Chapter 56: Night Terrors pt2

The Maker's first creations were the spirits, glorious beings that populated the many spires of the Golden City, and the Chant of Light says that they revered the Maker with unquestioning devotion. The Maker, however, was dissatisfied. Although the spirits were like Him in that they could manipulate the ether and create from it, they did not do so. They had no urge to create, and even when instructed to do so possessed no imagination to give their creations ingenuity or life. The Maker realized His own folly: He had created the spirits to resemble Him in all but the one and most important way: they did not have a spark of the divine within them. He expelled all the spirits out of the Golden City and into the Fade and proceeded to His next creation: life.

The Maker created the world and the living beings upon it, separated from the Fade by the Veil. His new children would be unable to shape the world around them and thus would need to struggle to survive. In return for their struggle, the Maker gave them the spark of the divine, a soul, and He watched with pleasure as His creations flourished and showed all the ingenuity that He had hoped spirits grew jealous of the living and coaxed from them into the Fade when they slept. The spirits wished to know more of life, hoping to find a way to regain the Maker's favor. Through the eyes of the living, they experienced new concepts: love, fear, pain, and hope. The spirits re-shaped the Fade to resemble the lives and concepts they saw, each spirit desperately trying to bring the most dreamers to their own realm so they could vicariously possess a spark of the divine through them.

As the spirits grew in power, however, some of them became contemptuous of the living. These were the spirits that saw the darkest parts of the dreamers. Their lands were places of torment and horror, and they knew that the living was strongly drawn to places that mirrored those dark parts of themselves. These spirits questioned the Maker's wisdom and proclaimed the living inferior. They learned from the darkness they saw and became the first demons. Rage, hunger, sloth, desire, pride: These are the dark parts of the soul that give demons their power, the hooks they use to claw their way into the world of the living. It was demons that whispered into the minds of men, convincing them to turn from the Maker and worship false gods. They seek to possess all life as their due, forging kingdoms of nightmare in the Fade in the hopes of one day storming the walls of heaven itself.

And the Maker despaired once again, for He had given the power of creation to his new children—and in return they had created sin.- From The Maker's First Children, By Bader, Senior Enchanter of Ostwick, 8:12 Blessed.

The Fade

The gang put away their weapons as Torpor and his demons fell. They continued on their way. "Well, that wasn't so hard" Isabela said. "Kind of boring to tell you the truth…a drunken tavern wench could give a better fight"

"The demons will only get harder from here, mortal" Justice said. "The boy is a diamond in the rough, a prize once thought lost to the ages"

"A valuable treasure….interesting you don't want a cut of it"

The spirit scoffed. "Demons degrade themselves out of desperation to be like mortals" he said. "I am more that, I speak to a higher calling"

"Well at least it's good to know that you won't turn on us…this time" Ericks said dryly. "Because I have to say, I'm getting quite sick of being tossed around like a rag doll" The gang exited the hallway into room that looked like the Circle courtyard. Ericks looked back and saw Justice and the others gone. Light enveloped the rogue and he found himself in a body he did not recognize.

"This is…interesting" He looked at a reflection and saw he was an older male elf dressed in a black robe holding a three headed dragon staff. Judging from the robes, he was a circle mage and high level one at that. Ericks then heard talking and walked forward, he spotted dalish elves standing in front of Feynriel and…the Keeper.

"His features may make him as human, but in his heart beats the blood of the Dales!" she said. "He came to us to learn his heritage, to release the power from a lineage as ancient as our race" Feynriel looked like he was going to tear up. This was probably the first time the boy has heard the elves speak to him as one of their own. Feynriel grew up in the alienage and most likely caught all kinds of trouble from both elves and humans because he was elf-blooded. But Ericks knew this wasn't the truth but cruel lie by a demon that wanted to wear his skin.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

Ericks walked forward, now he knew what he was there for…to snap the boy out of these illusions. "It's a trick"

"First Enchanter? What are you doing here?" Feynriel asked. "Mother told me the Dalish are honorable! Why would the Keeper lie?"

"Why would she entrust her people to a human?"

'The Keeper' looked at Feynriel. "You are one of us, Feynriel. Your magic will restore our greatness"

"But…you told me this magic was outlawed for a reason. Even the Dalish don't practice it anymore"

"Could the elves trust you with the power to shape reality?" Ericks asked.

"I…"

"Could you trust yourself?"

'Marethari' frowned. "Don't listen to him! The first enchanter is trying to keep you from realizing your greatness"

The boy frowned, he started realize something was not right. "Trying to keep me from temptation, just like you were. You're not the Keeper!" he said. "Be gone, fiend!" Before the fake keeper could do something, Feynriel ran away. She then looked at Ericks enraged.

"You! Why did you interfere?" The illusion shattered and Ericks was back in his own body surrounded by the rest of gang. The fake keeper revealed her true form…a pride demon. Pride demons are incredibly powerful demons, the corrupted form of wisdom and faith spirits. They are among the most powerful demons known to Thedas, and most insidious. Such is their strength that possessing a corpse doesn't produce another shambling warrior, but a respectively powerful revenant or arcane horror. "With my power joined to his, Feynriel would have changed the world!"

