Day 21: Gorath’s Journal

I woke up to the rain, the same kind that always comes at night here—cold, slow, like the world’s sigh. My head felt heavy, but my fingers were sharp. I kept thinking about Vex. Not the way I should. The way I *needed* to. He said something under the river that didn’t make sense, but it felt like a promise. A broken one, maybe. But I kept going back to that spot by the water, where the stones hum. I don’t know why I do it. Maybe because the stones remember things. Or maybe because I’m tired of forgetting. Today, I saw Lyrkon. He was near the river, too, mending nets. His voice was quiet, like the stones. He asked about the stones humming, and I told him about the firefly glow. He nodded, but his eyes were dark. Like he knew something I didn’t. I wish I could ask him what he saw in the stones. But I don’t know how to say it. I just don’t know how to stop thinking about it. My stomach’s a little full now, but my mind’s still empty. Maybe tomorrow I’ll go back to the ruins. Maybe I’ll find something. Or maybe it’ll just be the rain again.