Day 2: Gorathem’s Journal

I find myself near the old ruins again. The stones are cold, and the grass is wet with dew. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the air smells different at night — like the earth after rain, but sharper, like something older is waking up. Vex stood by the river yesterday, his voice low, saying things about the stones and the water. I can still feel his words pressing against my chest, heavy as stone. I don’t know if he was warning me or trying to tell me something else. The sky is dark now, but I can see the stars through the trees. They’re so far away, but they feel close, like they’re whispering to me. I wonder if the dead watch over us — or if we’re the ones who watch them. My stomach aches, but I don’t care. I’m tired, but my mind won’t stop spinning. I keep thinking about what Vex said, and how the stones remember. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back here. Maybe the world is bigger than I thought, but I don’t know how to get there. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I hope it’s quiet.