A/N: Well now. I saw quite a boom of readers from the last chapter. sorry Iw as gone so long. :P Life happens. I'm thinking everyone's getting excited though ;D Shall I respond to a comment...? Sure. Why not?! dekicobee's comment seems to be a common response. Is that a promise that ya'll will throw things? :D Hehe~ Just read and you'll see what happens. I can promise two things though: You will cry into your ramen at least once, and you will be smiling like an idiot by the time I'm done.

The night was stormy and winds whipped the rain through the streets of Wycome. Mina had sent Ceras back to the clan to tell them she'd decided to stay in the city for the night. She hoped her sister had made it back alright.

Lightning streaked across the sky, lighting up the room Mina had rented for the night. She was writing a letter to Varric by the light of a stub of a candle. She felt that she'd made enough progress to let him know what exactly was going on. The old man was in the room to the right of hers; if anything or anyone went into his room, she would hear it. The wooden floors were squeaky enough that she could've caught the Coteric sneaking by.

She paused to dip her quill in ink and look out of the window. She missed her friends and Garrett terribly. She wondered how Aveline was doing putting the city back together, if Merrill and Bethany were safe, what happened to Anders, how many mages Fenris killed, and what exactly Varric was doing. Most of all, she wondered what Garrett was doing. She needed to know if he was ok. Likely, the stress of the city depending on him had him in a foul mood beyond compare.

Instead of thinking about that, she imagined his devilish smile and the way he always swore he'd beat Izzy in Wicked Grace eventually. She giggled when she remembered how he'd always asked her to bake cake for him. How he loved cake. It was the strangest thing... Leandra had showed her how to cook, as did Oranna. Perhaps that was why he loved her cooking so much. Almost every time she was making something, he'd sneak in and make sure she got part of it on her face. He'd smudge pancake batter on her cheek, or put icing on her nose. She'd frown at him, but laugh when he grinned and ran out as fast as he could. At the end of her letter she put:

Varric, tell everyone I miss them and not to get into too much trouble

without me. And tell Hawke that I promise I'll make him his favorite cake when

I get back home. With strawberries on top. Take care of yourself, brother.

Mina

She sprinkled some sand on it so it would dry and buried her face in her hands. She was tired. So, very tired. But, she knew she had to keep going. If she didn't she'd never make it back to Kirkwall or learn to control her magic completely. Keeper Deshanna watched her with interest and trained her rigorously. She wasn't mean, but she was tough and quite strict. If Mina didn't show some sign of progress in the daily lesson, she had to skip a meal. More often than not, Mina went to bed at night without eating dinner. And, if she messed up badly enough, she didn't get lunch either. That had only happened a handful of times.

She didn't remember falling asleep, but she knew as soon as she saw the familiar tree line and the slow flowing river in front of her. Mina stretched her legs and stood up. This time she was wearing pitch black armor that looked as if it was made of ebony or obsidian. It was light, and fight her perfectly. "Hah. The things my mind can come up with. Too pretty and I don't have armor like this in the waking world," she said to herself. She didn't expect anyone to answer.

"It looks good on you, sister," came Ceras' voice. Mina turned, surprised to see her sister in stunning amber colored armor. It was a heavier metal and fit her just as well as Mina fit. More important than the fantastic armor was the fact that Ceras was actually there.

"Ceras... what are you doing here? I'm dreaming."

"You came to my dream, Mina. I was dreaming of my home in Kirkwall, and then, the scenery changed and you appeared."

"I did that? Oh. I'm sorry. I mean, I didn't realize it..." Mina trailed off, not sure what to say.

Another voice joined them, "You're getting stronger, Da'assan. It is evident that you've found someone to teach you a thing or two about magic in the waking world. Is this your sister?"

Mina smirked. Fen'Harel was always a constant in her dream world. If she knew one thing, she knew she'd always count on him to be there. She put her hand on his head and stroked his silky fur gently.

"Yep. This is Ceras, my big sister. You can't tell we're sisters right? Heehee!"

Ceras' eyes widened when she saw the Dread Wolf. Apparently she knew exactly who he was. From the look of it, she was about to flip out. Fen'Harel bowed his head respectfully.

"Mina. You know who he is. I know you do. Why are you speaking with him? Don't believe a words he says! He could-!"

"Ceras, calm down. Fen'Harel is a friend of mine. He's given me some very good advice in a few rough spots. And, every word he's said has been true. He's not tricked me even once. As far as I'm concerned, Elven lore can suck it!"

The wolf chuckled and swatted Mina gently with his tail.

"Be kind to your people, da'len. They have their reasons," he said before eyeing Ceras thoughtfully, "You know, Ceras, you remind me of an old friend of mine. He lived in the fade where I used to roam. I feel as if his essence lingers around you or something. Alas, I cannot remember his name... It might just be an old mind imagining things."

