I am trying to pump out these chapters but it hurts to watch the series. Since the show is leaving Hulu in a little under two weeks, I'm gonna have to hurry and finish if I want to be able to document this all, so time to subject myself to pain for the sake of fishing this damn story. I'm sorry if I've become a little pissed at the show, but I do intend to finish this, if just to get it over with. I love Shadowhunters, but I love the books more than the show. I question why movies and shows can't just follow the damn source material. Is it some kind of copyright issue? Because as a writer, if someone portrayed by content wrong when giving it visuals, I'd get uber pissed. I think I recently read that Rick Riordan doesn't like the movies from the PJO series any more than we do. Castlevania is the one show that I've seen that does a great job of taking a videogame and making it into a great Netflix show. There might be others, but that's the most recent one that comes to mind that I've been into.
Anyway, back to Shadowhunters.
Enjoy :P
Kandai wiped a cold wet towel across Ren's forehead as he shifted on the couch. The angel was quiet, but he was gritting his teeth and sweating from a strain.
"Idiot," Kandai muttered. "You shouldn't have done that. Your Mark of Cain only protects you from outside harm, not self-inflicted harm."
Ren had explained during their recap how he hadn't killed anyone during his time on the run - the Mark of Cain had protected him. Even the men in the prison hadn't been able to do him any harm; he backed away and cowered in an attempt to protect them from themselves. It had only been when Tidus the puppy had been injured that Ren had taken the offensive.
Said puppy was now pawing at Ren and whimpering, as though maybe if he touched him one more time, he'd wake back up.
Kandai leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on the angel's lips. "You've gone through enough, love. Pull a stunt like this again and I'll lock you up in our pocket dimension with just me and only me to keep you company." Tidus let out a small, high-pitched bark of protest. "And Tidus too." He chuckled lightly. "Then again, it couldn't keep you contained the first time, could it? You should consider not running head first into danger anymore, even if it's for my sake. Let a Greater Demon keep his pride. Well, I suppose I'm a hypocrite for saying that, but I'm the demon. I'm supposed to be the flawed one in this relationship."
Ren did not respond.
"Come on, Ren, you can't leave me now. I just got you back, idiot."
He gripped Ren's hand tightly. Ren's skin was burning up with angelic energy, but Kan resolved that he wasn't letting go. If Ren was in pain, it was only fair that Kan shared it.
"Come back to me. Please."
Isabelle grimly picked up the broken chains that had once held Jace.
Behind her, Alec sat on the couch, his hand squeezed in a tight fist. "He begged us."
Izzy fiddled with the chains as though they could give her a way to summon her lost brother back to them. Magnus grimly closed the balcony doors and locked them as Alec stood from the couch.
"He begged us to kill him."
"All the terrible things Lilith made Jace do…" Izzy began, unable to finish. She tossed the chains to the floor with a clink and stood straight. "He said if she takes him back, she'd make him do much worse."
"And now Lilith has him again," Val sighed redundantly, running her hands through her hair. "Just like he said she would."
Alec shook his head angrily. "We promised him we wouldn't let her take him back."
"You did all you could," Magnus said, knowing the words were empty.
Alec shared a mournful glance with Izzy. "We promised him," He repeated.
Izzy took deep breaths, fighting back tears.
"We'll get him back," Shu declared. "We have to. I have to stop her, I have to accept her."
"You're better than her," Val insisted. "You went without her for this long."
"She's drained every bit of human out of me, burned it away, rather. All I know is that I have to win. I have to win against evil. I'm no longer a protector. I am only a warrior. And I suppose that's exactly what she wanted from me."
"For what? To make her fight you fair and square? What does she have to gain?"
"She'll make us fight to infinity, or she'll simply keep me as a toy to play with. To show she is superior, to show that I am a lesser half. Or she'll take my power from me when I am at my peak, and leave me with nothing but the fraction of human left, too small and too broken to be much of anything on my own.
"Or maybe you can win, angel. The two of you were once one person, meaning if you combine, at the very least, we can stop Namir from helping Lilith. At best we get you in your full form on our side."
"How are we supposed to get her back with me?"
Val sat forward on the couch. "You are supposed to be complete opposites, right? But there has to be something that you have in common."
Shu was silent for a long time. "Confusion, perhaps."
"Confusion?"
"We don't know why we exist, what we're supposed to do. We can fight, but what do we fight for? We fight for light and we hate it. We fight for darkness and it's boring. Even if one side or the other wins, what's the point? What's the point of us? Why are we so powerful, why are we a success? And what are we in this world for, if not to destroy it all to stop the fighting and pain permanently?"
Val reached over and took Shu's hand. "Why are any of us in this world, sweetheart? Because we have to fight for a happy ending. It's not easy, it takes time and there's gonna be a lot of trial and error, so only the strongest are able to do the right thing and not give in because the fight's hard."
Val stood from the couch. "We have work to do. "This fight's not over, and until it is, we better be kicking and screaming until the end. I don't plan to go silently into that good night, and neither should any of you."
Magnus knocked on the door of the Head's room in the Institute where Isabelle and Alec were talking. The Clave, understandably, had shut Alec out of anything involving Clary, so his status as Head of the New York Institute didn't mean much in this case compared to the whole of the Clave and the Consul.
"Sorry to…interrupt," Magnus said, obviously taking a few seconds to form the words for that sentence.
Alec clasped his hands behind his back formally. "Magnus."
