“Last I checked,” said Gaius, “there weren’t any Knights in this invasion force. I can’t believe that a small mutiny by soldiers was enough for the East to show their hand.”

Wind screamed all around them, as Gaius and Isabelle, wrapped in the former’s Domain, pierced through the air with the fury of a lightning bolt. It was the kind of noisy flight that would draw everyone’s attention, since they were moving five or so times at the speed of sound, but Gaius wasn’t going to care about stealth right now.

“What are you going to do when you reach there?” Isabelle asked.

“Naturally, I’m going to stop the execution,” Gaius replied. “These soldiers…most of them didn’t come here of their own free will. The East mobilised them to defend the Five Lands, not to attack the Wildlands. If they want to leave, they should be allowed to, just like the Guardians.”

“You’re pitting yourself against the East by doing this, though.” Isabelle paused for a moment. “And the War Council. It doesn’t have any relevance to your mission at large, so why would you do this?”

“Why?” Gaius thought through his words for a moment. “That’s…a good question. Maybe…it’s because I’m an idiot. In the past, I couldn’t do anything, since I was lacking in strength. Now, however, strength’s the last thing I lack. I have the ability to at least save people in such a situation. Why shouldn’t I use it?”

“Is that all?” Isabelle prompted gently.

“I…” Gaius fell silent. He didn’t quite know why he wanted to help people so desperately either. Isabelle had a point. This mutiny was an internal affair of the East. Whether the mutineers were executed or not, the outcome would have no bearing on the diplomatic relations between the Five Lands. Logically speaking, it had nothing to do with his goal at all.

“How do you intend to stop the execution?” Isabelle pressed on. “Order the Knights to release them? Suppress them from afar, without revealing your presence? With your strength, you can definitely prevent these soldiers from being executed, but what would you do next?”

“I didn’t think that far,” Gaius admitted. “But…I was thinking of suppressing the Knights long enough for those soldiers to make an escape.”

“And that’s it?” Isabelle asked.

“There’s…nothing else I can do from there,” Gaius replied. “Without risking my standing and my ability to operate in the Wildlands. If I push it and interfere in the affairs of the East openly, I’m willing to bet that the Plenum will try to push me out of the region.”

“Well, at least you’re clear on this bit.” Isabelle rubbed Gaius’ head. “Are you going to interfere in affairs from afar?”

“In a way, I guess.” Gaius closed his eyes for a moment. “I’ll need to hold down the Knights and release the restraints on the soldiers. It’s going to be hard, if I want to be stealthy about it.”

Oculus, who had been silent ever since it asked about his mental state, abruptly said, “You do know that you’ve long surpassed mortals and semi-divinities, right? There’s so many things you can do to save those people without showing yourself.”

“Huh?” Gaius and Isabelle turned to the little eyeball. “How would I go about doing that?”

“What do you mean, how?” Oculus did a lap around Gaius’ head. “You just…wish for it. Oh. Right. