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.”

Page 3569

“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.”

Page 3568

“Instead of promises which are sure to be broken, perhaps you could provide me with information. Here and now.”

“Interesting!” said Morgunov. “I’m open to that! Only problem is that all I’d be getting in exchange would be a promise from you to release me. And as you said, promises are sure to be broken.”

“If I do not deliver on said promise, then we will both remain stuck here.”

“Exactly. Which further means that you could continue pumping me for information for as long as you please. So if you want my knowledge, then you’ll have to give me some of yours in return.”

“You surprise me. I thought you would surely believe that I could not possibly tell you anything that you do not already know.”

“Why? Because of the so-called ‘emperor’s hubris?’ Puh-lease! I’m the humblest emperor to ever walk the planet!” He paused. “Plus, I’m sure you’re hiding all sorts of juicy secrets in that freaky little horn of yours.”

“It is not freaky.”

“It’s pretty freaky.”

“Hmph.”

“Oh, and since you’re the one holdin’ the key here, you’ve got a bit more negotiating power than I do. So that means I’m gonna need you to go first with the answering of questions. As a show of good faith, you understand.”

“I do not like the sound of that. If I have more negotiating power, as you claim, then surely it is you who should be going first, not me.”

“No, but see, if I go first, then you can just refuse to answer my question and ask another one of yours, instead. And you can just keep doing that endlessly.”

“You say that as if you would be incapable of refusing, yourself.”

“Of course I could refuse! But you could end the conversation whenever you want by just releasing us! And then what, huh? I’d be left alone, answerless, with my dick in my hand. And I would find that quite upsetting.”

“Hmm. I suppose you have a point.”

“‘Course I do!”

“But please keep your penis in your pants.”

“It was a metaphor. The youngins say that all the time. I can’t even feel my pants, right now.”

“I do not wish to see your metaphorical penis, either.”

“My--? Huh... Why do I feel so insulted, right now?”

“If I am to go first, then so be it. What is your question for me?”