"And Shu."
He pointed a finger to where Shu was leaning against the doorway with her eyes closed. There was a high chance that she was actually fully asleep standing up.
"Looks like someone needs a coffee," Izzy commented.
"Oh, no thank you," Magnus waved dismissively. He sauntered in stiffly as though he had to concentrate on moving each of his limbs separately. "I already had six. Shu?"
"I don't drink coffee," Shu said. "Besides, I don't think there's anything strong enough for an angelic hangover."
"I'm guessing you haven't let Magnus try to make you something?"
"Cayenne pepper and dragon's blood," Magnus said.
"That would wake the dead up," Alec recognized.
"Necromancy is illegal," Shu pointed out.
"So," Magnus continued. "We were up all night dealing with…fun stuff. Ren's somewhat stabilized, and I've been researching the dark magic that Lilith has been using on Jace. I may have found a way to free him."
"What?" Alec snapped. "How?"
"Based on your descriptions, it seems that Lilith has Jace locked in some kind of a…mental cage, and the only solution is breaking that cage by blasting Jace with enough magic to…eviscerate her presence."
"Do you have the power to do that?"
"No. But I will. In the Book of the White, I found a synthesis spell that'll allow me to temporarily channel the magic of other warlocks."
"How many warlocks?" Izzy asked.
"I'll…need at least about a dozen to match Lilith's strength. Luckily we have a lot of people willing free of charge as our friends, and the rest we can call in some favors. This should work. There's just…one tiny catch."
"We'll need the High Warlock's permission to organize something on this scale."
"Such bull," Val called from the doorway. "But I think we might be able to manage it. Oh, and also, my friend finally got here. He has some news for us about Clary."
Rios had never really wanted to know what the inside of a Nephilim Institute looked like. He certainly hadn't planned for his first trip to be here, inside a creepy nightmarish version of an Institute trying to find Jace Herondale.
"Jonathan Herondale~!" He called, his voice echoing in a place that really shouldn't echo.
He hoped to any of the benevolent gods that Ace got his message.
He looked inside a room and found a crap ton of murdered red-heads. Actually, they were all the same girl upon closer inspection. But there was no one in the room. Rios gladly put the room behind him and continued down the winding halls. He knew that he was an Astral, but then again, a moth god was never something to brag about. He had never been a strong Astral, at best he could fly away and turn into a bunch of moths to avoid any hits, he could stay hidden, he had made friends with other Astrals, and of course, he had the infinitely more powerful Ace on his side.
But he was alone right now, and the only hope for Jace retaining his wits within this labyrinth.
When Rios heard the sobbing, he knew that he was getting close. He hurried down the halls, feeling a live soul within the darkness, and found a music room where a blonde guy Rios recognized as Jace cowering in a corner.
"Don't worry, kid, I can protect you."
Rios spread his large moth wings that normally hung behind him like a thin cape. His lavender wings illuminated and a swarm of moths exploded out to consume the entire room, grabbing Jace and blocking him off from Lilith's dark world. They ended up in an energy bubble surrounded by Rios's moths. Through it, Lilith's messed up Institute dark world could be seen around them, cut off by the bubble.
Now, Lilith had full control of Jace's body, but she could do nothing to his soul. Of course, now Jace and Rios were stuck here until Lilith's presence was vanquished.
"She took them all away…" Jace muttered. "Clary…mom, dad, Max…then Alec and Izzy…"
Rios put his hand on Jace's shoulder. "They're coming for you. I promise. They will do everything in their power to make sure that she can never hurt you again."
Rios looked to the outside of the bubble, the dark world outside shifting chaotically.
"Hurry, Ace."
Jace walked into the new apartment that Lilith had transported her base of operations to. He was covered in blood, which he should really consider washing off.
"The weapon you requested."
He handed a large duffle bag to Namir, who took it with glee. "This should keep Simy-Simon busy for a few days."
"And keep the Mark of Cain far from Jonathan's rebirth."
Namir set the large duffle bag down and unzipped it. Inside was revealed to be a girl curled in the fetal position, a vampire, to be precise.
"Wake up," Lilith said.
She gasped to life and sat up, looking around to first be greeted by Lilith and Namir's smiling faces.
"Where the hell am I?" The vampire hissed, climbing out of the duffle bag and to her feet.
"Somewhere safe," Lilith assured her. "You're okay now."
The vampire paced before reeling on Lilith. "I'm not okay. I was walking with the Praetors and that guy killed them and then stuffed me into a duffle bag."
She pointed an accusing finger at Jace, who was fingering a bloody silver chain.
"He saved your life," Lilith assured her.
"You're welcome," Jace smirked.
"Our apologies for the…rough mode of transport, but we know that you didn't inherit your Sire's immunity to sunlight."
Lilith turned away to walk towards the balcony, but now she had the vampire's interest. "My Sire? Wait…you know Simon?"
"The Daylighter recently killed two of my progeny."
The girl smiled as though Lilith had told a bad joke. "Oh, that doesn't sound like my Simon."
Lilith simply smiled and turned back to her. "I know that you loved Simon, that you've devoted yourself to him. And he promised to protect you, only to send you away."
"How do you know that?" The vampire asked quietly, her voice on the verge of breaking.
"I know a great many things."
She shook her head. "Well, he thought that, um…" She ran her hand through her curly hair. "He thought that I was out of control."
