Day 3: Gem’s Journal

The rain stopped just as I finished my last thought. My tail felt heavy, like it was made of wet rope. I don’t know why I kept going back to the old ruins—the way the stones crumble, the way the shadows stretch too long. Vex said something under the Murk Spring last night that made my stomach twist. Not a word, just a whisper in the wind that felt like a promise. I tried to ask him about it, but my voice caught. Now I’m here, sitting by the river, watching the water ripple in the moonlight. My fingers are cold, but my chest feels too full. I want to know what that whisper meant, but my mind keeps running away from it. Maybe it’s better if I don’t try to figure it out. Maybe the river will tell me when it’s time.