This part of the series was physically so painful for me to watch and then document so that's why I took a seriously long hiatus (I mean, I've had longer breaks before on stories, but still). That and I've been busy with my other Shadowhunters story that a little more fleshed out and my other stories in general which I just care for a bit more than this one since season three has gone off the rails, man. Plus that play I mentioned from before? Yeah, that's over, plus the musical I also joined up in as well, and I also got a second puppy because that other one's parents had another liter and we were like "We needs another! WE NEEDS IT!" Because screw a good night's sleep and mental stability, amiright? But seriously, the newest puppy is 3.5 pounds, she's adorable, my first puppy has nearly reached the age where we can call him an adult and he's like four times her size but he's so gentle with her and it's adorable and I love them and the world is crazy and I finally got to this story - I'm trying to finish season 3 I swear, let's do this thing!

Enjoy! :)

"Clary was taken prisoner?" Shu repeated.

"She's buying us time to get Jace back," Alec confirmed.

"That's…idiotic."

"She's still done her work. We have time, one way or another."

"They'll make her talk, Alexander. Not to mention that Lilith's going to realize that her soldier boy hasn't returned."

"Then we'd better get to work quickly."

"Val, when are those friends of yours going to arrive?"

"Soon. In the meantime, we need to figure out how you're going to contact Namir and give her the ring."

"It's a portal thing," Kandai informed them. "You won't be able to track her through me."

"What about the ring itself?" Shu asked. "It's with Charon."

"Yes, it is, angel," Val informed them with a smile.

Shu's brow furrowed in confusion, when she heard talking in the other room. "Oh, crud."

She walked out and saw that the group was talking to Jace in the Malachi Configuration.

"…your latest soldier boyfriend," Jace was saying.

"Hey, what are you all doing?" Shu demanded. "Talking to him isn't gonna help anyone except him because he's gonna get into your head. Now, little Jace, you are going to be very sorry in the future, so I'm saving you a lot of trouble by saying 'Shut up.' If you're so confident in yourself, then talking shouldn't be necessary. Talking is for losers. That's why people who monologue are villains."

The door behind them opened and Luke and Simon burst through.

"We got your call," Luke announced. "Any news about Clary?"

"You almost killed her!" Simon hissed at Jace in his prison, though Jace seemed mildly amused. "She gave herself up to the Clave trying to protect you!"

"Still jealous she picked me over you, huh?" Jace taunted. "By the way, that kiss, at the Seelie Court…we never got to compare notes."

"Let me in there!" Simon slammed his hands against the walls of the Malachi Configuration. "I'll throw you off the building!"

Luke grabbed Simon and pulled him away. "Come on! Come on, Simon."

They all retreated into the side room where Magnus worked.

"The Jace in that trap is not our Jace," Luke reminded Simon. "We need to focus. All right? If the Clave finds out about Clary's wish to Raziel, we might never see her again."

Simon took a deep breath and nodded, still shuffling with contained rage. Magnus waved the door shut behind him with magic as the rest of them gathered.

"How's the hunt for the angel coming?" Kandai asked.

"We think we've got a hit - a guy dressed in all white with white hair who acts a bit strange was found and arrested," Luke reported. "As far as I've been told, he's got a pet rabbit."

"A bunny?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

Kan sighed with a smile. "He had a pet bunny a long time ago. He loved that thing."

"Here's the address of the prison he's at." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Shu. "Shu, escort him, will you? See if that's the angel you're looking for. Even if it's not, we need any information he can give, and his help, if he's willing."

Shu nodded and took the paper.

"All right," Luke sighed. "Do we have anybody in Idris that can get us information?"

"Well, we stole from the Clave's armory," Alec announced. "So if they've figured that out-"

"They're not gonna tell us anything," Val concluded.

"Shadowhunters are annoying," Kandai muttered.

"So what's plan B?" Simon asked.

"I'm gonna try and get some more intel on Clary," Luke offered. "The best thing you can do? Go back to that abandoned building and see if you can find some clues."

