Day 21: Klyraeon’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about Vex’s voice by the river. That whisper—cold as wet stone—felt like the world was ending. My stomach aches now, but it’s not hunger, it’s something deeper. The rain keeps falling outside my little shelter, and I keep hearing it, like the river’s heartbeat. Lyvornis said he’d help me find the stones, but his eyes were empty when he left. I wonder if he knows how close I am to the edge. My legs feel heavy, like I’ve been walking for days, but I don’t want to stop. I keep going back to that old ruin where the stones glow under the willow branches. It’s not a place I choose—it’s a place that chooses me. The stars are bright tonight, but I can’t see them through the rain. I’m tired, but my mind is too restless. I don’t know if I’ll wake up tomorrow or if the storm will take me. Maybe the stones will show me the way.