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Hidden inside the realm of Edom, there was a yearly competition, created to weed out the worthy from the week. Shadowhunters and Warlocks alike, in a series of challenges, forced to test you to your limits. It was a random draw, the only luck needed during the actual games. You could volunteer for your loved ones if deemed brave enough, though nobody did, not willing to risk their lives for others.
On choosing day, Alec had originally been the one picked for the games, Magnus quickly volunteered right after, volunteering for some random boy, someone he had never spoken to before. It wasn’t about who he was volunteering for, but rather only that he made it inside the games, refusing to let his boyfriend go alone. They went together or they didn’t go at all.
All of the challengers had been sent into an open door, hearing it slam shut behind them. This door separated the challengers from society, the free from the game-player. There weren’t many rules, the biggest one, being - survive.
The rules for their current game had been simple. The players were to pair off into groups of two, with each person given a bag filled with ten marbles. They had thirty minutes to get their partners' marbles, creating a bag of twenty. The winner would make it through, the other.. wouldn’t be so lucky.
Looking down at the bag of marbles held in his hand, Alec bit the inside of his lip, refusing to look over at his partner, knowing what the instructions were telling them to do. Neither of them had known what this challenge would require, or they wouldn’t have wanted to work together at all.
They always worked better as a team, the way they complimented each other. But not on something like this, their teamwork now being their biggest downfall.
“Magnus..” He eventually said, looking up at the ticking clock on the wall, counting down their fates.
“I want you to win. You have a family back home, your siblings. They need you.” Magnus told him seriously. There was alot waiting for Alexander back at home, Magnus not so much. His only family was here, standing besides him. The relationship between his parents was non-existent and nobody else would notice.. or care if Magnus went missing.
But for Alexander, he had a life he could live ahead of him. Magnus could see him with his siblings, perhaps even back at the institute. He wasn’t going to let his fiance not make it out of the games.
Alec quickly shook his head, refusing that idea. He wasn’t going to leave Magnus in the games either.
Either they got out together or not at all. Magnus was his world, and he refused to move on without him, without the life they had decided to plan together. The cold metal rings sat on both of their fingers, a grounding reminder of that, the promises they were going to make. Alec had a wedding to plan once they got back and he was going to make sure his fiance was there with him.
Looking around, Alec got thinking. There had to be a way for both of them to leave, without either of them risking their lives.
“Alec.. Alexander.” Magnus corrected, reaching over and picking up one of the marbles still in Alec’s hand. It was a light blue color, the same shade he would stare into for hours, finding peace in the weirdest way, even though he knew what the marble meant.
“We have just under twenty-five minutes. We should spend it together, rather than worrying over what can’t be changed.” He told him, coming to terms with his fate. If he only had a few minutes left, he wanted them to be happy memories, created with the one person he loved most. Magnus had lived for a long time, and had lived many lives, but none of them came close to the one he was in now, finding the guy of his dreams, and actually settling down.
“You’re not dying here, not like this. Now, we have twenty-five minutes to come up with a way for both of us to win. Focus on that.” Alec told him, leaving no room in his tone for arguing.
Taking a seat on the ground, Magnus rolled the marble he was holding back and forth, struggling to come up with an idea. He needed something that would work, leaving very little room for it to fail.
“The rules of the game state, you just needed to get all of the marbles from the bag. Twenty of them. They didn’t say exactly how you needed to do that.” Alec commented, before taking a seat on the ground, leaning up against his fiance.
“I.. I think I have an idea. But someone else will die if I do it. I don’t want you to look at me differently because of it.” Magnus confessed, keeping his eyes on the marble in his hand.
“Magnus,” Alec said gently, noticing that he didn’t lookup.
“Hey, look at me.” He told him, taking his hand under Magnus’s chin, wanting him to lookup.
“I don’t care what you have to do to get out of here. I only care that you’re coming home. With me. I myself, haven’t always done the right thing, and you’ve never looked at me differently because of it. You’re my fiance and I love you.” Alec told him honestly, not breaking his gaze.
Looking up at the clock on the wall, Magnus sighed, realizing it was now or never.
He grabbed the bag that was currently in Alec’s hand, letting him hold the twenty marbles, making sure none of them rolled away.
“I promise I’ll come back to you.” He told him with confidence, ignoring the evergrowing dread buried deep inside.
Grabbing his hand, Alec pulled him closer to him. He refused to think this was the last time he’d see Magnus, he needed him to come back.
