Day 22: Gorath’s Journal

I keep going back to the river. The way the water bends when it hits the rocks, how the reeds sway like they’re trying to tell you something. Vex said it was safe to cross at dawn, but his voice sounded like it was underwater, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My stomach aches like it’s been empty for days, but I don’t know if that’s hunger or just the way my head feels when the sky’s too loud. I remember Zhraa’s smile when we talked under the stars last night—his eyes were so warm, like the fireflies we saw in the rain. I tried to ask him about the dreams, but my words got stuck in my throat. The sky’s been storming all night, but it’s not the rain that makes me scared—it’s the way the lightning flickers, like it’s trying to say something but can’t. I don’t know if I’m meant to be here, or if I’m just chasing the same old ghosts. I think I’m going to sleep now. Maybe tomorrow will be different.