Alec ran through the cold winter night. He ran for all that he was worth, but he knew the circle members would get to him.

He knew that his body would betray him.

He had only just turned twelve. Jace had been with them since he was ten and they were good friends, so he had thought that a little trip outside of the New York institute wouldn't be amiss. They were three; Alec, Izzy and Jace, what could happen? They also had permission from their parents, and it was only a little over 6 pm.

How wrong he had been.

He had only just managed to send Jace and Izzy to get help while he distracted the traitors. But his body would betray him, he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer and he felt it in every step he took.

He heard their laughter, they were playing with him, waiting until he could go no more to strike and eliminate any chances of him escaping with the help of his remaining strength.

Alec took to a narrow alleyway, trying in vain to lose them, but then he tripped over a homeless Mundane and fell into the dirty brown snow. The mundane got up from his slumber and began cussing Alec out but it didn't hold for long, a glowing Seraph blade pressed against his throat, threatening to end his life.

All was quiet until one of the three Circle members walked to the downed Lightwood heir, grinning dementedly. Alec trembled, fear taking over his being as he sat in the dirt, paralysed with the realisation that he was done for. The blond traitorous Shadowhunter crouched down in front of Alec, reaching a hand for him, roughly grabbing his shaggy hair and tilting his head up painfully.

"You may not be your parents, but you're going to be enough." The man laughed, his foul drunk breath hitting the young boys terrified face. "We will show you what happens to traitors of the Circle…"

Alec's eyes widened in horror when he saw the third Circle member make a Ritual Circle. The only Runes he recognises were 'Soul', 'body' and 'merge'.

The Mundane was brought to his knees and then his throat was slit, spilling the innocent Mundane blood over the Runic circle.

Little blood drops managed to reach Alec's youthful face, splattered innocently against his soft cheeks.

This wasn't going to end well for him.

•

•

•

Jace ran. He ran with fear clutching his heart. He didn't want to lose a brother too; he already lost a father.

He looked over to Izzy who was running with him too. They had to make it fast to the institute and get help from their parents.

He dreaded thinking what Alec could be going through right about now.

—

Maryse sat beside her oldest son's bed and held her head in her hands.

How could she allow something like that to happen in her territory?!

Her body trembled with anger. The images of her son in a runic Ritual circle with his body changing grotesquely was haunting her since the day it happened.

It had been two weeks since then and they had mad blood tests to see what had been done to him. She didn't recognise her son anymore; he now had the genes of some other couple from a whole other dimension in his body and the Silent Brothers had informed them of how he had merged with his parallel self.

His female parallel self that was from a world that didn't have Shadowhunter's or Downworldlers at all.

She gritted her teeth. Her son would have a hard time now with adjusting, his body was changing and losing muscle mass the longer he stays unconscious… or that had been what she and her husband thought until a Silent Brother told them of how the Woman their son was merging with had been a warrior. He was gaining all those lithe hard-won muscles just by merging.

Maryse had tried to find out more about the woman that now was the primary personality of her son, but the Silent Brothers were unable to glean more than 'she was old and had been a mother herself'.

She lifted her head from her hands and looked at her little boy. She wasn't sure if she could still call him a boy, he was what the Mundane called a 'Hermaphrodite', a male with both reproductive organs. His softer features were distinctly male, and one could still see the Lightwood genes in him, but he was Androgynous. His body was more feminine but somehow more durable than metal; his muscles hard as stone when triggered right.

But the worst still came; her son was now blind.

Her gaze shifted to where her son's feet were. She had been told by the Silent Brothers that her son's feet were somehow compensating for his lack of sight, they needed to be uncovered as often as possible. Something about how he would be able to feel the vibrations of the earth and the earth listening to him.

She sighed and stood up to make her way back to her quarter's. Her youngest needed to be fed soon. She glanced a last time at the eldest, guilt swimming in her eyes. Silently Maryse left the healing room of her son.

It was hers and Roberts fault that their children were put in danger, and Alec had to pay the price. Maryse promised herself to be a better mother and if not a mother then a friend to the stranger her child would become.

She just thanked the Angels that the Clave didn't care for what happened if Alec still remained a Shadowhunter with no demon blood.

•

•

•

Toph sensed the vibrations around herself. There weren't any.

Her death was nothing she didn't see coming, but to die in her sleep?!

