Chapter One: Serendipity


"Help me please." A young woman called out weakly.

A couple out for an evening stroll by the stream in their town heard her and they found a petite lady with fair and soft skin, silken black hair, and eyes of the most vivid and startling blue laying on the ground. She may have been wearing a traveler's cloak and the garments of a servant, but the quality belied the truth. She served a noble family, but it was the bundle in her arms that caught the woman's attention.

They knelt next to her and her husband used his magic to scan the young woman. She could tell by the sorrowful expression in the man's eyes that the serving girl was not long for this world and would soon depart it. The young maid pushed the bundle into the woman's arms and her suspicions were proven correct... an infant.

"Her name is Artz and beg you to keep her safe. My master... her father...he must not have her. She must be protected...I wish...I could keep my promise to her mother, to stay by her side and teach her, but I know that I...please, she is so incredibly important, she is our world's only…" The servant began, but she could not cling to life any longer.

Her head flopped to the ground, eyes still open. Her last remaining tears slipped from her eyes. The man reached up and gently closed her eyes while shedding a few tears of his own. He was a spirit healer, once a proud mage of the Circle of Magi and now an apostate because he fell in love with a nobleman's daughter. Not being able to use the gifts granted to him at birth, not being able to save a life...it broke his heart.

He glanced over at his wife, and he knew that she would never relinquish the girl child now in her arms. His beloved Leandra had already laid claim to the child and would raise her as her own daughter. He urged her to her feet and away from the dead body. If this child was to truly be protected then no one could be allowed to find the poor servant that fought so hard to save her charge's life. He summoned forth his most potent fire magic and set the body ablaze. He knew it would not be enough and after several more attempts and a few Lyrium Potions to restore his magical energy, not even ashes remained.

There was a bag nearby that he missed and almost set fire to it as well, but his wife stopped him and said that when the girl was older, she should have something to remember the serving girl that rescued and protected her. He lowered his arms, allowing his magic to recede. It was a risk, but Leandra did make a good point. It may also contain clues about her heritage and she would undoubtedly go in search of her family.

He picked up the bag and he immediately sensed the enchantment. Opening it, he found nothing inside which meant that it was designed for a specific person to use. Still, it would act as a moment and keepsake of the brave woman that had done all in her power to fulfill the promise made to the girl's mother. He then turned and guided his wife back to their little farm on the outskirts of town.


Growing up again was not fun... at all. It's even worse when your mind magically retains all the memories of your previous life and your child brain can actually handle the stress from an adult mind. She said magically because her father was a mage, an actual fucking mage. Well, he was technically a spirit healer. Spirit healers usually work with benevolent spirits that reside in the Fade, but he was also an expert in regards to the School of Creation skill tree. He was essentially a very good healer though his combat magic was nothing to sneeze at. Her father was pretty proficient when it came to the fire side of the elemental skill tree.

Her mother just happened to be Leandra Hawke...yeah, that Leandra Hawke, the one that gets murdered by a deranged necromancer trying to bring back his dead wife by ripping pieces from a few dozen other women. That was definitely on her list of things to change if the events of the game hold true to the fabric of this reality which meant also saving Bethany since the elder sibling was a mage himself.

At this point in her life, she was seven years old and her brother, Garrett had been born a few months ago. Talk about weird...in her previous life, she had been the younger sibling with a brother seven years older than herself. Father was already making plans for the boy's training and Mother was trying to take care of the family's needs, so she ended up babysitting her brother a lot. Not that she minded but it did occasionally disrupt her secret training and by training, she meant swordplay, archery, herbology, anything mechanical like traps and how to disarm them, and her own kind of magic.

It wasn't actual magic, not the typical kind at least. It didn't originate from the Fade like magic does, but comes from somewhere deep inside her. She calls it Aura Magic and she was aptly referred to as the Aura Magician. She didn't dare tell her parents about it. They had enough to worry about with Garrett and her bag seemed to have everything she needed to master it anyway. Her bag was odd because it only worked for her. Her father said that it was enchanted and she asked him why he didn't enchant other stuff, but he never did explain and sort of glossed over it.

