The Shadowhunters of the Tokyo Institute weren't used to warlocks. Yes, they knew the four or five that lived on their city, but never really paid them any attention. They knew that warlocks were half demons but they couldn't kill them because they were also part human. However, they never trusted them. They had more demon blood that any other Downworlder and, therefore, there was something evil in them. They knew that they had magic, power that could be useful to them, and that was why they kept them around. However, they were used to young warlocks, ones that haven't traveled the world, ones that thought that they deserved to be treated like monsters, tools to serve a purpose. To sum up, they were not used to Magnus Bane.

Magnus Bane walked in the big hall of the Institute like he owned the place. His clothes were dark and provocative, with a similar style to the night he encountered Clary Fairchild after so many years. He had dressed to impress, to attract attention, to provoke more than one unexpected erection and some wet panties at his club. His eyes covered in glittery black, no to much, just enough to accentuate his asian features. His torso half exposed, covered only by necklaces; his hair a little bit shorter, tinted with electric blue, one that could only be seen when the light hit it in a particular way, matching his nails. In other words, Magnus Bane was dressed to be the king of Pandemonium, not to be a healer on some forsaken Institute at the end of the Pacific sea. Yes, he didn't have time to change, but well, he was divine nonetheless.

He knew that everyone was looking at him, he was used to it. He had been use to being the center of attention centuries ago. He walked fast, following the girl and making her walk faster, almost as if he was the one leading the way. Finally, they arrived at a room where he saw all the usual faces, plus one new guy, two girls and a woman suffering on a bed. He didn't have time to waste saying hi to random Nephilim he didn't give a shit about, there was a woman to save.

'Who was with her when it happened?' Was the first thing he said.

'Me.' Answered Izzy.

'Tell me everything.' He walked to the warlock and pushed the girl next to her aside. His hands already filled with blue magic, tracking the poison and trying to identify it.

Izzy explained what happened to him with detail. Magnus moved away, taking one of the tables and moving everything to the side while she was talking. He conjured his pot and herbs, trying to make a potion to stop the speeding of the venom.

'I'm going to need a blood test. Both of hers and the forsaken.' He said.

'On it.' Reply Izzy taking care of the situation.

'You. Bring me all the medical herbs and supplies that you have.' Said to the girl that was helping, or trying, the warlock when he entered. She didn't doubt his order and went to do it, something that annoyed Satoshi and brought him back to life.

'This is my Institute, warlock, and I would appreciate if you could tell me what you require and stop ordering my staff around.' He said walking to Magnus and stoping next to him, trying and failing to be imposing to the warlock.

Magnus looked at him briefly before continuing his work, the way he had said "warlock" hadn't gone unnoticed. 'I need you to step aside and let me do my job. Don't you have something better to do than be here? Demons to kill? Downworlders to control? I'm sorry, protect?' There was that typical sass on his voice, but also reproach, specially on the word "protect", which he said looking at the warlock lying in bed, then he focused his eyes on Satoshi.

'Yes, I have better things to do.' Said the head of the Institute before leaving the room, not without telling Anna to control and observe.

Before going back to look a the potion he was doing, Magnus' eyes stopped on Alec for the first time since he was there. It was then when Alec came back to life.

Since Magnus showed up, something inside Alec had made it imposible to function, all his attention focused on the warlock. They haven't been together that long, Alec haven´t had time to get used to how extremely beautiful and sexy Magnus could look. It was something magnetic, the way he walked on a room, the way he moved, the way he talked. It was only when he looked at him that he snapped, being aware of his surroundings and that Satoshi was walking away.

'Do you need help?' He asked getting closer. He needed to get closer, to see the glitter in his eyes, the details on his jacket.

Alec could see on his face that he wanted to say yes, but also that there was nothing Alec could do.

'It's fine. But stay. I may need it once I know what's on her blood.'

Alec nodded.

It wasn't till hours later that Akane was stable and that Izzy found out what was on her blood. The poison was formed by a toxic that stopped all magic, something that Izzy had seen before and couldn't remember were; thus made imposible for Akane to defend herself.

'Maybe they used this before. Maybe it has something to do with the disappearance of the other warlock.' Said Izzy once they had left the room. Akane needed rest and the girl that Satoshi had put under them was making sure that she was stable. They were in the small room where Alec and Satoshi had had their talk.

'What other warlock?' Asked Magnus.

'There is another warlock who is in charge of the wards.' Explained Clary.

'Sam.' Added Izzy, Clary nodded and continued. 'He disappeared. Here they said that he was the one that opened the wards, but that doesn't make sense. Why would a warlock join Valentine?' She looked between her friends looking for answers.

'There is also another disappearance.' Said Alec, who had being thinking for a while on this case. 'I heard that there is a woman, Bai, who disappeared yesterday. Her partner, Leto, informed the Institute, but they haven't look into it yet.'

'Let me guess. Was she a warlock?' Said Magnus.

Alec nodded. 'Both of them.'

'How do you know?' Izzy asked.

'If she was a mundane she would be safe by now. If she was a werewolf, the pack will take care of it, the same if she was a vampire. But a warlock…' He didn't need to say anything else, Alec finished his line.

'They keep to themselves.' Alec looked at Magnus, and it was then when the thought hit him. Warlocks were solitary people. It was rare that they would have deals with Shadowhunters if not for business, it was almost imposible that one will go to them for help. They would go first to other Downworlders, but even then they would not belong, they weren't a part of a group. They only had themselves, and that was a very low number since the Uprising. Very low indeed. Alec had another thought, one that terrified him. If something was to happened to Magnus, will he ever know? Would be possible that the warlock would go to his Institute asking for help and no-one would answer? No. No while he was the acting head, no Downworlder's call for help will go unnoticed.

