Top 5 Most Heart-Wrenching Moments From The Infernal Devices Moments From The Infernal Devices

By: Clockworkprincess (edited by: Clockworkprincess)

The Infernal Devices Series has been the hot favorite for most of the fans who have read the Shadowhunter Chronicles. The Infernal Devices focuses mainly on the lives of part-warlock, part-Nephilim Tessa Gray, and two young Shadowhunters, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs, who have set out to save the Nephilim world. It is a legend of love and revenge. So here are a few heart-stopping scenes from the series, where the righteous have to endure terrible pain and the evil resides in glass palaces.

Will discovers that Tessa has “killed” herself

I have lost everything, Will thought. Everything. 

This was an iconic moment in the book, where readers believed for a moment, that the female protagonist Tessa Gray, had committed suicide to escape the clutches of the vile Mortmain. What was even more traumatizing, was William Herondale’s reaction, as he attempted to come to terms with the change of events. At that moment, when he realized that the only person he dared to love in his entire life was alive, he finally broke the mask of heartlessness and allowed himself to be vulnerable for a few moments, clearly proving that no matter how much he tried to shadow it, he was quite capable of loving people.

When Will rejects Tessa

There is no future for a Shadowhunter who dallies with warlocks. 

It was indeed a shocking statement by our favorite male character, Will Herondale. While we all knew about his façade of emotionlessness, none of us expected such cold-heartedness, especially after his raw display of affection when Tessa nearly died. Not even in our wildest dreams could we imagine Will speaking such harsh words and questioning Tessa’s character. While he may have been compelled by the circumstances to do so, this exhibition of callousness brought about a drastic change in the entire story, and eventually led to Jem and Tessa’s romantic relations. It also opened up Will’s eyes as he finally realized the consequences of his cruel behavior over the past years and led him to seek help from Magnus Bane, thus beginning the process of breaking his curse.

Will’s curse

After every ignorant and ill-advised decision Will made, his character appeared even more mysterious, with his lack of show of affection yet his caring attitude for his parabatai raised several ambiguities. Will acted the way he usually did because he disillusioned a non-existent curse. Nonetheless, discovering the incidents that planted such a grave misconception in a young boy’s mind was gut-wrenching. Ella Herondale, his elder sister, at the tender age of 14, fought off a poisonous demon that her brother had unknowingly released from a Pyxis. Despite lack of proper training, she defended her sibling and later comforted him, telling him not to pay heed to the demon’s curse. Alas, she died of the same poison, which Will was unaware of, and believing that he was cursed to be the reason for his loved ones’ death left the comforts of his own parents’ arms and entered the brutal world of Shadowhunters. He may have built up walls around himself while growing up, but a part of his soul was buried with his sister’s body.

Jem and Tessa’s Engagement

You can never love me.

Freed from the anxiety that had plagued his mind since childhood, Will was at last, free to love and cherish his life. But thunder struck again, this time, for both Tessa and Will when he proposed to her, mere hours after his parabatai had professed his love to her and made her his own. Even though she loved him, she was bound by propriety and her love for Jem and had no alternative but to reject Will’s proposal. The dejection he endured was immeasurable. For someone who had just learned to love once again in life, being dismissed by the girl he battled his conscience for, was similar to yet another curse. Not forgetting how agonizing it must have been for Tessa to choose between the two boys in her life, whom she loved equally and wanted to cause pain to neither. She clutched the fire poker to relieve some of her pain and by the next morning, she had torn her heart into two pieces. At this crucial moment in the story, readers held their breaths as the probability of the plot tipping in either boys’ favor was equal

Jem’s death

Will Herondale had been "cursed" to be the reason for his loved ones’ death. Yet, he was ready to risk it all for his parabatai, Jem Carstairs. Jem was the only human who understood his pain, even though Will never spoke of it directly. The loss of a family could only be truly acknowledged by Jem, who himself had lost his parents. But as the fateful night fared worse, with Tessa missing and Jem’s health deteriorating, Will had scarce any option but to leave his parabatai and embark on a journey to save their soulmate. Though his intentions were noble, and he had promised to safeguard Tessa, the sudden severing of his parabatai bond—which signified that his other, better half was no more—was still excruciating. Once again, their destinies did not separate them, but the agony of the mark fading from his chest would never be forgotten.

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The Infernal Devices was perhaps the most heartbreaking series of all the Shadowhunter books. It held raw emotion; agony, heartbreak, passion, and at the end, if not satisfaction, some respite, and hope. This tale of the Herondales, Lightwoods, Carstairs, and Fairchilds was indeed one worthy of being denoted as a well-written saga of YA romance.