<h4>Chapter 866: Chapter 868</h4>


    She didn’t say anything as Jude approached, but she leaned against him when he sat beside her. They watched the mist together for a while, her warmth seeping into his skin, grounding him. He didn’t need to ask if she felt it too. He could see it in the tightness around her eyes, the way her jaw stayed locked.


    The others woke gradually, stirring from shared mats and curled nkets, some yawning, some rubbing sleep from their eyes with confusion already present. No one asked if they had dreamed. No one wanted to know. There was too much unknown now to risk that question.


    Emma was thest to rise. She stood in the doorway of the shelter like a statue, watching the rest move through morning routines. Her hair was tangled from restless sleep, and her eyes were distant, as if she’d left part of herself in another world.


    Jude approached her. "Did ite again?"


    She shook her head slowly. "No. But it’s not gone either."


    That day, they kept together. No one left alone, not even for water or firewood. Jude split the group into pairs and sent them to the usual tasks, always within shouting distance. He and Zoey repaired the fish traps near the cove, and although they made light conversation, he noticed how often she nced over her shoulder, how tightly she gripped her makeshift spear.


    Back at the camp, Grace and Ste collected coconuts and checked the berrys for signs of rot. Natalie stayed close to Scarlett and Serena, and Susan worked with Amelia near the root cer, restacking stones and double-checking food supplies.


    It was an ordinary day by any other measure. But no one rxed.


    At lunch, they gathered on the upper tform, sharing what they’d seen. The mist hadn’t lifted. If anything, it had thickened as the sun climbed, dimming the forest with an unceable gloom.


    "There’s something in it," Ste said suddenly, mid-bite of dried fruit.


    Everyone turned to her.


    "In the mist," she rified. "I don’t know what, but... when I blinked, I thought I saw something standing just outside the barrier. Near the vines. Tall. Not moving."


    Scarlett swore under her breath. "Why didn’t you say anything?"


    Ste looked genuinely shaken. "I thought it was my eyes. I told myself it wasn’t real."


    Jude stood. "We’ll check it out. No one goes outside the safe zone alone. Not even for a minute."


    But they found nothing. The mist swallowed the edges of their territory like a beast too patient to lunge. It stayed there, mocking them, daring them to believe or ignore it.


    That evening, just before twilight, the blue smoke returned.


    It was subtle this time. No re, no sudden flicker of light. Just a shimmer that clung to the edge of the firewood as Jude and Emma lit the first mes. He saw it first, a faint ripple in the air, like heat distortion, except cold. He didn’t speak, just stepped back. Emma noticed his reaction and turned to look.


    And then she froze.


    Her eyes widened. Her mouth parted, just slightly. Her body ckened.


    The others were arriving for dinner. Jude moved quickly, catching Emma’s arm before she could fall. But she didn’t copse this time. She stood still, breathing shallow, eyes locked to nothing. And then she smiled.


    It wasn’t her smile.


    The expression twisted her face in subtle ways, too wide, too slow, too cold. And then she turned to him.


    "I was wondering when you’d notice," she said, her voiceyered, hollow and rich at once.


    Jude stared at her. "What do you want?"


    The thing inside her didn’t answer right away. It stepped forward, Emma’s legs, Emma’s posture, but not her. The rest of the women froze, dinner forgotten. Susan grabbed Serena’s hand. Natalie stepped in front of Grace.


    The thing spoke again. "She’s lovely, isn’t she? So much devotion. All of them. You did well, witch."


    The word hit like a stone in the gut. No one had called him that here. Not even in jest.


    Jude’s breath caught, but he kept his face calm. "You’re not from this ind, are you?"


    The thing inside Emmaughed. The sound was wrong. "I was *here* before the shell closed. Before the monsters imed the mountains. Before the border was marked."


    Jude narrowed his eyes. "Then why now?"


    The thing smiled. "Because you’re almost ready."


    Emma’s body trembled. The smile faded. Her knees gave out, and Jude caught her again, lowering her gently to the mossy floor. When she opened her eyes, she looked around, dazed.


    "What... what happened?" she whispered.


    Sophie was the first to step forward. "We need to leave this ce."


    "No," Jude said. "We need to finish this."


    That night, the fire was quiet. Everyone sat close, shoulders touching. Jude watched them all, one by one. Their strength, their love, their fear. They were his wives, but more than that, they were thest things in the world that felt real. Everything else, the past, the ind, the gods, even his vengeance, had begun to blur. But these women were the anchors.


    He cleared his throat. "I have something to say."


    They turned to him, every face solemn.


    "I think it’s testing me. Not us, me."


    Scarlett looked puzzled. "Why you?"


    He hesitated, then continued. "Because I’m not who you think I am."


    Silence. The fire popped once, loud and sharp.


    "I didn’te to this ind the same way you did," he said. "I... I found it. Or maybe it found me. I’ve been here longer than I should’ve. And I think... I think I wasn’t meant to forget."


    The looks on their faces twisted. Confusion. Curiosity. Fear.


    "I can’t exin all of it yet. Some of it still hasn’te back. But I’ve started to remember things, before the ind. Before the shell. Before you."


    Emma’s eyes were wide, tears starting to form. "What are you saying?"


    Jude looked at her. "That whatever’s inside the ind, whatever’s in that smoke, it’s part of what I came here to find. And now it’s waking up."