{[ Gray Clouds ]}

TIMELINE

December, 2044 through March, 2045 - A sudden influx of demonic activity cost the lives of thousands of Shadowhunters around the world in a frantic attempt to defend the planet as a whole from utter destruction. This battle, known as The Culling, had the highest mortality rate of any Shadowhunter's fight before it, with casualties cutting the Nephilim's numbers by a factor of almost 87%.

October, 2047 - Though demonic activity had long since returned to normal, fearmongering had begun in Alicante. The remaining Nephilim united under the guidance of Daniel Truehelm, and shifts in the power dynamic started to occur.

June, 2052 - Truehelm suddenly, without any deliberation from the other branches of power, passes the law that will confine Shadowhunters to Idris in order to protect them, leaving the rest of the world to its own devices. Any Nephilim found disobeying this law would promptly be stripped of their Marks and thrown out to the mundanes they "wish to be with."

July, 2052 - An old Nephilim named Oscar Lighthollow, along with the warlock Laken Bleu, began collecting stray Shadowhunters around the Seattle area. Samuel Nieves, his Downworlder wife, their infant son Mateo, and Samuel's brother, Phineas, were among the first to join them.

August, 2057 - this story begins.

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July 13, 2057
12:34am
Seattle, Washington, USA.

It had always seemed so very much easier in the history books.

But of course it did. They at least had the tentative support of the Clave and Inquisitor and Council and all that shit. Now they weren't even supposed to leave Alicante, and if they did... well, they weren't supposed to continue fighting demons. The Institutes had been abolished - there was supposed to be no contact with the outside world whatsoever. No mundanes, Downworlders, Taco Bell...

Perhaps Phineas Nieves was born in the wrong generation.

Sure, there had never truly been a good part in history he wanted to go, but almost anything seemed better than this. A few rogue Shadowhunters defending a world that didn't appreciate what they were doing for them. Their work, their sacrifices, their losses...

Not that Phineas minded so much. Though this war was a futile effort, ultimately, it filled the young man with a sense of accomplishment and heroism in a way that he didn't think anything else could. It was something about the fact that there really wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel - that there was nothing but fighting and protecting and defending the earth until the end of his days that appealed to Phin. It was cut and dry, simple and clear. He knew what he had to do, and he did it well.

Most of the time.

Tonight, he had gotten a bit careless. He'd been battling on his own - not recommended - and had let some Moloch demons get the better of him. Well, not technically, because he supposed he actually did end up taking the three of them out before they could harm any mundanes, but... well, he had received deep burns across his right hip, and he was left limping back to the safe house.

It wasn't anything special - nothing like the an Institute. No, they couldn't afford anything like that; the factions in Alicante would be on them in a matter of days if they tried anything that grand. This was more like a glorified apartment building, built up on the inside to try and give the handful of Nephilim and Downworlders inside a home that sheltered and kept them warm while they recovered from strenuous battles and the war they were thrust into.

The war that they didn't ask for.

Phin stepped inside without any issue - the seventeen-year-old was one of the occupants of the building, and therefore was able to simply step through the wards that their resident warlock, Laken Bleu, had set up for them all.

"Fighting on your own again?"

Her voice was chilled and tight from where she sat in the living area just inside, dark eyes narrowed in the dim lighting. Laken was beautiful - Phineas had always thought so ever since he first met her four years ago. Her hair was usually kept naturally loose and wildly curly, like a lion's proud mane, and in most circumstances, she rocked a sharp winged liner that Phin had always begged her to teach him how to do.

He could never master it, and swore that she was using her own magic to perfect hers.

A slight smile crossed Phineas' lips as he looked at the woman before him. "Ah, you know me, Lake," he teased, his own voice dry and rasping a bit. "I suck at following directions. Can't sit still." Which was true - he'd been overly active since he was a child.

One black eyebrow raised incredulously as Laken regarded him. "Do you think of no one but yourself?" the warlock scolded, her eyes flashing an irritated red shade. "What about your brother? Your nephew?" The tall, black woman got to her feet and narrowed her eyes at the teenager. "What if you never came back to them? Do you have any idea how badly they would hurt?"

