The Institute's war room was a crucible of tension, its stone walls scarred from the recent demonic invasion, its rune-etched table strewn with maps and scrolls. Idris's glass towers gleamed outside, their radiance a mockery of the Clave's fractured state, the air thick with the scent of ink, steel, and fear. Aldertree's treason and Asmodeus's assault had left the Shadowhunters divided, some clinging to old loyalties, others rallying behind Maryse's call for reform. My pendant pulsed against my chest, its crescent moon rune a quiet hum, a tether to Elara's legacy and the Binding Rune's volatile power on my arm. Mira stood beside me, her Clarity rune glowing faintly on her palm, her small frame steady despite the weight of our battles. Kyle was at my side, his Resilience rune—a faint glow on his hand—a new strength, but the demonic mark on his chest, a remnant of Asmodeus's possession, flickered with red light, a shadow that haunted his eyes.
The Orb of Seraphiel rested on the table, its crystal surface pulsing with angelic runes, its power the key to our survival—and our curse. The Return rune's ritual had banished Asmodeus, sealed his portals, but Tessa's warning echoed: *"The rune binds you forever."* Every use of the Binding Rune, Unity, or Return had drawn me closer to him, and now, with Kyle's mark and Mira's growing power, the fight felt personal, a war for our souls.
Maryse's voice cut through the room's murmur, her whip coiled at her hip, her face a mask of resolve. "The Clave's council is reconvening," she said, her eyes scanning the team—Mira, Kyle, Isabelle, Alec, Jace, Clary, Lydia, Catarina, Magnus, and Tessa. "But portals are flickering again, small but persistent, in Idris and Panem. Asmodeus may be banished, but his influence lingers, and we suspect a new agent—a warlock claiming Elara's legacy."
My heart lurched, the journal in my hands heavy with Elara's runes. "Claiming her legacy?" I said, my voice sharp. "Elara fought Asmodeus. No one can claim her."
Tessa stepped forward, her gray hair catching the rune-light, her bracelet glowing. "Her name is Lysandra," she said, her voice calm but grim. "A warlock who studied with Elara, centuries ago, before she turned to demonic magic. She believes the Binding Rune is her birthright, and she's allied with the Capitol's remnants, hiding in a lab in District 13's ruins."
Mira's Clarity rune flared, her eyes narrowing. "I saw her," she said, her voice steady. "In a vision, with red runes, like Vespera. She's building something—a new portal."
Kyle's hand brushed mine, his Resilience rune glowing, but the demonic mark flickered, pain flashing across his face. "If she's in District 13," he said, his voice low, "we need to move fast. That mark—it's reacting to her."
Catarina's eyes darkened, her blue hands tracing Kyle's mark. "It's a demonic tether," she said. "Asmodeus left it to track you, maybe control you. We need to sever it, or Lysandra will use it."
I clutched the orb, its warmth grounding me. "Then we go to District 13," I said, my voice fierce. "We stop Lysandra, destroy her lab, save Kyle."
Isabelle's whip swayed, her grin fierce. "Count me in," she said. "I'm ready to burn another Capitol lab to the ground."
Alec's bow was steady, his voice calm. "We'll need a plan," he said. "The Clave's watching Lilia. Some still think she's the threat."
Lydia, her Clave loyalty softened by our battles, nodded. "I'll handle the council," she said. "But you'll need Magnus's magic and Tessa's runes to face Lysandra."
Magnus smirked, tossing a glittering spark into the air. "My magic's always ready," he said. "But Lilia, you'll need a new rune—Eternity—to sever Asmodeus's tie to you and Kyle. It's in Elara's journal, but it's dangerous. It might merge you with the Binding Rune, erase who you are."
My stomach twisted, the pendant searing my chest, but Mira's hand found mine, her Clarity rune a spark of hope. "You're Lilia Thorn," she said, her voice fierce. "You'll always be you."
Kyle's eyes met mine, his scar a mirror to mine, his voice soft. "We'll face it together," he said, and for a moment, the room faded, his warmth a vow against the dark.
