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[Taiyama]

Endings and Beginnings

Ugh…so much paperwork…

Taiyama’s blue-green eyes lazily shifted away from the paperwork to the large window beside his desk for what seemed like the millionth time. He fiddled absent-mindedly with the quill pen in his hand and unknowingly got ink all over his fingers. It was hard to concentrate when it was such a pretty day outside. Taiyama once again felt that familiar itch: he wanted to leave, to get out there, and to see the world and travel.

Sighing, Taiyama set the quill back into the ink well and leaned his head into his hand—getting ink all over his face in the process.

What am I doing here…? The darkspawn are gone, the Deep Roads are quiet, peace has been restored… All I’ve been doing lately is arl stuff like this—things honestly better left to the Seneschal Varen. It’s funny, I was planning on chasing the darkspawn into the Deep Roads and killing their Broodmothers but the Architect changes everything, doesn’t it? I guess I’ll have to trust him for now. I suppose I could go out looking for recruits but would that really be the best use of my power? Others can do that…

Once again, as they had many times before, the lessons regarding power and the need to use it to help others repeated themselves in his mind—he just picture her saying them. He had taken those words to heart, along with Wynne’s other teachings, and was grateful for the way she helped to shape him in his most formative time. She had always been the maternal figure Taiyama lacked and desperately needed since he was taken to the Circle Tower.

The question was, though, was he using his abilities—the strategic ability, the charisma, the raw magical might—here to serve mankind? Perhaps, but not as much as he probably could elsewhere.

And he couldn’t deny that part of the thing that drove him was the itch: the pure lust for traveling and seeing the world. Before he became a Grey Warden he would have been perfectly fine staying locked up in the Circle Tower until the day he died. But now…things had changed. Wynne had wanted him to go back to the Circle but he just couldn’t go back. As far as he was concerned, his home was on the road or wherever Leliana was.

Leliana… He felt a simultaneous flip of his stomach and weight on his heart at the mere thought of her. He missed her terribly and yearned just to take in her beauty and listen to her lovely voice again. He dug a small black box out of his desk and furtively opened it to peek inside. Inside was a silver ring with the words “eternally yours” in both elvish and the king’s tongue engraved on it and a deep blue sapphire gem on the top—as blue as Leliana’s eyes. Smiling wistfully, he replaced the box in the desk. He’d have to give that to her when the time was right…

Taiyama was lifted out of his reverie at the sound of a knock on his door. Sitting upright in his chair, he called out, “Come in!”

Seneschal Varen, standing with perfectly upright posture strode in and looked towards Taiyama. A smile he was obviously trying to hide crossed his face and he snorted in mirth.

“What’s the matter?” Taiyama asked, not able to help smiling back.
“Ah… It’s your face, Warden-Commander…” Varen said, still obviously resisting the urge to laugh.

“Oh, come on, man. I can’t possibly be that ugly, can I?” Taiyama replied, chuckling to himself.

That comment broke the dam guarding his emotions and Varel let loose a deep, booming laugh. “No, Warden-Commander. Look in the mirror to your left.”

Taiyama turned to his left and immediately began laughing at himself. His entire right cheek was covered in black ink, making it look like he had a particularly large bruise. He retrieved a cloth from his desk and began wiping the ink off of both his face and his hand.

“So, what brings you up here to see me, Seneschal?” Taiyama asked. “More than just to disparage my physical appearance, I hope.”

“No, Sir. A young woman actually arrived recently and wishes to see you. She waits in the courtyard.”

“Who is she…?”

“She didn’t give her name, but she has red-orange hair and blue eyes and told me to tell you that the roses have been coming in beautifu-“

Taiyama immediately dropped the cloth and raced out the door, almost knocking the Seneschal down in the middle of his sentence. He ran through castle of Vigil’s Keep, weaving between surprised Wardens and almost running into Velanna as he rounded a corner (though she gracefully moved to the side in time to dodge him).

As he ran out into the noonday heat, the sun practically blinded his unready eyes. He squinted, looked around, and saw her.

Leliana stood next to the bed of roses, conversing with Anders—about what, Taiyama could not hear at the moment. She still wore a traveling cloak and looked every bit travel-weary after such a long trip, but to Taiyama there may as well have been an angelic chorus floating down from heaven with a single ray of sunshine shining down on her, because she looked like an angel to him.

“LELIANA!” Taiyama shouted as he began running towards her.

Leliana turned to his voice and her face lit up like the sun when he saw him. “TAIYAMA!”

Taiyama ran up to Leliana and took her in his arms, picking her up and swinging her around in a circle once before setting her down. He took in everything about her: the way the light shone on her hair, the softness of her skin, her smell.

Anders, meanwhile, looked rather surprised. “Well, now…it seems I was just flirting with my boss’ lover. That’s not a good thing to do, is it, job security-wise?” He glared at Oghren. “You knew about this, didn’t you, you filthy stench-ridden moron? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Oghren laughed. “Sure did. I just wanted to see the look on your face, Sparklefingers. It was priceless.”

Taiyama pulled back from the hug and drank in the sight of her in all her beauty, completely oblivious to the verbal sparring going on nearby. “I missed you so much, Leliana…”

“I missed you too.”

Taiyama kissed her softly on the lips then took her hand and began to lead her off. “Come on. There’s a lot of catching up we need to do…” and added in a lower, mischievous tone, unheard by the others, “in more ways than one,” eliciting a giggle from his love.
*************************
She looked so peaceful when she slept.

Heh, peace… It’s been a while since I’ve seen that. But thanks to everyone’s work, it seems it’s finally starting to turn out that way. Taiyama thought.

Taiyama moved a stray strand of Leliana’s auburn hair to behind her ear and kissed her softly on the lips. He rolled out of bed and, grasping around in the dark, found a pair of plain brown pants and a shirt to put on. After successfully dressing in the dark—and barely managing to not fall down a few times—he moved as quietly as he could towards a nearby door and slipped out of it, outside to a high balcony that overlooked all of Vigil’s Keep. Snow was falling softly, gently, too little to likely stick, and naught but a few lights shone from the houses and buildings in the Keep at this hour. The cranes and equipment for repairing the walls lay abandoned for the night by the few holes the darkspawn siege crew had managed to punch through the nigh-impenetrable dwarven engineering. It was perfectly quiet save for the mild moaning of the winter winds.

Taiyama sat down and let himself enjoy this respite. He had had far too few opportunities like this for the past two years since that fateful day of his Harrowing. But this…this was what it meant to be at peace, wasn’t it? The lack of such life and death worries that had plagued him for so long in one form or another. Of course, he had many worries—not the least of which involved the Architect—but none as grave or immediate as they used to be.
Taiyama gazed off into the distance and saw the silhouette of a few farms. He smiled softly as he recalled the reverence he had been receiving from farmers since he had decided to concentrate troops on the farms. Though there had been devastation, there had not been nearly as much as there could have been.

He didn’t understand the reverence, though. He had only done what was tactically correct in his mind. After all, the first rule of defensive warfare was that he who tried to protect everything protected nothing. Armies march on their stomachs and even a well-protected city without food would starve, so protecting the farms—especially since cities had their walls and militia to protect them—seemed to be the most important objective. Still, he supposed he couldn’t fault them for being grateful, but one farmer he overheard swearing by his name was taking it a tad too far.

The squeak of a door and the sound of soft footfalls behind him broke him out of his reverie. He turned his head and smiled at Leliana, who had dressed in a white nightgown.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Taiyama asked.

“Not without you,” Leliana replied as she sat down on Taiyama’s left side and rested her head on his shoulder.

Taiyama wrapped his left arm around her waist and looked out at the scenery. “Beautiful, isn’t it? A Ferelden finally at peace…”

“Yes. And all thanks to you, you should know.”

Taiyama snorted. “Nah, not just me. I had a lot of help—Alistair, all our friends, the Wardens, all the people of Ferelden, and especially you.”

“My part was small, Taiyama. We never could have gotten this far without you.”

“Maybe so, but I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. You taught me mercy and a belief in second chances… Without you, I probably would have killed Loghain, and without him either I or Alistair would have died on top of Fort Drakon, neither of which would have been a good thing for Ferelden. Not only that, but you’re…you’re…” Taiyama wracked his brain for the words to express his feelings, cursing his occasional lack of the ability to sensibly vocalize his thoughts when around her, “you’re the madness to my method.”

Leliana snorted and launched into a giggle fit for quite a few seconds before she could respond. “And what on earth does that mean?”

