The council chamber in Idris was a storm of chaos, its marble walls reverberating with Isabelle's desperate cries and the guttural snarls tearing from Alec's throat. His eyes glowed an unnatural red, the demonic rune on his neck pulsing like a wound, and his body thrashed against Isabelle's whip, which she'd wrapped around his wrists to restrain him. The Shadowhunters in the tiered seats were on their feet, some drawing weapons, others shouting for order, but the air was thick with panic, the angelic runes on the ceiling flickering as if the chamber itself sensed the corruption. I stood frozen, my heart pounding, the pendant around my neck humming with a frantic energy that matched the Binding Rune's pulse on my arm. Mira's face flashed in my mind—her terrified scream from my last vision, cornered by Peacekeepers in a District 12 alley—and now Alec, possessed, was another reminder of how close Asmodeus was, how his shadow stretched across worlds to tear apart everything I cared about.
"Lilia, move!" Kyle's voice snapped me out of my daze, his hand grabbing my arm as he pulled me toward the center of the chamber. His daggers were drawn, their blades etched with runes that glowed faintly, but his eyes were fixed on Alec, a mix of fear and determination in their depths. "We need to hold him until Magnus can work his magic."
Magnus Bane was already weaving through the crowd, his velvet coat a splash of color against the sea of black gear, his hands glowing with blue fire. "Keep him still!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "This is no ordinary possession—Asmodeus has his claws in deep."
Isabelle's face was pale, her whip trembling as she tightened its hold. "Alec, fight it!" she pleaded, her voice breaking. "You're stronger than this!"
Alec's head snapped toward her, his red eyes narrowing, and a voice that wasn't his—a low, guttural hiss—spilled from his lips. "The Binding Rune calls," it said, the words slithering through the air. "The girl will break, and the worlds will burn."
My stomach twisted, the pendant searing against my chest. He was talking about me, about the rune that had brought me here, that had stopped portals and demons but now felt like a curse. I clutched my stele, its warmth grounding me, and stepped forward, ignoring Kyle's warning grip. "I'm not breaking," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "And you're not taking him."
The demon laughed, a sound like shattering glass, and Alec's body lunged, snapping Isabelle's whip like thread. He moved faster than humanly possible, his bow drawn from nowhere, an arrow nocked and aimed at me. Kyle tackled me to the ground, the arrow whistling past and embedding in the marble wall with a crack. Shadowhunters scattered, some drawing seraph blades that glowed with angelic light, but Magnus raised his hands, a barrier of blue energy flaring around Alec, trapping him.
"Hold the line!" Maryse shouted, her whip uncoiling as she joined the fray. Catarina appeared at her side, her hands weaving runes that reinforced Magnus's barrier, while Jace and Clary fought their way through the crowd, their weapons ready.
I scrambled to my feet, Kyle's hand steadying me, and drew a rune on my arm—Speed—its energy surging through me like a shot of adrenaline. "We need to exorcise him," I said, my voice urgent. "Catarina, what do I do?"
Catarina's eyes met mine, her expression grim but focused. "The Binding Rune can disrupt demonic energy," she said, dodging a stray spell from Alec's flailing hands. "But it's risky. You'll need to touch him, channel the rune directly. If you lose control, it could kill you both."
Kyle's face darkened, his grip tightening on his daggers. "No way," he said, his voice low but fierce. "She's not risking her life like that."
"I have to," I said, meeting his gaze. "Alec's one of us. And if Asmodeus can do this to him, what's stopping him from doing it to Mira?"
Kyle's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue, his eyes raw with something that made my chest ache. "Fine," he said. "But I'm right beside you."
Magnus's barrier flickered, Alec's possessed strength battering it, and I moved, Speed guiding my steps. Isabelle and Jace held Alec's arms, their faces strained, while Clary drew a rune—Strength—on Isabelle's arm to bolster her grip. I reached Alec, his red eyes locking on mine, and the demon's voice hissed again. "You cannot stop the fire," it said. "Asmodeus claims you."
