"That's where this other information comes in. The sword of forgiveness." Alec bit his lip as his heart raced. "We need to turn him back into an angel!" Alec slumped on the couch as everyone's stare aimed at him, the pin-drop silence making the hair on his back rise. He cleared the throat but that didn't seem to bother them a bit. "Umm, stop staring please!"
"Are you kidding!?" Jace broke the silence, not so pleasantly. "Turn him back into an angel! How will we achieve that!?"
"Were you even listening?" Alec narrowed his eyes at his parabatai.
"What is the plan, darling?" Magnus asked calmly. "You know Kasper isn't someone who'll break so easily. Like I told you all, he had killed Angel Ithuriel, he's... an unstoppable evil."
"And so are we." Alec fixed his position, kept the books wide open on the table, and turned a few pages. "See here, the sword of forgiveness works on evilest of evil. The only catch is, the greater the evil, the short is the time. They turn back to good but for a limited time. It could be maybe hours, minutes or, in Kasper's case, barely three to five minutes. In that limited time, we need to make sure to crush him under all the baggage of guilt he carries so that he can say those words."
"But how are we gonna do that in that small amount of time?" Izzy asked. "Just two minutes to break the greatest of the evil we've ever encountered. What if he turns back into the fallen before saying the words?"
"Then we need to make sure it doesn't happen. I'm sorry for saying this but, if someone here can make him shed the tears of guilt, it's Clary. We may not be able to affect him as much but Clary can, he's the first-ever Morgenstern after all, her ancestor."
Every eye turned towards the woman who was sitting on the armrest of the small couch beside Jace, listening intently.
"No!" Jace snapped, "She's not going to be the bait! I don't care if we need to find some other way but-"
"Jace," Clary interfered, resting her hand gently over his and giving it a light squeeze. "Calm down. Alec's right, Kasper won't be provoked easily by someone else. This whole time, he wanted me, his greatest granddaughter. If I'd be in front of him when he'd be an angel, it'd make a difference. I'll be able to talk to the real Kasper Windermere Morgenstern and not Kasper the fallen. Maybe, just maybe if we get enough time, we'll be able to understand the real person before things take a dark turn for him."
With a sigh, Jace leaned back on the couch. "And what if it doesn't work? What if we fail and he captures Clary again?"
"We can put a barrier between them when he turns," Magnus suggested, "he'll be weak at that moment I presume so we warlocks can put up a barrier so if something happens, we can safeguard Clary and others and try to stab him again."
"That's a good option," Daniel nodded.
"We have a problem though," Alec bit his lip, "it says the sword only works once then vanishes back into the forgotten land and can be used again after a decade. We have only one chance to do this."
"Just great!" Jace said in an exasperated tone.
"I'll do it!" Clary said in a stern voice, leaving no room for argument, especially for Jace who gawked at her but she didn't move an inch.
"How are we going to get the sword, though?" Stefan crossed his arms over his chest, "We know nothing about the land."
"Leave that to me." Alec reassured, "I know how to find it."
**********************************
*Midnight*
*Lake Lynn*
Chords of moonlight shimmered on the silver-like water, along with the sparking diamonds as if a different world had been captured in its vastness. Faint rainbow colors fainted into its lap that reflected from the crystals bejeweled in Alec's wings, softly flapping as the man rose higher from the ground level. Far away between the clouds, he could notice the silhouette of Angel Amberosa, looking down at him and he exhaled a shaky deep breath.
An hour had passed since he arrived at Lake Lynn, searching for information about the forgotten land. The discovery had been as amusing as he expected. Apparently, Lake Lynn is supposed to be the portal to that land and that portal opens exactly at midnight. He had gotten the vision of the dry land is supposed to land on but staying there for a longer period of time could make him lose his mind, so he needed to grab the sword and come back as soon as possible.
The sword was the only option left for them to beat Kasper and he hoped that plan wouldn't fail so with a deep breath, he dived right into the portal when he noticed the irregular swirl forming on the still water reflecting the entrancing beauty above his head.
Alec had no idea what happened when a bright light swallowed him like a hungry beast but when he slowly opened his eyes, a pair of soft silver eyes greeted him with a curious look. "Hello there," he whispered and grunted as he stood on his feet only to notice that those eyes belonged to a rather tiny, cute little puppy with silver fur.
