<h4>Chapter 1173: Chapter 1173</h4>


    Rose stood at the water’s edge, her hair stered to her glowing skin, the light within her pulsing with the rhythm of the song. She looked like an offering, her arms lifted, her face turned up toward the dark thing that rose above her. Jude took a trembling step forward, his hand slipping from Sophie’s as he fought the pull of the song, of Rose’s voice, of his own desperate need to reach her.


    "Rose!" His voice cracked through the mist, raw and ragged. "Don’t do this! You can fight it. Come back to me,e back to , us., "


    For one breathless moment, the light in her dimmed. Her head lowered, her eyes met his, and he saw it, , truly, saw it, the woman he loved staring back at him through the veil of whatever had imed her. A tear slipped down her cheek, silver in the moonlight.


    "I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I tried."


    Then the dark shape behind her loomed higher, the mist shuddered outward in a sudden gust, and the song rose to a deafening crescendo. Jude stumbled back, Sophie catching him, their hearts racing as the thing in the pool seemed to inhale the night itself. The air grew colder, the trees bending as if in supplication, and the ind felt as if it tilted toward some terrible, inevitable end.


    Lucy stepped forward, de raised, defiance burning in her eyes. "Enough!" she shouted, her voice like steel. "We’re not letting this take you. Not her. Not any of us."


    Scarlet, Zoey, Grace, Susan, Natalie, Emma, and Ste joined her, forming a line between Jude and Rose, between the group and whatever nightmare had risen from the water. The ground trembled beneath their feet, the pool’s glow deepening to a sickly, unnatural light.


    And then, the dark thing began to withdraw, sliding back beneath the water’s surface, the mist swirling to hide it once more. The song faded to a low hum, the clearing falling silent but for the sound of the wind and their ragged breaths. Rose turned away from them, her form already dissolving into the mist.


    "No!" Jude cried, trying to break free, but Sophie held him, her strength the only thing keeping him grounded. "Rose!"


    Her voice drifted back to him, soft and sad and final. "It’s not over."


    And then she was gone.


    The mist began to thin, the pool stilled, the night settling into an uneasy quiet. The others lowered their weapons, their faces pale, their eyes wide with what they had witnessed. The forest felt hollow now, as if the ind itself waited for the next move, for the next choice.


    Jude sank to his knees, the weight of it all crashing down on him. Sophie knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around him, her heartbeat loud and steady against his ear.


    "We’ll get her back," she whispered, fierce with promise. "We’ll fight. We’ll find a way."


    And Jude, broken but not defeated, clung to that promise as the night closed around them, knowing the battle for Rose, and for their own souls, had only just begun.


    The clearing stood silent now, but the air still thrummed with the echo of the song, like a memory that refused to fade. Jude stayed kneeling, the damp earth seeping into his clothes, his breath shallow as he stared at the pool where Rose had vanished. The silver glow had bled away, leaving only the reflection of the moon, fractured by ripples that slowly smoothed into stillness. Sophie’s arms remained tight around him, her warmth and strength the only thing that kept the cold from seeping all the way to his heart.


    Lucy paced near the edge of the water, her de still drawn, eyes sharp, scanning the shadows as if daring whatever had risen to show itself again. Zoey stood with Scarlet and Grace, their faces pale but set, while Susan, Natalie, Emma, and Ste moved closer to Jude and Sophie, their presence forming a protective circle as the night pressed in.


    No one spoke for a long while. The forest was too quiet, the usual hum of insects and call of birds swallowed by the weight of what they’d seen. The mist still clung low to the ground, curling around their legs like fingers reluctant to release them. Jude finally forced himself to his feet, Sophie rising with him, their hands locked together.


    "We can’t stay here," he said, his voice hoarse, but steady. "If ites back, if , she,es back, we won’t be ready. We need to move. We need to think."


    Lucy sheathed her de but didn’t take her eyes from the pool. "She’s part of it now. Whatever that thing is, it’s got its hooks in her deep. But I don’t think she’spletely lost. Not yet."


    Sophie nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "We saw her, Jude. The real Rose. She’s still there, fighting. We have to believe that."


    He drew a breath, heavy with salt and earth and fear. "I do. I have to. But the ind’s changing. That thing, it’s not done with us. And we can’t let it pick us apart."


    Scarlet stepped forward, her voice soft but sure. "Where do we go?"


    Jude looked around at their faces, his family, his everything, and felt the weight of their trust settle on his shoulders. "We go somewhere it can’t corner us. The cliffs, maybe. Open ground. We stay together, no matter what. And we figure out how to fight this."


    The decision made, they gathered what they could, moving quickly but quietly, hearts pounding in the hush of the forest. The moon lit their path as they left the clearing behind, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch and twist with every step. The ind felt alive beneath their feet, the ground warm, the air thick with something unseen, something watching.


    They moved as one, bodies close, breaths shallow. The cliffs rose ahead, jagged and pale in the moonlight, the sea beyond them endless and dark. When they reached the edge, they paused, the wind tearing at their hair and clothes, the scent of salt and storm wrapping around them. Here, at least, they could see. Here, there was nowhere for the ind to hide its monsters.


    Jude turned to face them, his gaze steady despite the storm inside him. "We make a n. We rest. And when dawnes, we end this."


    But even as he spoke, a chill ran down his spine, and he felt the ind’s hunger all around them. The battle wasn’t over. It was only just beginning.