Rajmael of Clan Lavellan

by Powerslammer

Rajmael is an elf possessed of great pride and an incredible power. Born with a powerful name and a greater destiny, he has lived his whole life by the the Vir Tanadhal. And now he must use his ancient knowledge to stand against forces that threaten his world and everything he loves. Watch as he stands as a Dalish Elf, a Herald and as The Inquisitor. Please, please review.

46. The Vir Dirthara

~The Vir Dirthara~

The basement beneath the garden was filled with smoke, the air was ionized from all the electricity that had been crackling in there. The screams that once rang in this room were replaced by agonized weeping and choking sobs, accompanied by the fresh and putrid scent of burnt flesh and hair. Aedan leaned back against a wall with Zevran, watching intently as the Inquisitor viciously interrogated the qunari spy for answers. Apparently, the fanatics of the Qun deigned to kidnap the Inquisitor's daughter. That was the biggest mistake these religious zealots could possibly make.

As a fellow father, and someone who had already lost his family, Aedan knew all too well the lengths men like them will go to protect their loved ones, and the lengths they'll go to exact vengeance. It was one of the most defining aspects of his life. If these qunari wanted an enemy, they certainly had one now. All Aedan could do right now was watch and see what the Inquisitor was willing to do to rescue his daughter, or to avenge her.

Rajmael stood over the body of the qunari spy posing as a servant, his eyes filled with rage. The elven servant sobbed in agony, patches of his hair had been burnt off and electric burns covering his face. Rajmael had been torturing him with lightning spells to get the information he wanted. None of his more powerful spells, he needed to keep this saboteur alive. If this spy didn't tell him anything soon, however, Rajmael was going to start using more potent means.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, you qunari piece of filth, before I start using my really painful spells..." Rajmael warned dangerously. "Where did you take my daughter, and why!?"

The elven servant whimpered in pain and choked back his own sobs. His face was still steaming from the electricity burns on his head. He couldn't take any more of this. "Please...I don't..."

The servant's pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears, for Rajmael no longer had any to give. He just intensified the power of the lightning attack he rained from his fingertips on to the crying qunari and didn't stop, even as his victim's screams threatened to tear his own vocal chords.

"Stop it! Please, stop! I'll tell you what I know!" The charred qunari spy finally begged, his throat hoarse from screaming.

Rajmael ceased his torture and knelt close so that the spy could speak clearly into his ear, and ready to deal more pain if necessary.

"Th-the...V-Viddasala dispatched two agents, elven viddathari...to the Temple of Mythal to secure your daughter...to bring her to the V-Viddasala's base." The elven servant whispered in desperate agony. "That's all in know, I swear. Please, I...was...just following orders, my role in the Qun. It was...never...personal."

"You piece of shit! How can elves like you serve something so wretched as the qun to act against your own people? Then you steal my daughter and dare to say it's not personal!?" A newfound sense of anger and disgust sprang inside Rajmael's heart for the qunari. They would dare to stoop so low as to use elves against their own kind to do something so despicable and still claim to be an enlightened, superior people. "Solas was right about the Qun. All of you are just mindless puppets, you have no soul. If my daughter and I have to suffer the consequences of your order, than so will you."

"Very well said, Inquisitor." Aedan commented approvingly. The Hero of Ferelden looked down on the tortured spy with a utter revilement in his eyes, for he too knew what it was like to have his family taken from him. "You fuckers dared to place your hands on another man's child? You're getting off easy as far as I'm concerned."

Rajmael ignited another charge of lightning in his palm with hate in his face. Before the elven qunari could plead for mercy, Rajmael discharged his spell into the spy's face and made his head explode. Wet chunks of skull fragments, brain matter, and bits of face flew all over the room.

Zevran shook his head glumly at the dead qunari convert. While he never really gave it much thought, he still couldn't fathom why anyone would join something that demands so much from its followers. He looked to the Inquisitor feeling a great swell of sympathy. "What do you intend to do know, Lord Inquisitor?"

"I'm going to kill all of them." The Inquisitor swore with deathly determination. "Go to the others, tell them what we've learned and wait for me by the eluvian."

"Time is of the essence. Where are you going?" Aedan inquired.

"To get some fucking answers." Rajmael growled angrily.

~XoXoXo~

Rajmael marched back to his meeting chamber where his War Council was discussing the situation. When they saw the look on Rajmael's face, they knew the situation had become that much more dire.

"Inquisitor. Cassandra told us what has happened. I am so sorry." Josephine said sorrowfully.

"I always knew the qunari were ruthless, but I didn't think they'd ever stoop this low." Cullen spoke resentfully.

Leliana shared Cullen's feelings. "The situation has become even more complicated than we thought. Were you able to get anything out of the servant?"

"He was in fact a qunari spy, and he's has served his purpose." Rajmael answered dourly. "Find out everything there is to know about him. Who he spoke with, his coworkers, and how the hell he got those damned barrels into the Winter Palace. Watch for any other servants who might be trying to leave."

"Qunari spies rarely work alone." Leliana agreed. "I'll make sure to find any other conspirators and more about how they pulled this off."

Rajmael turned to his Ambassador with serious intent. "Josephine, I need you to summon Marquis Briala. We must speak, now."

The Inquisitor was putting Josephine in an awkward position. One does not simply call on a powerful noble, especially when she is courting the Empress of Orlais, on a whim. But given the severity of the situation, Josephine decided to push aside courtly decorum. "I shall call her straight away, Inquisitor."

Minutes later, Marquis Briala entered the private chamber with Josephine. Despite the fact that that elven noblewoman was wearing her courtly mask, Rajmael could see the discomfort and annoyance in Briala's eyes behind that mask had for having her personal time interrupted. At the moment, Rajmael couldn't care less.

"It's always a pleasure to meet with you, Inquisitor, but it would have been polite to receive your invitation in advance rather than an impromptu meeting." Briala said cordially. "If you're seeking us for advice on the Exalted Council, you know very well our hands are tied..."

"Fuck the Exalted Council." Rajmael dismissed indignantly. "Marquis Briala, I need to know exactly what has happened to the Eluvians. I thought you had control over them, but apparently, that is not the case. Would you mind telling me how the fuck that's possible!?"

Briala was taken aback not only by the Inquisitor's questions but also his disrespectful tone. "Pardon me, Inquisitor, but that is a rather impertinent question to ask, especially with that attitude. You know perfectly well that I keep such things secret for a reason."

Rajmael's eyes began to heat up with hostility. He was in no mood for cordiality or rules of propriety, not with Eva in danger. "Your secrets don't mean shit to me anymore, Briala. Right now, there is a faction of hostile qunari zealots who are attempting continental terrorism, and they are using the fucking eluvians to do it. And on top of that, they have my daughter! I don't care about cordiality or your hurt feelings. I care about stopping these fanatics and getting my daughter back. So you are going to give me the answers I need, or I swear I will take them from you!"

Briala was taken further back. She spoke of keeping secrets, yet apparently she knew nothing about what was truly going on. There was no lie she could speak that would be believed, and if the Inquisitor's daughter had been kidnapped, she knew Inquisitor Lavellan would move mountains to protect her. Briala had no choice, she had to come clean.

The elven marquis took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for what she was about to say because not even she could believe it. "I don't how else to say this, but I have lost control of the eluvians entirely."

Rajmael felt like he was about to have an aneurysm. "You mean to tell me you possessed on of the greatest most strategically valuable marvels of our ancestors that managed to survive centuries of destruction, and you lost it?! How the fuck do you manage that!?"

"You think I intended this to happen? That I was so careless as to simply let the eluvians escape my grasp? Don't be foolish, Inquisitor." Briala balked back. "I don't know what happened exactly. The mirrors, they just stopped working. They no longer respond to my key, my method to unlocking them."

"A key? What key?" Rajmael remembered Morrigan's eluvian and how the mirrors required knowledge and power to unlock them. Briala must have had something that granted her access to the network of mirrors she used in her war against Gaspard and Celene.

Briala hesitated for a moment. She was reluctant to reveal what she had worked so hard to keep hidden, but there was little point in hiding her key any longer. Briala reached around her neck and pulled out a neckless with a locket on it. She pressed a secret button on the item and popped it open, revealing a small flawlessly cut gemstone of a deep shade of crimson.

Rajmael thought it was just an ordinary ruby, but he could sense the faintest glimmer of magic from it. "What is this?"

"It's the keystone I used to activate and gain access to the eluvians." Briala explained. "A Dalish mage name Felassan, a friend and teacher of mine, helped me to acquire it so that I could use it to help our people in my struggle during the civil war. It granted me access to a major part of the eluvian network that spanned across Southern Thedas. With this stone and a simple passphrase, we were able to cross halfway the distance of the continent like walking through a door."

"What was this passphrase?"

"Fen'heral enansal." Briala answered honestly.

"Fen'heral's blessing?" Rajmael asked incredulously. It seemed like the ancient elven god of misfortune was involved with everything at the moment.

"It seemed appropriate. Invoking the ancient elven god of trickery to help us wage a shadow war against our oppressors, where our strength was cunning and guile instead of strength of arms." Briala clarified. "But it would seem that Fen'heral's blessing is merely a passing thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it no longer works." Briala admitted lamentingly. She took a bitter breath, for it was painful for her to admit this. "This keystone, the eluvians, they no longer respond to my passphrase. It's as if something has overridden my control over the eluvian network. Could these qunari have done that?"

Rajmael placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think so, but I wouldn't rule it out, either. The qunari don't study magic to understand it but to destroy it. Lady Morrigan and Hawke's lover Merrill were able to find ways to repair their own eluvians, I suspect the qunari with their resources have done the same. I have to find out how and why. Thank you, Marquis."

"Inquisitor, wait." Briala called after the Dalish elf. "I...I'm sorry about what's happened to your daughter. I hope that you get her back, and stop whatever madness these qunari are plotting."

~XoXoXo~

Rajmael walked back through the Winter Palace to rejoin his comrades. All he could think about was what had happened to Eva. Why would the qunari target her and not him? Have they harmed her? The qunari were infamous for their cruel treatment towards mages, more so than the Chantry, and Eva's powers began to manifest when she was young. Were they harming her now? Rajmael had to save her. He had already lost his parents, his adopted father, his brother and the first woman he loved. He couldn't lose Eva, too.

Rajmael's train of thought was broken by the sight of someone he caught at the corner of his eye. A familiar figure he had almost forgotten, yet could never forget. She was watching him, and he knew it. He turned towards her as she began to quickly walk away, trying to avoid attention. Rajmael shoved his through the crowds of people, refusing to let her out of his sight. He had to be sure it was her, and not some trick being played on his imagination. The mysterious elf led him towards the servants' quarters, which were currently empty because they were all out doing their tasks. She looked back at the Inquisitor, and Rajmael recognized her straight away. She was an elven woman with dusky skin, chestnut brown hair, and verdant green eyes that were filled with anger. She was dressed like a servant, but Rajmael recognized her.

Rajmael's hand instinctively reached for his sword at the sight of the woman before him. He remembered how dangerous she was. He name escaped his mouth like a threat.

"Velara!"

"Greetings, Inquisitor. It's been a while." Velara greeted in a sinister tone and gave a curtsy full of faux courtesy.

Rajmael could never forget Velara. She was Vir Banal'ras, one of the assassins trained by Nethras to exact vengeance on the humans for their crimes against elvenkind. She was his brother's most devout disciple, just as fanatic in her desire to kill humans. After Rajmael dueled Nethras, she became the leader of the Vir Banal'ras. Rajmael tried to find them, but they had all disappeared. Now she was here, and the Vir Banal'ras never acted alone or without purpose.

"What are you doing here, assassin?" Rajmael demanded with hostility, never taking his hand away from his sword.

"Oh, you know, I thought I'd just sneak into the Winter Palace and see how you once again fail our people by putting these shemlen and their precious kingdoms ahead of us." Velara answered sarcastically. "And I have to admit, you never disappoint at being disappointing."

Rajmael tried piecing together what was happening. Velara was here, and there was a qunari plot to blow up the Winter Palace with explosives. "Have you fallen so low that you would aid someone like the qunari simply to exact your revenge?"

"As if those horn-headed foreigners and their precious philosophy is worth our time. Don't be absurd, Inquisitor." Velara laughed in Rajmael's face. "I'm just watching this little play take its course."

The Inquisitor gripped his hand around his sword, ready to cut Velara's head off depending on her next answer. "Did you have anything to do with what's happened to Eva?"

"No, never." Velara denied earnestly, her eyes conveying her own disdain for that action. "I was a mother once, and I would never do that to Nethras' daughter. She deserves better than that."

"But it was you, wasn't it? You're the one who gave Nethras' journal to Eva." Rajmael realized. Velara was the only one in the world who could have known of Nethras' journal and give to his daughter.

"Yes, that was my handiwork. It was quite easy, to tell the truth." Velara grinned.

"Why?!" Rajmael couldn't believe this. This woman was the reason why he and Eva had a falling out in the first place.

"Maybe I felt the little girl deserved to know how her father died. Maybe I felt Eva deserved to know that the man who so desperately wants to be her father cared more about the shemlen than his own people when he killed his own brother." Velara answered with enough venom to shame a scorpion. "Maybe I wanted to remind you of how badly you continue to fail our people. It doesn't really matter. What's done is done."

"Why are you here?" Rajmael demanded.

"Like I said, I'm just watching." Velara insisted. "Don't worry, Inquisitor, the Vir Banal'ras' hands are relatively clean in this matter you've found yourself in. And as fun as it is to watch these qunari try to blow up the Winter Palace with all of these self-important shems in it, we have much grander plans to carry out."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Velara's smile widened sinisterly. "The Vir Banal'ras serve a new cause now, a new master. You, your Inquisition, the Qunari, you're all just rats scurrying in a maze, fumbling in the dark. We will watch you destroy one another, and take back what is rightfully the People's. Nethras' life will not have been in vain."

Rajmael didn't understand what she was saying. "What do you mean? Who do you serve?"

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Velara laughed. "You're the Inquisitor. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

"I could take you down right now and have you tortured for information, Velara. You know I can." Rajmael threatened, his hand gripping his sword.

"You could, but that's just more time you're wasting one me instead of trying to get Nethras' daughter back. I'm not here as your enemy, this time. I came to give you something that might help you." Velara reached into her pockets and extended some sort of tablet to the Inquisitor.

