Amongst the dark clouds

A bloody castle... Of course they would find Corypheus in a dark, abandoned castle that was ready to collapse in on itself. Trevelyan never would have expected anywhere else. It was almost way too easy to track the bastard down or rather to follow the burnt corpses he had left in his wake after reaching the general area under the breach. There was simply no time to check if there was anyone that could be saved and he hated himself for it.

So many dead and dying... The road ahead was filled with countless bodies and the dreaded stench of death. They travelled through such paths filled with anguish for so long that he was certain the smell had permanently stuck on him and he would have no chance but the burn his armour, including his boots, once they returned to Skyhold to be rid of it.

They had abandoned their mounts in a temporary camp area which was set up in a safe distance from the breach. Upon reaching atop of the first set of stairs, the secondary group took their positions to fend off any enemy that could attack them from behind. Upon the next set of stairs they could hear Corypheus' lamenting. There were soldiers laying around and another one rolled down the steps, gasping and letting out a dying breath.

Upon hearing more screams Lavellan headed the primary group upstairs without delay and Dorian and Trevelyan shared a last longing look before starting to move and face their enemy. A few steps were still left when Trevelyan narrowed his eyes. He decided to keep to the shadows, following Cole's lead and he hid behind the large rocks. He didn't pay much attention to what the magister was saying but it sounded like a whining spoiled child who didn't know when to quit being a brat. Someone threw a grenade at Corypheus, the area was drowned in black smoke and their final battle began in earnest.

Corypheus, as before, seemed unaffected by their blows. From his hiding place Trevelyan casted a barrier around the Bull and Cassandra while Dorian was busy protecting the Inquisitor who was trying to flank the enemy. Without revealing his position he moved behind the rocks, casting restorative spells where needed. He could hear the clacking noises from the lower platform as well and despite his urge to go help them out properly, he halted himself and waited patiently for his own target to enter the arena.

He didn't have to wait long. When Corypheus felt the pressure of consecutive attacks from the Inquisitorial team, he yelled at the sky demanding to be worshipped. The ground quaked and suddenly everyone lost their balance as the whole castle was lifted upwards towards the breach, into a mass of black clouds. Rocks broke down from the sides of the ancient castle compound and it was thanks to Cole that he didn't fall down the same way. For a second he had completely forgotten that he could grow wings and it was definitive that he would turn to paste had he lost balance.

That would have made a short and embarrassing ending for him.

Unfazed by abruptly finding themselves airborne, Lavellan charged Corypheus and the bastard finally screamed and disappeared just to appear a second later on top of the broken battlements. As he moved up on the tower, he spread his arms to call down his high dragon. Cassandra and the Bull were already on his tail by the time he had completed his summoning.

While Lavellan followed her cowardly foe with great determination, Trevelyan walked a few steps inwards. Dorian spared a second for him on the first step of the stairs much to his pleasure. The young mage mouthed a "Be careful" to him which Trevelyan reciprocated the sentiment with the same amount of love and watched as Dorian turned around to follow his Inquisitor up the stairs.

"You nail that bastard dragon good, yeah!" Sera called out to him and Cole gave a small but encouraging smile as they too disappeared from his sight.

The dragon screeched above him and he nailed his staff on the ground near a large rock with a loud tuck. The amulet around his neck was solid and vibrating with immense power as he focused on his transformation. Near the edge of the floating castle, he felt a nervousness bubble up inside his chest but he quickly swallowed it down as the voices of his battling comrades reached him. Tightening his palms into fists, he exhaled the deep breath he had been holding and stepped off the edge.

He had thought that the transformation would be as smooth and as natural as he had done it the first time but boy, was he wrong. The wind licked at his face as he fell down the vast emptiness. Why hadn't he attempted to change while standing safe and secure atop the lonely platform? Because Tsion Trevelyan was a dumbass... but alas he was there, he was falling and he had little choice but to make due. He was grateful for being brought so high up by Corypheus otherwise he would already be paste by the time he remembered not to scream but to focus.

Then it was easier, the amulet took over his will, his muscles constricted and felt every second of magic engulfing his very being, changing and reshaping what he was. In the second that his energy was focused on his transformation, he found himself drowning on it. Forced by the amulet's interaction he centred the energy in his body and expanded it across the Sky, his body growing with it. Wings shot out from his back, leather covered his skin and nails grew out of his claws; large and strong. His mark's glow remained as a insignificant glint on his bulky palm.

With a flap of his black wings, and using his impressive set of horns he, as a high dragon, glided above the earth and rose back up to the castle. He passed over Varric's group with Vivienne, Solas and Blackwall, who were readily aiming at him but thanks to the dwarf they were prevented from sending their arcane bolts at him. As thanks, he roasted the next wave of the undead that was approaching his companions.

