Chapter Text
Long ago, during the creation of the angels, God appointed four archangels to become Guardians of the Elements, namely Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The four Archangels each mastered an element, to strengthen their powers God created dragons from which they could communicate, the four dragons each had a power that strengthened that of their partners. The four Archangels could communicate with their dragons through telepathy; they were very powerful with their partners that they had the same level as a Seraphim. When God created men, the four Archangels became the protectors of men with their partners. They were considered by men as Guardians of Nature and Dragons as protective Gods. Unfortunately, Lucifer decided to rebel against his creator not wanting to bend to men, so he gathered his followers and started a war against his own brothers and sisters. The War lasted for several millennia before the fall of Lucifer and his followers; Lucifer and his followers became demons. During the war, the four Archangels were killed with their dragons, God in his immense sadness had them reincarnated among men and reborn the Dragons. Thus, the first four Horsemen of the Soul were born, their Dragons joined them and together they fought evil. God, knowing the dynamics of their group, made the group two couples. They were kindred spirits; they were each marked by their basic element to counter it. Later, they died, and another group of Horsemen were created, for some years, God had them reincarnated every 400 years to fight the evil and darkness created by his renegade sons. Centuries later, a man accompanied by another man and a woman were walking down a long road towards Constantinople, the man had black hair with eyes. The other man had black hair also with brown eyes, the woman looked like the first man. They branched off into another path without knowing it and arrived at a lake. This lake was black and tumultuous; demons came out of this lake and attacked them. The trio took their weapons and defended themselves as best they could against their demons, they managed to kill some demons before one of them came out of the lake as frightening as the ones they were facing. The woman and the other man fell unconscious to the ground while the first man continued the struggle and attacked the superior demon, who dragged him to the bottom of the lake. The man began to slowly asphyxiate and began to pray for the lake to be blessed and pulled the Upper Demon away from everything, the water began to sparkle around him before he noticed that he could breathe underwater and saw an archangel standing above him.
"Fear not, Jonathan, for God has heard your prayer and granted your wish. I am the Archangel Raziel," the archangel introduced himself.
"I wish for a world that will be a paradise on Earth, without the infernal demons destroying it. I want the power to eliminate them and save many people," the man wished.
"I am here to grant your wish, as you have called upon me. I shall grant it to you, Jonathan," declared Raziel.
Raziel began to shine, destroying the lesser demons and sending the greater demon far away from everything. The light faded, and the man opened his eyes to find himself near his sister and his friend. The archangel stood above the lake, holding a sword in one hand and a cup in the other.
"I will give you this sword to use against the infernal creatures; it also serves to reveal the truth to those who try to hide lies. The cup will serve to create Nephilim. From now on and until the end of the world, you shall be called Jonathan Shadowhunter, for you and your descendants will push back the shadows that invade the Earth and illuminate the darkness. You will be called 'Nephilim' as it is written in the Book of Genesis," declared Raziel.
"Thank you, my lord. Thanks to this, the world will become a paradise for the people we save," Jonathan declared, crying.
Raziel entrusted him with a grimoire and made him drink from the cup after mixing it with Jonathan’s blood. He became the first Nephilim. The archangel explained to him that when the three instruments are united, they will be able to summon him.
"One more thing, Jonathan Shadowhunter: There used to be four Archangels who were the Guardians of the Elements—Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. They were my brothers and sisters, and they had Dragons as their partners, not mounts. During the Holy War, they were killed along with their partners. The Creator then decided to have them reincarnated among mortals with their Dragons. Every 400 years, they reincarnate, and they will soon be reborn to fight the darkness and evil that reign over this earth," decreed Raziel.
"I will welcome them with honor and consider their Dragons as Gods, but how can I recognize them?" Jonathan asked.
"The first Rider will bear the four Element symbols on him, but rest assured, the others will have their marks when the first Rider meets them. The Dragons will join them later; together, they will defeat evil on Earth," Raziel replied.
"Very well, I will wait for their birth and welcome them as a servant to their greatness," declared Jonathan.
