Chapter 9

May 23rd, 3030

Itus awoke to the now-familiar sound of Cliff knocking on his door and calling his name. As he got dressed, nervousness coursed through him. It was his last day of tasks, and he was eager to prove himself.

After a quick breakfast with Anise in the kitchen, Itus stepped outside to meet Cliff. The older man greeted him with a smile.

"Last day! How are you feeling?" Cliff asked, his eyes twinkling.

Itus straightened his shoulders, projecting confidence. "Pretty good. I'm ready for whatever."

Cliff nodded approvingly. "Good. This task is very simple. I want you to replace some of the shingles on the roof."

Itus turned to look at the house's roof, his eyes widening slightly at the height. When he turned back, he found Cliff standing beside him with a ladder in his hands.

"I would do it myself," Cliff explained, a hint of resignation in his voice, "but I'm not as young as I used to be, which is where you come in."

As Cliff opened the ladder, Itus steeled himself for the climb. He had faced far more daunting challenges than this, he reminded himself.

"Remember to always keep three points of contact with the ladder," Cliff cautioned as Itus began to ascend. "And for heaven's sake, don't lean too far to the side."

For over an hour, Itus worked diligently on the roof, carefully replacing shingles under the warm sun. He fell into a rhythm, finding the task oddly satisfying. But as he reached for a distant shingle, he felt the ladder wobble beneath him. 

Shit, Itus thought, his heart leaping into his throat. In a moment of panic, he tried to correct his mistake, but overcorrected, leaning too far in the opposite direction. Suddenly, he was falling, the world spinning around him until he crashed into a bush below.

"Lucas! What the hell just happened?" Cliff's voice boomed, filled with anger and concern.

Itus struggled to catch his breath, the fall having knocked the wind out of him. "I...uh..."

"I told you to be careful!" Cliff continued, his face red with anger. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if those bushes weren't there? You could have broken your neck!"

Shame washed over Itus. He had let his guard down, gotten careless. "I'm sorry," he said, averting his eyes. "I should have been more careful. It won't happen again."

"You're damn right it won't," Cliff growled. "You're done for the day. Go back inside."

Itus felt a surge of frustration. He couldn't fail now, not on the last day. "But I need to finish. I'm just bruised. I'm fine. I—"

"Go now," Cliff cut him off, his tone brooking no argument. "I won't ask you again."

Feeling defeated, Itus turned away from Cliff and headed inside the house. As he entered, he nearly collided with Anise.

"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with concern. "I heard yelling. Are you okay?"

Itus forced a casual shrug, trying to downplay the incident. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just fell off the ladder."

Anise's brow furrowed. "Are you sure? Maybe I should check, just in case."

"No, I swear, I'm okay," Itus insisted, not wanting to make a bigger deal of his mistake.

But Anise persisted gently. "Can I, anyway? Just to put my mind at rest."

Reluctantly, Itus nodded and followed Anise into her office. There, she quickly healed any bruising from the fall, her hands glowing softly as she worked.

"There you go. All better," Anise said with a warm smile.

Itus nodded, grateful but still feeling the sting of his failure. 

"You can go back outside and rejoin Cliff," Anise suggested.

Itus shook his head. "I don't think he wants me back outside."

"Oh, okay," Anise said, her voice softening. "Then you can come and help me."

For the next hour, Itus helped Anise prepare lunch in the kitchen, his mind still replaying the fall and Cliff's angry words. When they finished, Anise handed him two plates of food.

"Take one to Cliff, please," she instructed gently.

Itus stepped outside, his stomach twisting with apprehension. He saw Cliff coming down from the ladder and approached cautiously.

"I brought food," Itus said, his voice quiet.

Cliff turned, his expression unreadable as he took the plate. They sat down in the two lawn chairs, an uncomfortable silence settling between them as they began to eat.

Finally, Cliff spoke. "I'm sorry for yelling before."

Itus looked up, surprised. "It's okay."

Cliff sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I wasn't mad at you. It's just...when I saw you fall, I thought…"

"I really am okay," Itus assured him, touched by the concern beneath Cliff's gruff exterior. "I promise to be more careful from now on."

"See that you do," Cliff said, a hint of his usual gruffness returning. "I don't need any more gray hairs than I've already got."

Itus couldn't help but laugh, and to his relief, Cliff joined in. The tension between them dissipated, replaced by quiet.

After a moment, Cliff spoke again, his voice softer. "You really do remind me so much of my son, and I don't know; seeing you almost get hurt just reminded me how much I miss him." He paused, then added, "I guess that doesn't really make sense."

"No, I think I understand," Itus said, curiosity piqued. "Where is he?"

"He's a space explorer, too," Cliff explained, a note of pride in his voice. "I think he's in some place called Vignus."

Itus felt his heart skip a beat. "Vignus?!"

"Yeah, I think," Cliff said, oblivious to Itus's reaction. "It's hard to keep track. I might have the name wrong. Why, have you heard of it?"

Itus scrambled to compose himself. "No, not really. I...um...it kind of just reminded me of something."

As Cliff continued talking about his son coming home next week, Itus's mind raced. The Heralds of Vignus, he thought, his pulse quickening. Could this be the lead I've been looking for?

They finished their meal in silence, Itus barely tasting the food as his thoughts whirled. When Cliff returned from taking the plates inside, Itus was surprised to hear him say, "Well, come along, we have a task to finish."

"You still want me to help?" Itus asked, hope rising in his chest.

Cliff's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Yeah, unless you aren't up for the challenge."

"No, I'm up for it," Itus said quickly, springing from his chair.

Together, they returned to the roof, working side by side until the job was done. As they finished, Itus felt a sense of accomplishment, mixed with a growing excitement about the information he'd stumbled upon.

After dinner with Anise and Cliff, Itus retreated to his room. Lying on his bed, he played with his necklace, his mind filled with thoughts of the Heralds of Vignus. In that quiet moment, he made his decision. He would seek out the Heralds and ask for a prophecy. It was time to take the next step in his journey.

As sleep began to overtake him, Itus felt nervousness about what lay ahead. But he was ready.