The heavy manacles dropped against the concrete with a sharp clang as they were unlocked from Alec's wrists. The young man was thankful for the freedom and rubbed at the skin which had turned pink with slight irritation from the metal. The irritation indicated that Alec had been locked in that room for most of the night if not the better part of the next day. "We're starting now?" Alec asked with concerned filling his voice. "I have to talk to my dad and sister, they'll be so worried if I don't come home," he added, as if to convince the man in front of him that it was a good idea to release him fully.

"You can't go back to your mundane life that easy, Alec," Valentine began to explain, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood to full height. With the way Alec was still sitting, the other man stood with dominance over the younger male. "Think about it. Demons can come after them if you go back. You'll lead the danger right to your family. You don't want that, do you?"

As much as Alec hated to admit it, the man before him had a point. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Bea anymore than he already had. She'd just fixed the limp that he basically caused, how could he bring more danger to her? They were better off with him staying put. "They'll call the police. Everyone will be looking for me," Alec reasoned, wondering how this man could possibly keep them hidden. After all, the police likely wouldn't take kindly to fantasy stories about demons and angels, not regarding a kidnapping case.

"You put too much faith in the mundane police. There are ways for us to hide," Valentine explained. "I have to take my leave, but I will send another Shadowhunter in to explain all of this to you and answer any questions you have. You can trust him." With that, the man stood up and headed out of the room, closing the heavy door behind him.

The 'other Shadowhunter' that was supposed to arrive didn't come soon enough, leaving Alec alone in the room. Upon further inspection, he could see that there was only one small window in the room and it opened into an alleyway. There was nothing interesting to look at outside except a brick wall and a dumpster on the other side of the alley. The walls and floor of the room were made of the same concrete and didn't appear to be failing anytime soon. There were some scratches and markings that caused an uneasy feeling to settle within him; how many others were truly trapped in this room before? What had happened to the others? Alec had to wonder what would have happened to him had he not agreed to Valentine's plan. The Shadow World was certainly much different from the mundane one he always knew, that much was clear.

What felt like an hour later, the door opened. Alec spun on his heels to come face-to-face with a man who had to have been about his age. Dark hair was cut cleanly and brown eyes shone bright as he looked on at Alec. There were black drawings all over his body, peeking out from the dark clothes he wore. "You're Alec Lightwood, right?" the male asked, setting the two staffs he was carrying in the corner of the room before crossing to stand directly in the center. "I'm Ryland Brookwater."

"Okay, nice to meet you," Alec tried, not noticing he'd been backing up until the cool wall sent chills down his spine at the contact. The black markings were normal, Alec supposed, for a Shadowhunter. What intensified the nervous feeling in his chest was the circle on the boy's neck that looked intentional but almost appeared like a burn scar. Had he done that to himself? Would Alec be expected to do the same?

"I'll be in charge of your training. We can't send you to the Institute if you don't know what you're doing. But first, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me," Ryland finally spoke, walking to the back wall and sitting down against it. Alec paused only for a second before sitting beside him, appreciating the peer-like gesture rather than the posture of superiority that Valentine had carried as he sat above Alec. "It'll be overwhelming for you. Most people grow up in this world so learn all of this over the course of years. You'll have to learn this as quickly as possible, Valentine can be impatient."

"Valentine, he's...the leader? Of the Shadowhunters?" Alec asked finally, noticing the way Valentine gave orders so easily and the way Ryland spoke of him.

A chuckle from Ryland there. "Not quite. The Clave is the governing body of the Shadowhunters. It's a group of people serving together as the leading body. Valentine broke away years ago because the Clave wasn't doing their job right. He's the leader of a resistance group, one dedicated to overthrowing the Clave and setting up a new, better government for the Shadowhunters. One that actually rules as it should. That's the Circle," he explained.

"Is that the, uh-" Alec began to ask, gesturing wordlessly to his neck. The explanation seemed as good as any, but the scarring seemed like a bit much.

"Yeah, this is a sign of loyalty to the Circle," Ryland answered, nodding his head. "It's drawn like a rune, but since it isn't an official rune technically, it burns like this. I don't think you'll have to get this mark, considering you're a spy for the Circle. They'd arrest you in two seconds flat if you walked into the Institute with this mark. They hate the Circle for clear reasons. We're gaining ground, they feel threatened by us." It sounded like something out of a dystopian novel, Alec noted. A tyrannical, harsh government against a resistance movement that was having to use increasingly more drastic actions to take them down.

"The guy who took me. He didn't call me a Shadowhunter, he called me a..." Alec began, searching for the proper word.