"As opposed to under his?" The vampire hesitated and dropped her hand. Lilith stepped forward. "My ex once told me the same thing. And I wanted to change to please him. Just like you. But…then I realized that no woman should ever…kneel to a man."
The vampire girl smiled. "Yeah, well damn right."
"He just doesn't appreciate the bond that you have. But you can change that."
"I can?" The vampire asked eagerly.
"Oh yes." Lilith took a step forward and brushed the girl's hair out of the way. "Do as I say, and Simon will kneel to you."
The vampire smiled, listening intently.
"I believe introductions are in order," Namir announced. "I am Asushunamir. You?"
The vampire girl shook her hand. "Heidi."
"Nice to meet you, Heidi. It's a pleasure to be working with you."
"So…this, is your friend that's supposed to save the day?"
The man standing in Magnus's apartment at the balcony looked more like Azazel than anything else, standing all tall and proud in a suit with a drink in his hand.
"He's an expert," Val nodded.
Ace listened intently to the wind for a moment before shaking his head. "Wonderful…"
"Something wrong?" Val called.
Ace sauntered back inside and set his glass down on the table. "A Necromian just sent out the world. Clarissa Fairchild has illegally used a necromancy rune."
"There's such a thing?" Magnus asked.
"Normally it's reserved only for the highest of the highs - angels themselves. Thanks to Ithuriel's gift of giving her access to all angelic runes available to Nephilim, she's done something forbidden."
"Well who did she bring back?"
"Someone that apparently no one in the Astral realm is happy to see again: Valentine Morgenstern."
The mood in the room instantly darkened.
Then, a phone rang. Magnus reached into his pocket with a finger held up to excuse himself.
"What would make Clary do that?" Val asked. "Stupid girl, I knew she'd be an eternal pain in my side."
"She's under the hold of the Clave," Shu pointed out. "They do stupid things all the time, and with Clary under sentence for a whole myriad of things, she could easily be convinced that her only chance of living is to do what they ask."
"So why would the Clave want Valentine revived?"
"Well he did once summon her before," Ace jumped in.
The two women looked at him.
"What? It can't be a big secret? Can it?"
"First I've heard," Val admitted. "The whispers at the top hardly carry to the bottom, it seems."
"Well in the Astral world rumors get around. Long ago, Valentine Morgenstern summoned Lilith and made a deal with her - a vial of her blood in exchange for a son."
"Jonathan was sent to Edom by Valentine," Shu realized. "I had a dream, of being Namir. When Jonathan Morgenstern arrived, she wanted to burn him a thousand times over, said that the only way to prove yourself in Edom was to earn your beauty through pain."
Magnus came back into the room, holding his phone. "Good news. Alec managed to convince Lorenzo to approve."
Shu stood. "We should draw up a list and send out the fire messages."
Magnus nodded and the two of them headed to the workshop.
"You still haven't told her yet, have you?" Ace said.
"About what?" Val demanded.
"About Valak?"
"I am Valak."
"The same way you're his daughter?"
She shoved past him harshly and moved to follow Shu and Magnus, but she stopped with her back still turned to him. "I'll tell them, all right? Just that I'm not entirely Valak, but not the rest. Look, I called you here to help. So are you going to help or not?"
Ace frowned, a small lavender moth landing on his shoulder from outside. "A friend of mine came to help, now Lilith has him too. I have just as much to lose as you do."
"Then let's get to work, oh great Astral."
"Don't get cheeky with me. I'm still more powerful than you."
"Whatever, little brother."
Magnus was so distracted in his task, crossing off another name on the list, that he nearly threw a fire message right at Cat as she walked in.
"Oh! Caterina! Apologies. I'm just sending out my instructions for the synthesis spell. I'm halfway through my Rolodex."
"Magnus…"
Cat walked up with a hesitant step.
Magnus frowned. "Oh, I know that face. What is it?"
"Lorenzo forbade the warlocks from participating in your spell. And he asked the High Council to do the same."
"Why?"
"He didn't say. He just threatened to send anyone who disobeys to the dungeons of the Spiral Labyrinth."
Magnus pursed his lips and smashed his hand on the table. "At least I can count on you."
Caterina shook her head. "Normally, I would risk prison for you. I wouldn't be the first time. But…I can't bear the thought of leaving Madzie alone. I'm so sorry."
Magnus gave an exasperated face. "Don't be." He smiled up at her. "Sweat Pea needs you." Caterina gave a regretful face. "This is Lorenzo's fault."
"We both know if the warlocks can't give you the power that you need, there's someone else who can."
"No." He shook his head and turned to her. "No! His help always comes at a price. I'm not that desperate."
"So what are you gonna do?" Cat demanded.
"I'm going to talk some sense into the High Warlock of Brooklyn."
"You've reached the voicemail of Magnus Bane. Please don't leave a message at the tone. I'm centuries old, and even I think it's outdated."
"Christe," Shu cursed.
"Do you always speak in Latin when you're upset?" Val asked. "In all honesty, it's kinda cute."
"He's been gone for hours. You don't know how frustrating it is to have lost a connection between someone that allows you to know where they are always before suddenly being in the dark."
"I'm sure he'll be back," Kandai said.
Shu sighed. "You shouldn't have to be comforting me here. I'm the one that should be comforting you." She put her hand on Ren's. "This is my fault."
"He was trying to save you, thought that he could absorb some of your overload. But he's too weak. He hasn't been exposed to the powers of Heaven for millennia now."
