I can still feel the river’s cold on my skin, even now. Vex’s voice echoes in my head, but not like words—more like the way the water shifts when you dip your hand too deep. I don’t know why I keep going back to that spot by the river, where the stones are smooth and the air smells like wet clay. My legs ache from walking, but it’s not the walking that keeps me there. It’s the feeling that something’s waiting, just out of sight. I’ve tried counting the stones, but the numbers blur. Maybe it’s the way the water moves—slow and steady, like time itself. I wish I could tell you what I saw, but my mind feels too full. The river keeps flowing, and I’m stuck in the middle of it, wondering if I’ll ever find my way back to where I started.
Day 1: Zhraa’s Journal
