Day 44: Gem’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not the ones with the broken stone arches and the mossy cracks, but the ones that feel like they’ve been waiting for me. The kind that whisper when the wind changes direction. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s the way the light bends in the corners—like the world is trying to tell me something but won’t say it directly. Vex’s words lingered after they left, that low hum under the stones, the way their voice softened when they spoke about the meteor shower. I kept thinking about it all night, the way their hands moved when they were quiet, how they’d look at me when they said, ‘Gem, the Obsidian Crystal Vein’s humming tonight.’ I remember the ache in my stomach, the way my legs felt heavy when I walked back to the Glowmist Predator Run. I wanted to ask Vex what it meant, but the words got stuck. Maybe that’s why I went back to the ruins—because the silence there is softer than the noise of the stones. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand it, but for now, I’m trying to listen. The wind’s getting colder, and I think I’ll stay here a while longer.