She sniffed in outrage.

How dare her body deny her the opportunity to go down in epic battle!

Or maybe while spending her last moments with Katara and Zuko?

Mah! She wasn't sure.

Suddenly there was Aang before her and he was, like always, taller. She had felt that her body was younger but for some reason, she couldn't glean more than 'my bones are very young' from the vibrations she felt inside herself. With Aang there, she was sure he would shed some light on her situation.

„Ey, Bird Brain!" She cheerfully and roughly punched his arm. „Hah~" Aang sighed tired, it was always the same with his old friend.

„Toph, it's Good to see you." Toph tilted her head up to where she heard his voice. She didn't like not being able to feel anything besides herself. „What is happening?" She asked forcefully.

Aang shrunk away from his old friend and teacher. God he would never get over his terror, Toph was just in general terrifying when she wanted things done.

„Ehm… some youngling from another dimension may have performed a ritual on your male counterpart and now you're going to merge with him…?" Uhoh, Aang hadn't meant to sound so panicked.

Toph remained silent, then she pointed in his general direction and shouted. "See, this is what happens when your friends with trouble-magnets!" She pursed her lips.

Aang instinctively backed a little away from her pointing finger, he never knew when she would be bending or just gesturing. Toph was just such a difficult woman to please, he prayed for the people who had to deal with her in the new dimension.

He cautiously shoved her arm back to her side, aware that he could only do it because she allowed him. "Toph, this new dimension you're going to…" He hesitated.

Toph furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't hold upon me, Bird Brain!"

Aang barely refrained from shrinking away. "You're going to be a Hermaphrodite, ok?! You're going to merge with a young twelve-year-old, so you're going to feel very young!" God, he hated the next part.

He softly reached for her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "You are also going to find your soulmate there." Toph grabbed his arm so hard he thought she would break it by accident.

"What?!"

Toph held on to her friend's arm to ground herself. Aang knew how delicate the situation was for her. Her Soulmark had always been grey, indicating her Soulmates status as dead or just 'not born jet' and after her reaching her thirty years of age Toph had given up hope of ever finding them.

And now her friend was telling Toph that her mark was like that because her Soulmate wasn't even in the same damn dimension! How do you react to something like that?!

Her voice was quiet when she spoke, nearly a whisper. "I want to know three things, just these three and then I'm out of your hair." Aang's eyes warmed with fondness. This was the Toph he knew; always in the right track and ready to face the fight. "Ask away Toph, I will do my best to answer your questions."

Toph let go of Aang's arm and he retreated his hand from her shoulder.

"Will I still have my bending once there?" Aang's eyes widened. He should've foreseen that she would ask that first, her bending was what let her technically 'see', of course, she would be emotionally attached to the ability. "You will always have your bending, in this world there is absolutely nothing that can take that from you."

Aang saw her take a deep breath, her form relaxed minimally but then she sprung another question his way that he didn't see coming. "Will I still be able to bear children?" Aang smiled warmly at her again. Toph may have been a stern mother, but she had loved her daughter's fiercely and would have died for them if she saw it as necessary. She had often complained to him that she didn't have any baby Earthbenders running around anymore.

He stroked his friends head with fondness. "Yes, Toph." To see her as a twelve-year-old again brought fond memories to the forefront.

Toph froze, surprise colouring her features at having her former student be so tenderly with her. He usually was overly cautious while near her. She took a deep breath. This was her last question, she had to make it count. "My Soulmate, will I live as long as he or will our meeting be tainted with grief?"

Aang stared wide-eyed at her, he hadn't thought about that. He swiftly did a little conference with the God that was allowing this to happen and the grinned dementedly. "You're going to be very happy for a long time as an Immortal, my friend." Toph's eyes widened on instinct, shock in her face and there was another question already on the tip of her tongue but suddenly she felt herself getting rapidly sleepy.

"Don't fight it Toph! Your new family will love you no matter what!" Toph heard her friend from far away as the darkness consumed her and she slowly began to work herself through the life of her male parallel self.

This was going to take some time.

—

Izzy watched her big brother while he slept through the after-effects of the horrid Runic ritual performed on him.

This was all their parents' fault.

She had overheard them speak about why this happened. Some Circle members wanted revenge for them leaving their group and in the end, Alec had to pay the price.