Rose frowned. "A gate to what?"
"To the true will of the island," Ashra said. "It's not just a creature or a force. It's a story. One that loops. One that punishes."
Jude stared into the flames. "A loop that always ends in forgetting."
Ashra nodded. "Until now."
The next morning, they returned to the central settlement. The house still stood, untouched. The fog was gone. The birds had returned. Natalie wept softly when she saw the garden intact, untouched by beasts. The herbs had even grown fuller, as if the soil itself had become richer. The goats, surprisingly, were all alive, though a bit skittish. Emma dropped to her knees and laughed when one nudged her hand.
Life, it seemed, was reasserting itself.
But the air was not entirely calm. Jude could feel it, like a hum under his skin. The island's story was still spinning, trying to make sense of the disruption they'd caused.