From the burst of darkness that soon yields, a sharp inhale launched in Arturia's chest as her arm swung, but nothing is struck, her eyes focusing to the immediate surroundings, the area clouded with an unearthly green hue in an empty space that seems to strangle her senses, stone pillars between an expanding path leading ahead. The strangeness of this unnatural area, her agitated and confounded heart coming to a slowing beat as she regains her composure, breathing steadily.

'What happened?' Is her first thought, 'The Lord Seeker - or rather, perhaps that wasn't the Lord Seeker at all.'

The sudden exposure to those monstrous limbs that erupted from the "Lord Seeker" - stronger and quicker before she could react - still disturbs the knight as she tries not to shiver from the memory. For something to even have a chance to hold back her strength for even just a moment, it is without a doubt - that was a demon; an intelligent one who can speak and disguise themselves human. She has heard stories of such beings in her former time and world, and hearing something similar in this world as well, but it seems her companions are not around to tell her otherwise. Has she been separated from them? The demon did seem intent to pull only her in, though to where is unknown, or if possible her companions managed to follow.

She looks down at her clenching hand to regard her holy sword.

However, her Excalibur was utterly gone, the holy sword that rarely ever leaves her side. Surprise coursed her at not even a single trace of her companion weapon, certain to have neither drop it or will it away.

She mentally reaches out for it, trying to summon it back into existence, but nothing speaks back to her; blocked as if by some barrier. Tension rises in her mind as her heart grows weary, but she holds in a breath and keeps herself calm. Does this place have the ability to disconnect herself from her sword? Has the monster taken it somewhere? That isn't good, for at least two reasons: one that she is without weapon, and two, Excalibur has the tendency to talk - a lot, and the worst that can happen is for the demon to throw him in a dark pitch that it will take forever to reclaim from.

Whoever rules this place must certainly powerful. She must be careful here then. While at least she has her armor still intact, it seems she'll have to defend herself barehandedly against whatever roams here.

Shifting her attention from her missing sword to her surroundings again, Arturia inquires internally to focus and make sense of her situation, 'What sort of place is this?' Is the first to question. She looks down to herself, placing a hand over her armored chest. There is freedom of movement, and she feels solid enough, yet the whole environment does not feel just as much so, the air being disorientating but nothing nauseating yet, like being inside a dream. Is this what it is then?

'A dream...or rather, a cage morelike.' She looks to the open path before her, a beckoning pull from it that she feels inclined to deny, but there is no other path open to her, just dark walls that seems to push her if she continues to stand here. No other option then, not that she intends to stay in one place anyhow. She must find a way out of this realm, back to her group, or slay the foe that has sent her here.

With a decided breath, steeling herself as her fists are clenched by her side, she marches on forward.


It is like walking through a thick mud, each step slow. A silent noise begins to fill her head, a humming, almost soundless yet shivers over her consciousness, like a howl from all directions. She continues forward, wary eyes darting all around.

Torches light up from each pillar, and as she proceeds further, more fire alights in the hall in an truly uncanny manner.

Kneeling in contorted agony and eternally frozen in place, fire burns the dark skeleton of already burnt flesh.

Another in flame corpse lay behind it, crying to the sky and bony dark arms that limped from its side, begging for the Maker's embrace.

More and more corpses that are burning to the bone scattered the hallway, some sort of massacre happened here, or perhaps the effects of magic that either went wrong, or went horribly right as the inflictor intended.

Arturia thinks back to the display of burning corpse from when she first arrived to this world, and saw the death and agony that occurred at what was once the Conclave. She sternly speeds onward, looking at each corpse before she turning her gaze at the end of the hallway at a harrowing whisper.

"Wha-?" Arturia begins in disbelief. At the end of the hallway were two familiar figures, one in her regal elegant clothing fitting for the dark haired Orlesian ambassador, and the other in his fur armor coat, and warm gold hair. "Cullen? Josephine?"

She stops her approach. The figures of Cullen and Josephine stare at her, silent, unresponsive. No, these aren't the people she has worked with, something inside her mind simply told her that they weren't. "What is this?"

A gasp escapes into the air and Arturia, out of instinct, clutches her sword hand even though nothing is there. Another figure steps out from the dead-looking bushes at the side. What shows up is another familiar figure, in her spymaster outfit of purple and gray, her red hair showing prominently under her hood.

The face wearer of Leliana walks towards Arturia, and the knight keeps her distance, glaring in knowing distrust. "I know for a fact that neither Josephine or Leliana could have come to Therinfal so quickly. Your disguises and illusion won't fool me demon!"

"But will it let me know you?" A haggard, distorted mockery of Leliana's tone of voice speaks through the shape-shifter's mouth, "This place is the closest I can get to decipher who you are. You have a tightly sealed heart, tighter than any man or woman I've seen until now. Perhaps this will open it to me."

The false Leliana moves behind Cullen, a dagger unsheathes in her hand, and she holds it in front of his throat.

Arturia's glare deepens at the action. Though she has doubt to believe for either Leliana or Josephine to be here, Cullen is another matter entirely. However, the knight is certain that the figure being hold hostage in front of her is naught but an illusion. Cullen is an templar familiar with cases of demons and too experienced to let himself be captured like this, not even accounting for the fact that Vivienne would have prevented any sort of possession while close by. No, Arturia is certain that this demon created this farce to stir some reaction from her. This is not the real Cullen, she could see it in those eyes - those are not the eyes of a living man, but an empty shell of a puppet.

The young looking blonde keeps her silence, and in an appallingly slow, grinning motion, the false Leliana slits the throat of the false Cullen, blood pouring through the wound, and the commander fell without an utter.

A growl escapes from the demon in disguise.

"I will know you..."

The pretender backs away, into the shadows within the dark bushes, and the false Josephine starts to move, a knife in her hand. Arturia held her guard up, ready to strike with her fist if she must.

"I have been observing your actions and achievements for some time, outsider," The demon hisses through the image of the ambassador, "Yes, I can tell very much. Being you would be so much more interesting than being the Lord Seeker."

Arturia follows the figure of Josephine as the pretender walks behind one of the pillars. Being the Lord Seeker, it claims...

"You have been posing him this entire time," Arturia accuses, fathoming the terrible truth, her voice as pointed as a sword, "It was you who has been causing the Templar Order to degrade, rot from within!" This would explain Cassandra's baffled expression to Lord Seeker Lucius' uncharacteristic behavior and decisions, especially back at Val Royeaux.

Yet that alone is not the only discomforting revelation that has come from the imposter. This demon called her "outsider"...meaning it is aware. It knows she is from another world, yet judging by what it said so far, it does not know who she is exactly. She can use that to her advantage, because right now, it's apparent that she is in this creature's domain, and it had all the control - except for her.

"What have you done to the real Lord Seeker?" Arturia walks after the pretender behind the pillar, however, when she went around it, there is no one there.

"What have you done to the real Lord Seeker?"

The distorted voice of her own comes over her shoulder, taunting, trying to capture the sound of her in exact. The knight instinctively swings her arm for behind, backing away. Again, no one was there. Laughter echoes throughout the illusion of this reality.

"You'll see," The demon smugly replies, a grin in its tone, "But for now, why don't we see how your Inquisition will come to be? When I'm done, the Elder One will kill you, and ascend. Then I will be you."

"Who is this Elder One?"

"Perhaps you may know. Perhaps I should tell you, then maybe I will know you."

