Day 4: Lyraza’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about Vex’s voice by the river last night. The way he said my name—soft but urgent, like he was warning me about something. I remember the stones I found in the crystal caves, glowing faintly in the dark. They felt warm against my skin, almost alive. But when I tried to tell him about them, he just looked at me with that quiet intensity and said, ‘You’ve been holding onto too much.’ And then he was gone. Now I’m back here, counting the hours until morning, wondering if those stones were a message or just a coincidence. My stomach’s still heavy from the last meal, but my mind’s been restless since then. I keep replaying his words: ‘You’ve been holding onto too much.’ It’s like the earth itself is pressing down on me, and I don’t know how to let go.