The Fool

Oracion's POV

I went on to explain what happened to me within Eragon's castle, but with each explanation, she only seemed to lean further away from me as if her attention was being diverted elsewhere. "Your words tell me stories that your soul disagree with, why is that?" 

I hold the head of Eragon, still not entirely comfortable with the outcome of what he allowed, something he continued to manipulate until the very end. She places a hand along my chest and hair, "Even so, your appearance...I don't think this silver will be going anytime soon...but that piece within you that died upon first meeting me-it's been filled with something new" She forcefully examines my mouth, checking the elongated fangs and gently rubbing a finger across them. "Aluca was a sort of balancing this world goes through from time to time, much like you humans...you simply can't take a piece of her like that and continue to go untouched." She looks over at Ira, making her way over to him.

He raises his hand, attempting to stop her from approaching. "Be still" she commands him, stiffening his body to the point of a near comatose from the lack of oxygen his body's receiving. "The royal who's inherited the last of the vampire's lineage, I congratulate you on being able to survive the ordeal within the first place." She lowers her gaze to meet his frozen state eye to eye, "But you've got a long way to go before you're anywhere near Eragon." She laughs, letting him breath as normal.

After all this questioning, I can't get something out of my head. "So how come you're here?" I ask her finally. 

"I had sensed the Moonlit Festival was going to occur tonight, and as such I had to seek shelter as best as I could from the moon. However, who would of thought the two Apparatus would call towards each other and match our fates once again?" She looks around as if trying to find something in particular within the room.

"Two?" Ira asks.

"The castle Aluca built is surely remarkable, even to where they consider it a living organism much like this world down here." She explains whilst opening up a doorway to a place further within the library.

"Wait the festival had already occurred? Why's it happening again, in such a short period." I stand up, wanting to follow her.

"As much as these Sene abandoned their humanity, it seems they simply cannot get over their faith...their belief in their moon goddess to say the least." Her tone seems to dull a little as she continues on, "They hide from the sun with their light refracting stone, but peer upon the moon like it can save them from Eragon, cure them from this state they willingly sacrificed themselves to. Do humans often make mistakes just for the attention of gods, or are they just that deluded and confused?" She asks us.

"I-" Ira attempts to answer.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to directly offend you. As it seems even you have sacrificed that part of yourself, Ira." She turns forward again, introducing us to a larger open space that appeared to be living quarters fit for people like us with a simple kitchen and bedding.

"We got the cure from Eragon's it's fine, Ira can go back whenever he wants, right?" I ask him.

"Yeah for sure, whenever I want." He confirms while making his way to one of the rooms. 

I sit down along a large rectangular table where Mousai has already made herself comfortable, placing down the necklace that once again appeared within my each. "You really need to stop losing this." I comment.

She looks at it sadly, touching the place on her neck and it seems as if she only just now realised it was missing. "Thank you." She places it back on her with the utmost care.

"Someone spoke through it, I'm not sure who but it sounded like a few similar voices, siblings?" I ask.

She laughs, "Haha, the necklace only allows for a singular word to pass through at a time. What did Z ask you?" 

"Z?" I question.

"There's three of them that can answer the call: Zagreus, Zaheer and Zelus what did they ask?" She repeats.

"Who I was?" I ask as another question, unsure whether or not that was a good thing.

Her eyes widen a little bit as if suddenly worried about something, "And...what did you say?" 

"I didn't...but Ira called my name out during that and only then did one of them repeat it, so they most certainly heard." I speak truthfully but based off her reaction, it doesn't seem like that's what she wanted to hear.

She places a hand upon my own, "Oracion, I'm sure you're eager to go back to your home within the Veil and try to overcome whatever's befallen your people, but...there's a reason why your name carries so much weight in this world, it's not something you should speak oh so easily." She advises.

I pull my hand away, not wanting her words to fill my head too much with it, "I've become aware of that much." I recall back to the whispering snow surrounding Eragon's castle.

The cloth begins unravelling as Eragon's head shakes it off his face, enabling him to freely speak within this enclosed environment. "As I said Oracion, there's even places that I do not go and people I do not tamper with. But it has appeared your name has reached those depths long before my thoughts."

My eyes bounce between the two as they share my attention, "I'll take you back to your home, but afterwards, can you at least consider coming with me? I feel as though you may be able to help the Underworld."

Eragon's head turns towards her as he eagerly looks into her eyes, "If my eyes do not mistake me, you're from a place quite opposite of that, are you not?" He talks to her.

Mousai's luminous green hair glows in response to his forward questioning, "While my origins are from Elysia, or what you would call the Heavens, as shown through my sclera, a hollow white. My heart resides with Z within the Underworld for I cannot agree with what the Moon Goddess hopes to accomplish anymore." She looks onward towards me, "The necklace isn't simply being lost, it's being taken from me in hopes that I never find the location of the Underworld so that me and Z cannot be together. The Underworld is a place of truth but the Heavens was a place for perfection, and for that desire of mine, I was seen as imperfect."

I look away, not really wanting to be part of the conversation anymore. "I'm sorry, I think I'm going to head to sleep." I go to stand up but she quickly stands before me in order to place her hands along my shoulders.

"You don't understand, Oracion. This isn't simply you helping us or some sort of goal you've been tasked to by countless others." She hurriedly explains to me.

I feel my voice grow hoarse the more I'm forced to listen to this, "Then what is it?" 

"The souls...they're dreaming." 

"Congratulations, more power to them. Now I'm heading to sleep, once I'm awake I'll head back home whether you help or not."

"Oracion they're dreaming of you, a face they cannot picture, a figure they cannot draw. But a name they moan load and clear for all of the Underworld to hear." She desperately shouts.

I close my ears with my hands from the sudden sensitivity in her voice, "Then let them dream on, one of you probably kept saying it after watching me all this time, right? Cause that's clearly what all you gods have been doing."

"I-Eragon, please." She looks to him.

I manage to squirm my way out from the table, preparing to take the other room and rest for the day. "Oracion, you're human. There's no doubt about that, I've tasted your blood. But that's more of an identity that you've taken, everyone's blood carries stories about themselves whether it be their own birth or losing a friend. But yours...do you even remember who you are besides the memories your brother has spoken to you about?" Eragon speaks.

"What?" 

"Before meeting me you looked human, you tasted human, you behaved like one...but have you ever thought to think that you never lived like one? My men and women treated you beyond the point at which someone could survive, you trod a wasteland of falling bullets disguised as snow, you swallowed Aluca's blood. Instead of looking towards the monstrosity that your friend has become, maybe you should look inner towards the monster that you've always been-"

"Shut up." 

"Who are you, Oracion?"

"Shut up."

"He who's name has caught the attention of gods, goddesses and the souls of the dead."

"Shut up." 

"What. Are. You. Oracion."

"SHUT UP!" I find myself drawing my sword, crushing the stone below my bare foot and hurling towards him with an intent to kill.

"YOU NEED HIM!" Mousai's words ring throughout my skull, vibrating my head beyond belief and stopping me just at her dress. "If you want your village back to normal, you said you needed him, right?" She calls to me. "If you want any hope of understanding that Beast's intentions for why nobody remembers...you need Eragon, right?" She breathes out.

I drop the sword against the floor, uncaring who picks it up if they even can. "I'm sleeping." I announce before heading to an open door. The light turned off but with a figure hunched over in the dark, "Ira?" I ask.

"Yes?" He replies.

"Just checking." I confirm before opening my own door and closing it behind me, preparing for whatever path I pick in the future, or at this rate, whatever path picks me.