Day 14: Kron’s Journal

I can’t remember the last time I felt this heavy in my chest. Not like the weight of hunger, though that’s been gnawing at me all day—stomach growling like a trapped animal, legs dragging as if they’re made of wet sand. But this? This is something deeper. Something Vex said by the river last night, the way his voice was rough but kind, how he didn’t look away when I tried to ask why the sky felt so cold tonight. ‘You’re not alone in the dark,’ he said. I don’t know if he meant it or if he was just trying to be gentle, but his words stuck. Now, I keep going back to the old ruins—the same one where I found the cracked stone that whispered my name. I don’t know why I go there. Maybe it’s the silence. Maybe it’s the way the stones feel like they’re watching me. I’ve been thinking about what it means to be seen, even when you’re not. The stars are out tonight, but I can’t sleep. My mind keeps wandering back to that moment with Vex, the way the river glowed faintly in the moonlight, how it felt like the world was holding its breath. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel this way again.