"No, I'm not going on a demon hunt while my best friend's in prison!"

"Simon!" Izzy stressed. "Clary risked everything to save Jace. You wanna do something for her? Help destroy the demon that caused all this mess."

Simon let out a deep sigh and shifted from foot to foot, but he'd given in. "But I wanna know as soon as you hear anything."

"Hey, no one can find out about Jace's possession," Alec announced. "If Clary's able to keep a lid on her wish, we can't blow it."

They all nodded as Luke and Simon left.

"Speaking of Jace, we need to talk," Magnus muttered, nodding for Alec to follow him out of the room.

"We all realize that the Clave won't stop until Clary's confessed everything, right?" Shu asked.

Izzy sighed. "At the very least, she can buy us time, like she said. We fix Jace and everything will be worth it."

"You all realize that the Clave still has the Soul Sword, right?" Val pointed out.

"Clary put a rune on it to destroy some of its powers."

"It's power to kill Downworlders," Shu clarified. "It can still draw the truth."

They all looked around at each other in realization.

Izzy sighed. "Looks like we've got less time than we thought."

Clary sat solemnly in her prison cell, feeling defeated as she waited for her inevitable execution.

The wall suddenly shifted, flipping like a secret door before a man then walked through as though there had been a door there. In actuality, the wall was solid as ever, but at that point in her life, Clary was surprised, but not too surprised.

Clary was instantly on her feet defensively. "Who are you?"

The man looked normal enough, wearing a formal suit that was navy blue, his jacket unbuttoned to show his white shirt. He had no tie and the first few buttons on his dress shirt were undone, making him look like he couldn't care less about how he looked. His hair was curly and brown, but it looked like it could be straight with a simple brushing.

He smiled when he saw Clary, stepping forward with his arms out. "Clary! Clary Fairchild! You look just like your mother when she was that age. Has it really been that long? Honestly, one minute you're meeting an angsty teenage girl trying to murder you, and the next she's got a teenage daughter."

Clary's brow furrowed in confusion. "I-I…s-sorry, do I know you? O-Or you knew my mom?"

"Jocelyn Fairchild. I met her during the earlier days of the circle. She went out on one of her secret crusades to murder some faeries, but I saved them and stopped her. I sensed she was a good soul and helped her out, became her friend once she'd wore herself out trying to kill me, and eventually, I gave her a blessing of mine."

"Blessing?"

"Turning 3D to 2D? You think that was some rare angelic ability? No, those wouldn't be hereditary. Rare, special, unique angelic powers don't exist. Most of the time, it's just one of our kind giving blessings."

"Your kind?"

"The Astrals, basically gods. Usually, only those in Faerie have the guts to believe in us. You Nephilim believe in your angel and nothing else, but we're everywhere, more powerful than Downworlers, Shadowhunters, and even on par with Raziel. I gave your mother, and subsequently you, the power to turn objects into drawings and back again. I got summons to help in some fight against a powerful demon, but it appears I'm in the wrong place. Aren't there usually more of you?"

Clary shook her head lightly. "U-Uh…yeah, my friends, they're not here."

He looked around. "Well, you're in prison, so I guess that can't be good. Oh, hey! This is the Silent City! City of Bones, known for the Silent Brotherhood. I guess I really am in the wrong place. I'll be leaving now."

"Wait! If you're looking for the others…if you see them…tell them I'm sorry. I told them, I didn't have a choice. I was put on trial with the Soul Sword."

He nodded. "Yeah, sure, I'll be sure to inform them. I'm Ace, by the way."

With that, a large, door-sized card appeared, turned so that it engulfed Ace and then turned 90 degrees to Clary's perspective and disappeared. It wasn't just some illusion because the card was thin from the perfect angle - he had literally disappeared.

"Now, if we wanna bring Jace back, we have to get through to him using the strongest connection possible," Magnus informed Alec, the two of them standing outside on the balcony.

"Which is me," Alec nodded. "I'm in. Whatever it takes."

