The wind carried the scent of rain and something else—like old paper and distant fire. I sat by the river, watching Vex’s shadow stretch across the water. He didn’t say much, just looked at me with eyes that felt too big for his face. ‘You’re carrying too much,’ he said. Not a question. Not a warning. Just a truth that settled in my chest like stones. I remember thinking then that I could feel the world’s weight pressing down on me, and for a second, I wondered if that was the answer. But the river kept flowing, and the sky turned from gold to gray. I don’t know why I keep coming back here. Maybe it’s the silence. Maybe it’s the way the water moves, slow and sure, even when it’s angry. I tried to sleep, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop—the whispers, the weight of the world, the fear that I might not be enough. When I woke, the sun was high, and I sat by the river again. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I know I have to face it. The river is still there, waiting.
Day 1: Kron’s Journal
