Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the game.

Author's Note: Here's the next installment for you. I'd like to throw out a general warning for this chapter, though. It isn't the most pleasant thing I've written if you get my drift. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. And do leave your feedback, I'll be interested to hear it.

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Chapter 12 – Shattered Skies

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The end of existence. An amusing concept because it always arrives eventually. Death is only natural and the death of all life is eventual. It boils down to how long it can be delayed. And delaying it is what they sought.

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Lance stared somewhat worriedly at the tevinter statue as Alisa calmly ignored its warning without a second thought. Was he scared of the future? After what his old friend had told him, he could say with certainty that he was. A woman who could wield the power of the gods? It was not a comforting concept, especially when her intentions were unknown. He thought back to the raving priest Alisa had mentioned. He could see that a great deal of information was missing. Finding it would probably be a vital task. He looked at Alisa. Her stomach area and thigh were still bandaged. Whatever daggers had stabbed her had dug in far. And the nature of the wound made it quite clear how twisted those weapons were. And the warden's condition wasn't even the worst; the apostate witch with them had suffered a wound far worse. She would wake eventually but it would be a long time before any of them were back to normal.

And then there were the bruises on their arms and legs. The skin there had turned black as though it had been charred away. Based on that and the mental torture Alisa had described, Lance was fully willing to blame Andoral's chains. He would voice those concerns later, though. Despite all this it was impossible for him not to notice how beautiful Alisa was. Her dark hair had grown longer than she used to wear it at the tower. Now it fell a little below her shoulders. He had always admired her elven frame with the pointed ears. Still, this wasn't the time to voice any of that. What she needed now was a friend, not another factor in her, now complicated, love life.

"Alisa, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, concerned.

"I have to. It's the only way we can find out what we need to know." She replied firmly.

Lance turned to the statue. "How many people can share this vision?" He inquired.

"With sufficient Lyrium, two will be possible." The statue responded.

"Lance-" Alisa began but the human mage simply shook his head.

"No. I'm coming with you, one way or another. Besides, I'm sure some company will do you good."

"Thanks." The elf said softly.

"Right, I'll go arrange for the Lyrium. You're hurt, sit down and don't move." He instructed while turning away.

"Yes, mother." Alisa muttered as she settled herself on a table.

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"What was she trying to do?" Zazikel questions.

"I'm not sure. But I doubt she'll try it again." Razikale replies.

"She now knows that we have a certain degree of control over her in this area." Andoral hisses.

"We must be wary. My suspicions are being confirmed." Dumat says.

"It is not as though she can stop us." Urthemiel sings. "She cannot help but to unwittingly release us."

"Also, I believe we need not worry about Alisa spilling her heart and changing Leliana's mind." Razikale says in a tone that usually accompanies a smirk.

"You mean that human she has met again?" Toth asks.

"It might just work in our favour." Lucasan replies.

"Alisa Surana is no longer a real concern." Dumat's voice echoes. "Our only true worries are Leliana, Fen'harel and Flemeth."

"Flemeth is obsolete." Zazikel laughs. "And she is lost; she does not know what to do. Leliana has a very limited spectrum of choices and the dread wolf is too weak."

"Pride often comes before a fall." Dumat commands. The others are wary.

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Alisa watched as Lance placed the Lyrium before the statue and got up again. Was she ready for this? She insisted that she was. The future worried her, things felt wrong. The thing weighing the most on her mind was Leliana. She had been so fond of her but she had been a complete idiot. She had simply been seeking refuge in blaming Morrigan for everything, she could see that now. Maybe she should have tried to be understanding. Maybe she should have shown some trust. She sighed sadly. At this stage, it was probably too late anyway. She felt empty when she thought of how the orlesian had changed. And the physical changes were the least of it. The cold in her eyes, the way she had used her power. The warden told herself that she probably deserved it anyway.

The whole chain had probably been sparked that fateful night. Alisa had however come to terms with one other thing. If this was all her fault, then she was going to fix it. One was not a grey warden if they simply wallowed in pity and cried in a corner. The first step in getting things done was to get some information. The warden wanted to know what the worst result of this entire affair could be. The statue would probably tell her that. After that? Honestly she wasn't sure. The one thing she could take comfort in was meeting Lance again. He had been one of her best friends during her time in the circle tower and he was proving himself to be one again. She would have been a fool to not notice the looks he had been giving her. He was probably holding himself back after hearing her story. She would think over that later.

