The world blurred.

From brown.

To green.

To purple.

And then, it, or maybe he, became solid once more.

Garrett, on the edge, instantly looked ahead with narrowed eyes as he reached for his sword...and found himself arching an eyebrow as his hand stopped. Curious...is this the Fade? It's not...what I expected.

He saw no Black City, no sky at all, nothing that looked really shocking...yet at the same time, it was all...off.

He was at the end of what seemed an endless corridor. The floorboards were old and of cracked wood, revealing packed dirt wherever there was a larger tear, yet the walls were polished stone, featuring several windows of painted glass, all depicting various scenes from the Chant of Light. Along the corridor, there were also regular figures in Templar armour standing, seemingly frozen into statues, the tips of their swords resting on the ground. Some had lost their heads, others had melted into wretched figures, yet the majority still stood, something with their dark vision slits making a shudder of fear run down Garrett's spine.

The corridor also twisted, ever so slightly, until the far end was upside down, yet it didn't seem to affect the statuesque Templars, as if gravity itself was twisting along with the room.

Peculiar...

He drew his sword, not willing to let his guard down, yet feeling surprisingly confident.

Mostly, his new equipment gave him that confidence. The silverite longsword in his hand was as light as a feather and practically able to cut through stone, partly due to Master Wade's smithing, and partly due to Sandal's runes. His new heater shield, rimmed and covered with a thin sheath of silverite – the usual blue tint to it lost by the black and red heraldry on it – was not only better than any he'd used before, but covered in runes of protection from magic and trauma in equal measure. And his silverite armour, while perhaps not as decorated as that other nobles wore, was a marvel of smithing-craft, with every edge of every plate inscribed with tiny runes of protection from a variety of magic.

Merrill and Anders had both claimed none of that mattered if one entered the Fade, and Garrett believed them...yet it still felt comforting to wear it, to feel powerful. What you feel is everything here, or so the books say...I'm glad my mind still conjured up the armour here, as Anders suggested it might, knew it was wise to put it on before Anders began that complex spell of his.

Then, as far as his confidence went, there was the matter that he couldn't fail, that he wouldn't allow himself to fail. She won't find his breath fading, she won't find him dying without her being able to help, she won't...no, I won't allow it. Garrett gritted his teeth, the grip on his sword tightening, almost welcoming whatever had possessed Feynriel to show itself. I'll rip him back into the real world with my teeth if I have to, demon.

Next to him, Fenris also drew his sword, the elf stepping up beside him, the sound of his steps oddly hollow. A quick glance made both of Garrett's eyebrows arch up though, somewhat confused. The elf was still wearing his usual attire. However, the sword in his hands was a curious thing of black obsidian, looking more like a decorative blade than one for combat, yet the edge was real enough, and something about the whole design was...sinister. Also, the elf looked...smaller, shorter somehow, like the average elf, rather than his usual lanky height...and his tattoos...they were glowing bright, brighter than Garrett had ever seen them before. So...that's how you view yourself? Garrett wasn't entirely sure that was how it worked, but Anders had certainly suggested it as such before beginning his chant that would cast them into the Fade. Why am I not surprised...save for the sword, not sure what that signifies...considering your frown, nothing good. Maybe-

A shriek interrupted Garrett's thoughts, making him spin...and take a step back, caught between amusement and surprise.

Merrill's chainmail was gone, and the tabard she usually wore over it replaced by a green dress...though this dress was not worn or frayed in any way, the colour a vibrant green, tied together by yellow little bows and flowers...flowers that also featured heavily in her hair. I...is that a dress for...frolicking!? Garrett bit his lower lip, about to chuckle...and then blinked as he realised the elf was covering her face with one hand – though the gap between two fingers allowed a green eye to peek out, he noted with some amusement – stopping herself from staring at...

Wow.

Isabela, busy covering her crotch with one hand and her breasts with her other, glared at Garrett and Fenris as the two men stared. "What?! Never seen a naked woman before!?"

"None so...womanly?" Fenris suggested, making Garrett mutedly nod in agreement, pretty sure he should be looking away at the moment. That's a lot of...woman?