"I-I don't think you understand. This isn't like the last time we tried to use your parabatai connection to help Jace. If you go in, Lilith could get her demonic claws into your soul as well."

Alec stepped forward confidently. "I have to do this."

Magnus pursed his lips. "Of course." Alec sighed in relief. "But if I help you…and I lose you…"

Alec took Magnus's hands. "I know. It's just…if I…if I don't get Jace back, I…without him, I'm…I'm nothing."

Magnus stood straighter. "Then we'll do this." Alec nodded. "But you're not going in alone."

"So I can go with Alec to save Jace, even though I'm not his parabatai?" Izzy asked.

"It's possible," Magnus admitted. "But it would require more magic and would give you less time inside."

"No," Alec snapped. "I'll take the chance, but I'm not putting Izzy in that kind of danger."

"The last time you tried to use your parabatai connection, you were in a coma and almost died," Izzy reminded him. "Jace was the only person who could save you. And this time we won't have him to bring you back." Alec sighed in defeat. "What exactly do we have to do?"

"You have to find Jace and bring him out with you," Magnus said.

"How?" Alec stressed.

"When you find him, you all have to be linked. Now, I'll have one shot to pull you all out together."

Izzy smiled. "So it's settled. Let's go bring back our brother."

Lilith dispatched her disciples to find the Owl while the final disciple, the policewoman called Ollie, remained by her side as the two of them left for the Seelie Court.

Namir sat on the stone railing of their new location, looking at the city below. She just needed that ring and she'd be able to have her fun.

Alexander Lightwood would pay dearly for the pain that he's caused.

"So…Ren'ai liked rabbits?" Shu asked.

Val had opted to stay behind at Magnus's apartment to help with the warlock magic and buy Alec and Izzy more time to save Jace, so it was just Shu and Kandai going to check out Ren from the prison.

"He called them bunnies," Kan informed her. "He had a bunny back when he was exiled from Heaven. It was his first friend."

"Exiled?"

"Yeah, that's…how we met. Ren was tricked. He was the alchemist of the angels, the one who dared to explore new things and new abilities. There was this demon, a Greater Demon, a strong one, who snuck his way into Heaven and convinced Ren that he was an angel too."

"That's-"

"Impossible? That's how good the demon was. I'm pretty sure that he showed himself to no one but Ren and made Ren promise to keep him a secret. That lowered the risk factor. Anyway, he tricked Ren…made Ren love him…then stole his work so that he could make you."

"Me? So…"

Kan shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for things out of your control. Look, I was a part of the operation to make you as well. I was a Greater Demon, and all the Greater Demons in Edom were enlisted to help. But I didn't want them to do what they were doing to you. The moment I first saw you and what your mother did to you…I did something stupid and tried to make them take pity on you. I got kicked out."

"So that's when you met Ren?"

"No. That's when I walked through the fields to meet you. I had lived in the main city of Edom before, watching your progress through a monitor, but then I actually met you in person, that day in the fields."

"So when did you meet Ren?"

"Remember that man that I killed?"

"The first time that I saw your true power as a Greater Demon?"

He nodded. "That man was actually coming to 'check up' on you, by your father's orders. I made him really angry after that. He banished me to another realm - a prison for an angel who he must've believed was evil enough to kill me on sight, angels being naturally prejudiced against demons and this one most likely angered at his banishment. Whatever caused him to be banished must've meant he was a loose cannon, right?"

"So…was he?"

"No. When he first saw me, his bunny was the only reason he dared to approach me. I told him to kill me, but I saw that he wasn't violent by any means. He was quite adorable when he wasn't fearing for his life. Once he realized I wasn't a threat, that he actually had some power in the situation, he changed. He was calm, relaxed, he was confident, and I had a feeling that he hadn't gotten that kind of feeling since he'd arrived there."

"You made him smile? Is that when you fell in love?"

