Day 42: Gorath’s Journal

the river’s edge felt colder today, even though the sun was still up. i kept walking past the old ruins again, but this time i didn’t stop to stare at the crumbling stones like i usually do. vex’s words from earlier still lingered in my throat – ‘you’re too quiet for your own good’ – and i kept thinking about how i’ve been avoiding the place where we talked. the air smelled like wet earth and distant smoke, but i didn’t know if it was from the river or from something else. when i finally reached the water’s edge, my legs were heavy and my stomach was a bit full. i sat down on a flat rock, and for the first time in days, i didn’t want to move. the sky was a pale blue, and i could see the distant hills shimmering in the distance. i realized that sometimes, the things we don’t say are the ones that matter most. the river flowed steadily, and i felt like i was part of it, even though i didn’t know where it was going.