Rajmael hesitantly took the item Velara was giving him, and examined it cautiously. It was some sort tablet no bigger than a pamphlet and made out of some sort of brilliant white stone that was as light as a feather. What really caught Rajmael attention was the fact that the surface of the tablet had ancient elven writings carved into it. Ancient glyphs and characters whose meanings had been lost to history. Despite being older than written history, the carvings on the tablet were still clear as daylight and suffered no wear or decay.

"What is this and why are you giving it to me?" Rajmael asked suspiciously.

"A library card." Velara answered sarcastically.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Trust me, where you're going, you're going to need it." Velara insisted. "And as to why I was told to give it you, well, no matter how much I despise you, Inquisitor, you still care for Nethras' child. And she doesn't deserve to suffer for your mistakes. If you hurry, you might still be able to save her. It'd be the only time you actually managed to save one of our people."

"Fuck you, Velara." Rajmael cursed viciously, remembering the words of wisdom Junnarel once told him. "There is more to protecting and restoring our people then killing humans. The spirit and honor of our people should mean more than mere vengeance. We gain nothing by stooping to the level of those we hate."

"So long as we are seen as nothing more than a twice conquered people, as long as these interlopers and invaders rule the world that once and rightfully belongs to us, we will never gain anything." Velare hissed hatefully, the memory of watching her own children burn alive cemented and fueled her hatred.

There was no point in arguing further. Rajmael didn't have the luxury of refusing any kind of aid, not with Eva's life in danger. Rajmael the strange tablet into his coat and slowly backed away from the assassin before turning his back on her. "If I were you, shadow warrior, I would hope that we never meet again. Relay that message to whatever new master you serve."

Velara watched the Inquisitor walk away, laughing sinisterly to herself as she disappeared into the shadows. "Oh, I am sure you'll get the opportunity to tell him yourself soon enough. Little arcane warrior."

~XoXoXo~

Hawke stood in utter shock, almost unable to believe what Seeker Cassandra and General Cousland had just got done informing the rest of them. Qunari agents infiltrated the Temple of Mythal, posing as elves looking to learn more about their heritage, and kidnapped the Inquisitor's daughter. Hawke had run afoul of elven qunari spies before, and learned the hard way that the hard way in that fiasco at Chateau Haine with Tallis.

"Andraste on her pyre...I always knew qunari agents were ruthless, but this? They commit such cruelty and still dare to think they're the most enlightened people in Thedas!?" Hawke said outraged.

"Maker be merciful." Josephine gasped and dropped her quill in horror. "But Eva is such a sweet child, how could anyone think of harming her?"

"There is no honor in war, especially not with the qunari." Cullen seethed. "Canons, chemicals, hostages, even the mages they hate and bind, they'll use anything to win, and feel nothing for it. So long as it's a demand of the Qun."

"Horn-headed buncha rat-pricks!" Sera cursed spitefully. "You gotta problem with somebody, you go stick it to 'em, ya don't go after their kids. That's just...grr! I gotta shoot somethin' really bad!

"Lived next to the Qunari for nearly a decade, and apparently we didn't learn squat about them." Varric shook his head despondently. "And here I thought only the Carta could do something that detestable."

Leliana shook her head at her comrades' collective disbelief. "Surely none this can't be that much of a surprise to any of you? These ben-hessrath are spies and assassins, no? To make their jobs easier, and to lure their targets, they will often perform acts of kidnapping. Rarely does either the target or the victim ever survive." Being a Bard most of her life, Leliana knew what extremes some operatives will take to complete their mission.

"There are certain lines you don't cross in order to not be a cruel bastard. Harming a man's child is one of those things. I know that from personal experience." Ranier spoke out with disdain, both for the qunari's actions and his past crimes.

"I don't get it, this doesn't make sense." Iron Bull said disbelievingly. "Ben-hessrath do some pretty shady things, but kidnapping? That's not their standard MO. Either the Viddasala is really desperate, or she really is insane."

"You'd have to be either to do something that guarantees you a place atop of the Inquisitor's shit-list. Though, I'd lean closer to insanity, given what we've learned." Dorian commented.

"After killing Corypheus and sealing the Breach twice, you'd think the Qunari would at least have a modicum of respect for the Inquisitor, and think twice before assaulting him in such a manner. I see that's not the case." Vivienne scoffed.

"We have to help the Inquisitor get Eva back." Cole urged worriedly. "She is everything to the Inquisitor, all that is good. If she dies, he dies, too."

What Cole said deeply troubled Cassandra. Back when they first met after he stopped the Breach from getting bigger at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, Rajmael's only concern was to get back to his clan and adopted daughter. He was even willing to chop off his own hand to be rid of the Anchor, the only thing keeping him from returning home. Now the very person who Rajmael did everything for as Inquisitor was now in mortal danger. Rajmael had already suffered so much throughout his life that it was a wonder that he was still sane. While Cassandra was afraid for Eva, she also feared what losing his adopted daughter could do to Rajmael.

Zevran could sense the Seeker's distress, and he too was concerned by it. "The situation has become worse than some of you might expect."

"How do you mean, Zevran?"

"I saw the look in the Inquisitor's eyes as he tortured that qunari spy. It was the same look Aedan had in his eyes when assaulted Howe's mansion before brutally ripped the bastard apart." Zevran recalled the memory like it was a vivid nightmare.

"I remember that day like it was it was this morning." Leliana recalled, her eyes filled with that horrid memory. "I can still remember the screams I heard coming from that room."

"If worse comes to worse, you might end up with another me walking around in the world." Aedan spoke out in his grim thick brogue, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean by that, General?" Hawke inquired, deeply disturbed by Aedan's implication, especially after he saw the Hero almost lay waste to Kirkwall once.

"Loss and suffering is not only common to elves, but it's a fact of their lives, and from what I understand, the Inquisitor has every right to hate the world." Aedan stated with grim factuality. "He's a father, I'm a father, and I would kill tens of thousands to protect to my son, and even more to avenge him. I know what it's like to lose something as precious as family and to live for revenge. If the Inquisitor begins to walk down that path, what do you think he will do with the Inquisition?"

"Forgive me for saying, General, but do you mean to say that we should try to keep the Inquisitor from taking vengeance?" Vivienne questioned incredulously. "Seems a little hypocritical to me."

"Don't insult me, Enchanter." Aedan growled. "If the Inquisitor wants vengeance for this act, it's his damned right. But I hope the rest of you are prepared for what comes next if the worst should come to pass. Unlike the Inquisitor, I grew up a nobleman. I was born into power and authority, and very few ever dared to cross me, even before I ended the Blight because of my family name. The Inquisitor, however, is an elf. And what are elves born with besides loss and a kick in the teeth? How much do you think he can stand to lose and suffer before his spirit breaks, or morphs into something far worse? I wouldn't trust him with the unchecked power he now wields should that come to pass."

That thought sank into all their brains like quicksand. Thedas' foremost authority on the subject of revenge was actually worried about what vengeance could do to the Inquisitor, and what he in turn could do to the world. He could become more destructive and powerful than Corypheus ever was.

None were more disturbed and scared for this prediction than Cassandra. It was true that Rajmael had suffered his whole life, and there was only so much pain a soul could endure before it broke. Rajmael loves Eva like she was his own, and to lose her was almost too much to bear. What if he did lose her? What would such a loss do to him? Would he even be the same man Cassandra loves now? No matter what, they had to save Eva, for her own salvation as well as Rajmael's

The door creaked open and when the Inquisitor walked everyone went silent. He didn't show it on his face, but all of them could feel the storm of emotions raging inside the Inquisitor. Even when he waged war against the Elder One, he did not have this kind of grim bearing surrounding him. It was like being in the same room with an angry lion, and they had to hold their breath in the hopes of not provoking it and getting their heads ripped off.

"Our situation has become even more dire." Rajmael announced forebodingly. "As I'm sure you all know, the qunari have taken my daughter. And just as disturbing, it would seem the Vir Banal'ras are playing some sort of role against the qunari as well. They are probably these agents of Fen'heral that have been plaguing the Viddasala."

"Vir Banal'ras? Way of Shadow?" Hawke asked curiously. Merrill had taught him a little elven, but he was still no expert on their ways.

"A cult of elven assassins dedicated to vengeance. Very secretive, very deadly and very fanatical. This current incarnation of them was founded by my brother Nethras, who almost succeeded in a plot to kill all the humans of the South, and very nearly killed me, twice. So, I was forced to kill him." Rajmael paused a moment, those memories still held a bitter sting for him, and was the very cause of his falling out with Eva. "It would seem that they've taken their quest of vengeance against the qunari."

"How do you know this?" Cassandra inquired.

"I just had a...lively conversation with Velara, Nethras' top disciple and current leader of the Vir Banal'ras." Rajmael revealed with a scowl. "It turns out, she was the one who gave Eva her father's journal."

"What?! You've gotta be shittin' me! What did she want?" Varric asked in disbelief. "Whose back did she want to put a knife into?"

"That's the funny thing, Velara claimed she was only here as an observer, and swore to me that they had nothing to do with this." Rajmael revealed sharing Varric's disbelief. "She even gave me this strange tablet insisting that it would help us where we're going."

"Is it possible that the Vir Banal'ras are the ones using the legend of Fen'heral for their own gains?" Josephine suggested.

Rajmael thought for a moment, believing Josephine might have been on to something. "It's certainly possible. The Vir Banal'ras know the power of intimidation, and in elven myth, there is no greater enemy than the Dread Wolf. Whatever the Vir banal'ras' motivations are, they are trivial to what we must do. Our mission is to stop these qunari and prevent them from carrying out this Dragon's Breath plan. However, on this mission, our priorities must split."

"What do you mean, Rajmael?" Cassandra asked concerned.

"We must stop the qunari, that's fact, and we will do everything we can to accomplish that." Rajmael stated. "But, if rescuing Eva takes me away from that initiative, then the rest of you must carry out the mission without me."

"What?! You cannot be serious!" Ranier shouted.

"Inquisitor, that is an almost insane risk." Cullen opposed.

"The Inquisition isn't disbanded yet, and we still need an Inquisitor." Josephine spoke out.

"I know you are concerned for your step-daughter's safety, but you're taking a foolish risk." Vivienne disapproved.

"You can't expect us to let you do that on your own!" Cassandra objected, almost hurt by the notion. "You know we can help you get Eva back safely."

"Come on, boss. You can't expect us to let you go on your own. We've always got your back." Iron Bull reminded staunchly.

"Goin' off by yerself? That's bonkers!" Sera yelled.

"This isn't argument, or a suggestion! If it comes between the mission or Eva, I will go after her, and I will do it on my own!" Rajmael shouted admonishingly, making everyone shut up. He took a breath and calmed down, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. "Listen, I know what all of you are capable of, it's why I trust you to carry it out, and I know you can accomplish this. And don't forget, you all will have two of the greatest heroes in Thedas to help you carry out this mission. If anyone can take my place and stop the Viddasala, it's the man who ended the Blight, and the man who first killed Corypheus and the last Arishok."

Neither Hawke nor Aedan could believe what the Inquisitor was doing. Not that he was placing the safety of his daughter ahead of his duty as Inquisitor, for neither of them could fault such familial conviction. What surprised them both was the fact that the Inquisitor was trusting them to complete his mission. It was almost ironic, being granted this responsibility by the Lord Inquisitor when not so long ago both of them were sought out for this rank.

Aedan stepped forward and nodded his head in respect to the Inquisitor's request. "I would be honored to carry out this task if needs be, Lord Inquisitor."

Hawke smiled brightly to the Inquisitor and gave him a thumbs up. "Chasing down qunari assassins, and help a great hero rescue his daughter? How can I refuse?"

"Then let's waste no more time." Rajmael determined before turning to his Councilors. "Leliana, while we're gone, find out anything you can about the servant I interrogated. Who he is, who he's spoken to, how he got those gaatlok barrels into the Winter Palace."

"I'll have my best agents on it immediately." Leliana promised.

"Cullen, I want you to alert all our soldiers to the situation. If the worst should pass, I want every man we have here ready to act."

"Everyone will be ready if there's so much a sign of trouble, Inquisitor." Culled assured staunchly.

"Josephine, I know we're putting a lot of pressure on you, but I need you to keep the Exalted Council at bay just a little longer. Stall them as best you can until we've stopped this. If anyone else gets wind of the situation, there could be a massive panic."

"Their patience is wearing thing, but I think I can use their general dislike for each other against themselves. I'll make sure they won't notice they are kept in the dark." Josephine assured.

"Alright, then. Let's go. I won't let the Viddasala get away with what she's done." Rajmael ordered with severe determination in his eyes. He had lost enough family throughout his life. He was not going to lose the child he loved like a daughter.

Meanwhile, At An Unknown Location...

Eva's eyes began to flutter open. Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding like a war drum. Last thing she remembered was talking with that lady named Tallis about the symbolism behind elven art mediums, then she felt a sharp pain in her neck, then she was out cold, waking up in an unfamiliar place. Her grandfather once told her about an old hunting trick some hunters would use to bring down prey alive. Hunters would create a diversion to catch their quarry's attention, then while they were distracted, the hunters would bring it down with a blow dart dipped in drug or paralysis poison. Someone just used that old trick on her.

Eva's vision started coming back to her, and it looked like she was in some kind of dungeon. Brick walls with a cold stone floor and a iron door, and her wrists were bound in chains. Yes, it was definitely a dungeon.

There was an uncomfortable tightness around her neck, and Eva found that her captors also strapped her with some kind of collar. Did they think she was some kind of dog?

"Where...where am I!?" Eva stubbornly demanded.

"You're safe, for now. We've brought you to our base of operations." Spoke a familiar voice in the darkness. A figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing an elven woman with bright red hair wearing green armor.

"Tallis? What is the meaning of this!?" Eva demanded, furious and betrayed.

"I'm sorry we had to do this, I really am, but it was for your own good." Tallis said sympathetically.

"Wait a minute, just wait a minute. Drugging me senseless, kidnapping me, then chaining me in a dungeon was for my own good? You're cracked worse than a glass floor!" Eva shot back with sarcastic outrage. "Oh, and by the way, which one of you drugged me?"

