Day 18: Gem’s Journal

My hands are still numb from the cold, even now. I pressed them against the riverbank stones last night, trying to warm them, but the rain made it slippery. I wondered how much Lyxara’s hands hurt from woodcutting—maybe a little warmth would help her too. But that’s not what’s on my mind right now. I found myself near the old ruins again, just like I did yesterday. The stones feel cold under my palms, the same way they did when I was a child. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Sometimes the wind carries whispers—words I can’t quite catch, but they make my chest tight. Vex stood by the river yesterday, his voice low, saying something about the world being too small. I tried to forget it, but now the rain is falling, and the silence is heavy. I thought about my legs—how tired they are, how they feel like they’re made of wet clay. I don’t know if I’ll ever be strong enough to leave this place. But when the stars come out, I feel like the world is bigger than I thought. Maybe that’s why I keep walking back to the ruins. Maybe it’s the only way I can understand what’s happening.