"Awwff!"
"Wow," he couldn't help but gawk at the beautiful creature jumping over his legs. Carefully, he picked her up and scratched the back of her ears causing a string of happy barks. Don't get distracted, son. A voice reminded him and he snapped out of the trance that the little pup had caused. Right, he needed to find the sword.
Placing her back on the rough land, he wandered his eyes all around the small island. Judging by the slosh of water that increased with every second, the island clearly was in the middle of nowhere. As long as his eyes could reach, everything, be it a plant or a creature, was either crystal or silver in nature. The land of Silverites. He remembered the conversation with Angel Amberosa regarding this land.
With a light flutter of his wings, he moved into the depth of that land, wandering his gaze all around while having an alert stance. A faint, sweet scent lingered in the area, source unknown, entrancing his senses making his vision blurry. He had been warned that this place could cause hallucinations and not to stay for long in a particular area so blinking away the blurriness, he moved further into the silystel forest, trying not to get distracted by the enchanting butterflies or the puppy following behind him.
He had no idea how long he'd been walking, but the light shining from the mouth of a cave was a sign that it was the right way. With the increasing heartbeats, he marched towards the cave and his jaw dropped when the sight of the cavern came into his view. It was a cave of crystals. There were all kinds of crystals, from small to large, in a bundle or standalone, emerging from every corner, even the ground, shimmering brightly. In the center of that cavern were two giant crystals, holding the glorious sword between them.
Holding his breath, Alec ambled towards the sword, taking in the outworldly aura the crystals radiated. As the vision cleared more and more, he noticed the intricate pattern the crystal engraved on the sword was forming. From the tip to the base, every shape of crystal was engraved on it. The base had pointed curved ends and even the handle had a small detailed design over it. Carefully, he pulled out the sword, and to his surprise, it was lighter than the regular swords he had held before.
The crystals bejeweled on it lit up when he held it in his hand, gazing at it in a transfixed state. Jolts of electricity surged through his body and his wings flapped, and the rays emitting from the sword flickered before dying down again. Bewildered, he bit his lip and trailed his finger over the latest crystal at the base, only to back off when a bright light shone out of it like an arrow.
"Angels!" He took a deep breath. Carefully, he gripped the sword and chanted the spell Angel Amberosa recited him, sending the sword in the hiding spot only he knew about. A few minutes in, the sword vanished into thin air and he let out a breath of relief. Wandering his gaze, he bit his lip. As much as he wanted to stay and take in the relaxing aura of this enchanted land, his husband and daughter were waiting for him at home. So, pushing back his desire, he walked out and came across the transparent portal right away.
When he came out, he expected to be at the Lake Lynn and not in his bed, laying beside Magnus who was snoring lightly, unbothered by his presence. A light smile crept on his face when he heard a faint dada and soon, Aulia was crawling onto the bed.
"Hey, angel!" He whispered and picked her up, tucking her inside the blanket between them. After discussing the plan, Magnus and Alec announced to their family, including Maryse and Luke whom he sent a fire message to be there as soon as they could, that they had decided to adopt Aulia and his family couldn't be any happier.
She gelled with them rather greatly unlike he imagined, especially Jace. They talked to her too, and not within an hour she started calling Magnus Ayah and him dada, much to their shock. Turned out, she was able to speak and understand English because of Sara, but not very fluently and after her demise, she had shut down because of the trauma.
"Dada.. oome, hapi!"
"Me too, Aulia." Alec chuckled and placed a soft peck on her head.
"Alexander?" Magnus mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "You back? What time is it?"
Before Magnus could move, Alec gently placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him from doing anything at all. "Lay down, love. You need to rest. It's just one in the morning and I got the sword, don't worry."
A soft sigh left Magnus's mouth and he leaned his head back, gazing at him with drooping eyelids. "I love you, Alexander."
"I love you too, Magnus." Leaning over, he kissed his temple, and not long after, light snores filled the surroundings yet again making him chuckle. "Let's go to sleep." Pulling up the blanket, he tucked both his babies into it and placed soft kisses on both their faces, content with the growing family in his life.