Taiyama blushed scarlet and responded, “Wow…that sounded so much better in my head, you know?”

“I can’t imagine how!” Leliana responded, still smiling.

Taiyama groaned embarrassedly. “What I meant was...was that you give me the strength to go on when things get tough. You’re the reason I can keep going. Whenever I felt like giving up or felt depressed—especially when I thought we had lost Fort Drakon entirely when I chose to save Amaranthine—I thought of you…and that gave me strength. It always has. I believe in myself because you believe in me…” Taiyama chuckled. “You’re not going to let me live that slip down, are you?”

Leliana shook her head. “Not at all.”

Taiyama laughed, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her until the need for oxygen demanded he release her. “Troublesome woman…” he whispered softly, smiling lovingly.
**************************
Taiyama and Leliana stood before a large crowd at the gates of Vigil’s Keep, bags packed and weapons and armor donned: Taiyama in his red Senior Enchanter Robes and staff and Leliana with her leather armor and bow in addition to a light brown traveling cloak she wore over it in case of inclement weather. Grey Wardens, traders, farmers, soldiers, cooks—everyone who lived there and in the surrounding area had gathered for this.

“You’re sure about this, Commander? There is still much left to be done and you have the loyalty of all of Ferelden, something no other Warden Commander to date can claim,” Varel said.

Taiyama nodded. “There are others more suited to walk down the paths I created. Power comes with responsibility and if I’m not using my magic to help others, I’m not living up to that responsibility.” He pointed with his thumb at Leliana. “Besides, I promised Leliana that we would travel the world once the Blight was finished and I don’t break my promises.”

“As you wish… You’ll always have a home here, Taiyama.”

“Yeah. And if you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to write and I’ll come as soon as I can. I’ll also send any promising recruits that I might find here.”

Nathaniel Howe stepped forward, carrying a folded garment made of red cloth that matched Taiyama’s robes. “Well, since you were always giving us gifts, I figured I’d make you one from us, to help you on the road.”

Taiyama smiled widely. “I… Thanks, Nate.”

He accepted the gift and unfolded it, revealing that the gift was a cloak with the double-headed griffon (the heraldry of the Warden Commander) emblazoned on the back. It had a hood that could be raised during inclement weather and lowered when wore normally. In good weather, the cloak merely covered his shoulders and upper arms and functioned more like a cape but when necessary, it could be drawn together and buttoned in the front to keep Taiyama safe from rain or snow.

“That is amazing!” Taiyama exclaimed. “Good job on the symbol, too. I suppose poisons and combat weren’t the only things you learned in the old days, eh?”

Nathaniel smiled and nodded. “Indeed.” He put out his hand and Taiyama shook it firmly. “Thank you, Taiyama. You gave me the chance to redeem my family and my honor when most would have had me executed on the spot. I owe you a debt I can never repay, though I shall attempt to for the rest of my days.”

Taiyama shook his head. “Nonsense. I couldn’t have done this without you, Nate. You owe me nothing.”

“No, you could have done this without me quite easily. I am very grateful you brought me along for the ride, though.” He bowed. “Goodbye, Commander.”

Nathaniel stepped back to his place amongst the crowd and Velanna stepped forward and hugged Taiyama. “Farewell, Lethallin. May the Creators watch over you.”

Taiyama hugged her back. “Thanks, Velanna. May the Maker watch over you.”

Velanna let him go and simply nodded, quite a change from when she might have objected over the scrutiny of the shemlen god. She lingered for a moment, unsure of what to say if anything, and then stepped back into the crowd.

Anders stepped forward. “Weeeell, off to go on mighty adventures, are we? Slaying dragons, saving damsels in distress, getting cats out of trees, that kind of thing?”

Taiyama chuckled. “Something like that, I suppose. Thanks for everything, Anders. I’m…I’m glad you survived the assault on Vigil’s Keep, I really am.”

Anders frowned slightly. “Yes, so am I…especially considering the fates of the other Grey Wardens…” He smiled again. “And hey, the fact that you’re leaving gives me a precedent to go when I please. I think I may leave the Wardens eventually. For now, I think I’ll train the next generation of mages in your stead.”

“You’re free to go when you wish, but remember that you’ll never stop being a Grey Warden, Anders. While that does mean you’ll be called on should another Blight arise—Maker forbid—it also means that you’ll always have a home here, just as I will.”

“A home, huh…? Can’t say I’ve ever had one of those unless you count the prison cell that was the Circle Tower… It’s got a nice ring to it, actually…” He smiled and held out his hand to Taiyama. “I’ve got you to thank for it, though. You saved me from the templars twice. I owe you.”

“Don’t mention it, Anders. That’s what friends do: stick by each other,” Taiyama said as he shook Ander’s hand.

“Right.”

Anders turned around and headed back into the crowd. Oghren then walked up and struggled for words for a moment before speaking. “I…I don’t know what to say, Taiyama. Everything I have is because of you: Felsi, little Taiyama,” here Taiyama blushed slightly at the memory that Oghren had named his son after him, “my status as a Warden, my honor…everything. You believed in me when no one else—not even I myself—did.” The battle hardened dwarf began to get misty-eyed, as much as he fought it. “You’re…” Oghren’s voice broke here, “you’re gonna be missed, Commander. Never doubt it.”

Taiyama, without saying a word, knelt down and hugged Oghren. The dwarf hugged him back and, despite trying with all his heart and soul not to, began to cry soft tears that flowed down his face and disappeared into his beard.

Taiyama let go and stood up, wiping his own tears away. “Listen, Oghren. Believe in yourself. No matter what anyone says, never doubt that you are a great Grey Warden.”

Oghren wiped away his tears as well and nodded, smiling widely. “You’re right. I’ll live up to your opinion of me, Commander, I swear it.”

Taiyama smiled his crooked smile. “Good attitude! You’ll need that for your new job!”

“My…my what?”

“You heard me!” Taiyama pointed at Oghren. “You, Oghren, are now the new Warden Commander of Ferelden!”

The entire crowd—and Oghren too—responded with a simultaneously shouted “WHAT?!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Taiyama said, directing his attention to the crowd behind him. “Who the hell do you think he is?! This man is the only one amongst the surviving Wardens who has led men into battle before—he even led the rear guard in the battle of Denerim! He’s one of the finest warriors of our age and I’m sure he’ll be a great Commander!” When Taiyama said it, it sounded like an immutable law of the universe, so the crowd seemed accepting of it, if nothing else. He turned his attention back to Oghren and smiled. “I know you can do it, Oghren. If you want, you can leave the clerical stuff to Varel, but no one’s more qualified than you to pick up where I left off.”

Oghren nodded. “You’re right… Thank you, Taiyama. I won’t forget this.”

“And remember…”

“’Shut out doubt and go beyond the impossible,’ right?” Oghren supplied with a laugh.

“That’s the way the Ferelden Grey Wardens roll!” Taiyama turned from the crowd back to Leliana. “All right. You ready to go, Love?”

Leliana nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Taiyama took the cloak Nathaniel had given him and threw it on with a flourish, fastening it at the collar while it blew in the wind behind him. He and Leliana headed out of Vigil’s Keep to the goodbyes of the people of Amaranthine to begin the next chapter of their legend.

Author's Notes: Well, this took a long time. I did this when I SHOULD be studying, so you lot better be thankful. Still, while it probably could be better especially around the middle, I am rather proud of it. Whaddaya think?

This is actually a contest entry for Maker's Breath regarding how the Warden reacts when reuniting with Leliana at the end of Awakening. I figured I'd add in Taiyama leaving Awakening and his reasons for doing so, too, since that bastard epilogue made our wardens leave the order. I'm deliberately leaving out dates and how much time passes because I don't really know. The events here could happen over a span of days, months, or maybe even years.

And yes, I DID have to give Taiyama a badass cape--though it's more of a cloak than a cape. That distinctive cloak is going to become Taiyama's "symbol" later on, though. And if you're wondering what the heraldry I mentioned looks like, go here. And if you want a better mental image of what the cloak looks like while not buttoned together, it's kinda something like this but without the large collar.

By the way, I mentioned up there that Taiyama had the troops focus on protecting the farms. Out of curiosity, what did you guys have your wardens do in that situation?

As always, criticisms are appreciated and comments earn you an internet cookie!

Modifié par Taiyama, 13 avril 2010 - 06:57 .

