange to feel the presence of another, as if the spirit is just a step behind her ready to reach out at a moment's notice. She wonders what it will be like to leap through the world on four paws. A selfish pride not her own fills her heart as a contented purr rattles through bones. If she didn't know any better, it seems like her companion is gloating.
Solas lets out a bark of laughter. "The panther? Of course. Only you would be able to tempt that one."
"You know of it? But how-"
"Keela." He silences her questions by bringing her close again and kissing her forehead, the pulse inside her temple. Solas rests his cheek against hers as his restless fingers draw idle shapes into her back. "You were gone and I thought...Keela."
Her name is a breath of shattered release and she holds on tighter. "I know, I'm so sorry. But I don't think you'll be free of me so easily now."
She feels him smile. "I can think of worse fates."
Lips seek one another, gentle but insistent, and the heat of his adoration restores her to life in a way nothing else possibly could. They have been here before, caught in each other's arms and on the brink of utter change. It seems ages ago, another life, and she supposes it was. She has been reborn and it is time for their world to change as well.
Keela steps out of his embrace and turns him to face the artifact once more. A green haze encircles the structure as parts move across the humming surface. The anchor twitches inside her palm, willing and ready to rend the worlds into something new. "I know what must be done, but we cannot do it alone."
She lifts her hand into the air and the Fade cracks and splits above their heads. Keela can sense the others and pulls on newly crafted threads connecting them all. In showers of sparks and flashes of lightning the guardians of Thedas appear around the artifact. Falon'Din readies his sword at the sight of her, but the others gaze with curiosity and awe to see her breathing, thriving as one of their own.
"Inquisitor." Morrigan steps forward, relief in her eyes. "It seems your talent for thwarting the impossible continues to impress. I am...pleased to see you."
"Why have you brought us here?" Elgar'nan asks.
"I want to destroy the Veil and make something new of both worlds. I know it is possible. Fen'Harel changed Thedas once, the magisters warped the Fade with their meddling. I can undo the damage, end the darkness. Create something where everyone may thrive."
"I am sure Fen'Harel believed the same. What you call salvation may turn into the undoing of them all," Dirthamen says. "Would it not be better to leave things as they are?"
"Or return to the ways of the past," Falon'Din adds.
"No, we gained nothing from the seclusion of our past and now our people will surely perish if things remain the same. The spirits have been crying out to deaf ears, turning upon one another and upon themselves. We cannot go back nor leave it as it is," Elgar'nan says. He pauses to nod at Morrigan. "And for the first time in a thousand years, a Blessed exists in this world. The time for change is now."
He turns to Keela. "You have my power, Sister."
"And mine," Ghilan'nain agrees quickly as she touches Solas' arm. He gives her a wide smile before covering her hand with his own. One by one the others agree. Falon'Din is the slowest to acquiesce, staring into Keela's eyes until he finds something worthwhile in her stubborn strength.
Only Solas remains and when Keela turns to him, expectant, he shakes his head with that familiar look of fond annoyance. "Do you truly need me to say it?"
"I can't always make exceptions for you," Keela replies.
He leans over to leave a gentle kiss against her cheek. "Vhenan," he whispers and it is all the answer she needs.
Keela places her marked hand atop the artifact and the others follow her lead. The power of the anchor surges across its surface, twists around their fingers and sings throughout the room. The Relics of the Fade rise from the bodies of their companions and join in the song. A fox yowls, a bear roars. Keela catches the eyes of the great, black wolf before it lifts head and howls long and loud.
The power of the guardians' rushes into her veins and the device beneath her palm grows hotter and louder. She lets it build as long as she can until she is trembling with the effort not to burst apart. When the panther against her back snarls, Keela finally releases their united energy.
A fountain of light erupts from the artifact and shoots up through the Black City into the sky above. It spreads across the expanse and in its wake the darkness is replaced by an endless emerald bereft of sickness. Flowers begin to bloom where only withered stalks once grew, clear water fills the empty, cracked bowls of the earth.
Tar and grime lift away from the mortar and stone of the Black City to show gleaming gold beneath. The Fade grows brighter and stronger around them, humming with a life and light it hasn't witnessed since the greed of humans descended upon this place.
Keela changes the tune of the anchor and opens a rift to the mortal world. She makes it grow and grow, stretching it beyond the room and the temple, beyond the size of the Breach and far into the reaches of the Fade. The fabric of both worlds fights back, unwilling to unravel so easily, and Keela grits her teeth against the backlash. She knows she can do it, she can, and they are so close, but-
Solas places his hand over hers. She glances up, finding pride in the smile on his lips, love in the luster of his eyes. He nods and she feels a surge of strength flow from his touch into her veins. With their shared hope fluttering in her breast, Keela takes a breath, closes her eyes, and changes everything once again.