Day 20: Zhraa’s Journal

The river’s silence was the first thing that woke me up this morning. Not the sound of water, but the absence of it—like the world had held its breath. I sat by the edge of the marsh, where the mist clung to my clothes, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what Vex said last night. The way they mentioned the moss patch near the Obsidian Crystal Vein glowing after the storm… I remember the chill in my stomach when I realized how close I was to the riverbank. I kept walking back there, over and over, even though the path felt like it was crumbling under my feet. Today, the wind carried a different kind of whisper—something about the stones I’ve been avoiding. My legs are heavy, but my mind is restless. Lyrkon’s eyes were fixed on the ground when we spoke, and for a moment, I thought I saw the same glint in their eyes as the moss patch. Was it just the storm, or did the earth itself remember what we’ve left behind?