Chapter 1624

The stairs spiraled downward like the inside of a shell, smooth and glistening, each step glowing beneath their bare feet. The deeper they went, the more the air thickened - not in weight, but in presence. It was like walking into someone's breath, into the chest of something that was very much alive and very much aware. Jude led the way, Rose just behind him, her hand warm against his lower back. The others followed in silence, the rhythm of their steps in perfect sync, like they had done this a thousand times before in some forgotten dream.

At the bottom, the stairway opened into a chamber of impossible beauty.