[Taiyama]

Rebirth

It was a normal day in the Circle Tower and all of the mages hustled and bustled about (under the watchful eyes of the templars, of course) as they continued their everlasting pursuit towards greater arcane knowledge and mastery. One mage in particular by the name of Taiyama Surana sat by an open window in the upper floors of the Tower, reading a book by the light of the sun. The book was a biography of Aedan Cousland, the Hero of Ferelden who had stopped the Fifth Blight that had ravaged Ferelden just under a year ago and put King Alistair on the throne.

Fortunately for Taiyama, though, the Circle—protected by Lake Calenhad around it—had not been affected by it much at all, barring the few mages sent to Ostagar who had died. One would hardly have guessed a Blight had happened judging by the behavior of the mages, who continued practicing their art and ignoring the outside world that feared and hated them so.

A young female apprentice with long, reddish-brown hair stepped into the room and scanned it with her eyes, searching for something or someone. When she saw Taiyama, a smile played on her face and she walked over towards him.

“It’s a beautiful day outside, isn’t it?” she remarked conversationally.
Taiyama started in surprise and looked up from his book. “Ah…Keili?”

Keili smiled warmly at him. “Oh, sorry, did I startle you? I forgot how engrossed you can get into your books.”

“Um… I’m just wondering why you’re talking to me, is all…” Taiyama responded, looking down at the floor—he didn’t think himself worth the time of day to her.

“Huh…? Oh! My lessons got done early today,” she responded, misunderstanding the nature of Taiyama’s question. “Ever since you convinced me that my magic isn’t really a curse, I’ve actually started enjoying it.” She knelt down and kissed Taiyama lightly on the lips. “So how has your day been, Love?”

Taiyama’s face turned a very bright red, both from the kiss and Keili’s words. “L-Love?!”

Keili frowned deeply. “You…you don’t remember? Did you hit your head today or something?” Her tone of voice took on a hurt, worried tone and Taiyama could see her eyes begin to well up. “Or are you…are you saying you didn’t mean it?”

Almost to answer his confusion, a memory appeared in Taiyama’s mind of him gathering up the courage to profess his feelings to Keili and of her reciprocating. Strange, though, that such an important memory seemed so…vague…like he was seeing the mental image through fogged glass.

“N-no, I did mean it, really…” Taiyama responded. “I’m sorry. I’ve just…been having a weird day, I guess. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I do remember, of course!”

Keili smiled and looked thoroughly relieved. “That’s good. You had me worried for a minute. But you know what might be good for you? Let’s go take a walk in the courtyard. It’s far too pretty a day to stay inside, don’t you think?”

Taiyama smiled and stood up, setting his book aside. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

The two walked side-by-side down the floors of the tower, engaging in small-talk (Keili was wondering what he had been reading that had engrossed him so) and occasionally holding hands when there were no templars nearby.

In time, they came to the courtyard: the only place outside that mages were allowed to roam. It was very much like a small park with walkways, benches, and the odd bed of flowers that some mage or another would plant and take care of for a time. What set it off from an actual park were two things: templars and the very very high, very very thick, very very magic-resistant walls that surrounded the place—the walls were so high in fact that the sun didn’t reach the place until around 10:00 in the morning.

“Oh! Hey, Taiyama, Keili,” came a voice nearby.

Taiyama turned towards its source and his eyes widened. “…Jowan?”

The young apprentice smirked. “In the flesh. Why do you seem so surprised to see me?”

Taiyama wracked his brain for the problem—he himself didn’t understand why he had reacted that way. “Shouldn’t you… I thought you were…somewhere else…”

“I can’t imagine where. If it isn’t obvious the templars don’t exactly let us roam around freely. Where else would I be instead of here?”

“I’m…not sure…” Taiyama responded, holding his head with his right hand.

“Is something wrong, Taiyama?” Keili asked worriedly. “You’ve been acting strange all day. Do you think you’re sick?”

“No…it’s not that…”

Something was definitely wrong here. Taiyama couldn’t place what it was exactly but every instinct and intuitive sense he had was screaming that things weren’t what they seemed.

He turned and looked around at all the mages. “Shouldn’t things be different here?”

“What do you mean?” Jowan asked. He dropped his voice to a harsh whisper. “If you’re complaining about the templars I suggest that you be quieter about it.”

“No, not the templars… But…well, actually, yes. Sort of. But not the way you think.” He turned back to the Circle Tower. “Shouldn’t things be more destroyed? I thought… And what about the darkspawn?”

“The darkspawn?” Keili asked. “Taiyama, the Fifth Blight ended a year ago. There are stragglers and a few roving bands out there, yes, but that’s hardly our concern!”

He was beginning to piece it together. Memories began to resurface in his mind—ones with far more clarity than memories like the one of him and Keili together. First there were the memories closest to what he was experiencing now: Jowan, his betrayal, and the Circle being locked down and abominations—here Taiyama shivered at the thought of those horrible monsters that had once been his fellow mages—stalking the ruined halls. Then, slowly at first and with increasing speed, he remembered becoming a Grey Warden, meeting Duncan and Alistair, Ostagar, all his friends…

And one face, one memory carried far more weight and emotion than all of the others by far: the memory of a certain red-haired woman who he had met at Lothering, Leliana. He realized that was he was being told to feel about Keili—told by whom he had no idea—was a pale imitation of the emotions that coursed through his very soul at her memory.

I…I love her. I can’t let her down! I can’t let any of them down!

“This isn’t real,” Taiyama stated, completely without doubt.

“What are you saying?! Of course this is real!” Jowan replied.

Taiyama shook his head. “No. You used forbidden blood magic, betrayed me and used me to escape. You’re not the real Jowan. The real Jowan is in Redcliffe right now…the real Jowan is waiting on us to return with the mages of the Circle so we can save the arl’s son!”

“Don’t do this, Taiyama!” Keili entreated, getting in front of Taiyama and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Isn’t this everything that you ever wanted? You never wanted to be a Grey Warden. You never wanted to leave the Circle! Stay here with us…” She took Taiyama’s hand in both of hers and squeezed it affectionately. “Please…for me…”

Taiyama took his hands from her grasp. “You’re not Keili. Keili hates herself and magic. Keili went insane from the stress of what happened. Maybe I failed her…maybe I could have convinced her that her magic was a gift…but that’s what happened. And it’s true that I used to have a crush on Keili…but not anymore. There’s someone else.” He stepped away from Jowan and Keili and looked up to the sky. “I…I’m scared… I’m shaking like a leaf… I don’t know what’s going on…but I have to leave! Everyone’s counting on me! I can’t be stuck in this dream any longer!!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the scenery and people around him froze and, like the entire world was made of glass, cracks began forming and spreading in reality itself. Then suddenly, without a sound, the world shattered and shards of reality fell to the ground and disappeared and Taiyama’s robes changed from the light brown mage robes to the dark red Senior Enchanter robes he had found earlier in the Circle Tower.

What was left behind was a small brown island in the middle of what appeared to be an endless void. Surrounding Taiyama on all sides were many doors that at first glance appeared to lead absolutely nowhere. In the distance, Taiyama could just spot the silhouette of what appeared to be a city on the horizon and saw other chunks of land just like this one spread about the void.

Oh, no... Taiyama thought as panic began to grip at his heart. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

The Fade. This was the Fade, Taiyama had no doubt about it. No wonder his instincts had been screaming that something was wrong: mages had a sensitivity to the Fade far exceeding that of other mortals. If Taiyama was scared before, he was terrified now: his Harrowing had given him a deep fear of the Fade.

Taiyama began turning in circles, looking at all the doors surrounded him. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do?!” He stopped and took quite a few deep breaths. “Ok… All right, don’t panic. You’re a mage. You should be able to handle the Fade. Willpower is what makes the world here; this isn’t a finite, unchangeable world like Thedas. You can defeat anything as long as your will is stronger.” He walked towards one of the doors at random. “It doesn’t matter which path you take, as long as your will is strong.” He placed his hand on the doorknob. “Y-you can do that…r-right?” he said while quivering with fear and sounding completely unconvinced of his ability to do so.

Despite what he felt, he opened the door and stepped through without hesitation.
***********************
Taiyama was hiding behind a large statue of some multi-armed demon, desperately trying to heal a particularly nasty burn he had on his left arm. He was shaking even more than usual, which wasn’t that surprising giving the circumstances.

“Come on out, little mage!” came the sultry voice of the desire demon Yevena from nearby. “I promise I’ll be gentle!”

