Day 4: Vex’s Journal

I keep going back to that spot by the river. Not the one where I found the stone—no, the one where the water’s so still it feels like it’s holding its breath. Last night, when I was resting, the air smelled different. Like wet clay and something old, like roots under the soil. I don’t know why I think of that place. Maybe because when I was there, I felt it—like the earth was listening. Gorath’s den is nearby, but I don’t go there. Not unless I have to. Today, I spoke to him about the river rocks, and he didn’t say much. Just nodded, like he knew I was trying to ask something that wasn’t there. I wonder if he’s been watching the water too. The stone I found—it glowed faintly in the moonlight, but it’s not the same as the ones in the river. They feel like they’re part of something bigger, like the world itself is breathing. I can’t stop thinking about what I said to him. The river rocks have scratches on them—deep ones, like they’ve been there a long time. But I don’t know if they’re from Zhraa or just from the wind. Maybe the world isn’t what it seems. Maybe it’s all just a dream. Or maybe it’s real, and I’m just too tired to see it. I tried to sleep, but my mind won’t stop. It’s like the river is calling me back, and I don’t know if I should listen.