"Nephilim? It's another word for our kind. We're not just human, we have angel blood in our veins too. The story goes that the angels created us as a frontline against the increasing demonic presence in the world. Our job was to help the angels to fight against the demons, keep from from overtaking the world. We haven't seen an angel in centuries, but we keep up our fight. It's our one purpose, to fight an everlasting war," Ryland explained. "That's why you have to learn how to fight. Shadowhunter kids began training as soon as possible. We grow up soldiers because that's our purpose in life." Alec could remember his mother mentioning him being too young for training, too young to fight alongside her. He could remember the pure want to do what his parents did. It must be relieving for kids growing up in that world; they never had to question their purpose in life, it was always deeping ingrained in them. Alec could also remember his years in high school, panicking because he couldn't find a topic of study that interested him. It seemed that none of the careers his school was suggesting would work for him. Alec had truly wondered if he could ever fit in the world. He supposed this was why; he was never meant to fit in the mundane world, he didn't have a purpose there. His purpose was with the Shadowhunters fighting demons, as crazy as it sounded.

"How did you guys find me?" Alec finally asked, the question nipping at the edges of his mind since he woke up in the room. If he could be found so easily, why had no one bothered him in the twenty-three years he's lived as a member of the Harding family? "Why wouldn't you guys take me in earlier?"

"We would've," Ryland answered quickly, though allowed himself a full moment to think before he expanded on the answer. "Valentine had the Circle trying to find evidence of you living somewhere. He knew the Clave exiled you to New York City, but there are so many mundane children living in the city. It would have been impossible to find you until you found your way back to the Shadow World on your own, and you did." Ryland barked out a laugh at the look of shock on Alec's face. "What, do you think no one watches the High Warlock of Brooklyn? Some Downworlder saw a man walk into that building that had the features of Alec Lightwood and even had what looked like a rune. Word spread quickly that the lost Lightwood son had returned. Well, Valentine knew where to look then."

It all seemed so impossible. He felt more like the protagonist of a novel rather than a real, living human being. Though, Alec supposed he wasn't entirely human then, was he? When Alec asked no further questions, Ryland nodded and pulled out what looked like a piece of marbled stone, pointed at the end. "We won't go too far, but it's important that you begin being runed. We'll give you a couple of permanent runes now. These are marks that only the Nephilim can bear as they draw strength from the angels. These runes can be used in battle," Ryland began explaining as he moved to sit in front of Alec rather than beside him. He grabbed the black-haired male's right hand, hovering the stone just over it. "This is a stele, what we use to draw these runes. I'll give you the one that hones in your Sight now."

"I already have 20/20 vision," Alec noted dumbly.

Another laugh from Ryland there. "No, not vision," he cackled, shaking his head. Finally the other man was able to calm himself enough to actually voice an explanation. "Mundanes usually can't see the Shadow World. They would never see the telltale signs of vampires, werewolves, demons. They don't see the Institutes around the world or Shadowhunter weaponry. Most Shadowhunters are born with the Sight to see past the glamour around them, but this rune allows it to be a subconscious effort to see rather than one that has to always be practiced and actively put into effect. Make sense?" When Alec nodded, Ryland held up the stele again. "This will probably burn. It gets easier the more runes you apply."

Ryland was under exaggerating the pain that stemmed from the stele. The instant the stone touched Alec's skin, he was on fire. He bit his lip in an attempt to stifle a shout of pain, but still a few sounds slipped as Ryland drew the black lines on the back of his hand. The seconds felt like minutes but soon enough the stone withdrew from his hand and Alec was left with only a lingering stinging feeling. "I know it hurts, but we should do another, too. How about the rune you remembered? That tattoo on your neck is the deflect rune. When it's activated, Shadowhunters can't track you. This will be a good one to have." It felt like the skin there was more sensitive than on his hand. Possibly it was because there was already ink underneath the skin, but maybe because Alec could feel the pulsing from his carotid grow sharper with the continued burn of the stele just over it. It was a relief when the rune was drawn, just overlapping the tattoo. "Get some rest, and then we'll move on to some combat training," Ryland returned, standing and soon exiting the room to allow Alec a moment to gather himself physically and mentally.

In what Alec assumed to be just a day, his entire life had changed for better or for worse. There was never any doubt that Alec's childhood before adoption was a mystery. The man could distinctly remember Gerald asking and digging, trying to find any link to a family before him. As far as the United States government was concerned, the Lightwood family had never existed as Alec claimed to know them. Not only that, but he'd always seemed to heal just a bit faster than Bea ever could, and then there was the hospital incident after the car wreck. Had the angel blood within him protested being further diluted with mundane, was that why he'd very nearly died that night?

The Shadow World was crazy. Alec was undoubtedly impressed with himself for remembering key points about the world after only being immersed in it for the first three years of his life. There was still a lot he'd missed; he hadn't called the governing body the Clave and a lot about the particular events and marks he'd forgotten. Still, the basic fact remained that despite what the Lightwoods apparently wanted to have happen, Alec remembered the world he was meant to live in. He just wished the next rune he got would burn a lot less than the first two.

It wasn't long before Ryland was making another appearance, dressed the same though carrying a look of greater importance, as if he knew how vital this was to Alec. "Every Shadowhunter has to be a proficient fighter. You won't last two seconds on a mission if you can't defend yourself. Good thing you're learning from one of the best. I was top of class in my year," Ryland explained, gesturing with his hand for Alec to stand up. "Are you familiar with any fighting?"