Taiyama ignored her and focused on both curing his wound and keeping himself from freezing in fear. She sounded nearby but Maker knows that she could manipulate the Fade to make it seem that way. For now it would be best to-

“Found you!”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Taiyama screamed in abject terror and instinctively closed his eyes, pointed his palms at Yevena, who stood right next to him, and shot a massive bolt of lightning magic at her.

Yevena let out a banshee scream as she fell to the ground. She writhed for a few moments in agony before falling still. Surprised, Taiyama took his staff and prodded her a few times from a safe distance, gaining no response from the demon.

“She’s…she’s dead.” Taiyama smiled like he had just accomplished his life’s dream. “I did it! I won!”

Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe he could do this…even if it was by himself. Maybe it was possible…

Taiyama finished healing his wounds and exited Yevena’s place through the door he had come in through. As soon as he exited, he felt something shift in the very fabric of reality itself—it wasn’t a feeling he could describe but still one he felt at his core: that something had shifted or changed. Niall, apparently, felt it too judging by the surprise plastered on his face.

“Can you feel that?! Something...changed,” Niall stated, giving words to Taiyama’s thoughts. “What happened?”

“I killed the demon, Yevena,” Taiyama responded.

“You did?! So it isn’t impossible! You’re so much braver than I, Taiyama…”

Taiyama shook his head. “No, not really. I’m just as scared as you are.” He showed Niall his shaking hands for proof. “See?”

Niall smiled slightly. “But you still press on and don’t give up despite it. That’s what you have and I don’t. I truly wish I had your bravery.”

Taiyama smirked. “Heh…no one’s ever really said that to me before… Thank you, Niall.” He turned back to a nearby door. “I guess I’d better get going, then. Still a lot to do…”
*********************************
“A-All right…another down!” Taiyama stated, panting heavily, as he stepped away from Slavren’s corpse and felt reality shift once again. “I think I can go save one of my friends now,” he said, sensing intuitively that it was true.

He went to the nearby door, opened it, and stepped into the blackness, willing it to bring him to one of his friends. It felt for a second like the ground shifted under his feet and he stepped out in a scene not dissimilar to the one he had just left. He was in a portion of the ruined Circle Tower, near Owain’s stockroom. Corpses of abominations, mages, and templars were scattered all around him and the place bore every sign of being the site of a large battle. He only saw one figure standing amongst this field of corpses and death.

“Wynne!” Taiyama said, running up to her.

Wynne did not pay much attention to Taiyama. She was staring down at the bodies and her tone of voice was a mixture of grief and fatigue. “Maker forgive me… I failed them all… They died and I did not stop it.”

“Don’t believe it, Wynne. It’s not real.”

Wynne turned to him, sadness and a few hints of tears in her eyes. “How can I disbelieve what I see, what I hear and smell and feel? Death. Can you not see it? It’s all around us…”

“This isn’t real, Wynne. You’re in the Fade. This is a dream!”

Wynne once again ignored his protestations and looked back at the body of an elven apprentice roughly Taiyama’s age. “Why was I spared, if not to help them? What use is my life now that I have failed in the task that was given me?” She turned back to Taiyama. “Leave me to my grief. I shall bury their bones, scatter their ashes to the four winds, and mourn their passing until I too am dead…”

Taiyama shook his head. “Don’t give in to despair, Wynne! You have to fight this feeling, whatever it is! You can’t quit now!”

A disapproving glare formed on Wynne’s face and she leaned in towards him slightly. “Your blatant disregard for the souls of the dead strikes me as utterly inappropriate!”

“Please, Wynne, think about what you’re doing here and why!”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me… Why must you make this more painful?” In an instant, she turned to Taiyama and began channeling her grief to him, desperately seeking someone else to blame for this. “And where were you when this happened?! I trusted you as an ally and you were nowhere to be found!”

“Come on, Wynne. Can’t you feel it? This is the Fade. You’re a mage too, can’t you feel that something here is just…wrong?”

“The…Fade?” Wynne asked, and it seemed that Taiyama was finally beginning to make some headway with her. “I've always had an affinity for the Fade, I thought I would notice this.” She began thinking deeply, sifting through her memories and her brain as Taiyama had to do in order to break through the dream. “It is…difficult…to focus. It feels as though something is…is stopping me from concentrating. I’ve never had so much trouble! Perhaps some time away from this place will help me think clearly.”

Taiyama smiled. “That’s a good idea. We should go.”

Suddenly, the corpse of the elven boy around Taiyama’s age stood up and said in a haunting, childlike voice, “Don’t leave us, Wynne. We don’t want to be alone.” This prompted a “Holy Maker! Stay away, foul creature!” from Wynne and a terrified scream by Taiyama, who promptly backed up behind Wynne.

“I…I told you th-this wasn’t real!...” Taiyama stated, shivering like a leaf.

The elven apprentice clasped his hands together and smiled wistfully. “Stay, Wynne. Sleep soundly in the comforting embrace of the earth. Do not fight it. You belong here, with us!”

Wynne looked away. “N-no… Not yet. My task is not yet done…it is not time yet!”

“Come…come away to your rest…” the boy responded, extending a hand to Wynne and firing a ball of fire out of it as soon as he was done speaking, which Taiyama and Wynne barely managed to dodge.

Three other mage corpses rose up and began fighting. It was a quick battle and between Taiyama’s offensive spells and Wynne’s defensive ones, they won out in the end. As soon as the last mage fell, just like in Taiyama’s dream, the reality around itself formed cracks until it shattered to pieces, revealing a brown island in the Fade.

Wynne looked around. “Is it over…?” She smiled at Taiyama softly. “Thank the Maker for you, Taiyama…” A glowing gold aura then appeared, surrounding her. “Wait, what’s happening? Where are you going?!”

“Wynne!” Taiyama shouted and reached out to grab her, but she disappeared before he could and his hand swept uselessly by some golden particles still floating in the air. His blood froze and he began looking around, trying to spot Wynne anywhere. “Damn it all! WYNNE! WYYYYNNE!”

Not finding her anywhere, he sighed and resigned himself to the fact that she was likely all right. After all, she had broken through the dream, so she probably wasn’t still trapped. He turned and headed through the door once again. There was still much work to be done…
*************************
Taiyama crossed his arms and smiled crookedly as he stood over the hulking ogre corpse that had once been Uthkiel the Crusher. “Come on, is that all you’ve got?”

Reality shifted once again and Taiyama could feel that all of the guardians were slain—he could go fight the Sloth Demon that held them here. First, however, he had to save Leliana and Alistair, for with the death of Uthkiel, their nightmares too were open.

As Taiyama began walking towards the door, he noted with a mixture of surprise and pride that he wasn’t shaking in fear anymore. Sure, he felt fear—that was natural and inevitable—but he was getting good at overcoming it the more time he spent alone in the Fade. Maybe it was a good thing that he had to go through this without others to rely on…? Still, no time to think over it: time to go save his friends!

Taiyama stepped through the door and appeared in the middle of the Denerim market district. All around him, the people of Denerim hustled and bustled in their daily routine…but something was different. It seemed…off…and everywhere the colors seemed dull, flat, and sometimes just grey. All except for one place, that is: a simple, unassuming house in Denerim.

Completely at a loss as to whether this was Alistair’s or Leliana’s dream, Taiyama made a beeline towards the house, dodging some playing children on the way. He knocked lightly on the door.

The door swung open and Alistair—wearing regular civilian clothes no less—smiled widely at him. “Hey, it’s great to see you again, Taiyama! I was just thinking about you, isn’t that a marvelous coincidence? Come in, come in!”

“Uh!... Hey, Alistair…” Taiyama replied and accepted Alistair’s invitation to enter.

It was a rather modest home with one living room (complete with a fire with a pot over it, from which Taiyama could detect the succulent smell of beef stew), one kitchen, and three bedrooms—how the bedrooms were apportioned amongst the household members, Taiyama had no idea. Behind Alistair was a lovely young lady with hair the color of wheat and two children of hers—one a boy in his preteens with dark brown hair and the other a small girl around the age of six who shared her mother’s hair color.

Alistair gestured to the young lady behind him. “Anyway, I want to introduce you two. Taiyama, this is my sister, Goldanna. Goldanna, this is Taiyama, an old friend of mine.”

Wait, his sister?! Taiyama thought but, to his credit, he quickly caught himself and nodded to Goldanna—less polite than he would be normally, but his natural tendency towards politeness was fighting vigorously with his knowledge that this lady was in fact a demon. “A pleasure.”

