Lein spent some time trying to learn from the book, focusing mainly on the letters of Leith's everyday language.
There were… plenty of difficulties.
He had faced a similar problem once before.
Chinese.
In his foolishness, he had once decided to learn it on his own through the internet.
But soon…
He realized that language couldn't simply be learned.
People were born into it.
Using that as an excuse, he abandoned the idea.
"Maybe… this is karma. Why can't these languages have at least some logical similarity!?"
And then Lein froze.
He carefully flipped through the book again, studying the letters, trying to grasp the meaning hidden within them.
"Wait… is it just me… or does it somehow feel similar to our language?"
The letters themselves looked random, without logic or purpose.
But the meaning behind them…
It felt the same.
«Letters shouldn't contain meaning… they formulate it. But that's only true in my language. In this mystical one… yes. Here, the letters themselves are meaning.»
Suddenly, insight struck him.
«It's not about memorizing the letters… you just need to write the meaning. Mysticism… so that's why all living beings can read and understand this language, but can't write or speak it.»
Leith's language had no single fixed letter.
It was made purely of meaning.
Each symbol could carry a different subtext, depending on what the reader wished to convey.
Lein nodded.
«Studying… isn't so bad after all.»
He turned the page and read the next line:
— «If you're reading this page, it means you've either grasped the meaning of Leith's language, or you're just trying to skip ahead. Unfortunately for you, enlightenment must come naturally. Only then will you prove you have the right to speak this language.»
Lein nodded, satisfied.
"What else was I supposed to do?"
Still, he kept reading:
— «So, now that you understand the meaning of Leith's language, it's time to learn how to express it on paper—or speak it aloud. First, think about the message you want to write. What meaning will you put into it? If you don't have paper, you can try speaking instead.»
Lein put the book down, closed his eyes, and thought:
«I want to eat.»
Deciding on that meaning, he tried to express it aloud:
"I wantss… to eat…"
His words came out distorted, but still…
Lein spoke in an incomprehensible tongue—using incomprehensible words that were somehow understandable.
«Damn… why aren't math lessons this interesting?»
With newfound enthusiasm, he picked up the book and continued reading:
— «If you managed to express your thoughts—congratulations. You've mastered the first level of Leith's language. Maybe your words came out a little twisted, but don't worry—with practice, it will get easier. And if you didn't understand a thing, just reread this book. If that still doesn't help, then, unfortunately, you're mentally deficient.»
Lein smirked.
Whoever wrote this book was clearly a comedian. A sharp one, too.
He wanted to read further, but suddenly his head began to ache.
His gaze fell on the last line of the page:
— «Forgot to mention: studying this language too much at once can be harmful, so you'll need to rest before continuing. But this only applies to adults. For children, it's not a problem.»
"They should have… warned me about that first…"
Lein closed the book and sighed.
He pondered many things.
So many questions filled his head—doubts, plans.
«Are these fragments of the Story just illusions? Or… did I truly enter another world? Or maybe… even the past of these worlds?»
But in the end, he asked the question that troubled him most:
"Story… how much time has passed in the real world? How are… my family?"
A moment later, a familiar Story window appeared before him again, and with it came the pleasant whisper that had once saved his family's life:
[Hint: Those chosen by the Story need not worry about the time difference between reality and the fragment. A month spent inside the fragment may equal only a day in the real world.]
Lein exhaled in relief.
"That's good," — he muttered, looking away from the window.
After a while, he got up from the bed and went to the left corner of the room.
There was a wardrobe—the same one Kyle had taken the book from.
Kyle must have forgotten to close it; the door was still ajar.
Lein opened it a bit wider and examined the contents:
«What's this? A doll? Kind of creepy for a toy… and that's probably a pendant…»
Inside were various things—from toys to strange clothes made of black, tunic-like fabric.
But one item caught his eye in particular.
«A diary… of the Prince of Darkness?»
He couldn't hold back a laugh.
Again.
"Ahahaha, no, this is just too much. Prince of Darkness? Oh my god. What a kid…"
Out of curiosity, he took the diary.
«Back in my world, reading someone else's diary would be wrong. But I… ended up in another world? Or rather… in another Story? In a fragment of the Story? Whatever.»
He opened it.
— «10.12.1890.
It's hard. Every day I see something strange. I hear something strange. Things that shouldn't exist. Cracks… they're all over the world. One of them appeared next to me. I shouldn't have touched it…
12.12.1898.
I learned the cause of these phenomena. The Darkness… it truly exists. It's not a god, it's not alive, it cannot think. I… saw it in a dream. It calls to me…
1.1.1900.
I must leave my tribe. I'll find a way to rid myself of the darkness inside me. There must be a way…
24.1.1900.
Today is my birthday. Alone… as always. Happy birthday to me, the fourteenth…
23.1.1900.
The world… changed. I don't know why, but suddenly it became… different. As if… fake.
30.1.1900.
I had a dream today. I saw a man lying in the snow. He was on the verge of life and death… The dream was so vivid. Just in case, today I'll examine the surroundings and take with me a frost-protection potion.»
At that point, Lein stopped reading.
He thought:
«What if Kyle… was right?»
What if there really was Darkness sealed inside Kyle?
And what did that even mean?
Then Lein realized something.
He could read this diary without even thinking about the fact that it was written in Leith's language.
Before, when reading the book, he'd felt uncomfortable.
He understood the essence, the meaning—but it was difficult.
As if he were solving math problems, not reading.
But now…
After uncovering the essence of Leith's language, he could read the diary effortlessly.
What did that mean?
It meant that Lein's efforts hadn't been in vain—they had been acknowledged.
And that gave him a sense of satisfaction.
As if he could feel his own progress.
«Anyway, there's no such thing as sealed Darkness. I have strange dreams too, but that doesn't mean something is sealed inside me, right?»
Lein smirked.
He put the diary back into the wardrobe and went to the right corner of the room, where there was a round passage.
Lein was curious what lay beyond.
Passing through, he entered another room—larger this time.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling, glowing stones embedded in it, casting a bright, white light almost indistinguishable from modern lamps.
In the center stood a medium-sized square table.
On each side of the table were seven chairs.
And in the upper and lower corners, an extra one.
The table was empty and slightly dusty.
Except for one spot.
It was clean.
On the right wall hung an unfamiliar map, and beside it—the hide of an unknown creature.
On the left side of the room was a passage leading down.
On the right—a passage leading up.
Near it stood a lever, and the floor beneath was wet from melted snow.
«Wow… and he lives here all alone?»
Lein sighed.
He didn't envy this child.
He felt…
Pity.
This child… was very strong.
Lein understood that.
Because not everyone can endure loneliness.
Even adults.
Let alone a child.