Lahara held a hand to her mouth. She could only stare back, unbelieving. Yet while she should've been overjoyed she'd found the Warden, only wariness gripped her. There was no familiarity or recognition in Elissa's eyes; the Herald may as well have been meeting her for the first time again.

But Yara and Elissa were the same person—the memories had proven it.

Why then did it seem like she was talking to a complete stranger?

"So, who are you?" Elissa broke Lahara's thoughts. "I've travelled almost this entire realm, and I've never come across you before."

Lahara blinked, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Er, call me Lara," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. She had to be careful what she let slip. "I only just got here, and I came to look for someone."

"This 'Yara' person?" Elissa let out a chuckle. "I doubt you'll find her. There's no-one around but me."

"So it would seem," Lahara murmured. She glanced around, but she wasn't sure what her next step should be. Tempted as she was to coax Elissa to come with her, she couldn't shake off her hesitation. Something wasn't quite right, and she didn't want to stir the pot without knowing the full set of ingredients.

"Where did you come from, anyway?" Elissa went on.

Lahara pointed to the gates behind her. "Those gateways brought me through from the Fade."

"You must be a mage, then," Elissa deduced. Her gaze turned wistful. "Perhaps if I had such power, I'd have found a way out by now."

"By now?" Lahara raised a brow. "Just how long have you been stuck for?"

"Hard to say," Elissa shrugged. "Time doesn't exist in this place, as far as I can tell. So while I feel like it's been years, it might be a few seconds, or even centuries."

"I see," Lahara said, rubbing her right hand. "Do you know how you ended up here?"

"That's a question I've been trying to answer for far too long." Elissa's gaze became distant. "I remember defeating the Archdemon at Fort Drakon, but it collapsed and destroyed the tower, taking me with it." She fingered her Warden pendant. "I thought I was done for. Then by some miracle I woke up here, alone. I've been looking for a way back ever since."

"Oh?" Lahara tilted her head. The Fifth Blight had ended more than a decade ago. But Yara had survived and kept on living, even if it had been in ignorance of the past.

Elissa couldn't possibly have been here for that long.

"I've explored every one of these gates," Elissa continued, "but each time I go through the last one, it just brings me back here again." She pressed her hand over her chest. "I think I lost something when I fell from the tower; something I need to find my way out. Until I get it back, I'll be trapped for the rest of eternity."

Lahara's eyes widened.

"Maker, that's terrible," she said. "I'm sorry."

"It is what it is." Elissa's voice was weary. "I'm so tired of wandering the endless dark, but when I don't even know what I'm looking for, what hope do I have?"

"What do you mean?"

Elissa folded her arms around herself.

"It's hard to explain," she admitted. "It's…like a piece of me has been torn out. There's an emptiness inside my heart, but I can't sense exactly what's gone, so I don't know how to replace it."

Lahara bit her lip, glancing to her Shard. Perhaps her and Hawke's meddling had done more damage than they realised. This was why Yara had been near impossible to find—her essence must have fractured, and she could not return to normal until she was whole again.

She had to fix this.

"You know, maybe I can help you out," the Herald said. "If I can find the part of you that's lost, you should be able to break free of this place."

Elissa clenched her jaw. "You'd offer me escape when you barely even know me? When I don't even know you?"

Lahara tensed. She should have expected as much.

"I know enough to offer a hand to someone who needs it," she said carefully, mindful that it was partly her fault this had happened in the first place. "Even the Hero of Ferelden can't handle everything on her own."

"Hmph, I'm hardly a hero," Elissa scoffed. "I did what was necessary, and paid the price for it."

"Then let me clear that debt," Lahara said. "No-one deserves to wander the shadows forever. And let's face it, I'm your only chance at getting out of here. You've got nothing to lose by taking it."

Elissa frowned slightly, but Lahara kept a level gaze. If she didn't win over the Warden, Yara would be stuck in this realm forever, and the Herald was not going to return empty-handed and be roasted alive by Bethany and Leliana.

Eventually Elissa sighed, and reached for her pendant again.

"Alright, Lara," she said. "Maker knows there has to be a reason we've found each other. And I've been here long enough to know even demons don't roam this place. I suppose I'll have to trust you."

"You won't regret it," Lahara said, holding out her hand.

Elissa hesitated for a moment, but then took it, cementing their agreement.

"The last gate is this way," she said. "Maybe you'll have more luck with it. Follow me."

Nodding, Lahara trailed after the Warden. This island was larger than the previous ones, made up of grey and white rock, and even had its own mountain range. However there was no foliage, making for a very barren landscape.

They climbed higher and higher, broaching a silver mist, before at last they stepped onto a flat precipice. It overlooked the raging ocean, which was much further below than Lahara liked. Another gate stood at the edge of the rocks, and the Herald whistled in awe. It was identical to the one in the ancient cathedral, although it was not coated with blood. It glyphs took on an eerie glow, and Lahara winced, grasping her right hand. Her Shard had awakened again.

A sudden wind picked up, and Elissa stepped back.

"It seems you've some power over these gates," she said, eyeing the rune on the Herald's hand.

