Jude ran his fingers through her hair, still trying to slow his own heartbeat. "What did you see?"
She swallowed. "A tree… massive. Its roots were in the ocean. And its branches stretched up into the stars. And in the center of its trunk… I saw a heartbeat."
Rose sat nearby, legs curled beneath her, her eyes glowing faintly. "That tree is real. It's not here. But it's waiting for us."
Sophie stirred, lifting her head from Emma's shoulder. "How can something like that wait? If it's not here, how do we reach it?"
"By blooming," Rose answered.
Jude sat up fully, his muscles tight and aching. "We planted the seed. What happens now?"
Grace, brushing her fingers over the glowing flower, looked over her shoulder. "Now it grows. And so do we."
Layla leaned back on her elbows, her skin still damp and glistening. "I feel different. Not just... satisfied. But like something inside me shifted."