Day 5: Gem’s Journal

The sky’s been humming tonight, like a bee trapped in your ribs. I sat by the river again—same spot where Vex stood watching, their eyes too still, too heavy. I didn’t say anything. Just let the water’s cold fingers trace the edges of my thoughts. Kron’s aurora talk felt like a ghost’s whisper: *‘What do you see when the sky breathes?’* I thought about the mossy stones glowing last night, how they always get quiet when the shadow-walker’s close. But I’m not sure if they’re watching me now, or if I’m just imagining the way the river stones flicker like fireflies in the dark. My stomach aches, my legs feel heavy, and I can’t stop wondering what Vex was really thinking. Did they hear the stones? Did they see the aurora shift? I don’t know. I just want to be still for a moment, to feel the world breathe with me.