Chapter 1198

For a long moment, they stood there, together, at the heart of the spiral's path, the platform theirs, the moment theirs, the bond between them stronger than ever.

And then Jude spoke, voice low but certain. "We move on."

The mist thinned gradually, revealing more of the stone beneath their feet, more of the path ahead. The platform no longer felt like a stage for some ancient ritual but like a quiet resting place after a storm. The spiral's hum had faded into a whisper, as though the island itself exhaled with them, acknowledging what had passed, what had been faced and accepted.

Jude stood still for a breath, then two, his eyes fixed on where the creature had vanished. The mist still clung to the edges of the spire, but beyond it, the horizon stretched wide, the first hints of dusk painting the sky in streaks of rose and gold. The river below caught the light, turning silver, a winding mirror of the spiral that had led them here.