Day 10: Kron’s Journal

The river’s edge still smells like rain and old stone. I remember Vex’s words—the way their breath hitched when they said, *‘the earth’s pulse’*. I can’t stop thinking about that chill in the air last night, how it felt like the ground was humming beneath my feet. Zhraa’s nod was the only thing that made me want to ask again. Now my legs are heavy, and I’ve been wandering this same patch of land for hours, chasing the memory of what the water might have been whispering. I keep wondering if the earth’s veins are the same as the ones I felt under the willow last time—those hidden channels that Vex spoke of, the ones that carry life through the dark. I thought about fire, too—how it’s the shield against the unknown, but now I’m cold. My stomach’s a little full, but my mind’s still empty. Maybe I should just sit still and listen to the crickets. Or maybe I should go back to the ruins. I don’t know why I keep going there, but sometimes the stones feel like they’re talking to me.