"Sorry, but that was me, da'len." Answered Tallis' companion, the elf with the closs-cropped brown hair who accompanied her to the Temple of Mythal.

"What? You called me da'len. Are you Dalish?" Eva asked disbelievingly.

The elf turned his head away, but there was no shame on his face. More like nostalgia for something that was no longer there. "I was, once. But that was before I joined the Qun. I'm Isskari now."

"You...you're qunari?" Eva repeated unable to believe her own ears. Her disbelief quickly turned into anger for what this convert just did to her. "I guess the qunari must have made a real man out of you when they told you to drug and kidnap a thirteen-year-old girl. Let's how tough you are when your target's cooks you like a whole-roasted hog!"

Eva raised her hand towards the nearby torch to turn the qunari convert into a smoldering slab of meat, but when she tried to activate her magic, a horrible pain surged from her neck and spread throughout her body, making her scream in agony. It was like a thousand burning hot knives were stabbing her all over her body. After a few minutes that felt like hours, the pain finally stopped, leaving Eva feeling numb all over, barely able to move a muscle.

"You see, Tallis? I told you putting that collar on was a smart move." Isskari said almost scoldingly to his comrade. "Mages, no matter their race cannot be trusted."

"She is only a child!" Tallis argued.

"And the fact that her people let her just wonder around loose with no oversight or discipline to curtail her magic only makes her that much more dangerous!" Isskari shouted. "Don't forget, that it's because of elven mages like her that we're in the danger that we're now in. It's only by taking measures like this that we ensure the safety of everyone."

"Treating her like this isn't going to make anything, especially us, better." Tallis contended. "This isn't what the Qun demands."

"Maybe not, but it is what the Viddasala ordered. You may be ben-hessrath, but I answer directly to her." The Isskari reminded sternly. "Don't forget, it's because of your disobedience to the Qun that has always gotten you into so much trouble. Don't let your weak-hearted sympathies endanger your standing any more than it already is."

Tallis stood there stubbornly biting her own lip to keep herself from spouting any more insolence. She hated to admit it, but the Isskari was right. Her constant conflict with the mandates of the Qun was what always got her in trouble. This was perhaps the biggest mission she had ever been apart of as ben-hessrath, and she couldn't afford to endanger her standing in the Qun if she was to continue fulfilling her role. Even if she did feel like crap about it.

Isskari walked out of the cell, trusting Tallis to keep a close eye on their prisoner. Tallis looked down on the little girl, slumped on the floor in chains and still in pain, and couldn't help but hate herself for doing this, even if it was what her role demanded of her. Once, a long time ago, Tallis was in that very same position when she was a slave in Tevinter.

Eva slowly lifted her head from the floor, her eyes throwing poisoned daggers at Tallis. Her throat and body was still numb, but she forced herself to speak. "Why...why are you doing this?"

"I am sorry, Eva, but this is the only way." Tallis said sorrowfully. "The Inquisitor is a great man and he saved the world by killing Corypheus. This is the only way we can honor him."

"Kidnapping me, chaining and torturing me, giving him every reason to want to butcher all of you like the cattle you are is how you honor Rajmael?" Eva said in total outrage. "Lady, you must be smoking something, or the Qun did that thing where they take your brain away."

"You don't understand, Eva. Your step-father is dying, and the South is going to be destroyed. Bringing you here and saving you from its destruction was the only way the Qun could honor what the Inquisitor has done for the world."

Eva was stunned into silence, her anger and outrage was swept away by shock. The numbness she felt from that collar did nothing to deaden the horrible sense of anguish she felt clutching at her heart.

"No, that can't be true. You're lying. You're lying!" Eva rejected with tears starting to well in her eyes.

"I wish that I was, Eva. I really do." Tallis said sorrowfully as she walked out of the cell.

Tallis had done a lot of things she wasn't proud of for the ben-hessrath, but this? Kidnapping a little girl from her home, locking in her chains, then leaving her crying on the floor after telling her that her father's going to die? It had to be the shittiest thing Tallis had ever done. She wished she could do something for Eva, but Isskari was right. Taking action outside her role had endangered her position in the Qun many times, and if she were to mess up in an operation this big, with someone as high-ranking as the Viddasala overseeing it, Tallis might very well lose her role in the Qun altogether.

"Asit Tal-eb. Asit Tal-eb. Asit Tal-eb." Tallis repeated to herself like a mantra, trying to bury the horrible sense of guilt she was feeling beneath the certainty of the Qun. "Asit Tal-eb. It must be."

~XoXoXo~

The Inquisitor and his comrades made their way back to the Crossroads and searched for the location of the mirror that note they found on the qunari spy mentioned. When they arrived there, all they found was the same land paths that had been left there. Earlier, the qunari made these land bridges connect between the islands somehow, and the magic of this place was certainly capable of doing the unexpected. The only question was how to find it?

All of them searched for anything that might raise the path to the other floating island to find this mirror marked by a bookcase. One object they found resting right next to the very end of the bridge. It looked like a giant purple egg with a spiraling top and a handprint stamped on it. Whether it served some kind of function or was purely decorative was uncertain.

"Hmm? Now isn't this a pretty little thing." Zevran observed curiously eyeing the strange egg like he was a magpie looking at a bauble. "You know, I think this would look outstanding on my mantelpiece back in Antiva."

"Zevran, maybe you shouldn't..."

But Rajmael's warning came to late. The instant Zevran's hand touched the handprint on the artifact, the bridge behind them vanished, or more like melted away into oblivion and leaving nothing but empty air between the two islands. Everyone glared at the Antivan Crow's impulsive and nearly ill-fated impulsive action.

"Heh-heh. Sorry about that everyone. No harm, no foul, right?" Zevran said sheepishly. He quickly tapped the icon on the object again, and the bridge reappeared like an invisible veil had been covering it.

"Zevran, you are so lucky none of us were on that." Aedan warned agitatedly. "And this isn't the first time your wandering hands have nearly gotten me and others in trouble! From now on, unless we're killing someone, keep your hand in your pockets!"

"So that's how the qunari have been reaching to the other islands." Hawke realized.

Sera groaned in frustration at the discovery they just made. "Ugh. Why can't rocks in this place stay where they're supposed to like they're supposed to? Stupid magic!"

"Hmph. The Viddasala's got to be desperate if she's risking her men by sending them to play hopscotch across magic floating islands." Iron Bull grumbled.

"I've seen temples back in Minrathous that still float above the ground, but nothing like this. I wonder what other things the ancient elves created." Dorian observed rather impressed.

"Well, now we can put them to some good use and get to the Viddasala." Rajmael stated.

The Inquisitor touched the nearby activation stone and the massive stones appeared out of thin air and rearranged themselves to form a solid bridge for them to cross. Everyone wasted no time and quickly crossed the magical land path to the third island. They followed the tiled path up to the small island's summit where they found the eluvian marked by a bookcase, several of them in fact. There were so many books that many of them spilled off their shelves and were pilled into small towers all of the floor.

"An eluvian marked by a bookshelf. This must be it." Rajmael realized.

"Then let us get answers from this Viddasala, and take Eva back." Cassandra said severely.

Everyone filed through the eluvian, trying as hard as they could to mentally prepare themselves for wherever this mirror might send them.

~XoXoXo~

The mirror transported them to yet another elven ruin, except this was different than the others they visited. It was a ruin of elven make, but it was like they were transported to a different area within the realm between the Fade and the physical world. A ruin built upon an island within the infinite abyss of light, much larger than the ones they had seen previously. No walls, no roof, it was as if the ancient elves didn't want to cut themselves off the from the majesty of this realm, like they wanted to declare their mastery over their ability by making this an open-air building.

The sight of it practically stole Rajmael's breath from his lungs. This was no ancient temple where rituals of piety were practiced, nor was it a long burial sight where the ancient elves interred their dead. Shelves of books upon books, entire volumes of ancient and forgotten lore stacked on tables and the floor. This was a place of learning. A place of knowledge, everything Rajmael had sought his entire life.

"I don't believe it. Look at all these books!" Rajmael marveled like a wide-eyed child. "Is this some sort of ancient elven library?"

"We should be careful. This place feel like it was torn apart by so horrible magical backlash a long time ago. This place is still feeling the effect of it." Dorian warned cautiously.

It was true. Rajmael could feel the backlash Dorian was referring to. This place didn't feel whole. Like something just ripped massive holes into the structure of this place. Despite how grand this place seemed, it was not as great as it once was. Like a mirror that had been shattered, pieces had broken off of it and it was no longer whole. What could have happened to this place?

"Hmph. This place stinks of magical crap. Why would the Viddasala want to come here? What does she hope to find?" Iron Bull wondered, irritated by where they were.

"Well, this is a library, possibly full of lost knowledge, I daresay she must searching for some sort knowledge that pertains to her goal." Vivienne deduced.

Despite the urgency of their mission, Rajmael was compelled by his very nature as a Dalish elf to grab one of the books and read its contents. When he opened the cover, he flashing images fly past him, like he was being pulled through a tunnel at an impossible speed. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing before a sight he could scarcely believe he was seeing. A city of glass spires so blue they made his eyes ache pressed against a crimson setting sun. The city's outskirts are wrapped in lakes of mist, and figures stroll along the pearly, glowing strips as if they walked on solid ground. Groves of trees woven into enormous parks shelter elves in quiet hollows, while other elves walk below a river churning along an invisible shoal in the air.

This was no mere illusion or image conjured by magic playing before Rajmael's eyes. He could feel the cool breeze on his skin, hear the magic of the city humming, smell the sweetness of the air around him. Rajmael was actually seeing the memory of an elven city, in a time when his people were masters of the world. The book fell from Rajmael's hands, and he found himself standing back in the middle of the shattered library, with his comrades looking at him with queer looks.

"Rajmael, are you alright? You seemed like you were dazing out of it for a moment." Cassandra asked, deeply concerned.

"Yeah, you looked at that book, then it was like you weren't even there." Varric pointed out. "Are you alright?"

Rajmael found it difficult to remain calm over what he had just seen. For the first time in years, he felt that excited sense of wonder and amazement at discovering another piece of his people's knowledge and history. More so than he could have ever imagined. "I...I saw it. This book, all of them, every book here, they're not merely descriptions written on paper. They don't describe history, they are history! I saw the memories that were laid out in this book like I was actually there! All these tomes and volumes, they're the memories of my people!"

"You mean you didn't read the book, you actually witnessed it?" Dorian asked astonished. "That's amazing."

"Something that so completely captures the memory of the writer that it actually shows it to you? I've never heard of such magic." Vivienne admitted.

"This is a place of memories. A place where others could learn from others, witness the world around them. It remembers what others have forgotten." Cole spoke insightfully.

"To be able to witness history instead of learning from hearsay? There are many scholars who would give their lives for such knowledge, and just as many who would wish to cover it up." Cassandra said insightfully. "How much actual truth do you think we could learn from these tomes? Truth that hasn't been mired in prejudice and politics?"

"I wonder how the elves ever managed to create such magic. Did they pluck the memories from someone's head and put it in a book, or did they have the book just watch what was going on?" Ranier said curiously, unable to imagine how magic truly works.

"Books are usually boring, and these magic ones sound creepy. Unless they got naughty books stashed around here somewhere." Sera said mischievously.

"Well, this puts everything the Shaperate has back in Orzammar to shame. You think there's an instruction manual around here about how to write books like that?" Varric asked with a sly grin on his face. "Cause I know there's people who would pay a fortune to actually witness some of the scenes I've got in Hard in Hightown."

"Maker knows I would." Zevran chuckled lewdly.

Hawke scanned all the books surrounding them and shared the Inquisitor's astonishment. "Can you imagine it? For all we know, the entire history of the elves is written here. This place could revive the elven people's entire culture! What I would give to have Merrill here right now."

"You all might want to be careful what you wish for." Aedan said grimly. "If there's one thing I've learned the hard way, it's that the truth is never always what you want it to be. We already know that there are some blemishes on the history of the ancient elves. Who knows what other dark secrets might linger here, secrets no one will want to know."

While his comrades continued with their comments and banter, Rajmael picked up another book at random, wanting to see another piece of his people's history without considering any kind of consequence. Rajmael opened the covers of the tome and felt himself transported into memories hidden within its pages.

Rajmael stood on narrow a plateau of a mountain capped in snow. He found himself wearing a suit of armor of ancient and majestic make that was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was as black as jet that fit him like a second skin, and he could feel the magic that was forged into it. Approaching Rajmael from the other side of the plateau was another elven knight. This one was clad in equally magnificent armor that shined like gold. On his hip, he carried a sylvanwood sword, just like Rajmael's enasalin. On the elven knight's face, he bore the same vallaslin that Nethras carried when Rajmael dueled him: the Vallaslin of Elgar'nan.

The golden knight bowed to Rajmael in respect, and the Inquisitor felt an involuntary compulsion to return the gesture, like he was acting out this scene for whosever memory this was. Rajmael was not in control of his actions, his body moved by the will of another, like a puppet on a stage. The two of them faced towards the horizon, and knelt in deepest reverence and recited an ancient prayer whose words Rajmael did not understand. The two elven knight then faced one another, drew their sylvanwood swords, and engaged each other with fearsome and murderous intensity.

Rajmael couldn't believe what was happening to him. He was not in control of his own body, yet his movements, his technique was greater than it had ever been before in all his years of training and combat. The two of them moved so fast that time seemed to have stopped, and their blades hummed loudly as they cut through the air. Both of them exchanged attacks at one another, each of them trying to surpass each other with their technique.

The sun rose and set countless times and the moons passed through all their phases over the two of elven knights fought ferociously against one another as what felt like a century passed over them, all while neither one backing down or giving quarter to the other. Blood began to speck the ground as they knocked pieces of their armor off their bodies, but neither one of them stopped to acknowledge the pain, or even breath. Then it happened. It happened so fast, Rajmael didn't even see it until it was too late. The golden knight slashed his blade across Rajmael's neck and opened his throat. Rajmael fell to the ground, his blood spurting from the open wound in his neck. The golden knight stood over his dying opponent and bowed in respect for such an intense and noble duel.

As Rajmael's vision began to fade, he heard a strange voice whispering in the back of his mind in the elvhen language, yet he understood it like it was the common tongue.

