Two Worlds Bound As One

by Shadeslayer113

What if there was not one Herald, one Inquisitor, but two? What if the Anchor was split between them, and sealing rifts required both together? What if one was a Dalish First from Clan Lavellan, and the other an ordinary student from the real world? Can he go home, or will he even want to? Follow their story as they try to accomplish the impossible.

14. Two Souls, One Thought

Two Souls, One Thought

Future Redcliffe Throne Room

Alexius was alone. The magister stood at the far end of the throne room, staring into the fireplace. Shaehari scanned the room looking for Felix before glancing at Isaac. He shook his head. "Died years ago. There's no one left for Alexius."

"Quite right, Inquisitor."

Alexius turned toward them. "It is your fault after all. Had you died as you should have, the Elder One would have saved my son. He would have rewarded me for a job well done."

"Corypheus would have left him a vegetable, little more than a breathing corpse!" Isaac clenched his fists. "Hand over the amulet." Alexius chuckled.

"We both know your foresight is useless now. As for you," he turned toward Shaehari. "You should have remained down in the cells where you belonged. The Elder One gave me a special punishment for you. After all, had you not intervened in the Temple, we could have avoided so much trouble."

Shaehari growled. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." She had barely finished speaking when rifts erupted around the room. Demons began dropping out of them while Alexius pointed at Isaac, a reddish glow in his hand. "Isaac, kill Shaehari!"

Isaac's eyes widened before he doubled over with a groan. Shaehari moved toward him but Bull roughly shoved her away. "Boss, you've got to fight it!" Isaac straightened. He turned toward Shaehari with a blank expression and glowing red eyes. Iron Bull's words floated in Shaehari's thoughts. 'The Elder One used the Blight to control the Boss. He couldn't fight…' Shaehari wheeled back on Alexius.

"Sera, Dorian take care of the demons! Bull, hold Isaac back. I'll take care of Alexius." The others immediately jumped into action. Sera pelted the demons with arrows, cursing them with every shot. Dorian spared a nod towards Shaehari before dropping a barrier around himself, Sera and Bull. He turned his attention to the demons while Isaac lunged for her and was intercepted by Bull. "No, you don't Boss. Come on, let's see what you've got!"

"…"

"Hmph." Bull began dueling Isaac, pushing him further away from Shaehari, who stalked toward Alexius. Cold fury emanated from her as she began throwing lightning bolts at Alexius. The magister brought up his barrier and blinked out of view. Shaehari needed only a moment to locate him again. She turned into a blur of icy mist and shot through the mass of combat. She reappeared opposite of Alexius. No sooner had she landed when a fire mine detonate around her, making her spring back. Alexius followed up with bolts of fire from his staff. Shaehari rolled to the side and then blurred again to avoid a demon's claws.

"There is no point in resisting. The Elder One will destroy us all." Shaehari spared a glance at the others. The demons were almost spent from the combined firepower of Sera and Dorian. Bull and Isaac were still locked in combat. Several gashes across Bull's chest were a testament to Isaac's new abilities. A near miss of Alexius's flaming bolts brought Shaehari back to her duel.

"The only thing inevitable here is your death Alexius!" Spinning her staff Shaehari refreshed her barrier and unleashed a barrage of energy bolts. Alexius blinked across the throne hall again, leaving flaming mines in his wake. Shaehari dispelled the mines and drew the loose energy back to her staff. 'Let's see if that trick of yours works Solas.' She blurred after him and loosed the excess energy as a massive lightning bolt from above and in the same motion pulled a section of the stone floor into the air and shot it forward. Alexius blocked the bolt with a focused barrier but was knocked back by the block of stone. The magister slid back along the floor and Shaehari followed, unleased arcane bolts as fast as she could to put him down. Neither noticed the red glow in Isaac's eyes fade.

