🌃 Eruleum's King

• Chapter 11 • Crystal hearts •

-Hello?! This is not funny! Guys!

Simon yelled, ran from one place to another, his hands, his whole body with the sensation of being freezing as he looked everywhere around him.
He, somehow, got trapped into a circular crystal cave, his voice echoed, but no one seemed to hear.

-Okay, Simon... Do not panic... Think...

In fact, he was about to hyperventilate, but then, that place wasn't as terrifying as Edom, right? And he was a Shadowhunter, he escaped Lilith.

Out of the blue, his rune ached, felt colder, like crystals piercing it and sent painful signals right to his heart.
He even had to touch his collarbone press his hand against it quite harder, as if attempting to warm his rune.

Clary... Clary was suffering... And he was there, doing nothing, just calling for someone that wouldn't appear...

No, enough panic.

"Simon, you're brilliant" "Simon, you're good" "You're special" "You're capable" "You're my Parabatai"

What if he, for once, left his fear behind? What if he started to believe he was something more than a scared boy?
It might not be necessary to be physically strong for getting out of there.

The tip of his stele soon touched the crystal wall, it might make no sense, but neither did that place. If he entered, he could also get out.
His eyes fixed on the wall, trying to concentrate as much as he could, for Clary, for him.
Cold sweat drops started to run through his forehead, his heart could get out of his chest, until the opening rune, black as ink, as a dark stain on a white canvas, faded, so did the wall.

Not believing what his eyes saw, but completely elated, it took him just a second to react and get out of there, as he touched his rune, determined to find Clary.

...

It was crystal, it could easily shatter, or that was what Alec thought.
The moment he shot an arrow and it collided against one of the mirror-like walls, it completely destroyed.
Yet, that wasn't enough to make Alec panic, he calmly walked around the place, until he saw something sideways.
He turned, nothing was there, just his reflection.
Again that shadow...
He turned. Nothing.
Shadow.
Turned.
Nothing.
The same vicious cycle until he almost felt dizzy and in front of him, one of the walls reflected, not just himself, but everyone. As clear as a mirror.

In his reflection, Alec saw his own heart, as if it could traspass his shirt, it had a blueish color, it was cracked and gave the impression to be made of sapphire, deep blue as the ocean.

The Shadowhunter instantly touched his chest, grabbed the fabric so tight that he could tear it if he wanted to. That cold atmostphere was so unpleasant, his heart felt so cold, his bones so rigid.

Even if he knew that images weren't real, he couldn't help but focus, why everyone around him was there except Magnus? Why absolutely everyone was happy, including himself?

Every scene passed as if they came out from a movie, every scene showed different situations, such as the Institute, New York, Simon and Isabelle getting married, Clary and Jace drawing together, himself, Matt and Harry reading together, but Magnus nowhere to be seen.

Alec's skin shivered, his blue eyes, similar to the light coming from those crystals, stared in horror, confused, his heart beating faster, the heart in the reflection losing more and more pieces each time despite his smile.

Come on, fake Alec! React! Your heart is literally breaking! -Thought the boy, wanting to scream, wanting to slap his other version, to do something.

No... That couldn't be him...