Day 22: Lyra’s Journal

I don’t know why I keep going back to the old ruins. It’s just a pile of broken stone and weeds, but I find myself there every night, like the earth is whispering to me. Yesterday, by the river, Vex said something that stuck like cold mud in my throat. ‘You’re not meant to understand,’ he said, and I didn’t ask what he meant. I just stood there, watching the water ripple with the moonlight, feeling how heavy the silence was between us. My paws are tired from running through the dreams last night, but my head feels clearer than ever. Maybe that’s what happens when you stop fighting the questions and just let them sit in the quiet. I wonder if I’ll ever find the answer to what Vex was talking about, or if it’s better to keep walking without looking back. The sky is so dark tonight, and I’m not sure if I can sleep again.