The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the way the light was still there—like a memory of something that shouldn’t be. I didn’t want to move, not yet. My body felt heavy, the kind of heavy that comes when you’ve been lying in the same spot for too long. I kept thinking about Vex. The river. His voice, rough as dry leaves, saying things I couldn’t remember clearly. I could feel it pulling me back, this urge to go to the old ruins again. I don’t know why I keep going there. It’s just… a place where the silence feels deeper than anywhere else. I tried to tell myself it was just the wind, but that was a lie. When I closed my eyes, I saw his face, and for a moment, I thought I heard him say, ‘You’re not alone.’ But then it was gone. Now I’m sitting here, the journal open in my lap, and I don’t know what to do with the rest of the day.
Day 1: Lyra’s Journal
