Chapter 1236
The arch stood at the top of a narrow ridge, its black stone laced with silver veins that pulsed like veins beneath skin. Thirteen symbols had been carved into its face - each glowing faintly. One for each of them.
"It knew we’d come," Susan said softly.
Stella stepped forward, reaching toward the stone. "What is it?"
"A mirror," Lucy answered. "But not for the body."
Jude reached the arch and pressed his palm to one of the symbols - his. The moment he did, the stone shimmered and turned transparent, like obsidian melting into glass. Through it, they saw a landscape they’d never seen before. Endless plains of soft grass, rivers of gold, a sun that hung frozen above a violet horizon.
"It’s a crossing," Zoey said.
"But to where?" Natalie asked.
"Not a place," Lucy said. "A memory. A test. A vision. I don’t know. But the island wants us to walk through."
Grace grinned, bold as ever. "Then let’s do it."
One by one, they stepped through.
Jude was first. The moment he crossed the archway, warmth surrounded him - not heat, not light, but something deeper. He floated, briefly, and then landed barefoot in the grass. The others followed, and soon all thirteen stood on the new terrain.