The events that occurred after the last black of Jace's Parabatai rune had turned silver were all a blur to Magnus.
The demon's claws had dug too deep into Alec's heart and the demon poison has made it impossible to stabilize him again, Brother Enoch had said.
Jace was still unconscious but now in a bed in the infirmary. The agony and pain of losing his parabatai had been too much to bear, as expected.
Izzy was by his side, her face devoid of any expression and makeup smudged from crying.
Magnus could tell she was still in shock and honestly, he was too.
Brother Enoch had allowed him to see Alec, finally. Magnus felt like the world had come crashing around him. Alec was his whole world.
The Shadowhunter has been cleaned and dressed in the traditional white clothes - the color of mourning in the Shadow World.
Even in death, Alec looked beautiful. His porcelain skin starkly contrasting his jet black hair, his eyes were closed and Magnus thought he saw a ghost of a smile on those rosy pink lips he loved so much. But that was just his imagination.
Without knowing when or how, the warlock broke down. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he knelt beside Alec and gently stroked his hair. "I'm so sorry, Alexander. This is all my fault...I am so so sorry..." Magnus whispered between hitched breaths and choked sobs.
"We deserves more time together. We were supposed to work this out..." he continued.
Then, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Alec's ever so softly and poured all his love into it.
"Ave atque vale, Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Goodbye, my love."
Seeing that there was nothing more left for him to do, the warlock got up and turned around to leave.
But something caught the corner of his eye and he spun around.
A sort of golden light glowed dimly over Alec's heart. It swirled around beneath his skin, making it look translucent. Magnus watched in bated breath as it's glow became bigger and brighter. Beside him, Brother Enoch had silently appeared.
The wisps of light we're starting to form something, Magnus saw. Something oddly familiar to him.
And then it struck him.
Beneath Alec's skin was an iratze and the Love rune, shimmering in gold. They circled around each and merged into one.
"W-What's happening?" Magnus asked, but the Silent Brother remained silent and expressionless. The light illuminated his face, highlighting his stitched mouth and eyes. Even though he had been raised in a Silent Brother sanctuary and surrounded by them, he still internally shuddered.
The glow vanished without warning. The room was silent.
And it was Alec who broke it.
The raven-haired boy woke up with a disoriented look in his eyes, slowly at first and then quickly with a start.
"Where-Where...am I?" he asked, looking around him like a lost puppy.
"Wait...Why am I all dressed in white? And why —" he stopped abruptly when he saw Magnus, who had a hand slapped over his mouth.
"Magnus?!" he exclaimed, a little bewildered.
But the person in mention didn't reply, most likely because he hadn't heard him. Instead, he lunged forward and crashed his lips with Alec's, his hands coming up to cup the Shadowhunter's neck. He didn't care that a Silent Brother was watching them.
Alec looked taken aback, but not for long. He kissed back just as fiercely and tangled his fingers in the warlock's soft and silky raven hair.
Time seemed to slow down around them and all Alec and Magnus saw was each other.
Until Izzy interruped them with a "Alec! You're alive!", causing the two of them to hastily pull apart.
Alec immediately missed the warmth of the warlock's lips, but he couldn't think about it further, not with Izzy enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Choking...here...!" he croaked and Izzy let go. "You died," she said matter-of-factly.
Alec looked confused and all three of them turned to Brother Enoch, who was watching the proceedings with what could've been an amused smile, if only Silent Brothers were capable of expressing emotions.
Almost as if sending their unasked question, he said, "True love is a magic of its own — one that we have not yet mastered. It is rare for two people to love each other with a love as true and pure as that of Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood."
The three of them looked slightly stunned.
"Looks like that true love's kiss worked this time, Magnus," Izzy teased. Alec cocked an eyebrow. She shrugged innocently.
"Jace Herondale has awoken. I must check on him," the Silent Brother announced and left.
"By the Angel! Jace!" Alec said in the tone of one who had just remembered something and scurried to get up. But Izzy put a firm hand on his chest and pushed him back down.
"Nuh-uh, big bro. You're not going anywhere until Brother Enoch is done checking you," Izzy said in her best mom-voice.
Alec groaned. "Yes, Mom."
She patted his cheek and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm glad you're back, Alec."
Izzy left and suddenly, Alec was very conscious of the fact that he and Magnus were the only ones left in the room. Alone.
"Hey, yourself," Magnus smirked.
"Magnus...? I thought you didn't —"
But Magnus out a finger on Alec's lips, instantly silencing him.
"Hush, my love. Yes, I did break up with you. But now...Oh, Alexander...I thought I had lost you," he said in a voice so fragile it broke Alec's heart. Magnus had never looked so vulnerable, his cat eyes now freely on display and tears rolling down his cheeks.
Alec cupped his face softly with his long, slender hands, blue eyes staring into gold-green ones. Magnus leaned into the touch and closed his eyes and sighed.
"You're never going to lose me, Magnus. I'll be by your side for as long as I love. Till death do us part. And you know better than anyone that my heart was and is always yours," he said and added, "We're going to figure this out, you and I. I'm all for effort, remember?"
Magnus smiled, the words ringing true to his ears and heart.
As they leaned their foreheads together, Magnus knew they were going to make this work.