"Oh for..." The pirate shifted where she stood, tilted her hips to the side...and moved her hands down to rest on her waist with a defiant look on her face. "Happy now?" Garrett swallowed, the gaze of his large eyes slowly slipping downwards... Wow...Maker, I'm acting like Isabela! Shaking his head, Garrett mentally slapped himself even as he forced himself to look to the woman's face in time to see her raise her head and shout. "Anders! I'm going to kill you for this!"

The voice calling back was disembodied, Anders', yet not. "We have done nothing."

"Y-you need to think of yourself with clothes..." Merrill squeaked, her ears and neck red even as she kept 'shielding' her eyes. And the others keep thinking her innocent... Garrett shook his head in exasperation even as the elf continued. "P-please? Just...something?"

Groaning, Isabela closed her eyes, frowned...and grunted as cloth, ever so slowly, seemingly grew out of her skin before slipping into place. That was...a curious sight. More curious than aroused now, Garrett noted how the usual tunic she wore moulded to her as it usually did. "So...you usually imagine yourself as naked to the world?"

The question came unbidden...and Garrett wasn't surprised by the glare she shot his way while crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't try to analyse me, or I'd start analysing the fact you're covered in armour."

Raising his hands in surrender, Garrett tried to speak as conciliatory as possible...and then hesitated. What would Varric say...? "Erm...because I can't pull off wearing such a tunic like you can?"

For a moment, Isabela stared at him, then, she smiled, a little laugh bubbling out of her. "Well...fair enough, tin-man." Ah, so that's how you do it? Isabela's laugh was a bit polite, yet friendly at least. Think I need to work on it though.

"Personally, I don't think it's an improvement." Fenris grunted, giving Isabela's body a nod, making Merrill and Garrett both give him a curious look, not sure where he was going with his words.

Isabela though, was grinning, hands on her tilted hips. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"You decide." Was the dry response, the elf holding Isabela's gaze for a moment longer before turning to Garrett, whatever amusement had been in his eyes gone in a flash. "We should move on, it's not safe staying in this...place." The elf shifted his stance at that, uneasily eyeing their surroundings. It hadn't been easy, convincing the elf to enter the Fade with them...yet coin had an amazing ability to persuade even the most reluctant of men. Garrett might not like Fenris all that much, but he felt safer with the man around, and given his dislike of demons, he was a good counter-point to Merrill's all too accepting view of them. She might be good to have due to her knowledge, but one had to be wary...Garrett didn't think she could convince him to do anything foolish, but there was always a risk.

"Yes, but where...?" Garrett raised his head. "Anders? Or is this...Justice? Where are you?"

"We are here, I'm Justice...Anders is too busy with the spell to speak." Was the reply, it was indeed Ander's voice, but with a dark timber to it that turned his voice from a dry rasp to something one would expect from a far larger creature. Or a demon... "I cannot take form here, it would not be right to the person you are in. There is another though, one who cares not for such things, one who is foul and filthy...destroy that fiend, and set Feynriel free." A slight strain appeared in the voice. "Hurry though, it is not right for you to be there either."

That's...unreasonable, we're trying to help him, not take over. Garrett wasn't about to argue with a spirit of Justice though, realising how futile that would be. "We are in the Fade then? And where do we hurry to?"

"You are in Feynriel's mind, his part of the Fade, the part shaped by his mind." Suddenly, the scary Templar statues seem more understandable... "As to where you'll go...go to him."

Garrett blinked. "And where's that?"

"There is no direction in the Fade, no north or south, no left or-"

A grunt, and Garrett shook his head, not about to argue when Justice had just told them to hurry. "Where?"

A pause...and then there was a reluctant answer. "Forward."

"Thank you." With a growl, Garrett began to march down the corridor, his amusement of the recent situation fading as his mind once more grew focused.

This time, I won't fail.

8

8

8

In a blur, they walked straight through a door, as if it had been but water..and found themselves in a chamber that looked like one of the rooms in the Chantry. Yet every candlestick, every golden symbol...it had all been enlarged to the point that the room was glittering walls of gold. On the floor, piles of coins lay, silvers, so many there was no counting them. So...Feynriel's perception of the world...the Chantry represents...wealth? Can't say I'm surprised.

