“What is the game?” Krahinn mocked in a high-pitched voice, looking annoyed.

“Are you going to break your word to the light being?” I teased. I could feel the complicated emotions radiating off Krahinn as he thought of how to retort.

“First, her name is Ipnerslei. Second, I never promised to tell you the game nor did I promise to start it soon.” Krahinn informed me as he made his eyes float around him.

“Would Ipnerslei approve of such underhanded word twisting?” I probed. Krahinn shrugged a bit.

“No. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to think it over for a bit. Come on brat, I feel like walking.” Krahinn snapped at me as he began walking along the tree. My stomach rumbled.

“I would like to eat sometime soon.” I informed him. Krahinn rubbed his chin with his smoke hand for a second.

“Oh yea, mortals need food. Hmmm. Starve for now.” Krahinn stated after a few moments with a shrug.

“So, would your girlfriend approve of this?” I taunted. Krahinn laughed.

“Not my girlfriend.” Krahinn retorted as he began walking.

“Oh, I’m sorry, wife? Platonic life partner?” I checked while I followed him.

“None of those either.” Krahinn informed me. What could she be then?

“Sister? Mother? Other important family member?” I tried. Ipnerslei clearly meant something to him, as he lost a lot of his bravado when she arrived.

“We’re not related by blood either.” Krahinn chuckled. Huh. What could it be then?

“Does she outrank you? There seems to be some hierarchical structure here.” I probed, trying to figure out what made Krahinn start behaving around her.

“Nope. No one outranks me. And technically, there are only two ranks in Ygdazi. I am the higher one, so it is possible to tie me.” Krahinn explained. Wait, he said related by blood.

“Is she an in-law?” I asked, starting to move faster as Krahinn walked kind of fast.

“Now, what do I want the game to be?” Krahinn mused rather than answer that. I was probably right then. Why not send his sibling or whoever she was married to then? For the briefest of moments, Krahinn leaked a resentful aura that made me leap before he caught himself.

“Stop asking along that line.” Krahinn snapped. As I did not want to feel my flesh get launched from my bones again, I was going to drop that for now.

“So, why are you the great Krahinn?” I inquired to change the subject.

“It’s not a title of mine, it’s just a way some refer to me. Myself included.” Krahinn stated. But that didn’t answer the question.

“Because it’s a derivative of an actual title of mine.” Krahinn added on with a sigh.

“What title?” I checked. Two of Krahinn's eyes looked at me as he clearly debated things.

“You are more inquisitive than the information would lead me to believe.” Krahinn grumbled. It was amazing how much his behavior had shifted since Ipnerslei talked to him.

“You’re the one keeping me here.” I pointed out. I definitely was a bit curious as to why most of the other seemed to put up with him despite their clear dislike of him. Ipnerslei was the only one who seemed to not actively hate his guts.

“You’re the one keeping me here.” Krahinn mocked in his high-pitched, tinny voice.

‘I imagine my family would like me back sooner rather than later.” I informed Krahinn. Krahinn chuckled.

“Time moves slower here in Ygdazi than on Tenebrae. All of ten minutes passed there despite the fact you’ve been here for hours.” Krahinn lectured. Wait, that was useful.

“Could that time dilation be used to game a a bit?” I probed. This trip might have been fruitful regardless.

“Depending on the phrasing. More than likely, yes.” Krahinn answered. I summoned the and showed it to Krahinn. He gave it a quick glance.

“Yes. The Void King specified time passed on Tenebrae because he had to in order to wave the .” Krahinn informed me. What other loopholes were there?

“Only one I’m confirming for now, but glad to know he still hasn’t learned to calm down before acting.” Krahinn chuckled. Wait. That phrasing.

“How well do you know the Void King?” I checked. Krahinn’s demeanor definitely shifted as he kept walking.

“I knew him when he was still just a Magus. I wish I killed him then.” Krahinn answered bitterly.

“You know his name?” I probed. Krahinn was bobbing his head back in forth as I could feel this depressing aura emanate from him.

“He erased it with ; granted, I still know what it is and could say it. All I’m saying on the subject for now.” Krahinn informed me. Krahinn definitely seemed upset by something he remembered, before he went back to his normal blank self.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized. Maybe being a bit nice would keep Krahinn acting pleasant.