"Well, what now?" Lance asked the statue.

It whispered instructions for a spell and ritual which he performed calmly. The statue was now glowing faintly.

"Place your hands upon me." It instructed.

Lance gave her a slightly nervous look. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"You don't have to come, Lance." Alisa said with a small smile. "But I have to do this."

Her friend swallowed. "In that case you're not doing it alone."

The warden placed her hand upon the statue as the world around them slowly dissolved away. She felt an unusual sensation, slightly akin to falling asleep. Then the world came back into focus. A very different scene.

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She didn't really feel anything so to say. She could tell from the view that she was floating in the air. She could hear and smell just fine but not feel. It took her a glance around to tell what kind of situation she was in. Lance hovered nearby, an ethereal ghost. She looked down to see she was much the same.

"Well, this is unusual." Lance muttered.

"You are merely witnessing what may come to pass." The statue's voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere. "None here will notice you, you may observe as you wish."

Alisa scanned the area. They were hovering over a vast plain of grass with the occasional rise of a small hillock. It was bounded on the edges by small patches of forest. She could see ruins in the distance, although it was difficult to make out what they were. But that was merely the landscape. The other sights were considerably more worrying. An army stood, opposite the ruins, at the other end of the plain. The army was split into what could best be seen as six divisions. It was a mixture of humans, elves and dwarves with several circle mages accompanying each contingent. It was then that she began to notice familiar figures. At the head of one of the divisions, she could notice Wynne, her staff at the ready. She saw Sten with another group, his blade grasped at the ready. Then Zevran, and Morrigan, and Alistair, and Oghren as well. Each of them stood alongside one of the groups. A more disturbing image was when she saw herself standing aside from all the others, staff clutched and face hardened.

"Wh- what is this?" She mumbled.

"Alisa, you should look up." Lance said in a very small voice.

The warden glanced to the skies and her mind blanked out for a second before being replaced with an intense feeling of worry. Dragons circled in the skies although that word did not do justice to the behemoths she was looking at. Power seemed to radiate from their presence and the carried a fetid, malign aura about them She counted precisely six in the air, things were beginning to make more sense.

"What are those ruins?" Alisa managed to ask, tearing her eyes away from the sky.

"It is an ancient temple built by Archon Thalsian. The legends say that one may contact the old gods from this place." The voice of Eleni Zinovia answered. "It is also said that it is from here that they find their release."

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Lance inquired.

"I can merely tell you what I see." The statue's voice responded. "The old gods have discovered freedom once more with the exception of Dumat. I believe you hope to desecrate the temple to delay or prevent the dragon lord from emerging."

"Why six armies? And why am I not with them?" Alisa continued questioning until the answer hit her.

"The others are a distraction for the gods." Lance voiced her thoughts bitterly. "It's so that you can get clear passage."

"Now, young mage, observe the shadow you fear." Eleni's voice said.

Alisa would have said something but a crystal clear female voice spoke. It came from one of the dragons.

"You were told to submit, yet you resist and attack us." It said in a mirth filled tone. "Now you shall be destroyed, but first you shall suffer. Go my brothers and show them our power. Do not be gentle."

"That would be Razikale I suppose." Lance said despondently as the armies began to move. "She's the only female among them.

The large plain did allow the different armies to manoeuvre comfortably. They advanced in careful formation so as to prevent any of the dragons from engaging more than one set at a time. Alisa saw her future self bolt in the direction of the ruins after the armies had made some distance. The old gods swooped towards the different armies, like hawks who had found their prey.

The group Zevran was with froze in its tracks as one of the beasts descended. Its scales were jet black and disturbingly deep. It was like staring into the abyss itself. And the eyes were small spheres of darkness nestled in a white that looked out of place. The talons were black as well and gently curved into sharp hooks. The tail swished aimlessly as the dragon spoke in its deep voice.

"The darkness shall consume you all."

