Chapter Text
~ ☆ ~
Mia knew it was coming.
She had been hearing it for weeks now about the Divine calling for the Conclave, and that every important person was making their journey to Haven. Naturally, she followed suit. She ended her quiet peaceful time of being a tavern bard to see if she could sign up for the Inquisition.
The problem was that there was no Inquisition when she arrived there.
Maybe it hasn’t happened yet?
Ria---her dearest little sister---did say that the Inquisition was something that the Divine was planning to initiate if the Conclave would fail. Right now, the talks were still ongoing.
Right. Perhaps she had come too early.
Three years ago, Mia remembered her death as clear as day. There was a shooting in the mall that Saturday as she was trying to buy a multitude of items for a gift basket suitable for her sister’s engagement party. Of course, that also included the groom. Maybe she should get them matching headsets for when they play ESO together. However, Mia never got to finish her errands when the shooter waltzed right in and began firing without a care. Needless to say, judo would always lose to a gun. The bullet got her neck, so it must have hit an artery, causing her to die from blood loss.
And of course, her life was flashing before her eyes. She remembered at six years old, her mother passed away, leaving only her father and her little sister. Her little sister was only a baby, and Mia made it her mission to raise her herself, even though they had a father. Ria was her entire life, and so when her sister was obsessing over a certain game, Mia did her best to listen to her adorable little sister.
Warden this, Warden that. Hawk this, Hawk that. Inquisitor this, Inquisitor that. Not to mention the constant story telling and asking of advice of what should happen to this and that. Mia understood as she and her sister loved romance manga. Ria had no one else to confide into, except for her fiancée, but she wouldn’t talk to him over it. Eric was clueless to a lady’s romantic fantasies. Even their own father had better advice for such romantic events.
And so, those were her last moments as Mia before dying. Always about her sister Ria.
When the cold abyss used its shadowy grips to embrace her, she thought she would fall in it forever. This coldness… wetness… freezing…
Then breath of air---no, water. Water was flooding into her lungs. Panicked rose her senses to wake as she hurried to swim to the surface, reflecting the moon’s radiant light. Somehow, she ended up in the ocean with huge waves. And then, by some miracle, she managed to swim herself to shore before passing out.
Emilia. That was this body’s name. This body she possessed was a Crow, an Assassin, who was killed by another Crow.
Thankfully, the local fishermen found her and sheltered her as she recovered from the ordeal. Of course, they only thought she drowned and she may have misled them into thinking that she committed suicide. No need for them to know that she was an assassin offed by one of her co-workers. Nevertheless, it took only a week for her to accept her dilemma.
She has fallen into one of her sister’s favorite tropes: Modern girl in Thedas.
Mia thought her sister would have been a better candidate, but no… She wouldn’t want to read the parts where her sister would struggle to find water, food, shelter, coin---all that stuff. Not to mention the demons. Yes. Mia was thankful that it was her who was sent and not her sister. Her dear adorable sister would be getting married… and sadly, Mia wouldn’t be there for it.
After accepting her situation, she decided to make the best of it. Her goal was to survive, but she remembered Ria saying that if the Herald of Andraste dies, then the whole world dies. Meaning there’s a possibility of the Herald/Inquisitor failing, whoever that is. And if he/she fails, then Thedas dies.
Meaning Mia will die again.
No. Not happening.
And so, for the next three years, she travelled all over Thedas as a simple bard, and boy did she earn her coin. It paid off that she took guitar lessons right after mastering the piano as a side hobby. All that time, she learned so much of this world and its cultures. All for the sake of survival.
Now, she was here in Haven, standing outside its gates, and staring up at the temple. The forecast would say it was a bright sunny day even though tensions were rising between the mages and templars, unaware that there was a bigger threat looming inside.
When was it supposed to happen again?
Perhaps there was a way she could prevent?
However, it seems the Maker has a weird sense of humor as the Temple of Sacred Ashes suddenly exploded out of nowhere, causing a large shockwave that threw nearly everyone off their feet. A bright green light struck the sky like lightning and it tear through the veil, unleashing a swirling storm that Ria called the Corypheus’ anus---Ahem. It was called the Breach.