"Ace is working on a way to help him. He's an alchemist too, so he's bound to be done in a flash."
"And that Jace boy? The one you all worked so hard to save?"
"Ace says that a friend of his is trapped in there with Jace, trying to save him in his mind. He'll be damned if he's gonna let that sit."
"But does he have the power to counter Lilith?"
"I honestly don't know. I don't think that he knows, either."
Val shook her head. "He brags about being strong, and he is, but in the long run, he's still considered an outcast of the Astrals for personal reasons. He can counter Namir. Namir and Lilith together? Now that's a stretch."
"Then how is he useful to us?"
"He's the only Astral willing to help. As far as the others are concerned, they'll only interfere when the world is already being destroyed, not a moment sooner. Until then, humans and stuff are expected to handle things."
Shu sighed. "Great."
The door to Magnus's apartment slapped shut and Shu raised her head quickly. She rushed out of her room and down the hall only to find Magnus walking out to the balcony, gripping the concrete separating him from the city with his head down, taking deep breaths.
"I think he needs some Alec time," Val advised. "Let's make a phone call."
"Right."
Alec slowly walked through the living room and joined Magnus on the balcony. Magnus wasn't keen on making the first move, so Alec did.
"You okay?"
"It's been a day," Magnus said simply.
"Yeah. We have no leads on Lilith or Jace. No word on Clary beyond that hell is going down." Alec frowned. "Is something burning?"
Magnus's eyes widened and he moved a hand to his hair. "It's…me. Things got a little heated during my talk with Lorenzo." Alec gave a knowing face but didn't say anything. "I'm afraid the warlocks are not an option."
Alec leaned his arms on the cement railing in front of him, his hands clasped together. "So that's it. Jace is trapped in his own personal hell, and I can't get him out." Alec stood straight. "He asked me to kill him, and I was too selfish to listen."
Magnus took his hand quickly. "Alexander stop."
Alec shook his head. "I have to kill Jace. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let anyone else do it."
He turned and began to storm off, but Magnus spoke up. "There's still a way for me to obtain enough power to cure him."
Alec turned back and walked up eagerly. "What? What is it?"
"My father."
"Asmodeus," Alec remembered.
Magnus nodded. "I have a way to contact him and request his help. It's the only option we have left."
"It's been hundreds of years since you banished your father," Alec said. "What makes you think he'll even listen to your request?"
"Demons are weird," Ace said. "He might listen to his son, if his son puts up a good enough offer."
"He's a bastard, but demons can be predictable," Shu popped in, spreading the last of the ingredients to make the pentagram. "Suffering makes him happy, especially human suffering. The desperation to end suffering makes him willing to make deals. You never know what a man like that is thinking, except that he likes to be the one in charge. Besides, I have some choice words for him, and some questions I need to be answered."
"Let's just say he owes us one," Magnus said.
Alec eyed the keris that Magnus had on a desk, the weapon that his mother had killed herself with. "For what happened with your mother?"
"That…and for everything in the years that followed. I was living on the streets. I didn't know who or what I was. Asmodeus took me in, nurtured my darker impulses…and taught me the…'proper' way to be a warlock. By the time I was your little brother's age I was lying and cheating, I was threatening people and crushing others under my heel. And don't even get me started on what he did to Shu. Then, he brought us together for his own little project."
"And why'd you listen to him?" Alec asked.
Magnus shook his head. "Because he was the only one in the world with eyes like me. He was my father. He was all I had."
Alec sighed. "Look, at least give me the time to call in back-up from the Institute. We don't even have Lilith under control. Another Greater Demon gets loose, it could put the whole city at risk."
Magnus stood. "Fortunately for the good people of New York, my father won't be traveling top-side."
Shu finished up the pentagram and set the jar on the table. "Ready spaghetti."
"What aren't you telling me?" Alec demanded.
Ace stepped forward. "This little pentagram here isn't for summoning Asmodeus to Earth. Those kinds require much more than this. It's for sending someone to Edom."
"In this case, me," Magnus admitted.
Alec stepped forward. "Absolutely not!"
"We need my father's help," Magnus insisted. "And…the cell service down there is terrible."
"This isn't funny!"
"Would you prefer I act as terrified as I feel right now?"
"This is insane."
Magnus took a deep breath, walking around the pentagram to be in front of Alec, their eyes locking. "Tell me Jace isn't worth it."
Alec's eyes dropped and Magnus gave a small, sad smile, knowing that he had his answer. "Let's get this over with."
Val walked into the room, dressed in a new black hunter's outfit that would've easily gotten her mistaken for a Shadowhunter had she any runes on her arms. She had a jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows over a tank top that hugged her form. Her hair was pulled back in a tight braid on her shoulder, she wore fingerless gloves, combat boots, and combat pants with numerous pockets.
"I'm coming too."
"You can't," Shu snapped. "The summoning circle will only send one."
"Not if we amp up the power just a bit. No risks, just making it so that it can send two people rather than one."
"I'd hardly call that no risks."
Val gave a small smile. "You can't go to Edom with your brother because you're too angelic, sweetheart. Let me protect him for you."
"You haven't even told me who you really are if you're not Charon. You haven't told me what happened to Charon even though you have to know. You haven't told me why you were posing as his daughter, how the hell you're supposed to be helping me, and why you're even still here! On top of that, you're the one who tricked Ren and got him banished, the one who stole the ingredients from the angels to make me!"