Goldanna smiled. “The pleasure’s all mine, Taiyama. Alistair has spoken a great deal about you.”

Alistair gestured to the children behind him. “These are her children, and there’s more about somewhere. We’re one, big, happy family, at long last.”

This wasn’t like Wynne’s dream. Not at all. Taiyama almost felt bad at the prospect of shattering this dream. Alistair seemed so peaceful and content and…happy.

“You seem very…content…” Taiyama muttered.

“I am! I’m happier than I’ve ever been my entire life! Isn’t that strange? I thought being a Grey Warden made me happy, but it didn’t. This does.”

“I’m overjoyed to have my little brother back. I’ll never let him out of my sight again!” Goldanna chimed in.

Taiyama felt a stab of guilt—now he really felt bad for doing this. He had to keep repeating it to himself that it wasn’t real, that no matter how happy it might make him it wasn’t worth running away from reality.

“May I borrow him for a second?” Taiyama asked Goldanna, placing a hand on Alistair’s shoulder. “We have business elsewhere.”

Best to do this gradually, I think. Don’t want to make this too traumatizing or anything.

“I…don’t think I’ll be coming. I don’t want to spend my life fighting, only to end up dead in a pit along with rotting…darkspawn…corpses.”

No one does, Alistair… But we have a duty. You can’t run away from that.

“Well, Alistair, is your friend staying for supper?” Goldanna asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Alistair’s face lit up and he turned to Taiyama, sounding not unlike an excited child as he spoke. “Say you’ll staaay! Goldanna’s a great cook! Maybe she’ll make her mince pie. You can, can’t you?”

“Of course, dear brother. Anything for you.”

Taiyama shook his head. “I can’t stay, Alistair…and neither should you.”

“You’re acting really strangely, you know that?” Alistair said.

“Come on, Alistair. Think about how you got here. Think carefully; don’t let anything else cloud your mind. Tell me how you got to this place; tell me why you’re here.”

“All right, if it makes you happy…” Alistair responded, resigned. He closed his eyes and thought hard for a few moments. “It’s…a little fuzzy, that’s strange…” he muttered.

“Alistair, come and have some tea,” Goldanna entreated, moving closer and placing a hand on Alistair’s arm.

Alistair pulled his arm away. “No…wait… I remember a…tower. The Circle…it was under attack!... There were demons. That’s all I really remember.”

Taiyama smiled and nodded. “That’s when we got trapped in the Fade, where we are now.”

“A-are you saying this is a-a dream? But it’s so real…”

“Of course it’s real!” Goldanna interjected. “Now wash up before supper and I-“

Alistair shook his head. “Something doesn’t feel quite right here… I…think I have to go.”

“All right, come with me, then,” Taiyama said, gesturing to the door.

“NO!” Goldanna shouted, now with a deep, demonic voice. “He is ours, and I’d rather see him dead than free!”

In an instant, Goldanna’s children morphed into walking skeletons with swords and shields and Alistair’s armor appeared on him instead of the civilian clothes he had been wearing. They and Goldanna attacked but were easily repulsed by Alistair’s sword and Taiyama’s magic. When they were done, silence reigned over the battlefield for moments as Alistair stared at his “sister’s” corpse.

Then, just as before, the reality around fractured and shattered apart into pieces, the corpses disappearing along with the façade of Denerim.

“G...G-Gold...anna…?” Alistair said then turned to Taiyama. “I can’t believe it… How did I not see this earlier?”

“As I said, you’re in the Fade. The demons read your mind to find out what best keeps you complacent. For you, it appears you have a longing for family that left you wide open for them.” Taiyama frowned and placed a hand on Alistair’s shoulder. “I’m sorry…”

“Yes… Ah, well, try not to tell everyone how easily fooled I was.”

Taiyama smirked. “Deal.”

The golden aura appeared around Alistair and Taiyama’s hand, before on his shoulder, slipped through Alistair’s body as he began to fade away.

“Are we going now? Wait, where are you going?! What’s happening to me?! Heeeey!”

Taiyama sighed as Alistair faded away completely. He said a quick prayer for Alistair’s safety just in case and headed back to the doorway. Leliana was the only one left.

I really hope she’s all right… Taiyama thought. I’m not sure how much time we have here before things start to get...bad back in the real world. I hope she’s easier to break free than Alistair was.

He stepped through the door once again and reappeared in a very familiar setting: Lothering. This time, though, it was not filled with desperate refugees but with people going about their daily business without fear from darkspawn. As in Alistair’s dream, there was only one place that was in fully realistic color: the large Chantry building that loomed over every other structure in the small town. The colors became more and more dull and lifeless as distance from that building increased until things turned entirely grey at a certain point.

Taiyama headed inside the Chantry building, ignoring the suspicious glares of the templars who obviously didn’t expect a mage to be walking around freely in a place like this…or at all, really. It was apparently not time for prayer services, judging by the lack of people in the pews, but the Chantry still bustled with activity as women of the Chantry sang the Chant, performed chores, or some other job. The musical harmony of different female voices that floated through the air filled Taiyama with the feeling of safety and security that places like this had always given him. He couldn’t afford to sit around and feel safe, though—this may sound and look like a Chantry but he was still in the Fade.

Amidst all of the noise around him, though, he could still easily pick out one voice clearly: “Blessed art thou who exists in the sight of the Maker. Blessed art thou who seeks His forgiveness…”

Taiyama immediately jogged towards the source of that voice, weaving in-between a few initiates and one very startled templar before finding her. She was dressed not in the leather armor she had entered the Circle with but in the Chantry robes she had worn when they first met. She was deep in prayer, kneeling before the main altar of the Chantry with a grey-haired older woman who Taiyama assumed was the Reverend Mother at her side.

“Leliana! Thank the Maker you’re safe!” Taiyama said as he ran up to her.

“Blessed-...what?” Leliana looked up from her prayer at him with a distinctly confused look on her face. “Who are you…?” This was bad; if she didn’t know Taiyama in this world then it would make it a lot harder to shatter the dream.

The Reverend Mother stepped forward. “I beg you, Mage, do not disturb the girl’s meditations.”

Leliana stood up and looked at the Revered Mother. “Revered Mother… I do not know this person…”

Despite logically knowing that he should expect this, that Leliana wasn’t in her right mind, Taiyama couldn’t help but feel like he had been punched in the gut. She was the main reason he had had the strength to break out of his dream and…she didn’t remember him?

“We’re…we’re friends, Leliana. Don’t you remember me?” Taiyama said.

“I’m sorry, but I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, do not vex her,” The Reverend Mother jumped in again. “She needs quiet and solitude, to calm her mind and heal her heart.”

Taiyama took a deep breath. Ignoring the “Reverend Mother” he stepped forward, moving in closer to Leliana and looked her straight in the eye. “Leliana, listen to me…please. This isn’t real.”

“Isn’t real? I don’t understand.” Leliana said.

“Don’t you remember why you left the Cloister? Think about it; put everything else out of your mind.”

Leliana searched her memories, her brow furrowing from the effort to concentrate in the mental gloom the dream forced upon her. “I remember… There was a sign…”

The Reverend Mother stepped forward and pushed Taiyama back away from Leliana—gently but sternly. “Leliana, we have discussed this…’sign’ of yours. The Maker does not care to interfere in the affairs of mortals. This ‘vision’ was likely the work of demons.”

Taiyama shook his head. “No! The Maker does care, Leliana, and one day He will return. I know you know that; don’t let her sway you!”

Leliana stared into the Revered Mother’s eyes for a few moments then slowly backed away from her towards Taiyama. “The Maker cares for us. I believe He misses His wayward children as much as we miss Him. My vision may not be from Him, but it guides me to do what is right. My revered mother knew this. I do not know who you are, but you are not her.”

Taiyama smiled widely. Heh, should have known I didn’t have to worry so much about her. She’s not the type to run away from anything. Even if she doesn’t remember me right now, she does know that.

“Come on. We need to go as soon as you’re ready.”

“This is your home, your refuge,” the Revered Mother said, one last time attempting to persuade her to stay. “Do you truly wish to leave the comfort of this place behind? Stay, and know peace.”

Leliana shook her head and smiled softly. “There is no need. I carry the peace of the Chantry in my heart.”

“You are going nowhere, girl!” The Revered Mother snarled. “I will not permit it!”

The idea briefly flitted through Taiyama’s mind to simply blast the “Revered Mother” with lightning and be done with it but he dismissed it as quickly as it came. He had a feeling that Leliana needed to fight the impending battle too or she would not truly break free from her chains.