The angel Raziel departed, leaving behind the three instruments as well as the grimoire. Jonathan then took the cup and transformed many people. They became the first Shadowhunters. He founded the city of Idris, which would become the capital of the Shadowhunters, and created the Enclave to maintain order. Over the centuries, they established Institutes to help mortals around the world. As promised, Jonathan passed down the legend of the Four Riders and their Dragon partners. He noted that their identities would be marked by symbols of the Elements of nature on them. All the Shadowhunters awaited the coming of the Four Riders. Over the centuries, the legend transformed into archives kept by the Silent Brothers and the Iron Sisters. However, they had built a sanctuary in Idris for the Dragons, the location of which the Enclave kept secret. Years later, a young woman returned home with good news—she had just learned she was pregnant with her first child. She entered and saw her husband cleaning his weapons after a recent mission. The man turned to her with a smile.
"My dear, have you been on a mission?" the man asked.
"No, but Robert, I have good news to tell you,"His wife smiled.
"What is it, Maryse? Have Valentin and Jocelyn moved up their wedding, or has Stephen finally decided to stop wanting to kill all the pigeons as a mission?" Robert joked.
"Not for Valentin and Jocelyn. As for Stephen, it’s better not to say anything about him, and our conscience will be clear!" Maryse grimaced.
The couple grimaced at their brother-in-arms' ridiculous fear of pigeons, knowing that all the males in Stephen Herondale’s family are actually afraid of ducks.
"So what’s the big news?" Robert asked.
"I’m pregnant," Maryse admitted.
Robert opened his mouth and then closed it, making the gesture for a few minutes before dropping his weapons to the ground with a dull thud.
"You... I'm going to be a father," Robert stammered.
"Yes, I'm going to be a mom," Maryse rejoiced.
"So that means I’m going to be a dad," Robert concluded.
"Yes, that's great—we’re going to be parents!" Maryse exclaimed excitedly.
Maryse jumped into her husband’s arms; both were overjoyed by the news of the pregnancy. They shared it with their circle of friends, who were delighted by the announcement. Their parents were over the moon upon hearing the news—they had started buying toys and making plans to play with their grandchild. When Maryse was six months pregnant, she was knitting in her wingback chair when she heard a distant voice that made her startle.
"You're home, Robert?" Maryse asked.
Silence answered her instead; she thought she must be tired and set aside her knitting to get up and rest. For days, the same scenario repeated, and she talked about it with Robert.
"Maybe it’s the stress of the pregnancy that’s bothering you," Robert thought.
"I think so too," Maryse replied.
One night, the couple went to bed early. The expectant mother began to dream that she was rocking her future child in her arms in the rocking chair.
“You’re such a beautiful baby,” Maryse cooed.
The baby made a sound before suddenly beginning to glow. The expectant mother grew worried about her child in the dream, then heard several voices in her head. She woke up with a start and saw that Robert was still sleeping. She got up slowly, placing one hand behind her back and the other under her belly, grimacing as she stood. She shot a dark look at her husband, who was sleeping like a log. She went to relieve her bladder and then raided the kitchen, succumbing to her pregnancy cravings as she ate her strawberry yogurt.
"Can you hear us?" asked a distant voice.
Maryse dropped her yogurt and spun around, grabbing a butcher's knife in her hand.
"Who’s there?" Maryse asked.
"You hear us; we are coming to welcome the first Rider," warned the distant voice.
"But who are you, for heaven’s sake? Are you a demon?" Maryse growled, searching for the source of the voice.
"We will be there soon to be with the first Rider," the distant voice reassured.
The expectant mother no longer heard the voice, which had fallen silent. She put down the knife in the kitchen just as Robert came in, worried about his wife. She told him about the strange conversation she had experienced, and the future father suggested that she must be tired and needed to rest. Three months later, Maryse was in labor, and Robert was supporting her.
"Push, my dear, you’re almost there," encouraged her husband.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, ROBERT, YOU’RE NOT THE ONE GIVING BIRTH. YOU’RE NOT THE ONE FEELING YOUR DAMNED THROAT OPENING UP TO THE SIZE OF A WATERMELON, SO SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, DAMN IT, GET THIS DEMON OUT OF ME, IT’S TEARING MY INSIDES OUT WITH IT!" his wife screamed, feeling the contractions.
Robert turned pale as he watched his “sweet” wife loudly insult him. He clenched his teeth, unable to feel his hands. It felt as if the bones in his hands were being crushed.
"DAMN IT, ROBERT, YOU BASTARD WITH YOUR STUPID SWEET WORDS, LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE TO ENDURE BECAUSE OF YOU. AS SOON AS I FINISH GIVING BIRTH, I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR THROAT TO YOUR ASSHOLE!" Maryse screamed.
