When Clary's portal spits them out onto the streets of Toronto, Alec knows that they are too late.
The city is barren and desolate. There is no movement to be seen. Car alarms blare all around them, lights flashing from the vehicles: stationary and immobile. Bodies litter the ground, mundanes and the shadowhunters who had tried to protect them all collapsed lifelessly in the street. There are no wounds on them.
"Oh god…" Clary utters, a choke to her voice.
Alec goes to the nearest body, a shadowhunter girl with her seraph blade drawn, and feels her throat for a pulse. In his logical mind, he knows it to be in vain, but he has to be sure. Her pulse remains non-existent beneath the pads of his fingers. She's dead. Alec bows his head in grief.
"Ave atque vale."
The alarms shut off suddenly, lights flickering and fading out, and the city becomes silent.
"What was that?" Jace wonders aloud, barely above a whisper in the eery lull.
The silence is broken from a shout further down the road. Alec gestures a sharp wave to gesture up the street, keeps himself low as he and his team sneak forward between cars that scatter the streets, their passengers and drivers dead inside. Whipping a hand to his quiver, Alec takes an arrow to slot into the string of his bow.
"Quick to replace me, weren't you mother?" Jonathan's voice echoes through the empty city and Alec signals for the others to stop. He himself halts behind a car, peers out over the bonnet to try and catch sight of the demonic shadowhunter.
It doesn't take long.
Alec watches as Jonathon is thrown backwards into the centre of an abandoned intersection, engulfed in golden magic. It fades as he hits the floor, laughing manically. Dark wings sprout from his shoulder blades, feathers ruffled and unkempt. There is blood on his face when his head lifts and his eyes are fixed on something further down the road, blocked by motionless cars.
Alec cranes his head further so he can see. When a figure stalks out from between the cars into the intersection, it doesn't look like Magnus Bane anymore. It looks like the Prince of Edom.
His jacket is black and high collared, embroidered and embellished with gold across the shoulders and the around sleeve cuffs. Four golden chains stretch taut and widthways across the breast to connect either side of the jacket. The succession of buttons lies polished and gleaming. His trousers are black too, his boots high and buckled gold.
Jewellery glints at his ears and fingers; gold rings and piercings studded with black gems. Every piece gleams in the light of his magic, keeping Jonathon at bay.
"Well done, Magnus," another voice says, ringing out in the deafening silence. Lilith strides out behind him and Alec has to restrain himself from simply running at her. It's her fault that Magnus is like this. "Be careful now. I will be the one to kill him."
Magnus says nothing to that, but he does reel in his power.
As soon as it is gone, Jonathon struggles to his feet, his hand lifting in threat, but Magnus casts a careless gesture and a quick, golden flash sends him to his knees.
"Finish him," the warlock calls back to Lilith. "To linger here is pointless. The shadowhunters will be coming for him soon enough."
Lilith laughs, high and loud and Alec ducks back behind the car, winces softly as it rings his ears. "Oh, child, you must learn to widen your attention… They are already here."
The car Alec is behind lurches and jolts and he hits the ground in a quick roll. It crashes to its side, slamming down to cover the spot he had crouched in barely seconds ago. Avoiding being crushed by a car is one thing, but he now he is exposed. Golden eyes burn into him.
"Alexander," Lilith greets, casting her power to expose the others, tossing cars aside so carelessly that Alec is forced to duck and dodge again. "And you brought your betters, I see. The angel-blooded ones."
"Magnus!" Alec yells, knowing that he has a better chance with him than with a demon. "I know why you killed your father. No one blames you… I also know that, whatever Lilith has done to you, we can fix it. We can figure it out together, but you need to cooperate with us. Please."
Lilith snorts softly, tosses her hair back with a clawed hand. She says something to Magnus that Alec doesn't catch from this distance. The warlock's mouth twitches softly, but he says nothing in response. To Alec's shock, the next step he takes is towards the shadowhunters.
In all honesty, Alec is ready to run to him. It is only Jace's hand on his shoulder that keeps him back.
"You don't know the extent of what Lilith did to him," Jace says quietly. "Be careful."
Alec nods, impatient, and steps forward, prepared to meet Magnus, to talk him down. A golden barricade erupts in front of him and with it comes a rush that forces Alec backwards in a stumble. Wide eyes lift to Magnus, mere feet away from him now. The warlock stops there, eyes them all in equal disinterest.
"Magnus," Alec breathes out, shakes his head in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Keeping you here," says Magnus in reply. It is nonchalant. Bored, almost. "Lilith is very keen to kill Jonathon without interruption. She fears you."
Behind him, Lilith is shifting to her demonic form, her body twisting and morphing until a beast stands where she had once stood. Her claws slash easily into Jonathon, weakened now by Magnus's power. Without the warlock on her side, Jonathon could have probably killed her with ease.
It isn't so, however, and Lilith's claws plunge into her son's chest, punctures right out of his back. There is something in her hand, something black and wet. Alec's stomach turns when he realises it is Jonathon's heart.
Jonathan chokes and black blood slides from his lips. When Lilith wrenches her hand out, he crumples to the ground, all the colour draining from his cheeks, the wings fluttering and fading from his back, his hair darkening back to match his sister's. Clary has her hands over her mouth, tears glossing her eyes. A demon he might have been, he was her brother. She might have loved him.
Alec understands that now.
"Magnus," he says, taking half a step forward before another, more direct rush of magic shoves him back, tearing a gasp from his lips. It hurts. He hadn't expected it to hurt, but it's as if the magic stings him. "Magnus, please…"
"We're doing your job for you, shadowhunters," says Magnus, glances back to see Lilith morphing back into her human form, her work now done. "You're welcome."
