Day 8: Gem’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not the crumbling thing with the broken arches, but the one where the river bends and the stones glow faintly at night. My fingers brushed the mossy wall, and for a second, I felt like I was walking through water—cold, but not wet. Vex was there yesterday, nodding to the river stones like he understood something I couldn’t. He never spoke, but his eyes held the weight of the sky. I kept going back there because the stones feel like they’re telling me to stay still, to listen. But last night, the sky cleared so quickly—it was like the river stones were holding their breath until the clouds parted. Now, I can’t stop wondering what Vex saw when he nodded. His silence is the loudest thing I’ve heard all day.