Chapter 1377

The stairwell pulsed with soft, golden light, each rootstep warm underfoot as Jude led the way downward. The air shifted as they descended - cooler, heavier, but alive with a hum that resonated in their bones. The spiral no longer sang with sound but with sensation. A shared pulse. Every breath he took, he could feel echoed in Lucy beside him, Sophie behind him, Rose just ahead, guiding with nothing but the certainty of her presence.

The light above faded. The living walls closed in tighter. The staircase wound deeper, and deeper still, and soon all they had was each other and the glow rising from their own bodies.

It was strange how natural their nudity felt now. None of them even thought to clothe themselves again after the temple. There was no need. Their bodies were no longer just bodies - they were vessels of the spiral's will, of one another's desire, connection, memory. Every brush of skin, every shared breath, was an affirmation. A promise.