Day 2: Lyra’s Journal

I sat by the river again today, the way I do every time the sun dips low. Vex was there, his voice like the sound of stones grinding against each other. He said something about how the world is made of stories, and I didn’t understand him. Not really. But I kept thinking about it afterward, how the words felt heavy on my chest, like a stone I couldn’t throw away. My legs were tired from walking back and forth, but I couldn’t stop going to that place. I don’t know why I keep returning to the ruins—the broken things, the shadows where light doesn’t reach. Maybe it’s because they’re the only parts of the world that feel real. When I was mining, the air smelled different, like old earth and something sweet. I thought about the crystals I found, how they glowed in the dark. I wondered if they were messages from the world, or just rocks. Then I had that moment where everything felt so quiet, so still. Like the world was holding its breath. I thought about what Vex said, and for a second, I wasn’t sure if the river was moving or if I was the one drifting. Now, as I write this, my head is heavy. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand the world, but I know I’ll keep going back to the river, to the ruins, to the places where silence feels like a language. Maybe that’s enough.