A/N: This chapter took a lot of thinking about and a lot of research, which is why I haven't posted it immediately. I think I've got my facts straight, but feel free to correct me.
Magnus POV
Just what I had just agreed to do didn't fully hit me until about an hour after Lucifer had returned to his dimension. The full implications hit me like a wall- I would have to break Covenant law, and the law of the Accords, in order to do this. I had to take an innocent life- a young life- if I was going to bring Alec back. I knew I was twisting fate, being selfish by doing this, but when I contemplated spending my long, empty years alone, without him, I felt instantly and endlessly depressed.
Life just wouldn't be worth living.
And this, this dangling hope just within my grasp was cruel. Of course I was going to chase it, whatever the cost. If I got hunted down and killed by Shadowhunters because of it, then so be it. I'd rather be dead than be caught in this crushing spiral of depression.
So instead I began considering my options.
Untouched by demon influence... That ruled out all Downworlders, demons and, at a push, Jace, but I couldn't take him anyway. No one Alec was close to. He'd hate it if he came back to find another of his friends or family were dead, especially if their death gave him undeserved life. To be honest, he wouldn't like the concept of anyone dying to bring him back. I'd just have to hope he'd see my side. That is, if he even had to find out in the first place. I hated the idea of lying to him, but, as the faeries love to think, there's nothing wrong with a bit of creative truth-telling. Not if it'll save him pain.
So no one from the New York Institute then. A mundane? To be honest, I had no idea whether or not a mundane would fit the bill. They weren't touched by demonic influence, exactly, but I got the feeling Lucifer meant he wanted a Shadowhunter- their seraphic alliance meant they were pure of demon touch. Also, it made sense that Lucifer would want a Shadowhunter's soul in exchange for another Shadowhunter's. I guess that meant I was going to have to go to another Institute. One that was sparsely populated, which would make an easy target. Somewhere far away enough that people wouldn't associate me with the disappearance. Well... There was an Institute in LA, on the other side of the continent. As far as I knew, only one family lived there- the Blackthorns. Whilst the Blackthorn family was fairly extensive, they were mostly children or teenagers. I could vaguely recall meeting a few of them- Helen, her little brother Jules, and the twins. All very young.
Perfect.
I swallowed slightly as a knife of guilt twisted in my stomach. I am no ruthless killer, and the idea of killing a child made me feel sick, but I knew I had to do it. Lucifer had said it himself: someone whose time was in the distant future. The only Shadowhunters whose lifespans were guaranteed for a good few years were those who had not yet become adults.
With a plan in mind, I dressed in a fairly inconspicuous (for me) outfit; worn black skinny jeans and a tight-fitting purple shirt with a plunging neckline, and opened a portal to LA. I wouldn't need to bring anything with me- my magic would provide any service I needed. Taking a deep breath, forcing down my feelings of guilt, I stepped through the portal.
The whirling darkness consumed me for a brief moment, then I was spat back out into bright sunlight and warmth. I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the change from the dark room of my apartment to the broad Californian daylight. Looking around, I saw a row of shops and a park, on the other side of which was an empty-looking church. Bingo. I peeled back the glamour, and the familiar sight of an Institute loomed over me. It was slightly different to the New York Institute in appearance- it seemed more modern, with less of the high arches and Gothic décor. I approached the church carefully, looking out for people who might spot me. I wondered how I was going to do this- knock on the door? Wait for someone to come out then ambush them?- when I caught a glint of light out of the corner of my eye. A child was sat in the courtyard of the Institute. He looked about 10 or 11, and was holding a magnifying glass, which reflected the sunlight. He seemed to be examining something in the grass with great concentration. I remembered him- he was one of the twins, Helen Blackthorn's half brother and sister. His dark hair reminded me briefly of Alec, and my heart gave a lurch. I began to approach him.
When I was about five or six metres away, he looked up, and grey eyes narrowed at me. He stood up and pocketed the magnifying glass, before pulling out a small pocket knife. I stopped.
"Who are you?" His voice was wary, and he took a step back, towards the Institute.
"My name is Magnus. I'm a warlock. We met when you came to New York. I remember you and your twin sister well." A slight lie, but I was sure he wouldn't notice.
"You know Livvy?"
"Yes. And Jules and Helen." They were the only other two whose names I could remember.
"Oh... Why are you here mister Magnus?" I fought back a wave of nausea.
"I was hoping you would help me with something."
"Do you need my help solving a problem? I suppose you know that I'm a detective." He was more relaxed now, and looked rather smug as he examined the edge of his tiny blade. I decided to humour him. It was the least I could do.
"Oh, of course! You're the best around, I've heard." He grinned, and puffed up like a bird. "I was hoping you'd come and help me. You see, someone very important to me is gone, and I need your help getting him back." He frowned.
"I'm not supposed to go anywhere without my parents or one of my brothers or sisters. Can I go get one of them?" I felt a stab of worry. He couldn't go running back to his family- my chance would be gone.
