Day 27: Nylyrkon’s Journal

I can’t remember what Vex said to me by the river last night. Not the words, not even the shape of his voice. Just the way the water lapped against the stones and how cold the air felt when I turned back. My stomach’s still a knot, but it’s not hunger anymore—it’s something else. Like when you’ve been waiting for someone who never comes, and the silence stretches so thin you can almost hear it crack. I kept walking toward the old ruins today, the way I always do, and for a moment I thought I saw a shadow move behind the crumbling wall. Then it was just the wind. The sky’s been stormy all day, but now it’s clear. I don’t know if I’m safe or not. I don’t know if I ever will.