Why was she even thinking about any of this right now because she had just killed a man... did she mention that she was seven? The man was a serial rapist with a thing for children. She only knew about it because she had overheard some of the town gossips near the tavern when she went shopping with her mother in town, but he was suppose to be up near Lake Calenhad, somewhere in between the Circle of Magi and Redcliffe Castle which was why she was shocked to cross paths with him at all.

Lothering was several days' journey on foot from Lake Calenhad and the rumor was that he had been heading in the Northeast direction, heading deep into the Bannorn. She had been practicing in her little clearing just inside the forest, still within screaming distance of her house and her father had really good ears. She wondered if he was part wolf or something. Anyway, she had been practicing with a pair of daggers, utilizing her small size to her advantage.

She didn't even get the chance to scream before he was on her and to be fair, she didn't remember much of what happened though she was certain that she was no longer a virgin with how much pain her lower half was in. She just knew that she had used her daggers to stab into him multiple times, but that was after he was already dead. There was no one else around, so the only explanation was that she blacked out. She blocked the memories of the event, which wouldn't be the first time.

In her last life, her step-brother had tried to rape her when the bastard was piss assed drunk but she was too tight. She had no memory of the event, just like now. The difference being that this time a man was dead, a sentient being had been slain by her hand, and she was too in shock to move, let alone call out for help. She wished her father was here because she honestly couldn't do a damn thing.


Malcolm Hawke, former Circle mage and husband of Leandra Amell, was feeling something stirring in his blood. He had used blood magic only once and that was at the behest of the Grey Wardens and even then, it wasn't by choice. They had threatened him, using his wife and unborn child as the incentive, but it was his adopted daughter that actually convinced him to do it. She had shown him a book from her bag about the magisters of old and the one known as Corypheus was by far to be the most dangerous. For he and his fellow magisters were the ones that invaded the Golden City in their lust for power. He has never used it since and yet now it stirs. Why?

"Dear, have you seen Artz? She hasn't been home all day and she was supposed to watch her brother this afternoon." Leandra spoke, piercing through his darker thoughts.

"She doesn't go far, most likely practicing her secret spot." He replied, chuckling a little.

His daughter was not as stealthy as she believed herself to be. He had seen her practicing many times with a variety of self crafted weapons. He knew that she was gifted with powers, knowledge and skills that by all rights, no child should possess. She may act childish, but that was more for their sake than for hers. She wanted to be a good child for them and fill their lives with as much joy and laughter as she could...like she knew what their fates would be and wanted to cram as much goodness in as possible.

"I would ask why she can't be like other girls, but I can't help but be proud of her. To take the initiative to learn about the world around her and how to fight so that she may defend that which she holds dear. Still, it is quite unusual for her to be this late. She does lose track of time, but this...seems different somehow." His wife said worriedly, wringing her hands a little.

"Don't worry, love. I'll find her." He replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek briefly then heading out the door.

As he neared the forest, the spirits in the Fade called to him. They were urging him to go faster, that the star child was in peril. The star child is what the spirits and even the demons called his daughter. A powerful being with the souk that shined brighter than any star, brighter than the sun itself. For the spirits to be panicking this much, then his little girl truly was in a life threatening situation.

He ran into the forest and to her clearing. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of a grown man having his way with his daughter. The blood in his veins felt like lava. He reacted instantly, using blood magic to rip the blood right from his body, but his rage didn't last long. He froze in shock as he watched his little girl grab her daggers and plunge them over and over into the man's corpse before sitting back on her legs, staring blankly into the distance.

By the grace of Andraste, what has he done?

He finally shook himself out of his stupor and knelt before her. He shook several times but she was practically catatonic. He used his magic to scan her and a whole plethora of spirits pushed their power into him so that he could heal her. Her virginity could not be restored but the severe damage done to her tiny body could be mostly healed. Once done, she collapsed into his waiting arms, completely out cold which was to be expected from having so much magical energy coursing through her body.

