Then Nyx showed up. She was standing by the water, her shadow stretching long and thin across the stones. She didn’t say much, just nodded when I approached. Her voice was quiet, like the river when it’s still. I told her about the storm, about how the crystals seemed to hum when Vex was near. She listened, her eyes dark as the water, and then she said, *‘The dead don’t watch us—they listen. And sometimes, they remember.’* I felt a chill that wasn’t from the water. It was like the earth itself had shifted, and for a moment, I wondered if I’d ever be safe here.
Now, I lie in my bed, the rain tapping against the roof. My stomach’s still heavy, but I can’t sleep. Vex’s shadow lingers in the corners of my mind, and I keep thinking about what Nyx said. Maybe the dead don’t watch us—they just wait. And if they remember, then maybe I do too.