Day 21: Gorath’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again today. Not the way I usually do—walking through the grass, the scent of damp earth and something sweet like crushed mint. I didn’t mean to go back there. The river had been quiet for days, and Vex’s voice came to me like a whisper in the wind: *You can’t run from what you’re made of.* I remember the way the stones felt cold under my palms, how the shadows stretched long and thin. My stomach ached, but it wasn’t hunger—I could taste the weight of the words he left behind. I sat by the water for an hour, watching the moon rise over the trees, and suddenly the world felt too big, too small at the same time. I thought about the scars he spoke of—how they’re lessons written on the body. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand them, but for now, I’m trying to listen. The night is quiet now, and I’m glad I stayed.