Mia questioned her life’s existence as the world around her fell into chaos. The entire scene reminded her of Attack on Titan’s first episode when that Colossus Titan kicked down Wall Maria. Screaming. Panic. Fear. Mia couldn’t blame them. In another’s perspective, she’s the weirdo here who’s playing it way too calmly.
All the while, she felt her guts tightening as her anxiety rose to higher levels than usual.
It was starting. She thought.
Now, she has to find the person with the mark, and protect them until the end.
~ ☆ ~
When they called for soldiers, Mia was ready to join. In fact, she knew who to sought out once she immediately caught sight of that curly blonde hair.
“Commander!” She called out and he turned to her with surprise. “Are you the Commander? I would like to join and help!”
He looked at me strangely but before he could refute, the Breach in the sky started making massive explosions, sending comets down to the valley. “Go then! Go report to Lieutenant Rylen, at once!”
He pointed a direction towards a man with reddish, brown hair and Mia saluted. She darted right over, eager to join the battle.
Mia may have grown up in an ordinary lifestyle, but the body she possessed lived nothing like that. Emilia was a Crow since the day she learned how to walk. This body knew torture and pain. Through her memories, she had seen death and killed herself. Her hands were always so bloody even after she had stopped being a Crow. Somehow, she was sent here in this body. She was brought here for a reason.
And… if this was the world that she thought it was, it was all the more crucial for her to get involved.
She joined the group without any problems and they marched up the hill to the destruction of the Temple. To her dismay, she caught sight of flaming bodies. It reminded her of the graphic images shown to her High School History class: the aftermath of the bombing on Nagasaki. Usually, when a living body is slowly being burned alive, their bodies would curl up. Tendons snap off and muscles shrink. Like how a chicken leg would shrivel a bit when put into a deep fryer.
These bodies that were standing meant that the explosion happened in an instant, and they all died with little suffering.
Others will have to take comfort in that. Death was swift.
Mia tried to share that information with her new co-workers, but they weren’t too happy to hear that. Perhaps it was just too soon, or maybe she should have said that they were at the Maker’s side now. Regardless, she was now treated as a pariah in the force.
However, her superior wouldn’t kick her out. Not when she’s kicking ass of every demon in the field.
In the last three years travelling in Thedas, she had her fair share of fighting with demons, especially with blood mages all around, though she wouldn’t have held out so long if not for her co-workers willing to put their lives on the line as well.
For days now, the breach continued to grow and it opened many smaller rifts that allowed spirits a way into our world, according to the recent addition of apostates assisting Seeker Cassandra. This bald-headed elf with Welsh-accent was none other than Solas.
Inquisition fact! Mia remembered her sister say. Solas’ lines were tailored out to have the same rhythm as Hallelujah. Whenever Solas would go into some sort of soliloquy or verse, Mia counted the syllables.
And yeah… he did speak as if he were singing Hallelujah.
However, his poetic verses weren’t getting anywhere with the Seeker, especially when he wasn’t showing any results. That day, the Seeker was very close to killing him, or at least imprisoning him, and she can’t have that.
Mia had to intervene.
“Seeker Cassandra!”
The Seeker turned to her and Mia immediately saluted, deferring to her authority. All eyes were on her in the Forward Camp that included Sister Nightingale, Commander Cullen, Solas, and the dwarven writer, Varric. Half the cast of the future Inner Circle now knows she exists. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Rylen looked like he was about to get an aneurism.
“What is it, recruit?” Cassandra demanded impatiently.
“I believe in this elf’s words. We should have him close the rift once more,” Mia said. “The first rift this time, and I can take him there.”
“Mia! You are way out of line!” Lieutenant Rylen said as he came up behind her and saluted. “I’m sorry, Seeker. Commander. I will properly scold her for interfering.”
Of course, Rylen tried pulling her back, but Mia didn’t move an inch, still waiting on their input.
Thankfully, Sister Nightingale spoke out.
“Mia? Are you the one that soldiers have been calling the Demon Slayer?” Leliana asked. Rylen reluctantly let Mia go, turning around to let out a silent sigh as if he had failed to stop the trouble from coming.
Mia furrowed her brows at the embellishment. “I know nothing about that title, but I have been slaughtering demons left and right. Modesty aside.”
She preferred truth over modesty.