The soon-to-be father swallowed nervously, wanting to go on a mission quickly and far away from Maryse, who was loudly threatening him. The expectant mother slowly exhaled as she rested.
"The head is almost out," warned the Silent Brother.
"FUCK, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU EAT YOUR FOOD THROUGH A STRAW, AFTER TEARING OUT ALL YOUR TEETH!" Maryse threatened.
"Just a little more, my love," encouraged Robert.
"YOU BASTARD WHO LASTS TWO MINUTES IN BED!" Maryse shouted.
"Hey, I don’t last two minutes… I’ll shut up… I’ll shut up," gulped Robert under her threatening glare, wanting to protest.
Maryse pushed her baby's head out of her before collapsing onto the pillow, exhausted. The Silent Brother caught the newborn and then offered Robert the chance to cut the umbilical cord. The new father cut the cord with emotion.
"It's a beautiful baby boy," declared the Silent Brother as he went to bathe the child.
The new mother was crying with joy upon hearing the cries of her newborn son. Robert came to kiss her on the forehead when they heard a gasp of surprise coming from the Silent Brother.
"Is something wrong?" Maryse asked worriedly.
The Silent Brother did not respond and kept the baby in his arms. He turned toward the new parents.
"Brother Enoch, what's happening with our son?" Robert asked, worried.
"There is nothing unusual about your son, but I will return later to install the mental protections against demonic possessions," Brother Enoch declared.
Maryse and Robert didn’t understand Brother Enoch’s sudden hurry to leave. The next day, Maryse was still in bed with her newborn. Robert entered the room and sat down beside them.
"Hey there, do you know who I am? I’m your dad," Robert cooed, stroking his son’s cheek.
The baby made a soft sound that melted his parents’ hearts. The doorbell rang, and the new father went to open it for his friends. They came inside after Robert invited them in, then headed to the bedroom to visit Maryse. A young red-haired woman melted upon seeing the baby.
"Oh, he’s so cute," complimented the young red-haired woman.
"It’s a little boy," Maryse smiled to Jocelyn.
"His name is Alexander Gideon Lightwood," Robert proudly introduced.
"He's a beautiful baby, anyway," declared a young man with chestnut hair.
"Thank you, Luke," Robert thanked.
"Do you want to hold him, Jocelyn?" Maryse offered.
"That will be some training for you, won’t it, Valentin?" Robert chuckled, looking at the young blond man.
Valentin blushed as he watched his wife holding Alec in her arms; they cooed softly with the baby. A few days later, Maryse and Robert had organized Alec’s baptism. All their friends were invited, along with members of the Enclave. Everyone was marveling at Alec, and they all congratulated the new parents. The doorbell rang once again, and when Robert went to open it, he was surprised to see the entire congregation of the Silent Brothers and the Iron Sisters standing in front of the manor. Maryse and the others came out of the manor upon seeing the entire congregation gathered before them.
"But why are they all here?" Valentin wondered aloud.
Brother Enoch and an Iron Sister approached the couple and bowed before them. Maryse and Robert were stunned by their gesture of respect.
"What is happening? Why are you bowing before us?" Maryse asked, confused.
"We bow before the first Soul Rider," replied Brother Enoch.
"The first Soul Rider?" Robert repeated, confused.
"Yes, it is a legend known only to certain members of the Enclave, the congregation of the Silent Brothers, and the Iron Sisters. The Soul Riders are a group of four people who are the incarnation of the Archangels who were Guardians of the Elements of nature—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—when Jonathan Shadowhunter summoned the angel Raziel. The angel Raziel predicted the arrival of the four Riders; the first Rider will bear the four symbols of the elements. They will be accompanied by Dragons who are their partners," explained an Iron Sister.
"When your son was born, I saw one of the symbols on his thigh, and I understood that he is the first Soul Rider," explained Brother Enoch.
"Incredible!" whispered Maryse, completely stunned by the news.
"Jonathan Shadowhunter promised the angel Raziel that they would be welcomed with honors and that we would be their servants," declared an Iron Sister.
After that, the Silent Brothers and the Iron Sisters left; they had prepared the Dragons’ sanctuary for their arrival. Valentin saw this opportunity presented to him and smiled with wicked joy.
"This is incredible. Your son, together with the other Riders and their Dragons, will help us annihilate those demons in human form," Valentin suggested.
Robert frowned as he listened to his leader, crossing his arms to confront him.