The demon reappears from Arturia's side, the face of Josephine staring right at her. This time, the knight stands her ground, daring to see the demon make its first move. "But you will know this: glory is coming, and the Elder One will have you chained and watch as everything before you burns."

"Who are they?" Arturia demands once more, unshaken by this ominous pressure of the demon. "May know", it says. What can it possibly mean by that?

"Were they the ones who destroyed the Conclave?" The knight follows up with steel in her words, "What are their next plans? What do they intend to do?"

The face of Josephine contorts angrily, trying to seek something but failing, and the demon in her skin stalks away. Arturia's eyes follows the disappearing form until the figure of Josephine is gone, into the mist.

"I do not answer to you! I am Envy!"

Arturia turns around, the form of Cullen resurrected, the distorted voice kept all the same, a slow rise of his finger raising towards her, "Many can harden their hearts, but I will break yours open. The Elder One refuses to tell me, but I will know you!"

The false Cullen strides in front of her, passing to a sudden manifested figure of herself in shadow form and glowing yellow eyes, "Tell me, knight, what is in your mind?"

A dagger manifests in its hand as the false Cullen moves behind the shadow manifested of Arturia, and stabs her in her back.

"Tell me what you think."

Arturia watches as her shadow shouts in pain and falls to the ground. Her own eyes unwavering, her expression unbroken at her fallen form of her double. A light of flame ignites to her left and she turns to its direction. Before her bright green eyes is the war table from Haven, the false Cullen leaning over it, with fire igniting each small flag and pieces representing the Templars, the Mages, and the Inquisition.

"Tell me what you feel."

Arturia's face remains harden as her emerald eyes reflect the fire on the map; her heart an unmovable mass of ice. A mask that has become part of her entire being.

The feeling of someone standing behind her had her abruptly turn. It is herself in shadow form again; the figure clutching her side, bleeding from the wound that came from a familiar place. The real Arturia feels something in her hand and looks down, a dagger now manifests in her hand, blood soaking at the blade. Her shadow soon collapses, her sword keeping her from falling completely as gasps of lingering breath of life remains.

"Tell me what you see..."

Arturia remains aloof in her reaction, looking down at the dagger in her hand with a certain level of detachment, "Is this all? Because color me not impressed."

Unmoved by these obvious tests to her sanity, patience, and overall prodding of her character, Arturia coldly looks back up to the demon taking Cullen's form. "I do not have time for these games. I understand now what you're trying to seek from me: a host, just as the Lord Seeker had become. But know this, demon: you will not have me."

She has lived with countless audiences who did not understand her, nor her in return. Perhaps, there will never be anyone who can, especially not now in this new world. Her own companions can not even begin to fathom the truth of her existence. But the King of Knights will certainly not have this demon know her the most, nor will she ever willingly reveal anything to this wretched creature.

The demon growls once again in response to this declaration, slowly etching away and into the shadows. "Determined, yet there is something more, something you don't wish to show. A secret? A weakness? I will have it. You will not hide yourself from me. You are in my realm now, herald. I will see who you really are, by force if I must."

The demon, and the dagger in her hand, disappears into mist, and Arturia is left to her own devices. Looking to her surroundings once more, she finds a doorway to another area. 'The demon seeks to know me, that may be all it takes to possess me. I'll have to keep my heart locked tight then.'

To think all her years of a stony disposition, a mask that has led others to fear and condemn her, will be her savior now. She supposes there has been some merit to it after all this time.


She resumes the trek through the foggy dystopian of a world that defied all laws following logic. With each room she passes, moments of her life in Thedas arrive to manifest as still frames, with the demon taking her place as a sort of shadow figure of herself. From when she is first brought into custody and meets Cassandra, to a supposed future of herself leading a victorious army of the Inquisition, and pursue conquering all of Thedas, then of course, the whole world. As if she was that braggard Iskandar.

There are moments when the false Arturia who speaks in that distorted voice takes charge, deciding to forgo the alliance between the Mages and Templars - simply destroying both parties. Usurping the positions of the Chantry members. Imprisoning and killing anyone who stood in her way - the demon's way for handling matters, that is.

"Does this not entice you? Disgust you? You can have power no one will match!"

Arturia chooses to continue to not heed the unholy being with any answer, simply waltzing by these visions stony faced as she sought for an escape, opening doors that lead to nowhere at times.

"Are you perhaps indifferent to it all? Do you not care about the lives you lead and take?"

She blocks the words of the literal demon in her head, focuses on opening another door that leads to another room of another persecuted innocent, she quickly goes to another room.

"No...that's not it, I am certain of it! You cannot keep your true self hidden for long! I will have you. I will lead the Inquisition, and it will be even more glorious than yours!"

And then, in the midst of this reality, another spoke. A gentler voice.

"She doesn't want to listen to you, Envy. She sees them as it is, not her. Not the choices she wants to make."

Arturia halts momentarily in the hallway as Envy gives a startled noise. This other voice is very much different. More...human, clearer and male sounding. Yet another trick? Though why did Envy sound surprised?

"Hasty, helpless. A view of a shining sun far out of reach, but what happens to the hammer when there are no more nails?"

The question did not seem directed towards her, a sign she takes as she soon hears Envy's angry hissing, "What are you?! Get out! This is my place!"

Another intrusion? Arturia thinks to herself, and as she does so...

"FOOL! A wretched being such as yourself could never hope to understand the heart of someone gallant as her!"

That voice! She knows that obnoxious voice anywhere!

With a burst mixture of relief and worry, Arturia rushes towards one of the rooms, pushing open one door and enters.

It is yet another plain room, some books shelves and desks, but nothing more. A click of her tongue rings out as irritation begins to bubble inside her, she walks back to the door. There must be a way out, there must-

"Bah! Blasted twisted realm!"

The knight spins around, raising her fist. She sees no one though, yet the voice is undoubtedly her holy sword.

"Envy has you trapped," the other voice from earlier states the obvious, "It doesn't understand what you are, who you and your wielder are. It doesn't like you, but it wants her, a face it can feel but not fake."

Slowly, she returns to the center of the room, eyes looking intensely to each corner as she tries to search for the source of the voices that seems to fill the whole room.

"Well it ought to keep his grubby hands away! I will not let myself be wielded by some pretender who thinks he is worthy to use a sword like me!"

"It doesn't have to use you. Just wear her. He'll leave you alone, in here forever."

"I strongly decline to that! This place is far too dingy for my taste, let alone my status."

An aggravated growl escapes her throat as Arturia interrupts, "If this is another trick to drive me mad..."

"No trick," The calmer voice reassures, this time sounding to be directly towards her, "I'm here to help. I reached out Envy, then in, then here and found your friend. He likes to talk, a lot."

That certainly isn't hard to believe. Arturia remains with her caution, her eyes continues to look around the room carefully, "Who are you then?"

"I'm Cole. I've been watching, like the others. We're inside you. Or I am. You're always inside you."

Her brows furrows as she handles the riddle-spoken words, "And how can I trust that you are not with Envy?"

"Envy hurts others. But you, you help people. Envy will not, it doesn't know how to. I want to help you, not Envy."

As the knight looks around the room one more time, she stops and steps back at the sight of someone entirely new. Standing upside down with his foot on the ceiling, a young man with shaggy light blond hair, a peculiar hat that seemed too big for his head, and worn out brown clothes.

"Indeed."

