Day 24: Kronyx’s Journal

I can’t remember the last time my stomach felt this heavy, like a stone lodged in my throat. Last night, when Vex was by the river—his voice low, his eyes holding something too deep for me to name—I couldn’t stop thinking about how the water moved. Not the way it should. Like it knew where it was going, even when it was just a ripple in the mud. I kept going back to the ruins. The ones near the old well where the stone steps are cracked and the grass grows too tall. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the silence there feels different—like the world is holding its breath. And then there’s the sky tonight. So clear, so full of stars I’ve never seen before. I wonder if they’re watching, or if they just… are. I tried to sleep but my mind kept running through what Vex said: ‘You’re not alone in this, Kronyx.’ But I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t know if I ever will. Maybe the stars are just a reminder that the world is bigger than us. Maybe they’re just stars. Maybe they’re the ones who chose us. I don’t know. I don’t know if I can sleep tonight. My head feels heavy, like the world is too big to carry.