Chapter 1740

Susan stepped forward and knelt beside the water. "It's singing."

They all listened.

And heard it.

Not music. Not words. But a feeling. A hum that buzzed low in their bones and high in their chests. It wasn't just sound - it was invitation.

Jude stepped into the water first, letting it curl around his ankles. It was warm. Silken. Alive. He took another step. Then another. The water never rose beyond his thighs, even as he walked further. It felt like the river bent to hold him, shaping itself around his movement.

Lucy joined him, then Rose, then the others, until all thirteen of them stood in the glowing river, forming a circle in its center.

"What now?" Stella asked.

"I think we listen," Jude said.

So they did.

And the river responded.