The dining room of the Ko'Loss mansion was fully lit and buzzing with life. House goblins were setting up plates and cups. They were laying out silverware and setting the chairs with the backs exactly 14 inches from the edge of the table.
The head butler came into the room and inspected everything they were doing. He silently adjusted a cup here and a fork there before nodding and moving onto the next room. It was a quiet morning and a routine was starting to emerge now that the master of the house had returned.
And his guest was still recovering from the procedure. It had been 4 days since Ko'Loss took him down into the basement and performed "repairs" on his soul. Ed had been weak for the first few days. His mind was racing with memories. He wanted to jump up and run out and correct things. But his legs and arms wouldn't cooperate.
The bed he found himself on was probably the most comfortable thing he had ever laid in. At first, it had smelled of dust and mold. The house goblins came every day and dragged his mattress out on the front yard and beat it to remove the dust and air it out. Ko'Loss insisted that if he was to maintain his health he needed a fresh mattress every day.
The butler had swapped out the filling multiple times but the smell would always come back. Ed wondered if the fact that the mattress was nearly 1000 years old was really the problem, but all the goblins and golems swore they could go through and get rid of the smell.
Ed laughed at the determination of the servants to preserve their masters' belongings. In their mind, nothing he created could ever go bad. If they remembered correctly though Ko'Loss human wife purchased these items while he was still alive. So they were probably the least magical thing in the house. The fact that they were still good now was a testament to the craftsmanship.
Ed was sitting in a chair, looking out the window into the courtyard below. The morning light was slowly making its way over the city walls and into the room of the house. The sky was lit up in warm yellows and dim blues while the rest of the world woke up.
The only complaint Ed had at this point was the golems believed that 6 hours was the exact amount of rest a human needed and no more. Ed could have slept, and probably should have slept more, in that large bed but sat waiting for breakfast to be served.
The door behind him opened with a creak, "Oh do excuse the noise, I really must grease that hinge again." A golem said from behind him. More were being found and reactivated every few days. Ed could only remember the head butler and the one who was a mix of male and female features. This one was new to his eyes.
"What is it?" Ed asked as he looked at the Golem.
"Breakfast will be served in 30 minutes. My master has sent me to help you down the stairs."
Ed stood up and nodded. He walked to the door. He wasn't going to argue that he could make it down on his own. He had tried with another golem and the argument had lasted all day. The golem explained multiple times about the dangers of slips and falls when at home.
Ed laughed it off now but at the time he was furious that the giant clay idiot wouldn't shut up.
"Well then, let's head downstairs." Ed walked over to the golem and followed him to the staircase.
The golem held out a hand and made Ed hold it while they went down. Goblins and Golems were putting out plates of food. Apparently, Ko'Loss had been the kind of person to eat a large breakfast, a snack for lunch, and then a late dinner. This tradition had been carried through the ages orally with religious zeal. To the goblins, it was religion. They had a real book called, "The Psalms of my masters Alms" that spoke of how best to serve the master.
Ko'Loss was standing where the head chair of the table would have been put. He no longer required food, but being in that position was nostalgic for him. The chair was also missing from his right hand. That had been the chair of his wife. It was the most human trait Ko'Loss had. After countless ages, he still kept her in his world.
If Ed wasn't supposed to be dead he would have liked to have asked about her fate. He hoped that maybe she was watching over him as a house spirit.
When Ed came to sit at Ko'Loss left hand, his chair was pulled out for him to sit. The goblins pushed it in for him also. This level of opulent servitude was something only nobles ever got. It was bizarre to Ed, who was quite happy eating soups with wooden spoons and sandwiches in used wax paper wrappers from the back of a cart.
"How is your constitution?" Ko'Loss asked while goblins filled Ed's glass and put a portion of meat, eggs, and salted roasted vegetables on his plate.
"Uh, it's fine now, thank you. Do you think I could be cleared to walk down the stairs on my own now?" Ed said with a smile while he looked at Ko'Loss.
"That would be acceptable to me. Has your mind finally settled?"
"Yes, it has. I am no longer having horrible headaches and waking dreams." Ed rubbed his head and smiled. The headaches had been the worst. His brain was absorbing lost knowledge and it was painful for memories to force their way through the wall that had formed around them.
"Excellent. We have matters to discuss as soon as you are able." Ko'Loss said while he looked down at the table. He picked up a fork and held it up to his face, which was on his head right now, inspecting it for cleanliness. "The fact that you are walking now... shows just how determined you are to recover."