Alexius's barrier finally failed. Shaehari prepped a final bolt to finish him off when a shockwave erupted from the magister blasting her back. He drew himself up. "I will not be defeated by a pathetic elven sla- "His words were cut short as Isaac's blade cut through his neck like it was made of butter. Shaehari blinked in surprise and glanced back at Bull who shrugged.

"Guess you broke him free." The magister's body toppled as Isaac whirled back around. His eyes were wild as he scanned the room. The moment they landed on a demon, he leaped back into the fray. Shaehari followed and soon the room was emptied of demons and rifts alike. Isaac continued to stalk back and forth until Shaehari stepped in front of him. Meeting her eyes, he finally slumped as the rage left him.

"I'm sorry. I should've known that would happen and stayed behind." Shaehari shook her head.

"That was never an option." She turned to look at Dorian, who knelt over the body of Alexius. "Can you reverse the spell?"

Dorian was quiet for a moment, before reaching down and grabbing the amulet. "Yes. Give me an hour and I'll be able to reverse the spell."

"We don't have an hour." Shaehari and Isaac glanced at each other in brief surprise. Shaehari's faint smile was met with Isaac's fond smile. He whispered,

"Didn't realize just how much I'd missed that." He turned to Dorian. "Corypheus should be on his way, and none of us are strong enough to face him directly right now." He turned back to Shaehari. "With you, in your time there might be a chance, but not now." Sera and Bull shared a look.

"We'll keep the baddies at the door."

"Boss, it's been an honor. Shaehari, kick some ass for me." Shaehari swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"I'll see you both on the other side." They filed out and shut the door behind them. Isaac turned to Shae.

"We both know what happens next. No need to drag it out." He moved to wait past her but she blocked him. "Shae…"

"You won't be alone this time." A flicker of emotion crossed Isaac's face, too fast for her to catch. She repeated. "You won't be alone." He sighed, before nodding back at Dorian.

"You should get going." He smiled. "I'll see you on the other side."

Redcliffe Throne Room

A cloud of green energy and smoke dissipated, revealing both Dorian and Shaehari staring down at Alexius. Around the room, bodies hit the floor as the Inquisition agents finally struck. The magister looked around in horror before falling to his knees. Shaehari glared down at him, Isaac's last moments playing in her mind. She stepped closer, knuckles white around her staff, and whispered, "Surrender now, or you won't live to see the sunrise."

Alexius groaned. "You won. There's no point extending the charade." He turned to his son. "Felix…"

Shaehari stepped back to allow father and son to speak before both were escorted out of the main hall. As they left the main doors slammed open and King Alistair entered. Fiona paled as he approached. "King Alistair! I know what this looks like but I can assure you…"

Alistair waved her off. "Your assurances mean nothing now. I granted you sanctuary and what was Ferelden given in return? My people forced from their homes and Redcliffe given over to a Tevinter magister!" He forced a deep breath in and out. "I wanted to help you; I really did but you have made it impossible. You and your followers are no longer welcome in Fereldan."

Shaehari gave a small cough. "I should point out that we came here for mages to secure the Breach. Perhaps you should come with us." Fiona turned toward her, wariness coloring her words.

"And what are the terms of this arrangement?" Dorian stepped forward.

"Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you. The Inquisition is better than that, yes?" From the back, Sera spoke up,

"After this? Stick them up a tower." Blackwall shook his head.

"No one fights well for their captors." Shaehari tuned the rest of them out as she sighed. 'The plan was for us to conscript the mages and ally with the templars but…' Memories of Isaac's possession floated through her mind. 'To have your life and will bound to another. It doesn't matter whether they deserve another chance: I will not be the one to chain them.' She looked up at Fiona's concerned face. Raising her voice for all to hear,

"We would be honored to have you fight as allies at the Inquisition's side." Fiona's face brightened.

"A generous offer. But will the rest of the Inquisition honor it? Will the other Herald?" Shaehari faintly smiled.

"He will honor it. With the Breach threatening the entire world, the time has come for all of us to stand united." Fiona finally smiled.