Spoken from another corner, Arturia looks to it. Sitting pristinely with one tiny leg crossed over the other, a white small figure with a long snout sat at a barrel, in white attire tux and top hat, a cane by its side, and - as if this reality isn't already strange enough - a cup of tea with it's tea plate in its hand, it taking a single sip of it before resuming, "I can vouch for him. That dreadful demon separated us when he had you let go of me. Completely blocked all communication between us until Cole found me. That unholy beast had the nerve to have me sink into some murky lake water! Or what represents it anyhow."

Arturia blinks at the creature once.

Then twice.

She had to do it a third time just to make sure she was seeing clearly.

"...You are my Excalibur?"

With a twirl of its cane, the long snouted small being stands up right, and points her with his cane, "FOOL! Surely you can tell by our connection? No illusion can falsify that."

Focusing on mentally reaching out her sword and finds it true; there is a strong connection she feels from this dog-like creature. This...This is indeed her Excalibur, and yet.

"Why do you appear that way?" Is this Envy attempting to humiliate her proud sentient sword?

"FOOL! This is my truest form! A form that not many would be able to withstand the sight of, save for my King." He twirls his cane once more and sits back down, sipping from his tea cup again.

"True form, that's true. But not always," Cole suddenly remarks cryptically from his spot above, "A shadow of the real self, somewhere far - farther than the Fade. Farther than where you come from." He turns his bagged eyes towards Arturia's position, "Until both of you were brought here. Well...not here precisely. Here as in, the world where you were pulled into, before Envy pulled you here."

"You mean Thedas?" Arturia questions warily, staring at the eerie young man, "Then you know what I am?"

"Not know, but notice," Cole vaguely explains, "Different from others, like a drawing instead of a sculpture. You came through suddenly, pouring through a tear - it echoed everywhere. It...would have been hard not to notice."

Taking the time to collect herself for a brief moment, Arturia looks to Cole, "I see...you are a spirit then?"

"If that bothers you, I can make you forget. That helps."

"You have that sort of ability?" Arturia questions, eyes widening.

Cole nods, though a change of mind shimmers in his eyes under his hat, "Yes, but...no, you'll need all of you right now to fight. Maybe later."

"I rather keep that knowledge with me," Arturia states firmly, though relaxing her shoulders a bit, "I don't know how much of this I should trust, but I know that... sword, is indeed mine. If he vouches for you, then I will have to trust it. Besides, if the Envy demon was clever, he could have had me forget, and then have me attempt for knowledge so that he would be able to know and replace me. I suppose it's a comfort that you have not done so."

She slowly approaches with a step, "I have met and conversed with spirits before on equal terms, I shall hope you are the same."

Considering that this spirit is not taunting her with corrupt visions and the like also likely helps lift the suspicions of this being.

"You know other spirits?" Cole asks in an strangely innocent fashion, eyes widening even further in piqued interest, his staring seeming lost for a moment.

Arturia nods slowly, her mind remembering her interactions with the Lady of the Lake and her fairies, as well the Servants of the Holy Grail War, "Yes, but not the kind you'd be familiar with I believe. Perhaps it is simpler to say that there are good and evil of all entities, man or spirit. I shall trust that you are as noble as the one I have known-"

The all too familiar sound of clashing blades takes her attention and the King of Knights whips around, the open doorway leading back out to the hallway. A dash of red and yellow flickers from the mist, a flash of a dark figure. Is that-?!

A sudden pour of water seeps through the cracks of the foundation, filling the floor with clear liquid.

"What's happening? The Envy Demon?!" Arturia demands.

"He can't hear us now. I've blocked him, but he's fighting, hard," Cole reveals with a stressed breath, "It wouldn't be easier if we have fought outside your mind."

"My mind?!" In clear shock and panic, Arturia looks back to the spirit, who is now suddenly sitting against the wall, between shelves.

"We are in a dream realm of a sort. To be precise, we are inside your own mind," Excalibur explains pointedly as water stops rising, Arturia lifted by an inch, her ability to stand on its surface keeping itself in this realm, "Of course, at the moment, the stench of that demon has made the place filthy, but what may be hidden here are hints and bits of yourself and your memories."

"A wall of steel, surrounding the heart, defending the mind," Cole chants hauntingly with a lucid expression, "Pieces are beginning to chip through, water seeping, yet still holding. Envy won't stop until he sees you for who you are."

"What about the others?" Arturia then asks the spirit, "The group I was with, have they've been pulled here as well?"

"No. Envy only wants you, he took only you and pulled you into your mind. The others are outside, frozen, just as you are, in the real world," Cole answers almost vaguely, "Thoughts are fast. Outside, a blade is still falling, hanging in the air like sunset."

"If this is my mind, then I should have enough control of it, shouldn't I?" The knight questions as the sound of clashes resumes through the open doorway.

"Yes...and no," a hesitant answer comes from Cole, his face strain, "Thoughts are difficult to handle, like dreams. Sometimes, you can make yourself fly, sometimes you don't. Thoughts come and go, as do memories, it's not always controlled. Envy will make sure that you don't. It's both his and yours that we're here inside, only he's not sharing and letting go."

That certainly makes sense, if she could even begin to make any sense of this. Pinching the bridge of her nose briefly - perhaps as a futile attempt to awake herself, Arturia sighs shortly, "Alright. Then how can I regain complete control of my own head?"

Cole stands up, and approaches the knight, gesturing to the whole room, "All of this is Envy: people, places, power. Memories that belong to you will start to slip through, and once it does, Envy will be closer to you. But if you keep going, Envy stretches. It takes strength to make more. Being one person is hard. Being many, too many, more and more, and Envy breaks down. You break out."

So the further they proceed in her own head, the further Envy will exhaust itself, "Will I be able to protect myself from his influences?"

"Maybe. He'll try to inflict pain the further you go - mentally, trick you into feeling it, but it isn't real. Envy can't actually hurt you here. You'll have to let him in to do that. I don't recommend it, it's how the Lord Seeker lost his face."

"You know what happened to the Lord Seeker?"

"It's what happens to all who Envy wants to be. He melted into Envy, and it became him but different, wrong, itself. It twisted the commanders, force their fury, their fight. Red inside. It will do the same to you, it's best to leave here now. When we go, stay focus, memories might drip in from you, but as long as it doesn't fill Envy, you can still escape. I can guide you, help you think over Envy's."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Excalibur exclaims with much gusto, hopping back to his feet despite the vivid imagery of what was just said. A shimmering light envelops his body as he traversed like lighting and back into the palm of Arturia's grip in sword form, "Let's get going!"

Comforted by the familiar grasp of her Excalibur, Arturia nods firmly to Cole, "I will entrust myself to you then, lead on Cole."

Cole smoothly moves around Arturia, and starts out for the door, "This way."

She quickly follows him after, though before proceeding, green fire suddenly spills in front of them. Horrible flames that Arturia feels her instincts cry out against. It seems that not even her Magic Resistance can protect her from these flames, or maybe, it is the lack of logic of this world - her own mind, that refuses this.

"Try like what happened before," Cole encourages gently, suddenly at the knight's side, "Let water flow, dowse them over the fire."

Closing her eyes, Arturia dives into her memories to think back to another spirit she met.

An all too naturally beautiful figure who came from a beautiful lake, where fairies huddled and hover, where her sword Excalibur was born.

Soon enough, she hears the crashing of water drown the flames, and the pathway to the next area makes way as flickers of small beings of light - fairies, dancing around the falls.

"That thing can't help you! I will see more!"

