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Part 2: Nightmare, chapter 10: Apocalypse

'' My lady?'' asked Jace.

He had followed the Cirque Seelie's queen through the tent and they'd arrived in a small area that had pillows and carpets lying around. During their short walk there, Jace had seen many shadows and silhouettes, but met no one.

She elegantly sprawled on some pillows, which on closer inspection, were really luxurious looking with all there small ornaments and designs.

Jace did just like her and waited for her to break the silence. He took a deep breathe, letting the intoxicating scent fill his lungs. A shiver went up his spine and he now knew what the odour was.

How couldn't he not know? He loved the feeling, the edge it sent him to before the slow fall...

'' I do not believe that Valentine Morgenstern is Meliorn and your common enemy.'' the lady calmly started.

Jace raised his eyebrows, honestly surprised by that, but kept silence.

'' And looking at you... I do not believe you know the identity of your common enemy.'' she continued. Then she grabbed something from under a cushion. A small bag. And when she opened it, Jace's suspicions got confirmed.

The oh so sweet odour of rain forest that Jace always associated it to the kaleidoscope-like drug.

'' Do you know what this is?'' the red-head woman asked, her voice like honey but her clear eyes piercing.

Jace never was one to tell lies. '' The prismachloric drug. It is forbidden by the Clave.'' he answered, keeping his features neutral, only letting the surprise transpire. He wasn't one to tell the whole truth to people he did not trust neither.

She chuckled a bit. '' Such an innocent answer... Have you ever taken it?''

'' It is said to put the consumer in a coma-like sleep. I never risked it.'' he lied smoothly. It is not because he hated it that he wasn't good at it.

She got up and took from a shelves behind a silk-screen a black bowl and a white feather. '' When Meliorn took some, he discovered the curse inside. And every time, it was the same scene, the same dream.'' she said, while pouring some of the rainbow powder in the bowl.

Jace kept his mask, but his thoughts were frantic in his mind. ' Meliorn could dream too?' But she had said he dreamt the same scene, while even if it were the same people, he never saw the same dream twice. It was like a movie fr him. Then what 'scene' was she referring too? 'And what curse?' he couldn't hep but ask himself.

Maybe that is what everyone in the list had in common, maybe they were all Dreamwalkers? They never had the chance to ask Maia...

While he was in his thoughts, the Seelie queen had finished preparing the mixture. '' Normally, I do not give it for free. But I like you, and I need you to know about your enemy.'' she coldly said.

Jace wasn't sure if her liking him was a good thing.

'' What is happening?'' he asked, feigning ignorance. But the blond knew very well what was going to happen.

'' Relax and take a deep breathe.'' she smiled non-reassuringly. '' You'll have to fight your fears before you can see, but I guess that, as a Dreamwalker, you ought to be more than able to do so.''

And with those last words, Jace wasn't seeing an orange sky, but with a blurred out-of-focus world.

It took Magnus a moment before he snapped out of his stunned silent.

'' You know my name.'' he said to the young stranger. '' And Ragnor. Who are you? How do we know each other?''

The other frowned, taken aback by Magnus' questions. Then he sighed in annoyance.

'' Okay, whatever joke you are telling, I am not getting it. If it is an 'it's been so long since we haven't seen each other, I do not remember you' thing you are trying to pull, well it hasn't been that long really. I could have done with a longer pause...'' he grumbled.

When he saw that Magnus wasn't reacting, his annoyance quickly change for a more serious expression. '' Oh Dios, you are serious...''

A cloud passed before the sun and the room darkened.

Magnus was still confused by the Spanish boy's words, but he wouldn't show it to him. Instead, he huffed and decided to address the reason he was here to begin with.

'' Of course I am serious, I am always serious. And speaking of extreme seriousness, I am here to meet a certain Raphael Santiago, whom I was told I could find here. Is it you?'' he asked the last part with a quirked eyebrow.

'' And you are still your annoying self.'' mumbled the dark-eyed before answering. '' Yes, I am Raphael. Tell me what happened during those two years Magnus? Catarina was in a fit when she saw you disappeared. You remember Catarina, yes? Please tell me you remember her.''

'' Catarina?'' said Magnus, the name familiar like Ragnor's yet still foreign.

'' Come with me, we can't keep discussing in the hall and it seems I have to jug your memory a bit.''

'' Sebastian...''

The mess of colour finally focused and Jace founded himself in a forest within a valley.

Beside him stood the dream people, seemingly ready to fight and a furious looking Alec. Although he didn't have time to see what infuriated his friend as he had to duck an attack.

Surrounding them, there were hundreds of people armed with different weapons and attacking Jace and the dream people by his side. The attackers all shared the same dark, like black marbles, eyes. They were so dark, one couldn't distinguish the iris from the pupil.

