Within the fragment, a rudimentary sketch can seen in its midst. Though rudimentary from the passage of time, a small box can be seen, metallic sheen clearly visible from the contours in the drawing, symbols and glyphs covering the face of each and every side, except the top. A logo is seen at the top, spanning the entire width. A logo that is all too familiar.
It was the box old man Edward had given to him at his birthday.
Shock ran through his eyes. Believing it to be a mere coincidence, he continued to read through the article:
... though the ancient era of old ha-... my father, and his father before him had discovered a curious artifact of great mi-.. despite all of out efforts, we have managed to procure information that it had been made before the... able to open. The preconditions to do still boggle our most knowledgeable an... scholars. What we do... she's can be made. Legends state the creator... can be traced back too... -ian is @%^#¿~}○€•. We do not have m175 6@^£&×, the apo@&£&#<@ is comidhs, ■■■■■■■■■ done...
The writings near the end seem to distort, which Jake had never seen before. He had never experienced this phenomenon before, yet he had heard about his in many of his history. Some events and names were blurred or redacted, hiding many key information from the readers, to which the scholars and researchers have attuned as a means of self-protection, as well as protecting the readers from the dangers of the knowledge these words contain. Though rare, these works tend to gravitate towards knowledge of the taboo, of which are one of the main causes of corruption and catastrophes in the Federation.
Though This was all fine and dandy, this was not Jake's main cause of concern. No, it was the fact that the box in question looked very similar.
It looked like just the box Edward had given to him for his birthday.
Chills start to set in him, as he realizes what he has. He starts to shift his eyes back and forth, checking to see if anyone else was near him. The library looked quiet near him, with nobody coming towards his section. Jake realizes that Emily must have cordoned of the area, most likely to keep up the ruse that the person here is experiencing some sort of epiphany and they should not be disturbed. He sighed with relief, and started to dispose the fragment, before realizing that it was a protected document.
Just then, Emily came in from one of the bookshelves, books in hand. She peered through the books piled high, and commented, "Oh my, why is dear Jakey going through some fairy tales, hmm?" Jake jerks his head up abruptly, and asks with some hesitation, "Fairy tales?"
"Yes, don't you know? This fragment was unearthed by Mrs. Hunton couple of centuries ago, near one of the archaeological dig sites of a settlement from the Elfin Era. Though most of the record was obliterated by time, surprisingly some of the fragments have remarkably survived, for reasons unknown. Although many archaeologists have tried with numerous attempts to reconstruct a complete paragraph, it was deemed impossible after many attempts, due to an unknown form of pollution. After extensive research, they had determined that this scroll seemed to narrate a well-known fairy tale, old as time itself. A tale about a wishing box that can grant any wish imaginable, a true miracle achiever, fulfilling any desire imaginable. This tale is known to many races, especially the goblin and dwarves, who are known as the greatest craftsmen, bar the noble ones." Emily recounts to Jake, eyes reflecting a sense of wonder.
A bell ring at the background, snapping Emily from her dream. "Anyways, you should leave now, the library's closing down now. You should head back home, and come back tomorrow." As she heads back to return all the books back to their respective shelves, she stops one more time, and reminds Jake "Oh, and go to my counter. I have a surprise for you."
Jake packed up his bag, and head to the counter. There, on the counter, was a small, wooden strip. He realized that Emily had made a bookmark for him, which filled his heart with warmth and joy, as it made him feel that he had a family again. He picked it up, and headed home.
He managed to reach home without any sort of major accident, after which, realizing that it was almost night, started to get ready for bed. Just as he was about to go to bed, he noticed the box, and examined it again. Though it looked exactly as the one in the fragment, he hoped that it was just a coincidence, for he knows that an innocent man is guilty for treasuring jade, and he really values his life. He shakes his head, lies on his bed, and goes to sleep.
The book starts to glow again, with the box following soon after, vibrating in an unknown frequency, as if communicating with someone, or something.