A single note of harmony echoed through the dome, low and perfect, resonating in their chests, through their spines, down into the earth itself. When they rose again, the sanctuary had dimmed. The heartstone no longer glowed. The stars overhead softened into a warm, early morning hue.
"It's time," Lucy said quietly. "We go home now."
Home.
Jude exhaled and took her hand. They left the sanctuary as one, barefoot and shining, the light following them like the last strands of a dream not quite willing to end.
The forest parted before them, moss growing faster underfoot, flowers blooming in their wake. Every tree they passed seemed to bend subtly, as if bowing in reverence. Birds cooed softly overhead, their calls gentler than usual, like lullabies.
They reached their clearing just as the sun kissed the top of the tallest tree. The camp shimmered with dew and gold. Their home, built together by their hands, now seemed somehow different. Like it, too, had transformed.
