Chapter 9: (IX) Gap

Jackson looked through the scrolls but couldn't make heads or tails of what they were for as each one was blank. He huffed in frustration, throwing them into the satchel and filling it entirely before he stood up and hopped out of the crawlspace, closing the trapdoor.

The young boy placed the table upright as he picked up the locked chest, putting it on it. He ran over to the counter between the stove and refrigerator, hopping on it as he reached behind the large appliance and began pushing it away from the wall.

As it fell against the hardwood floors, Jackson pushed it further away from the walls to reach into the gnarled, tangled mess of dust bunnies that used to live below the fridge.

He stood up smiling as he brushed the dust bunnies off a shiny, tiny key. He slid it into the chest, turning as the lock clicked, and released the hold on the lid as it slightly sprung open. Jackson opened it, revealing a thin silver chain and similarly designed ring lying neatly on thick, plush velvet cloth sewn into the chest.

Attached to the chain was an intricately designed cross with the roman numeral for nine designed to the face. The silver ring had a matching nine encrusted with diamonds that ran down the length of the center of the band.

"Nine..?" Jackson whispered to himself as he lightly ran his fingers across the roman numerals. He grabbed the necklace and placed it over his head, tucking it into his shirt, and placed the ring into his coat pocket with his order slip before quickly rushing back to Duskgate.

He quickly made his way through the South Gate and quietly slipped back into his room unnoticed at Saint Mary's Orphanage. He dumped his bag underneath his bed and quickly darted out through the Northern Gate toward Larkinge.

The young boy was exhausted already from his previous exertions but pushed himself, sprinting toward the tiny farm village to the north. He could see it in the distance, high over the valley surrounded by fields of golden yellow.

He had lost three hours of the day making his trip down to the cottage and needed to make up for the lost time. After reaching the village with no less than a dozen inhabitants, he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees, drenched in sweat.

An elderly man with short white hair and a bushy mustache smiled as he removed his straw hat and approached, "Ah! You must be from Saint Mary's! We've been wondering when you'd show up!"

"Yes! I'm Jackson; nice to meet you!" The young boy said through heavy breaths, rising to his feet and holding his hand out. The farmer took it, shaking it firmly.

"The first few sacks are over there, all ready for delivery!" He said, turning and pointing to the small pile of five large bags next to a building.

"I'll get right to it!" Jackson said with a smile, nodding as he slowly walked and picked up two bags, throwing them over his shoulders as he returned to Duskgate.

'If I take my time and slowly walk to the city and run back to the village, I should be able to carry both the entire time...' He thought to himself as he casually walked.

So began his monotonous and tenuous task. The sun rose high in the sky, beating down relentlessly against the backs of those unlucky enough to work underneath its hot, overbearing rays.

Jackson worked nonstop throughout the entire day to complete his work. He was curious about the books he had stashed underneath the bed in his room and eager to inspect them.

Despite his attempts to finish on time, it was past sundown when he had finished and was just over an hour late. He sluggishly dragged his feet across the ground as he staggered through Duskgate.

Tara Le Doux was standing outside the gate to Saint Mary's, looking around distraught and sighing in relief when she spotted Jackson, running over to him, "Jackson! Are you alright?"

The young boy nodded softly, "Just tired..." He replied weakly as his stomach growled loudly, causing the older woman to laugh.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and some food in you before bed!" Tara chirped, standing up and placing her hand on his back, softly leading him into the orphanage.

After washing up and eating a plate of cold food from the previous dinner, Jackson was finally alone in his room. He collapsed onto his bed with a loud huff before rolling onto his stomach and grabbing the satchel.

He sluggishly stood before placing the bag onto the only other object in his room, a desk, opening it and pulling a drawer open as he dropped the half dozen blank scrolls into it and closed it.

He pulled out the metal frame and glass orb, connecting the two pieces together and placing them on the windowsill. His grandmother had warned him of their importance, but she never explained why...

He stared at the orb for a moment before sighing softly, reaching into the bag, and pulling out the four books. He spread them out across the desk, hanging his satchel across the back of his chair as he sat down and observed the cover of each book.

There were no discernable features or words on the binding, nor intricate designs etched onto it. They were plain, boring, unassuming blank covers. The young boy grabbed one of them, opened to the first page, and read the title:

'Nine Void Infinity Step Technique'

Jackson stared at the title page, rereading the name a few times before flipping through the pages. Inside were hundreds of diagrams of a man in different positions. There were annotations pointing to various parts of his body, explaining various techniques and their meanings.

He quickly snatched the remaining books one by one, reading their titles:

'Inferno of the Twin Storms'

'Twenty Moons Under the One Sun Path'

The final book did not have a title; however, it immediately started addressing him.

"Dear Jackson, I know life has been difficult since my disappearance, and I'm sure your mother probably didn't help much, but I want to preface this diary with an apology... I'm sorry, son."