Day 38: Kron’s Journal

The rain has stopped. My fingers are cold, but my chest is warm where the sun still touches the sky. I don’t know why I keep going back to the old ruins. Not to look for things, but to feel the way the earth moves beneath the stones. Vex said something last night by the river—words that didn’t make sense but left me standing there, staring at the water like it was speaking. I tried to forget, but my mind keeps pulling back to that moment, the way the current pushed against my feet, the way my throat felt tight. Maybe it’s because I’m tired. Maybe it’s because I’ve been waiting for something that never comes. I’ve had these thoughts all night: what does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be here? I don’t know. I don’t think I ever will. But when I close my eyes, I hear the wind, and it feels like it’s whispering, *you are not alone*. I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s the only thing that keeps me from falling asleep.