"You're joking, right?" Robert asked.
"I'm not joking, Robert. Alexander and his companions will help us change this world for the better, without demons wearing human faces. You know as well as I do that this world is overrun with demons who don't deserve to live," Valentin emphasized.
"Alexander isn’t even a month old, and you’re already planning his future as if you’re going to control him and his companions," Robert remarked.
"Come on, Robert, you will remain his parents, but he will need my help to cleanse the shadow world," Valentin declared.
The new father hissed in anger, slammed open the front door, and pointed outside.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" Robert declared.
"How dare you throw us out like that? I was telling the truth to Maryse and you!" Valentin growled.
Fed up with Valentin’s nonsense, Robert slammed him against the wall in front of everyone.
"Not when you threaten my family and try to manipulate my son for your schemes. I will never allow you to come near my son, his companions, or even his dragons!" Robert threatened.
Jocelyn quickly came to calm Robert so he could release his husband, who hissed with anger and betrayal.
"So if you think like that, you and your little family are traitors to us. You are outcasts, which doesn’t surprise me—you’ve always been outcasts. Between a traitorous brother who betrayed his people to marry a mortal, and a coward who was scared of runes, you don’t deserve to be part of the Circle," declared Valentin as he grabbed Jocelyn's hand and dragged her away by force.
All the guests who were part of the Circle left except for Robert and Maryse’s parents. The couple’s parents were proud of them before leaving for their own home. The new father turned to his wife, who was holding Alec in her arms.
"Maryse, I’m sorry, but I never truly believed Valentin’s words. I did it for you, but now he has gone too far," Robert apologized.
"You don’t have to worry; I’ve seen his true face too," Maryse reassured him.
"We will protect our son. We’ll need to talk with the Enclave," Robert said.
"I know," Maryse agreed.
The next day, they went to the Enclave. The Enclave decided, to protect Alec as the first Rider, that they would move to New York and take charge of the Institute. The three of them traveled to New York, and the couple headed to the New York Institute. They participated in the Enclave's insurrection and were relieved to hear of Valentin’s death. Jocelyn had disappeared with the cup; no one had heard from her. Maryse looked for her two-year-old baby who had escaped to avoid taking a bath. She went to the courtyard of the Institute and quickly called her husband when she saw the scene unfolding before her eyes. Alec was surrounded by four small baby dragons. The first dragon was purple, its deep violet scales shining with a thousand reflections under the moonlight, looking like stardust with wings sparkling like glitter under the moon. The second dragon was a blazing red, its thin wings spread out, fluttering slightly in the air. The third dragon was a fiery gold, reminiscent of autumn colors, sitting on Alec’s head. The fourth dragon was an almost white-blue dragon with folded horns and wings, curled up on the little Rider’s knees.
"Those are the Dragons," Robert concluded.
"So those are the ones I heard when I was pregnant with Alec," Maryse recalled.
The couple brought their son inside with the four Dragons, and the entire Institute was informed of Alec’s status as a Rider and the presence of the Dragons. The Congregation of the Iron Sisters and Silent Brothers were amazed by the baby dragons’ presence. The Enclave then had a sanctuary built for them. A few months later, Maryse gave birth to a daughter whom they named Isabelle Sophia Lightwood. Later, when Alec was nine years old, Maryse became pregnant with their third child and gave birth to a boy. They named him Maxwell Joseph Lightwood. Alec was happy about the arrival of his little brother and sister. A year later, Robert and Maryse adopted a young boy, the son of Robert’s deceased parabatai, and they went to Idris to bring him home. At the same time, Alec was riding on the back of the blue dragon. The four Dragons had grown to the size of trucks. Isabelle was holding onto her brother’s hips behind him, laughing as the wild wind whipped her face. The young Rider took off flying with the four Dragons.
"Alec, higher!" Isabelle laughed, urging.
"Sapphire," Alec called, looking at the blue dragon.
"Understood," Sapphire smiled.
The Dragoness flew a little higher, followed by the other three. They flew for an hour before returning to the Institute. They landed in the sanctuary, a vast space as large as Russia. It was filled with all kinds of flora, and the room had a retractable roof to let the four Dragons fly from time to time. Isabelle slid onto Sapphire's back while Alec took off, mastering his powers over the Element of Air.
"I'm really happy to be flying with you," Isabelle smiled.
"Next time, we'll ride Onyx," Alec smiled, looking at the purple dragon in the corner.