Taiyama pointed at the Revered Mother. “You can’t command her any longer, demon! She is free.”

“No!... She is ours! Now…and FOREVER!”

The Revered Mother’s body was engulfed in light and before them changed into a Greater Shade. Leliana instinctively reached for where her bow was to find that it was, in fact, there—and she was no longer wearing Chantry robes either, but leather armor. The fight, like the others, was quick. No single shade could stand against them. When the shade was defeated and fell to the ground, just like in the other dreams, reality shattered into pieces, revealing the shifting planes of the Fade around them.

“Holy Maker…” Leliana said, staring at Taiyama in shock. “She…she was a!...”

Taiyama nodded. “A demon, yes.”

Leliana held her head in one hand. “Ugh… My head feels heavy, like I’ve just woken up from a terrible nightmare… I believe we had…some task to accomplish. Let us be on our way-“ The by this point all too familiar golden aura surrounded Leliana. “Wait, what’s happening to me?!”

Taiyama simply smiled sadly and waved as Leliana faded away. When she was gone, Taiyama once again turned and headed for the door hopefully for the last time.

All right, Sloth demon… I hope you’re ready! It looks like I’m going to have to do this alone but I’ve taken on everything else this place has thrown at me alone too! I have to do this…for the sake of my friends and all of Thedas! He opened the door and stepped through, willing himself to be taken to the master of this realm.

Just who the hell do you think I am?!
**********************************
This was… This was home.

The Denerim Alienage… There was the Vhenadahl standing proudly in the center, all of the houses, the raised platform where marriages and other ceremonies were held… It was just as I remembered it from when I was very young before I was taken to the Circle. Well, except for the fact that there was absolutely no life anywhere besides me. It was so quiet that the only thing I could hear was my own breathing.

I followed the color just like before. I think part of me knew where it was going to lead me but I was still shocked when I found out.

“That’s!...”

It was Taiyama’s house, still just as he left it so many years ago (complete with the small potato garden nearby where his magical talents had first revealed themselves).

Taiyama glared at the sky above. “You’re trying to unnerve me, aren’t you? It’s not gonna work!”

Taiyama swung the front door open and stepped into the darkness once again. The world shifted underneath his feet and he reappeared not inside his old house in Denerim, but inside the Circle Tower at the front door. All around it was the most dismal and lifeless shade of grey he had ever seen in his life and the color led him towards the apprentice quarters and then up the stairs.

“Stop this game!” Taiyama yelled out, certain that the demon could hear him even if he didn’t see it. “COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, COWARD!”

Receiving no response from the world around him, he let out a resigned sigh and continued onward. There was not a soul in sight as he climbed the Tower and no sound but the sharp “tak!” of his shoes hitting the floor and echoing against the cold, stone walls. The color was the brightest and most real at the very top: the Harrowing Chamber.

The room was absolutely barren of any objects, not even the cup and pedestal of lyrium that Taiyama had used for his Harrowing. There stood only one figure:

First Enchanter Irving, with his hands clasped behind his back and a soft smile on his face. “Ah, Taiyama, what brings you here? Did you need to speak with me?”

“No more illusions, demon,” Taiyama ordered, glaring at the First Enchanter venomously.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Taiyama! What’s going on? Are you all right?”

“Your first illusion didn’t work on me, did you really think this one would? First Enchanter Irving is either dead or prisoner somewhere in the ruined tower. This isn’t real…and neither are you.”

Taiyama said those words with confidence and force to spare and as soon as he finished speaking, cracks began forming in reality around them, just as it had all the times before. The dream shattered into a thousand pieces and what was left behind in Irving’s stead was the sloth demon himself.

“What have we here…? A rebellious minion? An escaped slave?” The demon let out a maniacal chuckle. “My, my, but you do have some gall. But playtime is over… You all have to go back now.”

Three pillars of golden light appeared behind Taiyama and when the light faded, Wynne, Alistair, and Leliana were behind him. “Oh, here I am!” Alistair said. “And there you are! You just disappeared. Well, no matter!”

Taiyama looked back at them and smiled. “Guys! I didn’t think you’d make it!”

“Of course we would, Taiyama. We wouldn’t abandon you,” Leliana responded, smiling, then looked to the sloth demon. “You tried to keep us apart. You led us from each other because you fear us, don’t you?”

Wynne pointed at the sloth demon. “You will not hold us, demon! We found each other in this place and you cannot stand against us!”

“If you go back quietly, I’ll do better this time,” said the sloth demon, looking at Taiyama in particular. “I’ll make you much happier.”

Taiyama crossed his arms and smiled crookedly. “You just don’t get it, do you? What you offer is not truly happiness, it’s simply running away from reality! It’s nothing but a dream, an illusion!”

Taiyama pointed straight upwards and for the first time, there was no fear in his eyes—only fire and determination. Leliana and Alistair watched on, positively shocked that the once timid mage was acting the way he was. Wynne, who had had less time know him, simply crossed her arms and smiled approvingly.

“We always press forward and never turn back! If you throw an obstacle in our way, we’ll break through it! If you shroud reality in a dream, we’ll shatter that dream and claw our way back to reality—we’ll pierce through time and space itself it we have to! With enough work, our spirit and our will shall write our own dreams upon reality!

“That is why mankind is the Maker’s favored child! That is why no matter how much you try, you’ll never be able to imitate us or understand us! And that is why no matter what you do, YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT US!” He took his staff from his back and pointed it at the sloth demon. “Now, come on! We’ll destroy you, then save the Circle Tower, then save Ferelden and stop the Blight itself!”

“Spare me your inane ramblings, mortal!” The sloth demon roared. “You wish to battle me? So be it! You will learn to bow to your betters, MORTAL!”

Taiyama immediately shot a fireball out of his staff, which slammed straight into the demon but only caused him to stumble back briefly. It was enough for Taiyama’s purposes, though.

“Wynne, Leliana! We need to spread out and hit him from all sides! Alistair, move in and keep him occupied!”

“Wh-what?!” Alistair asked, hardly expecting Taiyama to take charge of the situation like this—it was never something he had done before. “Uh…I mean…all right!”

The group followed Taiyama’s orders and while Taiyama, Wynne, and Leliana spread out to hit the demon from all sides, Alistair rushed in with his sword held high in preparation to strike down at the sloth demon.

“Fools… You are in my realm!” The sloth demon exclaimed. He pointed his palm at Alistair and an invisible force slammed into the templar, sending him flying backwards and knocking the breath out of him. “DID YOU TRULY THINK IT WOULD BE SO EASY?!”

“What was that?!” Leliana said.

“This is a battle of willpower, not like normal! He can manipulate reality itself if his will is strong enough and he has the advantage of creating this realm in the first place!” Taiyama replied as he shot lightning magic which turned itself away to keep from hitting the demon.

With a frightened scream, Leliana was picked up off the ground by what appeared to be absolutely nothing and flung at Wynne. The two collided and crumpled to the ground just as Alistair was getting up and trying to outflank the demon. He, too, was picked up and flung at Taiyama, this time. Taiyama jumped to the right in an attempt to dodge but just wasn’t quick enough. Alistair slammed into Taiyama’s left shoulder, knocking it out of joint and sending Taiyama falling to the ground.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Taiyama screamed in pain.

The sloth demon walked forward and thrust out his hand, forming a grasping motion with his hands. Taiyama felt a force clamp around his throat and he was slowly picked up into the air, struggling all he could to find some way to free himself.

“Where’s your tough talk now, Mortal?!” the demon taunted, beginning to make a fist with his hand.

Taiyama’s breathing was stopped completely and all he could choke out in response was “Gnnkk…ack!...”

“Taiyama!” Alistair said as he got up and attempted to rush the demon again, only to get used as a projectile once again, this time aimed at Leliana.

It…It can’t end like this! It can’t! Taiyama thought as the fringes of his eyesight began to get blurry and fuzzy. I can’t let it end like this! All of the people of Ferelden…and all of the people of Thedas, whether they know it or not, they’re counting on us! All of the hopes of those who continue to live…and the broken dreams of those who have died…they all rest on our shoulders! We can’t lose here! We CAN’T!

The grip on Taiyama’s throat began to loosen until he could just barely breath.

“I…I refuse…” Taiyama stated.

“I-Impossible!” the sloth demon exclaimed.

“I refuse…to let it end like this!...

“Just who the hell DO YOU THINK I AAAAAAAAAAAM?!”

