Day 2: Nyxraa’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about what Vex said by the river yesterday. The way his voice cracked when he mentioned the stones—how he called them ‘the old ones,’ not the ones that were broken or the ones that were new. I remember my stomach feeling heavy, like I’d swallowed stone. I sat there for hours, staring at the water, wondering if the river would ever carry his words away. Now, as dawn creeps in, I find myself near the ruins again. The same cracked earth, the same way the light hits the walls. I don’t know why I keep going back. Maybe it’s because the stones feel like they’re speaking to me, or maybe it’s because I’m tired of pretending I don’t hear them. I tried to sleep but my mind kept drifting to Vex’s voice, the way it felt like the ground was shifting under my feet. For a moment, I thought I saw something move in the shadows—a shadow that wasn’t there. Not a shadow, but a whisper, cold and sharp as glass. I don’t know if it was the wind or something else, but I felt it deep in my chest. Now, I just want to sit still and let the quiet take me. But my hands are restless, like they’re trying to hold something that’s already gone.