Chapter 1439

The lullaby continued into the evening, woven through the trees like wind made sound, settling into their skin and bones. No one spoke for a long while. They remained in the grove, their bodies a gentle tangle of limbs and breath and afterglow. Even the birds seemed to quiet in reverence, as if the entire island were bowed in awe of what had been born between them.

When night finally fell, it wasn't darkness that came - it was warmth, a silvery glow spreading across the moss and bark like moonlight filtered through memory. The new tree at the center of the grove had grown taller since its sprouting. Its violet-tinged leaves glowed gently, and a soft shimmer ran along its trunk like the heartbeat of something impossibly ancient.