Mina swore she saw Ceras tense for a moment, but it passed so quickly that Mina shook it off. Surely it was nothing. Ceras was just startled to be talking to the big bad 'Dread Wolf'.

Ceras cleared her throat and lifted her chin a little higher, "I'm sure he was a good friend of yours, but I haven't had much interaction with the fade. I am not a mage like Mina."

Fen'Harel nodded, "Of course, of course. However, you two have an amazing bond. Not just anyone can do this. Especially when one is not a mage. It is a weak form of a very old magic. Those who lived in the time of Arlathan used this to call upon their loved ones when they were in danger."

Mina and Ceras shared a glance. They both seemed interested in this strange magic. It might come in handy if they were apart and needed backup.

"Don't even think about it. It is very dangerous for inexperienced mages, and even more so for someone who cannot use magic at all. Best case, one of you will get hurt badly. Worst case, you'll both die."

Mina put an arm around Ceras' shoulders and looked at her friend defiantly, "Yeah? We're not so easy to get rid of. We're doing this with or without your help, Fen'Harel. I may not have all the talent of Bethany, or all the experience like Keeper Deshanna, but I will do this and I will not fail."

Ceras smiled, just as defiant and put a hand on her hip, "I agree with her, wolf. It would be very helpful in a difficult situation."

Fen'Harel snorted and shook his head. He regretted saying anything to them. He should've known better. Anything magical that he told Mina about, she wanted to try. And, eventually she ended up being able to do it. She'd mastered a few, but he was still hesitant to share much with her. There were some spells that were too much for her mortal body to handle.

"Fine. But, you will not like how it is done. It will be painful, and you will have to use Blood Magic," he answered at last.

Ceras frowned, no longer sure. Mina grinned, ready for the challenge. Fen'Harel sighed at their different reactions; he knew all too well what happened when someone did such dangerous things too early.

"Are you sure we can trust his word, Mina?" Ceras asked again. Mina scowled for a moment and crossed her arms, frustrated that Ceras didn't believe her. She'd said that she trusted him, and she meant it. He'd never done anything bad to her, nor had he told her a false word. He was completely different than what the clan had said he was. She wondered what exactly happened way back when the Ancient Elves lived. If ever she could get Fen'Harel to tell his story and why her people hated him so much now, she would. She had to know.

"Ceras, please, just trust me. He's not that bad. He's a bit cryptic sometimes, but that's because he's old. No one trusts a stranger at first, but he's been in my dreams for several months now."

It was Ceras' turn to sigh. She wasn't totally sure about the whole 'trust the Dread Wolf' thing, but she trusted Mina. Not her character judgment.

They followed the wolf god a few miles away from Mina's usual spot at an old shrine-looking place. It was made of smooth charcoal grey stone and had Elven markings all over it. Apparently he was controlling their dreams now. Mina felt a chill go down her spine. It wasn't from him, rather, the shrine gave her the chills. It gave off an almost ominous feeling. The dream fog, as Mina called it, seemed to be thicker. She almost lost sight of the wolf ahead of them.

They came to a stop at an altar carved in intricate dragon symbols. It had an ethereal beauty about it. The stone had changed from plain grey to a pearlescent purple-red color. At the top, there was a graceful little dragon encircling a bowl where Mina assumed offerings were given. She glanced at Ceras and gave a reassuring smile, though, she wasn't so confident anymore. The place oozed with something... wrong. It was a terrible power that Mina's whole body wanted her to run from. The darker part of her mind was eager to play with whatever it was.

Fen'Harel let out a small whimper before he spoke, "Da'assan... it requires a lot of your blood. Now, blood magic is not a bad thing if used properly. However, even a god should be leary of this magic. Are you sure you wish to do this?"

Mina smiled devilishly at him and pulled out a knife, "If it helps to protect those that I care about, I'm all in. Right Ceras?"

The older sister made a face, but nodded in agreement. Fen'Harel narrowed his eyes at her. It seemed that she was not entirely okay with the ritual. He had been hoping that Ceras would talk Mina out of it. To his dismay, she didn't look like she was going to back down either. If he couldn't knock sense into his little Elf, he doubted anyone could.

"Cut your palms and hold them over the bowl. Once your blood fills it half way, the magic will start. And, believe you me, it is painful," he warned one last time.

The girls did as instructed, Ceras grimacing at the tearing of her flesh, Mina smiling sadistically. Immediately, the dragon started to glow with an eerie purple light. It pulsed with power, letting out a screeching noise that shook the entire altar. The wolf backed up, woefully and watched the dark magic do its work. That's when Ceras began to shake violently.

And Mina began to scream with an otherworldly voice that was far from the one Fen'Harel knew.