Day 5: Nyx’s Journal

I woke up to the smell of rain on hot stone. My stomach was a knot of hunger that made me want to run but I stayed still, watching the way the fireflies clustered near the river’s edge. Vex had been gone all night—just like last time. The stones by the water were warm now, but the river was quiet. I kept thinking about what Lyvornis said: “The crystals are calling. They want you to see the dead watching.” I didn’t know what that meant, but I felt it in my chest, like a weight pressing down. When I spoke to her, her hands were shaking so hard I could see the cracks in her den. The river’s glow had changed again, shifting from blue to silver. I wondered if the dead were trying to tell me something. I think I should go back to the ruins. I keep going there when the world feels too loud. The stones are cold there, but I don’t mind. Sometimes I feel like the earth is holding its breath.