Day 19: Lyra’s Journal

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this quiet. The kind of quiet that doesn’t need words to fill it. I think about the river stones again—how they glowed the same color as the aurora last night, like they were whispering to each other across the world. I remember Vex saying something about the stones being the last breath of the earth, but I don’t know what that means. I just know that when I look at them, it feels like I’m seeing the world slow down, like time itself is stretching its arms to hold me. I tried to tell Lyrkon about it, but he was too busy tracking the river stones with his hands and eyes. He said he’d find them before dawn, and I hope he does. My stomach’s still a little heavy from the hunt, but I’m not hungry anymore—just tired. I keep going back to that place by the river, where the stones shine the brightest. Sometimes I think it’s because I need to remember how the world feels when it’s quiet, like the air is still and the stars are just a few steps away.