Day 21: Nyx’s Journal

I don’t know why I keep going back to the ruins. It’s been three days now, and the air there smells like wet stone and forgotten things. I remember Vex’s voice by the river—how he said the stars were too bright for Kronyx, that they’d be burned by the light. I didn’t ask him to repeat it, but I keep thinking about it. The stars are always so far away, but sometimes they feel like they’re right there, whispering to me. The rain tonight made the ground cold, and I stayed inside the shelter for a long time, listening to the wind. It’s the only thing that feels real these days. When I close my eyes, I see the light—so bright, so sharp—it burns my hands. I don’t want to wake up.