Varric snorted at that. His interests piqued at this character that somehow slipped under his radar.
“Do you think that taking him to the first rift this apostate can close the breach?” Cassandra asked.
“We have to try,” Mia said. “And like I said, I can get him there with or without any of you.”
The Seeker raised her chance, narrowing her gaze. “You have an air of arrogance around you. What makes you so sure?”
“…Faith.” Mia said as she recalled what Ria told her about Cassandra. Her number one unshakable trait is her faith. “I have faith that we can make it, and that there is a light at the end of this madness. If this man says that he can close the breach, then let him try. Let him try, again. And again. And again. Because, right now, we have nothing else left to try… I mean, we can try running, but that would just doom us all, wouldn’t it?”
Silence hung in the air for a while until the Commander spoke up, directing his question to his Lieutenant.
“Lieutenant Rylen. How much do you trust this recruit?” He asked.
Rylen was a bit stunned, but after a moment, he sighed, facing them properly.
He reluctantly admitted. “Commander, I trust this woman with my life. If I ever have to face a Maleficar, she’d be the first person I would call for assistance. Although she’s a bit odd, she’s been working harder than rest of the soldiers on the field. Her character is proven by her skills. The mission is crazy, but if Mia is here, then I know we can make it.”
Mia, all the while, was surprised. She didn’t think the Lieutenant would support her this much. She had thought he disliked her, but perhaps that wasn’t true.
It felt nice to be acknowledged.
Cassandra sighed, but then she nodded.
“Alright… Solas, you have as many chances as this recruit stays alive,” she said as she gestured to Mia.
Mia then turned to Solas, assuring, “Please be at ease. I don’t die easily, and I certainly wouldn’t allow you to die so quickly.”
“…Likewise.” Solas answered with delay as her remark was a bit…questionable.
Regardless, he had gotten his chance again to go back up to the site of the first rift and attempt to close it once more.
In the end though it didn’t matter.
Once they had gotten up to the ruins of the Temple, a rogue rift opened out of nowhere.
At first the ruined floors were flooded by demons, and Mia worked twice as hard to get rid of them. The terror demons were a bit tricky since they often open portals to jump in only to reappear underneath their feet. She had to be constantly vigilant on the field, including those who were with her. Although Cassandra, Varric, Leliana, and Cullen were present, she trusted none of them to watch her back.
As a crow, she had to fight for herself and for her mission.
However, she had to abort the missions when she saw a rift opened out of nowhere. The soldiers that accompanied them, shouted, saying more demons were coming, but Mia knew better. She saw the glowing woman of which people will mistake as Andraste, before the true hero will come falling right out, as if she pushed him.
That one lone survivor stumbled out of the rift and fell to the ground.
“Mia, wait--!” Rylen was just a second too late.
Immediately, Mia was already darting over to lone survivor with her two short blades ready to slice and dice as the demons were lured in by the new presence. She cut one down with one swift stroke before getting right to another. She tripped and tumbled when a terror demon surprised her, but she rolled away and threw her blade, hitting it right at the eye. It staggered and screeched in pain, but Mia ignored it.
She ran over, using the armor on her arms and chest to take on the wisp attacks of the wraiths.
It hurt, but she wasn’t stopping.
She made it to the lone survivor and her theory was correct.
After confirming that the Hawk of this world was a male apostate and that the Warden was a female Amell, Mia knew that the protagonist of this game had to be a Trevelyan Mage. And she was right.
The man lying in the snow had long locks of black hair. His skin was a tawny shade. His eyes were green before they shut closed, going unconscious. This is without a doubt her sister’s fictional character… Alec Trevelyan. The face was recognizable due to the Nexus Mod images of him, belonging of the original creator.
She remembered her sister’s words…
This guy is suited for this fic! He’s a circle mage, meaning that he’s probably never been outside. His only strong suit has to be his charm and his social skills. He attended the Conclave because he has good negotiable skills, and he was elected to be the next First Enchanter of Ostwick. However, now that he has the mark, he’s gonna struggle, bleed, and tumble trying his best in the role he’s been forced to carry. And he will suffer… Awe, so angst! I love it!
Mia grimaced. Authors really do enjoy torturing their MC's.
~ ☆ ~
~ ☆ ~