Jace was pretty sure it was not a normal feature.

'' What are we doing here, Jace?'' hissed Alec while one of his marks jumped from him to the blond. '' I am pretty sure it hasn't even been a day since you last came here. How many times have you taken the drug in less than 24 hours?''

Used to the small burn the mark made every time it left Alec to come to him, Jace willed it to morph into a short sword. In one swift motion, he blocked a strike coming at him with it.

'' Now, might not be the best time.'' he said through his teeth. But Alec wouldn't have it.

'' Why not now? I am here, you are here, and that is exactly my point. I warned you to be prudent and you come back here through a coma inducing drug? What if you don't wake up?'' continued to scold the blue-eyed.

Jace could feel Alec's worry in his chest and he knew it was a well-meant concern, but really, did it have to be in the middle of a sudden battle?

Jace kicked back one of his opponent and slashed at his leg, not wanting to seriously arm them.

'' Can we worry about that if I do not wake up?'' pleaded Jace, taking on another person.

'' But you are not immortal, you can't abuse of your body like this! I-''

'' Don't be distracted, they are all under his curse. Look at their eyes! They wouldn't want that.'' exclaimed Jia, unknowingly interrupting Alec.

Jace was glad about the interruption, as his friend didn't say anymore words about Jace's presence here and the fact they skipped the nightmare again.

'' May the Angel be with us. Come out, Morning Star! Let's take our revenge now!'' screamed Sophia and a drawing of the Angel rune appeared on her hand.

All of them had it, Jace too as he looked at his left hand. The shadows around them grew tall and danced around them.

There was a flash of lightning and everything went dark.

'' A thousand years ago, when people lived with and depended on magic, it was said that there was one being that had more power than anyone else. Some says he got it by selling his soul to the devil, others says that he stole it from the angels. But in all cases, endarkened by his high amount of power, he reaped hundreds and hundreds of souls.''

'' What did you wanted to show me, Young One.'' asked Magnus in a feign nonchalance.

The truth was, he was curious, intrigued and also dreading what Raphael was going to tell or show him.

'' Do not call me, Young One'.'' said Raphael with irritation and he didn't answer Magnus. The latter suspected it was Raphael's way to punish him for the nickname.

They reached a door and Raphael got out an extremely rusty and old looking key. He unlocked the door and they entered the library. It was a small room really and bookshelves covered all the walls. The place smelled like leather, paper, dust and humidity. The room wasn't frequently used that's for sure.

Raphael picked a large and massive white book and held it with a strange softness.

'' Ragnor... gave this to me before he died. You probably do not remember, but Catarina, Ragnor and you recorded your life stories in there.'' he softly said passing a hand over the cover. Magnus raised an eyebrow at the younger's last sentence and opened his mouth to question him, but he answered faster. '' Let's say you guys didn't have the shortest and emptiest lives. Every time one of you three wanted to remember something, you would refer to the Book of the White.''

Magnus chuckled at that. '' That's not the most original name.''

Raphael made a small smile. '' Yeah, it's was Ragnor's idea...'' he whispered, looking sad.

There was a moment of silence that Magnus felt like it shouldn't be broken. After a while, Raphael dropped the book on a desk and lit a light, as clouds had started to quickly gather in the sky.

In the light, Magnus noticed how pale Raphael suddenly was and his bloodstreams looked darker... or were those markings?

'' I need some air. You read this.'' he breathed out before quickly taking his leaves.

The fire spreading in the forest, devouring everything, was tainting the clouded sky a burnt taunting orange. The ashes flying everywhere, covering the trees and they appeared black-wooded.

The scenery was all too familiar to Jace.

The dark swirls created by the shadows, like dead leaves in the wind, were flowing around Sebastian. When the group of five people looked around, they could only see bodies, lying everywhere lifeless. Corpses sowing the earth and the sulphuric stench emanated from them, tainting the soil...

And all of them where shimmering, but the light they reflected was a bloody red.

'' Did we get the Morning Star?'' asked Sophia, the black runes on her body dancing frantically against her pale skin.

'' Wait, look around... We did this?..'' said Lewis with a small voice. His marks were unmoving and cold.

'' No, it's not what should have happened.''

Jace frowned at that. 'What did Alec mean?' he thought in confusion. Jace and him should have suspected that it would happen. They only ever witnessed, what was the point of denying? Yet Jace felt a pang of pity for them. They hadn't wished for death, they had wanted to free the people of the Morning Star.

How History had been wrong...

'' But it did happen.'' coldly answered Jia. She was holding Jesse, who looked pale and sick.

Suddenly, in the midst of the dark swirls a white light pierced through it and two people appeared in front of them. Their traits were obscured by the blazing light behind them, but Jace could distinguish a man and a woman. Was one green and the other blue?

