Chapter 1193

"We're meant to go through," Jude said, his voice low but sure, his gaze sweeping over them all. "The next step is beyond this circle."

Sophie squeezed his hand. "Then let's not wait."

One by one, they passed between the stones, the spiral's glow brushing over their skin like moonlight. The forest beyond was thicker, the shadows deeper, the hum now a steady thrum that urged them onward. The ground sloped gently downward, and the air grew cooler, filled with the scent of damp earth and wildflowers hidden in the undergrowth.

They moved as one, silent but for the soft rustle of leaves beneath their feet, the occasional murmur of wind through the trees. The deeper they went, the more the spiral's presence surrounded them-not just in the hum or the pull in their hearts, but in the very patterns of the forest. Vines twined in subtle curves, roots arched in looping shapes, even the fallen leaves seemed to gather in whorls that echoed the spiral's endless turn.