"Oh nooo, I've oh-so-carelessly lost track of Skylar, what ever shall I do?!" Zevran grumbled, donning the very worst Leliana impression he could manage. "Yes, let me send Zevvvvvraaan, he won't mind babysitting zeee crazy one." He stepped carefully around what had to be Killan's latest victim, taking care not to let the blood get on his beloved Antivan leather boots. He had just finally gotten them to smell like they used to once again. Now he'd have to restart the whole process again when he finally made it home. Such a pain.

"Do all Crows bitch so much about a mission, or is that just you?"

Zevran cocked an eyebrow at his unintentional traveling companion. "Do all disgraced priestesses become abrasive bitches, or are you a marked exception?"

The look Lilly shot at him was absolutely laced with daggers. Zevran was actually expecting her to shoot him for a moment. "Just find your target, birdbrain."

"I should have left you in Aeonar..." He mumbled beneath his breath as he rolled his eyes. "I'll remind you—again—that I am NOT here as a Crow and I am NOT hunting Killian."

"Of course not." She grumbled. "Because that would have actually been useful."

"Well if you have a better idea beyond 'just follow the bodies', by all means: speak up." His expression soured even more as he felt an all too familiar squelch beneath his boot. He let out a frustrated groan, his face pointing towards the early-morning sky. "I hope you're happy, Warden."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "And now you're talking to spirits. Great."

Zevran regarded her gravely. "Remind me again why I let you out of your cage?"

"Shut up—listen!" Lilly froze in place, staring intently at the ground.

He had a mind to continue bickering with her, but her sudden change of demeanor was drastic enough to give him pause. He followed her lead for once, paying close attention to the typical, ambient noise around them…

The gentle swaying of the trees in the wind, a muffled flutter of a bird overhead…a twig snapping behind them—

He wasn't sure which of them reacted first, but he was immediately glad that they both did. Lilly fired a precisely aimed shot, catching the tainted Red Templar off guard. Zevran used the small opening she created to bring it down to the ground, holding his sharpened dagger to it's throat.

The damn thing must have snuck up on them while they were bickering, Zevran reasoned. Unfortunate, but there was no room for loose ends here.

Lilly stopped him just as he was about to end the threat, grasping his wrist with a surprising amount of strength. Zevran's dagger still loomed ominously close to the Templar's throat.

"You…you're not the demon…" The Templar stammered. His voice was distorted but the fear in it was still evident.

Lilly chuckled darkly. "You saw an elven man and just assumed it was Killian. Typical."

"Now that's just rude," Zevran smirked. "I have much better hair."

"It was trying to keep us from the town…I thought—"

His smirk faded quickly. If this idiot wanted to spill the beans, he certainly wasn't going to waste it. "The town? The Crossroads?"

"I—I'm not from Ferelden. I don't know—"

"Pity." Lilly muttered. She didn't even blink before she shot the Templar in the head, killing him instantly. Bits of blood spattered across her red hair, but she seemed entirely unaffected. "Crossroads is the only town remotely near here, let's go."

Zevran groaned in disgust as he got to his feet. "You could have at least let me walk away first. So hard to get blood out of this fabric."

"Eh, just needs some dish soap." She gestured dismissively. "You gotta make sure you pre-treat it before you put it in the wash."

Zevran scoffed as caught up to her. "Oh really? And how does a priestess become so familiar with removing blood from clothing."

"Nothing to do with the priesthood." She shot him a mischievous look. "Women happen to handle a lot of blood on a fairly routine basis."

He chuckled heartily. "Point taken."

Purge the wicked. Protect the worthy. Fulfill your purpose.

Skylar groaned as she absently rolled over in her sleeping bag. She was sure she heard that voice again…but she was also equally convinced it was just apart of whatever fragmented dream she'd had. It was probably something horrifying, she figured. No way she was going to waste the effort needed to dredge up the memories of it. She would have remembered it if it were something significant—or at least some sort of allegory of a vague omen she supposed would become significant one day, maybe.

Her hand slid outwards on instinct, trying to feel her way around the unfamiliar bed to search for her phone. Had to check for messages, make sure the date and time seemed plausible. Such a silly thing, but it had always served to comfort her in unfamiliar places. She still felt like she could sleep for another week straight, she had no intention of actually getting up until she absolutely needed to. But as her hand glided over the other sleeping bag, her consciousness started flooding back to her.