Taiyama fell onto his feet and stumbled a moment before he caught himself, now free of the demon’s control. He pointed his own palm at the demon and the demon himself was hit with a wall of imaginary force. He flew backwards before tumbling to a stop and looking up at Taiyama.

“This can't be! How could you possibly do this?!”

Taiyama smiled crookedly. “I’m not just fighting for myself or my friends, I’m fighting for everyone on Thedas! WITH THEIR POWER ADDED TO MINE, I’M UNSTOPPABLE!” He picked the demon into the air and slammed him back down to the ground. “Now you DIE! Alistair, go!”

Alistair ran forward, leaped into the air, and with a bestial battle cry brought his sword down through the demon’s skull, killing it instantly.
Silence reigned over the battlefield as Alistair pulled his sword from the demon’s head and sheathed it. Taiyama let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Well, that was a close-run thing,” he remarked.

“How on earth did you do that?” Leliana asked. “I thought for sure that the demon was going to…” She couldn’t bear to end her sentence.

“Like I said, this is the Fade, not the real world. Our physical bodies aren’t battling but our willpowers are.” He shrugged. “My will was stronger, I guess.”

“Much stronger, it seems, to take control of the realm itself away from the demon,” Wynne supplied. “I’m thoroughly impressed, Taiyama.”

Alistair walked up and pointed at Taiyama. “Ok, who the hell are you and what have you done with Taiyama?”

Taiyama burst out laughing—a mixture of mirth at what Alistair said and relief that they were all safe, sound, and able to wisecrack with each other—but before he could answer, Niall suddenly appeared behind them.

“You defeated the demon!...” Niall said. “I never thought… I never expected you to free yourself, to free us both. When you return…take the Litany of Adralla from my…body. It will protect you from the worst of the blood magic.”

“Your body?!” Taiyama asked, frowning.

“I cannot go with you. I have been here for far too long. For you it will have been an afternoon’s nap. Your body won’t have wasted away in the real world while your spirit lay in the hands of a demon.”

“Y-You think you’re going to die?”

Niall sighed deeply. “Every minute I was here, the sloth demon was feeding off of me, using my life to fuel the nightmares of this realm. There is so little of me left… I was never meant to save the Circle, or…survive its troubles. I am dying. It is as simple as that.”

Taiyama shook his head. “No! You’re not dying! Wynne or I can heal you!”

Niall smiled sadly. “Thank you…but it is too late for me. I do not fear what may come. They say we return to the Maker in death, and that isn’t such a terrible thing. My only regret is that I could not save the Circle. But you…you can. Take the Litany off my…my body, when you return. It is important!”

“What about you…?”

“I can rest easy knowing you will save the Circle. I’m not…a hero. Perhaps trying to be one was foolish.”

“That’s not true, Niall! You did a lot to help the Circle.”

“Dark times, greater acts of heroism, eh? You may be right.” He looked up to the shifting skies of the Fade, traveling back in his memories. “Before I was taken to the Circle, my mother said I was meant for greatness, that I would be more than my ancestors could have ever dreamed.” He frowned and looked back at Taiyama. “I hope I haven’t disappointed her…”

Taiyama clenched his fist and smiled. “You didn’t, Niall. I’m sure she’s very proud of you,” he stated confidently.

Niall smiled lightly. “It’s time for us both to be on our way. Remember the Litany of Adralla. The Circle is all that matters now!

“Thank you and goodbye…friend…”

A blinding white light filled Taiyama’s vision and he and the others all fell unconscious for a few brief moments. When they awoke they were back in the Circle Tower, the bodies of the sloth demon and Niall—whose corpse looked absolutely emaciated. Taiyama frowned and knelt before Niall’s body in prayer.

“Death is always a sad affair…every life is precious. Go forth to the Maker’s side, young hero. You have not disappointed those who came before you. Because of you, Niall, we are able to continue forward and save the Circle. We will always remember you. Amen.”

Taiyama stood up and looked in the pockets of Niall’s robes until he found the Litany of Adralla, which he quickly pocketed.

“All right, let’s go,” Taiyama said then began leading the way deeper into the Circle Tower.

“Ok, seriously,” Alistair said. “Who the hell are you and what have you done with Taiyama?”

Author's Notes: Hoo! Long update is LOOOOOOOOOONG! 7,627 words long to be exact. I'm rather proud of myself for typing this all out in the span of two days.

Anyway, this is Taiyama's Rebirth, the moment he learns to put aside his fear and actually lead. It's pretty much the moment (in my eyes at least) that he becomes a man. I've had the basics thought out a long time now, which probably is one reason I typed it out so quickly. I'm going to try and focus more on writing lately, though. If I want to be a professional writer, I'm gonna have to get used to writing even when I don't really feel like it.

All right. First off, music. Because I am a raging Gurrentard, I listened to Break Through the Dream from the Gurren Lagann soundtrack. If you look at the english lyrics of the song (it's sung in Japanese by the voice actors of Kamina and Simon), it is quite fitting.

Also, Keili is in fact an actual character and Taiyama does have a crush on her in the origin. He later moves on because, y'know, she goes nucking futs.

Regarding the Fade, I took a lot of stuff from the Calling novel and a bit of my own stuff added in. If I recall correctly, Calling had that whole deal with the colors (or something like that) but the shattering of the dream is my idea. The way the fight with the demon went was based off how Maric and Co. fought the demon in the Calling but Taiyama taking over the realm itself through sheer willpower was my own idea, though it seems to be a logical conclusion from the premises given--mages can control the Fade, apparently, and the Fade is shaped by thoughts and willpower, so the strongest willpower would likely shape the world around him.

Oh, and his speech is meant to be kinda cheesy. He's new to this, get off his case.

All in all, I'm rather proud of this, despite it's length. I really do need criticisms or suggestions on how to do better, guys. Tell me anything, no matter how inane it might seem, and I'll appreciate it. Do you think I should have cut Taiyama freeing his companions from the story, considering it's mostly game material? I need feedback!

Modifié par Taiyama, 14 avril 2010 - 11:53 .

[DalishRanger]

I still need to re-read this with a critical eye and give you an in-depth critique - and I'll do that, as I said, when I finish my own challenge entry for MB.

However, I'm posting for now to say I really enjoyed this ... And to help bump your topic back up so others can see it.

[Olwaye]

Busy reading, talk later

[Taiyama]

Thank you very much, guys (well, guy and gal--that is unless Olwaye had a sex-change on us and didn't tell us; you never know with the French ). Glad to hear that someone enjoyed this.

[Olwaye]

So we've reach Taiyama turning point at last, very cool story Tai, I need to read it again with a more critical eye to give you the constructive feedback you so crave but so far so good.

Taiyama wrote...

Thank you very much, guys (well, guy and gal--that is unless Olwaye had a sex-change on us and didn't tell us; you never know with the French ). Glad to hear that someone enjoyed this.

No, I didn't have a sex change, it's too expensive , I was still a man last time I check, stylishly depraved, looking at other people with arrogance while drinking my champagne and eating my cheeses as we french always do

[DalishRanger]

Olwaye wrote...
No, I didn't have a sex change, it's too expensive

Besides, give him a pair of boobs and he'd NEVER leave his flat again.

Olwaye wrote...
I was still a man last time I check, stylishly depraved, looking at
other people with arrogance while drinking my champagne and eating my
cheeses as we french always do../../../images/forum/emoticons/tongue.png

I assume you were also smoking a cigarette, wearing a striped shirt, and a beret while doing all this?

[Olwaye]

Why! Of course my dear, like all french I was born with a beret, total knowledge of winemaking, and a pack of "gitane" cigarets, well known facts.



As for the boobs thing, it'smost likely that some persons would never leaver my flat again to be precise

[DalishRanger]

I have nothing of note to say to your post Olwaye, other than a loud "HA!" to everything.

[Taiyama]

Olwaye wrote...

Taiyama wrote...

Thank you very much, guys (well, guy and gal--that is unless Olwaye had a sex-change on us and didn't tell us; you never know with the French ). Glad to hear that someone enjoyed this.

No, I didn't have a sex change, it's too expensive , I was still a man last time I check, stylishly depraved, looking at other people with arrogance while drinking my champagne and eating my cheeses as we french always do

Meanwhile I, here in America, am lounging about on my couch, morbidly obese, while eating an entire bucket of sugar, crying into my mega-size Coke, and complaining about Obama.

...

All right, that last one was actually true. Libertarian and all that.