"We accept. It would be madness not to. I will gather my people and ready them for the journey to Haven. The Breach will be closed. You will not regret giving us this chance."

Therinfal Redoubt

Lucius was far more skilled than Isaac could have imagined. While Vivienne, Iron Bull, and Varric held off the waves of red templars Isaac, Barris, and Cassandra tried desperately to break the Lord Seeker's guard. The Lord Seeker began to laugh. "This is the so-called Herald? A neophyte better suited to the stables than a battlefield." Isaac growled and pushed forward only to be knocked away by a lazy blow from the Lord Seeker. "But I tire of these games."

Behind him, fresh red templars poured around him and engaged Barris and Cassandra. Isaac tried to press forward but couldn't break through the reinforcements. Lucius grinned. "Until we meet again, Herald." He turned and left the great hall before any of Isaac's companions could disengage and stop him. It was another few minutes before the Great Hall had been cleared of demons. Isaac started after Lucius, then stopped and shook his head.

"Damn!" He turned to Barris. "Envy is the greater threat. There are secrets about my people that he has now. Will you help me kill him?" Barris looked from Isaac to the door the Seeker fled through and back again.

"Of course."

Bringing Envy's barrier down took time: Isaac knew where to find the spare lyrium and the veteran captains but he couldn't run past the intervening enemies as was his habit when he played the level. All around the sounds of battle echoed. Isaac gritted his teeth as more red templars appeared between them and the main hall. 'This is taking too long. There won't be enough templars left.' He brought the final veteran back to the great hall and helped put down the last of the red templars. While Barris organized the templars to break the barrier Isaac took a breather.

'I have no idea if I got back in time to save Barris. Knowing the consequences without knowing whether it was enough is maddening!'

"My dear?" Isaac looked up to see Vivienne nearby. "Just a little longer. The templars are ready to bring down the barrier, then we can see what Envy did to you." Isaac nodded.

"Let's get this over with."

Waves of red templars tried to keep them from breaking the barrier. Isaac held the line with Cassandra and Iron Bull. The fighting had taken a couple of hours by this point and exhaustion swept through him. The collapse of the barrier only brought a little relief; his vision began to swim. "Come on Boss." Iron Bull stayed next to him. "Just a little longer." He nodded and followed Envy out into a large courtyard.

"I touched so much of you. But you are strange. You made me no one." Envy sprang into being across from them. Isaac growled.

"I couldn't hurt the Lord Seeker. You, though, are going to die Envy. You'll never ravage another mind again." Anger gave him renewed energy and he charged forward. Envy screeched and swiped at Isaac with its claws. Cassandra stepped between Isaac and Envy.

"Stay behind me, Isaac! Don't let it get to you!" Isaac nodded and followed her lead, striking between her and Bull. From a distance, Varric fired Bianca as fast as he could, and Vivienne unleashed a hailstorm of ice against the demon. Envy hid behind another barrier and called more red templars to defend it. Isaac nearly screamed.

"How many of you are there?!" Iron Bull turned and met the oncoming red templars.

"Don't think about it, Boss. Focus on the next one." Isaac nodded. Within moments the wave of red templars had been defeated. Envy shifted form, now appearing similar to Isaac. Isaac himself took a step back. 'That's even weirder in person.' He was broken from his thoughts as Envy spoke,

"I still know you, stranger from the stars. Your world will be known to me." Isaac felt his blood run cold. 'No! No, damn it!' Isaac felt the stares of his companions and hissed,

"Later!" He surged forward and began stabbing Envy. Cassandra's intervention kept him from being torn by Envy's claws but Isaac barely registered anything beyond his blade and the demon. 'Shut up! Shut up, shut up, got to make him shut up!' Envy shifted back into his original form and Cole's voice echoed through the courtyard.

"Quick! While Envy has to be itself!" Isaac redoubled his attack, Iron Bull right beside him. Finally, with a final screech, Envy exploded. The last embers fluttered through the air until they settled into an ash pile. Isaac sighed.