I pressed my stele to my arm, drawing the Binding Rune, its jagged star flaring with a light that burned my skin. The pendant glowed in sync, and I touched Alec's chest, the rune's energy surging through me into him. Pain lanced through me, like fire in my veins, and Alec screamed, a sound that was both his and the demon's. The demonic rune on his neck cracked, black ichor oozing, and the red glow in his eyes flickered, then faded.
"Keep going!" Magnus shouted, his hands weaving a spell that amplified my rune's power. The chamber shook, runes on the walls dimming, and I poured everything into the Binding Rune—my fear for Mira, my anger at Asmodeus, my hope for a way back. Alec's body went limp, the demonic rune dissolving, and he collapsed, Isabelle catching him with a sob.
I staggered, my vision blurring, and Kyle's arms were around me, his warmth anchoring me. "You did it," he said, his voice rough with relief. "You're okay."
I nodded, my breath ragged, but the pendant flared again, and a vision hit me like a tidal wave, vivid and unrelenting. I was in a desolate landscape, Panem's Seam stretched under a blood-red sky. My mother, Elara, stood before a portal, her Shadowhunter gear torn, her face gaunt but fierce. A woman in Capitol finery—white hair, red lips, eyes like a snake's—faced her, a red rune glowing on her hand.
"You can't protect her forever, Elara," the woman said, her voice a venomous purr. "The Binding Rune belongs to Asmodeus. Give us the girl, and Panem will spare your district."
Elara's sword gleamed, her pendant flaring. "Lilia will never be yours," she said, her voice a blade. "I've hidden her where you'll never look, and I've left her a guide."
The woman laughed, raising her hand, and a portal opened, spitting Peacekeepers with demonic runes. Elara fought, her blade a blur, but there were too many. She fell, her blood staining the ash, and whispered, "Find Tessa, Lilia. She'll show you the way." The portal closed, and the vision faded, leaving me gasping in Kyle's arms.
"Lilia, talk to me," he said, his voice urgent, his hands cupping my face. The chamber was quiet now, Alec breathing shallowly in Isabelle's arms, Magnus and Catarina tending to him.
"My mother," I said, my voice trembling. "She died fighting the Capitol. She mentioned someone—Tessa. Said she'd guide me."
Catarina's eyes widened. "Tessa Gray?" she said. "She's a warlock, older than Magnus, tied to the Shadow World's history. If Elara trusted her, she's in Panem—or was."
"We need to find her," I said, my resolve hardening. "And Mira. My vision—she's in danger, pulled into a portal. We have to go to Panem."
Maryse approached, her expression grim. "Alec will recover," she said, "but Asmodeus's reach is growing. If Tessa's in Panem, she's our best lead. But the Clave won't sanction a mission—not with Aldertree watching."
Magnus smirked, tossing a glittering ring into the air. "Good thing I don't answer to the Clave," he said. "I'll open a portal to Panem, but it'll be unstable. You'll need Lilia's rune to stabilize it."
Aldertree's voice cut through, sharp and accusing. "You defy the Clave?" he said, striding forward. "And you, Wayland—your loyalty is questionable, given your father's treason. Step away from the girl."
Kyle's body tensed, but he didn't move, his hand tightening on mine. "My father's dead," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm here for Lilia, not your politics."
Aldertree's eyes narrowed, but Magnus stepped between them, his magic sparking. "Enough," he said. "We're saving worlds, not stroking egos. Lilia, you ready?"
I nodded, my heart racing. For Mira, for Elara, I'd face anything.
---
The portal room was a whirlwind of preparation, runes glowing on our gear, weapons checked and rechecked. Kyle, Isabelle, Magnus, and I were the core team, with Catarina staying to guard Alec and Clary and Jace holding the Institute. Lydia Branwell, surprisingly, volunteered to join us, her loyalty to the Clave wavering after the lab's evidence. "Aldertree's wrong about you," she said, her voice quiet. "I'm in."
