Souls of Hell - A Shadowhunter Story

Chapter 2 - Part 1

||The Great Gift Given||

"Nephilim, I stand before you with a grave revelation."

The words of Raziel echoed through the field as everyone stood grounded, an Angel's presence startling them to the bone. Shivers ran through every single one of them as Raziel continued speaking.

"Heaven has gone so far without being destroyed, but it seems as if it can no longer remain that way. Not even I know everything, but a great evil is rising. And you, true warriors who have defeated evil before have not gone unseen. Heaven asks this of you; to defeat whatever foul enemy comes in your way. But even I fear the danger is true great and therefore I will not let you fight this battle alone. I have given Nephilim three great gifts before: Idris, Adamas and the Mortal Instruments. Here is your fourth gift. Once I leave, the gift for you will be present. I suggest you use it wisely. Save Heaven, Nephilim."

And then Raziel simply disappeared. There was not a blind flash of light like when he had appeared. He simply was gone. But in his place stood more people. More Nephilim. In his place stood Shadowhunters long dead.

As if they were hidden by Raziel's holy light the whole time, as if now only they could be seen, stood William and Cecily Herondale, Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood, Sophie Collins, Charlotte and Henry Brawell. James and Lucie Herondale, Matthew Fairchild, Thomas and Christopher Lightwood and Cordelia Carstairs stood beside them with surprise openly written on their face.

Clary gasped. Textbook knowledge of these heroes rushed back into her as the surprise became overwhelming.

"I -" Clary tried, but got no further.

Jace approached towards the 'dead' Shadowhunters cautiously, Alec on his heels. Clary could not even begin to fathom what was going on but she could hear Jace and Alec's steady footsteps as well as Julian and Emma conferring silently between themselves. And then Emma's voice rung out.

"This is the Great Gift," Emma breathed loudly, "To defeat the evil, Raziel has returned us our dead heroes. They're alive. They are going to help us fight the battle which will threaten Heaven unless we win it."

Clary barely heard the words but whatever she did hear made sense. Raziel raised Jace from the dead upon her request. What's to say that he couldn't raise many more out of his own will?

A silence stretched on until finally broken by a dark-haired, blue-eyed boy, no more than twenty. Clary recognised him as William Herondale.

"This is certainly interesting," he mused. Seemed like something a Herondale would say in the current situation.

"It's not really," Magnus commented, edging forward to stand next to Alec, "Raziel, your badass God returns you to life to help in the fight. Sounds like very typical Shadowhunter behaviour. Eat, sleep, fight, repeat."

"Magnus," Alec hissed.

"You exempted from that, darling," Magnus added for good measure before his eyes gazed over everyone.

And then it was as if a commotion broke out, but the good kind. A boy no more than eighteen flew to Will and threw his hands around him, a blonde boy, a strongly built boy and a boy with glasses huddled close, leaving two girls hugging each other desperately. The others, who looked around Will's age also grouped together. It was obvious they all knew each other.

Once Will and the boy separated, Will walked over to Magnus and touched him on the shoulder. The boy, James, had flown to who Clary recognised as Lucie and Cordelia.

Will said, "Tessa? James?"

Clary saw the big gulp Magnus took before he nodded and fished out his phone.