After waking in my dorm in Torn Elkandu, I practically skip to the Nexus, and activate it to return to Wizarding-Prime to collect Tom, Gellert, and Rispy.

"Lexen," Tom says gently when I arrive. "Maybe you should pick up Cassie."

"What?" I say, my heart stopping for a moment as I look to him in surprise. "You know how I felt about-"

Tom holds up a hand. "She makes you happy. Happier than I ever could, I think. You've been pretty miserable without her."

"Yeah," Gellert agrees. "And don't think I forgot the time or two that you wished that Kirlin were Cassie."

"You came back in happy after talking to Kirlin," Tom says. "I don't think that's a coincidence."

"I-" I start, and then sigh. "Alright, alright. I give."

I take their hands and we Recall back to the Nexus of Torn Elkandu. I think of the place to take us... in the Chamber of Secrets, on the run from Aurors, after Cassie rescued me and Gellert from Azkaban. We'd completed the Soul Bonding ritual and were making plans for our next journey.

The glowing mists surround us, and the purple sky of Torn Elkandu vanishes, to be replaced by the Salazar Slytherin's vast chamber underneath Hogwarts.

"I can't wait to see Terrestia," Cassie says brightly, apparently not noticing that, between one moment and the next, nearly a century had passed for the rest of us.

I can't help myself. I grab Cassie and hold her in a tight embrace, and kiss her passionately on the lips. She's a little surprised at the suddenness of it, but after a moment, hugs me back.

"We're not going to Terrestia," I say after we break off finally.

"What's going on?" Cassie wonders.

"It's a long story," I say. "But I am very glad to see you again."

Tom snorts softly. "They're always long stories. But we don't have time for more than a summary right now."

"We've already been to Terrestia," Gellert says.

"You... but... you didn't take me with you?" Cassie says, looking confused.

"We did," Gellert says. "And then you came back to Wizarding Earth and decided to stay here."

"I... well, that's strange," Cassie says. "I'm sure I must have had good reason for it, or at least a reason that sounded good to the, uh, me who had been through whatever happened in Terrestia. But I still want to see the multiverse."

"We're going to a world called Thedas," Tom says. "It's a rather nice place, if you disregard some of the issues that it has. But then, every world has its issues."

"Let's give you a brief briefing on it so you know what you're getting into," Gellert says. "Wizards and witches are called 'mages' there. And are gathered up in a Circle of Magi. It's basically imprisonment and slavery, though. It's illegal for mages to act outside of the permission of the Circle, and there's a group called the templars who have anti-magic abilities and hunt down illegal mages, called 'apostates'."

"If this is 'rather nice', I'd hate to see what your idea of a bad place is," Cassie says.

"Eh, it's not really as bad as it sounds," Gellert says, chuckling. "You either claim to be a Grey Warden or an associate of one, and you can do all the magic in front of templars you want and they can't say a thing about it."

"And they also have no way of detecting mages unless they see you doing magic in front of them," Tom says.

"And most of the templars are too stupid to realize that somebody wearing a robe and carrying a staff might be a mage," Gellert says. "Also, don't get possessed by demons. I think you're smart enough to tell them no."

"Honestly," I say, "it beats living in a world where you constantly have to hide your magic from Muggles, and might get sent to a prison with soul-sucking monsters as guards for little to no reason."

"Well, there's that," Cassie says, chuckling. "Alright, let's go. You're not leaving me behind again."

"One more thing," Gellert says. "You might wind up being someone else. If that happens, your memories will merge, and it might be a little disorienting."

I nod. "I know who and where Tom, Rispy, and Gellert are going to be. When we arrive... hmm, Tom, can we meet up somewhere? Perhaps Apparate over near Lothering? Then you can stun me. Alright, Cassie. If you're not with me when we arrive, wait for Tom's Patronus, and send your reply to let us know who and where you are."

"Got it," Cassie says, nodding. "Wait. Tom's Patronus? Tom has a Patronus now? And why not your Patronus?"

"I... well..." I pull out my wand and think of the rainbow after the storm. "Expecto Patronum." Nothing. Not even a spark. I shake my head.