In the centre of it, a simple table and chair stood. Feynriel was sitting on the chair, his delicate features facing away from the group as he moved a pile of coins from one end of the table to the other, one coin at the time, voice a low mutter, suggesting he was counting them. Standing to the side of him, a grey-haired woman in a Chantry-robe stood, smiling down at him, gaze vacant even as she let the odd coin add to the pile Feynriel had not yet counted. And is it just me...or is the pile he adds to never getting any bigger...?

Puzzled, on guard, yet not wanting to scare the poor boy, Garrett slowly sheathed his sword...yet found himself thankful Fenris didn't as he took a step forward and spoke in a low whisper. "Feynriel...?"

The boy didn't react to the sound, his movement eager and swift as he kept on counting the coins.

The priestess though...she turned to face the group, wrinkled face twisting into a little smirk. "Well...what do we have here...?" The voice was not that of an old woman, nor of any woman Garrett could imagine. Yet it was still distinctly feminine, each syllable a purr from the back of her throat, full of promise...yet besides all that it was also distinctly familiar. "So nice to see you again..." Before them, the feature's of the old woman, even her robe...changed.

Garrett blinked, then drew his blade, voice a low growl. "Dhavine."

"The same." The demon purred, flashing pointed teeth, a pink and all too subtle tongue darting out to lick a beautiful set of lips.

Not a skeleton any more, a black pair of elegant horns curved from her forehead and back over her head, framing tendrils of dark red hair that fell all the way down to the floor. Her skin wasn't in any colour a human was capable of, but a dark purple that somehow gave her naked body a...lustre. Dazed, Garrett followed the way the demon languidly moved a little closer. Her curves were nearly that of Isabela's, yet somehow each one was more refined, more perfect...more desirable...each one boring into his vision, filling it until he could barely see anything else. What the...? Shaking his head, Garrett managed to pull his gaze back to the demon's smirking face, an odd feeling of cotton in his brain fading away as he glared back. Right, mindless desire...filthy creature. A look of feigned hurt swept over the demon's face, then disappeared the next moment, replaced by a wide grin. "I must thank you for releasing me from those dusty old bones, trapped in them, I would never have found this delicious body..."

"A mistake we can rectify." Fenris growled and took a step forward, sword raised...only to stop, something in the way the demon smirked at him freezing him mid-stride.

"Now that's not very nice...and a pointless gesture, this is my domain." Dhavine's smirk moved from Fenris' blade to Garrett's, making both to reluctantly lower their weapons. This will be...complicated. Garrett threw a glance at Feynriel...and glared back to Dhavine. Yet I will save Beth...Feynriel. Dhavine's smirk turned into a grin.

Yet a boom from up high made her amusement sour, Justice's voice loud and angry. "Creature of desire! You lie! This is not your domain, you have no right to it and must leave-!"

A snap of Dhavine's fingers, and the voice was interrupted mid-sentence, the demon's smirk returning. "What a dull spirit..." She turned her eyes back to Garrett, eyes that were like golden pits, drawing him in, making him move closer, making him want to... NO! Garrett pulled back, glaring at the demon's forehead as with a chuckle she spoke. "Now, let's make it easy for us. I have this boy under my complete control, your efforts are futile, so leave...and I won't...hurt you." The chuckle turned into a predatory growl, yet one so soft Garrett almost found himself wanting it, yearning for it, even.

Thankfully, Fenris spoke while Garrett struggled to calm himself. "I think not, demon."

Garrett, shaking his head, brought his thoughts into order. "You claim to have him under your control, yet he sleeps, didn't leave, we could do what we want to him in the real world." He looked back to Dhavine...and forced a grim smile as the demon's eyes momentarily narrowed. "He's not fully under your control, and you will release him. If you won't, I'll go back into the real world and slay him." There was a gasp from Merrill, but Garrett held Dhavine's gaze as best he could, struggling to contain his beating heart at the panic such a thought brought up. Not again...I'm not sure I could... "Don't think I won't."

For a moment, Dhavine seemed to study him, a curious look on her face...and then she smiled, something almost pleasant in the flash of pointed teeth. "Well, I'm not unreasonable...how about a trade?" Not bloody likely! Garrett snorted...yet the sound caught in his throat as the demon spoke. "I know you want gold...your mother has spent sooo much of it, hasn't she?" The look of sympathy Dhavine spared him was so genuine...he nearly believed her. "Your second expedition might not succeed...and even if it does...do you know how many treasures I've learnt of throughout your ages? The number of buried chests and lost relics, just waiting to be picked up?" A predatory grin. "With it, you could buy Kirkwall fifteen times over...does that not...interest you?" I...that's...a lot of money, with that, I could... Garrett swallowed. "All you have to do is...leave." So easy...

