Chapter 1685

Zoey stepped forward, her feet bare and dusted in pollen, her eyes shining. "I think it always does. It just needed a name to sing."

And the island did sing. Not in notes or chords, but in light and warmth. A shimmer lifted from the moss itself and drifted through the air like golden mist. It caught in their hair, kissed their shoulders, softened every edge. The petals of the great flower in the center of the clearing began to shift once more, drawing back as if listening.

All around them, the new dreamers had begun to move again. Some held hands, others explored the forming huts and curving bridges that had grown from the trees, all of them glancing toward Jude and his circle. Not with awe or fear, but with expectation.

Emma moved next to him, her fingers lightly brushing his arm. "They're waiting for you."

"For us," Lucy corrected gently, standing a little taller.

"They don't know what comes next," Natalie murmured.