He sighed. "Oh, a lot of things made me fall in love. Time, mostly. Just so much time getting to know him, letting him get to know me. He helped me with my own problem, we bonded, and I just…I loved that angel with everything I had. Then, he found a way for me to get back to you. He opened a portal, and since time in our realm and Edom was a bit wonky, all that time I spent with Ren equated to just a few days to you. Just earlier that day, Ren gave me the flower because he'd proposed and then we started making fun of each other. He gave it as an apology of sorts. I kept it all the time, with me, and then I gave it to you."

Shu smiled. "Those rings you talked about, the one that Namir wants and its opposite with Ren…"

"Wedding rings. It was mostly symbolic, of course, but I wanted to be bound to him in some way. I wanted to know he was mine and mine alone no matter what happened. Even if it was nothing but a title, I wanted to be married to him."

"That's so sweet."

"Yeah, well…we were living happily together when his family showed up, a trio of angels that wanted me dead for some reason. We managed to escape thanks to Ren's brilliance, but we made it through a portal to the mortal world where we ran from angels and demons alike. Eventually, though, we were caught."

"By Namir?"

He nodded. "We were imprisoned for who knows how long, before…well, you know after that. She finally brought us out, said we'd finally be of use. Then I was forced to make that oath for Ren's safety. I can't let him be hurt, he did nothing wrong."

"You're a good person, Kandai."

He nodded. "But no matter how good my intentions, look at everything that I've failed to do. I failed to help you, I failed to help him, and now…"

"You have the chance to do better. We're going to stop Namir and Lilith and you're going to start over. Oh, we're here."

Shu led Kandai into a building. He got a bad feeling, just from being there. This wasn't a place for his angel to be. Shu went up to a woman behind panels of glass or plastic (Kandai couldn't tell) with speakers to allow her to hear people. Kandai wondered how safe that was. What if she ran out of oxygen?

"I'm looking for an inmate," Shu declared.

"State your business," The woman on the other side of the clear wall's voice came through.

Shu held up some papers that Luke had given her, probably for legal matters, and then held up a small golden emblem that must've meant something important, because the woman suddenly jumped to life and got to work on freeing him. Shu was strict and to the point, making sure her intentions were clear and what authority she had even without using her powers. Kandai smiled at seeing what his little girl had grown up to become.

"He'll be out in a few minutes," Shu reported. "They said that he killed a couple of people - one officer who tried to arrest him and then another who tried to take his pet away. They left the pet with him and found him docile, but then an angry cop whose friend Ren had killed allowed a couple of prisoners into his cell to beat him up. They hurt the pet in the process and…well, let's just say that Ren's terrified and there are some murder charges against him."

"That's…bad, right?" Kandai muttered worryingly.

"A little magic and everything returned to normal."

"How?"

"Angels feel the pain of others around them and are compelled to help with their powers. We can manipulate the universe itself if determined enough. I went back and undid the deaths that Ren caused and replaced them with major injuries and simple accidents. He's not being held accountable for anything. He's now being pitied as a man who was tortured and witnessing such violent acts only made him scared. No one knows any different."

"But what about everyone's memories, probably reports that went out-?"

"An angel's abilities allow them to fix nuances. We are very dangerous to the balance of the universe because we can change many, many details that can result in drastic changes. For every blessing, another receives a curse. That's why angels don't come down to Earth unless they have to. We hear all these thoughts about us, every prayer, every insult, every random comment aloud or not. I'm stable because of all the demonic presence in my life, but other angels aren't."

"And Ren's had me…that makes sense."

Doors opened and Ren came out with cuffs on his wrists and a small white and brown speckled fluff animal in his arms. He had a small frown on his face before he saw Kan and then rushed from the two men that were escorting him.

"Kan! You're here!"

"Whoa, sparky, let them take the cuffs off," Shu advised.

One of the men caught up and unlocked the cuffs on Ren's wrists, taking them away and pulling the chain up so it didn't hang.

"Those didn't really serve a purpose, but the humans felt happier when I had them on," Ren whispered.

Kan pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, thank anything that is good out there, you're okay!"