"Well, maybe you just need a new happy memory," Cassie says, kissing me.

"Lexen, there's something you should know," Tom says. "The bond between you and Cassie is back."

I stare at him for a long moment, and then look at Cassie. My vision is blurry... am I crying? Does there really need to be a happy ending? Is a happy eternity possible? Perhaps we need never simply accept the existence of death. Can I dream of a future where death is but a memory, another enemy that was conquered long ago? Eternity is a wonderful thought...

"Expecto Patronum," I whisper.

Light floods my vision - brilliant, silvery light. It is formless for several long moments, but then finally coalesces into a massive, graceful shape. Wings bent against the back, a long, serpentine tail, an elegant reptilian head. A dragon. A magnificent, beautiful dragon.

"Well, that was not what I might have expected," Gellert says. "And here I thought he'd just pull out a crow or something."

"Her name is Eternity," I breathe.

"Your Patronus has a name?" Cassie asks.

"She's a spirit," I say. "A spirit of hope."

"There you are," Tom says. "Perhaps we should have named a more specific location near Lothering to meet up."

I snicker softly. "Yeah, sorry." Tom stuns me and revives me, and I pull out my wand, and think of eternity. "Expecto Patronum!" The beautiful silvery dragon appears again. "I want you to find Cassie. She might not have the same name or look like what she did before, but you know her. You know her soul. She's part of me. Go find her, and ask her who and where she is." The dragon nods, and flies off into nowhere.

A few minutes later, Cassie's raven Patronus appears, and speaks in a young girl's voice, "My name is Kirlin Surana. I am seven years old, and I am at Kinloch Hold."

"Maker," I whisper. "She really was Cassie after all..."

Tom grins. "I am not surprised."

"Kirlin's Patronus was a dove, though," I say.

"And yours was a duck," Tom says quietly. "They do sometimes change under less extraordinary circumstances. I don't find it strange that two versions of the same soul might have different Patronuses. Kirlin underwent different experiences than Cassie has, but this time, Cassie brought her Patronus with her, rather than allowing Kirlin's to develop."

"I concede your point." I summon my Patronus again. "Kirlin... I should have known. Gellert is in the tower also. His name is Gellert Amell. Would you rather be removed from there as soon as possible, or do you want to spend some time there learning for a bit?"

The raven returns shortly thereafter. "I don't know much about this world, or anything about how they use magic here. This seems a good enough place to learn. I'll meet up with Gellert, and he can appraise me on what to look out for. I'll send you a Patronus if the situation changes. This is going to be fun!"

I smile warmly at the thought of Cassie's happiness. "That makes me want to go back to Kinloch Hold right there."

"So why don't you?" Tom asks.

I shake my head. "It's well enough to know that she's here and she's happy. There are many things I want to do yet."

"Well, you have twelve years to do them in before the Blight breaks loose," Tom says. "I'd best be getting back home before someone notices I'm gone."

I give a nod, and Tom Apparates away.

The start of a new world is already so full of hope and possibilities. From this vantage point, it seems like I could accomplish anything. There are so many things that might be done, but with no real rush on any of them, I don't even know where to start.

Well, for starters, I transfigure my clothing to something resembling Fereldan commoners' garb. No sense in standing out anymore than necessary.

There is so much of the world I haven't seen yet. Perhaps I could visit the Tevinter Imperium, or the Qunari lands. I could actually be a Qunari. I'd just... need to hide the fact that I have magic. Well, I'm not some child still bursting with accidental magic, or a half-witted mage liable to turn into an abomination at a moment's notice. It would not be that difficult.

But, I have some time to think about it. For the moment, I Apparate over to Denerim to head in and get my money changed to currency used in this world. Whether I'm going somewhere that uses Fereldan sovereigns or not, having them is less suspicious than carrying around... two bags of holding full of gold bars, gems, and Wizarding Earth galleons, apparently. Definitely need to get rid of those galleons, discreetly.

It's easy to forget the darkspawn dreams when there isn't an archdemon awake. They're still nightmares, of course, but compared to what I experienced during the Blight, I can happily ignore the tugging at the back of my mind. Still, they very nearly make me rethink my plans. Perhaps I should seek out the Grey Wardens instead, and find Duncan.