But an alarm blared, the war room's runes flaring red, and the ground shook, a portal tearing open in the courtyard, spitting Drevak demons and a new threat—Eidolon demons, shapeshifters with glowing eyes. The fight was immediate, a storm of blades and magic, and I knew Lysandra was testing us, her shadow looming closer.
The courtyard battle was chaos, Shadowhunters pouring from the Institute, their seraph blades glowing with angelic light. Isabelle's whip cracked, slicing a Drevak's spine, black ichor spraying. Alec's arrows flew, each tipped with runes that burned through demonic flesh. Jace and Clary fought as a unit, their blades a blur, while Lydia's precision cut down an Eidolon's shifting form. Magnus's magic erupted, a storm of blue fire that scattered the smaller demons, and Tessa wove runes, her bracelet glowing, creating barriers to protect the younger Shadowhunters.
I drew Speed and Strength, my sword a familiar weight, and fought beside Kyle, his daggers flashing, his Resilience rune glowing. Mira stayed behind me, her knife slashing, her Clarity rune burning, exposing an Eidolon's true form—a snarling beast with claws like knives. "Lilia, watch out!" she shouted, and I swung, severing its head, ichor staining my blade.
The portal flickered, Lysandra's voice echoing, a velvet taunt. "The Binding Rune is mine," she said, and a red rune flared, summoning more demons. I drew the Binding Rune, its jagged star glowing, and the portal shuddered, weakening, but the backlash hit me, pain searing my scar. Kyle caught me, his demonic mark flickering, his voice urgent. "You're pushing too hard," he said, his hand cupping my face.
"I have to," I said, my voice fierce, the pendant burning. "For you, for Mira."
Magnus's magic sealed the portal, the demons thinning, but the courtyard was a wreck, bodies and ichor staining the stone. Tessa handed me the journal, open to the Eternity rune—a radiant circle of interlocking spirals, pulsing with angelic power. "Train this," she said, "but be careful. It's your last defense against Asmodeus."
In a quiet chamber, lit by rune-light, I trained, Tessa's guidance a lifeline. The Eternity rune was a symphony, its spirals weaving angelic and demonic energy, demanding my soul's truth. I drew it on a stone slab, picturing Kyle's scar, Mira's laugh, Elara's sacrifice. The slab glowed, the air humming, and the orb flared, amplifying the rune's power. But the pendant flared, and a vision hit me, vivid and merciless.
I saw District 13's ruins, a hidden lab pulsing with red runes, Lysandra at its heart, her silver eyes glowing, a portal roaring behind her. "Elara's legacy is mine," she said, her voice a blade, and a figure emerged—Aldertree, alive, his red rune restored, his smile cold. "The Clave was weak," he said. "Lysandra will rule both worlds."
The vision shifted to Kyle, in Idris, his demonic mark spreading, his Resilience rune fading, his body collapsing. "Lilia," he whispered, and I snapped back, gasping, Tessa's hands steadying me.
"Aldertree's alive," I said, my voice trembling. "He's with Lysandra, in District 13. And Kyle's mark—it's killing him."
Tessa's face hardened, her bracelet glowing. "Then we move," she said. "The Eternity rune can sever the mark, but you'll need Lysandra's blood to complete it."
Mira's Clarity rune flared, her voice urgent. "I can find the lab," she said. "I feel it, like the orb."
I nodded, my resolve steel. "We go to District 13," I said. "We stop Lysandra, save Kyle, end this."
The portal to District 13 was a desperate gamble, Magnus's magic strained, my Binding Rune stabilizing its edges. We emerged in the ruins, a wasteland of concrete and steel, the air thick with rust and rebellion. Katniss Everdeen's resistance camp was a fortified bunker, its rebels scarred but fierce, their weapons rune-etched, a legacy of Elara's defiance. Katniss met us, her bow drawn, her eyes sharp. "Lysandra's lab is deep underground," she said. "She's got Peacekeepers, demons, and Aldertree. We're with you, but it's a suicide run."
Peeta Mellark offered us supplies, his hands steady, while Johanna Mason sharpened her axe, her grin fierce. "Let's burn it down," she said, and I nodded, the orb heavy in my pack, Mira's hand in mine.