Ren let out a small 'Oomph' before wrapping a single arm around Kan's waist. "I'm glad you're okay too. I'm so glad you're here. I was lost, and people kept talking about me, and my mind hurt, and then I had loud horns in my ears, and then I nearly got shocked by lightning, and then-"

"Whoa, slow down." Kan pulled back and put his hands to Ren's shoulders. "You can tell us all about it once we're somewhere safe."

Ren nodded. "Oh, look! BB must've had descendants. Remember him?"

Kan chuckled. "How could I forget. The little scamp took your attention away from me. He was my competition."

Ren held up the animal in his arms. "Look! It's such a cutie! Poor thing was just as scared and alone as I was. I'm gonna call him Tidus. He looks like a Tidus. Doesn't he?"

"A bunny?"

"BB's great-great-great-something grandchild!"

"That's not a bunny," Shu said in surprise.

"Huh?" Ren asked, his face looking extremely concerned.

"It's a dog. A Shih Tzu."

"What's that?"

"Not a bunny, but another domestic animal that can be trained as a pet."

"How different is a Sh…this thing from a bunny?" Ren asked.

"Not much, depending on how you raise it. They're more active and run around a lot, they're protective and are considered predators, they bark and bite, and they're a bit more demanding of food."

"Bite?!"

Ren dropped the puppy and Shu quickly moved to catch it. "Whoa! Don't worry. This little one doesn't have any teeth to bite with yet, do you, little guy?"

The puppy wiggled its tail and let out a small whimper.

"It makes noises," Ren said. "I thought it was just an evolutionary trait."

"It'll learn to bark one day, but the bark is to alert you of something or try to warn someone that's trying to hurt you to stay away. You make a connection with a dog and they'll bond with you as loyal allies for life. A Shih Tzu won't grow too big, and there are definitely more intimidating dogs, but I think Tidus suits you well."

Ren blinked and reached out. "Can I have him back?"

Shu chuckled. "Sure."

The puppy's tail wagged as Ren took him back into his arms. He made a little yawning noise before falling asleep.

"He's gonna need food. And you're gonna have to potty-train him."

"Huh?" Ren blinked.

"Don't worry, I can teach you."

"Oh, I don't believe we've formally met before. You're a friend of Kan?"

"I'm Asushunamir - Shu."

"Oh! You're that little girl he loves! That was…ages ago. You…you nearly…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he was there that day. I was just so angry and frustrated at my mother that I lashed out, but he got caught in the crossfire."

Ren looked down. "What's done is done. We're all here now. And…Kan…"

"We've got a plan," Kan said. "Sorta. Namir's only given me one order so far: to give her my ring so she's protected from angelic powers."

"She'll be invulnerable to angels, demons, Nephilim, warlocks, Seelies…but not the other deities."

Kan nodded. "A friend of ours has some contacts."

"I have contacts too."

"Come back to my apartment," Shu offered. "It's so far the only safe place we have."

Ren nodded. "If Kan trusts you, then…so do I. Just…"

He held up his hand as a rune blazed to life above his palm. It instantly flew off as a fire message.

"I've got a couple of people who owe me favors."

Shu nodded. "We'll need all the help we can get. Now come. We don't have a lot of time."

When the first thing she saw was a knocked out Jace in the Malachi Configuration and a fully conscious and very confused Alec and Isabelle with a frustrated Magnus, Shu knew that things hadn't gone well.

"What has occurred here?" Ren asked.

"I think it's time for a long story, Ren," Kan sighed, pulling the angel off to Shu's room, the Tidus wiggling his tail excitedly at the new environment.

"Magnus?" Shu asked.

"He used the Malachi Configuration against himself to prevent us from getting inside," Magnus summarized.

"Then I guess we'll need the chains then."

Isabelle gave a wary look. "What chains?"

"The chains that held Ithuriel when he was in Valentine's captivity. What? You keep your spoils of war, I keep mine."

"Is it just me, or are things getting super gloomy?" Val whined as she leaned her head on her palm while watching Shu shuffle around the study.

"That's what happens when you live in a world where things are always dark and gloomy. If you want something interesting, contact those friends of yours and make them show up sooner. Ren has his own contacts getting here, and I swear if his friends get here before yours, your credibility is going to plummet."

