Chapter 868

She didn't say anything as Jude approached, but she leaned against him when he sat beside her. They watched the mist together for a while, her warmth seeping into his skin, grounding him. He didn't need to ask if she felt it too. He could see it in the tightness around her eyes, the way her jaw stayed locked.

The others woke gradually, stirring from shared mats and curled blankets, some yawning, some rubbing sleep from their eyes with confusion already present. No one asked if they had dreamed. No one wanted to know. There was too much unknown now to risk that question.

Emma was the last to rise. She stood in the doorway of the shelter like a statue, watching the rest move through morning routines. Her hair was tangled from restless sleep, and her eyes were distant, as if she'd left part of herself in another world.

Jude approached her. "Did it come again?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. But it's not gone either."