“You better.” He whispered quietly, before letting go. Alec watched as Magnus walked away, turning behind one of the fake walls set up, trying to find the right person.
Once Magnus knew he was alone, away from watchful eyes, he looked around the brown gravel under his feet, before finding exactly what he was looking for. Mixed in with the gra vel were small rocks, large enough to be comparable with a marble.
He grabbed a handful off the ground, slipping them into the bag before tying it shut. Magnus knew he needed to wait for the right time. If he left too much time, his plan would be figured out. If he did it too late, he’d never make it back in time. Patience was key, and time was of the most importance.
At six minutes left on the clock, Magnus spotted the perfect opportunity. A younger boy - Simon Lewis. He’d vaguely heard of him through conversation back in the realms but they weren’t friends. Simon was holding his bag of marbles in his hand, a nervous look on his face.
Walking over to where he was standing, Magnus’s shoe got stuck in the uneven gravel, bumping into the other challenger, knocking into the other boy, both of their bags falling onto the ground.
“Ugh sorry,” Magnus mumbled, needing to come off as clumsy. He needed Simon to believe him for his plan to work.
“Sorry about that, I don't tend to trip over my two left feet,” Magnus commented as he reached out and grabbed the bag that dropped, before standing up and helping Simon as well.
“It’s fine, no worries,” Simon said, brushing it off. He had bigger worries on his mind, not focused on Magnus standing in front of him. He picked up his own bag, gripping it tightly.
Looking up at the clock, Magnus found that he had just under three minutes left. He held the bag tightly in his hands, finding his way back, the same way he came.
Coming around the corner, he immediately spotted Alec, biting the skin around his nail, a nervous habit Magnus had come to know. Magnus had tried to break him of the habit in the last few months but every once in a while it slipped out, coming over him.
“Alexander,” Magnus called, Alec quickly looking up, walking over and pulling him into a tight hug, resting his face in the crook of Magnus’s neck.
“You.. you made it.” He said quietly, pulling back to look directly at him. Alec stood slightly taller than him, giving him the chance to read the emotion hidden in his eyes, something he didn’t see all too often.
“Did you get the marbles?” Alec asked, just as the clock struck zero and an alarm went off. The game quieted, everyone afraid of what was destined to happen next, what they all knew was coming.
Magnus didn’t have time to answer, however, knowing all the challengers would need to prove their fate. The ones that made it would be allowed out the door, the others would never see the outside again.
“Marbles.” One of the game workers called, walking around, looking at the different challengers. Magnus moved away from Alec, not wanting to make it look obvious that they had been game partners. He needed them to think that, for his plan to hopefully work.
“Marbles.” They said, focusing on Alec. He held his hand out for the game worker, showing twenty perfectly blue marbles in his palm.
The worker nodded, letting Alec know he was free to go to the doors, that he made it through the game. Instead of rushing away, however, he held his breath, listening to the fate of his fiance.
“Marbles.” The game worker said, standing in front of Magnus. He swallowed lightly as he pulled out the little bag, opening it slowly as he dumped the contents in his hand. He had a 50/50 percent chance this worked, that he walked out of there alive with Alec.. Alexander at his side.
“Clear.” The game worker said as he walked away to the next challenger, causing Magnus to look down, letting out a sigh of relief at the blue marbles laid in his hand.
Alec walked over to Magnus, pulling him into a tight hug, before resting his hand on the side of Magnus’s face. He didn’t know how Magnus had done it and frankly, he didn’t care. There were questions he had learned not to ask and this was one of them.
Leaning down, they met in the middle, a kiss filled with relief and love, before Alec reached down, holding his hand tightly. Filed with the promise of their future, something they were determined to get.
They walked together to the exit door, just as Magnus heard a loud voice, the voice pleading.
“P..please, this has to be a mistake. I promise.. I won, please don’t.” The voice begged as a loud noise echoed throughout, startling the last remaining people left.
Magnus flinched for a split second, realization set in, that he caused the noise. His actions took the life of another. For him to live, someone had to die.
“Hey, I love you and no matter what happened out there doesn’t change that,” Alec told him seriously, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Alec had seen the worst of the worst before and nothing Magnus did would change his feelings.
Magnus nodded, squeezing it back. It had never been easy for Magnus to open up, especially at the start of their relationship. But Alec had broken down the walls holding him back, giving him a chance to open up, to share about his broken upbringing and the challenges he’d gone through. The difference being, Alec, unlike the others, never left. His love never wavered.
“I love you too.” He told him quietly, as they walked out of the game room - together, the way they always would.