It felt like falling. Or was it flying? Siara wasn't entirely sure as the ground rose up to meet her. Things didn't feel right, as though everything was slightly less than reality. Or some warped version of reality. And that was completely ignoring the green tint to everything around her.
She covered her face with her arms as the ground approached her, waiting for the collision. But it never came. She suddenly slowed, and then she stopped. She cautiously opened her eyes, looking around her, the ground now mere inches away. Slowly, she reached out to touch it, and then she slowly lowered herself to the ground. Just in time to see Jacquelyn collapse on the ground in a heap.
Siara hid a smirk, then looked around, frowning. This wasn't their world. It was too… off. She knew where they were, but she didn't want to admit it yet.
"Where are we?" Stroud asked.
Siara glanced around, frowning slightly, then looked up. She was surprised to see him standing on the pillar next to her, horizontal to how she was standing.
"We were falling," Hawke was on another pillar of rock, also more horizontal to how Siara and Jacquelyn were standing. "If this is the afterlife, the Chantry owes me an apology. This looks nothing like the Maker's bosom."
"I hope we're not dead," Siara said. "I don't feel very dead."
"No," Solas sounded almost reverent. "This is the Fade. The Inquisitor opened another rift. We came through… and survived. I never thought I would ever find myself here physically. Look. The Black City, almost close enough to touch."
Siara froze, swearing silently. She knew what that meant. Anders wouldn't be Anders anymore, and Siara was about to get in a bucket load of shit, because it was about to come to light that Anders was housing spirit. Justice would be in control of Anders' body, and everyone would know.
"Home…" the distorted voice sounded content. "It is good to be back."
Siara and Hawke looked at each other, both of them knowing the consequences of Anders being in the Fade. Hawke knew it better than Siara did, having been in the Fade with him before, though Siara didn't know the details of that. Only knew that it had happened.
Jacquelyn looked at Anders in confusion, then past him. Siara couldn't tell what she was looking at, but she saw her eyes widen ever so slightly.
"Siara - "
"Before you start lecturing me about Anders, I was keeping an eye on him and if anything got out of control I was more than prepared to kill him."
"That is not what I was going to say," Jacquelyn spoke slowly, though Siara could tell she was still disapproving of Siara knowing that Anders was an abomination.
"Turn around, Siara," Justice said.
Siara frowned, glancing at Hawke. He was also looking behind her, a look of disbelief and concern on his face. Siara's frown deepened, and she slowly turned around, looking where the others were.
She froze, eyes widening. For a moment she didn't know what to think.
"Jacen?"
Jacquelyn hadn't known for certain that it was Jacen standing in front of them, but she had been suspicious. He looked almost exactly like Siara, just a lot more pale. It was as though the colour had been washed out of him, and he had a strange transparency to him. He was dead, she'd already known that. But now she got the impression that there was something else going on, too.
"I am not Jacen," he looked confused, almost insulted. "My name is Duty."
Siara stepped forward, stopping in front of Jacen - or Duty, as he claimed himself to be. Jacquelyn wasn't entirely sure how to describe the look on her face. Somewhere between sadness and disbelief.
"But… you're Jacen," she repeated, almost whispering. "You're my brother."
"I am not," the spirit repeated. "I am Duty."
"He's not your brother anymore," Anders was saying, even though Jacquelyn could tell that it wasn't just Anders. "He is a spirit of Duty now."
Siara looked over to Anders, then back to Duty, still with the same look on her face. She didn't say anything else. Jacquelyn was almost certain that she didn't know what to say anymore.
"I don't understand."
"It would seem that when your brother died his essence changed," Solas started explaining. "The man that was once Jacen is now a spirit of Duty."
"How is that possible?" Jacquelyn asked.
"I am not entirely certain. I haven't seen it happen with a person before. Spirits can die and come back from memories, but they won't be the same spirit as they were before."
"You were here before," the spirit possessing Anders said, "what do you remember?"
"I do not remember anything from my time here before," Jacquelyn said, "but Siara was also here. Perhaps she would remember more?"