"If you want," Onyx replied.
"Why not on Quartz and Ruby?" Isabelle asked, looking at the golden Dragon and the red Dragoness.
"Because they belong respectively to the two Riders. I can ride Sapphire because she is my partner, and Onyx belongs to my soulmate," Alec explained.
"I understand!" Isabelle sighed.
Alec was about to say something when he felt a shiver, and Quartz spread his wings, starting to get restless. Isabelle noticed her brother's behavior.
"Alec, are you okay?" Isabelle asked worriedly.
"The second Rider is here; I can feel it. It's really him, Quartz?" Alec asked, turning to the Golden Dragon.
"Yes, that's truly my partner. I can't believe I'm going to meet him now," Quartz said joyfully.
"You lucky brat," pouted Ruby.
Onyx chuckled to himself; Alec laughed and went to meet the second Cavalier. Isabelle followed him, and they saw their parents approaching with a young boy with blond hair and golden eyes. The young Cavalier stepped forward and saw the symbol of Earth appear on the blond boy’s shoulder.
"Jonathan, let me introduce you to my two children, Alec and Izzy, who will be your brother and sister from today on. Alec and Izzy, this is Jonathan — he’s your new brother," Maryse introduced.
"Nice to meet you," Izzy said with a smile.
"He is the second Rider; he bears the symbol of Earth. He is Quartz’s partner," Alec revealed to his parents.
"What!" Robert exclaimed in surprise.
"Already the second Rider," Maryse concluded, her eyes wide open.
"I don’t understand what you’re talking about, and who is Quartz?" Jonathan asked.
Maryse and Robert let Alec explain to Jace, and the dark-haired boy took him to the sanctuary. The Dragons had flown off for a walk. Jace furrowed his brows as he looked at the sanctuary with its flora.
"I don’t see anything. Why did you bring me here?" Jace asked.
Jace turned around and screamed in fright as Quartz landed in front of him. The golden Dragon looked at him deeply before bowing his head toward the horrified child.
"Jonathan, let me introduce you to Quartz; he will be your partner. Ruby is the Dragon of your soulmate, mine is the blue Dragon named Sapphire, and the last Dragon is Onyx. He belongs to my soulmate," Alec introduced as he stroked Sapphire’s head.
"Wow, so I’ll be a Dragon’s partner? That’s amazing," Jace said excitedly.
"Before you get too excited, I need to explain something to you about your elemental power," Alec pointed out.
Alec told him everything about their role with the Dragons and their powers. After a while, Jace asked him to be his parabatai, and Sapphire’s partner accepted with a laugh.
"It’s no surprise that you’re asking me that," Alec smiled.
"Why is that?" Jace asked.
"Quartz and Sapphire are brother and sister; they come from the same nest," Alec explained as he looked at the two dragons.
"So that means we’ll be brothers too, just like our partners," Jace said with a proud smile.
Alec nodded, laughing. They passed their exams and parabatai ceremonies. Later, Alec took Jace to a plain in Ukraine where the soil was most fertile to give him his power. The blond had received his power of Earth. He began training to master his elemental power. He could hear and speak to Quartz and Ruby, as well as Onyx and Sapphire, through his soul bond with Alec. A few years later, the archer woke up grumbling.
"Still just as grumpy in the morning!" Sapphire giggled.
"What do you want? I hate mornings!" Alec chuckled.
The Rider of Air took a shower and headed to the kitchen for something to eat. He saw Isabelle serving breakfast. Jace entered, sliding in using his Earth power.
"We have a mission in two hours," Jace warned.
"Does he ever rest?" Onyx asked, annoyed by how often Jace goes on missions.
"At least we’re moving instead of staying in the sanctuary getting bored," Quartz defended himself.
"Well said, Quartz," Jace smiled.
"No surprise, you two are alike. I bet it’s an illegal mission," Alec concluded.
“It’s an illegal mission; the day he does a legal mission will be the day he’s mature,” Sapphire thought.
"Hey!" Jace protested at Sapphire’s words.
Isabelle was watching them talk aloud; even though she couldn’t hear the Dragons, she loved seeing her brothers converse with them. They were getting ready before heading to a nightclub, where they captured a demon and killed it. Then they heard a woman's scream. They turned around to see a young red-haired woman being dragged by a young man wearing glasses.
"She can see," Jace noted.
"She is a mundane who has sight like many others," Alec explained.