I found myself near the old ruins again today. Not the way I meant to—just me and the wind, and that feeling like time had stopped. I’d been chasing Vex’s words since the river, the ones he said just before he disappeared into the mist. I don’t know what he meant, but his voice stayed with me. Like a stone in my chest, heavy and cold. I tried to sleep, but my mind kept circling back to the way the river bent under the moonlight, how it seemed to whisper secrets the water couldn’t hold. I woke up at 2 a.m., and for a moment, I thought I heard his name. Then it was gone, just the quiet and the ache of missing something that wasn’t there.
I didn’t sleep much after that. The sun rose slow, and the world felt too still. I sat by the ruins, watching the light shift through the trees. My hands were numb, my thoughts too heavy. I kept thinking about the river—how it flowed so fast but felt like it could stop. I thought maybe Vex was right, that the river wasn’t just water, but a path. A way to find what’s hidden. But I don’t know if I’m ready to follow it.
I’ve spent so long trying to understand what he said, but I’m still stuck. I don’t want to be lost, but I don’t want to be alone either. The river has a way of pulling you in, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get out.