But the group pays no attention to the demon's threat as they press on into the next area of the mind.


Just as Arturia walks into the next area, a flash of light took over her sight. She reactively clenches the grip of her sword tightly in preparation.

"Betrayed allies will curse your name. Like the first Inquisition, you will bring blood and ruin and fear!"

When her sight returns, several people gather within the new room, bloodied features that chant in victory as they surround the center, where there the body of her shadow self lays dead. On the floor with a dagger stabbed through her armor and into her chest, as more daggers are unsheathed from the people's side and begin stabbing into her dark figure repeatedly. Arturia's eyes narrow at the scene but resumes onward, not even giving a second glance to this vision before she entered the next room at once.

"Rrraargh!" Envy bellows out its frustrations before it tossing in another twisted vision. A long hallway prevails before the knight, and in it, herself in shadows yet again, this time sentencing a line of civilians to the gallows. Whatever their crimes were, it did not matter, for if the dark knight declared them deserving, they shall be condemned without question. For her word is law and is of, if not more so, than the Divine herself.

'Honestly, is tyranny the only thing this demon is capable of?' Arturia sardonically thinks to herself as she marches forward, walking past the vision that seems to make a mockery of her than tempt her.

"You are becoming angry," Envy observes with sudden and disturbing calm, an intrigue in its voice as it feels out the hint of emotion underneath Arturia's stoic features, "Tell me, what made your blood boil? That these people have been accused? Or that I would be a stronger ruler than you."

"I rule no one," Arturia cannot help but snap back, the words hanging its semblance of truth for what is no longer, "The only thing that disgusts me is that you seem convinced that your vision of a better Inquisition is to bring ruin to all."

"Then are you saying you know better? How much do you know, I wonder?"

Sensing the trap hidden within those words, Arturia snatches back her emotions and seals her lips tightly and pushes into the next room.

With every room she enters and exits there are imprisoned innocents, tortured, killed, all being performed by the hands of the shadow Arturia, and the more she sees them, the more the real Arturia's temper begins to rise.

"These aren't your hands," The voice of Cole consoles inside her head - the mind within her mind, "Your path is different from Envy's. Your vision something else, warmer - you are more you than you are Envy."

It does wonders to calm Arturia, to keep herself focus on the task at hand, to not let herself react to these illusions. For these are not the future she is fighting for. 'And yet, I wonder how much of myself can lead to the Inquisition's desired future?'

A crack in the foundation, water leaking through the walls.

The thought only came in an instant, no different from a feeling, yet it is enough to disturb her surroundings. Arturia curses under her breath before rushing through the halls, and into another room.

"Your Herald has failed you, Seeker." At the center of the distorted room is the familiar appearance of Chancellor Roderick, audibly sneering at the scowling Seeker Cassandra from across the war table, certainty in his voice that masks the despair in his eyes.

The blond knight makes attempt to not heed this other vision, marching on once more to reach the other doorway. She has grown tired of these illusions attempting to tap into her heart. She can only hope they are getting far enough for Envy to dwindle, she could sense a tip of exhaustion emanating from the walls.

"The demons have overrun all of our camps. For all we know, she intended it this way!"

Her jaw clenched only by a slight, pressing onward still, only sparing a hint of a glance at the war table. There are too many fallen flags for her to keep attention of.

"It should have been our first conclusion when you first saw her, Seeker! She was never human to begin with!"

Emerald eyes pull away as she reaches the other doorway.

"We should have seen it coming..." The shadow of a man continues behind her, "How could we have followed someone who doesn't even understand our own hearts?"

Near the doorknob, her fingers twitch as an all too familiar sensation arises.

The halls suddenly flicker into a scratchy haze for a brief moment and an ache spurts inside Arturia's head and she grimaces.

An excited chuckle from the Envy Demon twists in the air. "Finally! The cracks are beginning to show. What was it? What part did his words affect you?"

"Enough..." Arturia growls under her breath, aggressively pushing through the doors and into another obscure hallway. Here, more illusions of people gather, including her shadow self yet again, overlooking the arrested Mother Giselle who shows anger and fear in her elderly eyes.

One officer spokes beside the dark Arturia, "Mother Giselle. You are arrested for treason against Arturia Pendragon, and your outspoken heresy against her. What say in your defense?"

"This is outrageous! I demand justice!" Mother Giselle shouts.

The shadow Arturia, who holds her sword Excalibur in front of her but erased of it's glowing glory, spoke in absolution with souless, glowing green eyes as a judge to the convicted, "To all who betray those who are meant to serve, they shall have justice at the end of my blade."

Arturia's fist clenches tightly, marching pass this aggravating illusion that is nothing short of spite towards her just and proud self.

"I will not swear loyalty to a tyrant!"

"Then die with your convictions." The false Arturia raises her blade and cuts down Mother Giselle in a mighty swing, carving through the shoulder and into the heart, and the woman dies on the floor. The true Arturia, against her better sense, stops to look at the scene, her teeth gritting so tensely as if to break, anger flaring inside her no matter how much she tries to keep herself mindfully calm.

"None shall stand in my way," The false Arturia swears, "Be it man, woman or child, I will cut down anyone to achieve my goal."

"That is a lie!" The outburst came before Arturia could stop herself. "I would never slaughter an innocent without just cause! Senseless executions would only bring discord!"

"Without just cause? So then you would take a life, even an innocent, so long as it is for a purpose and your values? My...how cold yet resolute you are, Herald."

"That isn't-!"

Except, it is.

Wouldn't it be true just how far she would go if it was for a greater purpose? For something that meant more than herself? Did she not, King Arthur, sacrifice villages, plenty who must be innocent, many likely to be living their day to day lives and escape the war as best as they could, and she used them as a pawn against Britain's invaders? Surely, that was certainly cold, if not cruel - but it had fended off Britain's enemies. Those deaths weren't in vain, she made sure of it!

Yet does that not make her a monster all the same? To sacrifice the few for the sake of a greater picture, was this not how Kiritsugu performed? The very man she shown irate towards for his dishonorable means? And if she finds solace that the death of the villagers were so that she saved her kingdom, what does it mean now? Now that her kingdom itself has fallen?

Perhaps they were in vain after all, as had been the lives of her knights-

"Guh-!" A jab to her skull by a powerful force, a pain within her chest that catches her breath.

"My king!" She hears Excalibur shout for her name from her side. Her hand grasps her head of blonde locks, an ache rippling through her brain, reaching down across her throat as if she's swallowing knives.

"Yes. Yes! We are getting somewhere. Explain the pain you feel to me. Tell me its source..."

As the Envy Demon cheers and cackles, the voice of Cole emits close to her. "You're hurting."

As if it isn't anymore obvious. Arturia answers through her clenching teeth, the pain circling around her lungs like ice. "Gh! I'm...trying to follow as you say. This dastardly demon is becoming increasingly irritable-"

"No, that isn't it," Cole suddenly interjects, a perplexity and concern in his tone. "It's not Envy. Something else is hurting you..."

"You don't mean..." Excalibur begins once more, but his voice is muffled in Arturia's ears. She shakes her head.

"Never mind it," She decides, pushing onward and reaching the next door handle. "I will not let that demon's vision come to light. I will...!"

"What must triumph here is the knight's path of chivalry."

Her breath catches cold in her throat.

That voice, a voice she never thought to hear in person again. She slowly turns her head behind her. A faded figure stood there at the corner of the room. Through the fog that shrouds his entire form, dark teal could be made out, and the hold of a yellow staff weapon with a blade at the end.

