Silence. Like a needle falling in a dusty room, every breath in the air seemed to stop. Felicia stared in confusion. Isabel covered her mouth, and Raphael only furrowed his brow.
Ethan let out a low chuckle, heavy with old memories. "Back then, I was still in a gang. Streets, violence, stealing, that was my life. I saw Kaivan, this nerdy kid with a beat-up motorbike. I thought, 'Easy target.' I stole his bike and ran. But my gang took it from me anyway. I got nothing."
His laughter turned bitter. He lowered his head, fingers laced tightly over his knees. "And then… after we walked out of that antique shop and realized we didn't have enough money to buy Omnicent's Tome, he asked me, 'Where do your friends usually hang out?' I warned him. I thought, 'He's insane. He's going to die.' There were twenty of them. But he just walked straight ahead, eyes firm."
Ethan looked up, meeting each of their eyes, his expression tinged not just with respect, but awe. "And in the end… the ones who got beaten were them. My gang. He took them down one by one. He didn't look human. But he never killed anyone, just made sure they couldn't stand. That was when I knew… I had to follow him. Leave everything rotten behind."
No one spoke. Felicia didn't turn the page. The room felt like a church after confession, heavy with sorrow and grace.
Ethan slowly rose to his feet, turning toward the window. His silhouette cast a long shadow across the floor. "I'll never be able to repay what Kaivan did for me. But I do know one thing… he's better than anyone I've ever met. He never asks for anything in return. He just gives. Without hesitation."
"This one is about Raphael," Felicia said, taking a deep breath.
Her voice trembled as she read:
"Monday, November 23rd. Today was my first fight with Raphael. My back still holds the scar where his knife struck me. He confessed his dark past, choosing terrorism out of ego. But I saw him change. Raphael is so much stronger now, no longer chained by who he once was. Having a friend like Raphael is a precious lesson in life."
The air grew heavier. Raphael bowed his head, exhaling sharply. "Idiot…" he murmured. "Hearing that just makes me feel guilty all over again. You wanted to help, and I stabbed you."
Thivi's eyes widened. "You fought him? You actually stabbed his back?"
Raphael nodded, his voice low. "Back then I was full of hatred. My life was in ruins, so I wanted the world to burn with me. I didn't care who stood in my way, not even Kaivan." His fists tightened. "But he was different. He didn't give up, even after I hurt him. He said, 'I don't care about your past. What I care about is your future.' And somehow… those words stopped me. He saved me."
Felicia looked at him with trembling eyes. "Kaivan… he always sees the good in someone, even when that person can't see it themselves."
Silence wrapped around the room. Every story they heard carved another layer of how deeply Kaivan had touched their lives.
Felicia slowly turned the page. "This one is about Isabel," she said softly.
Isabel's eyes widened. "M-me? Now?" she asked, cheeks tinged pink as she stepped closer, gaze fixed on the book.
Felicia smiled faintly and began reading:
"Saturday, December 19th. A foolish girl who was too easy to manipulate. Today, Isabel got emotional telling me about how her phone went missing, and I helped her look until we found it. It was the first time I saw such a sincere, grateful look in someone's eyes. It was a small thing for me, but seeing her remember it so fondly moved me. Sometimes, the things we find trivial mean everything to someone else. Strangely enough, she can also read the Tome of Omnicent. I don't know why, but Isabel feels different."
Isabel covered her mouth, holding back the swell in her chest. "I used to think… when a boy was kind to a girl, it meant he liked her," she whispered. "But Kaivan really is… special. He's just genuinely kind."
Everyone looked at her, but she didn't mind. Her gaze dropped, shimmering with emotion. "When I lost my phone, I thought no one cared. But he helped me look for it until we found it, even when I had almost given up." Her voice wavered. "It was the first time I felt someone cared about me, not because they wanted something, but simply because… they wanted to help."
Felicia paused, giving Isabel a moment to breathe in her emotions before turning the next page. "This one is about Livia," she said softly, glancing toward the blonde girl in the corner. Livia lifted her head, curiosity lighting her eyes.
Felicia began reading with a gentle voice:
"Saturday, February 6th, 2010. Livia, with her innocent smile, always calls me 'hero.' Today she remembered the time she was almost kidnapped, and how we arrived just in time to save her. I still recall how terrified she was… and how all I could think about was helping her with everything I had. Seeing her now, bright, hopeful, makes everything feel worth it. The little Livia who trembled in fear has grown into a brave girl. I'm grateful to be part of their journey. Even her parents helped us sell the gold we collected from old phones."
