Perhaps it was an illusion, but after those words disappeared, the originally yellowed parchment seemed to fade slightly, as if it had lost some color.
Almost simultaneously, a string of chaotic handwriting, akin to frantic scrawls, appeared on the paper.
Kael squinted his eyes for a long time before he could barely understand what was written.
[Whatever you do, don't give the diary to Dumbledore... I mean, Professor Dumbledore is the person I admire most. I would much rather visit him in person than remain just a memory. I'm sure fifty years from now, I would still think the same way.]
Reading this, Kael once again felt the same sense of being watched as before, but this time it was even more pronounced.
At the same time, a faint whisper echoed in his mind, constantly urging him to trust Riddle's words.
But, under the influence of Occlumency, this suggestion became overt, almost blatantly obvious.
Besides Legilimency, does it even know the Confundus Charm?
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Kael thought, even the name reeks of trickery. How cunning.
Kael raised an eyebrow and, pretending to know nothing, calmly wrote back: "You're right, Tom. It was my oversight."
"I think Headmaster Dumbledore would also prefer you deliver the diary to him personally."
[Yes, you're right.]
Riddle's handwriting returned to normal.
[So you must not show the diary to him, okay?]
"Since you put it that way... fine then."
Kael agreed straightforwardly.
However, after this incident, Riddle didn't dare to ask about anything else and obediently acted as a tutor, perhaps fearing that Kael might impulsively hand the diary over to Dumbledore again.
Even though Riddle behaved more honestly, Kael found the experience even less enjoyable...
Because Riddle's handwriting was fading, changing from black to gray, and before long, it turned into light gray after just a few exchanges.
Finally, when Kael asked another question about the arrangement of magic text, Riddle did not respond.
There was a line of very faint text on the diary.
[I'm afraid I can't continue studying with you for now.]
"Why..." Kael wrote anxiously.
Just as the unit about basic arrangements was about to finish, why did it have to fall apart at this time?
Is this on purpose...
[The diary's magic power is nearly depleted.]
"Does this also require magic power?"
"But... I remember the portraits in the castle can talk endlessly."
[It's different; Hogwarts is a very special place, inherently imbued with vast magic power. The portraits are part of the castle, so they naturally don't need to worry about depletion.]
[But I'm just a very ordinary diary. I can only converse with you through the magic power I store myself.]
"What should we do then..."
Kael seemed very anxious and quickly asked, "When the term starts, could I stick you on the castle wall?"
"I know there's a particularly smooth wall in the corridor next to the library on the second floor. Although some Gryffindor students often throw Dungbombs on it, Mr. Filch the caretaker cleans it diligently and even sprays air fresheners to ensure there's no odor at all."
Riddle fell silent again...
Although he didn't know what Dungbombs were, he could tell just from the name that they were probably not something good.
Are young wizards these days really so wild?
[No, it's useless. My diary is not part of the castle, so putting it on a wall won't help.]
The text seemed to worry Kael wouldn't see it clearly, so it reverted to light gray.
[I can recover on my own, but it might take a while, and in the meantime, I won't be able to answer your questions.]
"Is there anything I can do?"
Kael glanced at the box beside him that could shield magic power.
It's from Nicolas Flamel, so its effectiveness needs no further comment. If the diary were truly left to recover on its own, it wouldn't be just "a while."
"I still have many things I want to share with you, my new friend."
Riddle had been waiting for this line.
[If you have any issues I could help with, you can use fresh... dragon blood as ink. That would help me recover faster.]
"Dragon blood?"
Kael was taken aback; he had expected Riddle might want some small animals as sacrifices, but he didn't expect he wanted dragon blood.
"But Tom... I remember the twelve uses of dragon blood, and replenishing magic power isn't one of them."
[That's true for wizards, but as a diary now, I can absorb its magic power...]
In reality, Riddle would have preferred unicorn blood—a substance that could help him recover much faster... and without the need to worry about curses.
But to avoid arousing Kael's suspicion, he had to settle for dragon blood.
"Using dragon blood to replenish magic power for special items... would that be the thirteenth use of dragon blood?"
"You're amazing, Tom... not even Headmaster Dumbledore discovered that."
[Perhaps.]
Riddle responded dismissively, apparently unwilling to discuss anything related to Dumbledore.
[The diary's magic power is waning; let's talk about something else.]
Kael raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Tom, maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like you're a bit afraid of Headmaster Dumbledore."
[Alright, I admit there is a bit, but isn't that normal... after all, he is the most powerful wizard.]
If the words didn't fade so quickly, Kael would have wanted to preserve this sentence.
Voldemort admitting he fears Dumbledore... that would certainly make the front page of the Daily Prophet.
"You're mistaken, Tom."
Kael thought for a moment, then wrote:
"Twelve years ago, Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard, but not now."
[What?] The handwriting turned sloppy again.
"Twelve years ago, someone killed a dark wizard with power comparable to Dumbledore's without even using a wand..."
[What was his name... I mean, the dark wizard's.]
"I think it was something like Voldebat or Swooping Evil... but it doesn't matter."
"Alright, Tom, you have a good rest. I'll go find some fresh dragon blood, and we'll talk next time!"
After writing this, Kael immediately closed the diary.
He vaguely saw there was a new message inside, and the ink was quite dark.
Although he didn't see what was written clearly, it didn't matter.
Kael threw the diary into the box, sealed the lid tightly, and placed it aside.
After that, he organized the parchment filled with various formulas on his desk and started to look through the "Rune Symbols Explained" bit by bit.
...