But no. It can wait. I head for the docks, and hire passage on a ship heading north. I manage to find one bound for Llomerryn. I didn't expect to find one going all the way to Par Vollen.

It had not previously occurred to me just how much I would wind up hating sea travel. I wind up sitting in my cabin muttering in Qunlat. "The tide rises, the tide falls, the tide rises, the tide falls, the tide rises, the tide falls..." My stomach is churning, and this isn't helping.

"You're one of those Qunari sorts, aren't you," says the captain from the doorway. I didn't hear him come in. I just grunt in reply. "Didn't expect to find one of you in Ferelden. Well, not to worry. We'll get you home. Your gold is as good as anyone else's."

From Llomerryn, I find a ship that will take me to Kont-Aar. I make quite sure to take a good look around each place I visit so that I will be able to Apparate there later, and spare myself another ship voyage.

At the end of my journey, I gratefully stagger off the ship into the city of Kont-Aar. I wasn't sure what to expect. A fortified city of with many horned heads stands before me. The docks are well-guarded, and my attempt at leaving the dock area is met by the spears of a pair of Qunari.

"My apologies," I say, inclining my head toward them politely. "I wished to join you, and I am uncertain where I should go for that. Could you direct me to the right place?"

"You wish to submit to the Qun?" says one of the guards.

"Yes," I reply.

"Come," he says.

The Qunari are strange, but I like to think of myself as adaptable. I've adapted to being a wizard in Britain, to being a Shaper in Terrestia, to being a mage in the Circle, to being a Grey Warden. One more mask to put on, another role to play.

When asked my lineage, I replied, "Lexenmilot Skywalker Majere Renneck Chelseer Dragonblood." Irrelevent names of distant places. But they asked, and I saw no reason to lie about that. It's not like they'd have any idea what any of it meant anyway.

Although I'm a passable enough fighter without my magic, my intelligence and craving for knowledge leads to me being shuffled off into the priest caste as a researcher and scientist instead. That suits me well enough. It's only then that I discover how much more advanced the Qunari are than the rest of Thedas. Not so much so as the Muggles of Wizarding Earth, or even the Shapers of Terrestia with their magical bio-technology, but certainly moreso than the humans or even the dwarves that I've seen so far.

Still, I can readily see how flawed Qunari society really is. I can hardly go near their mages without my blood burning in rage at their treatment. Sten must have been an incredibly tolerant and accepting member of Qunari society, if he was willing to not only work with unchained mages, but to follow one.

"The Saarebas are like broken tools," explains one of my teachers. "They are inherently incapable of mastering themselves, and hence are always a danger to themselves and those around them. And so, the Saarebas serve as the weapons of the Arvaarad. Should a Saarebas ever become separated from their Arvaarad, he must be destroyed."

They're nothing more than slaves. Worse than slaves. Treated like animals, like objects. Even mabari hounds are treated better than this. They're brainwashed from a young age, and treated worse than a warrior might treat their sword or bow. A bow doesn't get snapped if you happen to misplace it temporarily.

The more time I spend among the Qunari, the more I see their flaws. But I'm perfectly capable of seeing the facets that are good, as well. They own nothing, and share amongst one another by need. There is no poverty in Qunari lands. Aside from the Saarebas, there is no hatred for those whose roles are less glamorous. All are of the Qun.

And then, at the same time, I see those who are forcefully converted against their will. And if someone will not submit, they are turned into mindless workers with the qamek. The very thought of that disgusts me. I have to get out of here.

Sometime, I will build a perfect society. I just need to learn what that might be. How can everyone be happy, and still allow them free will? I have to believe that it's possible. I just need to keep searching.

Over the years, I keep an eye on my bonds, and commit suicide to reset the day whenever I sense that one of them has died. Rispy is the most common one of those, and I wind up having to give him several extra chances.

One day, I receive a Patronus letting me know that Gellert, Kirlin, Jowan, and Anders escaped from the tower, destroying their phylacteries before they went. It's still a couple years before they would have gone to their Harrowings. I'm glad to hear that they're free.