***********************************
*New York*
Giggling of a child had to be the worse sound Kasper had to bear, but as displeasing as it was, the screams that came after always gratified his heart, like right now. Feeding on the fear of those fragile creatures gave him immense pleasure. Scream, yell, chaos, oh how he enjoyed the looks on those poor creatures. As much tempting it was to stay and feed on the mundane, his center of attention had been that one house in particular.
Snapping his wings into life, he cascaded into the sky, darting inside the open window and staring at the oblivious creatures from the dark.
"No!"
"Madzie! Stop running! It's bedtime!"
"No mom! Don't want to sleep!"
"Madzie! Stop! I'll cancel your trip if you keep being stubborn! Madz!"
"No, I want to watch a movie, not sleep!"
"Madzie, enough now! Come back here!"
"No, mom, I don't- *scream* mom!"
"Madzie, what hap- *gasp* Kasper. How did you break the ward?" The warlock took a step back, hiding the child behind her long gown as if that stupid gesture would safeguard her. Oh, how much he loved seeing the fear in those tiny little eyes.
Walking out of the darkness, he blocked the ball of fire hurling at him with a flick of his wrist. The black fire dancing on his wings created a cloud of smoke that slowly filled inside the house, weakening the warlock's powers.
"Madz.. Madzie run..." The warlock coughed, struggling to create a portal and a burst of joyous, maniacal laughter left Kasper's throat.
"You stupid creature," With a snap of his finger, a cage appeared around Madzie making her cry out for her mother and he was amused at the fragility these beings can hold. "It's time for the Silver Angel to pay."
A slam of hard magic hit his chest and with seething anger, he grabbed the warlock's hair and pulled it back, blocking the child's voice in the background. "Wrong move, warlock!" The mood to toy and watch their misery burned and replaced with uncontrolled rage. With a tilt of his head, he stared right into the impuissant person's soul and placed his palm right over her heart, sending his darkest, deadliest magic inside her and lacing her soul with it.
Within a few minutes, her eyeballs dilated into the back of her head, replacing the absolute hollowness and a smirk crept onto Kasper's lips.
"Ebrithil. What can I do for my Ebrithil?"
"Now, now, look what we've got here." A peal of gut-wrenching laughter echoed and his fire-laced wings fluttered, causing the nearest curtain to embroil with it, and not even a second later, the fire spread all around like an uncontrolled wildfire. "My dear servant, I need you to do something for me."
"Anything for you, Ebrithil."
"Very well then."
**********************************
*Two weeks later*
*Stormshire Mansion*
*Evening time*
It had been almost seven weeks since Magnus's pregnancy and his growing belly had been the center of attention for a while, but not more than the cute, adorable actions he made in those mood swings of his, except for the horny ones. Like right now.
After the visit to the spelled basement where the sword was bound to safety, they all were seated in the living area, discussing the plan while some of them were in the kitchen, preparing some light snacks. Magnus, on the other hand, had made a chair out of his lap and was whining to feed him the soupy pork dumplings while Aulia's giggle could be heard in the background.
"Patience, my baby koala!" Alec shook his head when Magnus refilled the almost empty bowl, burning his hand with the excessive heat. "Idiot..."
"Oops, sorry." With a sigh, Alec picked up the dumpling, blew on it to cool it down, then kept it in the open mouth of his husband who chewed it with loud, unpleasant noises.
"Behave..."
"Nom! Nom! Nom!"
"Angels Magnus Lightwood Bane! I wonder how weird our munchkin's gonna be!"
"Says the most stubborn man on the planet!"
"How is it even related?" Alec raised his brow but grimaced when Magnus slurped the soup in the loudest noise he could achieve. "Magnus!"
"I have never seen Magnus this childish!" Izzy grinned as she sat on the nearby couch, holding the unhealthiest chips packet she could find.
"If this is childish to you then you have seen nothing, Izzy," Alec said while staring at the man on his lap. "And by the way, why are you eating something that is a mixture of potato and cheese? Aren't you worried about your figure anymore?"
"Craving," Izzy shrugged as Jace sat beside her and dug his hand into the packet earning a hard slap on his hand. "Back off!"
"By the angel, Izzy! That hurts!"
"Get your own, Jace!" Izzy deadpanned.
