How to get around a Void Nexus
Varric felt Ardyn all around him as he settled in and allowed their connection to come forward. He breathed deeply, his magic pooling around his being, as if preparing for some grand act.
Then Ardyn began funneling her magic into their connection.
For the first time, it all felt very sensual – the sensation shocked both of them.
The magic moved through them like soft silks across the skin. It wove together, braiding the strands tightly. Ardyn was the guide, the softness, the patience, and Varric was the power, protection, and knowledge.
Their magic poured forth. It entered the odd cave system below Salina and filled its tunnels. Sliding against the walls, floor, and ceiling – reading the grooves in the ancient rock, seeking to understand.
Varric felt the resonance, the connection between this place and Sidus Serpens. He searched his vast memory for understanding. Ardyn followed as he traced and looped things together.
Their connection sparked as the information came together. It tightened and grew again. Ardyn felt heat run through her body as their souls swelled as one.
Varric delighted in the sensation. Ardyn was connected to him even more. His magic reached out to her and evolved in the moment. It arched within their connected soul plain and then spanned forth down the tunnels beneath the amber pool that was Salina.
It recognized the shape, grooves, and scent of the tunnels. It had been created by Salina herself. An attempt to reach her other half – the forest that is the Brati. She had other forms or it was the amber waters themselves...
There was a pause when they came to a dead end. Suddenly, the tunnel ended at dense black stone. Their magic touched it and recoiled. That single touch absorbed a massive amount of their power.
'This is a Void Nexus,' Ardyn nodded – understanding growing within her as she felt Varric's words move through her soul.
'Do you know a way to go through it?'
He didn't respond, but she felt the sense of "no" radiating from him as he looked down the right and left sides of the T-intersection. They both understood that Salina had tried to go around the Void Nexus and failed.
'My vision would not have sent me here if it was impossible.' Ardyn moved forward as she thought things through.
Varric smiled, pride swelling within him. This was his Queen, his better half. Every day he understood love in new and fascinating ways.
She was a magic that he had never known and probably could never fully understand.
Her magic stormed within her as her songs awoke and began to weave together into her inner song. They braided thickly, loosely – as if they wanted to create her inner song but they still needed to maintain their unique identities.
Varric felt it all. Her power blooming intensely, with a ferocity that rivaled his own. He watched and understood that she was very nearly his match. He nodded in approval and anticipation.
Ardyn pushed her magic forward with a renewed energy. Understanding curved and grew within her. She focused her inner song to the finest point possible, and she pushed it through a pinprick-of-an-opening.
She trembled with exertion, and Varric added his power to hers, helping her push forward to break through the void.
Their souls entwined even more.
They were one – in thought, sense, and being. And, as one, they pushed their magic through the Void Nexus. Magic rang out with a reverberation that ignited both their souls – but it was Ardyn's soul that grew and evolved.
Varric watched in awe as she became even stronger. Her abilities were now just below his, and he found himself wondering just how strong she was.
For Ardyn, it was different. She now found herself within a nexus all her own. It responded to her and her inner soul song and its loose strands. This new magic moved through those strands and found its place. As soon as the harmony was complete, it resonated through her body.
The Song of the Trees was born.
Above them, Salina felt the change and the resonance. And as she felt this, a block in her mind, a memory lost, opened and fell into place in the same moment.
Salina's female form walked into the dark amber waters – a broad smile on her face – and she became clear blue waters and, with a splash, integrated with the pool.
'Empress of Sidus Serpens. You and your Emperor have shown me what I have forgotten and lost. You have saved me and facilitated my escape.'
The dense, dark amber waters rose up to the cavern ceiling. Atina appeared – as dark shadow – beside Ardyn, her eyes trained on the waters.
Salina – in her liquid form – spiraled tightly in the air and drilled down into the basin she had been sitting in for centuries. She rapidly flowed down into the odd caves below.
Ardyn and Varric widened the pinprick of a hole for Salina, and she streamed through it like silken thread through the eye of a needle.
Salina streamed through it and quickly moved to Bratinus. They were calling to each other like two strong magnets attracting each other.
'I am going home, Empress. You have saved us all. Please take these as gifts to show our appreciation and know you are always welcome in Bratinus.'
As Salina finished passing through the hole created by Ardyn and Varric, three glowing orbs of amber manifested before Ardyn.
Atina – not knowing what was going on – erected a shield wall around Ardyn's body and prepared for battle.
Varric brushed a kiss through Ardyn's soul. 'If you ever need me, love, just call, and I will be here. You are already very powerful.
'Know that I am very proud of you, and I know that you will be much more than either one of us ever thought possible.'
He kissed her, and she felt him move away.
She was still for a long, heartbreaking moment. She felt an incredible loss and wanted to run to Varric's side.
Their new soul connection was a spark setting fire to something new and deep within her.
Her eyes snapped open, and she took a deep cleansing breath. She suddenly wanted to finish this mission and return home. She smiled at the thought.
She now understood that her home was with Varric.