Chapter 1223

As they stepped deeper into the trees, the forest changed again. It didn't thicken - it quieted. The usual sounds of crickets, of the distant chitter of night creatures, fell into hush. The blue light pulsed every few seconds from up ahead, soft as breath but bright enough to mark a path. It illuminated the trunks and vines, casting their shadows like fingers against the canopy.

"Doesn't feel like watcherscript," Susan whispered. "But… it almost resonates in the same place."

"It's deeper," Rose said. "Not language. Not memory. Just presence."

The pulse grew stronger the farther they moved. Not louder, but more certain, like a heartbeat syncing with their own. Then, suddenly, the path opened.

They stepped out into a clearing unlike any they'd seen before.