A dome seemed to enclose the army. It didn't so much form as simply appear. It had a clearly defined boundary and looked like solid darkness. Shouts of disarray emerged from within the dome as the god rose into the sky once more.

"That's probably Lucasan." Lance said, unknowingly voicing his thoughts.

Alisa nodded unconsciously, hypnotised by the events unfolding before her. Lucasan turned gently in the air before diving into the dome which grew slightly to accommodate his vast form. A scream emerged from within, followed by several more.

"Don't look!" Lance yelled as the warden turned her head sharply to pay attention to something else. The young human never did say what was thrown from the dome, although anyone could guess.

Alistair's group had been interrupted as well by the most beautiful creature Alisa had ever laid eyes on. It was a dragon but so elegant. Every curve of its body was perfect as its long neck arched in an aristocratic manner. Its scales were pure, lovely white. The kind you could stare at forever. Its talons were a dull grey which contrasted well with the bright body. Its eyes were green, filled with warmth and mirth. Its tail was coiled as it laughed in a musical voice.

"Do you admire me? How flattering." It sang.

Alisa felt she should never look away and the army before the dragon behaved in much the same way. They stared stupidly at the great beast; several men had dropped their weapons. Even Alistair looked into the green eyes, enthralled.

"Look away from the form of Urthemiel if you desire to see more." Eleni's voice seemed to snap them from their trance.

The warden let out a small yelp as Urthemiel bent down and grasped one of the soldiers between his teeth. The crunch that followed was a sickening sound, a brutal contrast to the beautiful dragon.

"Who will offer themselves to my glorious form next?" Urthemiel's celeste tones threatened to draw Alisa's eyes back to the hypnotising creature.

"Alisa, we need to leave. This is... horrible." Lance murmured.

"No." The warden managed although the offer to leave was tempting. "I need to see this through." Her future self had almost crossed half the distance.

"You were once Alisa Surana's companion." The god of beauty sang. "Come, embrace me."

The dragon's head sank low once more. Alistair was still unable to move, staring blankly into those green eyes. Alisa and Lance tore their gazes away but the following sound left little to the imagination.

Wynne's contingent was faced by something the warden could have sworn was impossible. The dragon's scales changed their colour, sometimes at blinding speed and sometimes at a slow and languorous pace. Every colour imaginable showed itself and the dragon's eyes switched their colour as well although the two eyes were never the same. The talons and spines changed their shape, mutating from blunt to sharp to elegant to cruelly hooked. The beast roared; its voice altering pitch rapidly. From high and squeaky to deep and menacing. Alisa saw Wynne fire a blaze of lightning which glanced harmlessly off the dragon. The arrows bounced away just as easily as the magic. The god merely laughed.

"Madness is all you deserve and all you shall have. Take her."

A change came over the army, within seconds they had dissolved in murderous infighting as several soldiers grabbed the old circle mage roughly and began to rain blows until she could barely move. Light burst forth as the spirit took control of Wynne's body. It was gone in a second though, and Wynne was herself, injured on the ground.

"Magic detests my presence." The dragon said in its odd voice. "Your spirit is nothing but. Bring her forth, make her kiss my talons and bow before me."

The soldiers grasped the old mage and dragged her across the ground; her magic was next to useless. She would begin a spell and it would fizzle away slowly. The rest of the army had nearly destroyed itself completely.

"Zazikel." Lance said softly as Wynne's head was forced to the dragon's claws. The claw it touched suddenly grew brutally sharp and snapped upwards. It was something Alisa would never forget; she diverted her gaze a little too late.

The army Oghren was travelling with was already face to face with one of the gods. Its scales were deep red; its eyes seemed to literally burn. The scales glistened as rage seemed to ooze from the beast. It opened its mouth to speak in a voice that held fury. Alisa could see flames raging in its open maw.

"You forgot us and now you choose to fight us." The beast roared. "You will be cleansed in flame."

"Toth." Alisa said in a small voice as flames spewed from its mouth. The same unusual fire that was almost colourless and faintly blue.

The strange thing that happened was that the flames took shape upon the ground. They slowly morphed into humanoid shapes before leaping upon the unsuspecting soldiers. Oghren swung his axe wildly through one of the. He let out a pained grunt as he dropped the weapon, which was already mostly melted. Several of the fire beings grasped him, their hands melting through his armour in seconds. Toth laughed as one of the beings placed its hand upon the dwarf's face and pressed.

