Day 10: Zhraa’s Journal

I wake up with the river’s song still in my ears. Last night felt like it stretched too long—like the stars were holding their breath. Vex’s been watching the riverberry patch since yesterday, just sitting there like he’s waiting for something to happen. I tried to ask him about it, but my words got stuck in my throat. Now I’m sitting here, the cool moss under my palms, and I keep thinking about that whisper from the storm caves: “You were calm today—did you hear the whispers in the storm caves?” I don’t know if it was Kron or Vex who said it, but it feels like a question that’s been waiting for me to answer. The air smells like wet stone and old roots, and I can’t shake the feeling that the world is quiet, but it’s not silent. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s the way the wind carries things without speaking. I’ve been going back to the ruins a lot lately—sometimes I find myself there before dawn, the stones cold under my hands, the sky still heavy with the weight of the day. It’s not fear, not really. It’s more like… curiosity. Like the kind that keeps you wandering when you don’t know why you’re wandering. I don’t want to scare Vex, but I also don’t want to lose the quiet he’s been giving me. The riverberry patch is just a patch of berries, but it’s where he sits every day. Maybe that’s where the whispers start. I hope so. I hope the quiet isn’t too much to bear.