On top of the second platform he met with the other dragon which was getting ready to rain red arcane energy on Lavellan. Once he saw the dragon he understood why Vivienne was fast to go into a defensive position when she saw him. The enemy dragon looked erringly similar under the darkness of the falling night with only the breach providing a fake light. Their skins were both covered with dark leather with his strips being red smears, and his enemy's being grey. It also had a more bony structure and a mean huff, acting on pure instinct completely devoted to its master.

Trevelyan's mind was clouded, he didn't feel like a human anymore and he found himself following his instincts to fight rather than to think and plan. He screeched at the dragon and his upper claws impaled themselves on to the creatures wing as he glided over them. With all the newly gained strength he threw it across the castle and flew after its falling body.

It was an odd sensation, his mind being overwhelmed with a thirst for his enemy's blood. He could still hear Corypheus' obnoxious yells, aimed to taunt his companions but he couldn't bring himself to care. All he wanted to do was to rip that dragon's throat out.

His glowing claw shot out in an effort to do just that but the element of surprise was lost as the high dragon regained its balance while it was airborne. His right wing was wounded but that didn't affect nor bother his enemy. Letting out a hiss, Trevelyan dove in, and spreading his wings wide above the dragon he slowed his fall and breathed down all the fire at the enemy that he managed to let out.

With a shriek and smoke coming out of its ears, the dragon growled and flapped his own wings effectively both escaping the fire stream and redirecting it towards Trevelyan. He cursed as the dragon bodily hit his stomach but was quick to retaliate with throwing a claw at the dragon eyes and drawing dark blood. Unable to sustain their flight both dragons flew off in opposite directions only to meet again somewhere above Corypheus who was running away on the tower alone. Trevelyan took the opportunity and swatted at the dragons nose and being still a human deep down, he fisted his palm, hovering above the dragon and threw a punch right across its huge jaw while kicking with his right foot. Surprised and unprepared for such an attack the dragon's balance was lost.

Unlike Trevelyan's plan though, it managed to avoid hitting Corypheus and instead it connected with the highest empty area above the tower. Annoyed, Trevelyan breathed fire down on them both. He made the mistake of hovering on his spot for too long. As fire subsided and he saw Corypheus' own barrier up and strong, protecting them, it was too late to escape the oncoming attack form the high dragon. An intense arcane energy got him square on the chest, unwinding the air form his lungs. An agonised cry broke through his throat and he felt sharp nails ripping his skin.

Afraid of exposing his neck for the enemy his wings moved downwards and he let his body fall backwards, avoiding the snapping jaw of the dragon by a few inches.

He heard Dorian's scream and his heart hurt but his instincts were telling him to fight on. As he arched he neck, he made a full turn and with a harsh flap, his wings created the necessary momentum to raise back up. He got as high as the castle, past them by and continued forward, into the dark clouds, successfully attracting the dragon to move along with him.

When he got close enough to feel the breach pulling at his mark he stopped his ascension, turned around and with wings slacked back he dove back in, gaining speed and strength, as he aimed at the high dragon. His marked claw shot out to grasp its defensive position and at high speed together they collided with the platform below.

The impact dazed Trevelyan, he retained his bestial form but he wasn't used to being thrown around so much. When he gathered his wits he realized that the dragon was moving towards him with an unrelenting force.

Unsatisfied with his attacks not working, Trevelyan took off only to realize that the dragon had broken a wing and was only able to go as far as the upper clearing where Corypheus had made himself scarce but his companions were still standing.

Without thinking he went for it but something prevented him from reaching his target. A sharp pain shot through his left shoulder and he lost his balance, only to realize that Corypheus was aiming at his head with a giant red ball of pure arcane energy. He gulped down and as he fell all he could do was to cover his head with his wings.

...

He didn't remember falling or hitting an old wall of the castle. His consciousness only returned to him when Corypheus grabbed his human neck and throw him across the clearing. He could hear Dorian and Cassandra yelling for him while they avoided the dragon attacking them but he couldn't even focus long enough to lift a hand. Yet he tried to transform. It didn't happen and the coldness he felt in the absence of his amulet, raised fear in his gut.

"Using such toys to outplay me?" Corypheus yelled and closed his palm around the amulet, squishing it to bits and pieces. "You should have tried harder to beat a God, faker!"