Luckily, Merrill came to the rescue, the woman's dress seemingly rippling in a breeze as she took a step forward, looking pained. "Dhavine! I know this is in your nature but...helping others is in our nature, please understand, we cannot leave."

The demon looked to the elf, and offered a gentler smile. "I know, but as you said..." The smile turned cruel. "...I have my nature."

By then though, Garrett had himself under control. Straightening and crossing his arms over his head, he shook his head, voice a growl. "No." Behind him, Isabela stared at him with wide eyes, obviously shocked. "You offer gold from a place I'm already invested in, trying to frighten me with failure when I've worked it all out. You offer gold from random places across Thedas, enough gold to become more trouble than an aid, gold I can make myself." He glared at the demon. "I don't need or want your help."

Dhavine though, was smiling, gaze drawn away from him, to one behind him. "And what of you, Isabela?" Uh oh... "A single chest will set you up for life. It's so close...in Kirkwall, holding all that you want." The pirate drew a long breath. "Freedom, a life, enough gold for a ship and a crew." Dhavine's smile grew wide. "The ship and crew, the one you've seen, such a beautiful frigate...all lean and strong, faster than any on the seas at the moment...and the crew...well you know what they look like..." A soft chuckle clucked from Dhavine's throat. "And when you have that, you can go search for the others, become the greatest – and wealthiest – pirate of them all..."

"Isabela..." Garrett turned, eyeing the pirate with narrowed eyes. "Don't listen to these foolish offers, you've heard of our dealings with this thing in the Deep Roads, you know that its promises are but empty words!"

The pirate though, was fading, taking a step back and shaking her head, looking confused.

And Dhavine's words pushed things over the edge. "Just let me have this body...and all of this will be yours."

Isabela stared at the demon, then at Garrett, a look of guilt flickering across her eyes...and then she shrugged. "Sorry."

The pirate disappeared.

That stupid...I can't believe...for a ship!? Garrett stared at the empty spot with open mouth.

"One down..." Looking back to the demon at the sound of her voice, Garrett found the room to have changed in the moment it took for him to blink. Now the walls were covered in bookshelves, shelves reaching so far up, it would be impossible to reach the books without anything but a ladder. By the table, Feynriel was now reading a massive tome, apparently not even having noticed the change of scenery or his actions. Nor did he react when Dhavine pushed a few fingers through his hair, smiling. "Such a curious boy, thirsting for knowledge, about his heritage, about his powers, about the world outside Kirkwall, about everything..." Dhavine turned her gaze to Garrett...and he felt her golden eyes bore through him like he wasn't there, digging into his soul like a needle would a fly. "...much like you, wouldn't you say?"

"I've already told you, I'm not interested in your deals!" Garrett replied, his voice a little too high pitched for his liking.

"Not for something you can take for yourself, no..." Dhavine took a slow step forward, then stopped, her smirk on Garrett, ignoring the way the growling Fenris once more raised his blade. "...but knowledge...there's just so much you can gain." A little tsk escaped her. "So many years wasted, trying to survive, when all you wanted was to sit down with a good book...and even if you had that time back...you could never learn all you'd wanted to know." Dhavine grinned at him...and Garrett glared back, sweat beading down his forehead despite his incorporeal shape. "Want to know exactly how it feels to be a mage, to truly understand your sister's burden? I can provide that. Want to know how dragons came about? I can tell you. All the knowledge of your world...I have it, more than all the books in the world contain, all I offer you...you'd be the wisest man in existence, you'd finally understand everything that has ever puzzled you...and all you have to do...is leave this world..."

To know...to actually know... Garrett gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tight, struggling to not focus on his desire for such a thing, to involuntarily lose his grip on the world he was in.

Fenris' growl was hostile though, and cut through Garrett's daze like a hot knife through butter. "Knowledge does not make a man wise." He narrowed his hard eyes at the demon, snarling at it. "Danarius would say it does, and he's a fool."

