All right my lovelies a few things to say before we get started here.

First off this is the sequel to City of Vicissitude, if you have not read that one yet, I beg you to go and read it before starting this one or else you will be rather confused.

Second, I said I wanted to take a break, and while I have, I haven't. I have been writing a little each day, so I hope I have caught most of the spelling and grammar errors, however this also means it has taken me about a week just to write this one chapter. Those of you that have been along with me for awhile may be used to me updating daily, or even multiple times a day, I simply do not think that will happen for this story. Things with my work are super crazy and busy, I'm still fighting with the bank about buying a house, and in 3 weeks I am getting a puppy, not to mention my 3 already crazy 3 year old. It took me a week to write this chapter with my crazy schedule, it will likely take me a week to write the others. If I can get them out sooner I absolutely will, and I know me well enough that as soon as I start getting reviews and waking up to check my phone for reviews I will get on typing and produce chapters faster than I thought possible, but in the event that I cannot, I do not want you all to worry and I also want to do a better job with proofreading.

Third, story warnings. This one is much darker than CoV, there will be lemons (I do warn you in the header of each chapter they are in also sometimes they are very descriptive, I am an adult and I write for adults), there will be in general a lot of darker themes which some people may not enjoy, there is swearing (again I am an adult writing for adults).

Fourth, A big giant thank you all for reading and reviewing and coming with me on this longer than expected journey. I would be nothing without you or your support. Thank you all so much for everything, and please do not be shy, review, review, review, I feel like I NEED to hear from you and when I do it makes my day! I love you all, this is all for you, so now please enjoy.

Chapter 1

Sebastian went back to his room after his little visit to his sister. He lay down in bed with his arms beneath his head as he looked up to the ceiling. Lying on a bed felt strange, he had spent so long sleeping on the hard ground using nothing more than a rock as a pillow. It had always been warm there, rivers of lava flowed across the ground as water does here in this universe. There were demons there in every shadow creeping along always watching. They did not bother him, he was part demon and they could sense him as one of their own.

With his broken leg he was not able to move around much at first. Lilith would bring him food to eat but everything there had a strange sulfuric taste to it. After the first few days he had regained some strength but he was still writhing in pain from his broken leg and his muscles began to ache from being unable to shift positions. He spent most days eating and drifting in and out of uneasy sleep. One day he awoke looking down to his leg. The pain was mostly gone, though admittedly a little stiff. He looked down in amazement, wiggling his toes freely.

"Feels better now doesn't it?" Called a voice from the shadows. He had begun to recognize the low feminine growl that was Lilith.

"Yes, what did you do?" Sebastian asked deciding to attempt to stand. He found he could bear weight on his leg again but he held on to a large boulder for stability.

"Angels aren't the only ones that have markings with power. We demons don't have many but they are extremely powerful. I have given you my mark, here on your chest." She pointed to his chest, over his heart was a mess of tangled, jagged lines that pulsed red with the beating of his heart. "It draws from my blood inside you and helps to speed up the healing process." She growled almost lovingly.

Sebastian was grateful to be feeling much better, if he had a stele he would have been able to heal himself much easier. He thought of Clary, her runes would have healed him completely. He wished that she was here with him now. Instead she was back home with Jace, probably fucking away their problems.

He wondered if they even noticed his absence. They had always seemed to rejoice when he was not there; they took advantage of the first time he had to go to the Clave overnight by consummating their relationship. Now with him gone all the time they were likely boarded up in the house lost in each other. Sebastian felt waves of anger roll through him; he felt the urge to hit something or someone like he hadn't had in years.

He growled at his own frustration, letting go off the boulder and standing on his own. He needed to get back there, needed to be with Clary again. He made one step with his good leg, and now to his bad one. He used a sliding shuffling motion, being able to move it forward, but then he felt the stinging pain as he toppled to the ground.

"I said they were powerful but it does take some time. You will still need to rest and heal, reform your strength." Came Lilith's growl, she was almost laughing at his difficulty.