Mira's Clarity rune guided us to the lab, a sterile maze of vats and red runes, a portal roaring at its heart. Peacekeepers patrolled, their eyes glowing, and demons—Drevaks, Raveners, Molochs—guarded the corridors. We fought, Isabelle's whip a streak of fire, Alec's arrows a storm, Lydia's blade a dance. Magnus's magic flared, Tessa's runes shielded us, and Katniss's arrows struck true, but Lysandra's voice echoed, a taunt.
"You're too late," she said, emerging from the shadows, her silver hair a halo, her red runes pulsing. Aldertree stood beside her, his Clave robes tattered, his smile cold. "The Binding Rune will merge the worlds, and I'll rule them."
I drew the Eternity rune, its spirals glowing, and the orb flared, amplifying its power. Mira's Clarity rune burned, exposing Lysandra's wards, and Kyle's Resilience rune glowed, his daggers flashing despite the mark's pain. The lab became a battlefield, demons falling, Peacekeepers scattering, but Lysandra's magic was a storm, her red runes countering ours.
Aldertree lunged, his blade aimed at Mira, but Katniss's arrow struck, pinning him to the wall. "Traitor," she spat, and I drew Severance, its glow shattering his rune, his body dissolving into ash. Lysandra screamed, her magic surging, and a Moloch demon charged, its heat searing my skin.
Mira's Clarity rune flared, a burst of light staggering the demon, and I drew Unity, its starburst clashing with Lysandra's runes. The orb's light surged, the portal weakening, but Lysandra's blood was needed, and I tackled her, my sword grazing her arm, her blood mixing with mine on the Eternity rune.
The rune flared, a radiant storm, severing Kyle's mark, its red light fading. Lysandra retreated, her portal collapsing, and the lab shook, walls crumbling. We escaped, the resistance cheering, Katniss's fire a beacon, but the pendant burned, a whisper of Asmodeus's return.
Back in Idris, the Clave rallied, Maryse's leadership uniting the factions. Kyle's mark was gone, his Resilience rune strong, his arms around me a home I'd fought for. But a new portal opened, revealing Asmodeus's remnant—a warlock claiming Elara's legacy, her face a mirror to Lysandra's, her runes a storm.
Tessa revealed the Eternity rune's final power—a merge with the Binding Rune, severing Asmodeus's tie but risking my identity. "You'll become the rune," she said, "or lose yourself."
Mira's Clarity rune glowed, her voice fierce. "You're my sister," she said. "You'll always be Lilia."
Kyle's hand found mine, his Resilience rune a vow. "We'll fight with you," he said, and the team rallied—Katniss, Peeta, Johanna, Isabelle, Alec, Jace, Clary, Lydia, Magnus, Tessa—a multiversal alliance.
The final battle was a storm, Idris's streets a battlefield, demons and warlocks falling to our blades, runes, and arrows. I drew Eternity, its spirals merging with the Binding Rune, my blood and soul fueling its power. Asmodeus's remnant roared, her form a shadow of his fire, but Mira's Clarity rune exposed her weakness, and Katniss's arrow struck true, weakening her.
The rune flared, a cosmic storm, severing Asmodeus's tie, his remnant dissolving, the portals sealing. But the merge surged, my identity fading, memories of Mira, Kyle, Elara slipping. Kyle's voice, Mira's touch, pulled me back, and I woke, the rune's scar a radiant circle, my soul intact.
Idris stood, Panem fought, and the worlds held, but the pendant's faint burn whispered of a new threat, a shadow beyond Asmodeus, waiting.
---
**Author's Note**
Shadowhunters and Tributes, you're MULTIVERSAL LEGENDS for conquering this ASTRONOMICAL Chapter 14! 😱 This one's a cosmic epic, and I'm SCREAMING over Lilia's Eternity rune, Kyle's mark, Mira's fire, and that final stand—can we sob about that ending?! 👀 What's your vibe on Katniss's alliance, Lysandra's defeat, or the new shadow? Drop EVERY theory, feel, and fave moment 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 TRANSCENDENT reckoning. Thanks for being the most phenomenal readers in ALL the universes! 💖