“Though the Darkness Comes Upon Me”, part 1 “I Shall Embrace the Light”, chapter 14: “Harrowing”
Ebrisa opened her eyes, her hazy vision slowly focusing on a broken pillar across the floor. She pulled herself up and took a good look at her decrepit surroundings, trying to remember where she was or how she got there. The last thing she recalled was sitting in the isolation cell after finally being given fresh, new clothing. Orsino and a small squad of templars took her to a spacious room in a section of the Gallows she'd never been in before with large wards engraved into the otherwise smooth floor. It was filled with more templars and the knight-commander, all of them standing around a glyph and watching her expectantly. Orsino had said something, something important, and directed her to a glowing basin. She touched the liquid, and then... then she...
“This is... the Fade?” Ebrisa's voice carried further than she thought it would, cutting through the silence and echoing back to her with an eerie reverb. Everything looked wrong somehow, distorted, and she wondered if it was normal to feel so disoriented in the Fade. This was not the Fade she knew – far from it – but this wasn't a dream, this was her Harrowing. The mage pushed aside the uneasiness and tore her eyes away from the small islands floating in the yellow sky. She focused on the cracked tiles beneath her feet and followed them away from the collapsed ruins she'd woken up in.
The path degraded into loose cobble stones, twisting around strange statues and climbing over hills. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, where she was supposed to go, and that was part of the test. The Harrowing was a carefully guarded secret and Ebrisa couldn't help but wonder if that meant each was different and suited to the specific mage, or just too trying and unpredictable to recall correctly later.
There were rumors, or course, whispered horror stories from an enchanter that someone knew from another Circle or recorded in a journal an old roommate had found or some other impossible to confirm source. Demons lie in wait to kill the apprentice or possess them. Templars will kill you if you take too long. If you get lost, you are stranded in the Fade forever. It seemed the only thing no one knew was how to successfully complete the Harrowing and return to the waking world.
“My, oh my,” a rich, feminine voice called out from above. Ebrisa jumped in surprise and shot her eyes upwards. A glowing figure sat atop the capital of a column, too far and bright against the sky to make out. “Oh, forgive me.” The being floated down from her perch and dimmed her shine, reducing her form to something more solid, though still vague.
Its entire being, save its deep violet eyes, was a soft lilac. The arms and legs fanned out like the fabric of an elegant gown, ridding the figure of defined hands or feet. It had long, flowing bangs that twisted to the side and floated gracefully around her head as she moved. “This is better for mortal eyes, yes?”
“It, um, yes.” Ebrisa blinked at the figure, its presence not entirely unexpected, but still rather surprising. “Thank you.”
It smiled sweetly. “I am a spirit of love, and you are no dreamer.”
“I...”
“Oh, do not fret over me, sweet child,” the spirit giggled. “I've seen many of these tests over my long existence.”
Ebrisa chewed on her bottom lip, knowing she should be cautious but also knowing she needed a little direction. “Can you tell me what I'm supposed to do?”
The spirit studied her for a while, watching her shift uncomfortably under her dark eyes. It grinned widely, nodding once. “I sense a great capacity for love in you, sweet child. It would be my honor to aid you through this task so you might return and spread that beautiful nature.”
“Oh, you needn't bother yourself,” Ebrisa awkwardly tried to refuse. “A simple point in the right direction will do.”
“Nonsense,” the spirit chuckled as it floated down the path. “Allow me to be your guide, as I have assisted so many before you.”
The mage rubbed her forehead and took a slow breath. She had read about goodly spirits of the Fade – they were the Maker's first children, after all – and surely a being of love could be up to nothing malicious. With a soft hum, Ebrisa followed the spirit down the path.
“You should know that once you entered this place, a demon caught your scent – so to speak – and will be hunting you.” Love looked over her shoulder to frown in concern. “It is something that always happens and is part of your test. This demon you must defeat. Once you do, you pass.”
The idea of facing a demon all on her own was intimidating to say the least and Ebrisa's stomach twisted into nervous knots. When she faced demons in Feynriel's dream, she had merely provided support to Hawke and the others as they took down a dozen at once. They had made it look so very easy, but what could she do on her own?
This was a test designed to gauge her strength of will and aptitude for the arcane, not battlefield strategies and war tactics. The spirit had said there was a demon hunting her. Just one. It was possible to defeat a single enemy by herself, right? Ebrisa had defended the Harrowing to Hawke before, claiming the Circle wouldn't test mages just to watch them fail. The instructors must have seen something in her that made them confident enough to put her through the Harrowing. Why else would they do this now?
But Orsino had not taken her from her room, he brought her from isolation. Isolation she was in because of Quentin's twisted magic infesting her.