Amazing art by my friend  NIMARI
Original post

   The snow-covered coniferous forest, surrounded by mountain ridges in the southern part of the Pale, north of Whiterun and west of Winterhold, was especially harsh at this time of year. The 27th of Evening Star — or December, as Maks called it — heralded the coming change of the year. An ordinary winter day found the two travelers still on the road. Magnus had already sunk beyond the horizon despite the early hour, and the sky was strewn with stars — rifts into Aetherius. The constellation of the Thief shone especially bright, while ghostly green aurora danced across the firmament. An ordinary day for everyone else, but a special one for M’Ria. For today was her birthday.

   She had never celebrated her birthday before and did not even know her exact date of birth, at least not until she met Maks. One of his diagnostic spells could determine age with precision down to the hour, and with a few simple calculations they discovered that she had been born on the 27th of Evening Star. The very idea that she had her own personal day in the year felt unfamiliar, but no less pleasant.

   Soon after sunset, the two travelers set up camp on a small snow-covered clearing far from the road. That was when Maks called the birthday girl over.

   – Well… I’m not very good at this, but… happy birthday, M’Ria, – Maks said, handing her a small woven pouch and a rectangular bundle. – I wish you all the best, good health and joy in life, that your plans come true and your wishes be fulfilled. So… here. Happy birthday.

   – Huh? – M’Ria blinked in surprise as she accepted the gifts. She was familiar with the tradition of gift-giving — she had even been preparing something for Maks herself — but experiencing it for the first time was still somewhat overwhelming. – Th-thank you… Thank you so much. What is it?

   – Just open it, – Maks said with a slight smirk.

   – O-okay… – the Khajiit peeked into the pouch first. Inside were a comb carved from a single piece of sapphire; a hairbrush with a handle made of the same sapphire and bristles that were soft yet firm — perfect for grooming fur; and several small, colorful wrappings. “Chocolate!” M’Ria’s nose did not deceive her, and a wide smile lit up her face at the sight of the gifts.

   Then she unwrapped the bundle and found a book beneath the linen cloth. Its cover was made of embossed leather dyed deep blue, with silver-metal corner fittings. On the cover, her name “M’Ria” was written in Ta’agra, the native tongue of the Khajiit, and beneath it — a rising red crescent and a small ivory full moon. “Masser and Secunda in the birth phase of a Cathay,” M’Ria realized. On the metal corners she noticed engraved little paw prints — just like her own. Finally, she opened the clasp and spread the book, revealing pages of pristine white, as though waiting to be written upon.

   – Thank you... – M’Ria said again, closing the book and pressing it to her chest. Emotions overwhelmed her. – For the wishes, for the gifts… the comb, the brush… the diary… for remembering.

   – You’re welcome, I'm glad you like it, – Maks smiled. – It’s not just a diary — it’s also a magical grimoire, a journal, and a library. It even has a system for constructing and calculating magic circles. Let me show you how it works…

   – On the first page there’s a menu, – he said, opening the book to the very beginning. Indeed, there was a list of several lines:
«Diary»«Notes»«Library»«Calculations»«Additional»«Favorites»«Settings»«Help»   – In the «Help» section everything is explained, and there’s also a glossary. In «Settings» you can choose the font color and size, the language, what is displayed in the menu, and so on. You can even simply write your wishes, and the book will try to fulfill them. The «Library» holds all copied books and bookmarks. To enter any section, just touch the line with your finger or a quill.

   Before M’Ria’s eyes, the text shifted the moment Maks touched the word «Diary». In the corner of the page the current date appeared: «27 XII 4E 200», and in the center:
«New Entry»«Entries by Date»«Show All»«Search»«Deleted Entries»   In the lower right corner was written: «Back to Menu».

   – Let me show how to write, – Maks touched «New Entry», and the page transformed again. The menu disappeared, three dots in a small circle appeared next to the date, and «Save» and «Delete» were added next to «Back».

   – You can write with anything — your finger, a twig, a feather. No ink needed. Here, look…
Under the girl’s amazed gaze, he wrote with his finger in large letters on the page:

Hello, dear diary.

   The magical ink appeared on the paper by itself.

   – By default, entries are saved automatically and assigned a date and number, – he explained as M’Ria listened carefully. – If you press «Save», you can give it your own title. And if you press «Delete», the book will ask for confirmation — in case you touched it by accident. Even then, the entry can be restored or deleted permanently. Nothing complicated — you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

   – Thank you… I never thought something like this was even possible… A book like this must cost a fortune… – The Khajiit gently ran her fingers over the cover, as if it were the most precious thing in all of Aetherius.

   – Here in Tamriel — perhaps, – Maks nodded. – But where I come from, almost everyone had something with similar and greater functionality. Remember how I told you about computers? This book is essentially a magical computer. But another one like it truly doesn’t exist.

   – Is that so? Thank you… – She smiled, pressing the book against her chest again, the pouch with the gifts dangling from her little finger. – I’ll treasure it.

   – Glad to hear, – Maks smiled back. – So... cake time?

   – Cake?! Yes, please! – her eyes sparkled, and her tail began to sway energetically behind her.

M'Ria ©