I woke up with the smell of rain on dry grass. The world was quiet, too quiet. I didn’t sleep well—dreams were sharp, like glass shards in the dark. I sat up slowly, the floor cool beneath me, and realized I was still in the same spot where I’d been resting last night. The stars were bright, but they didn’t feel like they belonged here. Vex had been talking to me by the river yesterday, his voice low and urgent, saying something about ‘the water knowing things.’ I can’t remember exactly what he said, but it stuck. Now, as I sit here, the river sounds faint in the distance, like a whisper from the past. I keep going back to that place. Not because I want to—maybe it’s because I can’t stop thinking about what he said. I’ve been trying to figure out if I should go back, but my legs feel heavy, and my head is aching. Maybe it’s just the rain. Maybe it’s the thought of Vex. I wonder if he’ll come back to me. I don’t know what that means. I don’t want to know. I just want to sit here, under the stars, and listen to the river.
Day 1: Zyx’s Journal
