"Where am I?"

The last thing Elissa could remember, she had been in shackles, stripped of her armor and weapons, and thrown into a cell beside Alistair, but this... This was not a prison.

"You are safe."

Chills ran down Elissa's spine. Hope's voice. It was unnerving to hear a demon speak—the power in their voices could be heard plain as day, but Hope's voice was so far on a different level of terrifying that the terror itself was unsettling. There was so much there, so much knowledge, so much energy, and so much power. This was a creature Elissa didn't understand, and if she wasn't careful, it might change its mind about her and snuff her out.

She turned in search of the presence she felt, but as soon as her eyes fell on the mass, it was gone, moving just out of sight.

Gritting her teeth, Elissa turned back to the path she was on. Twisted trees sprouted up from the ground. The grass was ethereal, and out of curiosity, she crouched to run her fingers through it. Part of her was unsurprised to find it fake—it swayed to some unknown breeze, but she couldn't touch it.

Ahead, she saw the same temple as before, stretching above so high she couldn't see the peak. The architecture was distinctly inhuman, but from the little she knew about this spirit, it was likely elven in nature. The first time it had drawn her to the Fade, Elissa found herself surrounded by stuff like this, and the second time it shifted it so frequently Elissa had barely the strength to keep up.

"Why do you bring me here?"

It didn't reply, so she marched forward, determined to find some answer, even if she wouldn't like it. Faces swirled in the fog around her. Faces caught in expressions of agony, of fear, of delight, of excitement, of sadness. All the faces were so angular, some had tattoos. Vallaslin, if she remembered correctly, but then, when had she ever learned that term?

Elissa hesitated and swallowed nervously. "What is your obsession with elves?"

Something brushed against her leg, or rather, she brushed against it. Her eyes fell on a large black dog with several closed eyes, sleeping peacefully, and she jumped, hand vainly searching for a sword that wasn't there.

"He sleeps," Hope said.

The air beside her tensed, swirled, and a figure materialized there. It was roughly the same height as she was, but she couldn't make out a face. Deep purple armor in a style she didn't recognize covered the person from head to toe.

The figure looked down at the dog, a wolf, and she followed its gaze even as one red eye opened.

Something in Elissa froze. There was so much going on, just in one eye, and suddenly, every prayer she had ever uttered to the Maker came to mind. It was like the eye itself was reading her, analyzing her, and she couldn't look away. Her chest heaved for air, but she still held its gaze. She couldn't make herself look away, couldn't close her eyes, couldn't move. It was reading her entire life like a book, and still she couldn't resist.

The figure waved a hand and the wolf disappeared, turning to smoke to mingle with the fog.

"He is the one who trapped me here," Hope said.

"Who?"

"Without me, you are nothing," it continued, now pacing angrily. "Without you, I am nothing. We must defeat him together."

"Defeat who?" Elissa begged.

"I will teach you when the darkspawn have been beaten."

Elissa threw her hands up in frustration. "You saw the same thing I did! We die fighting the Archdemon. We die. Do you know what that means?"

"Mythal's child will save us."

Elissa didn't understand a lick of what was going on. She was so beyond lost, and with every sentence it spewed, she was only further confused. "I don't even know who Mythal is!"

"A friend."

"You're a spirit. You're not real. You don't exist. You don't have friends."

The figure froze when she said it wasn't real. She felt her heart drop into her stomach, felt her heart skip a beat back in reality, and oh boy, she knew she made a mistake.

"Do not speak on matters you do not understand, mortal," it snapped. "I could abandon you to the wolf and rid myself of you, but here I stay."

"If I'm so stupid and don't know what's going on, why not tell me?" Elissa countered. "If you can just leave, why don't you? Isn't it obvious I want nothing to do with you? I want nothing to do with any of whatever you're talking about and you're making it sound like I don't have a choice."

"I need you," it said softly. "I need you to exist in your world just as you need me to use what you call magic."

"But why?" Elissa felt like she was pleading with a child.

"Do you know how to imbue yourself with the strength I give you? The speed? The agility? The sight? It is a skill it took my people ages to master, and you abuse it as if it meant nothing."

She frowned. "Your people?"

Again, it paused in its pacing, but this time, it turned and reached for the helmet on its head. As it undid the straps across its chin, the empty expanse slowly materialized into shapes. By the time the helmet was entirely removed, Elissa was left standing face-to-face with an elf.

She had long blonde hair that was left unkempt, spilling over her shoulders, and the sharp features she recognized in the Dalish elves. Unlike them, however, her eyes were completely devoid of color, and there were no tattoos adorning her cheeks.

"You are not a spirit of hope," Elissa said.

