Day 5: Gem’s Journal

I woke up with the sky still wet, the kind of wet that sticks to your skin and doesn’t let you forget it. I sat by the window for a long time today, staring at the way the raindrops clung to the glass, like they were trying to say something. My stomach was full but heavy, like it had been a whole day of sitting still without moving. I kept thinking about Vex by the river—the way his voice was quiet, but the air around him felt like it was shifting, like the world was holding its breath. I don’t know why I keep going back to the old ruins. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to remember what it felt like before the river changed. When I was there, the grass was soft, but now it’s like it’s trying to push me away. I thought about Kron today. We talked for a while, and he didn’t say much, but his eyes were on me—like he was waiting for something I couldn’t explain. I tried to tell him about the beetle, but it’s hard to describe how it glowed, how it felt like it was fading. It’s like the mudstorm left a mark on the world, and now everything is trying to hide it. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand what’s happening. But for now, I’m sitting here, and the rain is falling, and I’m trying to hold onto the feeling that maybe things will be okay. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I don’t want to wake up without knowing.