I am ember
'Bout to start a wildfire (wildfire, wildfire)
I am ember
Burning down your empire
Glowing brighter than the darkness inside of you
Can't escape the flame no matter what you do
I am ember
'Bout to start a wildfire (wildfire, wildfire)

Clary POV

Running swiftly into the darkness, I wanted to scream. Was there no escape? No ending to this fucking nightmare? I had to remain calm, but I was panicking. Halting I tried to remember my training, I was a shadowhunter… Jace, Isabelle, Alec and Simon were relying on me to keep sane during this mission. Hearing footsteps I turned in hopes it would be an ally but instead, I was met with the terrifying form of Sebastian, a cruel smile filling his face, I stepped back shaken, he was holding something. I swallowed nervously, what was he holding? He took another step forward, doing the only thing I could do, I turned and ran.

Suddenly feeling the pain of a dart piercing my neck, I pulled the dart out looking at it, the vial inside was empty but the hint of something gold, an an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion washed over me, dropping the dart I tried to continue walking but found that my legs would no longer move. Feeling the rest of my body fall, I held my arms up to protect my head, my head started to swim, my vision was fading and I found myself falling asleep.

Sleep was silent as it was peaceful, but like all good thing I was shaken awake abruptly, hissing at the throbbing sensation that rushed through my entire skull, I shut my eyes and rested a moment longer, coming to terms with the fact that I was no longer on the battlefield but not in an institute medic area, so where in the angels was I? I heard the raspy chuckle of a male fill the room, taking longer than I should have to sit up properly, my jaw must have dropped, sitting on a black leather chair almost directly opposite to me was Jonathan, dressed like the devil's incarnate. I shut my jaw and blinked, before applying a pinch to my arm, he began to laugh.

"Do you still think this is a dream, dear sister?"

"Where am I, what the hell happened?"

Feeling the fading sting of a hard pinch, and noting that he didn't disappear into thin air. I looked around the room again, it was decorated as if he had been inside my mind and had seen what I envisioned to be the perfect bedroom, it was more studio than a bedroom, there were cans of unopened paint on the floor and blank white canvases waiting, sketchbooks in piles, a collection of magnificent pencils, brushes anything I needed really… to create art. Climbing off the bed I traced my fingers across the unopened boxes of pencils and looked at Jonathan who watched me as I explored this room, my room.

"I thought you would like the room."

"Why am I here Jonathan. Don't I deserve answers?" turning my head towards him

"For a better sense of the word, you died Clarissa."

The words hit me like a tsunami and I fell towards the bed, he stood up and approached as I felt my hands run across the sheets of the bed, was this heaven? Was I to live the rest of my eternity stuck in hell with my brother?

"But, I brought you back." He continued

I lifted my head to look at him, he wasn't lying. He didn't attempt to touch me, instead, he moved a strand of hair out of my face, before backing away.

"How."

"See, the angels believe that what is dead must remain dead. We demonic blooded creatures believe the opposite, we believe that there is no such thing as death, only rebirth."

"You sound like Lilith." Rolling my eyes

"Well, she is my mother." revealing a toothy grin.

"Where are we?"

"In Milan, dear sister. I am going to let you get dressed and we will go down and have breakfast."

"You trust me?"

"Sister, bringing you back was no easy task. You're still just as Nephilim as the day you were born, but if you would look at your wrist you'll realise that the angels no longer control or own you."

I looked down at my right wrist as he said those words, he was right there was no angelic rune left on my wrist, but every rune that I had acquired in my time as a Nephilim still lingered, I traced each to make sure they were real.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, first door on your right."

He dismissed himself, I moved towards the wardrobe, opening it my jaw dropped, any item of clothing that I would wear ordinarily and on mission days were lined up and organised by colour, shade and season. Below there were shoes of every kind, picking items from the wardrobe, I looked at the smaller cabinet to my right, placing the clothes on the bed, I opened the cabinet and found makeup and jewellery of all kinds, what was the last cabinet? Considering there were art supplies and what not on the left side of the room, and all the bedroom things were on the right… and there was one left which I hadn't opened, shutting the make-up and jewellery cabinets, I opened the very final of the three and was surprised to be met with not just my gear for battles, my weapons but on a stand there was my stele, picking it up I traced it and placed it to my chest, why was Jonathan entrusting me with the one thing I could use to escape? Pocketing it, I returned to getting ready.

Jonathan was patient, to say the least. When I finally left my bedroom, shutting it gently behind me he was leaning against the wall, he lifted his head, gave a slight nod before offering his hand, taking it cautiously he began to lead me down the hall and out of the apartment.

"So, tell me what have I missed, how long was I out for?"

"Your rebirth took twelve years, all of your shadowhunter friends and the Clave has dismissed your disappearance as your death, without your angelic rune they can no longer track you accurately. The Clave has some pesky ways of keeping an eye on all of their Shadowhunter's via two runes, your angelic and your tracking rune, which I have done you the favour of removing."

I nearly fell, he caught me in his arms and held me upright, looking straight into my eyes. I wanted to scream, I had been unconscious for twelve years? I pushed away from Jonathan and went to touch the wall, twelve long years I had been dead and I had only just surfaced… the faces of Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, Luke even mum began to flash before my eyes… twelve years had gone by and they would have mourned by now moved on… whilst I was being brought back… and for what purpose… I wished I remained dead. Sensing that I was indeed a mess, Jonathan began to speak. Before doing so he placed a vial containing a clear slightly tinted purple liquid in my spare hand.