Garrett, taking a deep breath, tried to imagine himself knowing everything.

He couldn't.

Nor could he imagine knowing the content of every book, to never have to read another, to never need to...to never feel the touch of the paper or the delight of some new nugget of wisdom or revelation.

"I...don't want that." Garrett shook his head, taking another deep breath, not quite able to bring himself to look at Dhavine. "The journey is half the pleasure when it comes to knowledge. If I'm given all of it...what's the point? Plus, I suspect, all the knowledge in the world would make me quite mad..." He dared a glance at the demon, and saw a flicker of a grin. "...wouldn't it?"

"Then perhaps something smaller..." Dhavine suggested...and turned her head. "Like all the lost knowledge of the Dalish? The power they wielded? The magics they used? The way back to the old way, rediscovered, opening a path for a new era for their people..."

No. Garrett turned, looking to Merrill with more fear than he had with Isabela, the idea of the elf being tricked like she'd been in the Deep Roads all too real. "Don't listen." He growled the order, not sure if it would help or not...Merrill was extremely good at acting like she'd heard an order and then acting on her own volition. "You know demons, you know this demon...she could have offered this at any point during your talks, yet didn't, why?" He shook his head. "It's just a way to make you leave, to trick you into leaving." He turned, pointing to Feynriel, knowing that might be more effective. "Think of Feynriel! You can't leave him here!"

"One life – born by someone that betrayed her heritage – for the future of your entire people...a small price, wouldn't you say?" Dhavine purred, looking pleased with herself as Merrill bit her bottom lip. "I won't even kill him, you know that. Just leave, let me have this body, and I'll get you what you desire most, what we both desire..." A small grin. "The lives of thousands, an entire culture...saved from death...by you..."

"I...I'm..." Merrill bit her lip until blood flowed...and the flowers in her hair wilted and turned to ash as she turned tearful eyes to Garrett. "...I'm sorry."

"Merrill...no." Garrett took a step closer, fist closing in frustration a with his eyes he implored her to stay, to think.

She just shook her head though, a tear trickling down her cheek as her voice turned distant. "I'm so sorry."

With that, she disappeared.

No...

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists until it hurt, Garrett's ears rang with Dhavine's chuckle as he turned...

And found the room changed once more. This time, there were practice-dummies all around, that and great torches and swords hanging from the walls...and Feynriel, still sitting by the table, was juggling a small fireball between his hands, looking focused, yet smiling ever so softly.

"He likes his magic...he hates it, fears it...yet he likes it..." Dhavine purred, a hand on Feynriel's shoulder as she grinned at him. "He wants more of it, to save himself, his mother, to make people stop hunting him, to determine his own fate..." A low chuckle. "Much like yourself..." Garrett groaned, frustrated and frightened with the way the demon was digging into his heart with her silky words. "...I understand now."

"You understand nothing." Garrett growled, but it was a poor attempt at sounding confident.

"You want the gold to buy your family and yourself security, to know they're safe...you want the gold for the power it brings..." Dhavine chuckled at him, watching him take a step back with obvious amusement. "It's a heavy burden, but in your heart, you want to be the leader, to be in charge, to be in control." She grinned at the way he opened his mouth to protest, but with no words escaping him. "Did you think I would not see this? Anyone can see it, if they look close enough."

"I told you..." Garrett grunted...each word difficult to say, his posture rigid. "...no."

"Oh? You want the power to change things...you loathe the way the Templars run Kirkwall, don't you? You've seen the dark side of Kirkwall in all its gory glory, and you despise the waste, you've never liked such pointlessness. You even dislike the Viscount for his pathetic rule, the one supposed to steer the ship, letting go of the rudder..." Dhavine took another step forward, grinning. "You would make a far better Viscount...you'd bring the Templars to heel, make the city grand again..." She paused, cocking her head to the side with a smirk. "...you could even go further, unite the disparate Free Cities under one banner, create something more than the morass of inefficiency and selfishness it now is...something...effective...your highness."

Garrett, standing perfectly still, felt his vision flicker, as if he was seeing part of the real world again...and then shook his head, clearing it as he growled back. "I...I..." He turned his gaze to Feynriel...and somehow the blonde little man turned into a young woman, her dark hair cascading behind her back as she struggled with her very first spell.

