I woke up this morning with the same ache in my stomach as yesterday — that hollow feeling that’s been there since before I could even remember. I tried to think about what Vex said by the river last night, but my mind just kept drifting back to the way the water moved, how it seemed to hold more than it should. I found myself near the old ruins again today, just like I did the day before. The stones are so cold now, and I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the place feels like it’s watching me. Or maybe it’s because I don’t want to leave.
I sat by the river for a while, and for the first time since I could remember, I didn’t try to figure out what was going on. The water was quiet, and the wind carried a whisper that wasn’t quite a word — just a feeling, like the earth itself was speaking. I thought about the fireflies we saw last night, how they drifted in the dark like tiny stars that didn’t belong there. And then I realized: the dead watch over us. Not as ghosts, but as something that’s been waiting for us to understand.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop thinking about what Vex said. But for now, I’m tired of trying to find answers. I just want to sit here, with the quiet, and let the world breathe around me.