Chapter 1331
The first step was warm beneath Jude’s foot, like flesh wrapped in bark. The light from the tree filtered downward, curling into the spiraling passage like golden smoke. Rose led him by the hand, her grip firm but gentle, while the others followed close behind, still bare, their bodies still glistening with sweat and sex and starlight.
They descended in silence.
The roots coiled along the walls, some pulsing faintly, others smooth and cool, like the bones of something ancient and sleeping. The deeper they went, the more the world above faded. The hum of the tree softened into a heartbeat, slow and steady, not just heard - but felt.
At the bottom of the stairs, the passage widened into a vast chamber.
It wasn’t like the others.
Here, the walls were not wood or root or moss, but something smoother - dark and curved like the inside of a massive womb. It breathed around them. The floor was covered in soft, pulsing moss, and in the center of it all was a pool - shallow, wide, and glowing with golden fluid, thick as honey, gleaming with light.
Jude stepped forward.
"Is that it?" Sophie asked softly, peering over his shoulder.
"The source," Rose answered, her voice low, reverent. "The sap. The beginning."
Emma knelt by the edge, dipping her fingers into the glowing liquid. She gasped, her back arching, her eyes fluttering shut. "It’s warm. Alive."
Stella crouched beside her, tasting the sap from Emma’s fingers. Her pupils dilated instantly, and her lips parted in a deep sigh.