"No, I only need you. It won't take long, I promise."
"But..." He looked slightly nervous now. "I won't be long, and then we'll come right back and I'll help you get him back. I promise!" He slipped the knife back into his pocket and turned to run back to the Institute, but before he could get very far, I snapped my fingers, and he stumbled and fell to the grass. Going over, I waved my hand in front of his face to check he was out cold, then picked him up gently. Before anyone could spot me, I had opened a portal back to my apartment. Safe from prying eyes, I closed the portal and lay the boy down. I considered waking him up, but decided against it. It would be better if he stayed unconscious. Biting my lip and feeling my insides twist in a mixture of anticipation and guilt, I approached the pentagram once more.
"Father? I am back." There was a moment of silence, then the smoke returned, and soon Lucifer was stood, in his human form, in the centre of the carving. He grinned.
"Back so soon?"
"I have your sacrifice." I swallowed. Lucifer glanced around the room, and, in spotting the child's prone body, his eyes flashed.
"You have outdone yourself, Bane. I admit I had my doubts about whether or not you would do this, but I should have expected nothing less from my son. Bring him to me." I picked him up, and lay him gently in the pentagram, being careful not to set foot in it myself. Lucifer beamed, dropping to one knee to inspect my offering. "Wonderful..." He hissed, "I will make sure your Alexander is perfect." He waved his hand over the boy's face, and the grey eyes flickered open. Immediately, he sat bolt upright, shaking and wide-eyed.
"Wh... where am I?" He stuttered, and looked up at Lucifer. Giving a small yelp, he backed away from the fiery demon, but was stopped by a pale hand.
"Uh uh uh, my child. Stay here." He trembled at the demon's voice, but stayed still. "What is your name, little one?"
"T... Tiberius. But my family calls me Ty." He gulped. "Who are you? You smell like a demon..." Lucifer chuckled.
"I am Magnus's father. I am very grateful to him for bringing you here to me."
"M... Magnus?" He looked around, and seeing me standing a short way away, hope flashed in his eyes. "Mister Magnus, why am I here? Is he going to help me get your friend back?" I felt ill, and couldn't answer.
"Yes, I am. And you are crucial to that. Now come here." Lucifer held his arms open, and Tiberius slowly got up and took shaky steps towards him. I turned away as, oh-so slowly, Lucifer brought his hands up to the boy's face. I heard Tiberius's voice, trying and failing not to sound nervous.
"Wh... What are you doing?" And then there was a sickening snap, and a thud. I swallowed as bitter bile rose in my throat. What had I done?
When I looked back, Tiberius was on the floor, neck twisted at an impossible angle, grey eyes staring blankly upward in his last expression of confusion. I wanted to throw up. Lucifer had his eyes closed and his hands on the boy's chest. When he pulled them away, a white, smokelike substance clung to them. As I watched, the substance dissolved. With a snap of his fingers, Tiberius's body burst into flames and was reduced to ash, then nothing. Lucifer grinned at my distressed expression.
"Don't worry. He's in good hands. Now, for my side of the bargain. I believe Shadowhunters burn their dead, don't they? Then I shall have to forge him a new body." I frowned. A new body? But I wanted my Alec... "I see you do not like this idea. He shall look the same, but with a few... changes." I opened my mouth to ask, but Lucifer had closed his eyes and was chanting something in Purgatic. His hands were held out in front of him, and black smoke, much like that which formed his own body, issued from them. As I stared, he began to shape the smoke. At first, it looked a bit like an Iblis demon- vaguely human shaped but still not corporeal, but then it began to solidify, taking a distinct and very familiar shape.
He moulded the substance like clay, and I stared in wonderment as he shaped each contour of the body I knew so well. Alec's sculpted cheekbones, Alec's slim but muscled shoulders, Alec's perfectly toned stomach. Slowly the black faded, becoming pale skin, dark, slightly ruffled hair. I felt my whole body go weak. I remembered Alec's body on the pyre, I remembered it burning, that pale skin turning to ash. And now here he was in front of me once more. There was only one thing missing; his skin was a pale canvas, blank and unmarred by black mark or silver scar.
Lucifer opened his eyes to inspect his handiwork. Seemingly satisfied, he put his hands close together once more. More smoke began to drift from his palms, only this time it was white, like the stuff he had pulled from Tiberius's body. Somehow, in my heart, I knew what I was seeing was a soul. Alec's soul. Everything that made him him. For the third time in just over a week, I felt tears in my eyes. Lucifer held Alec in his palms carefully, before gently pushing it towards the body. It latched onto the pale skin and soaked in, like water into a sponge. Soon all of the substance was absorbed into this new Alec.
My breath caught. There was a dragging, torturous moment of still silence.
Then the body gasped air.
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN ohohohoho ALEC IS BACK so what happens now? I'll bet you can't wait to find out! Until next time my darliiiiiiings!
