The story follows Simon Lewis, twenty years after the Great War in Edom, and Liam Cross, a young man raised in the Coram orphanage in Bloomsbury. Having just turned twenty-one, Liam is beginning to build a life on his own terms, unaware of the shadows lurking in London. Everything changes on one ill-fated autumn day. When a single moment of misfortune shatters Liam's ordinary world, he is thrust into a reality he never could have imagined. How will the destinies of these two strangers intertwine? AUTHOR'S NOTE: ON THE LEGACY OF SIMON LEWIS This is a "What If" fan fiction set in the future of the Shadowhunter series, with references to various series and video games. Cassandra Clare's finale for The Mortal Instruments remains one of the most polarizing moments in the fandom. For some, Simon's sacrifice in Edom was the ultimate proof of heroism. However, for many others, stripping Simon of his memories and identity was a blow impossible to forgive. Erasing hundreds of pages of character development, his relationships, and his status as a Daylighter felt like an unfair price. Many fans agree that Lewis deserved to remain who he had become: a powerful, self-aware being capable of changing the rules of the game on his own terms. DISCLAIMER & COMMUNITY GUIDELINES The Shadowhunter World and its canon characters are the property of Cassandra Clare. This story, including Liam Cross and the story concept, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike). To my fellow writers: Feel free to create: I love the idea of this universe expanding! You are welcome to write side stories or spin-offs set in the Dawnchaser AU. Credit: Please credit me as the creator of Liam Cross and the "Dawnchild" concept. Non-Commercial: Your stories must remain free to read. ShareAlike: Stories based on this AU must be shared under this same license. Let's build this shadowed London together!