“For what?” Krahinn probed, one of his eyes gazing intensely at me.

“Bringing up bad memories.” I clarified, not sure exactly what to do.

“They’re millennia old. If you win the wager, some of them are quite relevant so they’d be brought up anyway.” Krahinn stated. What did Krahinn know?

At this point, we reached some rubble on the branch of the tree. Krahinn raised his hand, and the rubble formed into an archway which he immediately walked through. I ran after him only to find myself looking at some form of wasteland. Here there were no trees, no real rocks, just sand and rubble. All around was the aroma of must and decay that was so pungent you could smell it in your eyes. The scent was so potent I could taste it. There were no stars in the sky here, just blank empty space; the large blue moon looked so small wherever we were. Where did Krahinn bring us? We began walking across the wasteland in silence as Krahinn was still thinking about what to make the game. I did little spins as we walked to admire just how destroyed this place was. There was nothing. This wasteland had been utterly annihilated by something. This wasn’t just a desert; it was too barren for that to be accurate. Faint remains of what were once buildings poked out once in a while, but nothing that could be used to identify what they were.

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“Where are we?” I asked Krahinn to break the silence after about five minutes. My eyes were watering a little as we stood there.

“Welcome to the Wastes.” Krahinn replied with a grand hand wave to what was around us. I realized in front of him was a throne that appeared pieced together from the ruined buildings. Krahinn solemnly sat in it.

“Are you King of the Wastes?” I checked jokingly, seeing him sitting on the throne. It could have been just a seat, but it was shaped way too much like a throne.

“I am, that is one of my titles. This is my domain.” Krahinn confirmed. Wait, Krahinn was a king?

“King, with a capital K. The two ranks of are King and basically not a King.” Krahinn corrected me.

“How many Kings are there?” I inquired. Now that I was looking better, we were the only two here.

“There are nine of us.” Krahinn answered, looking around despondently.

“Is that why you don’t help others? Because a King can’t?” I asked. Krahinn chuckled at that.

“No. Kings can be and help others. I choose not to.” Krahinn laughed as he stretched on his throne.

“Why is there no one else here?” I checked. Surely there had to be other here somewhere.

“The only here are me and the exiled ones who know not to get near me. This place is their prison.” Krahinn informed me.

“So, exile their criminals?” I probed, kind of curious as to how it worked.

“They do now.” Krahinn answered kind of cryptically. What changed it?

“So, how long are you going to think of the game?” I asked as I sat down on some rubble.

“You know, I should start with a proper introduction. I am the Nine-Eyed Raven, the King of the Wastes, He Who Swallowed the Stars, the Great Blasphemer Krahinn. I have access to the compendium of and knowledge you compiled between your attempts against the Void King you have stored here in Ygdazi. I, unlike many , know how to properly use that you possess and could teach you how to properly use it. Additionally, I do know how to twist that to your advantage as the Void King did leave at least a decent hole or two in his frustration. Finally, I know more about the Void King than probably anyone else minus his wife, Ariam.” Krahinn declared. I had a sinking sensation as to why Krahinn was telling me all of this.

“So you’d make a great ally against him.” I stated, trying to determine just how brutal of a game Krahinn had imagined.

“I’m just making sure you are aware of the stakes of me being your . It’s more than just I am the only one giving you a chance. bond their with who they make the contract with. It’s why anyone seeking to reach the heavens needs the help of an , as we allow you to access and knowledge from beyond.” Krahinn explained, with his eyes beginning to glow a bit with .

“With your help I might actually be able to win is what you’re not saying.” I deduced. A thin smile appeared across his blank face.

“Correct. No guarantee, well, other than the guarantee he will kill you, me, and everyone else associated with you should we fail. And as you have such an impossible opponent to defeat ahead of you, I have decided to make the game one that matches that. I do not like a lot of rules or trickery, so this will be a very simple game.” Krahinn confirmed. How was it going to be simple but near impossible? That didn’t make sense. Or, what I had to do was simple to understand, but actually doing it was not.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” I informed him with a deep, composing breath.