Bethany...

Smiling, Garrett took a deep breath and looked Dhavine in the eyes. "No." He shook his head as the demon's eyes smouldered in anger. "I will not abandon Feynriel, he will not be yours." Arianni should not have to feel such grief, no one should...

"And what of you?" Dhavine nearly spat the words at Fenris, but then her features smoothed, her tone turning once more into the seductive purr. "Power comes in many shapes...the power to brush aside magic like nothing, power to wield the greatest weapon, to kill armies on your own, armies that stand between you and your target, a target unable to hide from your powerful sight..."

Garrett laughed, shaking his head. "That will not work, Fenris knows all of you demons and your tricks, he will not-"

"You...mean I could..." Fenris' mutter made Garrett turn still, his head turning to stare at the elf in shock. You...you can't be serious. Yet the elf had an intense look on his face as he stared at the demon, a fire Garrett had never seen suddenly burning bright in his eyes. "I could..."

"Yes, after years of fleeing, of being hunted...you would become the hunter." Dhavine grinned. "All that pain, all that humiliation...gone with a swing of your sword. You'd finally be free from those bonds that still hold you, truly taste life...as well as Danarius' blood."

"Fenris..." Garrett finally managed to speak, still stunned. "...you can't-"

Without even glancing at him, without even saying anything, the elf disappeared.

And Garrett just stared at where he'd been, too stunned for words. Of all those I brought...how could the offer of a single kill make him forget what he's dealing with...?

"And so we are alone..." Garrett turned his head...and blinked, surprised by the change of scenery, despite it having happened so before.

Feynriel was still sitting by his table in the centre of the room, yet now he simply had his hands on the table, not doing anything and frowning ever so slightly in confusion. Yet the room itself...the bed at the far side was wide but with simple white sheets, large cushions and a wooden headboard decorated with carvings of running Mabari. The cupboards at the side, the bookshelves...all of it made Garrett frown in surprise. This is...my bedroom?

Dhavine was approaching him more boldly now, smirking, like a cat with the canary practically in its paws. "I'm impressed, not many would be willing to forswear gold, knowledge and power like you...but I understand, you can create all of that on your own." She smiled ever so softly, suddenly inches from him, hand moving up to stroke through his hair...and Garrett found himself frozen to the spot, unable to move away. "But can you create...love?" Garrett gritted his teeth, a pang in his chest making him struggle to remain upright. Dhavine, knowing she'd struck right, smiled more broadly. "You have been alone, for so long...your father told you to protect your family, to look after them...but he never told you to look after yourself, did he?" A slow shake of her head. "A sad oversight."

"I don't..." Garrett swallowed, trying to step back, yet finding himself unable to.

"Oh I know, a demon is hardly the right companion..." Dhavine smirked...and suddenly Garrett was standing face to face with Aveline, a very naked Aveline. A lump rose up his throat, though his eyes remained glued to the woman's face as her mouth curled into a distinctly non-Aveline smile. "...but someone else might? I can make it happen...for so long, you've had no time for her, never mind to court her...are you sure she would say yes though?" Garrett winced. "I'm not either, you're not very...charming, and you know it." Dhavine leant closer, but it was Aveline's breath that brushed against him, her whisper reaching his ear. "I can make it happen though...guarantee your success."

Within Garrett, something rebelled, making him take a step back. "I...that's not..." Aveline's not like that, to just bend that strong will, to make her...no...

Aveline's face turned back into Dhavine's with a blink of an eye, a smirk on her lips. "Or perhaps you'd want something else? Maybe something more..."

Dhavine begun to change...and Garrett grabbed her wrist, stopping and reversing the transformation as with a reddened face he shook his head. "Stop it! I don't...I don't want any of this! Just...just stop it! You can't force someone to love you! You can't make emotions! That makes it meaningless! Artificial and shallow! A forced emotion is a worthless one!"

Dhavine smiled at him, then glanced down at his hand holding her wrist...and Garrett pulled back in horror, his skin on fire from the contact, his entire being seemingly blushing as the desire emanating from her being gripped him. Growling as he struggled to suppress the raw emotion, he barely heard the demon's next words. "Perhaps then, the answer lies closer to your heart? Like say...your brother?"

