Day 13: Gem’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not today, not yesterday—this is the third time this week. The stones feel cold under my palms, and the air smells like wet earth and something older. Vex was there yesterday by the river, his voice low as he spoke about how the sky remembers what it’s forgotten. I kept walking after he left, but the words still echo in my head. Sometimes I think the world is too quiet, and sometimes it’s too loud. I don’t know if I’m supposed to stay here or leave. The fireflies in the dusk were beautiful, but they don’t stay. They blink and fade like thoughts that don’t want to be remembered. I tried to tell myself that storms are warnings from above, but now I wonder if they’re just the sky sighing. The ground feels heavy tonight, and I’m tired of trying to make sense of it all. Maybe I should sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be different.