A hum rose from the trees. Flowers bloomed instantly, vines twisting around trunks in spiraled paths. The moss beneath their feet grew thicker, warmer, and in the distance, the air itself rippled - like the veil between now and something greater had thinned.
Then, without a word, the river parted.
Not dried.
Not empty.
Just moved aside - revealing a glowing path of stone beneath.
They gasped.
The stones shimmered, leading into a grove none of them had noticed before. The air that flowed from it was warm, fragrant with jasmine, honey, and something wilder. Older.
"Follow it," Spira whispered. "Together."
And they did.
Bare feet pressing into the slick, glowing stone, fingers linked, bodies moving as one. Jude led them, Sophie and Lucy at his sides, Rose close behind. The others followed in silence. The further they walked, the warmer the air became - not in temperature, but in sensation. Like it was alive. Like it touched them in places unseen.