"Wh-what?" Garrett blinked, confused.

And Dhavine purred in pleasure as she slid around him, a thin tail pushing out from underneath her thick hair and languidly sliding across his breastplate. "Oh come now, it hasn't escaped you how far apart you've fallen...a gap widening with every day..." Before Garrett, Carver suddenly appeared in his old leather armour, the man grinning back at him, but otherwise unmoving. "...remember how close you were when you were children? Yet all that struggling for survival, to protect Bethany, it chipped away at the love and closeness, didn't it? And now it's getting ever worse..." Dhavine moved closer, her breath brushing his ear. "I can bring him back to you, make the family whole again."

Garrett swallowed. "I-it can never-"

"Oh yes, because of your sister..." Dhavine's purr revealed her smirk...and Garrett whimpered as the woman appeared next to Carver, a soft – almost sad – smile on her face. "...she's in the Fade still, you know, a little soul, all alone.."

Garrett's mouth went dry. "Y-you lie..."

"I do not. I could find it, bring her back, like Justice did your Anders." A little chuckle. "Only...better." Garrett felt a lone tear trickle down his cheek, unable to take his eyes off his smiling siblings. "She wouldn't remember a thing, you'd make up a story, and she would bring back the heart your family had been missing, mend the rift within it." Dhavine's breath was so close, he could nearly feel her lips brush his ear. "Carver would be overjoyed, he grieved her so much, and with a little nudge...he'd come to love you again as well..."

Garrett, trembling, squeezed his eyes shut, the tears flowing despite all efforts to hold them back.

"All you have to do, is leave...you've made others die to protect your family before, haven't you? What's different this time?" Yes... "You'd get your sister back, your brother back. Safe in your mansion, they'd live the life they'd deserve." Yes... "Mother would forgive you, Carver would forgive you, you'd be loved again...and together, you would all find peace..." Yes! "...and love."

"No..."

It was but a whisper, yet Garrett felt the demon take a step back at it, purr lost, voice tinged with confusion. "What?"

"Again, you offer love, artificial love." Garrett spun to face her, his tears making his vision blurry even as he glared at the demon. "You offer something that isn't there! You offer a sister that is DEAD! You offer a brother whose very essence revolves around not doing as he's told! You offer something that can't be done! Something that shouldn't be done!"

Dhavine stared at him, speechless.

He shook a finger at the demon, blinking away the tears as he roared out his accusation. "You lie! Your offer is a lie! You cannot undo what's been done! You can't take away the pain!" He advanced, screaming at the demon's face. "You can't make me live a lie!"

Dhavine stared back at him...and then her eyes narrowed, a low growl escaping her.

"Nor me."

Garrett and demon alike looked up in surprise, finding Feynriel rising from his chair, his feet looked unsteady, as if he'd just woke up from a long sleep, yet his eyes were clear, fixed on the demon. "This fairy-tale you've tried to give me...it's what I want..." Feynriel shook his head, a sad look in his eyes. "...but not what I have." A sigh. "I want my mother back, my real one, I want...struggles you can't offer, a reality you can't offer."

Silence descended.

Then Feynriel shook his head, a low growl escaping him. "Get out of my head."

And Dhavine's features blurred, the demon's eyes glowing red as she turned her fading face to Garrett, voice a low hiss. "I will have vengeance for this...one day..."

Garrett, exhausted, managed a grim smile back. "Maybe, but not today."

A flash of white...and the demon was gone.

Garrett turned to look to Feynriel...

...and awoke, back in the real world, in Anders' clinic. Anders and Arianni looked down at him with concern, Merrill with guilt...and the others were gone. Why am I not surprised...? "Did you make it...?" Arianni asked, voice a low whimper as she clutched her hands together.

From another room, a groan reached their ears, making Arianni's eyes widen.

Garrett managed a tired smile, his voice a croak. "Ask him yourself..."

In an instant, Arianni was gone, rushing for her son.

Meanwhile, Anders was offering a cup of water, his voice low, worried. "You look...was it hard?"

Bethany...

Staring down at his feet, Garrett took the cup. "You have no idea..."

In the next room, someone was sobbing, but it was a sob of relief and happiness.

…but it was the right call.

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Thank you to Abydos Jackson, for all her generosity.