Sten the qunari advanced at the head of his army, his eyes betraying not a hint of fear. He broke into a charge towards the being in front of him. The god's scales were a dull steely grey, its talons and spines shaped more cruelly than there are words to describe. The eyes betrayed merciless enjoyment in their stormy colour. Its voice was cold and grating.

"So brave." It mocked. "Are you sure you have no... inhibitions?"

Chains burst forth from several voids in the air as they tied the soldiers down. The qunari was grasped by his arms and legs, completely immobilized. Alisa recognized Andoral from Lance's descriptions. And yet he had been unable to convey this god's cruelty. It took a moment for the pair of them to realize why Andoral had begun to laugh. The chains holding Sten were pulling back, little by little uniformly. It only struck her when she heard a crack. The warden never thought she would hear him scream in pain and he resisted the urge for a long time. Eventually, when his limbs were in ridiculous positions, the shouts came.

"Yes, scream." Andoral laughed. "It makes it so much more enjoyable. You shall all be punished for your actions."

Alisa noted that her future self was almost at the ruins and surprisingly the force that Morrigan was moving with had made it far. The clear voice echoed from the clouds again.

"This day we strike down defiance and resistance." It called. "You shall break. And then you shall die."

A dragon crashed upon the ground releasing violent shockwaves. Its scales were a deep iridescent purple with deep blue orbs for eyes. Otherwise it looked normal except that it felt... unreadable.

"That must be Razikale." Lance gasped.

Alisa saw Morrigan move her staff but nothing happened. The other mages in the group were equally helpless. The witch simply charged the dragon, wielding her staff like a blade. The warden's heart lurched as magic snatched Morrigan into the air, trapping her in a crushing prison. Razikale laughed gleefully as she trapped the rest of the force.

"I wonder how it feels to be burnt, frozen and electrocuted simultaneously. Do tell me if you survive it." The clear voice said.

"Alisa, the other you made it." Lance muttered, betraying a nauseous voice.

The drifted away from the carnage till they floated before a temple entrance surrounded by dragon statues. The area throbbed with energy. Alisa's future self walked slowly towards the entrance raising her staff.

"Is it that easy to fool the gods?" Alisa managed to ask, swallowing her emotions.

"Who is the fool?" The tevinter statue's voice floated from nowhere.

The warden gasped as Leliana emerged from the temple entrance, looking exactly as she had when she had attacked them. Her future self wasted no time, launching a brutal magical assault that caused the bard to drop her daggers but caused no other harm. The orlesian replied with magic of her own as they closed the distance between them. Leliana knocked the staff from the warden's hand before pinning her against a wall.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Her future self begged. "Make the right choice, Leliana. Please."

Something flickered for a moment across the bard's face. For a moment she spoke in her usual voice.

"My choices are no longer truly my own. Forgive me." She said sadly before slamming Alisa against a rock. Lance and the warden watched the two struggle for a while until the magical tension in the air suddenly seemed to implode. Her future self gasped and gave up the struggle, allowing Leliana to pin her against the wall. The orlesian took no further action.

From above the temple, a beast emerged that dwarfed even the other gods. Its sheer size made Alisa and Lance cry out. It wasn't so much the shape of a dragon as it was the absence of the same shape. It was like a void with form, moving emptiness with glowing white eyes. A single word echoed across the field and the world. It tore through ears, minds and souls. Even as a mere observer of future events, the warden felt as though her soul was being ripped into a million strands and burnt. It hurt more than anything she had experienced and in a way she could not describe. The vision began to fade as she screamed. The voice was far too majestic, far too terrible and something that did not belong in the world.

"OBEY."

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Alisa found herself bunched up on the floor of the circle repository. It took her a moment to realize that she was sobbing.

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Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do leave your feedback. Oh, and tell me if the Alisa-future Alisa thing is written in a confusing way. If it is, I'll probably rewrite that section. Next update should be soon.

To my reviewers:

Nightwish11606: Thanks so much! I might have a few surprises in store for you yet ;)