Sebastian looked away from the ceiling in his room coming out of his memory. He was happy to be back, but he would have to face the Clave tomorrow and explain what happened. Sebastian figured he would have to do that a lot now. He had perfected his story over the past few months. He used Clary and Jace as his first test subjects, Clary had accepted his explanation without hesitation. It had been Jace that continued to ask more questions.

Sebastian growled to himself. He doubted he would be able to sleep here, it was too cold. He wished that they weren't traveling so he could go out and find someone to bring back to the house. Clary and Jace had gotten to have their fun and now Sebastian was itching for his own. From their desperate screams it had sounded like they had not been together since before Sebastian left. Sebastian had rather enjoyed hearing his sister's screams; he could tell she was part angel as she sounded melodic when she screamed. Sebastian knew he could make her scream if he tried, he wondered how much she could take before the song went out of her voice.

Great, he was getting himself all worked up again. It was their own damn fault though, they shouldn't tease and tempt him the way that they do. Sebastian thought warmly to the loving embrace Clary had given him when she had first seen him. She smelled better than his memories had told him. Her tiny tight body pressed up against him firmly. He had to share her with Jace for now but there was no mistaking it, Clary was made for him, his equal in every way. He hadn't understood it before, clouded by protective sibling emotions toward her. Now he understood better, she was no more his sister than any other person walking this earth. His siblings were the other demons running around the other worlds. Clary's true brother was Jace, they both had the blood of the same heavenly father. Their relationship was the incestuous one, Clary was meant to be with him, not Jace. Eventually she would be his.

He found himself drifting off to sleep thinking about how simple life would be once Clary gave herself over to him and together they would raise the child that would be the salvation to the messed up world they had come to know. He knew all these things to be true, though he could not place how he knew them.

Sunlight burst through the windows alerting everyone that not only was it morning, but they were in Idris, only a small walk away from Allicante. Jace and Clary had been invited this time, as the Clave also wanted to speak with them concerning the discovery of Valentine being alive as well as the blood experiments that had been done to them. Clary was a mess getting ready for the day, she did not know what to wear and after hearing from Valentine himself what the Clave had done to Sebastian once they found out who he was, she was worried that they may treat her in a similar fashion.

"You have nothing to worry about." Jace said watching as Clary took off her dress to put on her 4th outfit for the morning. "You weren't even raised as a Shadowhunter, let alone knowing who or what Valentine was. The Clave will be interested in the time you spent together kidnapped but other than that there shouldn't be much for you to tell them." He soothed going to the closet and picking her out a pair of tight leather jeans and matched it with a tight white tank top and a black leather jacket to match. It looked like a feminine version of something that he would wear. Clary eyed the outfit suspiciously, deciding that it possibly looked too much like hunting gear and would not make for a good impression of someone that had only recently discovered their Nephilim heritage. She shook her head no and went back to looking through the closet herself.

She ended up in a pair of skinny jeans and a long loose sweater that was comfortable and stylish, or at least by Mundane tastes. She pulled her hair back loosely, letting small tendrils of her red hair fall free from the messy do. She opted for light make-up, something she would have worn to school before she had become a badass-demon-hunting part angel. She hoped that she would convey the sort of message she was looking to.

Jace was wearing his typical outfit, leather pants, white t-shirt and worn leather jacket. He knew that he would not be able to keep on him any weapons so his holsters were left empty for the occasion. The only thing he would be allowed to bring with him would be his stele. He was hoping they would not ask too many questions about Clary and her rune powers, they had not seemed particularly interested when Clary was first rescued. But now that Sebastian had survived, they were only too worried that Valentine had eluded death yet again.

Jace and Clary walked hand-in-hand and Sebastian led as they walked into the gates of Allicante. They were verified as allowed guests and then escorted to the main conference hall. Sebastian knew his way from the many trips that he had made here, but Clary wanted to look around at the city which was adorned with large towers made of adamas. It looked like a place that was straight out of one of the fantasy novels she used to read when she was in high school.

"I'll give you a tour later." Jace whispered in her ear.

They followed an older man, adorned in Shadowhunter gear that had not seen battle in many years. The leather worn and cracking and his hair mostly white with traces of dark patches the reveled his nearly all abandoned color. When they arrived, they were joined by two others which separated the three of them.