And then, one night, I dream. Urthemiel stirs in my mind, waking, roaring, singing. I sit bolt upright in bed, screaming.

"Ashkaari?" says a kossith woman, coming up to the end of the bed and looking to me in alarm. "Ashkaari, are you alright?"

I nod shakily. My hands are trembling, and my body is covered in cold sweat. "I... I think so."

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"Another?" I say, making a face.

She nods. "You never sleep well. I always see you tossing and turning, clawing at your bed as if trying to escape or fight back, perhaps. What do you dream of?"

"Darkspawn," I whisper. "An archdemon has awoken. Another Blight has begun."

The Qunari woman stares at me for a moment. "You are certain of this?"

"Absolutely," I say.

"You must talk to the Ariqun," she says in alarm.

For all that I'm a member of the priest caste, I haven't spoken much with the Ariqun. I'm a little nervous as I go before her, wondering what she might say about this. I tell her of my dreams, and my absolute certainty that a Blight has just begun.

"Why do you dream of darkspawn, Ashkaari?" the Ariqun asks.

"I did not mention it when I came here... but I am a Grey Warden," I say. "Grey Wardens can resist the taint and sense darkspawn, but also dream of the darkspawn as well. So I know, beyond a doubt, that Urthemiel is now awake."

"A Grey Warden?" the Ariqun repeats. "Then you have a duty to fight the darkspawn."

I give a nod. "Now that there is a Blight happening, yes, I do. I have a duty to fight. I must stop the Blight."

"Then go, Ashkaari," the Ariqun says. "There is nothing that states that a Qunari cannot be a Grey Warden, or the other way around. Go, and fulfill your demand of the Qun. You know what you must do better than anyone."

"Thank you, Ariqun," I say.

"Panahedon, Ashkaari," the Ariqun says, nodding to me as I leave.

While leaving Par Vollen by conventional means would provide a good cover, I have no desire to go on the sea again anytime soon if I can possibly help it. I find a nice, quiet spot out of sight, and Apparate directly to Lothering. It has been a while since I've done this, and I clench my teeth as I force myself through the Fade to my destination, to arrive safely at the far end.

I wonder if the Hawkes are at the same house as they were before? Well, easiest way to find out. I head over to the house and knock on the door. Bethany comes and answers it, and I smile.

"Hello," I say, barely remembering to greet her in English rather than Qunlat. "Is Tom here?"

"Oh, hello," Bethany says. "You must be another of Tom's friends. Everyone else calls him Hawke. Come on inside, and I'll find him for you."

"I am, and thank you."

I step inside. The house looks much the same as it did before, a massive mansion concealed in a quaint cottage on the outskirts of a small town. An aging man is in the main hall, who looks over to me as I come in.

"I'm Malcolm Hawke. A friend of Tom's, are you? What's your name, lad?"

"Ashkaari," I reply reflexively. "I mean, Lexen. Lexen Chelseer."

"What, have you been going by another name for a while?" Malcolm says.

I give a nod. "I've gone by many names and roles in my life, and sometimes I wind up forgetting who I'm supposed to be at any given moment." I smirk. "I'm just glad that I can stop pretending not to be a mage now, at least. Woo!"

I prance around the room, Scourgifying every bit of dust and levitating several objects randomly. It's not like I hadn't used magic at all while in Qunari lands, but I'd made sure to keep it lowkey and undetectable. No one would notice if I used something like a Naming Charm, for instance.

"Having fun, Lexen?" Tom says in amusement, walking into the room, followed shortly by Kirlin. By Cassie.

I giggle, and let the furniture stop floating in the air. "Just nice to be able to do magic freely, even in private. I'm just glad to see you both."

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Tom says. "Come on back. Gellert, Anders, and Jowan are here, too."

I head back with them into another room, and stop and stare from the doorway. Not only are my old friends here, but three strange wraith-like creatures are hovering in the back of the room. "Tom... What in the Fade are those things?"

"Oh, I forgot about the ash wraiths," Tom says. "A few years ago, when my father became deathly ill, I went up to visit the Urn of Sacred Ashes to get a pinch and cure him. Those wraiths appeared at the bridge puzzle that was supposed to test teamwork or some such, probably because I went alone. They never quite went away, though, and just kind of hang out at my house now. It's kind of creepy, really."