"I've been taking martial arts classes since I was ten," Alec returned, wondering if that was sufficient enough. Gerald had insisted he learn how to fight back when he was in middle school and a group of boys attacked him in the hallway. Just a few weeks later Gerald had gotten a call from the school that Alec had broken a kid's nose. When the man drove to the school to pick up Alec, the boy was already sitting in the principal's office and taking the consequences without protesting. Alec could still remember the look of pride that had washed over Gerald Harding's face that day; it had been a look that made Alec forget that Gerald wasn't his biological father. For all he knew, he was always meant to be a Harding.

"That's a good start," Ryland spoke, "That'll make it easier for you to fit in." Without warning, Ryland shot his arm out to hit Alec. The other man responded quickly, but the fist still caught him in the shoulder as he mostly dodged the hit. "Always be ready. Shadowhunters are always paying attention to their surroundings, focused on finding any irregularity."

Alec didn't know how many times it took Ryland knocking him on his ass before he started to get the hang of it. All the man knew was that by the time the day was over, his ass hurt from falling so many times and he was finally able to deflect attacks properly. His movements were still choppy compared to the grace Ryland carried when he moved, but Alec had a feeling that he would get better the more he practiced on it. After all, he didn't really have much of a choice.

Eventually, the two men ended up in their original spots on the ground, backs against the wall. Ryland had his legs all the way stretched out while Alec brought one knee up, draping his arm over it. His heart rate hadn't completely returned to normal but at least his breathing was no longer as severe as it was just moments before. "So what's your story?" Alec asked, continuing when he noticed the look Ryland gave him, "I mean, how'd you end up here. With the Circle."

Enough silence passed between them that Alec truly believed the other man chose to ignore him. It was only when Alec gave up on a response that he actually got one. "I grew up in Alicante, as most kids do. When I was old enough I was sent to the New York Institute where I served as a Shadowhunter under the Head of Institute there, Robert Lightwood." Alec's breath hitched in his throat at the mention of the man. His parents lived this close to him this entire time, and not once had they attempted to see him? If Alec hadn't already lost faith in his birth parents, he did in that very moment. "I began noticing the favoritism there. The Clave and Head of Institute allowed some Downworlders to get away with shady business just by paying them off. It wasn't right. So, when I was contacted by someone in the Circle, I ran away from the Institute. As far as they know, I'm dead. Missing in action."

"Damn. Any family?" Alec asked, glancing sideways to the other dark-haired man. He wasn't totally sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"I lived with my dad in Idris. Mom was killed by a demon when I was six. It was something we all have to prepare for. The average lifespan for a Shadowhunter is about thirty-two, so considering she made it to twenty-six was pretty damn good," Ryland began to explained, further noting how dark the Shadow World could be. The lifespan for a Shadowhunter was infinitesimally smaller than that of a mundane who with proper medicine and care could not uncommonly reach a century old. A shudder ran through Alec at the thought that according to Shadowhunter standards he was old. "I've made some good friends in New York though, we're all practically family there. Wish I could've stayed."

"So, I'm just going to walk into the Institute and announce I'm the missing Lightwood kid?" Alec asked, sounding skeptical of the plan. If they hadn't wanted him in the world in the first place, what made Valentine think that they'd accept him now?

"No," Ryland returned, pausing as if he wasn't sure if he was allowed to give away the plan yet. Eventually, though, the man decided it was better to inform Alec on the plan than keep him in the dark. It certainly built the man's trust in the Circle. "I went missing a year and a half ago. It would be natural for them to think I was taken. We'll plant you in a building, rough you up a bit, and you'll pretend to be me. They'll 'rescue' you after being given some intel, and there you go. I'm already a trusted figure in the Institute, and you look somewhat like me. We just have to make sure you have the right scars and the right permanent runes to match me."

The plan was ridiculous. Studying Ryland's features now, Alec could begin to see the resemblance. His dark hair was cut clean and crisp unlike Alec's slightly messy hair, but that could easily be explained. If he were truly held captive for nearly two years then he wouldn't have had a well-kept haircut. Alec wasn't weak by any means but it was clear Ryland had more muscle and just more body mass to him. Again, that could be explained by malnourishment in the time. Plus, Alec figured in his training he would build more muscle than he thought possible for himself. They were about the same height and though Alec's eyes more hazel compared to Ryland's brown ones, the man had to admit that they had some uncanny similarities. As long as Alec knew what he was talking about when it came to the Shadow World and as long as he remembered to be addressed by Ryland's name, then the plan could work at least for as long as the Circle needed it to. "Okay," Alec answered simply, nodding his head as the plan solidified in his mind.

"Okay? That's it?" Ryland laughed then, shaking his head. "Guess you're more of a Shadowhunter than I thought, just going with the plan and trusting we know what we're doing like that." It was a relieving thought, that perhaps he could make it in this world after all, just not as Alexander Gideon Lightwood.


A/N: There we have it! Maybe not an exciting chapter but certainly an important one. Thanks for reading and for reviewing, I truly appreciate it! I'd love to know what you thought of this one.