'We need to find her.' He said, surprising himself with his own words.

Izzy smiled. 'What happened to not interfering here?'

'We won't.' Said Alec. 'We will just offer our help. I'm sure they would not mind a extra pair of hands.'

'If I'm not mistaken there is only four or five warlocks in Tokyo.' Said Magnus, his thumb and index touching in that nervous manner that Alec had identified by now. 'Two of them are MIA and another is laying on a bed out of the game. I don't want to sound paranoid, but it seems that this is all planned, that there is an attack here.'

'It might be a coincidence.' Said Alec looking at him, trying to analyze the situation. 'Satoshi said that Sam, the one in charge of the wards, betrayed them.'

'Akane didn't believe that.' Added Izzy, who knew her brother's process of thinking. 'It's highly improvable that he went to Valentine. However, it's a possibility that someone payed him to lower the wards. He didn't needed to know it was Valentine's men.'

'Probable, but unlikely.' Said Magnus. 'The money I understand, and the betrayal to the Institute.' He looked at Alec with sincerity. 'But not here.'

'What do you mean?' Asked Clary.

'I would understand that in LA or in London, or even Brooklyn, were there is a big community were you can hide, were you can go for help. Maybe even were there is a complot and a hate group against Shadowhunters and want to go on their own vengeance mission. But here? There is no where to hide, no one to ask for help. We are solitary people, but not suicidal. Money is not a good enough reason to destroy your life and have your face on every Institute around the world.'

'True.' Said Alec. 'He would not do it alone. For now, I would consider him a victim.'

'Innocent till proven otherwise?' Said Clary with anger in her voice. She didn't like the way they were looking at this. She would expect that from Alec or Izzy, but Magnus? Why would he doubt his own kind?

'What about the other warlock who disappeared?' Asked Izzy, ignoring Clary. 'I would say she is also a victim.'

'I think someone is kidnaping warlocks and we don't know why.' Finished Alec.

'Why not killing them? Asked Clary. 'You told me that Valentine would kill warlocks first.' She said to Magnus. 'That they were his first victims.'

'That's why I'm afraid.' Magnus replied. 'If he is behind all of this, and he is not killing them, he wants them for something. And I do not want to imagine what for.'

'Have you seen something like this before?' Asked Alec. 'People kidnaping warlocks.'

'It's not common, but not unusual.'

'But what would he want with them?' Asked Izzy.

'If we are lucky, a spell, a portal, a slave.' There was almost no emotion in Magnus's voice, as if he was looking at something far away.

'And if we are not lucky?' Asked Clary.

Magnus looked at her, there was no fun or smirk in his eyes, only two black spheres full of concern and seriousness. 'Their blood.'

Clary didn't understand. 'Then, what's the difference between killing them and kidnaping them to kill them later.'

'Blood magic.' Said Izzy with realization, she looked at Alec trying to see in his face that she was mistaken.

'What?' Said Clary.

'Impossible.' Said Alec. 'There is no blood magic. That's an old story that Shadowhunters used to tell their kids to make them afraid of warlocks.'

'All stories are based on realities.' Said Magnus, with something new in his voice.

Alec looked at him, but he couldn't ask him what he meant, or look for it into his eyes. The door opened, and Satoshi walked in.

'How's she?'

'Stable. Alive.' Replied Magnus.

'I need to ask her some questions.'

'She needs rest.' Magnus voice was protective.

'I need information.' Replied Satoshi with the same intensity.

It was then that Alec felt that it was time to interrupt. 'Satoshi. Akane cannot answer to your questions right now, but I'm sure she will once she wakes up. I was thinking that if you will allow us, we could look into this matter.'

'What do you have in mind?'

'I would like to find the other warlock, Leto, and see if the disappearance of his wife has something to do with all of this.' Alec voice was profesional, no letting the other man see through his emotions.

'I don't see what that has to do with this.' Replied Satoshi.

'There could be a connection. Between the disappearance of Sam and Bai.' Said Izzy.

Satoshi looked at them and thought about it for a moment. 'Alright.' He said. 'But be back in two hours. I want Akane awake and ready to answer me by then.' And he left. Alec didn't know if he approved of his request because he also wanted to help or just to get them out of his sight. Anyway, they were free to go.

'Let's go.' He said leaving the room.

It wasn't until they were outside the Institute when he noticed that Magnus was following him. The warlock haven't said that he was joining them, and Alec didn't know what to do. He wanted Magnus there, especially after not having Jace with him. Magnus was the only one who could center him, make him breath when the pain in his parabatai rune was to much, when he was looking for someone who wasn't there. But at the same time is wasn't fair. Magnus wasn't a soldier. His job wasn't hunting demons and protecting the Shadow World. Alec looked at Magnus, who was fixing his jacket, closing his shirt a little bit because of the weather. No. He was wrong. Maybe he didn't look like one, but Magnus was a warrior. He has been protecting Downworlders his whole life. He has been fighting Valentine since before he was born.

Alec got closer to him. Now that they were outside the Institute he felt more confortable, more free to be himself. 'You don't have to come.' He said taking Magnus hands from his lapels and caressing his fingers.

'I know.' Said Magnus looking at him. There was a promise there, one that Alec was too afraid and, at the same time, too eager to acknowledge. I will go wherever you go.

Alec couldn't help it. He closed the distance between them and kissed him softly, accepting that silent promise and returning it.

Neither Clary nor Izzy said anything. Both girls were meters away, waiting with a soft smile on their faces. Izzy was so proud of his brother, so happy for him. She knew that Magnus Bane was half demon, but for her, he was a gift from Heaven.

TBC