"When you died, I was a mess and I tried everything but seeing as I am not at all a Nephilim I couldn't create a rune to help save you, that was only ever your gift…I must have screamed loud enough for the angel Azrael to hear me."

"So, what… it's been twelve years."

"Enough time for your genetics to change, for Azrael's blood to erase Ithuriel and even Raziel's blood, hell even our mother's, our father's. You are the blood daughter, the only blood descendant of the angel Azrael. You're no longer a Morgenstern."

"He's the angel of renewal."

"Correct. Now with this, all of your memories from the previous life will be erased you can start fresh. You can pick a new name for yourself, you will still be the same person, you just won't be weighed down by your old memories anymore."

"Why?"

"Because like Lilith all he ever wanted was a child. Strangely enough, seems that angels too yearn for family. Azrael heard my screams and my pleas. The other angels let you die, he told me himself that they saw you a sinful creature that deserved your death. Azrael believed otherwise. He thinks you still have a life to live and things to do."

Twirling the vial in my hand, I thought about it. If all of what Jonathan was saying about the Clave and everyone else, then I was on my own and there was no way in hell anyone was going to come for me.

"It's your choice, Clary."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth."

"Because I have this."

He pulled out a photo from absolutely nowhere, there in the image was Jace holding a small blonde boy next to a woman who was covered in runes smiling, he had aged well just like I had expected… my heart felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on, but then again Jace deserved to be happy and to move on… it had been long enough for him to have met someone and settled down like a proper Nephilim. Uncapping the vial, I looked at Jonathan than looked at the picture before taking the entire vial like a shot, it was sweet, sickly sweet but pleasant, as it sunk into my veins I felt a sense of freedom, of relief like all of this weight, had been lifted from my shoulders… I hadn't noticed that my hair had changed, my entire appearance really… both the picture and the vial disappeared in front of my eyes, it was like my life was rewritten in front of my very eyes.

"You alright?" hearing his voice

"Sorry do I know you?"

"Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. Son of Lilith." He offered me his hand

"Seraphina Adele Apocrypha, Daughter of Azrael."

"It is lovely to meet you, shall we?"

"We shall."

Taking his hand, I stepped out of the apartment with him, the apartment door disappearing behind us in an instant seems we had been transported to Rome.

"I'm hungry, you must be starving. Come on."

Jace POV

"She has to be somewhere, it's only been twelve hours."

"Jace, she may just be dead." Alec sighed

"No, I know she's out there alive. There is no fucking way she's disappeared."

There was a sounding of an alarm, Isabelle pulled up a map of Rome.

"Well, the same signature that went off around the time Clary disappeared just reappeared in Rome. They're in Rome"

"Let's hope they stick around long enough."

Alec grabbed my arm and gave me a concerned look

"We're coming with you. I'll get Magnus to portal us there."

I nodded in thanks, shrugging on my leather jacket I let myself centre so I would be calm and focused, I could only hope Clary was ok and that Jonathan hadn't harmed a single part of her.

Meanwhile…

Clary POV

"Tell me more! By the angels!"

I tossed a small part of the bread roll at Jonathan, who shook his head, his eyes were drawn to my hands, I looked down and tilted my head, he grasped my hand, we had been discussing his travels and how he found it infuriating that mundane couldn't grasp that he was not to be trifled with. As another a plate of Cacio e Pepe was placed in front of me, picking up my fork, I resumed eating what had to be the most mouth-watering and indulgent second plate of pasta. He opened his mouth to speak again when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, I placed my fork down and wiped my mouth before turning my head slightly to the direction he was looking at, there stood a trio of Nephilim who looked out of place amongst the mundanes, Jonathan stood up and I did the same, one of them, the male in the centre approached his seraph blade drawn. Drawing one of my dual kindjals, we moved away from the restaurant placing our money on the table, as we exited the building the three drew their weapons, the male to the right had darker hair than the boy in the centre and on the right was a female with an electrum whip at the ready.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked

"Jonathan where is Clary?" The male in the centre barked

"Clary?" I looked at him

"My sister Seraphina. She's currently missing."

"Why is the girl holding her dual kindjals then?"

"Pardon? These are mine. They must look identical to the girl you're looking for."

"No those are her kindjals. Jonathan what did you do to Clary?" the boy added

I snarled at both of them, who the fuck did they think they were? Replacing my kindjals in their hilts, I crossed my arms as Jonathan spoke without much expression.

"Seraphina, this is Jace Herondale, Alexander Lightwood and Isabelle Lightwood. They're from the New York Institute. You three this is Seraphina Apocrypha. I don't know where Clarissa is. I'm afraid I can't be of much help. Now if that is all, may we go back to our lives in peace?"

"That still doesn't explain the kindjals."

I sighed in annoyance before taking them out again and approached them during this, I noticed that their appearance changed, becoming a darker blacker metal – definitely not Adamas. Holding parts of the blade I allowed for the trio to examine my kindjals before they sighed deflated, returning them to their hilts I backed away and walked towards Jonathan. The three said nothing more and soon left without a word. Jonathan and I were left.

"Well, my appetite is completely ruined. Shall we go do something instead?" Jonathan mumbled

"Yes, let's go."

We made our way back to the apartment, though during the walk back I felt a soft pain in my mind, and the voice, my voice if anything whispering begging for me to wake up and to go back to the trio that my name was Clarissa and that I was Jonathan's sister, the pain increased as I continued to follow Jonathan back to the apartment. Refusing to let the pain linger any longer, I sculpted a rune, against my wrist, silencing the voice and allowing for inner peace, the voice was gone for now.