Breaking the Divide (remastered) - Cullen Rutherford

Chapter 1: End of the World

The demons wouldn't stop coming.

Cullen's breath left him in ragged pants as sweat ran down the back of his neck. His throat cracked from the need for thirst and his head pounded until he was all but blinded by the pain pulsing behind his eyes. Of all the times he could've chosen to stop taking lyrium, it had to be the week when Thedas was doomed to end.

Plunging his sword into the solid ground so it would bear his weight, he allowed himself a moment's pause to stare up at the glowing Breach that spewed forth the very monsters that haunted his dreams. Soldiers screamed and died around him. The Temple of Sacred Ashes was a twisted corpse of what it had been mere days before. The Divine—dead. Along with everyone who'd attended save for a singular woman marked by the same magic that was now killing so many.

He gritted his teeth as another bout of pain crashed down on him. The song of this red lyrium crept up his spine, latching onto his heart as it whispered of bloodied broken things. It was twisted. Evil. And he couldn't make it stop.

"Commander!" one of the men called out.

"Fall back into formation," he yelled, taking up his sword again as he charged forward. Morris didn't scream when the rage demon's claws slashed across his back. Cullen caught him as he fell. Wide and unblinking eyes stared up at the Breach as blood stained the Inquisition's heraldry. He laid the body down. There would be time for mourning later. Barking orders to those who remained on their feet, he drew what little force he had back towards the mountain pass where they could better bottleneck the constant stream.

"You there," he barked out to a lone soldier. They held their sword too high: a new recruit. "I said fall back!"

The soldier turned. Wisps of blonde hair peeked out from beneath their helmet. Blue eyes brimmed with terror. Their—her—knees quaked. She'd left her back exposed. A fear demon with a sickly green body and spindly legs emerged from the ground behind her. Cursing, Cullen yanked a bow from the nearest scout, snatching an arrow from their quiver. Deep breath in. He pulled back on the bow string. One heartbeat to aim. Another for the creature to rear up, preparing to strike, exposing its chest. He released.

Cullen ran, dropping the weapon, even before his arrow struck. She remained frozen, sword slipping from her fingers. He rammed straight into the demon, his own shouts drowned out by the twisted lyrium's song, and drove his sword straight through its chest. It shrieked. Claws tore at the metal for a few dying moments before it fell to its knees, its body dissolving into green light.

"Come on." He hooked an arm around the woman's waist, half-carrying her back to where the others were gathered. How long was he expected to hold this position?

"Commander," Cassandra yelled as she came up the mountain with a dozen more soldiers at her back. One man walked with a slight limp and another had bandages around one hand. "You are to report back to Haven. I will stay here."

"No," he said.

"That is an order, Cullen."

"And I said no! You need every man you can get."

"You've been fighting without rest for two days now. If you collapse, who will you help then? No one; you will only endanger the rest of our people."

He glared at her. She glared back.

"Very well," he gave in with a sigh. It felt like a betrayal to turn away, but the twisting song was turning his ear, making his throat burn to taste the lyrium he knew was in Haven. "You," he said to the woman he'd brought over. "Climb up on that ledge and use arrows instead of a sword—you'll have a better view and can relay their attack patterns to Cassandra."