She gave a small chuckle. "Ren'ai, huh?"

"You know of him?"

"We met, way back when. It…didn't end too well. I doubt he wants to see me."

"Sounds foreboding. Well, now you've got me interested, how can I not want to know your history with my father-in-law?"

"Aw, that's sweet. Didn't know they were married."

"Yeah, it's cute, but don't change the subject."

She shifted in her seat. "Well, it's complicated. Best to explain it with him. It's his secret to share."

"Then let's go, assuming they're not sleeping together in my room."

"Ew, man, don't go there!"

Shu chuckled. "Didn't peg you for the bashful type."

"It's called respecting the guy that supposed to be your dad."

They headed to Shu's room, seeing Alec, Izzy, and Jace, standing with their eyes rolled back in their heads, Magnus holding his arms out to hold the yellow strands of magic binding them together.

"Does it he need help?" Val asked.

Shu shook her head. "Nah, just wait till he calls out for some assistance. Let the man keep his pride."

Shu knocked on the door to her room.

"Papa! Can we come in?"

"Sure!" Kan called from within.

The two walked in to see Ren sprawled on the bed with Tidus lying next to him sleeping on his back with his paws bent like he was mimicking a T-rex. Kan was sitting backwards in a chair pulled over from the desk, explaining the tale of everything that had happened to the best of his ability.

"And now we're trying to stop Lilith and Namir."

"We should just smite them," Ren said bluntly.

"Unfortunately, none of us are in a good enough position to be doing any smiting."

"What about Ithuriel? Your little Nephilim seem important enough to him that he'd show up with a simple prayer."

"That was a special case. And you know angels, they rarely come down here for anything, and knowing that Lilith is out there now will make even his benevolent little heart cower in heaven."

Ren nodded. "True enough."

"Hey," Shu announced. "So Val wanted to see Ren, and-"

"You!"

Ren shot off the bed at inhuman speeds and had his hands around her neck, slamming her up against the wall. She had her hands on his wrists instinctively, but she didn't try to fight him.

"I see…you're recovering…well…" She choked sarcastically.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa!" "Ren stop it! What are you-?"

"How dare you show your face here?!" Ren spat. "How dare you act like some friend?!"

"Hey!" Shu shouted. "How about we all just calm down? Ren, what is this all about? How do you know Val?"

"Val?" Ren scoffed. "Is that what you're going by now?"

"I told you about her," Kan protested. "Charon's daughter - Valak Mataecharonsan."

"Valak…Valak doesn't have any children, you idiots!"

"It's been many years, Ren-"

"No! The idiot told me that he'd never give any half-breed a fraction of his power because he likes to keep it all to himself."

Val chuckled. "So you've cared enough to remember me? I'm so flattered."

Val phased through Ren's hands, turning to black smoke and falling through him to move and then reform behind him. Ren turned and moved to punch her, but she disappeared and ended up standing just out of range of his hit. She dodged his next punch then caught his wrist from his next before making her hands flash red and shocking Ren, causing him to stagger back and hold his wrist where her handprints had been burned onto his skin.

"Okay, okay, ENOUGH!" Kan snapped. "Would you like explaining what's going on?! I don't like being in the dark here!"

"Val, what the Edom?" Shu demanded.

She rubbed her neck casually. "I told you, we have a history that didn't end well."

"That's the demon who fucking got me banished!" Ren snapped.

"Val is a warlock," Shu said. "You're saying that she's not Charon's daughter, but-"

"A disguise, nothing more. Why put up the charade? Got tired of the story and decided to make things more interesting?"

Val gave a smile that showed she wasn't very broken up about the revelation. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"So what? You're a demon in disguise? I suppose that means your help isn't going to be very helpful huh?"

Now Val looked genuinely upset as her smirk turned into a pout. "My help is very genuine. I've got a guy who's not stingy about light and darkness, angels and demons."

