Chapter 1730

The roots of the tree stretched outward with each breath they took, spiraling through the soft, silver-lit soil like fingers sinking into flesh. The tree grew impossibly fast - limbs curling into canopies, bark glimmering like molten gold cooled into a gentle shell. Its leaves shimmered as if they were made of morning dew and stardust. And Jude stood at the heart of it all, hands outstretched, bathed in its light, his lovers forming a circle around him.

Lucy moved first, stepping barefoot onto the living roots. Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide with awe as the tree responded, vines curling gently around her ankles, pulsing with the same slow rhythm as her heartbeat. She reached back for Jude, her fingers warm, trembling slightly. "It's waiting for us."

"Not just waiting," Grace murmured. "It's calling. "