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The group came upon yet another ruined town, the inhabitants again beyond saving. By this point, Jace had already begun to steel himself for the inevitable. Just like the other towns, the Inquisition was greeted by a ghastly, disgusting smell. Then they reached the center to witness death on a grand scale. At this town center sat a roaring bonfire, surrounded by countless corpses. Some had had their throats slit, others butchered, and many held rope marks around their neck. Even more horrifying were the men, women, and even children that had willingly jumped into the flames of the bonfire. Jace rode at the front of his small contingent of soldiers, surrounded by his companions and military advisors. As they dejectedly rode slowly through the ruin, the quiet, stale air was often punctuated by the sounds of his men becoming physically sick at the senseless death of innocents. The roaring Orlesian sun overhead did nothing to help matters, both tiring out his men, as well as making the stench even more unbearable.
Jace called for a brief halt at the town's other edge, deciding to investigate the town with only his companions. Cullen too had asked to join the group, and Jace had acquiesced. Silence reigned as the group began searching houses one by one, trying to identify the source of these mass suicides. This was the third town that they had come upon to be marked by such death within the past two days and still the Inquisition could not find the source. The Veil had been torn to shreds in the area, a fact that grated upon the senses of the mages in their party. It had undoubtedly been rent by the numerous deaths within the town. There was also a sort of miasma that hung over the houses, a psychic echo that reinforced the depth of what had occurred.
In respectful silence, they entered different homes, seeing the remnants that these poor people had left behind. Food half eaten, chairs pushed askew, as if everyone had suddenly felt the urge to leave their homes. What truly broke Jace's heart was the sight of a small, crushed velveteen rabbit, no doubt left behind by a young child who had followed the frenzy outside the walls of their home. He reached down to grasp the stuffed animal and hold it in his hand. Jace seemed to be in a different world, his entire focus on this one last remnant of a child that had undoubtedly been a part of the suicides in the town center. A hand on both of his shoulders brought him back to reality. Cullen was on his left, Dorian his right. It was only then that the Inquisitor realized that his face was streaming with hot tears. Even more alarming was the green glow his body was producing. Jace's low emotional state was undoubtedly affecting the control over his well of magic.
Slowly, he managed to bring it back under control, letting the glimmers of green light to return into his core. He heard the wind pick up, and scared of an incoming storm, he and others tried to search more quickly. As they did, the sun was setting and the clouds over the little town of Spes began to grow dark very quickly. Frustrated at the lack of answers, the group retreated to the outskirts of town to camp for the night. Long into the night did Jace sit in his war tent staring at a little velveteen rabbit, looking for answers.
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It was just past two in the morning when a shout pierced the night, startling Jace out of his bed. He rushed outside to find his camp...empty. Not a soul could be seen anywhere, neither his soldiers nor his friends. The wind began to pick up and Jace could almost hear whispers in the air, no doubt from a lot of active magic being worked in the area. Jace instinctively turned towards the town, the ever present bonfire a beacon to light his way. As he drew closer to the main center of Spes, he saw women and men in Inquisition regalia standing stock still, eyes blank and unfocused. No matter what he tried, none could be roused by his magic. So he continued to the source of the magic disturbance, at the center. Closest to the fire Jace found each of his companions and friends, all as enthralled as his soldiers. In a flash of insight, Jace saw. He held the stuffed rabbit in his hand, an anchor amidst this great challenge. Turning from his companions, Jace walked towards the fire, stopping about ten feet away.
“Come on out," said the Inquisitor angrily. “I'm done playing your sick games."
The bonfire roared high before slowly condensing into a humanoid figure of flames. A tall, muscular being snapped into existence, naked save for the fire wreathed around his body. Coal black hair wreathed an otherwise handsome face but the fiery red eyes created a vision all too demonic.
“Creature of Despair, I see you," Jace pronounced. “This ends here."
At this, the creature laughed. His deep voice echoed through the throats of every man and woman he had enthralled within the town, creating a deafening cacophony that nearly drove Jace to his knees.
“I am the lament sung when life begins to cease. I am the despair that flowers in your heart when the world crumbles. I am the desperation, misery, and fear that kills all hope. I am Maero."
Jace thought of a young child, barely six or seven, that would never see the sun again. A child that would never feel its mother's love again on this earth. A child deprived of growing up, of loving others, of being loved. These thoughts enraged the man, creating an anger that defied description. The Inquisitor's magic began spilling out uncontrollably from his body, control long since gone. The air ran heavy with magic, and unseen by Jace, the Fade mark had begun to glow subtly as well.
Jace whispered heatedly, “This isn't your world."
Maero amusedly replied, “Not yet, but it will soon be ours to rule once again."
“You certainly won't be around to see it,” the mage vowed.
Now Jace truly began to glow, with his marked hand shining a deep golden color. To his surprise, clouds of mist began to condense from the night sky into human figures, glowing bright blue in the darkness. The dead people of Spes had come for justice. Jace felt a cold hand on his wrist and he looked down in surprise. Holding his hand was a little girl, transparent and glowing beside him. In her other hand, she held a ghostly version of a familiar stuffed animal...the same he now carried with him. She smiled up at him, and he back to her, his heart somewhat set at ease. The united pair turned towards the demonic entity and lifted the hands that they had joined to one another. A brilliant beam of light burst forth, striking the demon in the heart. The flames surrounding it withered away, and the once beautiful body began to decay. An unearthly howl arose from the disintegrating form, nearly blasting Jace away, but he stood strong. The energies from the Fade mark tore away at the creature's essence, denying it even the refuge of the Fade. With a piercing shriek, its fate was sealed. True death had been given to Maero, demon of Despair, killer of hundreds.
Jace blinked and found the spirits beginning to dissolve into mist all around him. He felt the girl give him a small hug before she too began to disappear. But with her touch came a name, one Jace Trevelyan would never forget. Her name. Hope.