Shepard's stomach twisted, panic curling in her gut as Alistair faded before her eyes. "Alistair!?" She lunged forward, willing him closer as her hand slipped through his. "Fuck!" Enraged she spun away, ignoring the nauseating pulsing of the air around her. What had happened? Letting out a slow breath she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Wherever Alistair had gone she'd catch up to him wasn't a place in the galaxy that had managed to keep her contained yet. "Except above Alchera." a mean voice whispered in her head. Something suspiciously like grief tickled the back of her throat the longer she stood with her eyes closed, rolling the thought around in her head. It had been painful to see her crewmates again. To have them used against her like that.

Opening her eyes she stood glaring at the shifting landscape. What exactly was she supposed to do now? She hadn't even thought any of this mystical bullshit was real until she ended up in this damn tower! Sucking in a harsh breath she slowly counted to ten, and took stock of the bizarre landscape shifting around her. Masses that reminded her too much of the yawing atmosphere of an asteroid. "This must be the Fade." she murmured to herself, watching curiously as a boat floated through the air. What had Alistair said about the Fade again?

Pulling out her omni tool she began to take readings of the shifting landscape around her. Turning her head skyward she watched as a large dark city floated ominously above, wreathed in green light. A beep from her omni-tool dragged her view back to the interface where she sucked in a sharp breath in surprise. The laws of physics were completely different than what they should be. Gravity and energy and mass were all reading in completely new ways and the dark energy readings were off the charts. The place was saturated with it, as if the energy sustaining it was keeping it from collapsing. Fingers moving swiftly across the interface she set her tool to run tests in the background as she checked the location and time against the marker she had placed upon entering the tower.

Shepard blinked at the readout. "I haven't moved…". Alarmed, she took stock of her situation again. Never had she wished for Tali or Legion more than she did now as the terrifying realization dawned on her. Here she was, standing in what was definitely an artificial pocket of space created on a scale that made her breath seize. Someone, somehow had created a sustained artificial dimension and the people of Thedas were tapping into it. This plane of existence just barely separated from their own.

Abruptly the air around her stilled before boiling in a sea of green energy and gravity that yanked her by the sternum into a blinding flash of light. Staggering she blinked as she righted herself, ears ringing to the abrupt civility of Alistair's voice,

"Oh, here I am! And there you are! You just disappeared. Well, no matter." Shepard jerked her head up, staring in surprise as he materialized next to her with Wynne and Leliana. He smiled warmly at her, pulling his sword from his back with a flourish.

"What…?" She blinked, mouth gaping as he settled his shield more firmly against his body. How? She reached for her Omni again as her companions formed ranks.

Wynne stepped forward brandishing her staff, gently pushing Shepard back. "You cannot hold us, demon. We found each other in this place and you cannot stand against us!"

Demon? Twisting in alarm she found herself face to face with the creature, its willowy form drifting lazily in the swirling green mist of the Fade. Her brain stalled on the realization of what this artificial dimension must mean for the actual things living inside of it. Were the demons parasitic because they were separated? Were they the native species of this planet? She was broken from her stream of thought by the demon stretching closer. It smiled, form shimmering as it shifted into Kaidan right before her eyes.

"Wouldn't this be better?" it asked.

With a cry of rage Shepard flung herself forward, biotics flaring in a flash of dazzling blue, her scientific curiosity evaporating. So this was the creature that had given her that fantasy? The one who made her kill Garrus, Kaidan and Ashely? Blue energy rippled along her body as she slammed into the demon, the biotic detonation deafening. Again and again she assaulted the being, brushing off its attempts at defending itself as it shifted from form to form desperately. Vaguely she was aware of shouts from the others, Alistair ducking and striking between the liquid heat of her Omni-blade, the soft tingle of Wynne's magic, and Leliana's bow arching through the air. With an agonized cry the demon collapsed, its twisted form shimmering as it sank. Shepard sucked in air harshly though her teeth, blood racing as the creature disappeared. Was that all? Enraged Shepard kicked the pile of ash left in its wake. "Is that it, you piece of shit? I've fought varren stronger than you!" Her chest constricted in the silence, emotions clawing at her throat with icy hands. It wasn't enough! How dare this creature do that to her?

"Shepard…?" A gauntleted hand came down lightly on her shoulder, squeezing gently, stilling the riot of her heartbeat. "Are you okay?"

Reaching up she seized Leliana's hand, momentarily on the verge of flinging the other woman across her. Instead she sucked in a harsh breath through her nose and nodded. "I'm fine. How do we get out of here?" She turned and caught Wynne and Alistairs alarmed looks briefly before catching sight of a man, lurking behind one of the boulders.

Spinning Shepard pulled Leliana and herself closer to Wynne and Alistair , her barrier springing around them. Damn if she trusted anything in this place. In front of them stood a man in mage robes, his lank brown hair drifting lazily in the mist.

"Oh, you!" Wriggling away from Shepard, Alistair stepped forward, smiling amicably at the stranger. "Look at that, demon defeated, we do good work right? And you doubted me."

A strained smile crossed the other man's face. "You have my apologies Grey Warden… and my thanks. Remember to take the litany of Adralla from my… from my body. You'll need it against Uldred."

Alistair blinked. "Your body? You mean… you're not coming with us?"

Wynne stepped over to the mage, blue eyes regarding him sadly. "Niall."

"Who is this guy?" Shepard asked, staring confused at the intruder.

Next to her Leliana shrugged in equal confusion.

Startling slightly, Alistair pointed forward. "Oh, I found him when I was searching for Leliana! He's the guy Owain mentioned, back in the stockroom. Do you remember?" He turned away from Shepard, glancing instead at the man before them. "It was an honor, Enchanter."

"The honor was mine, Warden."

Shepard shook her head at the strange exchange, the world beginning to shift and fade around them, until with a rush of air she jerked upright, once again lying within the cold stone of the Circle tower. Pushing herself upright she shook out her arm, numb from being crushed beneath her body. How long had they been out for? Around her the others groaned, climbing to their feet slowly.

Wynne strode to the front of the room, stopping next to the body of the man they had just met in the Fade. Reaching down she pulled a roll of scrolls from within his pockets, checking them over.

"Shepard?" Startling slightly she turned to stare at Alistair towering over her. He offered her a hesitant smile, amber eyes glinting in the dim light. "Are you alright?"

For a moment she imagined Garrus, his surprised gasp as she slid her blade through his chest ringing in her ears. It was like Akuze all over again. Mouth tightening she nodded at Alistair, forcing the thought away. "Yes." Glancing around, she mentally rallied. "Come on, we don't know how much time we have left before the Right arrives and we're swarmed by idiots." Turning she hurried towards the far door, ignoring Alistair's concerned look.