"It's over." He turned back to the castle. "Well, almost." Straightening himself he motioned for the others to follow. Barris and the other templars formed up in front of them. "The demon is dead, Andraste be praised. We've numbers across Thedas, but we let this happen. Our officers either failed to see it or were complicit. The templars are ready to hear what the Inquisition needs of us."

Isaac stepped forward. He took the time to look each of the templars in the eye. "There was corruption here. It went from the highest echelons right down to the heart of the order. But every one of you here demonstrated valor and honor. You've answered the call to save your order, now answer the world's call to seal the Breach."

Barris stepped towards Isaac. "You speak truths we should never have ignored. But the order is gutted, leaderless. We need to rebuild."

Isaac was ready to offer an alliance. He had run this moment over and over in his mind, ready to make the same choice he had made back home. He looked over the order again. 'All of them are so low in the ranks. It will take forever for them to rebuild…and…' He remembered Shaehari's tale. "I thought we were friends until she found out I was a mage. The next time I came to visit, the templars were ready in ambush." He…he couldn't. 'I can't bring an army of templars back to Haven. Not until they've been freed from the dogma that the Chantry has fed them.' There is no time for the order to be restructured. If the Order is too broken to stand then become knights under the Inquisition. Serve with us, begin again without the stain on your honor." He paused, then continued, "And I promise, once order has been restored to the world, I will help you rebuild the Templar order."

Barris nodded. "If it is the only way. Templars, will we serve the Inquisition to atone for our failures?" A resounding cry echoed from the templars. "So be it. The Order will disband for the time being and take up the Inquisition's banner. When the world has been put aright, we will turn to you to rebuild us once more. Is the Inquisition ready to receive us?"

Isaac smiled. "We're ready for quite the gathering.

Haven

Isaac led the way up the trail to Haven. Every part of him ached with exhaustion. Looking up he could see the edge of Haven. 'Almost home.' Abruptly he paused. 'Home. When did I start calling this place home? Home is back on Earth, not here.' He was so lost in his thoughts he nearly missed the gates opening. He looked up and saw the other companions ready to greet them. He called out, "Hey everyone! We're back!"

"Bout time ya got back. It's been boring with just elfy-elves." Isaac grinned.

"Missed you too Sera." Isaac grinned then looked past them and froze. Shaehari had passed through the gates and was heading right toward him. He couldn't read the expression on her face but he could almost smell the burnt air around her as lightning crackled. He gulped.

"Well Boss, good luck."

"My money's on her, just saying."

"My dear, I'll have healers on standby."

"Well, you two kids can sort this out. Good luck, and have fun!" Within moments the four he had brought with him deserted his side. Isaac groaned.

"Thanks, guys! Really feeling the love." He braced himself for another shock and started walking forward to meet Shaehari. Once she was closer he began to speak. "Look Shae, I don't know what's got you angry but…" She raised a hand to cut him off and stared into his eyes. Sapphire and amethyst glinted as they searched him. He met her gaze, unsure of what to say. "Shae…?"

The lightning finally dissipated. "Isaac…" Before he could question her she stepped forward and…hugged him. Isaac blinked. Shae, shem-hating Shae, was hugging him? She kept her arms around his neck, her head buried in his shoulder. 'Pine needles.' Somehow the scent of her hair was all he could process. Slowly his shock faded and he hugged her in turn. She whispered, "I'm happy you're back. I was…worried."

He whispered back. "I'm glad to see you too." He closed his eyes and decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. He could deal with the stares and rumors later.

The Next Day

Shaehari woke to the sun's rays shining through the window. She hissed and buried her face in her pillow, blinking away the spots. Sighing she pushed herself up, before the memories of the day before flooded her mind. 'Oh, Andruil.' She buried her face back into her pillow and let out a muffled scream. 'I hugged him! What is wrong with me?'

