Chapter 1406

The passage led downward, curving into the belly of the island itself. As they walked, the walls shimmered with a pulse of light that matched the rhythm of their own bodies. It felt like being inside a living heartbeat.

When they emerged into the next chamber, the air changed again.

Warm.

Sweet.

Thick with scent - something floral, musky, and heady like night-blooming orchids mixed with the ozone of an incoming storm. In the center of the room stood a pedestal made of twisted roots, and atop it rested a single object: a fruit.

It looked like a fig, but it pulsed faintly. Its skin was the deepest crimson, and it glistened as though freshly picked, though no tree stood nearby.

No one moved.

Then Lucy stepped forward. "It's the seed."

Jude stared. "Seed?"

Lucy turned to him, her eyes glowing faintly. "The fruit contains the beginning and the end. It's what fed the tree. It's what will feed us."