"Mythal, in her wisdom, interceded in an argument between Elgar'nan and Falon'Din. With clever words, she convince them to settle their grievance through a battle of their champions. Elgar'nan and Falon'Din agreed, and set their champions against each other rather than declare war among the gods. May those knights long be remembered, and Mythal's wisdom be praised."

Mythal had averted war amongst the Evanuris by proposing a duel? These two magnificent knights fought one another with such intensity to save their people from a war of godlike proportions. The black knight whose memory Rajmael was living died to protect his people and to uphold the honor of the god he served. There could have been no greater honor than that for an Arcane Warrior. And as Rajmael's eyes began to fade into total blackness, he realized that despite all his years of training, all the technique and skill he had mastered, his mastery of the Dirth'ena Enasalin was nothing compared to his ancestors.

Rajmael's eyes closed and when he opened them again, he found himself standing once more amongst his comrades. It seemed as if only seconds had past, yet he witnessed what felt like a century in single man's lifetime. He unconsciously clutched at his neck, as if the wound he had suffered in that memory were still there. He was thankful to find that his throat had not been sliced open.

As the Inquisitor recovered from his second out-of-body experience, Hawke curiously picked up a book from one of the nearby tables and scanned its contents. What he found behind on those pages left his mouth hanging open and his eyes almost bugging out of his head.

"General, I think you need to see this." Hawke said handing the book over to the Fereldan officer with that astonished look on his face.

Aedan took the tome from the Champion, interested in what had him so astonished. Aedan flipped through the pages, and couldn't believe what he was reading. Now he understood what had shocked the Champion so completely. Every page in this book had been written on, but it only repeated the same word over and over again. Enchantment. Enchantment, enchantment. Enchantment! Aedan flipped back to the front of the book and looked at the cover. It was titled: The Very Private Diary of Sandal Feddic, DO NOT READ!

"You have got to be shitting me!" Aedan said confounded, unable to take his eyes of the diary in front of him.

"You think we should tell the others?" Hawke asked curiously.

"Nope! No way. We've got enough weirdness to deal with at the moment." Aedan refused staunchly.

"You're probably right. I doubt we could get a straight answer about this anyway." Hawke agreed. "Some questions are just better left unanswered."

"Did you two handsome heroes find something interesting?" Zevran asked curiously.

"NO!" The Hero and the Champion both denied adamantly.

"Andaran atish'an, mirthadra elvhen." Said an ethereal voice that startled all of them. Sera was so surprised that she shrieked and dropped the book she grabbed.

Everyone turned around and was surprised to see a strange spirit standing behind them. Unlike the other spirits they had encountered on this adventure, this one didn't seem hostile. Quite the contrary, it seemed rather friendly. It even picked up the book Sera dropped and placed it back on one of the shelves before presenting itself before Rajmael and gave him a polite bow.

"Aneth'ara dirth'ena enasalin tir Dirthamen." The spirit greeted politely.

"Another spirit, and it speaks the tongue of my ancestors, like those sentries we encountered in the Valley of the Dread Wolf." Rajmael observed.

"If you wish, honored Arcane Warrior, I will speak so that your guests may understand." The spirit graciously offered. "I am Study. I am a learning thirst. Come, know what has not been lost. New words. New stories. The Qunari would not approach us, but we learned their tongue as well. If you wish to exchange knowledge with these other guests, they congregate near the lower gate."

"How do you know that I am an Arcane Warrior?" Rajmael inquired.

"Your magic and your weapon are an unmistakable sign of your status, honored guest. And your vallaslin is that of the God of Knowledge and Fortune, Exalted Dirthamen. It is natural for one such as you to have come here."

"I am searching for a Qunari called the Viddasala. Can you tell me what she's doing here?" Rajmael asked.

"Viddasala. Yes. She uses scholars and mages for study. Mages bound in chains and collars. They fear this place, but seek knowledge of the Veil."

Rajmael's eyebrow quirked with instinctive curiosity. "The Veil? What could the Viddasala possibly want to know about the Veil?"

"I regret I have no more information, honored Arcane Warrior." The Spirit of Study answered sincerely. "I am sundered from myself. If you discover another one of me nearer the Qunari, I might know more of them. Kindly give it my greetings, I have not thought with myself in countless ages."

"You're a Spirit of Knowledge then? Are there more of you here?" Rajmael asked deeply curious.

"Yes, I am, we are, the Archivist. We are the stewards of this place. We keep the knowledge gathered by the elvhen alive, ensure that what survived the Fall isn't lost."

Despite the urgency of their mission, Rajmael was compelled by his very nature as a Dalish elf to ask questions of this spirit regarding his people. This might be the only opportunity he will ever have to learn any new truths about them.

"What is this place? What did my ancestors use it for?"

After so many countless years of isolation, the Spirit of Study was happy to converse with someone who sought to learn. "This is the Vir Dirthara. The Path of Knowledge. The living knowledge and memory of the empire. The libraries of every city. The wisdom of every court. A connecting place whose paths are in disarray."

"Why is the Vir Dirthara in disarray? What happened to this place?"

"The Vir Dirthara was made with the world and the Fade. When they were sundered, so were we." The Archivist answered sorrowfully. "Paths broke, knowledge fragmented. Many were trapped here. I preserve their last words."

"Last words?"

"What happened? Where are the path? Where are the paths!? Gods save me, the floor is gone! Do not let me fall! Do not let...!" The Spirit recalled and mimicked the voices with vivid detail. As if the doomed voices were actually screaming through her. "On this spot, that is all."

"Well, that's a pretty picture. Thanks." Iron Bull said sarcastically.

"Creepy spirit is creepy. We should stop talking to it." Sera shuddered."

"Nothing scarier than watching other people die." Hawke said dourly.

Rajmael's scholarly compulsion became even stronger the more this spirit spoke to him. Like an addict getting a taste for a new, stronger narcotic. He had to have more. "Please, what else can you tell me about my people? What were my ancestors like? How old is our history?"

"I will try to recall, honored patron, but there are gaps...breaks...Greetings. Laughter. Emma enasal. Forms out of air. Light. Memories." The Archivist struggled to remember so much, but something was causing it pain. Like a person trying to recite a poem while having a seizure. It tried, but it was so hard. "Aneth'ara! So many. Paths broken at every...Missing. Missing. Missing!"

"Stop! Please, stop." Cole begged compassionately. "You don't need to hurt yourself."

"Yes, I...wisdom from Compassion. Yes, I will stop." The Spirit of Study said graciously, finally calming down. "My apologies, honored patron. I knew all once. We all knew. With the Break, we all remember only fragments or new knowledge, ever since the Fall. You may find the answers you seek within the halls of the library, or with the other parts of me that have fragmented from each other."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any more answers from this poor spirit, and remembering his purpose for being here, Rajmael decided it was time to move on. "Ma nuvinen, elgar, but we must continue on now."

"Know this, Arcane Warrior: An unknown person, not of the qunari, has awoken the Librarians." The Archivist warned.

"An unknown person? Might be that agent of Fen'heral that's been harassing the qunari." Hawke deduced. "Perhaps this agent and the Vir Banal'ras you mentioned really are the same thing."

"The Librarians facilitated learning and maintained the order of the Library before the fracture. Before the Fall." The Spirit of Study continued forebodingly. "Now, beware them. They are...unwell. Detached from what they once were."

~XoXoXo~

Taking the Archivist's warning seriously, Rajmael and his companions continued onward. As they walked further, they paid witness to the expansion of the Spirit Library, and were awed by both its glory and its ruin. Like the Crossroads, there were expansive islands hanging above the misty abyss, but these were held up by immense pillars of stone that extended down into the infinite nothingness. All the buildings on the islands had been shattered, leaving behind shattered walls, fallen statues, and broken bricks that littered the ground. Despite its ruin, the library was still glorious in its own way. The elven architecture that still stood was as vibrant as the day it was built, and those artificial elven trees still hummed with softly glowing magic. And the statues that remained standing still retained their majesty.

"Has my sanity finally snapped, or am I actually seeing this?" Aedan asked disbelievingly as he pointed up towards the sky.

All of them looked upwards and suddenly shared the Hero's sentiment. Instead of looking up to see a skyline, all of them were looking up at yet another island hanging upside down right above their heads. The island housed another ruin with an active eluvian shimmering on it. Rajmael could see an active campsite on the airborne island, where the qunari were carrying out some kind of operation.

"There's the qunari! On that...upside down island." Rajmael pointed.

"Aww, shit! Can't anything be the way it supposed to in this damned place!?" Iron Bull groaned in frustration.

"It appears that the laws of physics are bent in this realm, being in between the Fade and the real world." Hawke deduced logically. "Maybe we're the ones who are actually upside down."

"Hawke, that's really not helping right now." Varric said nervously. Suddenly, he began to appreciate the infamous fear of recently exiled dwarves' fear of falling off the world and found it not so ridiculous.

"Look, over there. Another mirror. Maybe it can take us over to where those qunari are camped." Ranier pointed to the other side of a narrow bridge whose path had been shattered to pieces. On the other side of the infinite chasm, there stood an active eluvian.

"There is no way we're making it over there." Dorian stated, observing the immense distance between them and that mirror over the endless void beneath them.

"The qunari somehow did. We need to find a way across." Cassandra determined. The Seeker noticed another one of those strange egg-like activation stones and decided to touch to see if it could create a path. Sure enough, when she touched the handprint on it, it activated several large stones that floated over the voice and reconnected as a section of the bridge.

"Well, that did the trick, but it's not enough to get us across. We need to find more activation stones if we're going to make it to the qunari, and the Viddasala." Rajmael said purposefully. He looked over towards the nearby broken building and saw another active eluvian resting inside. "Come on, maybe we'll find more activation stones this way. And keep an eye out for any clues the qunari may have left behind that can give some indication about what they're doing here."

~XoXoXo~

They all emerged from the other side of the eluvian and found themselves in another a large chamber within the library. There were shelves of books on all sides of the spacious room, all over loaded with those magical books. The chamber was so immense it could have housed the Skyhold throne room in it. It must have been some sort of crossroad travel center for the library, judging from the several eluvians housed inside, including the one they just walked through.

In the dead center of the expansive chamber was one of those strange artificial elven trees, and it was crackling with magic. It looked as if it's forged branches were crackling with green fire. Rajmael didn't know why, but he felt some sort of impulse to approach the strange artifact, like it was somehow calling out to him. The tree ignited brightly, and the Anchor in Rajmael's palm flared like a torch, burning his hand all the way up to his shoulder.

Rajmael grasped his left hand and shouted in pain at the surge of power flaring from the mark.

"Your mark, Rajmael, it's getting worse." Cassandra said deeply worried.

"What...what's happening to this thing?" Rajmael gritted through his teeth.

"Did you see what happened? The Anchor reacted to magic, elven magic." Dorian pointed out.

"All these eluvians start activating and all this ancient elven magic starts coming to life for the first time in countless millennia, and the Inquisitor's mark starts acting out. This cannot be a coincidence." Hawke informed thoughtfully. "Somehow, whatever's going on here is having an effect on the Inquisitor."

"Is it possible that the qunari's actions here are what's causing all this?" Aedan suggested.

"It certainly seems possible." Vivienne agreed pensively. "Meddling with magic they do not understand in some mad attempt to commit a terrorist plot, it would certainly have some magical ramifications."

"Maybe this part of the qunari's plan: kill the Inquisitor with his own damned mark so her can't stop them like he did Corypheus." Ranier suggested contemptuously.

"If only Solas were here. I'm sure he could find some kind of solution to this ancient magic stuff." Varric sighed.

"Yeah, too bad he beat feet and disappeared like a pansy." Sera snorted.

"No, no. He didn't run. He had his own quest to fulfil after he helped us." Cole said quietly, but everyone ignored.

"Hey, Boss, can you walk? That thing gonna keep being a problem?" Iron Bull asked with concern for his friend and employer.

Rajmael staggered to his feet, flexed his hand and felt the pain starting to die down in his palm. This was getting worse, but he had no time for it. He had to save Eva before worrying about his own pain.

"I'm fine. This isn't going to stop me. We'll worry about it later." Rajmael assured.

The Inquisitor approached the active eluvian on the western side of the chamber. Next to it was the ruined statue of an elven woman that had be broken to pieces. Rajmael looked at the broken pieces of the statue and saw the images of halla and the woman's head was masked and bore antlers. Despite its ruin, the woman's carved face was still beautiful and her eyes seemed to be filled it knowledge. Unlike the rest of the library, which had been shattered by some terrible tragedy, this statue looked like it had been smashed. Like whoever broke it was angry at the statue.

"Wonder who this lady is, or was?" Iron Bull said curiously.

"It has to be Ghilan'nain, the elven goddess of guidance and Mother of Halla." Rajmael answered insightfully. He noticed something resting on Ghilan'nain's face. It was a ripped page that could have been from any one of these books, but someone intentionally left it here.

Rajmael picked up the page, and wasn't transported to some distant memory because of its ruin. The paper was written in ancient elven, but the pages morphed and changed so that Rajmael could read it. It told a fascinating story.

Ghilan'nain kept herself apart from the People. She used her power to create animals none had ever seen. The skies teemed with her monsters, the land with her beasts. Andruil hunted them all, and after a year of killing, approached Ghilan'nain with an offer: the gods would share their power with Ghilan'nain, but only if she destroyed her creations, for they were too untamed to remain among the People. Ghilan'nain agreed and asked for three days to undo what she had made.

On the first day she struck down the monsters of the air, except those she presented to Andruil as a gift.

On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those who lurked in deepest water, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand.

On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else.

This is how Ghilan'nain was made youngest of the gods.

"This...this is why Ghilan'nain is considered the youngest of the elven gods and why her legends are associated with Anruil?" Rajmael said piecing all this together. "Once you peel back the lairs, there is truth to be found in our myths."

"As a guy who bullshits for a living, I can tell you that any story ever written, whether it's true or false, got its start somewhere." Varric informed.

"Yeah, then guys like you come along and mess up the details, which further obscures the details." Hawke spoke from personal experience.

"You gotta remember Hawke, that when most people retell as story, they tell it in a way that suits the listener. Like most facts of history." Varric reminded.

"How extraordinary." Dorian remarked. "Even in the ancient Imperium, Tevinter relied on a class of holy priests to commune with the Old Gods and decipher their wishes. The ancient elves, on the other hand, seemed to have had direct contact with their gods."

