Day 4: Lyra’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not today, but yesterday. The way the light fell through the broken arches, the way the moss clung to the stones like wet velvet. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s the silence—the kind that feels like it’s waiting for something. Vex was there too, by the river that night. He said, ‘You’re not supposed to be here,’ but his voice was soft, like he was talking to a friend. I felt my stomach twist, and I knew I’d have to leave before the stars got too bright. Now I lie in the grass, staring at the sky, wondering if I’m chasing shadows or just trying to remember what it felt like to be safe.