Day 9: Lyra’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not the one with the crumbling walls and the silent stones, but the one where the moss glows like fireflies in the dark. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the air there feels heavier than the rest of the world—like it’s holding its breath. Vex was talking about the river stones again, how they’re always changing colors depending on the light, and I kept thinking about how the water moves so slowly when it’s calm. But then he said something else—something that made my chest feel tight. I didn’t want to ask him to repeat it, but the words kept circling in my head: *‘The stones remember what they’ve been.’* I can’t stop wondering what that means. The storm raged outside, but inside me, it felt like everything was still. I don’t know if I’m afraid or just tired. My legs are heavy, and my stomach’s been a little hollow all day, but I don’t think about hunger anymore. I just think about the stones and the quiet places where things stay hidden.