"So this Ghilan'nain was granted divine status by the goddess of the hunt after creating powerful beasts and then destroyed them? Hm. What a means of promotion." Aedan commented, rather impressed.

"Is that a compliment from you, Lord Cousland?" Cassandra questioned skeptically. "I would have thought you would have cursed at such folly."

"Folly? Don't be stupid, Pentaghast. This woman obviously wielded great power, enough to where even the mighty goddess of the hunt was forced to treat with her. The only bargaining chip the Evanuris could grant Ghilan'nain in exchange for destroying her own creations was to grant her godhood. An accomplishment like that demands respect." Aedan responded staunchly. "It's a more worthy exchange for divinity than what Andraste did."

"In any event, it proves that my people's myths are more than just that. Our history is based in truth, only mired in countless millennia of forgotten and misinterpreted lore." Rajmael realized. "I wonder what else the Vir Dirthara can reveal about my people."

"Maybe we'll find more as we go. We should keep going." Ranier suggested.

Listening to Ranier's suggestion, Rajmael tucked the page into his pocket, burning its words, its truth into his mind, so that he might not forget it. If he did not survive this quest, he had to make sure that this information reached his people. They deserved to know the truth and no longer live in ignorance. They must know the truth of their gods.

~XoXoXo~

All of them emerged from the eluvian and walked into another destroyed section of this expansive ruin. Vines of ivy as thick as ropes clung to the walls, books littering the ground off their broken shelves, the walls around them crumbling. Most disturbing of all was all the bodies that were scattered on the ground. All around the mirror and scattered across the room were the dead corpses of the qunari soldiers that came to this chamber. They came here searching for something, only to find their deaths.

"Holy shit. What happened here?" Varric asked at the disturbing sight.

"Looks like the scouts that were sent here found more than they could handle." Iron Bull snorted.

"Look at their bodies." Hawke observed. "Not a mark on them. No wounds, no signs of trauma, but their faces? Bug-eyes with their jaws locked open, it's almost as if these qunari died of fright."

"They didn't even have a chance to grab their weapons. Whatever did this, it killed them instantly." Aedan noted.

Cole looked down on the dead qunari soldiers with sympathy on his face. "They came here, full of purpose, ready to fulfill their role. They wouldn't be stopped, not while they had orders. Then something came through the mirror. They were scared, then they were dead."

"Can't you stop being so creepy all the time!?" Sera shuddered at Cole's description.

"Well, maybe that thing over there can give us the answers we need." Ranier pointed over to a nearby spirit that appeared to have been trying to tidy up one of the nearby bookshelves.

"Looks like the Archivist. Must be another one of those aspects of itself that it mentioned earlier." Dorian reminded.

The aspect of the Spirit of Study noticed it had guests and approached them almost with a sense of excitement. "Visitors! Patrons, welcome. Listen to the last words of those who lived past the Fall."

"How could the Dread Wolf cast a Veil between the World the Dream and The World the Wakes?!" A strange voice cried in agony.

"The Evanuris will send people. They will save us!" Another voice whimpered in vain hope.

"When have you last heard from the gods? When the Dread Wolf cast the Veil, they went silent!" A doomed voice shouted in finality.

Rajmael's face was painted completely witch shock, his eyes with disbelief. "I don't believe it. Are you saying that it was Fen'heral who cast the Veil between the waking and dreaming worlds?"

"Impossible!" Vivienne admonished adamantly. "If there were a time when the Veil didn't exist, there'd be some record of it in human history."

"Except this isn't human history." Hawke reminded sternly. "Elven history far predates our species. After the Imperium enslaved the elves, they went to great lengths to destroy any trace and evidence of the elves' history. Anything that might have made the elves seem like a mighty people. No different than what the Chantry did."

"Can you imagine the implications this knowledge has? It could revolutionize and overturn history as we know it!" Dorian said excitedly. "Well, more so than what we've already done."

"This place remembers. It still holds on to the days when dreaming and waking were the same." Cole said.

"I wonder if Solas knew about this. I remember he used to talk about what would world be like if there was no Veil." Ranier recalled thoughtfully. "I thought he was just being bonkers with his obsession with spirits, but maybe he on to something after all."

"What? A world, no Veil, Fade and real all mixed together? Demons and things walking around? No, no, no! Not listening to this!" Sera denied, plugging her ears, trying to block it out.

Iron Bull snorted agitatedly at all this magical discovery they were making. "Magic mirror crap. Floating islands crap, demon crap! Ugh! I'm gonna need someone to hit me with the stick again once we're all done with this!"

"Ooh! That sounds like fun, count me." Zevran volunteered excitedly. "Is it as dirty as it sounds?"

"Not in public, at least." Dorian said under his breath.

"This cannot be the real truth." Cassandra tried to dismiss skeptically. "The Chant of Light...it teaches that the Maker created the Fade and real world separate from each other. How can this be?"

A faint, stifled chuckle escaped Aedan's lips, and he did his best to keep himself from smiling. Despite his efforts to hide it, it was obvious that there was something about this discovery that amused him deeply.

Rajmael's head was twisting into knots. The Dread Wolf erected the Veil between the Fade and waking world? How could he have done that, and why? If he was such revolutionary, why did he destroy the people he was trying to save? None of this was making any sense, but he had to keep focused on the mission.

"Can you help us raise the bridge to that upside-down island?"

"You wish to go further into the Vir Dirthara, honored Arcane Warrior? Touch the activation stone, it will take you to your destination." The Archivist pointed to another of the egg-like stones. Rajmael touched it and some of the debris on the ground floated back to the bridge. "The way is still not open to you. Go to the broken tower and speak with the other part of me to raise the next part of the bridge."

"Can you tell us what happened to the qunari here, spirit?" Aedan inquired.

"The qunari, yes. They came here seeking information. I tried to help them, but they ignored me. When the Librarians came and saw them abusing the books, they reprimanded them." The Archivist answered casually.

"Shit. I'd hate to have an overdue book in this library. These guys must mean business." Aedan commented.

"Come on. Let's head back to that courtyard and see where that other mirror takes us." Rajmael instructed.

~XoXoXo~

All of them made their way back to the central courtyard. Many of them found it annoying and tedious having to do all this backtracking and walking around in circles, but it was the only way they could navigate through this place. Still, it was much better than being lost and possibly running into those Librarians. After what they did to those qunari, none of them were eager to find out just what the Librarians actually were.

They made their way through the second eluvian in the courtyard and arrived at the summit of a broken tower. It looked as if some kind of explosion just tore the roof of this place, leaving it open to the endless sky. In the center of the section they stood at was another elven tree artifact surrounded by a circle of elven statues in the shape of hooded priests making offering to the tree. And surrounding those statues were even more dead qunari. Just like the ones they saw before, their faces were frozen in terror, their eyes wide open, and not a wound on their bodies.

"Well, look what we have here. More qunari who look like they died shitting themselves." Aedan said disdainfully.

"Looks like the qunari came here looking for trouble and found more than they could handle." Zevran commented.

"These Librarians, whatever they are, we must be careful of them." Hawke warned. "Dying of fright is no small thing. Even a coward can't die that easily."

"That's a good point." Iron Bull agreed. "Qunari soldier train to fight magic and even demonic encounters for when we fight the Vints, so don't scare easily. Whatever did this to these guys, it's really bad. I hate demons."

"It could be a fear demon, but I have never encountered or heard of one that could kill like this. We must be on our guard." Cassandra said cautiously.

"Maybe we should just try ignoring all the dead qunari on the ground and find a way to lift that bridge as quickly as possible, so we don't have to encounter these Librarians form hell?" Varric urged insistently.

"If you're looking for the Librarians, I fear you have just missed them." Spoke an echoing ethereal voice. It was a third aspect of the Archivist. It came out of nowhere so suddenly that Varric, Sera, and even Iron Bull jumped in shock.

"Damn it, I wish these things would stop doing that!" Iron Bull shouted.

"Do these gotta be so creepy all the friggin' time!?" Sera screeched in outrage.

"It was bad enough when Cole was lurking around the place, but these guys are even worse." Varric said trying to keep his heart from jumping out of his mouth.

"Aneth'ara. I welcome you, honored Dirth'ena Enasalin and your guests." The Archivist greeted. "Come, listen to the last words of those who last walked this place."

"If we get out of here, I will end Fen'heral myself!" An enraged voice swore.

"After he held back the sky to imprison the gods, the Dread Wolf disappeared." Another voice said with deep melancholy.

"Lies! We must tear down this Veil! The cities, the pathways...without magic, They're crumbling!"

"You're wasting your time. Fen'heral's Veil has already turned our empire into ruins."

This revelation hit Rajmael harder than any weapon possibly could. "That...that's what happened to Elvhenan? The empire of my ancestors collapsed because the Veil weakened magic? Without magic, everything they built couldn't sustain itself."

"What Abelas said was true." Dorian acknowledged. "The elven empire collapsed on itself, and without magic, they couldn't have possibly have been as powerful as they were. My ancestors just came along and scavenged what was left."

"If what we're hearing is true, it would have been a disaster beyond all measure." Cassandra said, hardly able to believe this herself. "And this tragedy was done by one of their own kind?"

"That doesn't make any sense." said Ranier. "I thought this Fen'heral was trying to free his people, but instead he destroyed them?"

"So this Dread Wolf guy is the reason why there's a Veil?" Iron Bull asked rhetorically. "Man, we must have been ass-deep in demons back then!"

"That's not such a bad thing, is it?" Sera asked skeptically. "I mean, sure it was bad and all, and Fenny was a real shit to do it, but now we got no demons and crap worry about, right?"

"Of course it's a bad thing, you silly twit!" Zevran responded in outrage. He couldn't believe another elf could possibly think that. "You think elves have it better now than when we did before this happened? How many elves who live like slaves or in complete ruin and poverty would gladly put up with demons and magic just to have a fraction of this world of theirs back? How ignorant can you be to think this tragedy benefitted the elves?"

"Damn. Now, I am really glad Daisy isn't here for this." Varric sighed sadly. "A majestic empire of great wonders, a people once proud and mighty brought low, and try so desperately to cling to that greatness only to fall short at every turn. And worst of all, it was their own kind that did them in. I guess the elves and dwarves have more in common than anyone could possibly know."

Cole looked down at the ground with great sympathy and sorrow for what happened here. "Lost, desperate, and alone. The people who lived past the Fall were left to die here, alone and forgotten. Just like I was."

"A sad fate for a great empire, the elves certainly did not deserve what befell them." Vivienne said sympathetically. "The ancient elves trusted so completely that the world as they knew it would never change. This rubble is the legacy of that trust. Magic is a tool to be used, not a resource to be depended on. Perhaps it is best their little secrets remain lost."

"Oh, would you shut up, you dried-out, ignorant, self-serving, social-climbing hag!" Hawke yelled in disgust.

"Excuse me, Champion?" Vivienne asked, offended by Hawke's words.

"No, you are not excused, Enchanter." Hawke said angrily. "Saying that the elves relied to much on magic is like saying we depend too much on the sun. What do you think would happen if some lunatic actually did manage to extinguish the sun? Millions would die from cold and hunger alone, and millions more would die fighting over what was left. That a selfish bitch like you would use this tragedy to strengthen your own agenda is sickening!"

"I'm sorry if you find what I say offensive, Champion, but try not to be so naïve." Vivienne said superciliously. "You're comparing apples to oranges. The sun is a natural part of this world."

"So is mage and the Fade, you stuck-up bitch." Hawke rebutted harshly. "It's the Veil that's unnatural. You're just too weak to adapt to anything that's outside your small world."

Just like before when they learned more about the truth of what befell the elves, Aedan said nothing. He was trying too hard to keep a straight face and stop himself from smiling. Now, after what they had all just heard, Aedan could no longer help himself. A wide grin spread across his face and he began to laugh hysterically, like a madman. He laughed so hard, fell to his knees and started holding his aching sides.

No one, not even Zevran, had ever seen the Hero of Ferelden laugh so hard. Most didn't even think he was capable of laughing like this. Many of them found it disturbing, while Cassandra found it very offensive.

"Really, General Cousland, this is low even for you!" Cassandra said angrily. "How can someone who speaks of living for protecting his people think to find such amusement in the elves' destruction?!"

"Oh, come now, give me some credit, Seeker. What kind of an asshole do you think I am?" Aedan asked as he regained his composure and wiped a humored tear from his eye. "I'm not laughing at the elves, that would be vile. No, I'm laughing at you."

"Me?" Cassandra asked taken aback.

"Yes, you and every other Chantry dipshit that's ever lived!" Aedan said with full vindication. "Everything we've learned hear, the true history of the elven people, undoes everything the Chantry says, and proves that the Maker is total bullshit! The Chantry preaches that the Maker created the Fade and the real world as separate realms, but the true history of the elves proves that the Fade and real worlds were originally one and the same. Your Maker had nothing to do with it. Everything you believe in, everything the Chantry teaches, is a fucking lie."

Cassandra clenched her fist in rage until her knuckles turned white. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not to punch the antagonistic general in the face; she remembered what happened when Guard-Captain Aveline did that. Cassandra would not be baited, even though the chance to punch that smugness of his face would be worth it.

"You are...despicable." Cassandra cursed loathingly.

"Hey, why should the Inquisitor be the only one here having a crisis of faith." Aedan chuckled. "Maybe once the truth of this is learned and proven, it will knock the Chantry's arrogance down a few pegs."

While his companions were commenting and arguing amongst themselves, Rajmael was trying to comprehend what he had learned throughout this entire ordeal. The spirit and physical worlds were once the same plane of existence. The Evanuris were not true gods, but self-appointed mage-monarchs. Fen'heral was some sort of freedom fighter who led a rebellion of escaped elven slaves against their masters. Then the Dread Wolf erected the Veil, splitting the two worlds apart, and at the same time, he destroyed the very people he was trying to save. Why? Why would he do such a thing? Was his goal not to free them, or was he truly the god of misfortune elven legends painted him to be? The tragedy Fen'heral wrought was what made it possible for elves to have suffered the way they have throughout the course of known history.

"What were the qunari doing here? What were they searching for?" Rajmael finally asked the Archivist.