"Oh, they've taken a liking to me, for sure," Lahara answered, licking her parched lips. If this gate was anything like the others, another of the Warden's memories lay beyond the black pillars. She was not looking forward to it.

"I wish you luck," Elissa said. "And thank you, for doing this for me."

Lahara acknowledged her with a nod. Her hair whipped into a frenzy, she cautiously strode to the gateway. At the threshold she paused. The glyphs began to flash faster, crackling with energy, and her pulse quivered. It couldn't possibly be any worse than what she'd already been through.

Could it?

Sucking in a breath, Lahara walked straight into the heart of the storm.

The moonlit lake stretches before me, and I shiver. My tears fall freely now, and I collapse to my knees. The air is cold and bitter, like the knot of pain choking me within. The ghost of my brother's voice echoes, and it burns into my chest.

"You promised I'd never be alone," I whisper, the image of his face drifting across my vision. But the harsh truth remains. He is gone, along with my parents, my sister-in-law, my nephew, my home; everything I had known and loved. It is all ashes on my tongue, and I am left with a burden I cannot hope to carry.

I cannot be the leader Ferelden needs right now.

I am not strong enough.

My eyes fall back to the lake, so many feet below. Temptation whispers in my ear, and I shudder. It would take but a single step, and eternal darkness would silence this anguish forever…

Fresh steps disturb the quiet, and I look back. Leliana's concerned gaze meets mine, and my cheeks flush. An uneasy calm descends, until she takes a breath and comes to my side. Her patience eventually wins, and I confess the heaviness on my heart.

"I don't want to drown in darkness anymore."

There is no shock in her grey-blue eyes; only the understanding of one who has walked a similar path. She speaks her own confession, a mirror of the shadows that overwhelm me, and she takes my hand in hers. She knows.

"Your pain is not all that you are," she murmurs.

Her words offer hope, and I close my eyes. I want to believe her with all my being, but…I cannot go on like this.

I cannot be who I was…

Not anymore.

"NO!"

Lahara shrieked, falling through the gate and onto her knees. The icy tiles bit into her legs, and she clamped her palms over her ears, every muscle trembling. Her chest was so tight, and she couldn't get her breaths quick enough.

Maker, that thought…that horrible, horrible thought!

"Don't want to die," she muttered breathlessly. "Don't want to die, don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

She forced her eyes closed, but the whispers would not leave her. Not the echoes of Yara's memory, but the terrifying recollection of her own. The voices that had taunted Lahara since the day Joseph fell from the tower, telling her she didn't deserve to live, that nobody would care if she disappeared, that it was the only way to atone for what had happened…

"No," Lahara whimpered, overwhelmed with tears.

Don't make me go back there!

But it wasn't your fault, sis.

Lahara snapped her head up. Who said that?

I'm still with you.

The Herald looked back, and her breath caught in her throat. A male figure had appeared at the gate. He stepped into the light, revealing reddish hair and green eyes, and a soft smile creased his lips.

"Joseph?" Lahara could barely form his name on her lips.

The man's smile widened, and he crouched beside her.

You've come a long way, he said. Although your journey is far from over.

"What…how…" Lahara reached for her brother's hand, but her fingers passed straight through. Her mind was screaming, telling her it had to be a trick, yet deep inside she knew it was him. How had his spirit lingered after all this time…

We'll see each other again, Lara, Joseph said, returning to his feet. Soon, when Thedas is reborn anew. But you must rescue your friend and restore what was lost, or the Maker's efforts will crumble to nothing.

Before Lahara could respond, his form turned to light, and the rune on her hand began to glow. Then the Shard burst into a blazing trail, illuminating the ruins around her. The Herald gasped, the shackle of her thoughts broken. Every building was built from glistening obsidian, and stretched as far as the eye could see. In the centre stretched a twisted spire, and her eyes widened.

She was inside the Black City.

Lahara scrambled to her feet. She held her forehead, the whirlwind of thoughts slowly easing. Her rune continued to flicker, and she bit her lip. This was insane. Had the Shard conjured her brother as a figment of her imagination, or was it something else?

Maker, there'd been so much more she'd wanted to say to him…

Shaking her head, Lahara swept back her hair and followed the light trail. Her steps were still shaky, but she forced herself to keep going. She'd spent long enough in this maddening realm, and it was starting to get to her. The sooner she dragged Yara out, the better.

As she walked through the ruins, a breeze stirred. Tiny sparkles drifted by, warm against Lahara's skin, and she found herself watching them. Some glinted silver-blue, like lyrium, while others were midnight black, akin to the Corruption she'd recently become acquainted with. The fragments seemed attracted to her right hand, and she clenched them in her fist. There was certainly a deep connection with this place to her Shard.

Just what kind of power did they truly hold?

At last the path of light ended. It had brought Lahara directly below the spire. The Herald raised a hand to her eyes, half-blinded by the gleaming throne that stood before her. At least the Chantry appeared right about one thing. It towered above her, made of black and silver crystal, the particles inside shimmering like stars.

And curled upon it, her head buried in her knees, was…

"Yara!"