"Alright," Xopil threw his arms up. "I'm the bearer of phenomenal cosmic power that could change the universe but I don't remember how to use it."

"We're not exactly thrilled about this either you know?" asked Boris.

"But... where do we go from here?" Xiara asked.

"To change history." Xopil replied then fell into thought again, "Where to begin..."

"You have the ability, it's just dormant in your conscious mind." replied Boris.

"So, he needs to sleep is all?" Xiara asked.

"That's half of it... the other half is he has to realize it's not a dream when he gets there," answered Boris.

"...That's no small feat...I'm completely cut off from my 'self' when I'm there." Xopil frowned.

"That sounds a little familiar." said Boris.

"What do you mean?"

"Your current self. When you start these puzzle worlds, you separate from everything you know, and you grow up in the world gaining new knowledge and experiences. We follow behind just to make sure nothing... extreme... happens, but we guide you through when you stumble. We can't do that anymore now though."

"Huh?"

"This world is rejecting us now that we've revealed a bit too much, we're getting cut out just like you, and as such we have to solve the puzzles along with you now."

"So what you're saying is before all this, you knew how to completely solve this world's problems, and now you don't?"

"In a nutshell."

"..." Xopil took a moment to think and fell silent, "You aren't the innkeeper any more either?"

"Correct, I assume the true innkeeper will be here to kick us out momentarily. The inn itself already had the enchantments stripped off."

"..." Xopil was getting annoyed by the long strings of bad news.

"On the bright side," before Boris finished passing the good news, he and Xiara disappeared from the room. Boris took a quick look around, finding himself alone in a dense forest somewhere, hopefully on the mainland, he finished his statement, "well then, scratch that 'we're still together' bit."

"...Anything else you want to throw at me while you're at it?" Xopil looked up at the ceiling for no reason other than to make it easier to shout.

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"Who are ye and why are ye in me kitchen?" a tall person with a horse head asked Xopil.

"So you're the new innkeeper?" Xopil asked.

"New? This here inn been in me family fer generations. Me been the owner hundreds of years now."

"...What's your name?" asked Xopil.

"That's me line." the horse-elf retorted.

"Xopil Wragnaith."

"Eh?" the horse-elf cast a curious eye at the man before him. "The last prince born at the fall of the golden age? Just appearing out of the blink of nowhere and in me kitchen no less, ye expect me to believe that when ye don't look a day over 100?"

"No, I am not claiming to be anyone. That is my name though, like it or not."

"...The name 'Xopil' ain't been used except for once. Further, the 'Wragnaith' line was completely destroyed roughly two thousand years ago. So, ye've already put a black mark on yerself. So ye'd best be provin who ye say ye be, or tell me yer name."

"...And how would I prove it?"

"The family crest would be the usual method."

"...There were two such crests actually, but as far as public knowledge goes there was only one, so even if I produced it, that's still not proof."

"Color me impressed. Indeed they were the only royal family to ever use two crests. Your claim to be Xopil is indeed getting solid. And you trained with a sword at a young age?"

"I did, I'll have that brand from the sword grip forever it seems."

"Oh? Why didn't ye say so? Show me yer palm then."

"..." Xopil looked at the horse-elf warily.

"Yer being cautious now? Shouldn't have spilled yer name then eh?"

"Even so, there's only a handful of people who know this crest; they're royal family and a select number of servants. All of whom are long dead."

"Except fer ye."

"And without showing you, I've proven my identity."

"Tch. So you have." the horse-elf clicked his tongue.

"Right then. Make me some identification; would be too much hassle to go through this every time."

"At once, yer highness." the horse-elf saluted elegantly and trotted off to another section of the inn.

Xopil moved to the main lobby and took a seat while he waited. As per usual, he was ignored like he wasn't even there, several times people tried to move the seat he was in.

"Foralis!" some customers were getting impatient, usually the innkeep was ever present in the lobby.

"Yes, yes, me just be a moment." the horse-elf called from another room. "Ah there ye be!"

Foralis returned to the lobby and seeing a long line of customers, was about to ignore them. Xopil waved his hand lightly, and Foralis stopped to take names and provide room keys to the guests. Foralis took food and drink orders from seated guests before serving them, and then finally, made his way over to Xopil.

"Me apologies fer the delay yer highness." the horse-elf saluted and presented a wrapped bundle to Xopil. The other guests watched in muffled silence as the horse-elf seemed to be entertaining invisible nobility and it struck them as comical.

Xopil opened the package casually, when he exposed the contents he nearly dropped it from shock. "Th-this is..."

"Quite right, this was my ancestor's ring and crest. A maid in the royal castle. Small world after all, isn't it?"

"Minerva's." Xopil's mouth moved of its own accord.

"An honor fer ye to remember," the horse-elf saluted once more.

"How could I not remember my personal maid? On the other hand, t'would be proper for me to apologize to you and everyone in this town for losing the final battle in the war, even if I was too young to take part."

"Yer highness... ye don't remember? The war started after ye were sent away to the neighboring human kingdom." Foralis responded.

"...No the war started while I was still here, but the first strike didn't land until father sent me away."

"Quite perceptive fer one so young at the time, but nary a thing ye could have done."

"That remains to be seen." Xopil rose from his seat while grasping Minerva's ring tightly.