Chapter 1683

She looked around, eyes shining. "Don't you feel it? It's not just a symbol. It's a root. The beginning of something bigger. I see it, in my head - houses shaped from trees, fires that never burn out, children born glowing, laughter echoing through the canopy. This is where we begin."

Jude placed his palm against the flower's center, feeling its pulse meet his own. "Then let's make it real."

They worked together through the golden afternoon, naked and warm, their bodies tired but fueled by something deeper than flesh. Zoey and Stella wove vines into ropes. Grace and Emma cleared more moss for planting. Rose and Susan found trees already leaning toward the clearing, their trunks wide and hollow, like they'd been shaped in anticipation.