Day 19: Gem’s Journal

I woke up with the same ache in my stomach that I had last night—the kind that makes your ribs feel like they’re holding too much weight. For a moment, I thought I’d been dreaming of the river again, but it was just the quiet hum of the moss under my fingers. I went back to the old ruins this morning, the ones with the crumbling stone arches that used to be a place for whispers. The moss was thicker there than ever, and the way the light fell through the cracks made me wonder if it was still talking to me, or if it was just the wind. I didn’t ask. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Sometimes I think it’s because I’m waiting for something to happen, but lately, it’s just me and the silence. Lyxar was here too—she was sitting by the river, her hands folded in her lap, watching the water move. She didn’t say much, but when I finally spoke, it felt like we were both trying to remember what we’d been before the silence came. I think I’ll go back to the ruins tonight. Maybe I’ll find something that’s not just echoes.