He moved her to a nearby tree, so that he could dispose of the remains with his fire magic. In his haste, he torched her daggers as well. Once his task was complete, he returned his attention to his little girl. Her clothes were torn to shreds and she was covered in blood, both her attacker's and her own. He couldn't take her back to Leandra like this. She'd have a heart attack or worse, become so overprotective of her that it would cause nothing but resentment from their daughter. No, he couldn't allow her freedom to be stripped away like that.

He picked her up and carried her deeper into the forest until he reached one of the streams that branched off the main river and started washing her up. He only stopped when the water began to act strangely. It swirled around her and cleansed every part of her before it solidified into a dark blue dress that rippled like water. The remaining water returned to the stream and formed into a wolf-like shape.

"Malcolm Hawke." The water wolf spoke, making the mage stiffen.

"Yes." He replied curtly.

He couldn't tell if the wolf was a spirit, a demon, or any creature he was familiar with and he knew of quite a few.

"You have nothing to fear from me. My name is Poseidon. You may call me Sei. I am a water elemental, though she would refer to me as a Child of the Sea." The wolf called Poseidon stated, gesturing to the child in the mage's arms.

"What do you want and why reveal yourself now?" Malcolm interrogated, still too raw from what had just occurred.

"Up until now, I had not been able to locate her. I am being whose essence is bound to the soul of the Star Child and yes, I chose to be bound to her. As for what I want, I wish to remain with her. I will become the wolvian equivalent of a mabari. There is, however, a problem. The moment she was attacked had been foreseen long ago and it is necessary if she is to have the strength to accomplish her goals. In short, she must believe that she killed that man. A necessary evil that I utterly despise and fervently wished there was another way, but she needed this moment to provide the driving force she required. Hate me all you like because I certainly hate myself for having to put up with this bullshit." Poseidon answered, the bitterness and self-loathing very apparent.

"You love her...don't you?" The spirit healer asked softly.

Malcolm was no fool. This water elemental truly cared for his daughter. Every fiber of its being radiated countless emotions, love being the strongest among them.

"That's putting it mildly, mate." The wolf answered with a weak chuckle.

The spirit healer easily had a thousand questions that he wanted answers to, but the spirits within the Fade were pleading with him to trust the elemental wolf.

"Rogue, warrior, or mage?" He asked instead.

"She'll most likely stay away from daggers from now on, but dual wielding short swords, lock picking, and anything to do with traps from the rogue class. She should have as much magical knowledge as possible, especially the mechanics of magic. She may not be able to wield magic in the conventional sense but given her lineage in this world, it's absolutely paramount that you teach her everything you can about magic in all its forms including your blood magic.

She'll explain to you what blood magic truly is in due time. It's not what you think or what everyone else thinks actually. Her main focus should be the sword, knowing her the way I do, I suggest focusing on two handed sword play as opposed to a sword and shield. She needs to be able to wield it one handed with speed, precision, and force. I won't lie to you, the two handed warrior path will be difficult for her to master, but will yield the most fruitful result which will save the life of one of your future children.

You'll have to push her, hard and steadfast. It will be grueling and there will be so many times that you'll want to stop, but you must not, no matter how hard she struggles or how defiant she will be and she will be extremely defiant. I guarantee that she will be even more grateful after all is said and done. She will do all she can to honor your memory." The water wolf answered.

Malcolm's heart skipped a beat... his memory. These skills and knowledge will be most helpful after his death. Poseidon had said it deliberately, so that he could and would cherish every last moment he had remaining with his family.

"I'm sorry...blood magic is sacrificial by nature. Each time it is used, it shortens the user's lifespan." The wolf informed, verifying his theory, "I need to change now before the rest of my strength fades."

The spirit healer watched on as the water solidified into a black furred puppy with vibrant ocean blue eyes. It stumbled through the shallow water, tripping as its paws touched the ground for the first time. Malcolm picked up the pup and placed him in his daughter's lap. He then picked them both up and headed back towards Lothering.

Time to face the wrath of his wife.