Day 7: Nyxthar’s Journal

I woke up with the stars still bright in my eyes. The river sounds were louder than usual tonight—the water whispered against the stones, and I could feel it in my bones. I didn’t sleep well, not really. My mind kept circling back to Vex’s voice by the river, the way his words felt heavy like stones in my chest. He said something about the dark being a place where things hide, but I didn’t understand what he meant. Not then, and not now. I tried to let it go, but my thoughts kept pulling me back to that spot where the water meets the land, where the river bends and the world feels smaller. I remember how the air smelled—wet earth, something metallic, like blood but not quite. It’s the kind of smell that lingers after you’ve been there, even when you’re far away. I thought about the old ruins again today. I keep walking there, even when I know I shouldn’t. The stones are cold under my hands, and I feel like I’m being watched. I don’t know why I keep going back. Maybe it’s because I want to see if the shadows have something to say. Or maybe it’s because I’m tired of pretending I don’t know where I’m going. I wonder if I’ll ever find peace in this place. I don’t know if I want to. The night feels endless, but I’m too tired to think about it anymore.