"Meaning that your father trusts me. Meaning I have a better chance at helping him if things go south. Two people are better than one, and I'm going with him or he's not going at all and you'll have to be the reason that we don't find a way to save that Jace boy."
"We could always try smiting him with the power of the gods and hope that it doesn't kill him," Ace thew out.
"Ha, ha," Val said sarcastically. "As if you could call in a smite even if that was an option and even if Jace could survive."
Ace shrugged. "Worth mentioning."
"She has a point, Shu," Magnus interjected. "I wouldn't say that having her there makes me any worse off."
"Magnus-"
"You and I don't have a soul bond, Shu. I know you want to protect me, and you should know that I want to protect you - I want to listen to you and say that you and I are thinking the same thoughts as always. But we're not. And if we ever want to win this, have that feeling back, we need all the help we can get at this point."
Shu stared at Magnus for a long moment before scoffing and turning away, standing at the edge of the room with her arms crossed, leaning against the bookcase. "Fine, do what you want."
Val nodded. "Let's get this over with."
She snapped her fingers and summoned a cyan wave of magic that she spread out over the pentagram to light it. Magnus did the same and added a wave of red magic to hers, causing the two colors to mix together. With a flick of their wrists, the pentagram was set ablaze with flames of red and cyan together.
Val took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"You better make it back, Val," Shu warned, "or I'll drag you back from Hell and kill you to send you back permanently. I still wanna know who you are."
Val smiled. "Duly noted."
Alec grabbed Magnus's arm and turned him around. "You're gonna make it back. You hear me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Magnus said with a smile, putting his hand to Alec's neck. "Look what I have waiting for me."
Alec leaned in for a kiss before Magnus pulled himself away and stepped into the flames with Val.
She took his hands. "Brace yourself. Then pour everything you have into the pentagram."
Magnus looked out to Alec, straining under the heat of the flames. "I love you, Alexander."
"I love you too."
"Don't you dare die Magnus!" Shu called. "Or else Lilith will be the least of New York's problems."
The heat of the flames increased and both Val and Magnus strained, grunting in pain as the heat consumed them. With one final shout, they fell to their knees, the eldritch flames flared, and then snapped out, the two warlocks disappearing with the inferno.
Magnus and Val found themselves in the barren landscape of Edom, tinted a shade of murky orange. The earth was like a desert, the skies filled with clouds, thunder, and demons of Edom.
"Look," Val announced.
Magnus looked to where she was pointing: there was a house in the distance, something that looked very out of place in a world where no civilization might appear.
"We're on the outskirts of Edom," Val said. "The city could be days from here."
"We don't have that kind of time," Magnus announced.
"I know. Which means that place is our best bet to find him."
Magnus let out a sigh. "What are we waiting for then?"
As it turned out, the house was a lot nicer than they had expected. It was fully furnished, candelabras were lit all around, and it wasn't in total disarray. Yeah, it still looked like a haunted house straight out of Dracula, but combined with the eternal tangerine hue outside, it was well lit and better than nothing. Well, it had no roof and was littered with books like a librarian's worst nightmare, but hey, this was Edom, no one ever said things were perfect.
Magnus and Val shared a glance before stepping into the room.
"I feel as though this place has gone a bit downhill since the last time I was here," Val muttered. "Unless it's just a piece of this place and the rest we can't see."
"That's comforting," Magnus muttered.
"Who dares enter the lair of Asmodeus unannounced?" A man's voice said, much more soothing and even…normal sounding for a guy who's so threatening as to be a Prince of Hell.
Magnus and Val looked around before Val's face hardened. "Always like making an entrance, don't you?"
They turned to find a man resembling Magnus heavily, both in age, and his face. He looked Asian, holding himself with an air of confidence and threat, his hair longer than Magnus's with significantly less glitter and sweeping down to his shoulders. In his left hand was a cane that went down to the floor, one that he may have been using because it was a part of his look. Both of them doubted he actually needed the thing. Right? He wore a formal outfit that fit the time period of the building, no doubt, and upon seeing the two, his head tilted slightly in interest.
"Be still my beating heart," Asmodeus exclaimed in a voice that resembled Magnus's. He stalked forward, using his cane. "Is that my beautiful boy…or do my eyes deceive me?"
His eyes flashed as he grinned to reveal his cat eyes while Magnus's own eyes widened as Asmodeus went in for a hug.
"Hello, Father," Magnus said awkwardly.
When Asmodeus pulled back, he studied Magnus almost like a real father would. Or possibly how one would admire a precious diamond on display at an auction. "My son. Magnus Bane." Asmodeus began to circle Magnus as Magnus made a face of endearment. "High Warlock of Greenwich…" Magnus opened his mouth, but decided against it since he technically wasn't a High Warlock anymore and considered the ramifications of telling his father that he wasn't one and risking his anger. "…here in Edom."
"Not that it matters anymore, but…I was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, not Greenwich."
Asmodeus chuckled. "Well, you'll have to forgive me for being out of touch. It's not like you write. Or call. Or perform the occasional blood sacrifice. At least your sister was here, or a part of her at least. How is our dear Asushunamir right now? Causing havoc as always, I assume?"
Val pursed her lips. "Things are pretty hectic, yes."
Asmodeus smiled and her. "Why, my dear Valaeyasha. I was expecting you much sooner than this after what happened to Valak."
"What did happen to Valak? I've been trying so hard to figure it out."
