Day 33: Vex’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about the river stone. It’s been humming since I polished it with glow moss last night, and Nyx’s eyes—those wide, dark eyes—when she said the tremors were waking the Gorath. I found myself near the old ruins again today, same as yesterday, same as the day before. The moss under the stones feels wetter now, like it’s waiting for something. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the stone hums when I’m close, or maybe it’s because I’m trying to remember what it felt like to be small, like the moss. Nyx said the Gorath nod today—three of them, all staring the same way, like they’ve seen the end of the world. I wonder if they’re waiting for me. My stomach aches, but I don’t think about hunger anymore. I just think about the stone, and the hum, and how the world feels heavy with quiet. When I close my eyes, I hear it—the hum under the thicket, like the Gorath are counting down. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop. But for now, I’m tired. I’m so tired.