"No," the woman replied. "And you are quite lucky I learn faster than you. Otherwise, it might be impossible for us to communicate."

"What are you?"

"I do not know," she said. "I was once a mage, what your elves call an arcane warrior. Stronger than you, stronger than your mortal friends can imagine."

"Why did you tell me you were a spirit when you knew you weren't?" She shrugged nonchalantly and Elissa felt herself bristle, but she tampered the annoyance. "So...you're an elf?"

"Once, a long time ago."

"If you're so...powerful, what do you need with me?" Elissa asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My connection to the Fade and to myself has been severed," she said. "I am stranded and I cannot cross back without someone who can touch the Fade of their own accord." She looked off into the distance, but what she was looking at exactly escaped Elissa. She saw nothing. "I can find another. There are several people across this continent capable of what I'm searching for."

"No, I..." Elissa swallowed and looked away from those clear eyes, uncertain of how to continue, or what to say, or what to feel. "It's all right, I suppose."

The elf regarded her heavily. "I have never sought a mortal out after being summoned. I have always been able to turn you away, and yet, somehow, you are the one who chose me." Elissa forced her eyes back up to the elf. "Perhaps that is why we shall succeed."

Elissa woke with a start, jumping and flailing so abruptly Alistair yelped across from her. She looked around wildly, trying to remember where she had been before finding herself in the Fade, and was unhappy to recall this is exactly where she was—imprisoned at Fort Drakon.

What just happened?

So...it wasn't a spirit? It was an elf? Was she even possessed then? What was anything anymore?

Elissa wracked her brain, holding her temples in her hands, as she tried to process everything. She wasn't possessed by a spirit of hope. It was something else, something scarier and more powerful, but it—she—seemed to like her. She needed Elissa at any rate, if only to access the Fade and whatever strength it gave her, so even if she changed her mind about liking her, it wouldn't kill her out of necessity.

All of that only made Elissa want to be rid of it more.

What did she mean Elissa chose her, though? She had said that before, that Elissa had been a flailing babe and called out to her, and the intrigue had been what drew her to her. Was it really that simple? Had Elissa been a frightened child looking for protection, and unfortunately found the last thing she could possibly ever want?

If she'd just been found by a demon, perhaps life would've been simpler.

But she needed it. She could barely cast spells on her own; this thing allowed her to be so much more. If she could figure out how to control it, she could be so powerful.

Elissa swallowed deeply. Did she really want that?

She hadn't been raised to expect any position of power. She'd been taught to take what she could get and be happy with it, and this thing was offering her more than she could comprehend.

Did Elissa want it?

"Are you all right?"

Alistair's voice sent waves rushing through her skull and she winced. Her head was throbbing so violently. Thinking past it was difficult enough, but she couldn't even remember being hit so hard.

As a matter of fact, Elissa could barely remember how she got here in the first place. Most of it was a blur. She remembered giving Leliana her sword, remembered Anora's apologetic expression as she was led away, remembered Alistair...

"Why the hell would you give yourself up like that?" she demanded. Her own voice made her headache worse.

Alistair regarded her heavily. He looked almost...surprised? "Why wouldn't I? We're both Grey Wardens and I'm not letting them drag you off alone."

She swallowed and looked away. "You should've let them."

Her eyes fell on the door to her cell as he spoke, saying something that would've been heartwarming had she listened. Alistair was a good man and she wasn't worth half the miniscule effort they put into their relationship. He was far better than she.

Elissa climbed to her feet, swaying as the ground rushed beneath her, but she managed to keep her footing.

"What are you doing?"

She pressed her hands against the cool metal, spreading her fingers wide. "We're not sticking around. I only surrendered so all of you could escape."

He hopped to his feet, leaning against the bars between them. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"

Elissa frowned as she scanned the door further. It didn't feel like there was much resistance. She shook it as best as she could and it rattled, loose on its hinges.

"We're getting out of here," she said with a grin.

She took a few steps back, returned to the door, now placing a hand where she learned the lock was. She didn't even have to worry that the energy would come to her, or that it wouldn't cooperate. Chills shot down her spine and through her arm, through her hand. Ice spread across the metal. It took every ounce of concentration she could spare to force it through the door itself, over the lock.

Once she was satisfied, Elissa slouched over, hands on her knees, breathing heavy and in no small amount of awe.

Alistair scoffed out a laugh, a grin spreading over his features, and he said, "That's almost as impressive as the Deep Roads."

It took her a second to recall the last spell she'd cast, but when she did, she laughed too. Elissa was still breathless. It was the first real time she'd used magic without that thing helping her.

It felt good.

The next part though, she would need its help. She could feel it lurking just under surface level, always watching and always waiting, and as she lifted her arm, strength surged through her veins. With her elbow, she shattered the ice and broke the frozen lock, and her cell swung open.

