Flemeths Hut

After only a short time, Morrigan, Wynne, and Sten found themselves in the heart of the Korcari Wilds. The terrain grew more treacherous with each step, the dense forest swallowing the faint sunlight that filtered through the clouds. Morrigan led the way with unwavering precision, her golden eyes scanning the familiar path as her staff tapped softly against the uneven ground.

She knew this land as intimately as one knows their own breath, yet it felt... wrong. The air was heavy, the silence unsettling. Morrigan could feel the weight of the place pressing down on her like an unseen hand.

"It has changed," she muttered, more to herself than her companions.

Wynne glanced at her, frowning. "Changed? How so?"

Morrigan hesitated, her steps slowing. "The Wilds have always been dangerous, but this... this is different. It feels wounded, scarred. Like the land itself remembers the battle that raged here." She looked up at the overcast sky, her expression grim. "Fergus spoke the truth. The darkspawn fought here, and their taint lingers still."

Sten grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "The earth carries the memory of bloodshed. It is no surprise."

For two days, they pressed on, the Wilds growing darker and colder as they neared Flemeth's hut—Morrigan's childhood home. The trees seemed more twisted here, their skeletal branches clawing at the gray sky. The air carried a biting chill, and the faint scent of ash lingered as if the land had not yet healed from some ancient fire.

By the time the hut came into view, the group's pace had slowed, their unease palpable. Morrigan stopped abruptly, holding up a hand to silence the others.

"Be on your guard," she said, her voice steady despite the knot tightening in her chest. "We are close now. My mother will know we are here. She always knows."

The hut was just as she remembered it—small, unassuming, and yet radiating a presence that defied its humble appearance. But the closer they came, the more the air seemed to change. A cold wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it a faint whispering sound that Morrigan couldn't quite make out.

Then, as they drew nearer, a dark mist began to rise from the ground. It slithered like living shadows, curling around their legs and climbing higher with every moment. The faint light of day dimmed unnaturally, swallowed by the encroaching fog.

"This is unnatural," Sten muttered, his voice low and tense.

Before Morrigan could respond, the mist surged upward, and Sten's figure vanished into the darkness.

"Sten?" she called, her voice sharp with alarm.

There was no answer. The mist seemed to thicken further, its cold tendrils wrapping around her like a shroud. She spun around, only to see Wynne's figure dissolving into the fog.

"Morrigan!" Wynne's voice came faintly, edged with panic, before it too was silenced.

Morrigan stood frozen, the oppressive silence pressing against her ears. Her heart pounded as she turned back toward the hut, now shrouded in shadow. The dark mist seemed to pulse around it, alive and watching.

Her breath hitched as she forced herself to move, each step heavy and uncertain. The closer she came to the hut, the colder the air grew. The whispers in the mist grew louder, incoherent but unnervingly close, as if the shadows themselves were speaking to her.

When she finally reached the door, her hand trembled as it hovered over the rough wood. The silence was deafening, broken only by her ragged breathing.

Then, a low, cruel laugh echoed from within the hut, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Oh, my darling girl," came Flemeth's voice, smooth and mocking. "You've come so far. And now, here you are. How brave."

Morrigan swallowed hard, her fingers tightening into a fist. "I am not afraid of you," she said, though her voice faltered slightly.

The laugh came again, colder this time. "Such bold words. But we both know the truth, don't we?"

The door creaked open of its own accord, revealing only darkness beyond. It was not the familiar interior of the hut that Morrigan had known—it was an abyss, an endless void that seemed to swallow the light itself.

"If you truly mean to face me," Flemeth said, her voice echoing unnaturally, "then step inside. Come, child. Let us see what you are made of."

Morrigan's breath came in shallow gasps as she stared into the black void. The darkness seemed to pulse, beckoning her forward like an open maw. Her hands trembled at her sides, but she forced herself to move.

She stepped through the doorway.

The air changed immediately, thick and cold, pressing down on her like a weight. The ground beneath her feet was gone, replaced by nothingness. She was suspended in a void, the shadows around her shifting and writhing like living things.

"Morrigan," Flemeth's voice purred, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. "My clever girl. Did you really think it would be so easy? That you could simply walk into my domain and best me?"

"Show yourself!" Morrigan shouted, her voice echoing into the emptiness.

Flemeth's laugh came again, and the shadows coalesced into a towering form ahead of her. It was her mother, but warped and monstrous, her figure shifting between human and dragon. Her eyes burned with an eerie green light, and her smile was razor-sharp.

"Do you hate me, child?" Flemeth asked, her voice almost tender but laced with venom. "Or do you fear that you are more like me than you care to admit?"

Morrigan took a step back, her legs trembling. "You do not control me," she said, though the words felt hollow.

"Don't I?" Flemeth's voice softened, turning almost gentle. "You were made for me, Morrigan. Every breath you take, every thought you have—it all leads back to me. You cannot escape what you are."

Morrigan's chest tightened, her resolve crumbling under the weight of her mother's words. She felt small, powerless, a child once more in the shadow of something she could not hope to defeat.

"You came here to kill me," Flemeth said, stepping closer. "But tell me, Morrigan—are you truly ready to sever the bond that ties us? Or are you too afraid of what you will become without me?"

Morrigan's throat tightened, her words lost as she stared up at the monstrous figure before her. The void seemed to close in around her, the darkness swallowing her whole as Flemeth's laughter echoed in her ears.

And then, there was nothing.