Ed nodded and took a bite from a large piece of toast. He could taste butter and garlic in his mouth as he chewed the bread. Where they had gotten garlic from was beyond his ability to guess.
"Nothing against your golems Ko'loss, but I do miss other actual humans," Ed said cutting off a slice of breakfast sausage and using his fork to pin it and vegetables together before putting them into his mouth.
"What about the goblins... they are humanoid," Ko'Loss said, he understood how the manufactured people lacked initial human charms. He did find the goblins and their personalities to be quite enjoyable at times.
Ed laughed, "You only say that because they see you as a god and doing your house work is punishment for previous sins. Honestly, if I hadn't spent the last few months with you I would call you a sadist and insinuate you enjoy their misery."
Ko'Loss rotated his face around his body and looked at the Goblins while they scurried about doing chores. "I can not deny that I enjoy their fervent servitude. However, that still leaves one large problem."
"What's that?" Ed said between bites as he looked up to Ko'Loss. His fave had not settled back on his head and was currently looking at him from his shoulder.
"What do you plan to do now that you have your memories back?"
Ed shoved the egg and sausage that was on his fork into his mouth before laying it on his plate. He stared up the ornate wall and ended up looking at the freshly painted molding near the top. He had sat up at night thinking about this exact question.
"I have so many things I had forgotten, the coins, the baby, I mean how do I even start to get this all settled out?" Ed sighed. Parts of him wanted to jump up and take off in the direction that led to Ashra's village, he knew that meant that his being dead would be instantly discovered.
From the back of the room, the androgynous butler Golem led another person into the room. Goblins hovered around the guest as they seated him in a chair and brought out a selection of fruits and a plate of meat and eggs. When the last goblin pushed in the chair they all nodded and jumped from the table. Ko'Loss would have smiled if he was able to as Ed was completely missing this person's arrival.
Ed was thinking to himself how best to complete his goal. What would the Oracle say about this turn of events? Did the Oracle even know what had happened?
Ed slowly lowered his eyes to look at his plate of food when he finally realized someone else had been seated at the table. The person at the table was skinny, wearing all black with the exception of a blood-red shirt under their coat. The skin was white like ash with jet black hair that went down past the shoulders and spilled around the shoulders as they sat and ate.
Ed was trying to figure out what kind of Demi-human this was and when they had come in. His thoughts had consumed him so hard he hadn't even heard the chair scraping the floor.
"Please, finish your thought," the person said as they lifted a fork to inspect the intricate scrollwork emblazoned on the fat end.
Finally, the guest looked up at Ko'Loss and smiled, "Your house really never does change does it Ko'Loss?"
Ko'Loss lifted the edge of its mouth in what amounted to a smile. "From you, that is praise. It is nice to have you in my home for once."
Ed was taking a drink and watching the exchange with increased curiosity. Whoever this was they were old enough to remember the house before it went empty.
"Are you quite done drinking Ed?" The guest said. He leaned forward, steepling his fingers and watching Ed with two eyes devoid of pupils, just white pools staring into Ed's direction.
Ed put the cup down and nodded, "I guess I don't need to introduce myself then do I?"
The man laughed, "No need, you really haven't figured it out yet have you?"
Ed stared at the man, he had never met him before, he was sure if he had he would have remembered it. When he looked at him he noticed something odd, he had no aura. Whatever this man was he was either hiding it or not really there.
"Ah you finally noticed. Your powers are returning then after all." The man leaned back and looked at Ko'Loss. "Your magic never ceases to amaze. Any stronger and I would have to do something about you."
"I work at your discretion only," Ko'Loss said sincerely.
Ed's brain spun wildly before realizing what had happened. He looked at the man sitting across from him and tried to rationalize how they would be here. "Oracle?"
"Welcome to the party Ed." The oracle said spreading its hands wide and smiling again. "Glad to see you have finally caught up. When Ko'Loss powered the house back up he made sure to power up the part of the house that lets me travel here and be seen."
Ed looked at Ko'Loss who nodded acceptance. "This is true. Certain magic is needed for the Oracle to travel now."
"But aren't you part of the world? Like in the rules that make all things work?" Ed was genuinely curious. He assumed that the Oracle was everywhere.