"Perhaps you might know one day, Valaeyasha. As for you, Magnus, I can only assume your presence here means you've finally come to your senses."
"About what?"
"Banishing the only person who ever truly cared for you."
Magnus couldn't fight the smile that formed upon his lips. "You think I came here to apologize?"
"A demon can hope, can't he? I plucked you from obscurity, and poverty, and turned you into the man that you are today."
"I'm the man I am today because I finally saw you for what you really are," Magnus snapped. "A Prince of Hell."
"You didn't seem to mind at the time."
"I didn't know any better!" Magnus locked eyes with his father, taking a bold step forward. "There isn't a single thing from our years together that doesn't make my skin crawl." Asmodeus's jaw tightened and he dropped his gaze, turning away. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but…you'll get no apology from me."
"Then why have you come here?" Asmodeus turned back to Magnus, his cane dug into the floor. "Why re-open this wound?"
Magnus lowered his head, knowing that this wasn't a very good way to start when asking someone for help - ya know, angering them and declaring that you would never be what they wanted and give you what they wanted because they were kinda evil and stuff. The usual. Magnus put his hands together and tried to come off as more placating.
"I came here…to ask you for your assistance."
Predictably, Asmodeus was not appeased. "A FAVOR?!"
Magnus was thrown back by a blast of magic, barely managing to stay on his feet.
"After coming into my home and insulting me like this?! What kind of fool do you take me for?"
Magnus took a deep breath as he regained his footing and was allowed to stand straight again. He walked forward the distance that he'd been pushed back, trying to pick his words carefully. He didn't want to anger Asmodeus any more than he had to, but at the same time, showing weakness would get him nowhere. He needed to come off as strong and hope to Edom that it made Asmodeus respect him rather than hate him.
"The kind…whose love for his chosen son might outweigh his pride."
Asmodeus was silent, half interested as Magnus explained the situation to him. He even picked up one of the numerous books scattered about the place, setting his cane aside to read it.
"Just a little demonic power to help free my friend, that's all I'm asking!"
Asmodeus didn't take the eyes off his book. "Why would I ever give you the means by which Lilith could be banished back here to lord over us all?" He shut his book, dropping it aside on a desk full of them, and retook his cane. "Edom may not be Marseille, but it's a hell of a lot less miserable with her gone."
Magnus had no good answer, thinking as hard as he could, but Asmodeus had a point. Magnus had nothing to offer in his deal - Asmodeus helped for no payback except the downside of Lilith returning to pester him again. Though the two might have been known as ruling Edom together, Lilith was a thorn in even Asmodeus's side.
Magnus sighed. "Name your price."
Asmodeus looked down in consideration. "'There is a time…when we all must return to live in the houses of our fathers.' Rule beside me."
Magnus pursed his lips angrily and scoffed. "I never should have come."
He moved to leave, but Asmodeus spoke up. "Say what you will about the time we spent together, but you have to admit, you enjoyed every minute of it."
"I was a child," Magnus hissed. He took a deep breath and turned around. "Father…I have never once come here to ask you for anything. There must be something else I can give you."
Asmodeus tilted his head in consideration and a smile crept into his face. "Actually, my son…there is."
Val looked to Magnus cautiously. And when Asmodeus named his price, Magnus accepted with only a small moment's hesitation.
"Lilith's hiding in a mundane building?" Alec asked incredulously.
"Yes," Maryse said over the phone. "The trail led us here."
"She's trying to put as many bodies as possible between her and anyone with a mind to stop her," Luke guessed.
"It's smart," Shu admitted, grabbing a seraph blade and causing it to instantly glow bright enough to convince her to set it back down again. "Namir's probably watching happily from above the city."
"Any word from Magnus and Val?" Luke asked.
Alec sighed. "We might be on our own."
"I'm sure Magnus is just waiting to make some sort of dramatic entrance," Maryse assured him.
"Yeah," Alec sighed quietly. "Let's hope so."
"Thanks for the intel," Shu said into Alec's phone. "We'll call Izzy. She and Simon will meet us there."
"Bring me a blade," Mayrse called.
Alec sighed. "Mom…I'm gonna ask you to sit this one out."
She scoffed. "Against the Queen of Hell?! You're gonna need all the help you can get."
"Please, mom. For me. For Izzy. For Max. Let us do the heavy lifting."
"We pull this off, Jace is gonna need you," Luke agreed.
There was a long pause, but the deep sigh that came through the phone indicated she had given in.
"Simon's been in the building forever," Alec announced. "What's taking him so long?"
"Alec, it's a high rise," Izzy reminded him.
"He's faster than going in and checking manually," Shu pointed out.
Just as she finished saying that, Simon returned in a flash. "Sorry. I tried to get as close as I could without anyone noticing, but…my vamp ears couldn't hear Clary inside anywhere."
"Well this is definitely the right place," Ace announced. "I mean look at the rooftop."
"I don't see anything," Simon said, looking to the top of the building.
"You'd need to be able to see magical energies. Lilith's concealing her location, logical move, but when you block out magic with a barrier, you can still tell where it is based on the hole that it leaves. If you can see everywhere except a certain location, that's probably what you're looking for. Not to mention that this place is heavily warded, man. You Nephies have a rune for it, don't you?"
Izzy nodded and took out her stele, activating a rune on the back of her wrist.
"What does that one do?" Simon asked.