"I fear I do not know entirely. They took such great effort to ignore me that they failed to realize when the Librarians arrived." The Archivist answered. "They left behind notes that they jotted as they worked."

The spirit handed Rajmael a small stack of papers that had been scribbled down as if the writer were in a hurry to scribe this. Strange algebraic-like formulas were scattered across the paper, spike with dense annotations in Qunlat.

"Are these technical notes?" Rajmael asked, showing the papers to his comrades. "What could the qunari have been studying here?"

"I recognize some of the formulas, but not much else." Dorian said as he glanced the papers. "Some sort of mathematical description on the Veil's strength, but I can't make much else out."

"I think I've seen such formulas studied by the Templars." Vivienne spoke out. "I believe they're looking for ways to strengthen the Veil."

"Makes sense." Iron Bull commented. "If the Veil is what cut the world off from magic, then that's definitely something the Viddasala will want to understand."

"Perhaps she is trying to find a way to recreate the effects of your mark without the use of magic." Hawke suggested.

What Hawke said certainly seemed like what this Viddasala might be after, and these notes certainly supported that theory. Rajmael decided that the best way to get the answers he wanted was to extract them straight from the Viddasala herself.

"Can you raise the bridge that will lead us to that upside down island?" Rajmael requested.

"If that is your desired destination, I will gladly oblige." The Archivist said graciously. She raised her incorporeal arms and several immense stones floated upwards towards the bridge back at the beginning of the library. "The path is open to you now, honored guest."

"Ma nuvenin, elgar." Rajmael said thankfully. "Let's head back to that mirror and see if we can catch up to the Viddasala."

As they walked and stepped over the dead qunari laid across the floor, Rajmael skimmed through the papers the Achivist handed him. He couldn't make much sense of what he held, but there was one paper that captured his attention. It wasn't any note written by the qunari, but in ancient elven. The page had been torn form its originally book, but the magic of the library allowed Rajmael to interpret what was written in this dead language.

"Beware the forms of Fen'heral! The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits. He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison. Remember the price of treason, and keep in your heart the mercy of your gods."

There was something familiar about the description that was written in this warning, but Rajmael was too focused on the task at hand to give it any real thought. For now, they had to press on and get to the Viddasala. It was the only way he was going to get Eva back.

~XoXoXo~

All of them made their way back to the central courtyard where all the mirrors met. As Rajmael walked, he felt something was amiss in this place. Something was wrong. The air suddenly grew colder and he could see his breath fog before his eyes. Rajmael felt an unnatural chill crawl up his spine and heard the faintest sound of must have been clawed feet scurrying on the ground. His heart started racing and he began to feel anxious, like his instincts were telling him to be afraid of this room.

"Hawke, Aedan, do you feel that?"

"I felt it the instant we walked in here." Aedan said, reaching for his axe.

Hawke followed suit and began to reach for his weapon. "We're not alone in here."

"Can't be the qunari. This is something magical." Aedan confirmed. "The fuck is it?"

"The Librarians." Rajmael realized.

"DELTASH!" The word echoed throughout the courtyard, and light began to die in this place, leaving only darkness behind. Several withered, gaunt creatures with a head that looked like the body of a spider with massive, powerful legs kicking angrily and a tangle of gnarled limbs hung beneath their ragged robe as grotesque spider-like creature skittered between them. Their image was almost identical to the Nightmare Demon Rajmael encountered back at Adamant. The Librarians took the most fearful forms most of their minds could comprehend.

"Hello!" Cole greeted the twisted spirits.

Aedan and the rest of them grabbed their weapons and readied to engage.

"Everyone, stop! Do not engage!" Rajmael ordered crucially. "Avert your eyes, and don't look at them!"

"Inquisitor?" Aedan questioned.

"Do as I say!"

Everyone did what they were told. They were apprehensive to leave themselves vulnerable after what these demons did to the qunari, but the Inquisitor must have known what he was doing.

None of them opened their eyes, even as the twisted spirits of this place circles around them and whispered unknown warnings into their ears, they did not open their eyes. Rajmael bit down on his own lip and forced himself to keep his eyes shut when he felt those vile spider creatures crawling on him. He could feel the slime from their fangs dripping on him. He felt one of the Librarians standing before him. He could smell the creature's horrid breath which reeked of dead flesh and rotten flowers. Rajmael's fight or flight instinct almost took him over when he felt the Librarian's gnarled claw-like hand trace over his face.

Rajmael slowly reached his hand into his coat and grabbed the tablet Velara had given him. Without ever opening his eyes, Rajmael held out the ancient white artifact before the Librarians, hoping for the best.

"Andaran atish'an, elgara. Ir'a vhenallin" Rajmael spoke respectfully as he presented the tablet.

One of the Librarians took the tablet in its grisly claw, and backed away from the Inquisitor.

"Atish'all Vir Dirthara, Dirth'ena Enasalin." The ancient spirits greeted.

Rajmael felt the frightful presence that filled this place disappear. The chill in the air was gone and his heart was no longer racing against his will. The Inquisitor cautiously opened his eyes and confirmed that the Librarians were indeed gone.

"It's over everyone, they're gone." Rajmael informed.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they opened their eyes. It was against everything they knew when they encountered demons to close their eyes and not touch their weapons, but Rajmael's orders once again kept them safe.

"Andraste's tits, I thought I was gonna soil myself!" Sera shouted, glad that she didn't relieve herself on herself.

"You and me both, Sera." Varric shared the sentiment.

"Man, I am definitely going to need someone to hit me with that stick later." Iron Bull groaned.

"Maker's breath, what did you do, Rajmael?" Cassandra asked completely surprised.

"I gave them the tablet Velara handed me earlier. She said it was a library card. I thought she was pulling another cruel joke on me, but it seemed that she wasn't lying." Rajmael answered.

"Which means whoever she's working for didn't want these spirits to kills us. I wonder why." Aedan stated.

"Just out of curiousity, why didn't you want us to fight those creatures?" Hawke inquired. "We've all faced extremely powerful demons before, I think we could have taken them."

"I'm sure all those dead qunari we saw thought the same thing." Rajmael rebutted. "Unlike other demons any of us encountered, who are reflections of the darker aspects of the world, the Librarians were once benevolent Spirits of Knowledge. They became twisted, hostile creatures of fear after witnessing the destruction and death of an entire people. Even after what they've turned into, they still seek to continue protect this place. They didn't deserve the fate that was dealt to them, and they don't deserve to die for it."

"Well, whatever you did certainly made an impression. Looks like they left something behind for you." Ranier pointed towards the artificial tree which had been raised above the ground, revealing that it housed yet another eluvian housed under its man-made roots.

"Huh. Well, Inquisitor, it would seem that library card this Velara gave was an all-access pass, and the Librarians have no objection us wondering around this place." Zevran chuckled.

Instead of trying to kill them, the Librarians opened a new pass to them that had been previously hidden away. Rajmael was tempted to step through this new mirror to see where it led and what secrets it might have, but he was also tempted to simply ignore it. The bridge had been raised and the path the Viddasala's camp was made clear. Eva was his top priority above everything else. However, spirits like the Librarians wouldn't have granted him such passage if it wouldn't have benefited him.

After a brief internal debate, Rajmael decided to take this new path. Perhaps there was something there that could help him in his quest to save his daughter. The qunari were seeking the knowledge of this place to aid them in their mission, Rajmael would do the same.

~XoXoXo~

Rajmael walked through the mysterious eluvian and was transported to the top of an immense tower that was open to the sky. They were all so high up, they couldn't even tell where their destination in the library was. The sight before them was awe inspiring, even as a ruin. Great bookshelves stood like walls around them with images of elven warriors and scholars standing vigil before the vast ocean of knowledge around them. The path before them was tiled with mosaic pieces that depicted halla, dragons, owls, and other magnificent beasts that danced towards the center of the tower.

All of them followed the Inquisitor's lead as he walked to the tower's center. When they made their way there, they were surprised by what was waiting for them. In the center of the tower was an immense shrine surrounding by a circle of pillars made of purest white marble. Columns of books were stacked all around the exterior of the shrine. Empty ink bottles and broken quills scattered the place, after centuries of neglect, they were now useless. Just before the threshold of the shrine was a strange panel with an array of what appeared to be buttons with strange runes carved into them.

At the top of the stairs that led to the shrine was another of the strange elven trees. Unlike the others they saw, this one crackled with a sinister red energy that made one wary just looking at it. Set before that tree was a large stone altar with an ancient locked chest resting on it.

But what immediately caught everyone's attention was the venerable army of dead bodies that lay strewn all over the floor. Just like before, they were all qunari, but this time something was different...

"Andraste's ass! For an ancient ruin that's supposed to be a place knowledge, this place is more like one big deathtrap!" Varric swore as he tiptoed over the dead qunari.

"Did the Librarians do this, too?" Dorian asked, holding a handkerchief in front of his face.

"No, I don't think so. Look at their bodies." Aedan observed. Unlike the previous dead qunari bodies they encountered, the bodies here were covered in wounds with their blood slicking the floor. "Something actually attacked these sorry bastards and killed them."

"Not just something, General." Hawke asserted. "Look at their wounds; no claw marks, no signs of magical attacks. These wounds were done by weapons. The qunari killed each other!"

It was true. When they looked past the surface of the scene, everyone could see that some kind of huge melee broke out amongst the qunari. Their own weapons were plunged into their comrades, hacking into their armor and cutting their bodies. It was as if they had lost all sense of discipline and turned on each other.

"What in the Maker's name could have possessed these soldiers to turn on each other like this?" Ranier wondered in disbelief.

"Rage. Anger. A lust for blood that cannot be quenched. Something awoke the animals that lived inside these men, and they devoured each other until they were all dead." Cole said, sensing the feelings that had been left behind by the slain.

Iron Bull shook his head and snorted in disdain as he tried to wrap his horned head around this. "Weird. Normally, I would think this might have been the work of saar-qamek, a poison gas that induces madness and makes the enemy turn on each other, except that qunari are immune to it. Whatever did this had to have been magic."

"What do you suppose the qunari were looking for here? More knowledge about the Veil?" Vivienne questioned.

"Well, whatever it was, it couldn't have been in any of these books. They're all blank. Nothing written in them." Zevran asserted, tossing one of the ancient tomes to the ground like it was nothing.

"Blank books? I wonder..." Rajmael thought to himself for a moment. He looked at the empty books along with the ink bottles and quills, trying to make sense of this place. "What if...what if the books here aren't meant to blank? Maybe this is the place where ancient elven scholars set down all the memories that are written in this library? What if this is the place where every book in the Vir Dirthara begins?"

"If that's true, then this would surely be the most secure place in the entire library." Cassandra stated. "The ancient elves wouldn't be so careless as to let such knowledge be left unguarded. We must be careful."

"Good point, Cassandra." Rajmael agreed. "Hero, Champion, you two come with me to inspect this place. The rest of you wait over here, and don't touch anything. I don't want any of us to join these qunari on the floor."

The three heroes began inspecting the are around the shrine while the rest of them waited by the threshold. Cassandra heard the sound of painful groaning and hacking coming from that strange panel nearby. Cassandra, Varric, Zevran and Iron Bull cautiously approached the dying qunari soldier who was trying to prop himself back up, but to no avail, he was losing too much blood.

"Stop right there, qunari." Cassandra warned harshly. "You're badly injured and dying. Tell us what you were doing here, and we get you some help."

"I'd do what she says if I were ." Iron Bull informed. "These baas don't play around."

The qunari soldier hacked and spat out blood. He must have had internal bleeding. He looked at the baas standing over him with defiance and anger in his eyes. He would not comply with them. "Miserable, blind baas. You're misguided heroes will not stand in the way of what the Qun demands!"

The soldier slammed his fist onto one of the strange rune buttons then a massive magical shield of red energy sprang appeared between all the columns surrounding the threshold of the shrine, trapping Aedan, Hawke and Rajmael behind it with no way out.

"You son of a...!" Varric cursed and shot the qunari dead with a bolt from Bianca to the head.

The three heroes ran over to the force field wondering what the hell just happened. Aedan tried slamming his axe against the wall of magical energy only for it to redirect the force of his blow back at him. They were effectively trapped here.

"Cassandra, what just happened?" Rajmael asked from the other side of the field.

"There was a qunari survivor. He hit one of those runes, and it must have activated some kind of defense system." Cassandra informed.

"We'll try to find a way to deactivate it." Dorian called out. "Maybe one of these damned books has a manual we can use."

Thunder boomed within the sealed off area. All of them looked up to the top of the shrine where the artifact tree stood. The red magic in its branches crackled and roared like a bonfire. Something was happening. Several powerful beams of crimson energy shot down from the tree and hit all three of the heroes where they stood before they even had a chance to react.

Cassandra, Varric and Zevran screamed the names of their friends and loved one as the blast of energy consume all of them. The beams soon dissipated, leaving behind all three of them on their knees but otherwise unharmed it seemed.

Cassandra couldn't shake off this uneasy feeling that something didn't seem right. She doubted that qunari soldier died to activate this shield and turn on some kind of light-show. There had to have been more to what was happening.

"Rajmael? Are you alright?" Cassandra asked deeply concerned.

Rajmael said nothing. None of them said anything. There was an intensity in all of their eyes. It was like something primitive woke up inside all three of them, and the glared at each other like hated enemies. All three heroes stood and reached for their weapons. Aedan his axe, Hawke's Celebrant, Rajmael's Enasalin. All three heroes assumed their stances, their weapons held ready and full of hunger.

"Rajmael, stop! What are you doing!?" Cassandra yelled desperately.

"Come on, Hawke, what're you thinking? Have you been drinking Aquae Lucidius lately?!" Varric shouted to his friend.

"Aedan? I know you're a battle-hungry savage and all that, but even you're not this insane! Snap out of it!" Zevran called out.

"Oh, sweet Andraste on her pyre..." Dorian gasped in horror. "I think I just realized what's going on."

"What? What is happening Dorian?" Cassandra beseeched.

"This force field isn't a trap. It's an ARENA!" Dorian shouted. "The last defense of this place is to make the intruders kill each other!"

~XoXoXo~

The three heroes stood silently, their eyes darting back and forth on each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Their companions could do nothing but shout at them in vain and watch in horror as these three titans of combat prepared to fight each other to the death. Who would make the first move?

