The Angel-Blooded One (Shadowhunters ff)

13 - The Birth

Jace

Jace didn't know how much time had bled past since he'd collapsed onto the damp sand at Lake Lyn. The wind had risen, whipping his hair across his face, but he barely registered it. Time seemed to have stretched into an eternity, punctuated only by the rhythmic lap of waves against the shore. He'd seen the blinding flash, felt the earth shuddering beneath his feet, and then... silence.

He didn't know what awaited those who ended up on the wrong side of angels' wrath, but he could only pray it was swift and painless. Clary had gone through so much, carried the weight of the world on her slender shoulders. And now, in the final moments of her life, she'd been left utterly alone. The image of her facing whatever wrath Raziel unleashed, facing it without him by her side, was a torment worse than any demon could ever inflict.

Suddenly, a rustle in the undergrowth broke the oppressive silence. A figure emerged from the trees, its form obscured by the shadows. Hope, a fragile bud, unfurled in Jace's chest. Could it be...?

"Clary?" he called out, his voice hoarse. The figure hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the moonlight. It wasn't Clary. It was Magnus, his usually spotless attire muddied and rumpled, his face etched with concern. Behind him emerged Alec and Izzy, their expressions mirroring Magnus'.

"Jace!" Izzy cried. But before she could reach him, Jace's knees buckled, the sand sighing beneath his weight. There were no tears left in him, he noticed with a numb detachment. Just a complete emptiness, a hollowness that mirrored the crater left behind at the lake. It was as if all the colors and sounds had leached from the world, leaving only Jace and the cold, unforgiving sand.

Alec was the first to reach him, pulling Jace into a crushing embrace. Jace knew Alec could feel the raw, primal grief that threatened to consume him whole. But he had no fight left in him. They stayed there for a long time – Alec holding him steady, Izzy with tears streaming down her face. Magnus stood a few paces away, his face etched with a devastated helplessness.

Finally, Alec stirred, slowly pulling Jace to his feet. No words were exchanged, none were needed. With Alec's arm wrapped around his waist for support, Jace started towards the forest, each step a monumental effort.

As they reached the edge of the treeline, a sudden, blinding light erupted from the direction of the lake. Jace blinked, trying to shield his eyes from the brilliance, and instinctively looked up. There, amidst the celestial radiance, descended a figure that stole his breath away.

She was a vision of white and gold, her fiery red hair flowing around her like a halo. Her entire form seemed to glow with an otherworldly luminescence, an ember burning with celestial fire. She wore a flowing white gown, adorned with an intricate armor wrought from red, silver, and gold – a stunning counterpoint to the vibrant green of her eyes. Golden wings, vast and feathered, fanned out behind her, catching the moonlight and casting fleeting shadows on the sand.

He watched in stunned silence as she descended gracefully. She seemed distant and ethereal, like a celestial being from a forgotten myth, yet strangely familiar all the same. To Jace, in that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed. Around him the forest fell silent, as if the world itself had paused to witness this spectacle. It was like watching the birth of an angel.

As the figure touched down on the sand, she turned towards them, her gaze locking with Jace's. He found himself frozen, unable to breathe, terrified that the slightest movement might shatter this impossible dream. A flicker of recognition crossed her face, then abruptly, the light vanished. Her wings shimmered and disappeared, and with a gasp, she crumpled to the beach, the armor clattering softly around her.

The metallic clang snapped Jace out of his trance. "Clary!" he yelled, urgency replacing awe as he sprang towards her. He knelt beside her, his heart hammering in his chest, and gently cradled her in his lap. "Clary, it's me, Jace. Please, wake up!"

There was no response. Clary lay motionless in his arms, her eyes closed, her red hair cascading around her pale face. Panic clawed at Jace's throat. "No, no, no," he choked out, his voice thick with terror. He turned to Magnus, desperation twisting his features. "Magnus, help her! You have to save her!"

Magnus was next to him in a heartbeat, his eyes wide with concern. Without a word, he surged his magic forward, a wave of emerald light washing over Clary's form. Jace watched, his breath catching in his throat, as the light swirled around her, searching for a spark of life, a flicker of her ever-present strength. But the seconds stretched into an agonizing eternity, and the light remained stubbornly neutral, revealing nothing.

A strangled sob escaped Izzy's lips, shattering the tense silence. Alec, his face etched with a stoicism that did little to hide the tremor in his hands, reached out and squeezed Jace's shoulder.

Jace felt a primal urge to rip the fabric of reality, to bargain with whatever forces had taken Clary away. He wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to breathe. Denial, a desperate hope, bloomed in his heart. Maybe she was just unconscious, maybe...

But then, a flicker. A faint tremor ran beneath his fingertips. As if drawn by an unseen hand, a glowing, golden rune emerged between Clary's collarbones. A rune unlike he'd ever seen before. It depicted two outstretched wings, pierced by a radiant sword. The glow on the rune faded to black, leaving behind an intricate mark, and Clary took a gasp of breath, her chest moving slightly.

Jace brushed the fiery red hair from her face. "Hey, I'm here." He leaned down, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead, a silent promise that he would never let go.

Magnus knelt beside them, concern etched on his face. He raised his hands, emerald magic crackling around them, and hovered them over Clary. But after a moment, he lowered them with a frustrated sigh. "There is nothing we can do for her but wait," Magnus said, taking Clary's hand into hers. "Come on biscuit, let's take you home."