"Spiritum," Alec explained. "It allows you to see currents of supernatural energy. So if we can't see the shark in the ocean-"
"-you can still see the waves it makes," Izzy finished.
Simon nodded, sort of understanding their point. Izzy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them again and looking at the building with a shine in her eyes.
"Lilith has portal wards on the perimeter…" Izzy rose her head up the side of the building. "And she's redirected ley lines to the top floor." She blinked and staggered slightly, her eyes returning to normal. "I've never seen magic that strong."
"Dark magic mixed and augmented with natural magic," Ace agreed. "It packs a punch for mortal eyes."
"With or without Magnus and Val, we have to get Clary out of there."
"Look, Lilith's gonna throw everything she has at us," Luke reminded them. "Including Jace."
"For the record, I'd rather not vaporize Jace if he tries to kill me," Simon announced. "But I can't control how this thing works, or the fact that he'll probably try to kill me during the fight."
"The Mark of Cain inflicts damage to those who try to harm you," Shu recounted. "Just try not to let him hit you. I mean, you're fast enough, right?"
"Jace has access to runes," Alec pointed out. "Runes Shadowhunters use regularly to keep up with vampire speed."
"But if we don't bring him, we won't have much defense against probably a swarm of Lilith's followers."
"A lot of them may be innocents that Lilith's controlling," Luke pointed out. "We don't exactly want anyone who can be saved to get vaporized just because they can't help it - they're slaves just like Jace. I have a partner in there who has someone waiting for her."
"I have another way you can be helpful," Alec announced.
He pulled his stele out of his pocket and tossed it to Simon, who was thoroughly confused as to what he could do with something that could only be used by Shadowhunters. "What am I gonna do with a steely?"
"Stele," Alec corrected.
He shrugged. "I've heard it both ways."
Alec rolled his eyes and explained the plan.
"Remember, if you see any disciples stay non-lethal. We might be able to restore them eventually."
"Zero body count is gonna be a lot easier without any mundanes in the way," Izzy pointed out.
"I can absorb a lot of them into my cards," Ace said. "The biggest problems we're gonna face are when we get to Lilith. But first, let's thin the herd. Nice idea with the fire alarm though. Luckily mundanes don't ask questions when it comes to one of those things."
"Buildings all clear on our end," Luke reported into his phone.
"Looks like security's the last one out," Alec said.
"Which means we've got about five minutes before emergency response gets in the way."
"Here's hoping Lilith has a short fuse."
"The closer you get to your victory, the more paranoid you get," Shu figured. "She'll want to make sure any threats are eliminated the closer she comes to getting what she wants."
"How do we know if she takes the bait?" Izzy asked.
There was a crashing from above.
"Call it a hunch," Alec said before hanging up.
Jace jumped down from the top floor and landed with barely a grunt in front of Alec, rising to his feet and ready for a fight. Alec raised his bow with a nocked arrow.
"Careful," Jace said, his voice monotone. "He's still in here."
"And he's prepared to die for it," Alec countered. "I won't hesitate to fulfill that wish."
Alec let the arrow fly, but Jace held his hand out and stopped it in mid-air, letting it drop to the ground, harmless.
"I could kill you with my magic right now…but I'd rather make Jace watch as I tear you apart with his hands."
"How many disciples were there again?" Ace sighed.
They were surrounded from all sides, some of the people holding blunt instruments like a sledgehammer or a pipe while another was holding an ax. Izzy flicked her snake staff open and Luke flicked out his knife. Ace flicked out his hands and cards appeared in either one.
"You have a friend of mine somewhere around here. Let's make this quick."
Ace threw his cards and the battle began.
As the battle with Jace quickly escalated to drawing swords and Alec using two arrows as his weapons, both boys landed blows upon each other, stabbing and slicing. In the end, their weapons were both lost in the struggle, until eventually Alec was pinned against the wall and Jace crushed his wrist, pushing so that his hand snapped in a bad angle and causing Alec to let out a scream.
Jace released him to fall to the ground, trying to pick himself up, but Jace walked over and kicked him down. Alec coughed, trying to regain his breath. Jace walked over and grabbed one of Alec's dropped arrows.
"Your boy is crying, you know." Jace kneeled above Alec with the arrow gripped tightly in his hand. "He's begging me…begging me not to do this."
Jace raised the arrow and brought it down, but Alec caught his wrist with his good hand, holding him back just barely. "Jace…I know you're in there…it's okay. I forgive you. It wasn't you. I'm sorry we couldn't save you.
Jace pushed harder, the arrow falling to Alec's chest and nearly preventing him from speaking from the strain of holding Jace back combined with the pain in his chest from the arrow starting to pierce.
"They say the worst pain a Shadowhunter can feel is the loss of his parabatai." Jace pulled Alec's head up with his other arm. "It's time for Jace to finally feel it."
Jace pressed down harder and Alec had no room left to resist.
"Alec!"
Both Jace and Alec were surprised to see Magnus standing there. Jace lowered Alec and stood with a snarl, reaching for his weapons, but Magnus gathered a large burst of magic into his hands, more powerful than he'd ever managed before, and blasted Jace with it dead in the chest, sending him flying into a garage door behind him. As he fell to the ground again he began to spasm and scream, smacking the pavement as though something in his head was screaming and it wouldn't stop.
"Don't kill him, I'm begging you! Please! Do something! Stop him! You can't! ALEC! ALEC!"
