Fires from heaven

Vengeance is an ugly, endless feeling

                        ________________________________________

                                     Where do you think you're going?

                          With your future bleak and your heart heavy

                             Don't you think that it's time to give in?

                                 Vengeance is a force that levies.

                       ________________________________________

Edward Stone was an ordinary warlock. He wasn't an offspring of any Greater Demon and he certainly wasn't blessed with immense magic at his disposal, but if anybody would ask him, Edward would say that the only thing that he had going with him was his impressive longevity and of course, his luck of always choosing the winning side in any war that he participated. He had learned to be shrewd but not to the point of bitterness and calculated scheming. These were the skills hundreds of years in the making.

Despite having seen all the world had to offer, there were still several things in life that managed to blindside him. Alexander Lightwood was one of them. Having losing people he loved so many times before he went hiding for a hundred years had made him think that he would never be interested in anybody else. He had kept his heart so frozen that he had forgotten how it felt like. But one look at Alec, something inside his dead heart stuttered. Edward wasn't expecting himself to be reacting like this. And he wasn't worried about the fact Alec was freshly heartbroken. Time was something Edward had in abundance and if there was one thing that was consistent in this world was the fact time made everything endurable.

What worried him was the way Magnus Bane kept pretending to not look at them when he and Alec were interacting, and the way Alec unconsciously kept looking at Magnus for reassurance. Alec had never told him who broke his heart, but something told him that maybe, the person was not completely out of Alec's life. This kind of thought made Edward restless and he didn't want to sit quietly here at the home, mulling over these facts, not when he could simply go to the Alec's office and see him.

The hour was quite late, but not late enough that he couldn't squeeze a little bit of his time to see Alec. He made up his mind and quickly he portaled his way to the Institute, informing the guarding Shadowhunter that he wished to see the Head of Institute. The Shadowhunter looked at him, recognising him from yesterday before nodding his head. The atmosphere in the Institute felt tense, like something dire had happened recently.

Once they arrived at Alec's office, the Shadowhunter nodded his head before asking him to wait here while he went to get Alec. Edward looked around the office, noticing the dark and masculine designs, and he was amused at how the interiors fitted Alec's personality perfectly. He waited for nearly fifteen minutes when the door of the office swung open to reveal the man that he wanted to see. Edward looked closer at Alec, worrying at just how unhealthy Alec looked. What was going on? "Hello again, Alexander."

Alec looked like he was fresh from the shower. The ends of his black hair were damp and curled at his nap endearingly. He also tried to hide a slight grimace at the name. "Edward! I thought of calling you tomorrow for an update, and please, just called me Alec."

Edward frowned deeper. Apparently, only Magnus Bane was allowed to call him Alexander. Interesting. He wondered who Magnus was to Alec. "If you insist," Edward said instead.

"So, what brings you back here?" Alec walked towards Edward and greeted him pleasantly. Up-close, Alec looked practically wasting away. His cheekbones were more prominent, his skin was practically translucent and there was something fragile in the way he carried himself.