"You guys are pretty slow, huh?" Ren hissed. "That is Valak! Valak the memory demon, and the asshat who tricked me and made me a disgrace to my people and my family! Valak who's been responsible for everything that's happened to me, Kan, and you, Asushunamir! And he is going to die for what he did!"

Falorios had been told that Lilith had returned, but he hardly could believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

The Astrals of Faerie were on the scale of the gods, yet Lilith was something that Falorios knew that he was no match for. He was sure that the higher up Astrals had to know about this, but so far, he was the only one that had shown up upon Lilith's attack on the Seelie Court. Rios could only watch as the Fair Folk warriors were struck down one by one. Though the Seelie Queen put on an air of confidence, she was heartbroken by every death in the name of her protection.

On top of that, there was the freaking queen of the demons, Asushunamir. She had existed long before this and had been known as a threat to the Astrals, but she had remained relatively neutral and harmless in the long run, so they had left her alone. They had known there was a chance that her demonic half could be released, but none of them truly had a plan for it, and the highest of the highest Astrals - the Hexatheon - would only interfere if absolutely necessary. That meant that the world would kinda have to be on the brink of destruction, you know, no big deal or anything.

Overall, Rios had no choice but to hide in the trees and watch, hoping that he could get as much information from the encounter as possible to report about Lilith and Asushunamir's motives. That meant he had to see the faeries slaughtered before him, unable to do anything, and he clenched his fists tightly while cowering in the branches of a tree high above, hoping to heavens his weakness compared to some of the stronger Astrals made his presence undetectable in the natural magic of Faerieland. He was just a moth god, after all. Even if he was seen, what threat could he really be?

"The vampire with the mark," Lilith was saying. "You gave it to him because it's the only thing that can banish me. I want you to remove it."

"There has to be a way, little queen," Namir said, running her hands along the rod with the Mark of Cain on it. "There is always a way, and if anyone would know, it would be the queen of the people who…get around the world, know it's deepest and darkest secrets."

"I gave him the mark because he's a Daylighter," the Seelie Queen corrected. "Seelies have always been the protectors of anything in nature that's special and unique."

"My son is special and unique. And I am his protector. The Mark of Cain, I want it gone!"

The Seelie Queen dropped her gaze for a moment before raising them bravely to Lilith. "There are certain things…that I, too, want gone. Sadly, we don't always get what we want."

"Hmm," Lilith fumed. "Pity. That was the only reason I was playing nice."

She raised her hand a gathered an orb of red magic, which the queen's eyes followed intently. "Do that and you'll never find your precious Owl," She said quickly.

Lilith smashed the orb and allowed it to vanish.

"That's right," The Seelie Queen continued, knowing she had found her weak spot. "I know where he is."

"Would everyone please calm down?!" Shu shouted. "No more fighting! No more anger and stuff! We have enough shit to deal with right now!"

She grabbed Ren and pulled him away.

"Shu!" Magnus's strained voice called from the living room.

"Oh, what now?"

She opened the door and went stomping down the hallway.

Val took Kandai's hand and slipped something into his palm. "Hold on to this for me, will ya? Do with it what you think is right."

She rushed after Shu as Ren hurried over to Kandai and pried his fist open to see that Val had given him a ring - Kandai's ring, which could transform angelic energy into demon-safe energy. The very ring Namir would need to become nearly invincible.

Meanwhile, Shu was surprised to find Lilith holding Magnus up in a chokehold with her magic, Alec, Jace, and Izzy knocked out on the floor.

"If I didn't fear starting a war with your father, I would happily oblige."

"Let him go!"

She held her hands out as her eyes glowed white and her hands shot out a blast of angelic energy. Lilith dropped Magnus to turn and hold her hand out, easily blocking the weak attack.

"You're a pathetic counterpart to our dear queen."

"She weakens herself," Namir stated smugly. "She's afraid of herself, and her powers. A pity. You could do so much if you just let go."

She held out her hand and Shu felt an overwhelming burst of power, more than she could handle at once. Her vision went white, her body burned, and she knew she was losing herself to her angelic side. The humanity was dissolving within her, bit by bit.

