The stars above shimmered like waves. The grass beneath their feet turned gold.
And then came the images - visions not unlike those from the pool, but this time shared. Their minds joined. Jude saw Tarek's first union, the women who had come to him, the temple they had built from breath and flesh and promise. He saw their children - blossoms born not from wombs but from light. Ideas. Memories. Dream-souls. He saw their love. Their fall. Their surrender.
He saw what it could be again.
And when the vision ended, Jude was crying.
So were the others.
Even Rose.
Even Sophie.
Even Tarek.
They stood in silence until Lucy finally whispered, "Then let's begin."
The new bonded came forward, each woman moving to one of Jude's. They did not force. They did not seduce. They touched fingers. Exchanged breath. A kiss on the brow. A whisper in the ear.
Then, softly, the dome darkened.
And the joining began.
It wasn't what Jude expected - not chaos, not rivalry, not confusion.
