A deep pang of hurt filled me as I read the words in the diary. What I had gone through was nothing compared to what the person in these pages had endured.
I picked up my pen and began to write.
"Veiren...
What happened to you is horrible. No child deserves to be treated that way. Branded as a curse without any reason, hated by the very people who were supposed to protect you... it's sickening.
And then they killed your baby goat.
I don't blame you for attacking them after that. It was your friend, your family, probably the only thing that showed you kindness. Anyone would be furious. Anyone would be hurt.
But burning you because you fought back? How can people be so cruel? You were just a child. A child who had already lost everything.
I keep asking myself how they could do something like that and still call themselves human. What kind of village looks at a grieving boy and decides that more pain is the answer?
Honestly, if I had gone through even half of what you did, I think I would have lost my mind. The fact that you're still here, still writing, still being the most human you could be after everything... I don't even know what to say.
You deserved better, Veiren. So much better."
I sighed, setting my pen down.
I seriously felt bad for him.
At first, I had been curious about the weird diary and the person writing in it. Now, all I could think about was the lonely boy behind those words.
How much pain had he gone through?
And how was he still standing after all of it?
Then words started appearing on the dairy...
"If only you were there, Azalea.
If only I had someone like you.
Someone who listened. Someone who believed me. Someone who didn't look at me like I was a monster.
Maybe things would've been different.
Maybe I wouldn't have been so alone.
Maybe I would've lived a better life while I was alive."
I immediately picked up my pen and began writing.
"Veiren...
If I were there, I would never have let anyone do that to you.
I know my experiences aren't even close to yours, but I have some idea of what it's like to be picked on. Everyone tells you to ignore it, and sometimes that really is the best option. But deep down, a part of you always wants to turn around and fight for yourself. To make them understand that you're hurting too.
So I get it.
Maybe not completely, but enough to understand why you fought back.
And honestly?
I think you're the bravest person I know.
Most people would've broken after everything you went through. Some would've given up. But you kept going. You survived things that no child should ever have to face.
I admire you, Veiren.
Not because you're strong all the time, but because you kept standing even when the whole world seemed determined to knock you down."
I stared at the words for a moment before adding one last line.
"And for the record, I don't think you were ever the curse. They were."
And words appeared again.
"Well...
Thank you for your kind words, Azalea.
I appreciate them more than you know."
There was a long pause before more words appeared on the page.
"I believe it is rather late for you now.
Shouldn't you be asleep?
I would feel guilty if you stayed awake all night because of me."
I quickly scribbled a reply.
"Oh yeah, I should probably sleep.
Alright, see you tomorrow?
And, uh...
I'm really glad I met you, Veiren.
You're a nice person."
I stared at the sentence for a second.
It felt kind of cheesy.
But it was true.
"I am glad I met you too, Azalea.
I do not think anyone has ever spoken to me the way you do.
So...
I suppose that makes you my first friend."
The words made my chest ache.
Nobody should have to wait that long just to have a friend.
I smiled and wrote back.
"Yeah...
I'm glad too.
Good night, Veiren.
See you tomorrow."
Months passed.
Somehow, talking to Veiren became a part of my daily routine.
Almost every day, I would open the diary and find new words waiting for me. Sometimes we talked for hours. Sometimes we only exchanged a few sentences. But no matter how busy or exhausting the day had been, I always found myself reaching for the diary before going to sleep.
I told him about everything.
About smartphones and computers. About the internet. About movies, music, and things that would've seemed impossible in his time. Sometimes his questions were so innocent that they made me laugh.
In return, he told me stories too.
Stories about the forests he wandered through, the places he had seen, and the little pieces of a world that had disappeared long before I was born.
Before I realized it, the diary had become my comfort zone.
On good days, I wanted to tell Veiren about them.
On bad days, I wanted to tell Veiren about them even more.
He listened when I complained. He listened when I was excited. He listened when I was sad. Somehow, he always knew what to say.
And somewhere along the way, without even noticing...
I started liking him far more than I probably should have.
The realization made my stomach twist.
Because Veiren wasn't just a boy.
He was a boy separated from me by decades.
A boy who should have been gone.
And yet, somehow, he was the person I talked to the most.
Somewhere along the way, Veiren had become a piece of my heart without me even noticing.