Lenore stared at the glowing pedestal as Greagoir's voice droned over the proceedings. "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. Thus spoke the prophet Andraste as she cast down the Tevinter Imperium, ruled by mages who had brought the world to the edge of ruin. Your magic is a gift, but it's also a curse, for demons of the dream realm - the Fade - are drawn to you, and seek to use you as a gateway to the world."

Irving took her arm, and guided her towards the pedestal. She looked across and saw Cullen watching her. He looked nervous, but tried to give her a reassuring smile. Irving's voice filled her ears. "This is why the Harrowing exist. The ritual sends you into the Fade, and there you will face a demon, armed only with your will."

"I am ready," she said, lifting her chin.

"Know this, apprentice: if you fail, we Templars will perform our duty." He gestured at the other men. Cullen shuffled his feet slightly. "You will die. This is lyrium: the very essence of magic and your gateway into the Fade."

"The Harrowing is a secret out of necessity, child. Every mage must go through this trial by fire. As we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you, and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but your own will is real."

Greagoir gave Irving an irritated look. "The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter. You are ready."

She lifted her hand, and touched the pedestal.

#

The world she found herself in was strange and alien. This was no part of the fade she recognized. A small, furry brown rodent looked up at her, then spoke. "Someone else thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever. It isn't right that they do this, the Templars. Not to you, me, anyone."

"No, it isn't right at all," Lenore said, looking around. She touched one of the walls. It gave slightly beneath her touch, like leather.

"But they keep doing it, don't they? We get treated like rabid dogs, and we let them get away with it!" The mouse sighed. "It's always the same. But it's not your fault. You're in the same boat I was, aren't you?" His form shifted, and then a young man in apprentice robes was standing in front of her. "Allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me... well, Mouse."

"Not your real name, I take it?" She looked him over, wondering idly what kind of spirit formed his true nature.

"No. I don't remember anything from... before. The Templars kill you if you take too long, you see. They figure you failed, and they don't want something getting out. That's what they did to me, I think. I have no body to reclaim. And you don't have much time before you end up the same."

"I'm sorry for what happened." She'd heard of such things. Spirits taking on the identities of mages lost in the fade.

"Don't waste time with all that talk. You don't want to end up like... this. There is something here, contained, just for an apprentice like you. You have to face the creature, a demon, and resist it, if you can. That's your way out. Or your opponent's, if the Templars wouldn't kill you. A test for you, a tease for the creatures of the Fade."

"Why pit me against such a creature?" she asked cautiously.

"A question for those in the tower. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to ask. Maybe someday, so will I. There are others here, other spirits. They will tell you more, maybe help. If you can believe anything you see. I'll follow, if that's alright My chance was long ago, but you... you may have a way out."

She let him follow. Better to remain aware of his location.

#

Another spirit stood atop a crest in the path. He worked a smithy of some kind. She walked towards him, curious.

"Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn, I see. Your mages have devised a cowardly test. Better you were pitted against each other to prove your mettle with skill, than to be sent unarmed against a demon."

"I agree, but I didn't have a choice." She bent to examine one of the items he had made. It looked to be a mage staff, but her eyes could not follow all the lines without her becoming dizzy.

"Indeed. The choice, and the fault, lies with the mages who sent you here. That you remain means you have not yet defeated your hunter. I wish you a glorious battle to come."

"Would one of these weapons affect the demon?" she asked, gesturing towards the staff.

"Without a doubt. In this realm, everything that exists is the expression of a thought. Do you think these blades be steel? The staves be wood? Do you believe they draw blood? A weapon is a single need for battle, and my will makes that need reality. Do you truly desire one of my weapons? I will give one to you... if you agree to duel me, first. Valor shall test your mettle as it should be tested."

She narrowed her eyes, and considered. "It seems you would prefer to kill me yourself."

The spirit drew itself up, practically radiating offense. "How dare you accuse me! I am no demon, preying upon helpless mortals to steal their essence! I am a being of honor and valor! I am a warrior!"

"Then prove it!" She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin defiantly. "Help me fight the demon!"

"You are insolent... but your will is unquestionably strong. Very well, mortal. Your prove to me that you possess the strength to resist this demon. Go, prove your worth as you must. I am confident you will succeed."

She let her fingers trail from staff to staff. One warmed at her touch, and she slid her hand around it. She gave the spirit a nod of thanks before continuing along the path. As she walked away, she heard his hammer start ringing again. Oddly, the sound gave her comfort.

#

The riddles of the sloth demon were a momentary divergence. She watched as the demon taught her odd companion how to turn into a bear, putting the information aside for examination at some future date. The bear's form was rough, and a good look in proper light revealed him to look little like an actual bear, but he seemed pleased enough with the more powerful shape.

This demon was not the challenge. She wasn't sure what made her so confident of this, save that she was sure the sloth demon would not have been able to best her at all. She walked back down the path towards the plateau that Mouse had warned her away from earlier.

A mote of light, shifting and forming, and then the demon stood before her. "And so it comes to me at last. Soon I shall see the land of the living with your eyes, creature. You shall be mine, body and soul."

Lenore sighed. "If I lose, the templars will still cut you down."

"They are welcome to try." It turned it's gaze to her companion. "So this creature is your offering, Mouse? Another plaything, as per our arrangement?"

Ah. So there it was. She smiled in grim satisfaction. The bear reared back. "I'm not offering you anything! I don't have to help you anymore!"

"Awww. And after all those wonderful meals we have shared? Now suddenly the mouse has changed the rules?"

"I'm not a mouse now! And soon I won't have to hide. I don't need to bargain with you!"

"We shall see..." Long claws began to extend from the demon's hands.

Lenore narrowed her eyes, then used the staff to focus a beam of ice into the thing's midsection. It hissed and flowed backwards as the ice struck it. The bear dove in for an attack, and Lenore shifted her aim higher so as not to interfere. A few moments later, the demon's form dissolved and vanished. She waited a moment. Nothing happened.

The bear bounced from once side to the other. "You did it! You actually did it! When you came, I hoped maybe you might be able to... but I never really thought any of you were worthy."

She looked down at the staff in her hand. It was a lovely piece. She wondered idly if she could duplicate its shape outside the fade. "The ones you betrayed before me. What were their names?"

"What?" She wasn't sure how it managed to make the bear's face look confused, but it did. A trick of the fade, perhaps. "They were not as promising as you. It was a long time ago. I... I don't remember their names. I don't even remember my own name. It's the Fade, and the Templars killing me, like they tried with you."

"Anything to survive. Like an animal. Or worse."

"I am what the Fade has made me. Am I to blame for that? Deciding to exist or not exist is not a fair choice. I had no hope. You have shown me other possibilities. If you want to help. There may be a way for me to leave here, to get a foothold outside. You just need to want to let me in."

And there it was. "I'm starting to think the other demon wasn't my test."

"What? What are you... Of course it was! What else is here that could harm an apprentice of your potential?" The demon met her eyes. "You are a smart one. Simple killing is a warrior's job. The real dangers of the fade are preconceptions, careless trust... pride." It's form shifted, revealing it's true nature. "Keep your wits about you, mage. True tests never end."

Light surrounded her, and then darkness.