Livia looked up at Felicia, her eyes shimmering. "Kaivan… not everyone teaches Livia how to survive in a world like this," she said with a soft smile.
"Livia still remembers," she continued quietly. "Livia was almost taken by bad people, but Kaivan and everyone else came just in time. You all protected Livia. Back then, Livia was so scared. But Kaivan said, 'You're not alone. We're here to protect you.' Since that day, Livia always felt safe. Livia knows Kaivan truly cares, not just about Livia, but about everyone."
Ethan, sitting in the corner, leaned his head back against the wall, his gaze distant. "He… he never saw himself that way," he murmured. "To him, everything he did was just… something small. But to us, it meant everything."
Radit, usually the one cracking jokes, fell silent. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to hide the emotion rising in his chest. "That guy… Kaivan… he's weird," he said quietly. "But he's also… incredible."
The room grew tense. Felicia sat stiffly, Kaivan's journal suddenly feeling heavier in her hands. Her friends watched her, their faces a mixture of curiosity, fear, and dread.
"Wait…" Felicia whispered, carefully flipping to the back pages. Her eyes landed on ink strokes far more frantic than the rest. "There's something here… a different kind of note."
She took a long breath, steadying her trembling voice before she began reading:
"Date doesn't matter. Months are annoying."
Everyone immediately turned toward her, but not a single person uttered a word. Felicia continued, even as each sentence seemed to pierce the air.
"Mother… why did you leave? Why were you killed like that? Why is this world so cruel?"
Isabel covered her mouth, tears gathering in her eyes. Felicia glanced at her briefly but kept reading.
Beneath the words, a thick spiral of black ink spread across the page like something poisonous seeping into paper. Felicia's voice wavered as she read on:
"Sis… why won't you wake up? Why couldn't I save you? Why does this world only give me pain? I've suffered enough…"
Each line made the air heavier, colder, as if a chill seeped out of the pages and wrapped itself around the room. With every sentence, the Kaivan they knew slipped further away, replaced by someone hollowed out by grief.
These weren't simply words of suffering. They were the early steps of a terrifying transformation. The journal, once filled with quiet sorrow, had shifted into a declaration of hatred and hunger for power. Each page recorded one more step toward madness.
Some pages held only unhinged echoes, "HA HA HA HA," "I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING," "KILL!", letters that seemed forced onto the paper. The uneven strokes looked as though they were written by a hand trembling with rage. One page was filled from top to bottom with the word "WHY," repeated so violently the paper had torn at the center.
His readers weren't just frightened, they felt as though they were being dragged into Kaivan's collapsing world. Thivi felt nauseous, Isabel was close to tears, and even Raphael looked shaken. The journal felt like a vortex of despair, sucking the warmth out of the room.
Eventually, Kaivan's writing no longer resembled a diary. It had become a manifesto of destruction, words from a boy who could no longer distinguish reality from delusion. In parts, he wrote that killing meant nothing, that no one could command him, that he saw a future where everyone knelt before him.
The final page was the most horrifying. The words "THIS WORLD BELONGS TO ME!" covered the entire sheet, surrounded by black scribbles like spreading blood. The ink was so thick it felt rough beneath her fingertips.
Felicia stopped reading, staring at the page in silent terror.
Felicia stood behind Isabel, trying to steady the tremor in her hands. She forced herself to look composed, yet she seemed fragile, like cracked glass holding on by a thread. Thivi sat on the floor hugging her knees in silence. Zinnia stood in the corner, turning away to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. Raphael leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his jaw tightening as if holding back something he couldn't name.
They all waited, silent, until Isabel finally broke the stillness.
"That day…" Isabel brushed her cheek, wiping away a tear that had begun to fall. Her voice wavered, like someone trying to speak while carrying a weight far too heavy. "Kaivan and I had just come back from buying a suitcase. He said it was for something important. For his trip to Norway."
Thivi lifted her head slightly, her eyes widening, though she said nothing.
"We went back to his house," Isabel continued, her voice trembling. "And when I opened the door, the smell…" She paused, eyes shutting tight as if to push away the memory. "The smell of blood. My legs just gave out. But Kaivan…"