Finding the other sleeping bag empty was a truly depressing discovery. Her eyes reluctantly blinked open. The sleeping bag wasn't just empty, it was folded neatly at the corner of the bed. In fact, everything of Delrin's was packed like he was ready to go. And he was noticeably absent. The only things missing were his clothes and his weapons, likely what he was carrying on him or with him. The sun was just barely visible over the horizon, it hadn't even begun to flow into the window yet. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd done something wrong, if she'd driven him away somehow…Maybe he just didn't want to deal with all of her baggage? It seemed almost disrespectful to even consider the possibility, but she couldn't really figure any other reason he'd have been out of bed before the damn sun was even up. Nobody wanted to be up at this maker-forsaken hour.

A sudden series of urgent knocks on her cabin door snapped her right out of her groggy, depressive thoughts. The noise made her startle so badly, she nearly jumped right out of the bed.

"Hey!" Varric's voice sounded urgent, putting her completely on edge.

"What?!"

"Get out here!"

"Fucking why?!"

He didn't answer at first. The unmistakable, rapid booming sound coming from the other side of the door told her that Bianca was fully awake and active too.

Great. Who's trying to kill me, now?

"Move it, Snowball!" Hearing his heavy footsteps stomp away in a frantic pattern only further drove home the sense of panic he seemed to have.

Skylar slipped from her cozy sleeping bag angrily, briefly looking out her window to see if she could spot the source of the apparent problem. But she saw nothing. Just the same isolated forest town they'd all fallen asleep in the night before.

If this is a prank, she thought bitterly, I'm turning them all into popsicles.

She began hastily snatching up her clothes as she tried to get her head to focus on something other then over-analyzing everything she said or did last night. If there really was something out there, she couldn't be second-guessing her actions with her utterly juvenile problems.

The Herald of Andraste is worried about the status of her relationship with her crush. Cute. The demons will definitely be taking something so insignificant into consideration while they're trying to tear open a hole in the sky that only you can fix…oh wait, they actually might if something like Fear or maybe Despair decided to pop through…Actually, that does sound like something that would happen to you…

She was in the middle of strapping her belt into place when a loud, metallic boom made her stop dead. An extreme sense of anxiety hit her hard. She stayed perfectly still and just listened intently for a moment.

"Shit!" Bull shouted.

His voice seemed abnormally distressed. Last time Skylar heard that, a rage demon had shot up from the ground right next to him. The damn thing had nearly burned Bull to a crisp, but Skylar had managed to freeze it just in time. It seemed to her that this particular tone of voice came out when he was legitimately worried he couldn't handle something on his own…Definitely wasn't a good sign, she concluded.

Delrin sounded strained when he replied. "Get her out here, now!"

Pure panic struck through her like a lightning bolt. She threw her boots on in record time. Bits of magic danced between her fingers as she marched to the door. Any hint of fatigue she'd once had was gone. The long rest had been taken. Her mana had recharged. Whatever was out there, she was going to to face it with every bit of power she could conjure. She would not be some useless little mage-flower today. Her friends needed her…Delrin needed her…

Cleanse the darkness. Burn the shadows.

The door was flung open just as Bull was reaching for it. Skylar wasn't even sure she had physically touched it. Bull was pretty effective at blocking her way, but she wasn't about to be stopped by something so simple as that. She used her icy magic to dart herself right through him, leaving him chilled. Bull shook it off quickly, but not enough to catch her in time. She took off in a dead sprint the moment her feet returned to the solid, rocky ground. There was a definite chill to the dewy, early morning air, but the fiery purpose she felt in her chest was more than enough to warm her for the moment.

There was no discernable threat just outside her door, so she blindly followed the sound of Varric's voice away from the cabins. He shouted something indiscriminate and began firing rapidly once again. His words seemed to echo eerily off the tall trees that now surrounded them.

When she spotted Delrin fighting off that demon, her blood ran cold. His shield had a considerable dent in it already. The Demon seemed to be furiously trying to get around it, as if its sole objective was to tear him to pieces. It had pushed Delrin back against large a tree. The demon wasn't giving him a second of reprieve, no moment to regain ground or find an escape.

"Blood for blood!" The demon spoke with an absolutely disturbing voice. "Die, Human!"

A distant commotion started brewing from the other side of the town. It wouldn't be long before the Inquisition troops came to reinforce them. Bull probably raised the alarm, she figured. All they had to do was hold this thing off until they got there. Varric was pelting the demon with bullets as fast as he could but it seemed to be completely ineffective against it.

Have faith. Let the Maker guide your hand.