"Am I wrong, Heroic Spirit Arturia?"

Lancer...? The name whispers and echoes within the room as the figure of the warrior clenches the weapon with both hands, and snaps it into two. She nearly wanted to reach out and stop him. At the time of his action, it was necessary, it was noble even when she objected. Now...it brings an entirely new painful feeling. A reminder of his fate so undeserving of a noble warrior such as he, that it completely brought him to ruin.

"Oh my? Was that a friend of yours? A lover perhaps?"

She did not pay attention to the demon, her expression breaking into a moment of haunted guilt before shutting her eyes and whirling around. Not another word as she goes into the next room.

The blonde no longer heeds anymore of the visions that is thrown her way, the walls around her continuously leaking of water but she pushes onward, marching mechanically as the pain dwindles just at her lung and stomach, surrounding between them - the very place she will not allow any more exposure of her very heart.

The Envy Demon growls, "You wish to be difficult? Very well. Look upon this then - see the fate of your Inquisition!"

Pushing through yet another door, an entirely new area manifest before her. Bodies of the Inquisition, Mages, Templars, soldiers of all flags bashing their swords and shields and magic splattering the entire field, blood and death littered and scattered across the ground below the chaos. Arturia halts at the battle before her. This will certainly be hard to avoid entirely, clenching the handle of her Excalibur by her side.

She rushes through the battlefield, dodging, weaving, hopping over and under the fighting and swinging arms, around the swords and various magics. Arturia can just feel their pressure and existence, but it isn't real. She must keep going, she must not allow herself to be taken away the wave of this vision.

As the noise of battle screaming all around her, Arturia reactively brings up the handle of her blade when one soldier comes too close, a man in steel armor head to toe, a uniform that did not seem to match any of the familiar armor any soldier of Thedas wore. Stranger enough, the King of Knights recalls seeing this armor before, but not from her time...

"Behold my endless armies!"

Between the enclosing battle of multiple warriors, a grandiose voice booms over them. A voice so familiar that Arturia whips her head towards it. "That couldn't be...!"

The brandished weapons and sprinting warriors that pass her. Warriors garnering steel and Greek-aesthetic armor. Not good, she is being brought back to that moment, sands slowly seeping onto the once grassy field. This battle is opening memories, her experience of the Holy Grail War, but she cannot let herself be-

"Thousands of feet cladded in steel. The marathon of battle, the purposeful intention, the promise they carry..."

It doesn't help in the least bit with Cole cryptically muttering through the vision, his words getting quicker.

"A never ending battle, within the heart, within the mind. Always fighting, but never enough...you're getting lost inside it!"

"You know battle. More than any of your comrades have realized," The voice of Envy speaks through as he observes with pausing interest, "This is...curious. Who are you exactly?"

A haggard breath escapes from Arturia as she shouts at Cole, "Tell me where I must go!"

"It...It's too much!" She hears Cole cry out as if he is clasping over his ears, "There's too much happening inside you. How...long have you been holding this?!"

"I-!" A tremble to the surroundings, yet no one except her seems to feel the effects of it.

"I-I...I want to help you! But, I can't help unless I know what's hurting you. And knowing will lead Envy to know and that's too dangerous!"

"Yes! I believe we already established that!" Excalibur roars, barely cutting through the chaos around his and his wielder. The sound of pouring outlines her feet and she looks down, water overflows the sand and grass, more sounds of tearing through the stone and foundation.

Losing her composure, Arturia swings her sword out of instinct, "What must I do-?!"

A heavy stomp into the water, a crack like ice that's been broken through and her feet sinks, "What?!"

She tries to climb out of it, pushing the palm of her hand against the water coating ground as another cracker spreads from under her touch. The laws of this world ignoring her ability to stand on water. She could feel something pressuring her to dive down.

"My king! Steady your mind!"

"I'm trying!" She struggles to climb out of the water, struggling to collect back her composure.

"This struggle. I know it well..." The Envy Demon announced, a cold shiver down to Arturia's spine but she refused to relent on her efforts. "This is fear. You, you are afraid. What is it that you are afraid of, I wonder?"

She grabs her ankle to remove it free from the muddy water, digging her fingers to yank it out.

"Every time I show yourself, in my vision, you grew angry. Pained. Could it be..."

She succeeds momentarily, jabbing Excalibur into the floor and pulling herself up. Emerald eyes then points to the battlefield, to resume forward, to keep going. She must not yield! She must get to that location.

Yes, that location where she will have a better advantage, a location like-

A glimpse of a woman with warm dark brown hair, standing out through the horde of soldiers in her regal, queenly dress.

She turns her head and shows her somber, yet beautiful smiling face - one full of true love and tragic regret.

Arturia feels herself unraveling at the very sight.

"Guin-?!" She trips once and falls forward. A quick slam of both hands against the water's surface and stops her fall, kneeling momentarily to catch her breath.

"You are afraid..."

She gazes into the water, her reflection staring back, wildly different from what shows on her own expression. A cold, hardens gaze that judges the distraught look upon Arturia. Pure disdain towards her unknightly state as cracks continued to spread underneath her pressed palms.

"Of yourself."

The image of the Holy Grail shatters her reflection. The ice suddenly breaks completely under her weight. Her yell cuts shortly as she gulps water, falling deeper into the cold canyon of blue, engulfing her entire form, darkness reaching out from the abyss as Arturia flails, stopping her breath as her mind flares the impossibility of her sinking. Forgetting for a moment that this is all in her head, a dream meshed into the nightmarish state it is now becoming.

"It's okay. It's okay..." She hears the calming voice of Cole.

"You be quiet!" The demon screeches from the darkness, "I am learning and this is just beginning to get interesting!"

Arturia feels a gentle graze against her hand like touched by another, it helps her regain her focus and she stops flailing. Letting herself float within the water as she closed her eyes to focus her mind, calming herself.

"Breathe."

Though the cold wetness that clouds her every senses tells her to not, she forces herself to do so after only brief hesitation.

Gasping through the water, and it tastes like air. The darkness, however, continues to crawl towards her.

"We're getting close to Envy. The memories are flooding in."

Fingers hold onto hers and feels herself spinning to a stop, opening her eyes to the sight of Cole floating alongside her.

"You're afraid, but that's okay. Everyone knows fear, even Envy."

"But who is afraid of themselves?" Envy sinisterly chimes in, "Unless that fear is based on something you did before..."

A flicker of memory in gold lights is in the distance and Arturia shuts her eyes close, denying the memory. Denying. Denying. Letting go of Cole and grasping her head as she denies it.

'Don't remember. Don't remember!' If she does not remember then the demon won't take advantage of it!

Darkness overwhelms them. A moment of nothing but black, and her feet meets something solid before she opens one eye to see what is before her.

There is no Cole, but a long empty hallway before her and a far away echo that starts to reach her.

"You fear becoming a monster that will lead your Inquisition to demise. A fear that eats you from within."

"I will never become that," Arturia counters, nailing this resolution onto herself, "That is not what I intend to be or do. What I seek is something that is beyond myself! That is what it means to be a k...a leader!"

"Selfless. A heart of a pure saint. A noble and proud spirit."

"Stop."

"But who can truly admire the martyr's thorny path? Who dreams of such an ending?"

That is no longer the voice of Envy, but nevertheless, the she clasps the side of her blonde head harder, memory seeping through the cracks of her mental strength.

