~~~Three Months Earlier~~~

They came silently, creeping into the enormous hall with their hoods thrown over their scarred faces. He shrank back slightly as they reached for his arm, taking his wrist firmly.

Ke Jian Ming. You are now of age. It is time for the first of the Angel's Marks to be bestowed on you. Are you aware of the honor being done you, and will you do all in your power to be worthy of it? The silent brothers voice echoed in his head, soothing and unnerving at the same time.

He nodded, offering his mother and father a small smile. "Yes."

And do you accept these Marks of the Angel, which will be upon your body forever, a reminder of all that you owe to the Angel, and of your sacred duty to the world?

"Yes." He repeated, his heart pounding anxiously as the silent brother drew a stele from his robes. The hood fell back slightly, revealing his marred face. For a second, he felt sorry for them, for they could not laugh or love or play music in the dank halls of the Silent City. Thinking back when his parents had first introduced him to the violin, and how much he had grown to love and understand the power of music, he couldn't imagine such a cursed life as theirs.

He was immediately pulled out of his thoughts when a deep burning sensation flamed on his skin that was so hot, it almost felt cold, like holding ice on your skin for too long. But he didn't make shy away or make a sound. Instead, he watched with fascination as black lines blossomed from the stele's tip; swirling into a pattern Jem recognized from the Codex.

Clairvoyant sight. Angelic power. Strength.

The newly drawn runes hardly stung, for they were now a part of him. He was now a true Shadowhunter.

~~~Three Months Later~~~

Pushing an jet black strip of hair out of his face, Jem drew back his arm. In his hand was a silver dagger, one that his father had given him with his family name carved on the side. Flicking his wrist, he let the dagger fly. Holding his breath in anticipation, he grinned triumphantly as it stuck in the middle of the target.

"Good job, James." A voice called from the doorway. His fathers brother, Elias, stood at the edge of the room, his fingers thrumming against the walls of the training room. "You're going to be a fully fledged Shadowhunter in no time."

"I'm still practicing." Jem said shyly, though he flushed with pride. He walked slowly over to the dagger in the target, watching his steps so he didn't trip with excitement...not in front of his father's brother. Grabbing the hilt of the dagger, Jem wrapped his hand around it and pulled, wrenching it out of the tough wood. Stepping back, he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate under the surveillance of his uncle.

Counting his breaths so they didn't come too quickly, he pulled back his arm and let the dagger soar. Sighing in relief as the dagger wobbled precariously in the center of the target, Jem wrinkled his nose as Elias ruffled his hair. Kneeling down beside him, Elias pointed up at the window.

"When the sun reaches right here, do you know what time it is?"

"Seven o'clock?" Jem asked hesitantly. He looked down at his uncle who was still kneeling on the floor by him like he used to when Jem was younger, but Jem didn't mind that he still treated him like a small child. Jem thought for a moment, leaning his head quizzically to the side before smiling crookedly. "So that means Mama and Papa are home soon?"

"That's right."

"Because they were killing demons, like what I am going to be doing soon. Don't you do what they do as well?"

"Yes, but in Idris. I'm leaving tonight, remember?" Elias said, beckoning Jem up the stairs into the main hall. Setting down his dagger after prying it back out of the target, Jem followed his uncle, peering over his shoulder.

Bright sunlight filtered into the living room as the door opened, his father, Jonah Carstairs, and his mother, Ke Wen Yu, stepped in, their clothes spotted with ichor.

"How was this expedition?" Elias asked, putting his hand on his brothers shoulder.

"It was quite exceptional. We found another demon nest, that blasted Yanluo." Jonah said, nudging his wife. Ke smiled quizzically, only understanding bits and pieces of their conversation.

"Jian. Péixùn hǎo ma?" Training okay? Ke asked Jem, who bowed his head slightly before nodding.

"James, have you had dinner yet?" Jonah asked, setting his weapons belt onto a table.

"Miss Hui Ying made me and Uncle Elias dinner. We ate ages ago."

"Good. Now go clean yourself up and get to bed. Tomorrow's your first demon hunt. Oh, and say goodbye to your uncle." Jonah smiled proudly at his son as he nodded eagerly and bounded off to his room. He'll make a good Shadowhunter one day.

~~ooo~~

After dressing in his night clothes, Jem instantly went to his violin, drawing it from its mahogany case. Sitting back in an armchair, he plucked at the strings. Quiet staccato tunes thrummed in his hands, relishing the way the violin seemed to come alive with every song. When he went to place his violin back into the box, his fingers trailed lightly on a silver box beside it.

It's cold, smooth lid lifted easily beneath his fingertips as he pushed it up. His mother had given it to him when his father had finally won the institute leadership. The jade pendant that lay inside had be a wedding gift from his father to her, its smooth surface shining bright in the dim room. The gold chain that hung from the pendant was beautiful, although Jem had always preferred silver.

When he asked his mother why the Shadowhunter wedding dresses were gold, she had simply replied in Chinese, "That's the way it always has been. That's the way it always will be."

But Jem had inwardly sighed. If he was ever to get married, he was determined to replace every gold thread with a silver one.

~~ooo~~

He tossed and turned in bed, restless and excited for the next day. Licking his lips, he realized how parched he was. Perhaps, he thought, Miss Hui Ying is still up to fetch me some water. Tossing his covers aside, he slipped quietly out of his room, into the kitchen. The silence was so thick that he could hear his ears ring. Even when he stepped forward, the floorboards beneath him ceased to creak, the familiar footsteps of the guards and servants were gone, replaced by his buzz of curiosity.

Turning the corner, lying on the ground, was the unmistakable shape of their servant, Hui Ying. Her black hair hand been half ripped from her scalp, blood darkening the floor around her. Her arm was bent at a peculiar angle, lying awkwardly beneath her.

Jem stifled a surprised gasp, his hand clasped over his mouth. His gaze traveled from the grotesque maid to the rest of the expanse of the hallway. Guards lay strewn on the floor, all their bodies ripped to shreds. The sick stench of blood was nauseating. Still wide eyed, he turned around to fetch his parents. Running blindly through the halls to his fathers room, he knocked frantically on the door.

Still, there was silence.

Nothing, but the ever so faint whistles of the wind and the chirp of the crickets, made a sound. Opening the door, he stared into an empty room, the bed still made. Turning around, he headed to his mothers room where he pounded on the door.

Still, there was silence

Turning to check the rest of the institute, he was caught by the collar of his shirt. Desperately trying to hold onto the walls, something dragged him back into the main room.

His father and mother had described demons, especially Yanluo. He knew of their size and their features, their strengths and their weaknesses, but nothing had prepared him for the fear they sent coursing through his veins.

It was enormous; its clawed hand curled around a golden scepter. From a first glance, it's body looked like an imperial soldier, all metal plates. But when Jem squinted his eyes, he realized it was part of the monstrous creature, it's armor melting into it's twisted face. Jem knew he was supposed to be brave, but without a dagger in his hand, or a seraph blade strapped to his back, he felt helpless. Something hard slammed into the back of his head, and everything turned black.

~~ooo~~

Authors Note: I'm not Chinese and I'm not fluent in Chinese. Please pardon my bad Chinese sentence that Ke Wen Yu says...lol...