Chapter 1205
Sophie joined them moments later, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, her expression confused but alert. "You’re talking about the thing last night, right?" Her voice dropped. "I saw it too. Just... standing there."
Jude took her hand, and Rose took his, the three of them bound in quiet confirmation. A memory shared without needing to be spoken aloud.
Zoey stirred next, her laughter noticeably absent this morning. She rubbed her arms as if chilled, and Scarlet stood close, concern in her eyes. Lucy approached Jude shortly after, her blade sheathed but her expression grim.
"You saw it," she said, not asking but stating.
"Yes."
Lucy glanced around the clearing. "Something has changed."
Natalie and Stella appeared next, hands entwined, still dreamy-eyed but clearly sensing the tension. Susan and Grace arrived with matching expressions of quiet unease. Emma was last, stepping from the trees as if she had never truly slept, her gaze heavy with silent confirmation.
They gathered by the water, the whole group now. No one was speaking of it directly, but the air between them pulsed with unspoken questions.
Jude cleared his throat. "Let’s head upstream. Keep moving."
No one objected. They packed quickly, the usual murmurs of laughter or flirtation conspicuously absent. As they began walking, the spiral’s hum returned - but it was different now. Less a song, more a warning. A low, persistent pressure that tugged at the base of Jude’s spine and vibrated through his teeth.
The path ahead had shifted again - what had been a gentle slope yesterday now climbed steep and narrow through twisted roots and jagged stone. The trees leaned in more closely. Shadows clung to the corners of their vision.