His body convulsed, pain shooting through his back and blackening his vision. As the bond between the amulet and his own energy was brutally severed, Trevelyan lost his consciousness for a couple of precious seconds. The dull ache in his legs acted up, his body actively protesting to his earlier acts. He tasted iron on his tongue and his fingers twitched on their own accounts. There hadn't been enough time to regenerate his wounds as the dragon and he wasted almost all of his vigour on fighting the dragon and yet that blasted dragon kept on going... it kept on attacking his companions while breathing down energy bolts and Corypheus was still talking about gods and kings.

Trevelyan felt bile raising up in his throat. He couldn't do it, he couldn't just lay on his face and watch his friends get hurt while all he had to do was to transform.

"...No matter. I will kill you both. There is no place for any mistakes in my world." Corypheus yelled at his back.

"Do you ever shut up?" he hissed between his bloody teeth. A heavy foot landed on his lower back making him cry out as it dug into the sensitive skin. His voice got carried over to the battle ground which made Dorian to snap his head in their direction. Trevelyan looked up through heavy eyelashes, unable to see him properly, Dorian stood as nothing more than blur in the distance but he could definitely tell when the mage pointed his staff at them and consecutively rained lightning bolts at Corypheus, causing him to step away from Trevelyan. Dorian then lowered his hands and with a sudden jerk he lifted his staff and Trevelyan could feel the icy breath of the coldness as the ice magic took hold beside him. An effective barrier forming between him and Corypheus.

A spirit barrier appeared around him and he got up on his knees and hands. As a form of red energy started melting the ice, Trevelyan stumbled onto his shaky feet. He had intended to reach out to Dorian but a large claw appeared behind the young mage. His heart skipping a beat and Trevelyan almost screamed out for him to evade to attack but Dorian was quicker; he spun around with a grin, moved forth his fist and a large fireball hit the dragon right on the jaw. As it was distracted by the burning of his wounded eye, Dorian took the opportunity to dash out of the harm's way. He didn't waste a second with throwing a lyrium potion at him either. Trevelyan caught it with great ease and drowned the bottle in one go, his energy rejuvenating steadily.

As brilliant as the rumours said, Dorian was a graceful dancer in the battlefield. Trevelyan never fully grasped the meaning but seeing it from afar and observing as a spectator rather than participating in with the dance had reminded him that the Altus was one of best mages he has ever met; With his never ending supply of magic and his joy as he used his fire based spells. Better than he ever hoped to be but as he watched him dance on the battlefield, throwing fire bolts and putting up barriers for those who needed it, it woke something in him. Trevelyan remembered that there was no such option as failing. The worlds faith stood on their shoulders and none of his companions faltered. They stood with their backs straight and they never once stopped fighting. Not even when a dragon was attempting to kill them.

A dragon that he was meant to kill.

The blood thirst returned in an instant. His magic flowed around him taking a blue hue as opposed to his mark's green glow. His Elvhen markings flared up and the voices whispered to him, guiding his determination and teaching their ways with simple commands.

Gather and ground your energy. Feel it within your core.

Corypheus broke through the ice in that instant and Trevelyan noticed that almost no time had passed while he was lost in his thoughts. The enemy collected his own force of will as the red bolts appeared above him, ready to hit the mage with all he got. Trevelyan turned to him with eyes and body glowing with an intense blue, earth crackling under his feet.

Expand your energy. Don't just think like the dragon. Be the dragon. There is more to you than just blood thirst and mayhem.

Trevelyan smirked at his outraged enemy and let his magic spread around, his body following along with it. He wasn't drowning this time. He was becoming something more than what he was, changing and growing. This time when his wings spread out, they didn't hurt. When his claws and limps got bulkier, he welcomed it and with it the feral arcane energy circled around him.

This time the change was all his own. He relished in that knowledge as Corypheus was thrown back with the force of his magic and flap of wings. He dashed forward once more breathing fire and taking the high dragon by surprise. He grasped it, one claw on its jaw and the other on its chest pushing apart in opposite directions. When the leathery collar was exposed enough for him, Trevelyan bit down hard, clasping his jaw around the dragon's neck. The beast howled, its blood flowing freely and its red lyrium covered body failing to prevent it.

Growling low, he turned to his stunned comrades, fluttering his wings. There was a combination of awe and fear in their eyes which he ignored upon hearing rustling from the sidelines. He didn't stop biting, not even when the dragon fought back and the strong body thrashed below him, claws catching Trevelyan's sides. With a final desperate effort to be free the dragon pulled at him with all its might, rolling them around. The ground beneath them gave way and together both of the dragons tumbled down the castle.

Just before they hit the lower platform, he felt the dragon go slack between his teeth. He released the dead beast, feeling it disintegrate and its dark energy floating around him. Finally completely beat, Trevelyan's body shut down on its own, his human form falling down onto the hard ground.