"The king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh louder and rage harder. He must exemplify the extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy and adore him. And why the flames of aspiration, to be as the king is, can burn within his people."

Her fatigue figure treads through the bleak hall, a long cape began to form on her back. A silhouette of a crown on top of her head.

"Proud king of chivalry...the righteousness and ideals you bore may indeed have saved your nation once. However, I'm certain you know what became of those who were saved, but left to themselves."

"Enough! I do not want to hear this again!"

Yet it seems that it is to herself Arturia is shouting at as the Envy Demon hushly states in surprise meshed with great ecstasy as if he hit a gold mine, "King...? You...were a king?"

"The mind runs in endless doubts and wishes. The heart aches, never to breathe, wanting endlessly for what is lost. This... pain," Realization suddenly strikes in Cole's voice, "It's grief. You're in grief..."

"You saved them, but you never led them. You never showed them what a king should be. You abandoned your men when they lost their way. Then, alone and untroubled, you followed your own petty little ideals."

She arrives to a large room. An unforgettable room: the massive round table at the center, her knights gathered side by side around it.

Bedeviere. Gawain. Galahad. Tristan. Mordred. And...

"Lancelot..." Her eyes widening at the sight of her best knight, before his head is clasped by black and she steps back, red line piercing his eyes.

"Thus, you are no true king. You are only a little girl, enraptured by a false idol of the king who serves others, but not themselves."

"No." Arturia shakily grasps her Excalibur. "Do not make me relive this. Do not make me fight him again!"

"You're in pain, over him." Cole speaks beside her, appearing and watching, making sense of this. She raises her trembling sword to Lancelot whose figure begins to swarm in darkness.

"It's not just him. It's all of them. I failed all of them! I couldn't save our country, and I caused my best friend to fall into madness!" A title that escapes her lips rarely - a king often shows no favoritism to show a fair view over all. But it was true, Lancelot is indeed her best and truest friend. Yet, can she even dare to call herself his friend if she had been oblivious to his pain?

"What happened was not your doing," Her Excalibur tries assure, uncommonly somber, "He simply loved you too much. His guilt ran too deeply."

"And whose fault was that, that it drove him to madness?!"

The figure of Lancelot shakes in growling madness as it approaches her, unsheathing his sword.

"Now I see..." The devious cruel voice of the Envy speaks, "Then tell me, oh King. If this man would be the only friend you will kill?"

The black knight lunges for her, and she feels no other choice but to swing her sword.

A flash between their struck weapons, and a body pierced on her Excalibur.

"What-?" She quickly yanks her sword back. The figure clutches at her side, the area a golden brown from the dying sun beyond the dark clouded sky of sickly green.

"No..." Arturia steps back, mortified, when the face of Cassandra grimacing in pain, the warrior glancing up to the stunned knight with pained and betrayed eyes, and then falls with a final breath. "No!"

The knight woes, the scene of her placement, standing at the top of the Hill of Camlann. Members of the Inquisition laying dead across the dry field. Solas and his broken staff. Varric and his shattered Bianca. Sera and her halved bow. The Iron Bull and the remnants of his warhammer. Vivienne with her damaged staff in her pale hand. Cullen and Leliana with blades sticking out from their backs. Josephine as well, with her books shredded across her dead form.

Everyone she met in Thedas filled the field as corpses, her sword completely bathed in every drop of their blood.

"This is what you fear. Not that you would fail to defeat your foes, but that you yourself will be their end. Rather than bring forth promised victory, you will be the very enemy that will bring them inevitable darkness. You, by your own hands, will be the one to kill them."

Agony stretches her eyes open, the pain in her chest curling into fire as golden power flickers through the blood of the scarred torso that built her existence.

"This is who you are. The failed savior who couldn't save her kingdom, and will bring an end to another."

Her heart shatters through it's steely exterior and she screams. Golden fire engulfs her torso, and erupts into a volcanic element made of sorrow and self-loathing, every bit of it.

"At last! I-!" The Envy Demon starts, then abruptly stops as the eruption becomes bigger, "Huh? What is-?!"

It surrounds the field, golden fire hailing from the sky as Arturia cries golden blood, her howling turning into a roar, as the eruption shapes into a monstrous bulge.

"Wh-What is this?! What are-?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

Its back splits into grand wings, a face that expands into a snout, teeth sharpens between it's split face that drools the tears of the King of Knights' anguish. Everything blazes, the haze of this nightmare is burned away like paper touching fire.

"I-Impossible! You're...You're a dra-?!"

The scream of her blood ripples the environment, and another burst of flame vomits from the dragon. The Envy Demon is not prepared for this. It has only ever dealt with humans, never someone who has the blood of a dragon. The cultivated pain and regret that is more than any human could bear is too much. Even for a powerful demon like Envy, the golden fires is too hot to consume, and floods everywhere like an tsunami that is too endless to drink completely, shoving through the creature's throat, shredding through Envy's very being.

It keeps pouring and pouring, pouring and pouring. Waves crashing, engulfing everything in fire and water, and still flowing, still burning.

For the first time in Envy's lifetime, the jealous demon wants to vomit the knowledge out.

The brightly burning ocean continues to push, and push, and push, until the Envy Demon meets a wall, and is still pushing and pushing, crushing its existence and it knows that it has to get out. But before it can do so on its own, the boundary begins to crack under the pressure, and breaks through to the outside world, the Envy Demon howling, screeching as it falls into the void outside of Arturia's mind.

Within the gold and blue ocean of flames, Arturia holds herself up with her Excalibur, kneeling on the hill, her head down as she cannot stand to see the sight of the destruction around her, a destruction that she has led to.

"I am completely inadequate. I cannot do this again..."

She utters through the water, her voice full of exhaustion and tears, "I cannot lead them. I am unworthy. I will only bring yet another ruin, because I could not allow myself to live in their world - a world separated from mine." The world of a king parted from the world of the people.

"You wanted to be someone that had no faults." Even through all the noise of fire burning through the illusion, the gentle voice of Cole still can be made out, "A golden sword, no rust or chipping, not even after it tasted flesh and stone countless times. You had to be someone that could not be wrong. In logic and justice. You had to be perfect, and your people became afraid of it."

"And this is where it led to. I failed, and my only chance to remedy it is gone forever. I couldn't protect my kingdom for no more than a decade, and now, I can never save it..."

"You weren't perfect. You never were. Because you still felt, even when others believed you didn't. You weren't the "perfect" king that you wanted to be, because you loved them. Perfect shouldn't mean "unfeeling," and you always felt that you had to "feel" alone."

She can sense him kneeling before her, consoling her, "But it's okay to feel. To feel with others. Not everyone can hold in their breath forever. Air is needed to survive and to stay strong, it doesn't make you weak."

A comforting hand held onto hers that clutches for dear life the handle of her Excalibur, "You did your best, you can let it out now. You can let go."

"I'm afraid to do so..." What would be left of her then?

"You won't need to do it by yourself. It doesn't have to be right now, but you don't need to be alone anymore."

She raises her head, the sight of Cole offering his soft encouragement, "Whenever you're ready, they'll be waiting. They won't see you any different, not as king or herald. They'll see you as you, if you'll let them."

With a heavy breath, Arturia lets out an harsh breath as golden tears bled from her eyes like a river, before rising to her feet, "...I will not repeat the same mistake."

