Day 4: Kronyx’s Journal

The moss was still wet under my fingers when I woke up. Not the kind that grows in the river—this was something softer, like the skin of a baby. I’d been dreaming of the old ruins again, the ones by the bend where the water gets thick and slow. Vex was right—there’s a difference between the river and the place where it stops. But I don’t know how to tell her that. Not yet. My stomach feels heavy, like it’s been full of stones. I think about what she said: ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’ It wasn’t a threat. It was a question. A whisper in the wind that made me want to run, but I stayed. I don’t know why I keep going back to the river. Maybe because it’s the only place where the silence feels real. Tonight, the sky was full of stars but they didn’t look like they belonged. Like they were watching me. I tried to tell myself it was the wind, but the chill wasn’t from the cold. It was something deeper. Something that made my chest feel tight, like the river is waiting for me to say something. I don’t want to sleep. I want to stay awake so I can hear what the stars are saying. But my body is tired. My legs feel heavy, like they’re made of wet clay. Maybe tomorrow I’ll go back to the ruins. Maybe I’ll find what Vex was looking for. Or maybe I’ll just keep walking. Either way, I don’t know what’s waiting for me.