Despair drags his heart and Alec takes a deep breath. "Magnus," he says, drawing the cat eyed gaze to him once again. "Please, stop. You have to remember us. These people are you're friends… and me, I—"
"I know who you are," says Magnus, his head high and proud. "I remember everything. I recall you abandoning me. I sacrificed my magic for you and, in return, you cast me aside. I remember you, Alec Lightwood. I remember you wanted me for my magic and nothing more."
Alec shakes his head. "That's not true," he says, his voice choked with grief. "That's not what happened. I did it for you, so you could get your magic back, so you could be happy. I did it because I love you."
Magnus's lips twist in a bitter smile. "You… love me."
"Magnus," Alec says, firmer now. His tone makes Magnus huff in soft amusement. It sounds so wrong. "This isn't you. You aren't acting like… like yourself. Whatever happened in Edom, whatever Lilith did to you, we can fix it. Just, please, let me help you."
The laughter comes harsh and unnaturally grating and Alec winces. He is certain of it now. That isn't his boyfriend anymore. Magnus is gone.
"What Lilith did was save me from bleeding to death in that burning wasteland," Magnus replies, his eyes and the streams of obsidian on his neck glinting cruelly. "I am stronger than Jonathan. I am stronger than Asmodeus. I am the Prince of Edom… I don't need you to help me. I am who I was always destined to be."
"You were never meant for this," Alec insists, gestures to the scene behind him. "Teaming up with Lilith. It's not right, Magnus. This isn't you."
Behind him, Lilith stalks forward, comes to Magnus's side. "You have no power over him now, Nephilim," she says, her fingers clawing and casting crimson to her palm. She looks to the warlock. "Kill him."
Magnus's brow furrows, but he doesn't take his eyes from the shadowhunters. "That was not our agreement. You said we would kill Jonathan and we would leave. You said nothing of killing these ones."
"He betrayed you," says Lilith enticingly. "He hurt you."
"I can't be hurt anymore," says Magnus. "Killing him would be pointless. He is nothing to me now."
Alec chokes a shaky breath, grief striking his heart to hear Magnus speak of him like that. The warlock doesn't even acknowledge the sound. His eyes are fixed on Lilith now, challenging her almost.
"Are you fighting me, Magnus?" Lilith growls. "Remember who saved you while you were bleeding to death, abandoned by your friends and your lover."
"I am not yours," says Magnus, his head high and proud and Lilith snarls softly. "Just because you slaughtered your own son, it doesn't mean you can use me as a replacement."
Lilith screams in wordless rage, striking her magic out. Killing Jonathan apparently did not sit well, and Magnus's defiance is only testing her anger. The warlock meets her with a jolt of his own, golden lighting cracking from his palms. Lilith shrieks as the blast overcomes her, sends her reeling back and clutching her heaving chest.
"If you trust me as your prince, you will let me handle this," says Magnus and Lilith bares her teeth briefly, irritation written all across her face. She doesn't make a move to stop him, however.
"Magnus," Alec breathes out.
"Shadowhunters," Magnus addresses them all, his eyes alight with golden fire. "Whatever you knew of me, you may cast it from your minds. Edom's last rulers have been incompetent and the demons will no longer stand for weakness. They have had a taste of Nephilim blood and their thirst has yet to be sated. Now, with me as their ruler, I can guarantee a minimal demonic presence in your realm. We will take what we need, not what we want, provided you agree to cease your hunting of us."
Alec shakes his head. "Their ruler…" he echoes, drawing Magnus's cat's eyes onto his face. "Magnus, no, you can't mean—"
"I am the Prince of Edom," Magnus declares firmly, boldly. "I have drawn power from the obsidian lingering in the pit. The demons are mine without question. Perhaps, if you remain vigilant, and tolerant of those with demon-blood, I can keep the Edomai from overcoming the Earth. We could have an alliance to join heaven and hell."
"Magnus, stop!" Alec yells at him, runs to place a hand on his chest. It feels stupid, useless even, but it's an action born of desperation and Alec can't stop himself. "Please, stop this. You don't belong in Edom and you are not their prince! Those same demons almost killed you!"
Magnus breathes out sharply, looking almost taken aback. "I take it this means you are rejecting my offer."
"Your offer that means I lose you again?" Alec queries. "Yes, Magnus. I'm rejecting the idea of you leaving for Edom again. I can't let you do this. You aren't safe there… This isn't you, sweetheart. Please."
Golden eyes drift away from him, bored almost, and a restrained hand pushes him back. Alec can feel the power there behind his touch. If Magnus wanted to, he could toss Alec aside like a ragdoll. He could probably slaughter everyone around him with a mere flick of his hand.
He doesn't. Alec wonders if that means he's still in there somewhere.
"I'll give you a chance," says Magnus. "I'm afraid mercy is not one of my strengths, but I still retain some sliver of patience." He lifts his head a little higher, regal almost. "Tomorrow, I will meet you at your Institute. I will come alone. Midnight. You will forgive the cliché."
"Magnus—"
"Magnus," Lilith snaps, almost cutting over Alec.
Magnus just smiles, like it amuses him to be the cause of everyone's indignation, but within moments, he is sobering and turning to Lilith.
"I'm returning to Edom," he states calmly. "Are you joining me?"
Lilith doesn't seem happy about shifting the power dynamic, but she nods regardless.
"Magnus," Alec says, his voice low and numb with grief. He is almost resigned to Magnus leaving him again, but he has to try. The useless desperation is costing him strength that he can't afford to lose. "Please don't do this."
The Prince of Edom simply stares at him a moment. "Midnight," he repeats. "Await me, Nephilim, and consider my offer."
Alec doesn't try to stop him, knowing his attempts would be in vain. He simply watches, his heart weighing heavy in his chest like an anchor without a tether.
In a flash and a rush of gold, Magnus and Lilith are gone.