“Why am I called the Great Blasphemer? Or to be clearer, what happened so now I am called the Great Blasphemer? All you have to do is tell me that. You have one attempt. No more, no less. No time limit either, but sooner rather than later is better.” Krahinn challenged me. I nearly laughed; that was so easy.

“Is it?” Krahinn probed with a smile and confidence that sent chills down my spine.

“I can just ask someone. There’s probably a record of it around here somewhere.” I stated before it hit me. None of the other were willing to talk to me. Wait. That meant.

“Correct. I am your only source of information. aren’t big on record keeping as we can remember down to the grains of sand in a memory. We do not forget things. Events that happened a thousand years ago and an event that happened yesterday are equally easy for us to remember perfectly. Also, Ipnerslei won’t tell you the answer if that is our wager. Technically, this is a very possible challenge. Any could do this without breaking a sweat.” Krahinn confirmed with a massive smile on his blank face. That’s his real smile. Not that it helped me.

“To be clear, the wager is to somehow get you to tell me, or get enough information out of you to deduce the answer? I get one chance at stating it, and the only way for you to lose is to give me the needed information?” I verified. Krahinn began laughing evilly.

“If this is too difficult and unfair for you, you don’t stand a chance against the Void King. You want to overcome probably the strongest Magus to ever live on a massive time crunch. This is plenty fair given what we’re playing for.” Krahinn told me. He delivered on his promise, simple but impossible.

“How do I know you’ll even tell me the truth? Or that if I do say it correctly you don’t say my answer wasn’t complete enough?” I probed, making sure I grasped his wager properly.

“To keep this fair, Ipnerslei can judge your answer as this was her stupid idea to begin with. Stops me from judging your answer and her from telling you what it is. The rest, good luck.” Krahinn conceded as he expended some . A moment later, Ipnerslei folded out into existence next to him.

“You called?” Ipnerslei inquired, looking between us.

“I need you to judge the answer to our game, since it was your idea after all. It’s simple, all Nil here needs to do is state why I am the Great Blasphemer. You will be the judge if he says the correct answer, or if his answer is sufficiently correct when he decides to give it. He has one singular attempt.” Krahinn informed her. She shook her head.

“I’d hardly call that a fair game, but it is technically doable like I requested. Fine Krahinn. Summon me back here when he’s ready to give his answer. Should you try to trick him into giving it early or summon me falsely for his answer, it will default to Nil’s victory. You also better at least talk to him a minimum of once a day.” Ipnerslei agreed, staring at Krahinn.

“Fine. I promise that I’ll at least talk to him and answer questions within reason.” Krahinn conceded, looking at Ipnerslei who nodded approvingly.

“Thank you. Summon me again when Nil is ready to answer.” Ipnerslei ordered as she made some wipe motion with her arm and vanished.

“See? Impartial judge, she even made a few clauses to help you out.” Krahinn chimed. Krahinn was so confident he didn’t even put a time limit on it.

“Are we staying here for the entire duration?” I checked.

“No, we are going back to Tenebrae. You will be housing, feeding, and entertaining me though. Plus, I imagine your family will be delighted to see me again.” Krahinn informed me. I highly doubted that statement; I also had zero alternatives. I let out an irritated sigh.

“Fine, you’re on Krahinn. I will figure out why you are the Great Blasphemer.” I accepted as Krahinn seemed enthusiastic at least.

“Come on, cast so we can go; no need to wait around here. Actually, don’t fight me here in a second.” Krahinn ordered as he put a hand on me.

I activated my and went to cast with it as before, except something felt off. It took me a second to realize Krahinn was controlling my and . My seemed to trigger some filter as my vision was suddenly filled with varying swirling colors. Krahinn formed my , casting a vastly more powerful than I had with my , aiming it where several of the colors were converging. Sure enough, a stable tunnel opened where he wanted it. I barely felt that get cast. How did he do that? I thought of how he cast the compared to how I did it. There were a few minor differences I could think of immediately, but his result was superior by leaps and bounds. He used less than the one I used to get here to add insult to injury. I sighed, as I knew he likely wasn’t going to explain how as we walked back into Tenebrae.