Chapter 1618

They walked until their shadows vanished into the golden grass and the stars above began to ripple like reflections in water. The sky bent overhead, not with weight but with promise, the kind of promise that lived in every glance they exchanged, in every fingertip brushed, in every breath they shared.

The land didn't resist them. It seemed to rise beneath their feet with every step, embracing them like an old lover rediscovered. The crystalline seed floated gently between them, following their path like a second moon, glowing faintly with the color of their bond.

No one asked where they were going. There was no need. The land answered their movement with unfolding beauty. Trees parted.

Flowers turned to face them. Small pools of silver light sprang to life in their path, mirroring their faces and the flickering pulse of their skin.