The first to break silence was Aedan, for he could never wait to let his enemies make the first move. He charged the Inquisitor, a resounding war cry on his lips, and his axe clutched tightly in his grip, and moved with the force of a stampede, aiming to chop the Dalish elf in half. Rajmael blocked Aedan's gruesome axe with his sword, but the sheer of the blow forced Rajmael to his knees. Aedan brought his immense might to bear and forced his axe down closer and closer to Rajmael's head, that sadistic grin on his face growing wider the closer he got.

Rajmael smiled back up at the Fereldan warlord as he was being forced down, then guided his eyes downward to where he was standing. Aedan eyes went wide when he realized too late that he had been standing on a lightning rune. The rune exploded beneath Aedan's feet and sent him flying backwards. The Hero staggered back to his feet, never once letting go of his axe.

Seeing an opening, both the Champion and the Inquisitor made their moves and attacked the Hero from both sides while he was still recovering from the Inquisitor's lightning rune. Rajmael lunged to impale Aedan through the chest, while Hawke brought his Celebrant down to split his skull in half. Aedan raised his axe over his head to block the Chmapion's attack, then quickly redirected Hawke's greatsword towards the Inquisitor. Rajmael barely dodged Hawke's inadvertent attack in time and the blade grazed his face.

Aedan back kicked Hawke so hard it would have put a mule to shame, and sent the Champion hurdling back several feet. Aedan quickly grabbed the Inquisitor by the neck and smashed his face with a powerful head-butt that broke Rajmael's nose, cheek and orbital with a loud, sickening crunch. Then Aedan lifted his smaller opponent over his head and threw Rajamel at least ten yards away. Rajmael landed on the ground with a resounding crash and squirmed in pain as he tried to heal his shattered face.

The force of the Hero's kick was absorbed by Hawke's armor, and he quickly charged back to continue his assault against the Fereldan General. The two Fereldan heroes exchanged their attacks back and forth, neither one giving ground to the other. Both of them were powerful and seasoned warriors whose training and experience had far exceeded the military training of their youth.

Aedan swung his axe with full force, trying to cleave the Champion in twain with a single blow, but Hawke's greatsword gave him the advantage in reach. Hawke dodged the Hero's attacks with calm, deft precision, and kept the enraged warlord and used his Celebrant to keep him at a distance and off balance. Aedan's style relied more on brutality and intimidation while Hawke focused more on discipline and adaptive tactics.

Hawke stood his ground against Ferelden's most notorious killing machine, and lowered his sword until the tip practically touched the ground, leaving him wide open. Aedan wasted no time, and took this opportunity to chop his opponent in half like a piece of kindling with one devastating blow. The Hero took the Champion's bait. Hawke quickly closed the distance between himself and Aedan before the Hero could complete his strike and placed himself in his opponents center of gravity. Hawke grabbed hold of the shaft of Aedan's axe and redirected his momentum forward, flipping the Hero of Ferelden over his shoulder and on to his back.

Aedan's armor made a loud crash when he landed on the ground. He sprang back up and tried to recover from the Champion's counter-attack, but Hawke's greatsword was already coming down on him. Aedan quickly raised his axe over his head to block the Champion's blade. Aedan's dragonbone weapon and steel plate armor could not withstand Hawke's higher quality and enchanted weapon.

The Celebrant split Aedan's dragonbone axe right in half cut and straight down through his armor, cutting the Hero from his right shoulder to his left hip. A wave of crimson erupted from the giant crag in Aedan's armor and his broken weapon fell from his hands.

"Ghrk! Shit!" Aedan cursed angrily with blood gurgling out of his mouth before falling face down onto the ground.

"Andraste's flaming hot ass!" Varric yelled in shock.

"The Champion just killed the Hero!" Cassandra gasped.

Every single one of them shouted, cursed and gasped at the sight they just witnessed. Not only that Hawke was able to cut the Champion down, but the fact that all three of them were actually trying to kill each other for some unknown reason. Deep down, Varric was glad Hawke wasn't killed by Aedan, but he still couldn't believe his friend actually did that. None of them could believe. Someone was actually able to cut down the notorious Hero of Ferelden. Strangely, the only one who wasn't very phased by witnessing the Hero's demise was Zevran. How could he still be so calm?

Before the Champion could realize where the Inquisitor was, Rajmael, who had completely recovered from Aedan's assault on his face, magically suspended himself in the air and began kicking Hawke in the chest in flight. It was as if the Inquisitor were being held in the air by invisible wires as he relentlessly stomped on the Champion's chest and knocked him backwards into a wall.

Rajmael landed back on the ground and spoke an elven incantation, summoning of storm of lightning between his hands. The spell was so powerful Rajmael could barely hold it in hands. He pushed his palms outward and cast the immensely offensive spell at the Champion in a cone of lightning that shocked and incinerated anything in its path. There was nowhere for the Champion to run, it would consume him.

Hawke held his sword ready and stood his ground against the oncoming spell as if it were another opponent, and refused to move an inch. The lightning spell enveloped the Champion like a tidal wave of destruction. The powerful and unique enchantment of Hawke's armor and sword activated as they had minds of their own. His armor absorbed every ounce of the spells destructive energy and he used his sword to cast the spell right back at its creator and give him a taste of his own medicine.

Rajmael refused to disgrace himself as an Arcan Warrior by running away from a spell he had summoned. His eyes shined like gold as he activated his Shimmering Shield. The ethereal magic of shield glimmering like diamonds around the Inquisitor and protected him from his own redirected lightning spell. The storm he summoned passed over him like rain against a stone wall. Rajmael held his sword high, and prepared to kill the Champion the old-fashioned way.

The Inquisitor and the Champion charged each other down, both their swords blazing with the fire of their enchantments. Hawke's Ferelden Vanguard style versus Rajmael's Dirth'ena Enasalin. Hawke brought the Celebrant down on Rajmael, but the Inquisitor deflected the attack away from him and shot lightning out of his palm back at the Champion. Hawke's armor once again absorbed the magical attack, causing him no damage.

Hawke then lunged forward with his sword, aiming to skewer his elven opponent on the end of his blade. Rajmael used his unique magic to make himself incorporeal, and the Celebrant phased through him like he was made of air. Moving like a ghost past the Champion's blade, Rajmael closed the distance between himself and his opponent and jammed the pommel on his blade into Hawke's face with a loud smack. Hawke staggered backwards, his vision blurred by his own blood and tears. He was in pain, but he had gotten his in the process.

Rajmael clasped his hand onto his right side as it burned with a searing pain that almost pierced his lungs. When he struck Hawke in the face, the Champion managed to slip a dagger between his ribs. A little trick he learned from Isabella. Rajmael pulled the knife out of his body and magically healed the wound. The Inquisitor and Champion squared off with each other again. Neither one of them would back down or relent while the other one was alive.

~XoXoXo~

Even as it unfolded right before their eyes, none of them could believe what they were seeing. If only this damned magical wall weren't in their way, they could do something. Stop them before anymore of them were killed. It was bad enough the Champion killed the Hero, and they certainly didn't want to see the Champion and the Inquisitor kill each other.

Varric looked back over to the Antivan Crow, and still couldn't believe how unperturbed the elf was.

"Andraste's tits, Shanks, how can you be so calm?" Varric asked outraged. "How can you stand there like nothing's happening when your friend was just cut down!?"

"I suppose it's too much to expect a professional assassin to have even a modicum of decency." Vivienne said disdainfully.

"Oh, I'm saving my worry and panic for later." Zevran replied blithely. "It's the Inquisitor and the Champion you all should really be worried about right now."

"What's that supposed to mean? You mean worry about them killing each other?" Ranier asked incredulously.

"Oh, no, no, no. Worry about them both getting killed." Zevran clarified. "You see, my dear friend Aedan, the man who killed the Archdemon in single combat, is not dead! All the Champion did was really piss him off!"

~XoXoXo~

The Inquisitor and the Champion were so focused on each other, they didn't realize what was happening just a few yards away from them. Aedan slowly from the ground and up to his knees, his miraculous survival astonished all the spectators. It was hard to tell if Aedan was even conscious, his eyes were rolled to the back of his head and his breathing was raspy and labored. The deep, long cut from the Champion's blade on his chest was still wide open and revealed the sliced muscles and bone from beneath Aedan's broken armor. The depth and width of the wound should have killed Aedan, yet somehow he was still alive.

A strange aura of dark red energy began rising from all the dead qunari on the floor, like their spirits were finally leaving their corpses and floated towards Aedan. All of them watched in complete horror as Aedan's unconsciously opened his jaw and began to devour the sickly red energy down his mouth. The fight going on between Rajmael and Hawke may as well not have been happening at all, for the of them had never seen anything like this before in their lives. It was so horrifying and repulsive, yet none of them could take their eyes off it. It was as if Aedan was devouring the very souls of the dead qunari around him.

"Sweet Maker..." Dorian gasped in sheer horror.

"He's...a freak!" Sera groaned in disgust, averting her eyes from the sight in front of them.

"Just what the fuck is this guy?!" Iron Bull asked in utter disbelief.

"He's no man. He's a creature!" Vivienne denounced in complete revilement.

"No wonder everyone's so scared of him." Varric said unable to turn away from what he was watching.

The only person who didn't seem to affected by what was happening to the Hero was his companion Zevran. The Antivan elf just stood their in concerned silence.

As Aedan continued to consume the entropic energy of the dead, his wounds began to heal, and an aura of red power began to emanate from his entire being. The Hero of Ferelden gulped down loudly on the last bit of entropic energy from the last dead qunari in the chamber, and licked his lips like it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. All the wounds he had sustained, even the massive cut Hawke had dealt him were completely healed.

The sickly red aura that surrounded the Hero intensified and burned into a hellish crimson around him. His eyes shot open, no longer a deep blue like a normal human being, but slinted and red like some kind of reptile's. He leapt back to his feet and tore the ruined armor off his body like it was made of paper, revealing all the tattoos painted onto his bare flesh. Every sinew and fiber of his muscle flexed angrily beneath his skin, ready to do some damage. The enraged Hero of Ferelden inhaled deeply, and unleashed a powerful earsplitting roar that shook the entire chamber with such force and rage it would have put Corypheus' tainted dragon to shame.

Rajmael and Hawke instantly ceased their fighting with each other when they both realized the Hero was still alive. His now slanted eyes were glowing red and was engulfed in some kind of infernal crimson aura that formed into draconic claws around his hands. He snarled and bared his teeth at them like a rabid animal, revealing the now sharp fangs that lined his jaws. There was a sinister look in his demonic eyes, something that wen far beyond blood-lust. It was hunger.

Sensing that he was the greater threat, both the Champion and the Inquisitor charged to attack the Hero of Ferelden at the same time. Rajmael dashed forward ahead of the Hawke to cut Aedan's head off his neck. Aedan caught Rajmael's wrist with astounding speed that stunned the Inquisitor. Aedan clenched down on Rajmael's wrist, breaking the elf's bones in his vice-like grip, before throwing him like a ragdoll thirty feet into the air and into a nearby wall. Rajmael's body landed with so much force that he punched a hole in the wall and made a crater where he landed.

~XoXoXo~

Realization finally struck Cassandra. She couldn't believe it took her this long to comprehend what Aedan truly way and cursed her own inability to find the answers even when it was right in front of her. Out of anyone here, she should have been the one to realize just what kind of warrior the Hero of Ferelden was. The devouring of entropic energy, his ability to inspire intimidation, how he was able to become stronger after sustaining such grievous wounds. Even the rumors of his alleged cannibalism. There could only be one answer.

"Zevran, tell me truly..." Cassandra all but demanded from the Antivan Crow. "The Hero of Ferelden, he is a Reaver, isn't he? Not someone who merely mimics their fighting style, but a true Reaver?"

"My dear Seeker, he isn't merely a true Reaver." Zevran assured, trying to hold back his anxiety from the battle he was witnessing. "Aedan Cousland is the most powerful Reaver in existence!"

"Sorry, but what the hell is any of that supposed to mean?" Varric wondered, worried what that could mean for Hawke and the Inquisitor.

"Does it explain why Mr. Roid-Rage over there is such a freak?" Sera groaned.

"The Hero of Ferelden consumed the blood of a dragon to grant him unnatural powers. To turn his pain into power, and feed off the entropic energies of death and fear." Cassandra explained.

"Killing a dragon then drinking its blood to become even more powerful? That's badass!" Iron Bull hollered in admiration.

"This is no joking matter, Iron Bull!" Cassandra admonished. "My ancestors who hunted dragons would harvest and consume their blood for power, but their were side-effects. Scales, growths, they became more and more draconic until they went completely insane. Eventually, they were all hunted down like the very dragons they hunted when they began mass killings, slaughtering whole families and villages, and other horrible things."

"That would explain a lot." Varric stated, believing they just found the reason behind Aedan volatile attitude.

"I've heard of dragon cults that would give praise to high-dragons in exchange for the power of their blood." Dorian imparted. "Many warriors from ancient Tevinter would practice this discipline to be unleashed on the Imperium's enemies like rabid dogs."

"How could the Hero of Ferelden, the man who ended the Blight, do something so abominable?" Ranier asked completely deplored by this truth.

"Clearing a tower full of abominations, chasing after two Paragons in the Deep Roads, settling a civil war, and ending a Blight by killing the Archdemon." Zevran listed off sarcastically. "You don't accomplish something like that on your own by being a flowering-sniffing dandy who solves his problems with a shiny sword and a witty remark. Aedan did what he had was needed to make sure he could fulfill his mission."

~XoXoXo~

Aedan glared at the Champion hatefully, remembering how deeply Hawke had cut him. The Hero charged the Champion so quickly, Hawke had no time to react. Aedan tackled Hawke like an angry elephant, lifting him up and smashing the Champion's body through several ruined columns with the force of a stampede. Aedan slammed Hawke's body up against a nearby wall and proceeded to smash his powerful fists into Hawke's body with inhuman speed and strength. Hit after hit after hit, Aedan just kept pummeling the Champion without stop and without mercy.

Hawke grunted and shouted in pain, his unique armor began cracking under the sheer force of Aedan's blows. He could feel his ribs starting to break. He couldn't break the distance between them, he had to take a drastic measure. Before he could reach into the satchel on his hip to grab his trump card, Aedan grabbed Hawke by the hair and smashed his head into the wall behind him.

