Chapter 24: The Day of the Invasion

Zane would have preferred a more theatrical setting for this war. 

Maybe the ruins of an ancient city, with crumbling statues and shattered temples marking the battlefield. Or a storm raging overhead, lightning flashing ominously in the distance.

Instead?

A desert..... how tasteless.

Like any other desert it was flat, barren, stretching out for miles in every direction with no real cover, but at least it gave them more than enough space to kill.

The government had already done its part, ensuring no wandering civilians or news drones would accidentally stumble upon the event. The official story? They were testing radioactive war equipment. That should keep people away.

Still.

The gate had appeared at dawn.

It started as a swirl of dust, twisting violently in the empty space, before the gate had forced itself into existence.

A monolith of black stone, impossibly tall, covered in deep red symbols and ancient carvings. 

And at the center, etched into the stone, was an inscription.

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.

Zane's eyes narrowed.

"What does it say?" he muttered, not really expecting an answer.

Mia's voice was calm, even. "It means… Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

That…..did not bode well for him at all considering what they were about to do.

It was like the gate was going out of its way to tell Mia and him to quit while they were still ahead.

How dramatic.

He took deep breaths trying to repeat the plan in his head that he and Mia had come up with. 

They had to stay long enough to avoid suspicion but not long enough to be pulled too deep into the war.

If they played their cards right then right at the middle of the war they will be able to slip into their shadows and travel to the gate unnoticed.

He looked up.

The figures were still up there, standing in the air like gods looking down on them.

Zane knew appearances could be misleading, still these three looked completely at ease, chatting with themselves like old friends while everyone below them were anxious and panicking.

He knew the reason though, he could feel it, the raw power that literally seemed to manifest from their body.

His instincts had never been clearer.

Do not mess with them.

"Mia," he muttered.

"Hm?"

He didn't take his eyes off them. "Who the hell are they?"

Mia followed his gaze.

"Their names?" she said.

She pointed.

"The woman with the golden hair? Ithuriel, The Saint of Blazing Light."

Zane's eyes locked onto her. 

Once again he had to thank whatever system was in charge of distributing worlds for sending him here!

She was beautiful in a way that a goddess would be, not the type a man would daydream sexual things about, no, she had the type of beauty that only evoked worship and adoration from the depths of one's hearts, like you couldn't even manage to form any lustful thoughts towards her even if you tried.

The Light didn't shine on her, no the concept seemed a bit too mundane for her, instead it seemed to bend at angles that brightened her entire being. Her halo was like a sun on its own, just looking at it strained his eyes.

A very powerful Apostle.

"The man next to her? The Bloody King."

His gaze reluctantly left the woman to settle on the bad beside her who was laughing wildly like he was at a comedy show, he appeared to be teasing the saint who blushed and rebuked him playfully.

He had this wild aura to him, and his body was built like he was a giant squeezed into a human body, but his smile alone was enough to make Zane's survival instincts claw at him.

Very very dangerous.

A very dangerous Heretic

And then there was the last one.

Zane expected him to be the most terrifying, the most monstrous considering that if one followed logic then he should be the leader of the Shadowhunters like the other two were the leaders of their respective factions.

Instead?

He was completely ordinary.

No glowing aura. No divine radiance. No suffocating bloodlust.

Just a man.

Dark-haired and calm, he had a smile on his face as he watched the two other leaders bicker..

"The Shadow King." Mia eyes lit up at the normal looking man, an expression crossed her face that he had never seen before on her, adoration. "Our esteemed leader, don't let his casual easy going attitude fool you, he is INCREDIBLY powerful!"

Zane's eyes flicked back up to them.

"How long have they all been alive?"

Mia hesitated.

Then, quietly, she said, "Nobody knows for sure, but most agree that they have to have been around since the first invasion."

Zane's frown deepened.

"The first invasion?"

Mia nodded. "Back when Earth was still archaic. Before anyone even knew what a Shadowhunter, an Apostle, or a Heretic was. They were part of the first group of humans who figured out how to take power using different methods and survive."

Zane exhaled sharply. "So you're telling me they fought in the first war?"

"They lived through it." Mia's gaze darkened. "And through every war after, gradually growing in power while losing their fellow brothers and sisters in war that begun with them until..."

Zane's grip tightened. "They're the only ones left?"

