Chapter 1188

Lucy and Zoey stood at the clearing's edge, their watch unbroken, their silhouettes sharp against the rising sun. Jude rose quietly, joining them.

"Anything?" he asked.

Zoey shook her head. "Nothing but the hum. It hasn't stopped."

"It won't," Lucy said. "Not until we figure out what it wants us to see next."

Jude glanced back at the others, still sleeping or just waking, their faces peaceful in the morning light despite everything. His heart ached with love for them, for their strength, for their trust. Whatever waited in the spiral's path, he would face it with them. Always with them.

"We move at first light," he said. "We follow where the spiral leads."

And as the sun rose higher, casting light on the spiral etched in ash and chalk, they prepared to do just that-together, as always.