"Who are you?"
The words still stung Alec's heart and echoed in his ears like the reverberating whispers of the wind.
It had taken him two whole days to process the fact that the bud of his worst nightmare had blossomed into a terrifyingly beautiful flower of reality.
Asmodeus had taken away every last memory Magnus had had of Alec.
And it made him furious.
He was furious at the world for punishing a soul as beautiful as Magnus Bane, who had sacrificed his happiness and the one good thing that had happened in his life for the greater good, to protect the ones he loved and cared about.
And apparently, some physically non-existent spirit seemed hellbent on placing obstacles the size of Mount Everest's younger siblings in their already rocky road. Honestly, was the world ever going to leave them in peace? But then, 'peace' had always been just a word to describe temporary relief from his Shadowhunter life, which never gave him the opportunity to experience pure, unpolluted reprieve from the senseless drama that mundanes created. The same drama that his race was destined to resolve.
But what hurt the most was that Magnus remembered everyone except him.
Now, it was almost a week since the revelation made itself known.
Seeing that staying inside the Institute only made him feel like a caged animal, he decided to take a leisurely stroll through Central Park to clear his mind. He opened the door of his office and walked through the long corridors of the Institute. However, before he could it make it to the main entrance, a familiar form coming his way froze and rooted him to his spot.
Magnus seemed fairly stunned at seeing Alec as well, but he quickly composed himself. "Hello, Alec," he said in a neutral tone.
The Shadowhunter thought he heard the loud yet distant sound of glass shattering. Alec was something everyone called him because he hated being called by his full name. Then Magnus had come along and shaped 'Alexander' into the most melodious harp he had ever heard. And he loved it because it sounded like inaudible music when each syllable flowed from Magnus' lips.
"Hi," he returned the greeting, an invisible hand choking his throat and rendering him unable to say anything more.
"I should get going. Isabelle said she had some important Intel for me." The casualty with which he spoke didn't seem to fit him.
Alec only nodded in response.
A small flicker of a shadow danced in the warlock's eyes for a moment before fading away. Alec recognised that look. It was the same look Magnus had been giving him every time they saw each other since his return, like Alec was a familiar memory he just couldn't recall.
Two large tears inevitably rolled down Alec's cheeks as Magnus disappeared around the corner.
He never made it to Central Park that day.