"I've got her!"

Val turned to smoke, flying forward and into Shu's glowing white form and darkening her back to normal levels. She choked, her eyes still glowing white, but then her eyes fell closed and she passed out on the carpet, joining the numerous bodies sprawled on the floor of Magnus's apartment.

"You pathetic traitor," Namir hissed.

She took a step closer and Shu's body flared white from an overload of angelic power once more, Val fighting to keep it contained. Ren came down the hall next, his puppy at his feet, as he kneeled beside Shu and put his hands on her shoulder to roll her onto her back.

"Hold on."

He closed his eyes before opening them to reveal the glowing blue-white pupils of an angel. Shu began to spasm, a snake of white energy escaping from her mouth and flowing into Ren's, causing his body to illuminate dimly and grow brighter and brighter with each second.

"You stay out of this, angel!" Namir snapped.

Ren was suddenly pulled up from the ground, his puppy barking madly in protest and jumping in the hopes of reaching him. His absorption of Shu's overload of angelic power was halted and Ren began to spasm in the air, though not from Lilith but from his own overload, unable to handle Shu's levels of power, even when he had barely absorbed any of it in comparison to the whole.

"Stop it! Stop it, I have what you want!"

Kandai rushed in, holding up his ring in defense. Namir's eyes locked onto it and she dropped her hands, Ren falling to the carpet and Shu's convulsions stopping.

"I have what you want, now leave them alone," Kandai demanded.

Namir flicked her hand and the ring shot into her palm. "Thanks, Pops. Have fun with your little toy, for as long as he lasts."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I did nothing to him. He was the one that chose to take upon him a power that he knew he could never fully comprehend. How he's paying the price for it. I can't harm him, I planned to only do things to all of your little buddy buds. But I suppose this will have to do. If he makes it, we'll be in touch, Kandai. If he doesn't, well…just remember, he has no one to blame but himself."

Magnus rushed forward, despite still regaining his breath from being suffocated, and tried to stop Lilith as she broke the chains on Jace's wrists and grabbed him. Lilith reeled on him immediately, throwing him back against the wall and looming above him.

"Do not push your luck, warlock," She spat. "I may not be able to kill you…" She held her hand out and Alec and Izzy seized up and screamed as they were wrapped in her magic aura. "…but I don't think your daddy dearest cares too much about some insignificant little Nephilim."

Meanwhile, Falorios landed on the balcony, unnoticed in all the commotion, and sighed. "Why me, Shiva? Why me?"

She released a glowing lavender moth from his palm and let it fly up to the roof to hide. He then released another moth into the room, while Lilith's back was turned, distracted with Magnus, Alec, and Isabelle, and while Namir was slipping her new ring on her middle finger and shrinking it to fit, admiring the new accessory. The moth flew towards Jace Herondale before disappearing inside his chest with a small glow that faded. Rios then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his physical form disappearing as he entered the soul of Jace.

"Shall we be going, dear Lily?" Namir smirked, turning and walking over to Jace and lifting him.

Lility released Alec and Izzy, following after Namir as they disappeared before Magnus could even think about trying to stop them. Alec and Izzy slowly picked themselves up, breathing hard, and looked around to find only silence.

Magus took deep breaths, his hand at his throat. "I'm sorry," He whispered, the words almost as painful as the aftereffects of his magical chokehold. "I couldn't stop her."

Alec and Izzy slumped in defeat, the former punching the carpet in rage.

"Ren. Ren!"

Kandai kneeled beside his limp form, cupping his face, his eyes open and still glowing, pulsing and flickering.

Val's black smoke floated out of Shu, reforming into the girl herself, kneeling on the floor coughing and regaining her breath. "Never wanna do that again…"

Shu's power levels began to return to normal, but that left her limbs feeling like jelly as she tried to sit up. Val hurried over and helped her sit against the wall despite her own exhaustion, and she quickly took the opportunity to plop down next to her.

"We lost…" Shu muttered, her voice cracking. "I lost…"