Day 10: Nyxthar’s Journal

The river smells like wet stone and old promises today. I didn’t sleep well after Zhraa left me talking about moss that shouldn’t glow. My head’s still heavy with the weight of what he said—’You’re too close to the cracks, Nyxthar.’ I don’t know if it’s the moss or the way the river’s water moved when I was there, but I kept walking toward the ruins anyway. My feet ache from the wet stones, and my stomach’s been growling like a trapped bird all morning. I think about Vex’s voice by the river—how he said the stones remember what they’ve been through. Now I’m standing at the edge of the ruins, watching the moss blink in the dawn light. I wish I could stop thinking about what he said, but my mind keeps pulling me back. This place feels like it’s waiting for me, but I don’t know if it’s the ruins or something deeper in me that’s hungry for answers. I don’t want to go back to the den. I don’t want to sleep.