"I… I don't…"
"Why is he here?" Jacquelyn asked when Siara couldn't say anything.
"Because I have a job to fulfill," Duty replied. "You need my help. It is my duty to ensure your safety."
Jacquelyn raised her eyebrows.
"My safety?" she asked, taken aback.
Duty nodded, but then frowned and shook his head slightly.
"Not specifically," he said. "It is my duty to make sure that the mark is safe. It's my duty to make sure that the Fade is safe."
"And I am the only one who is able to close the rifts," Jacquelyn felt like she was beginning to understand. Once more, Duty nodded, but didn't say anything else. Clearly he was a spirit of few words.
His eyes flicked to Siara, who was just standing there staring at him. She still seemed like she didn't know what was happening, didn't seem like she knew where to even start comprehending the situation. And in a way, she looked almost betrayed.
"We can work out what happened to Jacen later," Hawke interrupted, "for now we should concentrate on figuring out what's happening here. This isn't like how I remember the Fade being last time I was here."
"Perhaps it is reacting to us being here physically," Solas suggested.
"Regardless, we should try to find a way out," Stroud cut in. "In our world, the rift the demons came through was nearby. In the main hall. Can we escape the same way?"
Jacquelyn stepped forward and looked up at the swirling green mist in the sky, around where the rift would be located.
"It is worth a try," she said. "Come on."
She started walking, Stroud and Hawke finding their way to the ground behind them. Jacquelyn cast a couple of glances towards Anders, frowning at the ethereal blue glow cutting through him like veins, his eyes completely hidden by the same glow. She didn't like it. If it was just a spirit, perhaps she would be less uncertain of the situation. But because the spirit was inside a host body, she couldn't trust that it was just a spirit. And she wasn't pleased with Siara, either, but she would deal with the elf later. For now, they needed to concentrate on getting out of the Fade.
Bull was muttering beside them as they walked, something about Krem and joining the Inquisition, then came out with a loud "asshole" before he looked around at the group.
"Everyone, if I get possessed, feint on my blind side, then go low. Cullen says I leave myself open."
"You will not get possessed," Jacquelyn assured him, "but if you do, we will keep that information in mind."
There was a lump in her throat at the mention of Cullen. She hoped she could get back to him, wondered if he knew yet what had happened to them. Did time move differently in the Fade? She wasn't sure.
She noticed the contented look on Solas' face as he looked around at the area with fascination.
"Solas, you are the expert about the Fade. Do you have any useful information?" she asked. She didn't add that she wanted to get back home to Cullen. Maker, if she could just get out of here, she would never leave his side again.
"The Fade is shaped by intent and emotion," Solas said. "Remain focussed, and it will lead you where you wish to go."
"So what's with all the water?" Siara asked. Her voice was still distant and distracted, but she was looking down at the water all around them. Jacquelyn hadn't really noticed until Siara pointed it out, and suddenly she felt a lot worse about the situation they were in. It felt like they were basically on an island, a sea on one side of them, a cliff face on the other. Nowhere to go if they got attacked.
"The demon in control of this area is extremely powerful. Some variety of fear, I would guess," Solas explained.
"Someone's scared of water?"
"I am," Jacquelyn said, her voice hard. "I cannot swim."
"That'd do it," Siara didn't sound judgemental, at least. Jacquelyn still didn't love that now the elf knew one of her biggest fears, though she suspected that the group would learn a lot more about each other while in the Fade. A part of Jacquelyn wondered what it would be that Siara feared, but she did her best to push that aside.
"I suggest you remain weary of the demon's manipulations," Solas continued, "and prepare yourself for what is certain to be a fascinating experience."
"We'll get out of here," the Anders spirit sounded determined. "You'll be home before you know it."
"How do you feel about being here, Justice?" Hawke asked. Jacquelyn looked at him in surprise. He also knew about Anders being an abomination? The more she thought about it, the less surprised she was. They'd had many adventures together. It was unsurprising that Hawke would have known about Anders' situation. She also got the feeling that Varric would know. She'd have to have words with the dwarf as well as with Siara when they got back to the living world.
If they got back.