“When you thought that you'd vanquished me, I simply went to the Astral Plane, but in that deadened spirit form that the unworthy have tricked yourselves into believing is still life,” he grumbled. “But I'd be remiss if I said that it didn't have its advantages. A perfect example of that was the fact that, while in that form, time is even more farcical than it is on Earthplane. I spent the equivalent of twenty Earthplane years figuring out why I was still here, and not on the Other Side. I discovered that it was for two reasons. The first one, at least in part, was me. My prolonged lifespan created certain unprecedented conditions that would not allow me to be extinguished. The second, which was equally as important, was the Lifeblood Loophole.”
Creyton paused, and focused on the fire. He