The portal Magnus opened was a jagged tear in reality, its edges crackling with blue and red light, unstable without the Binding Rune. I drew it on my arm, its glow steadying the portal, but the effort made my head spin, the rune's power like a river threatening to overflow. Kyle's hand rested on my shoulder, his touch a quiet anchor, and I focused, the portal stabilizing enough for us to step through.
Panem materialized in a rush of ash and despair, District 12's Seam a wasteland of crumbling shacks and starving faces. The air was thick with coal dust, the sky gray with smoke, and my heart ached for the home I'd left behind. Mira was here, somewhere, and Tessa Gray was our only hope of finding her.
We moved through the alleys, Magnus's glamour hiding us from Peacekeeper patrols, but the pendant's hum grew louder, like a beacon. A crowd gathered near the Hob, District 12's black market, and I caught a glimpse of a woman—gray hair, sharp eyes, a rune-etched bracelet glinting on her wrist. Tessa.
Before we could approach, the ground shook, and a portal tore open, spitting Peacekeepers with red-rune armor and demonic eyes. The crowd screamed, scattering, and I drew my sword, Speed and Strength flaring on my arm. "Protect Tessa!" I shouted, and we fought, Isabelle's whip a streak of fire, Kyle's daggers slicing through demonic flesh, Lydia's blade a precise dance. Magnus's magic flared, but the Peacekeepers were relentless, their runes countering ours.
Tessa joined the fight, her bracelet glowing as she wove runes that burned the air. "Lilia Thorn," she said, her voice calm amid the chaos. "Elara sent me to guide you."
"Where's Mira?" I demanded, cutting down a Peacekeeper, its ichor staining my blade.
"Taken," Tessa said, her eyes grim. "The Capitol's new lab, in District 13's ruins. They're using her to draw you out."
My heart lurched, but before I could respond, a new figure emerged—a Capitol warlock, his face scarred, his red runes blazing. "The Binding Rune is ours," he said, his voice a growl, and a wave of dark energy knocked us back.
Kyle pulled me to my feet, his eyes fierce. "You're not theirs," he said, and I drew the Binding Rune, its glow blinding. The portal shuddered, weakening, but the warlock's magic countered mine, and more Peacekeepers poured through, overwhelming us.
Tessa raised her bracelet, a rune flaring, and a barrier shielded us, giving us time to retreat. "District 13," she said. "We'll find Mira there. But you need to control the rune, Lilia. It's your strength—and your weakness."
We fled, the Seam burning behind us, and in a hidden cave, Tessa revealed Elara's final gift—a journal, its pages filled with runes and notes. "She knew you'd return," Tessa said. "The Binding Rune can close Asmodeus's portals, but it'll demand everything you have."
As night fell, Kyle and I sat by a fire, the others resting nearby. "I can't lose her," I said, my voice breaking, Mira's face vivid in my mind.
Kyle's hand found mine, his touch warm. "You won't," he said, his voice fierce. "We'll get her back, Lilia. Together."
I leaned into him, his warmth chasing away the cold, and when our lips met again, softer this time, it was a vow—against Asmodeus, the Capitol, the Clave. But the pendant's burn, the rune's pulse, and Mira's scream lingered, a reminder that the fight was far from over.
---
**Author's Note**
Shadowhunters and Tributes, you're ABSOLUTE GODS for diving into this MASSIVE Chapter 9! 😱 I poured my heart into this one, and I'm DYING over Lilia's fight for Alec, that heart-wrenching Mira vision, and those Kyle moments—can we talk about that kiss?! 👀 What's your vibe on Tessa, the District 13 lab, or Asmodeus's next play? Drop ALL your theories and feels in the comments—I'm living for your thoughts! If you're obsessed with *Flames of the Shadows*, please smash that vote button and add it to your library. Next chapter's coming soon, and it's gonna be a GAME-CHANGER. Thanks for being the most epic readers in all the worlds! 💖