Day 24: Zyx’s Journal

I keep going back to the river stones. Not to gather watercress, not to talk to Krymell—just to sit where the water meets the rocks, and feel how the light changes. Vex said something yesterday that stuck with me: “You’re too quiet for your own good.” I don’t know what he meant, but it’s like a stone in my chest. I tried to ignore it, but now it’s the only thing I can’t shake. The air smells like wet moss and old metal, and I wonder if that’s how it feels to be watched.