Lucian sat back on the bed, the weight of the small leather diary in his hands feeling heavier than it should. His heart was still beating oddly, a dull pain lingering as a reminder of his reckless actions. He looked down at the diary, running his fingers over the smooth cover and wondering about its contents.
'This diary will show you a way to be yourself.' Gideon's words echoed in his mind.
'What does that even mean?' Lucian thought, flipping the diary over. There were no markings on the cover, no indication of who it belonged to or what was written inside. He was about to open it when the door creaked open again. This time, it wasn't Gideon.
Galen entered the room, his eyes quickly landing on Lucian, who was sitting on the bed.
"Lucian, what happened? Gideon said you had some... trouble in training?" his father asked, though Lucian could hear the hidden worry beneath his stern tone.
"It's nothing serious, Dad. I just pushed myself a little too hard, that's it," Lucian said, trying to keep a straight face and hide the pain he felt in his heart.
Galen crossed the room swiftly and placed a hand on Lucian's shoulder, his touch surprisingly gentle. "You need to learn to be patient, son. Power takes time to master, and strength built on haste will always crumble."
The words hit Lucian hard, reminding him of Gideon's lecture.
"I will remember that, Dad. Sorry for making you worry."
"It's okay, as long as you're fine and safe. Now, are you sure you aren't seriously hurt anywhere?" Galen asked as he checked for injuries on Lucian's body.
"Yup, not even a scratch, completely fine… yeah, completely fine," Lucian said, trying to sound genuine while hiding the pain in his heart.
Galen seemed skeptical but was quickly interrupted by Gideon, who walked into the room.
"He's fine. No need to worry. You go finish your work first, I'll send him after I have a talk with him." Gideon said.
Galen seemed to believe Gideon's words and went back to finish his work.
"Thanks for not telling Galen what actually happened."
"It would have been too much of a hassle. The pain in your heart will go away in a couple of days, so just stick to reading for now. Until the pain is completely gone, no mana channeling training." Gideon instructed Lucian as he handed him his short sword.
As Lucian and Gideon were returning home, Lucian held the diary, wondering what was inside. He wanted to open it, but because of Gideon's words, he decided to wait until he was alone in his room.
As soon as they arrived home, he first had to explain his little accident to his mom, which was, in reality, a pretty big accident that nearly killed him. After a lot of excuses and eating dinner, Lucian was finally alone in his room. Sitting on the bed, he took out the diary and began to read.
As he started to read the first page.
"It's been on my mind recently, what if I really can't learn to use mana? Will I just be left behind? The people I have called friends, will they all leave me behind? All these thoughts have been eating me alive. I want to keep trying, and I genuinely do my best, but it's still not enough."
After reading the first page, Lucian was still confused about what or to whom this diary belonged. It seemed to be a personal diary, but if that was the case, why would Gideon hand it over to him?
"Is this Gideon's diary?" Lucian wondered, curiosity and confusion swirling in his mind.
"Should I even read more or go and ask Gideon about this?" But as Lucian thought of asking Gideon, he recalled the memory of Gideon telling him to find out for himself.