-Third Gospel of the Divines: The Lord lived with his people but eventually he saw that they needed more than the life they had now. He gave them powers, the first was mana. He gave them magic, the power to create and destroy using their imagination alone.-
The golem rotated his body. The people in the room watched in amazement as his face stayed facing the men who were moving the basket off the table. They were surprised by its weight. Only For'ten had seen inside when he opened it so they did not know that the body of a man lay inside.
Ko'Loss moved towards the door he came in from and opened it. For a large mountain of stone and clay, he was far more delicate in his motions than most of the attendants and For'ten expected.
A middle management assistant mumbled from the back of the room. "Wow, that guy is creepy as all hell. Who does he think he is walking around like he owns the place?"
For'ten spun his head over and tapped his hoof twice on the hard floor. "Mind your mouth lest you dare to lose it. That is no mere creation. That is Ko'loss the watcher. Inside that body is the soul of a human. He has lived longer than you can imagine." He pointed to the painting behind them and they spun to look. The first thing in front of the painting was that same figure walking into battle. He was holding back the armies of man and the armies of the south singlehandedly.
"That man is an amazing mage. He saw this city created. When the wars ended he agreed to stay here as he was no longer fully human. He has been a watcher over the people of the south for longer than your bloodline has been around." For'ten put his finger to his mouth in the sigh of silence. "Mind your manners. If he has come he is going to change the world somehow. And you will be a witness to it."
For'ten walked around the table before anyone behind him could respond to the history lesson or make any more stupid statements. He didn't feel like dying, just in case one of them offended the ancient being waiting just in the hallway for them to catch up.
Ko'Loss would have normally led himself. But ages working under the oracle had taught him patience finally. Humans and Demi's are both slow compared to what people of his level think and live at. So much time had passed that he processed it so much quicker than they did. When the time came he started walking slowly down the hallway, as much for the sake of the parade behind him as it was for him to dodge things like tables, surprised servants, and minor changes in the building.
Ko'Loss had in fact been there when the plans for the building were laid down. He had been sent to take care of a battle elsewhere on the planet during construction and returned right before it was completed.
His memories of that time fell into two categories, those that were cherished and those that had tarnished with age. His body knew where to go but his thoughts couldn't see the memories clearly anymore. Occasionally he would spot a door and see a fragment of some long-dead friend standing in the door. People whose faces he had forgotten with time. Each memory brought back other little memories of them. It was like how one snowball could cause a whole avalanche of snow if you weren't careful.
When the building was first created it was the largest thing in the area. The main part of the building was round. Rooms and hallways formed circles around the base. The round shape was used to infer that everything was equal. Perfect equality in nature and their government.
The largest part of the building was probably 10 acres across. From that part, four outer spires rose into the air. Each spire was covered in thick handmade glass. The imperfections in it gave it the appearance of water as the light moved across the ripples and changes here and there.
In the center of the building, held perfectly between all four fingers stood the central tower. It was 3 acres across and rose twice the height of the outer spires. It was also covered in glass with a huge dome at the top. That room was called the Occulus Infinium. Ko'loss had actually designed that room. It was designed so that the glass had a magnifying effect. If you looked out it seemed you could see past the horizon, and the horizon was extended. You could see for 30 or 40 miles instead of the standard 10 miles to the horizon.
Below the building was a maze of catacombs and storerooms. Huge columns of granite and basalt ran down nearly a thousand feet to support the weight of the building above. And the ground between was used for many many things.
The Nobles reception hall was only 2 floors up from the ground level. Ko'Loss had taken them out towards the northern spire. He had gone down to the ground floor and stopped at a wall in a rarely used administration wing. Here the migratory tribes of Demi-humans could have offices when needed. This wing was commonly quiet as it was the hunting season.
Ko'Loss held out a great hand and used one finger to push at the wall. A man in the back began to object to the huge being wantonly destroying the ancient building but For'ten held up a hand to shut him up.
Ko'Loss touched the wall gently and then using parts of his memory he had saved for just this moment he hummed out a spell that used divine magic and mana. The ground around him vibrated and dust and dirt shook free from the walls and ceiling. The wall he was touching fell into the floor as if it was never there. A brass loop stood up from the floor with a few links of an ancient chain still attached.
"Are you not... " Ko'loss paused and searched for the words. "Maintaining the... crystals?"
A man from the back held up a hand. "I am sorry honored old one. Time has caused us to forget their purpose. I would love to have a word with you about the building if I can later." For'ten sighed at the thought of admitting that they really had no idea what needed to be maintained.
Ko'loss nodded and walked through the opening. He had to hunch down just a little as they walked into a hallway that made an abrupt sudden turn to the left.
The rest of the walk the whole parade of people stayed deathly quiet. They were walking into areas that none of them expected to see. The man in the back was taking furious notes about every wall, painting, lever, and hallway he could see. He was responsible for the crew that was supposed to know every inch of the building. He was furious to discover something new but also giddy at the thought of something new to explore.
Occasionally Ko'Loss would stop at a pedestal on the side of the wall and put his hand on it. When he did the hallways would become bright enough for everyone to see. Ko'Loss was putting mana into a collector and thinking of where he wanted to go. The stones were lighting up the way for him. To those following him, it looked as if he was just performing acts of magic, not using a feature that existed throughout the whole building. Many of those stones had been removed a very long time ago but those that did were thought to be just ornaments.
Finally just as everyone was thoroughly lost the golem stopped in front of a set of large brass doors... The metal in the doors still shone as if it was being polished every day. Ko'Loss knew this wasn't the case because the people behind him wore a mix of terrified and surprised expressions. He reached out with his finger again lightly pushed the door open.
"This is... my broom closet," he said out loud. It was the first time he had attempted a joke in 600 years. Everyone stared ahead into the room amazed. No one realized he was playing with them. It was the ultimate long con dad-joke. Ko'Loss walked into the room and snapped his fingers together.
The inside lit up instantly with rows of crystals. They had been prepared and charged with Ko'Loss own mana so they responded to his presence. Small golems inside had kept the lights off and mana charge. Many had gone mad from loneliness ages ago. The others who were still alive and kicking instantly turned their lights on as a sign that they had not lost their faith in his return.
"Welcome... to my alchemy lab," he said to them all as they slowly filtered into the room. They realized they had been tricked, there were no brooms. Some were mad at the ruse and some chuckled. Others fumed at the tiny bit of humor at their expense.
"Bring me the body," Ko'loss said holding out his hands. The group of people realized what they were holding and nearly dropped it. They rushed it over to him as quickly as they could.
Ko'Loss removed the top of the basket and laid it aside gently. He reached the other hand inside and fished out the body of Ed from inside. The act of reviving Ed could have been carried out anywhere. When the oracle told him to come here he knew why. Ko'Loss had designed this room for privacy. The walls were built to absorb incoming mana and divine power, they then used those powers to create noises that were sent back. It was a simple system, so simple that it was still running. If you knew what the walls would say you could tell that the area was still whole and functional.
The oracle wanted to make sure that nothing could see what was about to happen besides the witnesses in the room. Ko'Loss assumed that the oracle knew how many people would be here to witness the resurrection so he ignored them all and considered them vital for whatever reason.
He paced around the room and looked through drawers and bottles, shaking his head as he went. "Fired... they all... should be... fired," he muttered as he pulled out bottles and boxes of reagents and ingredients.
For'ten coughed. "I am sorry. We had no idea this area existed or we would have kept it stocked for you."
The golem lifted a hand and waved away the explanation. "I think I was the one who sealed this wing..." he tapped his head and carried on. "My memories... are old and fuzzy... I can not assign full blame..."