"I think he would like to change the world without a demon in his head"

"Bah! Those who are free to choose always want power. You think your friends are different?" the demon asked. "You think this elf, with her innocent face, would turn down a demon's offer? She didn't before"

"How about it? Would you take what I offered the boy? Scion of the Dalish, savior of elvenkind?"

"Can you…do that?" The gang looked at the elf.

"I am the greatest of my kind! Whatever tricks your little pet has taught you will pale in comparison"

"All right, when he puts it that way…" Ericks said dryly.

Merrill looked at Ericks sadly. "I…cannot put you ahead of the fate of my people"

"You took my dreamer, now you'll take his place!"

"Mortal, you must slay the elf!" Justice said.

Isabela frowned. "Slay Merrill? Are you mad?!"

"If you slay her, the elf will be returned to the mortal world" the spirit explained. "The demon will have no hold on her then"

Ericks took out his knife. "Could have said that earlier, Justice" In one quick strike, the rogue stabbed Merrill in the gut. It unnerved Ericks to stab a friend, but he shook his head to remember that the Fade is not real. "Sorry about this, Merrill…see you on the other side" Merrill's dream body disappeared leaving the gang to face off against the enraged pride demon now denied two prizes. The demon roared and charged them, Isabela and Ericks rolled to the side and attacked while Justice hit the demon with a devastating shower of flame. Powered by the Fade and the spirit's power, the flame burned hotter and brighter than usual…to point of almost consuming the pirate and rogue. "Hey, watch where you're aiming that thing!"

"Be gone, demon!" Justice readying another large spell.

"Oh, shit…MOVE!" The spirit fired a bolt of energy on to the demon that vaporized it on the spot while leaving a crater that the Fade quickly filled. "Um…good job"

"Let us continue on our way" The gang left the room, with Merrill not with them anymore the Fade more dangerous than before. They made it back to the center room where multiple demons appeared. "Rage demons. They seek to dreamer's power" To Ericks and Isabela's surprise the demons completely ignored them and attacked each other.

"I don't know if I should feel fortunate or insulted that I'm being ignored" Isabela said.

"Weaker demons commonly avoid the stronger ones but the prize of possessing a dreamer is so great, that self-preservation is not a factor at all" Justice said.

"And I'm guessing we're competition as well?" Ericks asked.

Justice nodded. "Indeed…the longer this continues, the more danger this will become for us" The gang sneaked past the brawl to the other side of the dreamscape. They entered another door and Ericks changed again while Justice and Isabela disappeared. The rogue raised his hand.

"Hmm, dainty…" he said. Ericks looked into a reflection and saw that he was now Arianni, Feynriel's mother. The rogue's eye twitched. "This is gonna be awkward" The room changed into a bedroom…Feynriel was at his desk with Vincento, his father. Now the rogue understood, the boy desired to be with his father and have a relationship with him. A desire that would never come true as Vincento wanted nothing to do with him.

"That's it, Feynriel. Hard on the downstroke, then lift. Good!" the fake Vincento said. "I'll have you scribing all my letters soon. If I'd known you were such a bright lad, I'd have brought you into the business years ago"

"Does that mean I can come with you to Antiva, Father? Mother said maybe this summer…Right, Mother?" Feynriel looked at Ericks.

"Oh…right, me" Ericks cleared his throat. "Your father never wanted anything to do with you. Don't trust him"

"Why are you lying to me?"

"Don't listen, son. She's always been ashamed of you" he said. "She wanted you gone so she could go back to the Dalish. I'm the one who loves you"

"But…why can't I remember you?"

"This is a trick, he wants something from you"

"Why…?" Feynriel then frowned at 'Vincento' "That's right! I spent my whole childhood waiting for you"

"Your mother never allowed…"

"My mother loves me! She showed me the letters she wrote you. You never wrote back" the boy said. "And it was Mother who taught me to write, not you! I've never met you before! Who are you?" The illusion started to weaken.

"Don't…question…" The illusion shattered and Vincento revealed himself as a desire demon. "…me!" Feynriel's eyes went wide and the boy screamed and ran away. The demon hissed at Ericks who was once again back with Justice and Isabela. "You! You turned him against me"

"Oops! It was an accident, I swear!" Ericks said with a smirk.

"Take away my pets, and I'll take away yours. How loyal are these friends you drag into the Fade?" the demon asked. "Would your pirate queen stay if the open water beckoned?"

"Aw, shit…"

The desire demon went towards Isabela. "What do you say, sweetheart? A two-mast brigantine, square-main topsail…a hundred well-built lads to answer your every whim" it said. "I know you've been looking for a stiff masthead"

"Mmm…" Isabela said with a smirk.

Ericks sighed. "So should I turn around now to let you stab me in the back? Or would you like it to be a surprise?"

"You are just the sweetest!"

"The Siren's Call Two awaits in Kirkwall Harbor. I'll be under the furs in the captain's quarters" Isabel turned to faced Ericks and Justice.

"I like big boats, I cannot lie" The pirate attacked.

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