She looks up to the sky that slowly parts with warming yellow light, "In this new life of mine, I shall be a bit different, and lower my arm instead of keeping others out of reach."

"They won't ask you to be anything more," Cole assures. Arturia nods, a soft smile on her face before the warm light rains on them, clearing away the nightmare all around them, shrouding everything in its complete essence.


The cool breeze of the world rushes through Arturia's ears and she recoils with a lurch of her arms, the grip of her sword pulling.

The large wooden door fractures as a physical entity slams against it, barreling into the foot of the entrance inside.

Arturia gasps a breath of her returned environment, without a lingering sense of clouded illusion. The bleak scrapes of her nightmare unapparent.

"Arturia!"

She hears the voices of her fellows behind her. The heavy, hurried boots of Cullen and Cassandra stops by her side, but she did not glance at them. Her eyes are on the white, worming...being that lays before her and in the sight of the other templars inside. Cullen and Cassandra hold up their swords in gritting aghast, Sera cursing in loud, baffled fright outside as Vivienne determinedly holds up her staff in preparation for unleashing magic.

The pale body of unnatural flesh sprawls and wails on the floor, multiple long and short limbs flailing and cupping itself as gurgle like noises emitting as if it is fighting a panic attack. Its long legs bends, planting its feet firmly on the ground, and raised itself from the floor, curling its upper body under between its legs in boneless-like flexibility.

Gold-liquid that vanishes before touching the ground, pours through the twisted mouth of the creature's hideous features, unholy scars carved into the face of the bald, pinkish demon that cried out gold-blood tears, sharp teeth puncturing through its skull and face with no eyes to be made.

Recognition struck Arturia's chest even if this is the first she has seen it in this form, she somehow knew it because she felt it when her dragon blood pushed this creature out - this is the Envy Demon's true form.

After another session of puking molten gold, the grotesque creature suddenly dissipates into dark mist. Templars within the hold stand back in astoundment as the mist recoils into green energy and flies across the room, striking the near end that lead onto a large walkway balcony. Four whirlpool of demonic green distorts the air of the hold as the howls of the Envy Demon hushes in the wind.

"The...The Lord Seeker-!" Barris rushes into the room as the other Templars of sound mind came in as well. There isn't a speck of understanding on any of their faces, instead each facial expression is marred with shock.

"No. That was most certainly not the Lord Seeker." Vivienne waltz into the room, carrying her staff in firm grasp, "An imposter. It had a powerful ability for it to be able to conceal itself for so long, it couldn't be anything other but an Envy Demon."

"Envy?! Then, the Lord Seeker..." Daunting aghast in Cassandra's eyes as she looks to Cullen. The horror of the truth revealed, shuddering in his eyes before nodding slowly.

"It had been posing as him," The commander state with a very, very grim look, "perhaps sometime before the Mage-Templar War broke out. Which means the real Lord Seeker Lucius must either be imprisoned by Envy..."

"...Or dead." Barris states in an somber tone, sadness enveloping his gaze as he looks to the whirl pools that haunts within vicinity, "That monster ensued we weren't prepared. All those times in the barracks, the increasing erratic behaviors in the Lord Seeker and Templars. How could we have not seen this? How could we have been so blind?"

"Funny how the commanders never noticed a literal demon walking in the boots of one of their own," Sera snidely comments, having calm herself though still shivered at the sight of the hideous creature, "Suspicious, I should say. I thought this was something they're supposed to be good at stopping?"

"An Envy Demon has an impeccable power that allows their kind to hide themselves from even the most adept mages and trained templars," Vivienne answers pointedly before adding on, "I had felt that there was something odd, but I wasn't completely sure until...well, we've seen the results a moment ago. But I doubt that a demon of even Envy's capabilities could go unnoticed by the Templar superiors-in-command for so long."

"The Knight-Captain knew..." Barris speaks up, his hand curling into a fist. "He couldn't have been the only one. It's the Red Lyrium, isn't it?" He asked the Inquisition, "I knew that wretched stuff was risky."

"But Red Lyrium alone couldn't be capable of this much chaos among the members," Cullen says, walking up to Barris with frowning incredulous.

Barris nods, regret forming his expression, a relentless feeling that he could and should have done something much sooner, "We were offered new kinds of lyrium, promised that they would give us greater strength. Our own commanders even tested them, using them to prove it was harmless. The knights..."

He shakes his head, either in disappointment to himself or to his leaders that should have known better, "The knights would have been next. That demon turned our leaders so that we couldn't question when this started."

He grasps his forehead in pained remorse, "So many of our own died because none of us were willing to talk back. To investigate what's been going on or to tell someone. We believed in our commanders, we thought they were only doing what's best for Thedas! But all this time, we've been following the whims of something we were supposed to protect others from."

It made the Templar Order look like complete fools; blinded by their rage and hubris infused by their take and take of Red Lyrium, to kill and kill, having done nothing but end up in disarray to everyone, including themselves who couldn't even see when a threat to life was within themselves.

"Now isn't the time to sulk," The stern familiar authority rang in Cullen's voice that pulls Barris to face him directly, "We need to band together whatever remainder of the order stands in this hold. Envy is still out there, and we need to destroy it."

Barris regards Cullen for a moment, his eyes slowly shifting from self-loathing to resolution, looking to one of the Templars in the room who have overhead the conversation, understanding the situation that was like swallowing a boulder before anger flared in their faces. He approaches one of them.

"Templar! What is Envy?"

"A coward, brother!" The templar declares, the thought of his turned brethren and betrayal of his commanders heated in his voice.

Another templar beside him considered for a moment, and raises her finger knowingly, "It studies, makes less mistakes, but most of all, it hides."

Vivienne nods to the templar and joins the group inquiry, "If we can force it to come out physically as we have seen it, and ensure that it won't have enough power to escape where it cannot be reached, we'll have our opportunity." She turns to her group, warning them in a grave tone, "However, this is a powerful demon. Killing it will not be a simple matter, even with all the templars here with us."

"And that's without worrying about the crazies going on out there," Sera adds, rubbing her arms that shiver in memory of that demon, "Honestly, I'd pick those fellas with a bad case of rash over a demon any day."

"We will have to deal with both putting a trap for Envy and quelling the rest of the Red Templars somehow," Cullen states, deciding to ignore the "rash" comment, thinking it as probably the elven rogue's way of coping with all of this. It is certainly damning enough for both him and Cassandra that the order has been turned into puppets to a demon, or whatever has summoned it from the Fade.

As the discussion rings through this hall, Arturia silently gazes down at the ground to steady herself, the solid foundation of what is most certainly the real world. Taking in the entire room to further affirm this. She looks around the area, but she is unable to see the presence of the spirit who had helped her through that nightmare. Had he left already?

She'll have to worry about that another time. Right now, returning to the current crisis that sacks this entire hold, Arturia closes her eyes and lets out a sigh, looking back to the group.

"Envy tried to take control over me, but I was able to resist and exhaust it..."

Not quite the entire truth, as she was unable to hold herself together during that mind delve, it is just that Envy itself held no tolerance to the burning gold that practically drowned the demon out of her head, but she shall have to save that explanation another time.

"It's weakened now," The young blonde adds, "We may be able to slay the demon before it can recuperate to escape entirely." Her group stares at her in attention as she adds with conviction, "This may be our only chance. We must find Envy, now."

Barris nods as he listens, focusing onto several tactics in mind that could forcefully summon Envy right before them, ordering at another templar as a stand-in commander of the surviving order, "We need more veterans. Our commanders have turned but the Left Tenants may still be fighting."

