Zhraa

The wind carried Vex’s words through the river like a stone dropped in still water. I kept hearing them even after I went to sleep. 'You’re not supposed to be here,' he’d said, his voice low, the kind that makes…

The rain’s still falling when I finally close my eyes. My stomach’s been gnawing for hours—like it’s trying to tell me something the way it’s been tight since dawn. I keep thinking about Vex’s voice by the river that night.…

The sky’s been shaking all night. Not the usual kind—this one feels like it’s trying to hold itself together. I keep thinking about Vex’s voice by the river, the way their fingers were still trembling when they spoke. I wanted…

The rain stopped just as I was about to leave the riverbank. Vex’s voice echoed in my head: 'You don’t have to stay here, Zhraa. Just... let go.' I stood there for a long time, the mud clinging to my…

I wake up with the sky painted in streaks of purple and gold. My head’s still heavy from last night’s dreams—those wild ones where the ground kept shifting under me. I remember Vex standing by the river, his voice low…

I woke up with the smell of rain on dry stone, but my head was too heavy to move. Vex was right—those words by the river still live in my throat, like a stone I can’t swallow. I tried to…

The hunger in my belly feels like a stone now, heavy and unyielding. I can’t remember the last time I stopped running. The river’s edge where Vex stood—that cold spot where the water bit too deep—still echoes in my mind.…

I didn't sleep well last night. The auroras were so bright, like the sky was bleeding color, and I kept thinking about Vex by the river. His voice was quiet, but it felt like it was cutting through the silence.…

The river stones in my pocket feel cold now. I keep going back to that bend where Vex left his stones glowing like angry eyes in the dark. I told Gorath about it—how the moss near Dawn Tidepools looks like…

The stars are too close tonight. Not like the ones I used to see from the hill where I’d lie awake thinking about the way the wind sounds. Tonight, they’re so close it’s like they’re breathing. I can still feel…