The voice granted her a sense of confidence and courage that felt utterly foreign to her. With an elaborate gesture, she cast a hard, icy spell onto the demon. It's movements completely halted for a fleeting moment. Skylar approached the demon slowly, holding her arms outstretched, challenging the thing openly. "Looking for me?"

Delrin took the opportunity to slice into the demon's legs with his bastard sword. The demon hissed as it's shadowy form dissipated, only to reform again just out of his reach. Delrin shot Skylar a positively angry look. "Run, damnit!"

The demon's shadowy face turned lazily in Skylar's direction. Her body nearly shook from the sudden adrenaline rush. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run. But then what? When would she stop screaming, when would she stop running? Sealing the damn breach was just as likely to kill her as this maker-forsaken thing was. At least she'd go out fighting this way.

It darted in her direction. She should have known it would. But still, the unnatural movement it displayed was startling to say the least…not to mention those soulless red eyes. It was quicker than she expected though, she didn't have the time to ready a proper spell before it was within arm's reach. Her hands flew up in reaction, sending a wave of force magic into it.

The demon staggered backwards, it's posture hunched as it started coughing harshly. The shadowiness that once surrounded it seemed to dissipate completely. Everything that made him seem like a demon appeared to have faded away suddenly. His face was obscured by his shaggy, black hair, but his pointed ears gave him away as an elf. Skylar suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity about him, an irrational feeling that she needed to protect him…crazy as that seemed.

Send it to the void!

She formed another forceful spell in her hand. But as she looked down at the demon, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The voice was adamant, insistent, and increasingly frustrated with each passing moment. She even felt that presence attempt to control her once again, attempting to do it for her. But she wasn't weak in mind and body like she was at Theirinfall. It took a considerable amount of focus, but she pushed it back from her. It felt disappointed, maybe even angry. She knew it wouldn't be long before it tried again…it wanted that demon gone…

Bull stomped up towards the demon as he finally caught up to them, bringing her back to the situation as he cocked his shotgun loudly. "Down, Boss!"

Skylar threw up an icy barrier in front of the demon. But he flinched away from it, darting out from it's protection. Bull shot him the very second he emerged from the cover of the barrier. The demon seemed unfazed, it growled defiantly as Bull approached.

Familiar or not, she couldn't let him hurt her friends. When the demon moved to attack Bull, she sent another force wave at him, taking the short second she needed to make sure that it was stronger than the last one. This time, she got the desired effect. The demon was launched violently into a smaller nearby tree, the flimsy wood buckling under the pressure around him.

The demon fell clumsily to the ground. He chuckled darkly as he slowly staggered to his feet, picking the sizzling buck shot bullets out of his stomach. The unnerving glow of his red eyes had completely dissipated once again as he picked his face up to smirk at her. "Well, look at you now. Chucking spells like a real mage."

The moment she heard his voice the familiarity made sense. The unnatural tone was gone, he sounded exactly like she remembered. Emotion hit her hard, dozens of them all at once. The presence screamed at her not to falter but not even it's influence could stop it. Tears filled her eyes, her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Her own words dried up in her throat. She couldn't react immediately. There was too much happening. Too many conflicting things going on in her head...

Crashing. Screaming. Tearing. Blood. Cold stone walls painted red. She pulled herself into a ball, snapping her eyes shut. She didn't care what was happening. Nothing could have been worse than what had already happened. Her clothes are torn so she grabbed the bedsheet. But it's wet with the fresh, warm blood too. It doesn't matter. None of it matters. She hoped it would kill her right then and there. She didn't want to go back home. They'd all know what happened. They'd all know she was broken. Tainted. Helpless.

She didn't even flinch when it touched her arm. What was the point? She was useless. She couldn't fight. If she used her magic, the templars would kill her anyway…maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, now…

"They're dead, Sky."

She burst into tears all over again. Killian had been gone for almost two years. She begged the Maker to bring him home so many times. If he were here none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be broken…

She couldn't look at him. She didn't even want to open her eyes again. She had to work hard to even get her voice to work again. Her throat was still hoarse from all the fucking screaming she did. Not that it helped. Useless.

"I can't…don't make me go home. Take me with you…"

"That…can't happen. I can't come back from this."