Mia shook her head. "No. There are a few others. Other powerful figures scattered across the world. But these three? They're the ones who chose to keep leading."

Zane nodded solemnly.

It made sense.

They weren't just experienced; they had fought in so many wars they were practically war itself.

Still to lose so many people in wars like this? How scary was a demon invasion really?

What type of trial had he stumbled into?!

Mia smirked, nudging him lightly. "Don't tell me you are scared?"

Zane scoffed. "No."

"Liar."

Zane rolled his eyes, then wisely chose to divert the topic. "How the hell are they all flying, i don't think there is any flight rune in the Shadowhunter book?"

Mia chuckled. "You really don't know anything do you?"

Zane scowled. "Just answer and stop being so smug"

Mia smirked. "Alright, Alright listen up, newbie. First things first you are mistaken if you think it's all the runes the shadow king know that he had revealed to us, he is at his core still a human even though he is powerful..."

"But enough of that. The reason they can fly is quite simple, when your soul reaches a certain level, the world simply stops being able to hold you down."

Zane blinked. "Come again?"

Mia leaned slightly closer smiling.

"Apostles, Shadowhunters, even Heretics... we all grow stronger the same way. We absorb soul essence, what differs is how we process this soul essence, shadow hunters use their runes, Heretics absorb it directly into their blood and body while Apostles use their Halos as a source of their power but it all still comes down to our souls."

She took a breath and continued "and as our souls grow, our relationship with the world changes." She tilted her head. "It gets to a point where the world itself can't shackle you anymore."

Zane frowned. "So you're telling me they fly because…?"

"They are simply to damn strong."

Zane let that sink in.

It was absurd.

It was ridiculous.

Yet he was seeing it happen in front of his very eyes.

Mia patted his shoulder. "Poor Shadowhunter Baby."

Zane was about to respond when—

The gate groaned.

A deep, shuddering vibration ripped through the air.

The ground trembled beneath them.

Mia straightened, cracking her neck. "And there it is."

Zane didn't need to ask.

The war had begun.

This was it. The real battle. The moment everything had been leading up to.

The battlefield had already been divided.

The three factions, Shadowhunters, Apostles, and the Heretics had taken their positions, each standing in precise formations, careful to keep their distance from one another.

At the left side, standing with the utmost confidence, were the Heretics. Their commander, a rough hardened looking man stood at the front glaring at the gate like his gaze alone could bring the demons out

 They looked like they couldn't wait for this fight to start.

In the center, forming a solid and disciplined line, were the Apostles. Their glowing halos were still up so they didn't hold any weapons. Still they stood like an unwavering army of zealots.

To the right, standing in their own separate formation, were the Shadowhunters. Alaric was at the front, speaking with other senior hunters, their voices low and unreadable from a distance. Unlike the Apostles' strict military formation, the Shadowhunters were more relaxed, but everyone knew they were not to be underestimated.

And behind them, positioned a good distance away from the main battlefield, stood the younger, less experienced members of each group.

Zane stood among them, though not quite with them.

He had stayed closer to Mia, keeping himself slightly removed from the rest of the younger Shadowhunters. He wasn't really one of them, not fully. And judging by the way some of them kept stealing glances at him, it was clear they weren't sure what to make of him either.

He could hear their whispers; it wasn't by any means harsh but it made him feel like he was an animal in the zoo.

He didn't like that feeling at all.

But still what could he do about it? Fight them for talking? For fearing him? Nah...

Let them talk.

Mia nudged him lightly with her elbow. "You're not getting nervous right? What's wrong?"

Zane exhaled. "Doesn't this feel… off to you?"

Indeed his instincts had been screaming ever since he saw the gate, he didn't know what to expect but yet he still felt like something was wrong.

Mia followed his gaze. She was quiet for a second before she nodded. "It does but then again i have never taking part of a demonic invasion event have i?"

Zane frowned. "Still you don't think something's different this time? Could it really be my nerves?"

Mia didn't answer right away. Instead, she shifted her stance, her fingers absently tapping against her thigh.

Finally, she murmured, "Maybe. But we'll find out soon enough."

Zane glanced at her. He was now experienced enough to know that as a supernatural being his instincts were very accurate, he had escaped death many times because of them.

So he really wanted to ask other people if they noticed something was wrong.

But before he could ask, the gate groaned again.

A deep, low vibration rippled through the ground, like a beast stirring from its slumber.