The water beneath them began to stir again - not from their bodies this time, but from the depths. A swirl of motion, gentle but persistent, pulling toward the center of the pool. The light returned, not bright, but focused now - spiraling beneath the surface like a distant star.
They all turned to watch as the glow formed into a shape.
A seed.
No larger than a thumb, black and gold and pulsing with warmth.
It rose to the surface and hovered, spinning in the air above the water, dripping and glowing, humming with the same frequency they'd all come to recognize.
Rose reached for it first, but paused, her hand trembling.
"It's yours," she said, looking to Jude.
He didn't argue.
He waded forward through the water, the others parting for him silently, their eyes on the floating seed. It hovered just within reach, vibrating faintly. As he closed his fingers around it, a heat shot through his palm, not painful but powerful - like holding lightning tamed by love.