"You're right." Sighing, Phin placed a hand over the burn on his stomach. "Samuel is going to be pissed... again."

Laken scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "He will be," she agreed, striding over to place her hand on Phineas' shoulder. "But that's only because he cares for you. You two are all you have left." Her eyes turned a shade of pink that caused a blush to spread across the young Nephilim's dark cheeks. "You have to be there for one another."

Phineas wiped a hand down his face and inhaled deeply. "Mateo, too... pobre niño... I'll do better for them." At he very least, he would try.

"You better." Laken gave his shoulder a playful push. "Now come on - let's get that wound patched up so you can go to bed, hm?" Her eyes glinted teasingly. "I won't be fixing you up just for you to go out and break yourself again. Take Samuel next time - I'm sure he would love to go with you."

As much as he wanted to argue against it, Laken had a point there. Samuel was twenty-five years old, and a seasoned Nephilim. He would be excellent to have by his side.

But god, if anything happened to Sam... Mateo would be without either parent.

Phin would be without his brother.

"I'll consider it," he murmured, letting Laken take his hand and lead him into their makeshift infirmary. The wound wasn't bad, and though it still stung, it only took a few minutes to heal most of the way. He figured Laken might only be healing him partially to teach him a lesson... which, in all honesty, he genuinely did need to learn.

Stretching, the deeply-tanned teen offered the warlock a smirk and a wink. "So, same time tomorrow, bella dama?" he flirted unabashedly, getting to his feet and making a point of flexing his lean stomach and chest for her enjoyment.

As per usual, Laken pretended to swoon at his advances. "For you, hermoso? Siempre."

Floored by the beautiful woman's attention, and the fact that Spanish was not even one of her first languages but that she had taken the time to learn it just for him, Phineas flushed an unflattering shade of crimson. Laken laughed pleasantly and nudged him toward the door.

"Go to bed, silly Nephilim. You need rest."

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July 18, 2057
9:16 p.m.
Seattle, Washington, USA.

"We'll be back soon, Mattie," Phineas assured the five-year-old, crouched down and hugging his nephew. Mateo was more than a little stressed that both his uncle and his father were going out demon hunting that night, but the young boy could understand that what they were doing was important. That didn't stop tears from welling in those light green eyes, matching Phin's own. "Grandpa Oscar will watch you, derecho? We'll be back before you know it."

Samuel knelt beside them then, his dark brown eyes soft as he regarded his younger brother and his young son. "Papa will be back soon, mijo. Don't worry," he soothed, running gentle fingers through Mattie's sandy brown hair. "Have to keep Tío Phin from being a big ol' tonto, don't we?" He then nudged Phineas, but not too roughly. He was still holding his son, after all.

Their grandfather, Oscar, stood nearby as he watched. From their mother's side of the family, he had pale skin and blonde hair, adding Caucasian to their mixed heritage. Their father had brought in all the Latino. "Come on, Mattie, let them go," the old man urged, reaching out to scoop the child into his own arms. "They'll be back before you wake up in the morning."

Sniffling, Mattie ran his hands over his own chubby cheeks to wipe the tears away. "Okay... I'll b-be good, Papa," he told Samuel. His little jaw set determinedly in spite of the fact that snot had begun dripping from his nose. "I'll protect Grandpa!"

"There's my little soldier!" Samuel encouraged, pressing a gentle kiss to Mateo's forehead before pulling away. "Te amo, mijo."

"Te amo..." Mateo repeated, sniffling and trying to pull his head away as Phineas unflinchingly reached out and wiped the snot from his nephew's face. "Gross, Uncle Phin!" he whined.

Phineas rolled his eyes with a small smirk. "It came from your nose, squirt!" he teased, leaning forward to nuzzle the child's hair gently before stepping back to join Samuel. "Love you!" he called over his shoulder.

"Love you, too!"