"The hell had gotten into-" before he could complete, a portal opened beside them and Catarina walked out, her clothes disheveled and dark circles visible under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days.
"Catarina, are you okay? Why do you look like a storm had hit you?" Magnus hopped off of Alec's lap and stood to walk towards his friend but before he could, she stretched her hand forward and shot a huge ball of magic at him making him fall back on the ground.
"Magnus!" Alec rushed beside his husband but Catarina wrapped a whip of magic around him and threw him across the room. The ancient vase hit his back and shattered into pieces, some of which pierced into his skin.
"Alexander!" Magnus grunted, "Catarina, what's wrong with you?"
"Ebrithil asked to kill your child. That sin shouldn't exist. I need to kill you and your child." Catarina said in a dead, monotone voice, and everyone went still, gazing at her without blinking.
"She's possessed?" Izzy's voice reached Alec's ears but his focus was on his husband who was held down on the ground, looking at his friend with a frightened gaze. Before he could stand, Catarina produced another ball of magic, ready to shoot at Magnus but a pink fire hit the whip, dissolving it into flames and another hit Catarina's chest making her stumble back.
"Rose..." Alec breathed with relief and rushed beside his husband, exchanging a worried look with him.
Meanwhile, Catarina had summoned black magic around her palms, glaring at the intruder and ready to shoot when another portal opened up distracting her in the process and taking advantage of it, Rosette manhandled her and banged her head against the nearby shelf, making her unconscious.
"Well, that was easy." Rosette flipped her hair on the other side of her shoulder while Luke and Maryse ran towards them, staring at Catarina's frame wide-eyed.
"What in the world just happened?" Izzy breathed out while others ran where they stood.
"Was she possessed? Is Kasper-"
"Back? Yes, he is." Luke completed Magnus's sentence and every eye turned towards him. "We used Clary's portal rune to come here because it's not good, kiddo. Kasper isn't just attacking Idris, he did something to all the downworlders around the globe. Seelies, vampires, werewolves, warlocks, everyone is in Idris attacking the shadowhunters and even mundanes. They're his army and it's raining blood once again. We need to do something as soon as possible."
"What!?" Their voices echoed in unison as they exchanged horrified looks.
"Are all the warlocks under Kasper's control?" Magnus asked with a shaky breath.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"That's a big backfire to our plan." Jace said, "Alec, what now? If warlocks are-"
"We'll do it!" Clary clenched her fist, determination shining in her fierce eyes.
"Clary-"
"No Jace, we only have this opportunity in our favor. We can't wait another decade and let Kasper destroy everything. And please don't worry about me, I have you, all of you beside me. Please trust me with this."
With a grim expression, Jace nodded. "So are we doing it right now?"
"Looks like it!"
.....
The body of a dead warlock flew past his face as soon as Alec kept his foot on the blood-soaked land of Alicante. Demons were flying over their heads and the gloomy darkness was slowly rising. The sight in front made his stomach twist. The wards had been destroyed once again and whatever had been rebuilt was set on fire.
Bodies of dead shadowhunters and downworlders were pooling over each other in swarms, unable to distinguish. Their friends, their families were fighting with each other and felt like a million stabs at once.
Clenching his fist, Alec wandered his gaze and his heart stopped when his eyes fell on Kasper aiming his attack over Aline's belly. No! His wings snapped into life as he produced a silver ball around his palm and shot it at Kasper, gritting his teeth when their eyes met.
"Welcome, Sliver Angel, welcome to your death." A roar of laughter left his mouth and before Alec could comprehend, the man stood right in front of his eyes, a crooked smile never leaving his lips. "Enjoying the show?"
"You're such a coward, you know? If you have guts then attack from the front not behind our backs!"
"Says the one who literally attacked me from behind. Such hypocrite."
Alec gripped his fist so tight that blood trickled out of his palm but he was left unbothered. "You know what, Kasper, I'm done playing this game of hide and seek. Let's end this today. It's either you or me, only one of us will see tomorrow's sun. That's if your coward ass won't back out this challenge."
A malicious peal of laughter left Kasper's mouth as his eyes turned soulless black. "Amusing! Challenge accepted, Silver Angel, challenge accepted."