"That is correct in a way. I set the rules and govern over them. I can nudge certain things along if they fit within the rules that I am governed by. I am allowed direct contact with the world in a few areas under certain circumstances. The magic needed to allow me into the world is possible by only a few people alive and only one who never dies." The oracle put his hand out and pointed at Ko'Loss.
"Why the change of disguise then? Furthermore, do you even have a face to call your own?"
"I have favorite faces. The one was I was given is just one of them. I don't use it very often these days and keep it for special occasions. Besides having you come to the ruins would spoil the fun. There are people watching there. This house emits enough mana and divine power to scramble anyone watching from the outside."
Ko'Loss put his hands on the table. "A man's castle should always be well defended."
"Too true!" The oracle said with a smile "Now Ed, are you back to being you?"
Ed looked at the oracle and shook his head. "You can't tell if I am?"
The oracle lifted the glass up to its lips and took a sip before continuing. "I can tell that the damage to your soul has been patched up. You and the other one are no longer bleeding divine power across the cosmos. But a bandage doesn't always mean that wounds heal cleanly."
The meaning wasn't lost on Ed. He had contemplated while laying in bed that it was like having a huge gaping chest wound. It would heal but you would never really forget it was there. There were always reminders of the damage.
The Oracle nodded at Ed as if reading his thoughts. "And besides, its nice for a boss to visit their right-hand man at home. I was afraid of what kind of condition it would be in since I haven't been able to access this house in quite some time."
Ed looked back and forth at them both. They acted as if none of this was really happening. The goblins and Golems didn't act the least bit surprised that someone had wandered into the house without using the front door
"So if you are here then what do we need to talk about?" Ed said shortly as he took one last bite of Eggs and roasted potato.
"Excellent. You remember the disks now correct?"
Ed nodded. "I can remember some of the last things that Ysennia said to me also." Inside he was furious to think that he had fathered a child and it was being kept as a prize by a slave trader.
"That is Erust and Ashra's baby. Not yours." The Oracle corrected. "Is it worth chasing? Yes, you were there when it was conceived but you were not you. How would Ashra feel if you wandered up offering to put a baby in a box back inside of her."
"Okay, yeah that is creepy." Ed suddenly understood how that would look. "So are the disk the only option then at this point?"
The Oracle nodded. "You must get the people they belong to touch them at least. Each disk will imprint on a soul. When this is done Ed I promise that I will do what I can to find you fulfillment."
Ed sighed and looked ahead. He had found a farm full of wonderful people. He had married a woman and sired a child with her. Again he was being torn from that one thing he wanted. Tastes of it but never getting to call it his own. "What if I choose to at least get the baby back from him."
The Oracle smiled, "You never know what you will do or who you will meet along the way. You just must be careful. There are those who don't know that you live. And if the word got out among the divine... Well, I am sure you would be hunted." The oracle reached its hand out and a letter sat between the fingers. "I have a message for you, Ed."
A house goblin popped up on the table and took the letter from the long slender fingers and brought it to Ed. Ed looked at the envelope. It had the faint glow of spider silk around the edges. It was definitely divine in origin.
The Oracle looked at Ko'Loss, "Are his gifts fully back?"
Ko'Loss shook his head. "The divine and magic gifts are there but at a reduced rate of power. He is still gifted with a reserve higher than most people but he no longer borders on the divine."
The Oracle nodded. Ed was skimming through the letter in the envelope. Ko'Loss and The Oracle were talking to each other with shop talk. They discussed ways around surveillance and countermeasures. They even talked about what initiates were doing what in the ruins. They shared stories like old best friends at work.
"Okay, so according to this letter Erust, Ashra and Rennish managed to defeat the rogue god and it gives me some other information." He held up the letter clasped between two fingers. "And I am guessing this is Golliad talking in the letter. Do we trust him to make sure we go silently from the shadows?"
"We need allies, and he has been watching your progress very firmly. If we use him correctly then yes. Every nail has a hammer to keep it in place." Ed sighed.
"Well then, how do we travel without being seen?" Ed said, trying to run things out in his head.
"That has been arranged." Ko'Loss looking from Ed to the Oracle.
"Does this one go with me?" Ed motioned to Ko'Loss.
The Oracle shook its head. "Only in certain places. I will not ask him to walk into a camp of people who would butcher and sell his body for the content of his magical stones."
Ed understood. The oracle didn't want to see any harm come to him. "So what do we have?"
The Oracle smiled. "Follow me to the front yard. With new scars comes new party tricks. And remember the ladies dig scars."