She sighed. 'After seeing him die, knowing things went wrong with Envy, I just…' She threw back the covers and sat up. Isaac's side of the cabin had been tidied up, its occupant gone. 'I was just worried about my friend. That's all.' Nodding to herself she prepared for the day. Stepping out into the sunshine she greeted the guards by their cabin. A new diagram in hand she went down to see Harritt. Along the way, Haven showed evidence of its bulging population. Inquisition soldiers, mages, and templars all hurried about their tasks. The strange combination of allied mages and conscripted templars had been the exact opposite of what they had planned, but the village was surprisingly peaceful.

She found Isaac already with Harritt. He appeared to be inspecting a new, lighter blade that was requested before they had left but was not ready in time. She felt herself smile at seeing him. 'No. I will not go soft. He is still shem. My friend, but still a shem.' Isaac saw her approach and smiled. He waited until she had delivered her request to Harritt before joining her. "Morning Shae!"

"Good morning Isaac. Ready to face the council?" He rolled his eyes.

"No, but I'm pretty sure Cassandra would hunt me down if I tried to run." She raised an eyebrow.

"Cassandra? Oh no, if you leave me to do all the explaining myself then the Seeker will be the last of your worries." He laughed and held up his hands in surrender.

"Oh alright. I'm going, I'm going." They continued to joke and tease their way through Haven. Around them, they could see the people of Haven gathering in small groups and making not-so-discrete gestures toward the two of them. Shaehari stifled a groan. 'Please don't let the rumors get too crazy before they reach the Clan. I'll never hear the end of it.' Her attention was drawn back to the Chantry.

"Isaac." He followed her gaze to the doors of the Chantry.

"Great. Him again." Chancellor Roderick waited for them with a crowd of people. Shaehari leaned in.

"I thought you said he was done after that letter." Isaac frowned.

"I thought so too." Together they approached the Chantry. Shaehari led,

"What do you want now Chancellor?" Roderick sniffed disdainfully.

"I'm here to expose your charade for what it is, savage. It is quite convenient that you've brought your pet demon with you." Isaac laughed.

"Pet demon? Is that a new attempt to insult us? Has 'heretic' finally lost its value?"

"Mock if you will demon. We know you for what you are. This blood mage will pay the price for binding a demon in human form to deceive the faithful." Shaehari shook her head.

"Tell me, Chancellor, do you have any proof or do you intend to waste everyone's time with more baseless accusations?" Roderick grinned, unnerving Shaehari more than she cared to admit. A sizeable crowd had gathered around them. Shaehari could spy a couple of Leliana's agents slipping into the Chantry.

"Oh, the proof lies in his very existence. The best of Chantry scholars searched far and wide for his history, trying to find a motive for his blasphemous claim of being the Herald." Shaehari and Isaac shared a tired glance while Roderick continued, "Trail after trail went cold. Finally, we noticed something very peculiar." Roderick paced around them, speaking more to the crowd while gesturing at Isaac. "However far we searched, there was no record of Isaac's passing. This 'Herald' that claimed to come to us from lands far beyond has left no trail. No log on a ship's registry, no transactions made, and no sightings at all. It is as if he did not exist before the Conclave."

'Oh no.' Shaehari kept her face neutral, but she felt the seed of worry and doubt. There was no chance of him even guessing the truth but suddenly his false claim had an all too real threat. Roderick continued, "Of course, it is not possible for someone to spring into existence. Not unless that someone," He turned to them. "Was pulled from the Fade. A demon, bound and veiled as a human to walk among us. Furthermore, another demon called him by a title. Templars, noble warriors of the faith, told me of how a demon of Envy called him, "Stranger from the Stars"! Soon after, this demon set about dismantling the Order. Tell me, why would Andraste's chosen seek to break the strength of our protectors?"

He turned to Shaehari and Isaac, triumph written across his visage. "What lies have you for us now, apostate? How will you explain away your pet demon to us now?"