"I freaked out when I first saw them, too," Anders says. "I thought Tom here had been practicing demon summoning."

Kirlin hugs me tightly. "So what have you been doing? I hope you weren't getting into any adventures without us." She grins at me.

"I was up north in Par Vollen, learning about the Qunari," I say. "And thankful that they never caught on that I'm a mage." At least not in a way that I couldn't immediately reset if need be.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" Tom asks.

"That they make the Circle of Magi seem liberal and forgiving," I reply dryly. "They do have some interesting technology, though, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to study it."

"You'll have to share sometime," Kirlin says.

I chuckle. "They'd certainly kill me for doing so. And I don't care."

"Everyone always wants to keep such a tight control on their secrets that they'll kill anyone who dares try to spread them," Kirlin says. "Do they not realize that it doesn't work, and all it takes is one person?"

"They've done a good job of keeping a lock on their secrets so far, but only because of their extensive brainwashing," I say, shrugging. "They're suspicious of anyone who joins up with them as an adult, but I spent long enough with them to convince them of my sincerity and get access to many things I never would have, otherwise."

"So what brought you back?" Tom says. "Miss our evilly grinning faces?"

I snicker. "That, too. I kind of lost track of time. The archdemon waking up kind of... woke me up."

"An archdemon?" Jowan says in alarm. "You mean... there's a Blight?"

I give a nod. "How much have you told them?" I ask my bondmates.

"We told them that we're originally from another world," Gellert says. "Gave them spare wands and taught them some of our magic."

In other words, they didn't mention anything about the time travel thing. Good.

"How do you mean, it woke you up?" Anders asks. "Are you a Grey Warden?"

"I am," I reply. "I need to find Duncan..."

"Why don't you just send him a Patronus?" Kirlin asks.

I stare at her for a moment, and then laugh. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you? Because I don't think I've done so nearly often enough. Every time we meet, I fall in love with you over and over again."

"Because I point out the obvious?" Kirlin says with a smirk, then leans over and kisses me.

"What would I do without you?"

"Angst and mope over things you can very well change?" Gellert says.

"Hush, you. Hmm, only problem with a Patronus is that I have no idea where he might be, and he can't respond."

"We could perform a locator ritual," Kirlin says. "Or maybe you could put a dot for him on one of those magic maps?"

"Brilliant," I say. I pull out my wand and the map I'd made in this life, mostly detailing Par Vollen. While I'd at first thought it was disorienting to have so many people with the same names, now I'm starting to wonder if just having random city guards labeled 'Guard' and nothing else would be preferable.

"With the Blight coming, I'd like to relocate my family to safety," Tom says. "I don't trust Redcliffe as really being particularly safe. Since we've got more time before the Blight hits, I was thinking taking them out of the country might be a good idea. Perhaps to the Free Marches. The templars in Kirkwall would be easier to deal with than a rampaging horde of darkspawn."

"Good plan," I say. "Don't want to be fleeing for their lives with darkspawn on their heels again."

As they start making preparations to leave, I work on getting Duncan's dot to show up on the map. It's far more difficult than doing Scregor, probably because I didn't actually know him for very long. Finally, however, I do manage it.

"Duncan is in Orlais," I say. "Hopefully they actually speak French there, and aren't just randomly French-like and speaking some language I don't even know..."

"I'm coming with you," Kirlin says.

"I was intending on Apparating and flying part of the way to get me there faster," I say.

Kirlin grins. "I can do that, too." In demonstration, she shifts into the form of a crow. With a white dot on the forehead, for some reason.

"Ah," I say. "You've been teaching her?" I ask Tom.

Tom nods. "Taught her the trick to Apparating here, too. But the shapeshifting... she's a natural at it."

The crow seems to laugh for a moment, and then shifts into a black cat with a white marking on the forehead, then into a black horse, again with a white star-shaped mark on the face, before returning to elven form.

"Wow, nice," I say.

"I'll send you a Patronus once my family is safely in Kirkwall," Tom says.