'' Sebastian!'' they simultaneously exclaimed. '' You have brought forth a sacred and forbidden power and used it for a greater evil. For the sake of all that is living, and the souls of all that has died, it shall be sealed away to endless night.''

They turned toward Jia and Jesse, who were clutching at each other. '' Aline 'Jia' Penhallow, you are sentenced to death for the mass killing made under the name of Sebastian.

'' Helen 'Jesse' Blackthorn, you are sentenced to death for the mass killing made under the name of Sebastian.''

A blurry form swiftly appeared in front of those he now knew were really named Aline and Helen but clouded in shadows, Jace couldn't see how this one looked like either. He wanted to move, protect the friends of Gideon, but he couldn't. It's like an invisible force held him in place. It was infuriating to be helpless.

And then the shadow made a movement with his hands and blue flames erupted from them. As if they had a mind of their own, they headed toward the Asian girl and the blond-haired girl. In the flames that burned their beings, only two words were whispered:

'' Together...''

'' ... forever.''

'' Simon 'Lewis','' meanwhile continued the voice '' you are sentenced to death for the mass killing made under the name of Sebastian.

'' Isabelle 'Sophia' Lightwood, you are sentenced to death for the mass killing made under the name of Sebastian.''

'Isabelle?' thought Jace as he knew that name. 'Isn't Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's sister?'

And the shadow reserved the same treatment to them.

'' Max... I am so sorry, brothers...'' had chocked out Isabelle as her last words.

Jace's mind was frantic, but he suspected that it was mostly Alec's doing through their link. He looked pale and sick.

And the answer to his friend's sadness, he knew it. Yet he couldn't admit. It couldn't be true. 'Isn't it just a dream?' asked himself Jace. Then again, he knew how wrong his thinking was.

It was never just a dream.

Why did he feel like crying?

But before he could question the feeling inside him further, the two figures turned toward him.

A flash of lightning, as the storm began, illuminated the small library and he couldn't help but crumble on his knees, falling down his seats.

Magnus had began reading and each sentences had brought back memories that had been hiding at the back of his mind. The memories pouring in his mind faster than the words he drank from the book were flooding him in denial and agonizing sadness.

Yet he just kept staring, unable to stop the souvenirs. Pieces of himself he was glad to recuperate were followed by images of things he had done and desperately wanted to forget.

Looking back at the book, the name on the cold and forgotten pagesdaring him to forget everything. But Magnus couldn't.

It couldn't be true...

Yet it was.

Slowly, he raised a shaking hand and caressed the name in the book. It was done with so much tenderness. The tenderness and carefulness he only reserved for one person...

He remembered everything and almost regretted it.

Lightning flashed, memories poured in his mind and Magnus was drowning in the perfect storm of grief and guiltas he kept staring at the name.

'Alexander Gideon Lightwood.'

'' To stop him, High Spirits – immortal beings that only intervene in the course of the world when this one is near destruction – sealed in five his power and killed him.''

'' Alexander 'Gideon' Lightwood, you are sentenced to death for the mass killing made under the name of Sebastian.'' said the blue and green silhouettes, now turning to him.

And here was the truth that Jace's mind had tried to deny. Gideon and Alec were... the same person? Alec?

Jace didn't even have the time to think more about it, to fully realize what they were saying, before he saw the shadow that had killed Gideon's – no, Alec's – family and friends come to him.

Gold and blue. Gold like the leaves in the trees of the nightmares. Blue like the flames that represented Alec's distress and fear in said dreams.

Jace could only see flashes of gold surrounded by blue flames...

'' Magnus?'' he called in disbelief, but the familiar silhouette in front of him didn't even blink. He was the shadow that killed Sebastian? But how-

Before Jace could even react, Magnus made a hand gesture and the blue flames were summoned once again. And they headed toward the dark-haired blue-eyed boy that had haunted his dreams for years.

The saddest and heart-wrenching cry Jace ever heard echoed in the valley as blue flames engulfed a pain stricken Alec. The voice of his friend echoed in his soul and he knew that that cry was filled with so much more than just the physical pain brought by those flames. It held all of Alec's grief and regrets.

All his love too.

Just then Jace witnessed the real tragedy and a wild tear escaped him.

A thousand years ago, friends and family cursed themselves to save others from a doom that no one really wished; to bring justice to those who had been spirited away against their will. And at the same time, two people destined for each other were separated by death over a misunderstanding.

He then felt a pull in his stomach and the world around him blurred...

'' You see, Clary, the legend is not exact. He was not one person but five. And now, he might have been the key to end it all.'' began sombrely Valentine.

'' Or so I had thought.''

So... any thoughts?

Next chapter we start Part 3: Time. It should be up in September as I am going 'off the grid' on a small far away Island in the West Indies tomorrow.

Xox

Mani