Page 3571

Germal chortled again. “Ah, but in that case, it should honestly be I who is thanking you. Without your intervention at that time, I am not sure that I could have returned to this realm.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you’re welcome, then. But you sure have a funny way of demonstrating your appreciation! Tryin’ to kill me ‘n all!”

“Kehe. Don’t act like you were not already planning to come after me again.”

“That’s hardly fair! Just because I’m planning something doesn’t mean I’ll follow through with it! Do you know how many things I have left on my to-do list?”

“A real shame, that. Anyway, have I answered to your satisfaction? I wish to take my turn, now.”

“Hmm! Almost! Just one little thing I want clarification on!”

“Yes?”

“If you’re all beings of Chaos, then what’s your beef with me, huh? I’m a reasonable fellow. In fact, I would’ve expected us to be on the same side! I happen to love Chaos! Everyone knows us Abolishers are big fans of the Void, of which Chaos is merely one aspect!”

“Calling yourself reasonable has to be a bigger lie than anything than I have ever uttered.”

“Now you’re just being hurtful. Sure, my enthusiasm can get away from me, on occasion. But I genuinely think that you and I could have arrived at some quite amicable terms, many years ago, if you’d just tried to reach out. Explained your position a bit. Heck, maybe we still could! Wouldn’t that be neat?!”

“You would have almost certainly tried to capture me.”

“Well, yeah, of course I would have! But I’m tellin’ you: we would have eventually arrived at a place of friendship!”

Germal fell briefly quiet again. “Keheheh...”

“Somethin’ funny?”

“You do bring something out of me, Demon. I’ll grant you that.”

“Oh? Happy to hear it!”

“Unfortunately, that was not a compliment.”

“Aww.”

“I am tempted to play your game here. To indulge your offer of friendship, even. And continue this exchange elsewhere. But no. You are too dangerous to leave alive.”

“Mm. Heard that before. Real shame, coming from you. Was hoping you’d surprise me. Spice things up, somehow. But I guess in the end, you’re just another of those morality-obsessed do-gooders, eh? Despite so much evidence to the contrary? Talk about a letdown!”

“A morality-obsessed do-gooder? Now that is an interesting interpretation. Kehe. I fear you are still quite confused, my ‘demonic’ friend.”

“Am I? How so?”

Page 3570

“You are setting quite the precedent here,” said Germal. “I will be quite demanding with my question, now.”

“Ha! You really don’t know me very well at all, do you?! How delightfully surprising! Unlike you, Germy, I do not obsess over keeping all my knowledge to myself. In fact, giving lectures about the secrets of the world is something I quite enjoy!”

“You certainly do love to listen to yourself talk.”

“I won’t deny it! If only there were more who were bold enough to listen! Now tell me. How do you define yourself?”

Germal took a minute to answer. “...Truthfully, Demon? I define myself as one who would return this world to order. The way it was, long ago.”

“Order, you say? Interesting! Now do you mean ‘order?’ Or do you mean ‘Order?’”

“I am confused. What is the distinction you are referring to?”

A lie, for certain. Perhaps the greatest of all the lies the Liar had yet told.

Which was no surprise, of course, but this time was special. This time, Morgunov found it intensely annoying. “Confused, you say? Why should you be confused? Ah! Perhaps because you do not wish to acknowledge your great nemesis, hmm? To hear it named truly?”

Germal fell quiet at that.

Morgunov decided to let the silence linger for a bit. In truth, he’d been holding a few things back this whole time. A few memories. Locked away for safekeeping, just in case Germal started getting uppity with his mind reading again.

But those memories were now beginning to unlock themselves. As per their locking conditions, no doubt. A timed trigger? Hmm, unlikely, considering time seemed to have largely stopped in this strange space.

Ah. An emotional trigger, then. Related to his long-held ruminations on Order and Chaos.

Yes.

“You Primordials are beings of Chaos, are you not? Your great enemy, therefore, must be Order. So it makes no sense that you would seek to ‘put the world to Order.’ Unless, of course, you were using deliberately misleading language, and your idea of ‘order’ means something totally different, eh? Perhaps even the exact opposite thing! Eheh! But I’m sure a stand-up Gentleman like you would never do something like that!”

“...You remember more of Bellvine than you have let on.”

“Mm! Perhaps I do! But y’know, I feel talking to you is also helping me to remember even more things, too! So thanks for that. Maybe you’re not such a bad guy, after all.”

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“Ah, lemme think about that! Lots of things come to mind! And you’re quite likely to not answer anything I ask later, so I gotta pick something really good! Hmm! What’s the best question to ask first?!”

“I already have mine picked out.”

“Oh, well, look at you, Mr. Prepared. Got somethin’ you’ve been wanting to ask me for a long time, eh?”

“Indeed.”

“Interesting. And you didn’t think to simply ask? Y’know, before trying to kill me?”

“The thought did cross my mind. But I discarded it.”

“How cruel. You should indulge your curiosity more. It’s a very human quality, Germy. And who knows? I might have pleasantly surprised you.”

“I doubt it.”

“Hmph. My question for you, then, is thus. What are you, really? You’re not a servant. I know that much. So tell me the truth of your existence, Liar of Lyste.”

“I’ve never cared for that name.”

“Gentleman of Palei, then.”

Germal took a long pause before answering. “I am that which you have been seeking, Demon.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“A Primordial.”

Morgunov made no response. He just let that answer linger, thinking on it. Could that be true? This was coming from the Liar, after all. And that had been quite easily said.

Ah, but perhaps that was the trick here. Telling the truth so quickly would actually make it seem like a lie, wouldn’t it? Which would let Germal pass over it and move on to a more favorable fiction.

And if it were true, it would explain a few things. Morgunov had already come to the conclusion that the Liar had orchestrated this whole thing, which meant that the timing with Rasalased and his supposed sister had not been coincidental. It would make sense that a real Primordial would’ve had access to those two beforehand. Coordinated with them. To ambush him.

Yes.

“I don’t believe you,” Morgunov decided to say.

“How surprising. But I have answered your question. Now it is my turn.”

“I’m afraid not. We can’t move on until the question has been answered to the asker’s satisfaction. And I am far from satisfied. If what you said is true, then provide details. The term ‘Primordial’ has existed for eons. If you really are one of them, then tell me what that means to you. How do you define yourself?”

“My, my. There are any number of ways that I could answer that. If I were to ask you the same thing, to define yourself, could you do so?”

“You bet your ass I could. And if you want, I’d be more than happy to. When it’s your turn.”