Without That - With The Opposite In Fact - He Wouldn't Have Really Been A Good Person Though - Tumblr Posts
Dark au where it isn’t the fledgling Inquisition that finds the Herald in the rubble of the Temple, but instead Corypheus’ men. Solas still stops it from immediately killing Trevelyan, but without stopping the breach from growing, the mark consumes much of his arm. Without a dissenting voice, Cassandra and Cullen’s recommendation to pursue an alliance with the Templars goes through - and the rebel mages stay in Venatori hands.
Once it becomes clear that the anchor cannot simply be removed or transferred, the boy who foiled their plans is allowed to live - but only at the end of a short leash. It’s not necessary, however, by that time; with the militant weight of the Templars behind the Inquisition and no chance to prove he wasn’t responsible for the destruction at the Temple, Keallagh wouldn’t exactly have any better options.
Falsely accused of ripping the world apart, without a friendly face in sight, it hardly matters that the side he finds himself on comes without love, divine purpose, or personal freedom. Because if there is no future for the mages, if the world is tearing itself apart at the seams - if his only contribution to history will be his name linked with that which tainted the world - there’s no reason not to help spread the poison further across the skies.
And the man who would have been the Inquisitor finds himself in somewhere very different in the assault on Haven.