Clary was left with a younger man; he looked to be in his mid-twenty's. He had dark hair which was kept away from his face by a long pony tail. His body was already covered in runes as they poked beneath his long sleeves and collar. He led Clary into a small room and then bowed lightly as he left her alone. Clary fidgeted, not knowing what would happen next or really what to expect. After several minutes of nothing she began to wander the room slightly. The carpet there was short and dark, not the kind that would feel good on bare feet. The walls only went halfway up the room, stark white and met with large glass panels that reflected nothing yet wasn't see through either, unless she was surrounded by black rooms. She walked up to one of the glass panels, holding her hand out in front of her. When she touched the glass lights illuminated from beyond, allowing her to see that she was in a kind of small holding box inside a larger room. There were people in that room that seemed to be watching her move about in her cage. She did not recognize anyone; even the man that had brought her here was not present.

All the people on the outside were wearing long flowing cloaks red in color with golden embellishments. She noticed one that was in white with tiny golden runes covering its cloak. It was exactly what the Silent Brothers wore, but there were long hoods over each of their faces so she could not tell for sure what any of them looked like.

A loud voice boomed inside the box making Clary jump in surprise. "Clarissa Morgenstern, you have been summoned before the council to explain the experimentation as well as the reappearance of both your father and brother. Do you have anything you would like to proclaim before we begin?" The voice said. Clary looked around not knowing exactly who to speak to.

"I am Clarissa Morgenstern but I go by Clary Fray, I only recently found out who my father was and who I was for that matter." She said timidly looking between the cloaked figures.

"Very well, Clary Fray, we shall begin. When did you first discover you were the daughter of Valentine Morgenstern?" The voice asked.

"When I was 18 I first found out about the Shadowhunter world. I went to the New York Institute and talked with Hodge, when I told him who my mother was he figured out who my father was, though I was only told his name at that time." Clary answered trying to be accurate without giving away too much personal information.

"How did you come to find Valentine had hidden his manor along with journals that provided information about the experimentation he had done on you?"

"When I first started training we discovered that I was particularly naturally skilled with runes. We went to the Silent Brothers for their help but we didn't get any answers even though they went through all of my memories. They said it would be in the previous generations' memories, my mom was in a coma, and we thought that Valentine was dead so I decided that we could try going to the manor ruins and see if anything had been left. When I was there I used a rune and found myself in the hidden house and the journals were on a bookshelf in the library." Clary explained.

"How did you know what rune to make to get into the house?" The voice asked, it was full of suspicion.

"I saw the rune in my head and I just drew it." Clary said not knowing how else to explain it to them.

"Are you saying that you were given a vision of a rune that happened to work on that particular location to bring you into a house that was thought to have been destroyed decades ago?" The question almost sounded sarcastic, Clary could tell the speaker thought that she was lying.

"I already told you that I have particular skills when it comes to runes. I believe this is because of the angel blood my father used on me when my mom was still pregnant with me. I can see them in my head, sometimes runes that no one has ever seen before. That was just one of them." Clary said getting a little frustrated; she did not like that these people were calling her a liar.

"We would like a demonstration in order to validate your claims." Said the voice.

"What exactly would you like me to do?" Clary asked, producing her stele from its holster. She had left the pure adamas one at home, not wanting them to know the fullest extent of her power.

"Whatever comes to you will be sufficient." The voice said, Clary could tell it was accompanied with a snide smile. They were mocking her, and it was really starting to make her mad. Clary closed her eyes and began to concentrate, she wanted to really prove to them beyond doubt that she was not lying. Lines swirled and tangled in her mind, quickly settling into the perfect shape with the perfect meaning.

She drew the lines on her arm and closed her eyes and waiting. She felt a slight tremor and then a loud crash as all the glass around her turned into sand from which it had been originally formed. It fell to the floor, the walls disintegrating around her, until she was left in a square shape of dust and sand. She looked up to them and smiled wide. "I call that one restore." She said proudly.

"What specifically was the purpose of the rune?" The voice said, now the sarcasm gone from its voice.

