"The First Enchanter needs to see you Sienna." A Senior enchanter said as he approached, "Please follow me." The Flame mage rose from her seat next to Anaise (who had fallen asleep with her face in a book) and followed the Senior enchanter through the halls.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on, it was only a matter of time until she was collected for her Harrowing ("You're already so adept in magic, you'll do great when your Harrowing comes." the First Enchanter had said.) The realization was only further solidified when they reached a staircase and there stood a small group of Templars, one of which was Cullen-who looked slightly concerned (no wonder she hadn't seen him for the past few days, last time there was a Harrowing she got him to spit out the details). The other Templars just stared at Sienna like she was going to attack on the spot, but the mage just shrugged and sighed out a soft "Let's get this over with."
The process of entering the Fade wasn't all that bad (besides the terrible itching at the back of her skull), but being there in the Fade was something else. Sienna stumbled around a little, adjusting to the strange sensation around her. She felt like she was in a wavering state of twilight and all her senses were in overdrive. The sickly green of the landscape was just a little too crisp, the sound of chattering just a little too loud, and everything smelt faintly of Lyrium and blood. Sienna wobbled and fell to her knees, heaving a few times, but she had to press on.
When she finally rose to her feet, everything felt a little more natural. She could keep two feet on the ground and summon up her fire at will, which was good enough for her. Sienna did her best to navigate, but everything felt like it was going in circles.
"Trust yourself! I know you can!" Anaise's voice whispered through the Fade and Sienna whipped her head around just fast enough to catch a glimpse of a bright green form flickering out of existence. And with that note, everything seemed to fall into place, the Flame mage put one foot in front of the other, trusting only herself.
Navigating the Fade was much like navigating through the Tower with too many curving pathways to count and far too many doors that led to nowhere. There was no sense of time and it felt like both an eternity and a second had passed when the mage finally laid eyes on a human-like figure. With nothing but a gut instinct to approach the figure, Sienna moved forth.
"Another mage thrown to the demons?" The figure sighed as it appeared more vividly. A suit of armor stood absolutely still while the voice seemed to float from around it.
"Excuse me? Who are you?" Sienna squinted as the armor flickered and faded temporarily.
"Valor. Such a poor test those Templars put you to. Toss a mage to a hungry demon, wait to see if they make it, and even then…" The spirit droned on and the Flame mage soon found herself in a small battle which ended with her victory. Valor shallowly congratulated her and Sienna was on her way again. Perhaps this was easier than she thought!
Or not, definitely not. The sensation of dirt under her nails was not pleasant as the mage scurried around the Fade in the form of a rat and she decided that she would NEVER do this again unless she absolutely had to. Being reduced to such a small size was unsettling for Sienna and it was even worse when she was scuttling around flames after another mousy mage whom said she could trust him (though it's awfully convenient when a trapped mage says they can help you), and it only got worse when she was given up to be demon food by that same mage (although she expected it by then). However the battle with the Rage demon went by...uncharacteristically smooth, the Circle made demons out to be the strongest force that could kill a mage in an instant.
And then Mouse laughed, and Sienna almost wanted to laugh too because of course! Mouse was the demon all along! (It almost pained the mage how predictable that was). But the battle was something more satisfying as Sienna found out drawing magic from the Fade was not only easier, but stronger too. Jets of fire burned hotter and brighter from her staff and bolts of arcane magic flew faster than before! It was only a matter of time before Mouse was reduced to ashes and the green haze of the Fade vanished.
She passed, and it was the best feeling in the world.