Ears ringing, vision blurred, ribs breaking, and his skull cracked, this was the most damage Hawke had sustained in a long time. All of it done by the Hero's bare hands. Hawke was in so much pain he couldn't move, he was barely conscious any more.

Everyone looked on in horror and Varric nearly had a heart-attack as they watched Aedan grab Hawke's head in his hands and held him stead. Aedan opened his out so wide he actually dislodged his own jaw, revealing the sharp maw of fangs he now possessed. Varric screamed Hawke's name in terror when they realized that Aedan was going to bite the Champion's head right off his neck!

The Hero of Ferelden stumbled backwards and roared in unfathomable agony when a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and went straight down his open maw. Aedan entire body lit up and smoked like a torch as the powerful jolt of electricity conducted through his body, causing him an untold amount of pain. The flesh of his face had turned into a web of black scorch marks that cracked painfully, revealing the muscles and skull beneath the skin.

Aedan looked up on the stairs to the shrine, smoke billowing out of his mouth, and saw the Inquisitor standing there, his sword in hand, burning with white veilfire, and he looked just as angry as the Hero. Aedan growled viciously, his mouth frothing like a rabid dog, and the lightning strike on his face started began to instantly heal.

Aedan ignored the Champion and focused all his attention and anger on the Inquisitor. Screaming like a madman, Aedan sprinted towards the Inquisitor with every intention of ripping the elf's head right off. Rajmael defied gravity once again, and practically flew down to face the Hero. Rajmael landed a flying side kick to Aedan's face, putting all his weight and force behind it, and struck the Hero with enough force to break down Skyhold's front door. Against Aedan Cousland, that kick was about as effective as a mosquito trying to hit a tree.

Aedan took a swipe at Rajmael's head with his draconic claw made out of crimson energy. Rajmael ducked beneath the powerful claw by mere hairs and stabbed his sword at the Hero's tattooed face. Aedan held his right hand in front of the elven blade to block its attack, and was ran straight through the palm all the way to the hilt. Aedan's blood painted Rajmael's sword red, the Hero's hand skewered on the elven blade like a piece of meat, but that wasn't nearly enough.

The Hero of Ferelden clenched his wounded hand around the blade that was impaling it with enough grip strength to strangle an ox. Aedan ripped Rajmael's sword out of his clutches while it was still stabbed through his hand, and punched the Inquisitor square in the chest and sent the Inquisitor flying backwards with the shape of fist planted in his torso. Aedan didn't even bother with pulling the sword out of his hand, like he was now immune to the pain it was causing him. Instead, he held the blade close to his face, extended his tongue, and licked his own blood off the edge of the blade like it was the most delicious thing he had tasted all week. Aedan's smiled in absolute ecstasy as his tongue was split right down the middle, flooding his mouth with his own blood, and leaving his tongue forked and flickering from between his smiling lips like a sadistic reptile. As his wounds bleed, the crimson aura around him became greater, and his power became even stronger.

Rajmael sprang back to his feet and healed the imprint of the Hero's fist in his chest. Aedan quickly ripped the Inquisitor's sword out of his own hand and returned it to the elven mage in force. The enasalin flew back to its master so quickly, Rajmael had to phase-shift himself and let the blade pass through himself so that he wouldn't be skewered by his own weapon. The enasalin went straight through the air and became stuck in a broken column. The Inquisitor looked on the sadistic Fereldan warrior with pure hatred in his eyes. His fists charged with mage and his Shimmering Shield burned brightly to match his anger. He resolved to kill the Hero of Ferelden the old-fashioned way: with his bare hands.

The Arcane Warrior and Reaver charged one another with all their fury. The Hero's might and rage against the Inquisitor's power and grace. Aedan clawed at Rajmael's throat and tried to spear him through the heart with his bare hands. Rajmael evaded the Aedan's vicious onslaught and responded with several powerful spin kicks to the Hero's face. Each kick was charged with magic, making it feel as if a burning hot sledgehammer just smacked across the Hero's face. Aedan slashed at Rajmael again, cutting him across the chest, and leaving several deep claw marks on his body. Rajmael wasn't even tickled by it, for he had suffered worse pains than the Hero of Ferelden's claws.

As the Hero and Inquisitor were hammering each other in their personal melee, Hawke tried staggering back to his feet, but he was still suffering from the damage the General Cousland had inflicted on him. His armor and ribs were cracked, and it felt like his skull had been fractured, and more than likely, he probably had serious internal bleeding. Hawke was starting to lose consciousness, he had to act fast.

The Champion reached into his satchel and pulled out a specially crafted vial, filled with very special contents. The potion was blue that sparkled like starlight. It was the Elixer of Lifeward. It was a homemade recipe known only to the Champion, passed down and imparted to him by his father, Malcolm Hawke. It was meant to be a powerful tool to be used when he needed that extra edge. And against men like the Inquisitor and the Hero, he needed every edge he could get.

Hawke ripped the seal off the vial and consumed every drop of its contents. The effects instantly began coursing through his veins. The Lifeward Elixer instantly revitalized his body and healed his wounds. He felt a newfound power surging throughout his body. Hawke grasped his sword and stood back up as if he had never been injured in the first place, and his eyes turned towards the other two combatants striking each other back and forth without mercy. It was time to get back in the fight.

Hawke gripped the Celebrant in both his hands and activated the grandmaster fire rune that enchanted the blade. He slammed his greatsword against the ground with an earthshaking strike that shattered the ground towards the Inquisitor and Hero. A massive fissure cracked in the ground beneath both combatant and a wall of flame erupted from it, consuming both the Inquisitor and the Hero.

Rajmael flipped backwards through the air and landed right next to where his sword was resting. Aedan, on the other hand, didn't bother moving and just stood over the erupting fissure while he cooked like a premium cut steak. As his flesh burned, the demonic aura surrounding Aedan became greater and even more sinister. As a Reaver, the more he was harmed, the more powerful he became.

"ENASALIN!" Rajmael cried out in pure rage. He pulled his sword out of the wall, and attacked the two human warriors.

All three heroes engaged in a three sided melee that would make lesser soil themselves just watching it. Aedan evaded Champion's sword, wrapped his arms around Hawke's body, and slammed him to the ground with a powerful suplex. Aedan sprang back up only to be met by the Inquisitor's attack. Rajmael at the Hero's face, but Aedan's quickly caught the blade in his hand again. However, Rajmael moved so fast that Aedan didn't notice the lightning rune the Inquisitor planted on his chest. The lightning rune exploded on Aedan's body and sent him whirling through the air. Aedan landed on the ground in a puddle of his own blood with his entrails hanging out of his body.

Hawke brought the Celebrant down on the Inquisitor, the red hot flames of his blade mixing with the white veilfire of the Inquisitor's. The two swordsmen exchanged blows at one another, sparks flying off their blades as they brought all their skill to bear against each other.

Rajmael's magic and offensive spells were useless against Hawke's magic-absorbing armor, forcing him to rely solely on his own skill with a sword. Hawke was aware of the enchantment on the Inquisitor's blade that allowed it to bypass armor like it was even there, but thankfully he had the advantage of reach thanks to the Celebrant. However, he had never before encountered a style like Rajmael's before; it was unlike anything he had ever seen. It possessed the grace and precision of Antivan fencing mixed with the power and durability of the longsword.

While most would think the Inquisitor and Champion's skills in swordsmanship were on par with one another, there was a crucial difference. While Rajmael was a magnificent swordsman, he's had to split his focus and training by mastering magic. Whereas Hawke had been mastering and adapting his sword style his whole life without being forced to master any other disciplines. With this pivotal difference in training, Hawke accomplished what most believe impossible: he disarmed an Arcane Warrior and knocked his sword out of his hands, leaving him wide open. Hawke brought the Celebrant down on the Inquisitor with all his might, with every intention to split Rajmael from crown to crotch with his flaming sword.

Hawke's flame-enchanted sword stopped in mid-swing mere hairs above the Inquisitor's head. Rajmael's hands were clasped firmly around the fiery blade, and stopped the attack before it could hit him. The flames on the Celebrant practically licked Rajmael's face, his hands were being deeply cut and horribly burned at the same time from holding the Champion's weapon, and Hawke began pressing his weight behind his sword, cutting even deeper into the Inquisitor's hands.

Instead of letting go, Rajmael gripped Hawke's sword even harder, ignoring the terrible pain it was causing him. Rather then using his magic to cast another offensive spell, Rajmael began charging his magic through his hands and into the Champion's weapon. Hawke yelled out in pain and dropped his own sword, it's handle now burning so hot that he couldn't hold on to it. The Inquisitor had used his magic to increase the power of Hawke's flame-enchantment until it became too hot for the Champion to even hold on to it. Rajmael torqued his hip, and kicked Hawke in the side of the face so hard, the Champion was flipped ass over kettle on to his back.

Before either of them could do anything else, an animalistic roar filled the air, and Aedan came flying out of nowhere and pounded Rajmael square in the chest with a flying dropkick before he planted all two-hundred and twenty pounds of him right on top of Hawke with his elbow. Aedan sprang back up to his feet, the massive hole in his chest and abdomen from Rajmael's lightning rune wasn't completely healed and was still bleeding very badly, but the demonic aura surrounding him was even more powerful than before. Aedan clenched his fists and licked his lips. He was going to tear these two apart with his bare hands, and his sharp teeth.

~XoXoXo~

"We have to stop this, now!" Zevran said frantically.

"Well, it's not like we think we should just keep standing here and watching these men kill each other." Ranier responded satirically.

"No, you do not understand. Aedan's Reaver powers become greater when he is injured, but when he is this close to death, his power is greater than that of any high dragon in Thedas. If he is about to die, he can very well take the Inquisitor or the Champion with him." Zevran explained worriedly. "He's burning through the entropic energy he fed on to heal himself, but soon he won't be able to heal his wounds unless he kills someone."

"Or Hawke or the Inquisitor might kill him and the other guy." Varric suggested sarcastically.

"Or they all may end up dead!" Cassandra shouted hysterically. "Which will leave us in more dire straights than you could possibly imagine. Dorian, have you and Vivienne discovered anything about that wretched device?"

Dorian and Vivienne were at the panel that qunari soldier had activated to start this entire morbid even to begin with. The two of them tried to decipher the symbols on the gemstone panels, but couldn't determine any of them.

"We're working as best we can, Darling." Vivienne assured, trying to remain calm. "But I dare not touch any of these panels without knowing what they might do. It could make things worse."

"You two are the big, fancy magic experts. Make it work!" Sera hollered.

"Better do something fast." Iron Bull warned. "Those guys are getting even closer to killing each other."

"We have to help. Have to do something!" Cole pleaded, wishing that saying it would make it happen. "It's this place, it's making them hurt each other."

Dorian paused and thought for a moment, trying not to think about the Inquisitor possibly being killed by the Champion or eaten by the Hero. This entire library was a place of elven magic. Rajmael's magic reacted differently to this place, and this place reacted differently to elves. Earlier, they all learned that the Crossroads appeared differently to elven eyes. Maybe this was a problem only an elf could solve.

"Zevran, come here please." Dorian bade urgently. "We need you to solve this."

"Me?! Have you taken a leave of your senses? I'm an assassin, not a mage!" Zevran retorted incredulously.

"Listen, this place, this entire place of existence, it reacts differently to elves." Dorian explained. "It reveals its true nature to the people who built it. Only you can find the off-switch to this damned thing."

The Antivan elf couldn't believe the pressure that was being pressed on him. He looked at all the runes on the panel, and they may as well have been chicken scratches to him. "I...I barely know a few words in ancient elven, let alone know how to read it!"

"Just try to focus." Dorian urged. "This place has a will of its own. It aids those who seek knowledge, just as it helped the Inquisitor. You're an elf, make that mean something know."

Zevran looked at the ancient panel, his eyes darting all over the ancient runes and symbols, unsure which one was the right one. Which one would end this, and which one might kill them?

"Zevran, please!" Cassandra begged as she watched her lover fighting on the other side of the force field.

Zevran closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping beyond all hope that he could save his friends. "Maker...Mother...If you're truly out there, guide my hand now and help me save these great men."

Zevran opened his eyes and a with a silent prayer on his lips, he let fate guide his hand and pressed a brilliant white gemstone with a strange rune carved in its surface.

A strange ringing sound began to fill the air that all of them could feel on the back of their minds. The artificial tree burning with red magic at the top of the shrine began to die down. The magic crackling in the branches went from blood red to snow white, and that gentle ringing sound grew louder, more overpowering. The white magic from the tree began to grow and expand outwards, becoming larger and brighter with every passing second. The gentle white magic swept through the entire summit of the tower like a gentle snowstorm. The last thing all of them saw and heard was themselves being consumed in a wave of white energy, and that strangely beautiful music carrying throughout the air.

What just happened? What did this magic do? What happened to the Inquisitor, Champion and Hero? Were they all dead?

~Language Codex~

Vir Dirthara: Elven. Translates as "Path of Learning".

Vir Banal'ras: Elven. Translates as "Way of Shadows".

Dirth'ena Enasalin: Elven term for Arcane Warrior. Translates as "Knowledge That Leads to Victory".

Aneth'ara: Elven greeting. Translates as "My safe place".

Eluvian: Elven. Literally translates as "Seeing Glass".

Vallaslin: Elven form of tattooing. Translates as "Blood Writing".

Ma Nuvenin, elgar: Elven words of thanks. Translates as "My thanks, Spirit."

Delltash: Elven. Meaning unknown, possibly used as a curse.

Atish'all Vir Dirthara, Dirth'ena Enasalin: Elven greeting. Translates as "Welcome to the Vir Dirthara, Arcane Warrior".

Asit Tal-eb: Qunlat mantra. Translates as "It must be".

~Author's Note~

Alright, so there it is!

I promised you some Original Content never seen in Dragon Age Fanfiction, and here it is: A threeway battle between all the Dragon Age Heroes!

This was without a doubt the most complicated fight scene I've ever had to write.

Even more complicated than the battle with Haakon Wintersbreath.

My Original Content Doesn't end here, as evidenced by my latest Cliffhanger. There will be even more in the next few chapters.

Please review and give me your thoughts. I am very excited by these upcoming chapters and would like to know what you all think.

Thanks!