"I turned the walls back into the materials they were originally made from. It can serve many purposes I guess, but what I really wanted was to be out of the glass cage, it felt like I was some kind of freak on exhibit." Clary said smugly, she didn't care if she was crossing some kind of line.

It was silent for a moment before the voice spoke again. "We agree that we have not seen this rune before and we believe that you may have had the rune appear to you which helped you to discover the hidden manor."

"Not may have, that is what happened. I went in, found the journals and took them back to my house to read. That was when I discovered what a monster my father was." Clary said, putting her hands on her hips.

"You knew at this time that Valentine was not dead, yet you did not come to the Clave with this information?" A new voice said this one distinctly female and sounded disapproving.

"I didn't know that he was exactly not dead, I mean no one had heard from him in like 20 years, a lot can happen in that time. I wish he had choked on his dinner years ago, alone in his house and no one to find him, but apparently that was not the case. And no, I did not come to the Clave with the information I had, it was written from the perspective of a rambling psychopath, I thought I had demon blood in me for Raziel's sake!" Clary puffed.

"So you knew nothing about Valentine or his plans to come and take you as well as Sebastian?" The woman scoffed.

"No, I had spent the past week trying to stay away from Jace because we had thought that I was the demon and he was the angel. According to Valentine's plans, he wanted a half demon half angel hybrid. It was Valentine that told me that I was part angel, and that was after he kidnapped me and Sebastian." Clary said painfully. She did not like to think back to that time.

"So Valentine wanted you and Sebastian to have a child?" The woman asked, her disgust easy to hear.

"Yes, he did. But there was no way that was ever going to happen; I mean Sebastian is my brother, that's just eww." Clary said, a slight shiver running through her spine.

"How were you able to escape?" The voice asked a bit more interested now.

"I looked out the window and saw Jace, and somehow he was able to sort of see me as well. Sebastian and I worked together to play nice with Valentine until Jace could get us out." Clary paused, she had not decided if she wanted to tell them about the angel or not. "I found out later that Jace had brought a warlock with him to help pull the manor into our universe. I fought off Valentine by breaking his nose and then made my way to the front door. Sebastian helped me to get out when the manor flickered into this universe but when Sebastian tried to jump, he was pulled back by Valentine. Valentine was trying to escape; the house was falling apart as it was being ripped back and forth through the universes, so Sebastian closed the door to the house preventing Valentine's escape as well as his own. We all thought him dead until last night." Tears were forming in Clary's eyes as she remembered looking into Sebastian's eyes as he closed the door, sacrificing himself for her.

"You had no idea that he was alive?" The voice said, somewhat softer now.

"No." Clary sniffed.

There was silence as Clary awaited another question to be asked. The hooded figures turned and whispered amongst themselves before turning back to Clary. "We believe you. Although we are very interested in the powers in which you seem to have concerning runes, also we have concerns for you and Sebastian staying in the same house when it was Valentine's plan all along to have the two of you together….romantically. We would like you to stay here in Allicante for a little while so we may learn about your unique gifts, as well as separating you from Sebastian for some time until we deem necessary." The voice decreed.

"No." Clary protested. "I just got him back; you cannot take him away from me again. Nothing is going to happen between us, he is my brother, and he sacrificed himself to save me. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Clary sobbed her throat tight with anger.

"Until we can be proven that the entirety of our being is safe we will take every precaution we deem fit no matter your objections. You will be placed in a house here and report to the main conference room daily at 9am sharp. Jace will be allowed to stay with you but Sebastian will be sent outside the city. You are not permitted to leave the city without clearance of the Clave; failure to abide by our decree may result in banishment." The voice said, sharp again.

Clary dropped to her knees, unable to contain the sorrow in her heart any longer. She hadn't gotten enough time with Sebastian since she had found out he was alive. She had just begun to feel like her life was coming back together and now these people were taking over her life telling her what to do. The hooded figures turned and left Clary to her own sorrow, the guard from earlier coming in only once the rest were gone. He lightly picked her up from under her arms, helping her to stand on her own.

"Come this way miss, I have been instructed to take you to your new residence. Jace will be there waiting for you." He said kindly.