The Sorting Ceremony Part 2 (Jace's POV)
The Sorting Ceremony had ended, and Jace’s nervous energy was at an all-time high. The hall was filled with the excited chatter of first years, their eager voices blending with the clinking of plates and the soft laughter of students, but none of it registered with him. His thoughts were consumed by one single thing: her.
His twin sister.
Jessa.
She should have been here by now. He’d been waiting for so long, and every second felt like an eternity. Her absence gnawed at him. Why is she taking so long?
Vix, his older twin brother, sat beside him, his expression unusually tight. Vix, ever the stoic one, betrayed no signs of worry—at least, not outwardly. But Jace could see it in his eyes, the flicker of concern every time he glanced toward the door.
"She's fine," Vix muttered, his voice barely audible over the din of the hall. "Professor Fig is with her. She’ll be here soon."
“I know,” Jace replied, his tone flat, though his insides were anything but calm. The thought of her out there, somewhere beyond the castle, filled him with an unease he couldn’t shake.
And then, finally, the moment came. The doors to the Great Hall creaked open, and Jace’s heart leapt into his throat.
Professor Fig entered first, followed closely by a figure Jace had only dreamed of seeing.
There she was.
Jessa.
His twin sister.
She was standing in the doorway, a shadow caught in the flickering candlelight. For a moment, Jace could hardly believe his eyes. After all these years of wondering, of wishing, of waiting—it was finally happening.
Jessa’s dark, midnight-blue hair cascaded down her back, the strands catching the light in a way that made it seem almost otherworldly. Her eyes, those eyes—bluer than sapphire—glowed with a quiet intensity. They were sharp and piercing, full of stories he hadn’t yet heard. They scanned the room, sweeping over the tables, the students, and the entire hall.
She looked like a stranger in this place, unsure, her posture tense, but there was something undeniably familiar in the way she carried herself. The same walk. The same movement. She’s real. The realization hit him like a rush of wind.
Jessa’s eyes flicked toward him for a split second, and for that fleeting moment, Jace saw the connection—the twin bond they shared—spark between them. But it vanished just as quickly as it had come, her gaze darting nervously back toward the Sorting Hat at the front of the room.
Jessa hesitated as she stepped further into the hall, her footsteps silent on the stone floor. She seemed to shrink a little under the weight of so many eyes on her, her uncertainty palpable.
Jace’s breath hitched in his throat. She was here. She was alive. He had spent years dreaming of this moment, but now that it had arrived, it felt both surreal and overwhelming.
Jessa continued walking, her gaze never quite steady as she looked up at the enchanted ceiling. She seemed lost in the grandeur of the Great Hall, taking in the floating candles, the colors shifting above, the vastness of it all. It was clear—she was seeing everything with fresh eyes, eyes that had been closed for so long.
The Sorting Hat awaited her.
Jace’s heart raced as he watched her approach, his hands fidgeting at his sides. She's finally here, but she doesn’t belong here yet. Not fully. She had been gone for so long, and though she stood in front of him now, he felt as though there were still miles between them.
Still, she was here. And that meant everything.
As Jessa reached the Sorting Hat, Jace stole a glance at Vix, his older twin brother. He was sitting straight, his usual confidence faltering for just a brief moment as he took in the sight of her. He couldn’t seem to believe it.
His voice was low, barely more than a whisper, but the disbelief in it was unmistakable. “She’s awake…” Vix murmured, shaking his head slightly. “I—I can’t believe it.”
Jace glanced back at him, his own mind reeling. He couldn’t understand it either, but there she was, standing before them. Alive. Whole.
After everything that had happened, all the time lost, all the uncertainty—Jessa was awake.
And for the first time in years, Jace’s twin was no longer just a memory.
She was right there in front of him.