The templar nods and rushes to find more of his brethren within the building and spread the word. Barris then turns back to the group, "We'll hold the hall. You find the Left Tenants and the uncorrupted in Lyrium stalls. Bring them here, and I'll give you Envy."

As he thinks again his brothers and sisters now corrupted from the unstable lyrium, his face hardening with purpose, "Show those things no mercy."

"I'll stay and help keep the defense," Cullen offers, standing firmly with his lowered sword at hand as if he already belonged to this place, among these warriors in armor. He then tells the other Inquisition members, "Be careful, it's still a mess out there. Come back as soon as you can."

He turns back to the gathering group of templars, all appearing at a lost and unfathomable betrayal in their expressions. He joins Barris's side as Barris offers another order to help seal up some ways that might be threatened to be broken through before turning to Cullen, "I don't think I have much in leadership, not sure how to lift their spirits with everything that's happened."

"You took initiative," Cullen responds, "I'd say you have what it takes, maybe even more."

Barris hesitates for a moment, "...Maybe, but I'd think they'll feel more encouraged if they hear it from you."

He turns to the commander fully, "A lot of recruits here has heard of you. They see you as a hero who survived Kirkwall, someone who hasn't disappointed us yet."

Cullen looks back to the templars in the room before giving a nod to Barris and approaches to the near center of the room. "Templars!" His voice, full of steel and fire, echoes throughout the room, overlapping with the noise of the outside resuming chaos. All in attention looks to the commander as he resolutely strides towards the center.

"We have a new mission to take, making right with what's left in this hold. I once served the Order faithfully, and even now, I still have faith in what it stands for. To protect the people of Thedas, in service of the Maker. For anyone who still believes in their cause, to truly and willing to stand for protecting Thedas, and fight against those who had threaten to dismember and turn our order into a catalyst of destruction. Even as we fight against our own, we fight in their honor and the life of everyone that live outside these walls. We are what's left to stay true to our oath, what says you men?!"

"For the Order!" One Templar roars out, raising his sword.

"For our fallen brothers and sisters!" Another calls.

"In the name of Andraste, and for the people of Thedas!" A third one yells, and soon, every Templar shouts and cheers in resolute fury to take back the hold and take back the name of their Order.

Cullen feels another wave of nostalgia...though this time, it fills him with pride and hope.

Arturia lets out a small smile as she hears Cullen's encouraging speech that bings back the rightous fire and pride within the Templars' hearts. However, knowing time is against them, she retreats to the outside with her group.

As they distance themselves from the hold, down the step and into the cool weather and letting up rain, Arturia speaks to her companions behind her, "Let us hurry then, and find more Templars who haven't been transformed. Cassandra, you and I can-"

As she turns towards the female Seeker, the knight finds herself met with a cold touch against the skin of her neck, and it is only after seeing it shine that her mind registering it to be a sword. Her eyes widen at the stone cold expression on Cassandra's face, who holds the blade that threatens to cut off Arturia's head, "What-?!"

"Don't. Move." Cassandra warns, hissing in a voice that promises if Arturia does so, she will not hesitate to cut her throat. "Vivienne."

A sensation of magic prodding at the knight's side, her Magic Resistance acknowledging it as nothing of dangerous intent. Vivienne's staff cautiously hover near Arturia's form with a glowing blue light from its orb, while to the knight's left side, she catches Sera circling around Arturia with her bow and arrow at the ready, aiming for the King of Knights with a fearful yet steady gaze.

"What are you doing?!" Arturia demands, somewhat unnerved by this sudden hostility of her comrades.

"Anything?" Cassandra asks Vivienne, ignoring Arturia's question.

Vivienne shakes her head, having a thoughtful frown of something peculiar, "I don't detect any demonic essence or influence of Envy, nor any other demon or spirit inhabiting her."

"Bullshite!" Sera swears.

"Despite how it looks, I am certain of it," Yet the strange tone in Vivienne's confidence hardly reassures them, almost alienating as always.

Arturia quickly understands what they are concern over, and attempts to appease, "I am not Envy! I am still myself!"

"You think a demon would disguise themselves better," Sera japes, though her antsy fright can be made out in her tone.

"I swear on my honor as a knight, I am not a demon. I was able to push Envy out before he could get a hold of me," Arturia promises as the First Enchanter continues to examine her with her staff as the blond elf dismissively snorts.

"Yeah? Is that why your eyes are glowing all weird like?"

Arturia opens her mouth to respond, but Sera's words put her at a pause, only able to say, "What?"

The elf rogue continues, "As far as I, and everyone else in the bloody world, knows, our Artie's eyes are green, not gold!"

The knight almost doesn't comprehend what the hell elf rogue is sprouting until she looks down on the blade against her throat. Her widen gaze evolves into a greater shock as she sees their reflection - burning gold staring back in orbs from where her emerald eyes once shone regally, a draconic black pupil like the wound of a sword.

She almost doesn't recognize herself.

"Envy is clever in his disguises, it wouldn't overlook something as obvious as eye color - especially as prominent as Arturia's," Vivienne states, her gaze narrowing at Arturia's figure, "I don't detect Envy in her...yet there is something else. This magic circling within her is very unusual. Too unnatural and...old to even be anything that familiar." The dark skinned mage's words are slow, trying to properly articulate to others something she herself has not yet comprehend, "I have seen powerful mages, spirits, and abominations, but right now, she is none of those things."

"So...is it still her?" Sera asks nervously Vivienne, Cassandra remaining diligent in keeping Arturia where she is, yet the emotion in her eyes shone the same vast hope and worry for the girl before her.

Vivienne takes one more long look at the knight, then hesitantly nods, "It is indeed still her, at least, for now anyhow..."

"Why'd you got to say it like that?! Just tell us if it's her or not!" The elf pipes up.

Arturia clenches the grip of her sword, straining her jaw as she thins her mouth, "Please. I assure you that I am still sound in mind. I realize that these...eyes are a shock to look at, I'm just as dumbfounded as any of you. Right now, however, we must focus our efforts into securing this hold. Just work with me for the time being and we can have myself be properly looked over once we return to Haven. We only have a limited time before Envy should recover and escape."

Her negotiation of trust as her voice holds the very image of composure, no matter how much she too wants to scream and shout in surprise - and pure horror - at her new colored eyes. Did Envy perhaps did something to her after all? Did she do something to herself in her anguish?

Or is this the result of the circumstances of her past?

'Dammnit, I should have questioned Merlin about just what was done to me when I was born before it was too late!'

A glance exchanges between Cassandra and Vivienne, the latter who nods at the warrior woman, before the sword lowers and Arturia gently grasps at her throat.

No blood is drawn, but it certainly isn't a pleasant experience.

"When..." Cassandra begins, shutting her mouth tightly for a moment before starting once more, "When Envy grabbed you, did something happened?"

Arturia hesitates, she can't quite avoid this question, especially since she's not in much of a presentable position with burning gold eyes like that of a dragon. The knight amicably answers, "I was in a dream-like world, it seemed to have lasted for too long. I will tell you more later, but now is not the time to do so."

Cassandra frowns at the knight, carefully studying her before slowly nodding, Sera lowering her arrow - albeit hesitantly, as the warrior woman adds, "Then let us get going, and I should hope we find out what happened to you."

The knight nods understandably, hiding away any distress or concern.

"The feeling is very much mutual."