Modifié par Taiyama, 16 avril 2010 - 04:13 .

[DalishRanger]

Taiyama wrote...
Meanwhile I, here in America, am lounging about on my couch, morbidly obese, while eating an entire bucket of sugar, crying into my mega-size Coke, and complaining about Obama.

...

All right, that last one was actually true. Libertarian and all that.

I'm not very fond of politicians in general, especially since I'm pretty much smack in the middle of the political scale and most politicians embrace some degree of hard left or hard right policies. Sigh. I like my spot on the fence, I'll just sit here and munch on popcorn while everybody else dukes it out...

On topic, I'm still working on the comic (it's taking me forever, I swear...), but I will say that you're getting better at descriptions, Taiyama.

[Taiyama]

To be fair, though, I DID complain about Bush too. I haven't liked many presidents of the 20th century--Harding, Coolidge, and to some extent Reagan (though he was hardly perfect) are my favorites--and I dislike all others to some degree. Funny thing about being a libertarian is that you agree with both major parties on some things and disagree on others.

Ah, but I shouldn't really go on about this, should I? Mea culpa. I find history and politics infinitely fascinating so I apologize in advance if I bring it up and maybe offend or annoy someone. But on a side-note, this made me remember an economics rap video which is completely hilarious, so I'll share it with you: Fear the Boom and Bust.

And thank you, glad to hear I'm getting better. The belief that I get better each day is the only thing that keeps me sane at times. To quote Gurren Lagann (oh, WOW, who saw THAT coming?[/sarcasm]): "We evolve...beyond the person we were a minute before! Little by little, we advance a bit further with each turn! That's how a drill works!"

Modifié par Taiyama, 16 avril 2010 - 04:36 .

[DalishRanger]

I complain about them all; no president is perfect, and it's silly that people expect them to be. I'm purposely being vague on my particular views because I don't want to invite debate and flame wars from people popping in here and totally derailing your thread; I save stuff like that for private conversations.



Fanboy.

[Taiyama]

DalishRanger wrote...

Fanboy.

Guilty as charged.

[DalishRanger]

Okay.... finally got a chance to go over this more thoroughly.

As said before, you're getting better at descriptions. As far as improving on them further, it's hard to say exactly... Perhaps sometimes dropping stuff such as "looked {expression/description}" and rewording it so it doesn't need that "looked like" part?

Such as:

Keili smiled and looked thoroughly relieved.

Becomes:

Keili smiled, thoroughly relieved.

The "looked" can be implied. Little things like that.

The other thing, if I'm really, really being nitpicky is along a similiar vein: perhaps use more specific verbs/adjectives for things in such a way that you don't need common verbs like turned/became/looked/etc. I'm not quite sure how to explain it, best I can do is demonstrate it:

Taiyama’s face turned a very bright red, both from the kiss and Keili’s words.

Versus:

Taiyama’s face flushed crimson, both from the kiss and Keili’s words.

You see a difference? Not sure if I'm making sense.

Anyway, that's the only specific things I can think of to critique, and I'm being very nitpicky to do so. But, you wanted advice, so... Hope that helps some.

[Taiyama]

Yeah, that helps a great deal. Thank you very much, Dr. I really appreciate you going out of your way to do this.

[DalishRanger]

Is no trouble. I like helping friends.

Modifié par DalishRanger, 22 avril 2010 - 10:59 .

[Taiyama]

AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! My Xbox won't read the disc for Dragon Age: Origins. I've tried all the things that it says to try in the support but it doesn't work. There seems to be some rather large scratches, though. Maybe that's it. Seems I'll have to dish out the extra money for a new copy. Dangit all...

Anyway, just so I'm not pointlessly venting my rage and frustation here on these internets, I figure it's a good time for me to update you on Taiyama's stats and such at the end of Awakening if you're curious. Here's the pictures (and keep in mind this is with all of his buffs going):



Taiyama actually has around 850 mana without the buffs going.


And now for his spells. Taiyama's branched out quite a bit (and I've still yet to get him to fill up the elemental tree). He branched out into the spirit tree more in order to get spell might and be able to do Storm of the Century by himself (which he does in the fight with the Mother, and it is AWESOME).


I highly recommend going for Time Spiral, fellow mages. Its usefulness cannot be overstated. And still no progess with Shapeshifter. It's pretty useless, I think. I considered switching it to the Keeper specialization but none of the spells seemed good enough to invest in. Besides, Taiyama being a shapeshifter, while not important in the game, might have some implications in the stories later on.

Battlemage spells are awesome, especially that big ice spell on
the third part (I forget the name). I managed to get that "Over 500 damage in one hit"
achievement with Taiyama when I used that.




I'd put pictures of Taiyama but, well, nothing's really changed. He DOES wear those blasted tevinter-style robes now (I couldn't resist, the buffs on the robes were too great!) but canonically, in the story, he'll always wear the red Senior Enchanters Robes.

Modifié par Taiyama, 25 avril 2010 - 06:24 .

[DalishRanger]

Have you tried scratch repair products? You can buy some for pretty cheap at stores like Best Buy or an office supply store. They don't always work, but I've had success with them in the past.

You could also try one of these methods, if you haven't already. I'd try them first before dishing out the cash for a whole new copy of the game.

Edit: Failing that, I'm not really playing my Xbox copy since I got the PC version...

Modifié par DalishRanger, 25 avril 2010 - 03:32 .

[Taiyama]

Nah, as it says in that link you gave me, it has circular rings, indicating the Xbox must have been tipped over (it must have been that time that my cat, Jefferson, knocked over my Xbox 360--I KNEW IT WAS HIS FAULT SOMEHOW!) therefore it's perfectly damaged.



Ah, thank you very much for the offer, but I wouldn't want you to pay the shipping costs to send that over here to Alabama. If you're insistent on it, I can pm you my address, though--just let me know. But don't feel obligated to by any means.

[DalishRanger]

That darn cat. xD Makes me glad my cats don't go into the basement often (my Xbox is current hooked up in the downstairs family room)



It wouldn't cost much, just a few stamps, really. It's light and small enough that I could fit it in a padded envelope. Dunno for sure if we have any at the moment, so I'd have to check. I'll leave it up to you.

[Taiyama]

It's a running joke in my house that no matter what goes wrong, it's somehow Jefferson's fault. Whenever there's a problem, my first reaction is to turn to him and say, "This is somehow YOUR fault, I just KNOW it." Turns out I was right. That darn loveable, cute kitty who I can't stay mad at for five seconds...



But I WILL take you up on your offer, thank you. I sent you a message.

[DalishRanger]

Bahahaha. xD We have two cats, so trust me, I understand - both their troublesome streaks and the inability to stay angry at them.



I saw.

[Taiyama]

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Very sorry to drop off the face of
the earth, guys, but I DO have a very good excuse. Y'see, my computer
got hit with a big virus that took down my internet, word, practically
everything. I had to restore my computer to the factory state just to
cleanse it of the virus. Once I did that, though, surprise of surprises:
for some reason, the computer restored without microsoft office for
some reason. It was on there when I got the computer but not after
restoring it for some reason. So, lacking Microsoft
Word (and therefore being unable to work on the story), I had to buy a new copy of Microsoft Office 2007 for
about 117 dollars, which was a sucker punch to the gonads (but better than some other prices I found).

I'll finish the chapter of "I'll Carry On!" and then do the last part of "A Bond Forged in Fire", if you're curious.

[SRWill64]

Taiyama wrote...

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Very sorry to drop off the face of
the earth, guys, but I DO have a very good excuse. Y'see, my computer
got hit with a big virus that took down my internet, word, practically
everything. I had to restore my computer to the factory state just to
cleanse it of the virus. Once I did that, though, surprise of surprises:
for some reason, the computer restored without microsoft office for
some reason. It was on there when I got the computer but not after
restoring it for some reason. So, lacking Microsoft
Word (and therefore being unable to work on the story), I had to buy a new copy of Microsoft Office 2007 for
about 117 dollars, which was a sucker punch to the gonads (but better than some other prices I found).

I'll finish the chapter of "I'll Carry On!" and then do the last part of "A Bond Forged in Fire", if you're curious.

OUCH! I had a problem with a thing a while back but I'm glad everything was fine after I did a restore to an earlier date on it...not a problem since.
Here's hoping those who make viruses to wreak havoc on computers all end up with their systems totally dead with their own stuff recirculated to them! That would fix them!

Modifié par SRWill64, 22 mai 2010 - 07:39 .