Game of Survival-Shadowhunters

Soul-Sword in Hand

Echo let her sweaty body crash against the floor as Alec was in slight shock. He quickly shook his head and knelt down next to his wife but Echo shook her head, "Clary."

Alec shook his head, "I'm not leaving you." Without waiting for a protest, Alec knelt down and scooped Echo up into his arms and carried her against his chest. As quickly as the Shadowhunter could he rushed down the steps.

He had to adjust his balance so that he could counterweight Echo's body, but he was able to adjust easily. Alec made sure that Echo was still breathing in his arms as he finally made it down on the main level of the Institute. Alec slowed his walk as he approached the Ops center. Echo looked out from Alec's chest and saw a vast amount of people dead on the ground. Echo could tell by their auras that once surrounded them, that they were Downworlders.

"No." Echo's word was strained as she reached out with her body towards them. Alec saw that she wanted to be closer to them. He gently set her legs down on the ground but kept his arm underneath her shoulders to keep her upright. Echo could feel a hot sting in the back of her eyes as she saw the dead Downworlders. Echo was still extremely weak, but she could still feel the residual fear that they all felt when they died.

Echo slowly looked up at Jace, Clary, and Simon who were standing in the middle of the room in shock. Echo was suddenly angry with Jace because she could feel his guilt, "You did this." Echo's words were strained and she wobbled on her feet, "You activated the sword? How!" Echo pulled in a breath and Jace felt his own tears in his eyes.

"I did. I thought I was destroying it, Echo, but..." Jace allowed for his tears to show. From behind Echo, Alec suddenly got a chill down his spine.

"Where's Magnus?" Echo let out a breath, as Alec's fear suddenly flourished, "He wasn't here, was he?"

Jace shook his head, "I-I don't know."

Clary looked up at Alec, "We portaled in upstairs. We split up."

Alec's grip on Echo loosened, "Oh, god."

Echo pulled in a breath, "Go." Echo placed her hands on the table in front of her as Alec vanished from her side.

The moment that Alec was gone, Echo felt her body start to give out again. She wasn't able to hold herself up. Her legs buckled from underneath her and she let out a grunt. She gripped onto the table with as much strength as she could, but it was difficult. Jace saw that Echo was struggling; he pushed his own feelings down and strode forward. He put an arm around her torso and pulled her close. Echo looked up at him with tired eyes, but she could clearly see the tears around his lashes.

Echo shook her head, "No, I know what you want. Go."

Jace grit his teeth, "Ec, I—"

"Go. Stop him." Jace gave his sister a long look before he reluctantly parted from her. Echo let out a breath as Jace left and she looked up to her sister and Simon.

"Both of you need to get out of here."

Clary took a step forward, "What about you?"

Echo shook her head, "I'll be fine. Just go."

Clary made a squeak that told Echo she wasn't okay with leaving her sister when Clary didn't even know what was wrong with Echo.

Echo looked up at Simon and he read her message.

"Come on, Clary." Simon pulled at Clary's arm and the young sister reluctantly followed. Echo watched Clary and Simon slowly fade from the room and soon she was alone with the dead. Echo let out a sigh and slowly slid to the ground.

She held onto her stomach as pain and fatigue enveloped her. She glanced at the bodies around her and couldn't help but feel melancholy. The Downworlders at her feet were dead. They had left a life and friends behind. Echo leaned against the leg of the table and suddenly thought about the pain she had felt. She had yet to decipher it. She wasn't sure if her reaction was to the activation of the Soul-Sword or the death of the Downworlders.

Echo sat at the base of the dead as Shadowhunters came and went from the room as they documented the numbers. Several times she was asked if she needed help, but she denied it over and over again. Echo felt numb as she sat in the room, but she didn't have the energy to move away. The dead of the Downworlders felt like a magnetic force that she couldn't repel. She wanted to cry for them, but she couldn't find the emotion.

Echo was completely oblivious to everything that was going on around her. Usually, she was very observant, but in that moment she was vacant. Her eyes were fixed on a body in front of her, but her mind was floating far away. Her focus was only broken when she heard a startled gasp. She looked up and saw Simon standing in the middle of the room with the glow of the stained glass sunlight shining on him.

"Simon?"

The Vampire turned to face her and had a look of euphoria on his face.

"The sun."

Simon let out a breath and a smile but didn't say anything. Echo was happy for the Vampire, but she had a hard time showing it. Echo swallowed.

"You should probably go show Clary your new trick."

Simon's smile was infectious, "Yeah." The Vampire quickly left the room and Echo was back to looking at the dead.

After another moment of sitting among the dead, Echo let out a breath. She focused all of her energy on standing. She used the table to help her and when she was able to keep her legs steady she slowly started to walk from the Ops center. She used the wall to help her keep her balance as she made her way to her room. She had expected for her route to be clear, but when she heard a voice, she paused.

"How do you know it was the truth?" Echo saw Alec a few feet in front of her and she placed her hand on the wall to listen.

"He had the Soul-Sword in his hand." Jace.

Echo inched forward to eavesdrop on the conversation. Alec let out a breath before he asked the question that made Echo's stomach drop.

"So, Clary and Echo are not your sisters?"

"No, they never were."

Echo let out a breath and it must have been louder than she had expected because Alec turned. The moment that he realized it was Echo, his eyes widened.

"Echo."

Echo looked up and saw Jace round the corner. The Parabati brothers took in Echo's shocked expression.

Jace took a step forward, "Echo, I'm sorry. I—"

"You're not my twin?"

Jace let out a breath and gently shook his head, "No, I'm not."

Echo felt her hand slip from the wall and she jolted to regain her balance. In that time both Jace and Alec took a step forward as Echo looked up at both of them in shock, "Then who is?"

Alec and Jace glanced at each other, knowing that neither one of them knew the answer to her question.

At the sudden revilement of the lie, Echo was curious. Who was her twin? Who was Jonathan? Is he alive? Echo had a million questions zipping around in her head and she wasn't able to keep them straight. Jace saw how flustered Echo was and slowly came up to her as she tried to make a straight path of questions in her head. When she felt Jace, she looked up with wide eyes. She let out a breath as she ask the question that she knew no one knew the answer to. Her question caused the Shadowdemon to react with a gasp. She didn't know the answer and it terrified her. "Who is my twin?"