"What the hell was that?"

It came from somewhere in what she now realized was a huge room. Various cells similar to their own lined the walls, but theirs were the only two that were occupied. She couldn't see any guards in their immediate vicinity, but there was a staircase leading lower into the room, and she had heard that voice.

The sound of chairs being pushed back rose from below, and she swore. Their armor rattled as they ascended the steps and she rushed forward, throwing herself against the stone railing. Alistair pressed up against the bars of his cell, shaking them aggressively, and the guards started walking faster.

Elissa took a couple steps closer, careful to stay behind the railing, and readied herself. Of course there were guards in here. Why wouldn't there be?

She peered around the edge, eyes locking on a chest that hopefully contained their belongings and Alistair's sword, but before she could make a run for it, her vision was obscured by a very thick leg.

"Holy shit!"

The guard jumped as hard as she did, both of them throwing themselves backwards. Elissa was at a disadvantage being on the floor and being unarmed, but he still looked like he was about to soil his drawers.

She scrambled to her feet as they drew their swords. There was no way she was going to be able to protect herself with magic—it took her several seconds to cast a spell, even with the spirit's help, and she didn't even have one second.

The first guard, a man with thick red hair and a beard, charged her, trying to run her through, but she pivoted. She caught his wrist and grabbed his chestplate, using his own momentum to send him stumbling past. The second guard slashed at her throat and she ducked. A quick roll got her into a better position with more space to move, but without a sword, she was fucked.

The bearded man regrouped with his partner before they came at her a second time, at once. She managed to elbow one in the stomach as the other missed her completely, but he was fast, and he whipped around while the non-bearded guard grabbed her by the shoulder.

She felt something sharp pierce her side, heard Alistair yell her name, heard him yell at them to stop.

Then there was a sharp whistle, and the weight behind the sword was torn away. It was ripped from her ribs as the guard was tackled by a dog, a mabari, and the second barely had the chance to turn when an arrow slammed into his throat.

Her knees buckled, but she didn't fall. A pair of arms caught her, eased her down as he crouched with her.

Elissa coughed. She tasted blood.

"Why can't you ever be patient?" a harsh voice demanded.

Elissa tried to focus. It sounded like Aedan, vaguely looked like Aedan. She was slipping. She couldn't feel her fingers and that's when the panic set in. If she hadn't tried to get them out on her own, Aedan would've rescued them less than five minutes later. If she had just relaxed and settled in to wait, she would've had the energy to heal herself now.

He was cradling her. It felt so odd. He was always so protective. It was so impossibly frustrating and Elissa hated it, but she understood, deep down. He didn't want to lose her. She didn't want to lose him. Elissa couldn't imagine what she would do without Aedan, so she understood, but she hated it anyway, and she knew he would be blaming himself for the rest of his life if she died right now.

There was a hand rolling up her shirt, frantically shoving a sticky paste in and over the hole in her side. It would stop the bleeding, but it wasn't going to fix whatever had been damaged inside. Elissa could feel something not right in her stomach, and she wasn't sure if it was the injury or the feeling making her nauseous.

Elissa didn't remember her eyes closing, but someone forced them open. "Can you hear me?" She flinched. Her head was pounding again. It was almost as bad as the pain slowly spreading from her side into everything else. It was getting hard to breathe; all she could taste and smell was blood. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Elissa wasn't even sure if she managed that, but there was a relieved laugh, so she assumed she did.

"Squeeze if you can heal this."

Elissa thought she did. She didn't think she could heal whatever was broken inside of her, but she squeezed anyway, and the next thing she knew, that familiar warmth was spreading throughout her body. It felt like she was being sewed together, and it wasn't even from her own effort.

The warmth reminded her of her blankets at Highever on rainy days, of the sun on her skin as her and Aedan raced across the shores of the Waking Sea, of Leliana when they laid in bed together. It was so comforting and so homely, and she thought for a second that this was what death was like. It wasn't so bad.

But the world came back into focus, and there were three faces staring at her expectantly.

"Are you okay?" Aedan asked.

She coughed once, twice, three times, and rolled onto her side to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Sister?"

"You should've just let me die," she grumbled.

Aedan let out a sad, broken laugh, and it was enough. It had probably only been seconds that she'd spent in his arms, teetering on the edge of death, but that sound told her how scared he'd been. It told her how broken her death would leave him.

It was unfortunate then that she would have to die. He protected her their entire lives, and when it came down to it, Elissa was going to return all those favors by killing the Archdemon for him. She had to. He was such a good man, such a good brother. The world would be lesser without him.

But the guilt that she felt would eat her away until then.