She forced herself to look up at him, hoping her pleading eyes would dissuade him. But it only served to frighten her more. He looked like a fucking monster. His eyes, his…fangs? All the blood…she snapped her eyes closed once again. Whatever she had just seen had been a figment of her utterly stressed mind, she was sure of it. Killian wasn't a monster. He was her brother. Her best friend. Her protector. She focused hard to picture him as she had remembered him. She wouldn't look at him again, she reasoned, until she could get her head straight. She couldn't let her stress taint her beloved brother, too. She was already broken enough for them both of them…

Her breathing quickened as she attempted to speak through the shakiness in her voice. She wasn't even sure what she'd said to him. She wasn't even sure that she really cared. She just wanted to be gone…

When he picked her up, he felt cold…like a corpse, she thought. But it was wrong. She wouldn't allow it to be right. Her brother was not a monster to her…no matter what he looked like…no matter what she had tried to mentally correct or block out entirely…

Delrin rushed to place himself in front of Skylar. His shield had been carelessly discarded on the ground, he armed himself only with his bastard sword now. The concern was still apparent in his expression as he looked at her. She wanted to say something to reassure him, but how the hell could she explain this to someone else when she can't even explain it to herself?

Varric crept slowly towards the demon, keeping Bianca aimed and ready. "No sudden moves, Creepy."

"Really?" The demon scoffed at Varric, flicking his unnatural gaze back to Skylar quickly. "Friend of yours?"

Skylar could only manage to nod at first. She carefully let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, hoping it would be enough to keep her tears at bay. She couldn't afford for any of them to see her freak out like that, regardless of the situation. "Yeah…"

The demon turned his scowling gaze to Delrin. "Even the shem?"

"Especially the Shem…" She tried to make her tone light-hearted, but it fell flat immediately.

The demon scowled so deeply one of his fangs peeked out from his pale lips momentarily. He took a shuffled step towards Skylar, only to be stopped when Delrin pointed his sword directly at him.

Delrin shot her a brief, questioning look but kept his attention towards the demon. "Skylar…?"

Skylar sighed heavily, her posture drooping considerably. "Not exactly the way I would have liked to introduce him…" She placed her hand over Delrin's, prompting him gently to lower his sword. "Delrin, meet Killian."

"Well, shit." Varric muttered as he shifted Bianca awkwardly in his grip.

"Your brother is a demon?" Delrin asked harshly, his question sounding much more like an accusation than anything.

Killian scoffed. "Demon? Really?"

"He was…like that after he…returned to Denerim." Skylar shrugged defeatedly. "All my mom would tell me was that there was some sort of accident in the Deep Roads. Killian came back changed…"

Delrin studied Killian intently for a moment before withdrawing his sword. "You're sure you can trust him?"

"He's my brother, Delrin."

"Brothers can be bastards." Varric muttered harshly.

"Not mine." Skylar squeezed Delrin's hand encouragingly. "I'm just as safe with him as I am with you."

Delrin's demeanor softened considerably, giving Skylar a small, sympathetic smile. He gestured simply towards Varric and Bull, signaling them to back off. "We'll let you catch up then. I need to get the truck packed up anyway."

Skylar tried to return his smile in kind but her expression quickly turned to a swooning mush when he kissed the back of her marked hand before leaving.

Killian made some kind of sound that seemed to be a cross between a cough and a gag. "Mythal'enaste, I think I'm gonna be sick."

She turned back to her brother, the smile on her face turning into a deadpanned scowl. "Really?"

"He's a Shem."

"So is Leliana."

Killian visibly bristled towards her for a brief moment. "His coloring is…weird."

"Coloring?" Skylar scoffed. "He's not an animal."

"All humans are animals."

Skylar rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, Leliana is a ginger, so…"

Killian huffed a small laugh. "He's a bloody templar, too, you know."

"How do you think I met him?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well I was hoping it wasn't Tinder. If you'd have swiped on that, I'd have lost all respect for you."

Skylar snickered, her expression softening again. She closed the gap between them and hugged him tightly. "Please tell me you're coming with me."

"You know I can't."

"It's different this time." She pulled away, giving him a mischievous smirk. "I'm the Herald, now. I'll just tell everyone that Andraste forgives you."

He laughed heartily, shaking his head at her. "Unless there's another Blight brewing up again, I really doubt anyone is going to tolerate my presence in polite society."

Skylar shrugged. "Might actually be worse this time…"

"What? That thing in the sky?"

She nodded solemnly, motioning to her marked hand. "I'm supposed to fix it with this damn thing."

"What is it with Tabris women becoming the 'chosen ones'?" He joked. "Alright, where do we start?"

Her expression lit up like a firecracker. "You're coming with me?"

"You're my little sister. If you need me, I'm here. Simple as that." He shrugged. "It took two Tabrises to end a Blight. Might as well throw two at the bloody end of the world too."