{[ Gray Clouds ]}

July 18, 2057
10:33 p.m.
Seattle, Washington, USA

"I'm glad you decided to take Laken's advice and let me go with you," Samuel told Phineas as the two brothers stood atop one of the smaller buildings Seattle had to offer. It was a decent vantage point. "I've been worried about losing you." He sighed deeply, running the hand that wasn't gripping his Seraph blade through his close-cut black hair. "We've lost too much family recently."

Phineas looked over at his older brother and frowned a bit. "Are you thinking of Cosette?" he asked gently, knowing the subject of his brother's deceased wife was sometimes a touchy subject. Her death had hit him hard three years ago.

Samuel sighed and gave one nod. "In part, but also about mom. Dad. Juvia." Their eldest sister, who had passed away in the Culling when Phineas was a small child, almost Mateo's age. "I know you didn't know her very well, but she was a great person. Wild, impulsive, flirty. A lot like you," he said with a smirk, nudging Phin again. "You would've liked her, and she would have loved you. She did love you."

Green eyes met brown as the brothers locked eyes. "I wish I could've met her. For real, I mean," he replied.

The elder of the two shrugged with a small smile. "Well, we can't dwell on what might have been," he reasoned, offering his younger brother a slight side hug. The Nieves family was rather known for their open displays of affection. "You've got me. I'm not that bad."

"Mm. I guess," Phineas teased, and laughed when Samuel pushed him with a chuckle.

They lapsed into silence after that for a few minutes, until Samuel spoke again.

"How's that burn on your stomach?"

Phineas patted where it had been and smiled slightly. "Not too bad, actually. Laken fixed me right up," he replied, looking over at his brother again and pushing some of his curly, reddish brown hair from his face. "She's great with healing spells."

A suggestive smirk appeared on Samuel's face as he side-eyed his brother. "Laken, huh?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Shut up!" Phineas sputtered, face flushing a bit red even as he laughed through his brother's teasing. "You know she's beautiful. Anyone would think so. Maybe you're the tonto," he accused.

Both Samuel's brows raised and he grinned. "Oh, I know she's beautiful. I also know you've had a crush on her for years," he replied. "Even though I assumed you were more into guys. Didn't really think your door swung that way, hermano."

"It doesn't swing that way for every girl," he explained, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing slightly. "Look, can't we focus on actually looking for threats instead of teasing me about my nonexistent love li-?"

"Shh," Samuel hissed suddenly.

Phineas tipped his head incredulously. "So when I get pissed off at you for teasing me, you get to shush me like-"

"Dios mío, ¿puedes callarte?" Samuel demanded, shooting Phineas a glare that meant business. "Something is happening, you dumbass."

Oh... now that he was listening, yeah, there was someone yelling nearby...

The two Nieves brothers wordlessly and silently ran across the rooftops toward the source. Three blocks over, a small group of male mundanes were trapped in an alleyway by two Shax demons. The monsters' claws were pinching and slicing - one mundane was already dispatched and laid out on the ground in a pool of crimson.

"Anabiel," Samuel whispered, calling his Seraph blade's name and dropping down with Phineas soon behind.

The Shax demons were easy to take care of - within thirty seconds, the battle was over, with Phineas and Samuel coated in a layer of blood and ichor from the parasitic demons.

"That was way too easy!" Phineas crowed, raising his hand to high-five his older brother.

Samuel's eyes were alight with excitement and the thrill of battle, and he raised his hand to meet Phin's. "Yeah! You did a great jo-"

He was cut off by a deafening gunshot, and Phineas flinched, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opened them half a second later, there was a bullet hole in Samuel's forehead.

Gunned down by the mundanes he had risked his life to save.

{[ Gray Clouds ]}

An - I am so sorry for my absence! I hope this horrible thing makes it up to you guys. I worked really hard on it - it actually started out as a dream of mine!

So, let's get on with this whole shebang!

RULES

1. Send your OCs through PMs only! I will not look at any OCs posted in the reviews section. It clutters up things and just looks really bad, so let's keep things in PM, okay? It's so much easier to keep track of that way, as well!

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Love,

Snowy