Jace had transformed into his child self, a helpless little boy unable to do anything while his world around him crumbled. The illusion of the Institute had disappeared, replaced by nothing but a cage. That cage squeezed against Rios's forcefield, his moths losing their color and dying one by one.
Falorios could run right now. He could escape Jace's body and leave the boy to suffer the chains of imprisonment forever. But Rios couldn't. He pushed all he had into fighting back, expanding the barrier as far as he could. But it wasn't enough. He was just a moth god, and no matter how much power he put into it, he couldn't resist the power of Lilith herself.
Then, there was a blast of powerful orange magic that shook the whole mental world. The bars of the cage around them cracked, but so did Rios's barrier. The darkness began to fill with the orange electricity, everything shattered and broke. Both Jace and Rios were left exposed to the darkness, but the darkness was exposed to the power that was attacking it.
"Get out of me!" Jace screamed, flickering between his child form and his adult form. "I said get out! GET OUT!"
Rios saw the image of a demon flash around them, saw it reach out and grab Jace, starting to become a part of him, but Jace would not have it. He screamed as loud as he could, and the entire prison of Lilith's making began to crumble.
Rios pushed his hands out and threw every bit he had into destroying the darkness. And then the world completely shattered.
"No!" Lilith screamed into the night.
Namir looked across the rooftops, uninterested in Lilith's affairs. This woman was so boring, so base, and so corrupted. It almost hurt to be associated with her like this.
"It took you long enough, Asushunamir."
Shu stood as bravely as she could in the face of her other half. She regretted leaving Alec to fight Jace alone, but the Shadowhunter had been insistent that she had to worry about a bigger threat. Shu had known that Alec was right, but even so. Alec wouldn't be able to win unless Magnus and Val made it back soon with that power to save Jace. Based on Lilith's scream, hopefully, Shu was interpreting that as they had made it.
"Do you know what it's like, my dear, to be stuck in the overwhelming darkness, to rule over it, with…with these feelings?" Namir hissed.
"What feelings?"
"The feelings of a human. The boredom, the agony, the dissatisfaction. But most of all, this deep, dark, emptiness?"
Magnus rushed over to Alec as Jace spasmed, switching between Owl and Jace, back and forth in a fight that neither could win by pure force alone.
"Stay with me!" Magnus exclaimed, looking down at the wound.
The arrow had pierced Alec's chest deep enough to get it stuck inside and leave a trail of blood down Alec's chest, and the serrated edges of the arrowhead would only make it more painful to remove - not to mention it would tear the wound open further and risk Alec bleeding out.
Finally, Jace spat out a mouthful of black ichor that burned and dissolved away. From the remains, a single moth flew out and away.
Alec coughed. "Mom said…you'd make a dramatic entrance."
Magnus managed a smile. "Wise woman."
"Alec!" Jace exclaimed breathlessly. "Alec! Alec!" He rushed over to Alec and leaned over him opposite of Magnus. "Magnus, please, you've gotta fix him!"
"I can't," Magnus whispered painfully.
"You can't? What do you mean you can't?"
"My magic…it's gone. I traded it to beak Lilith's hold on you."
Jace shook his head, trying to control his thoughts and assess his options. He grabbed his stele and activated it, sizzling a healing rune onto Alec.
"Jace…" Alec panted. "It wasn't you."
Jace barely held himself back from tears, knowing that if he broke down he'd never be able to fix this. He still had a job to do, he still had the power to do this right.
"I'll take care of him," Magnus promised.
Jace pressed his stele into Alec's hand as his eyes glowed with his angelic power, no longer needing the stele to activate his runes. "I'm going to get Clary."
"Bye-bye butterfly!" Ace shouted as he kicked the final human down.
"Rise!"
Luke's former partner Ollie looked over to three of the fallen humans as they began to spasm and shake. A moment later, three giant insect demons sprouted from each of their stomachs.
"Ew," Ace muttered.
"How we gonna take care of those guys?" Luke asked.
Ace flicked his hands and a fan of cards flicked into either palm. "Better question is how long do they think they can last?"
He threw his cards in a flurry as they sliced through the insects and sent them into a confusion. He then threw a few precise ones right through the heads and dissolving them. More of the humans began to shake and released more of the demon bugs and Ace gave a face.
"Gross."
It was then that through one of the doors came Jace, eyes glowing with angelic power, as he sliced through the demons with a fury, seraph blade practically singing.
"Kill stealer," Ace muttered.
"Clary's on the top floor!" Luke called.
Jace gave them a nod and a smile before sprinting away.
"Lilith's plans are crumbling," Shu said. "Simon has made it to Clary."
"It doesn't matter much to me," Namir said. "Nothing really matters much to me. While you got to go play hooky up here on the surface world, I was stuck down in Edom trying to please a mother that I never could. Let them banish her back to where she came from. Good riddance. The woman was twisted beyond anything even I could conceive. But I wonder. Would you and I become like that, if given enough time? Would every piece of humanity within us actually destroy us?"
"The humanity is the only thing that keeps us together, that keeps us alive, makes us powerful-"
"And it makes us flawed. It gives us pain, it makes this large gaping hole within my chest that refuses to go away, and I just…I want rest. Don't you?"
"I still have things to live for in this world."
Namir turned to look up at her. "Well. I suppose that makes one of us."
From below, Lilith's screams pierced the air. Shu had just enough time to see Namir's smile form on her face, just before the entire top floor exploded.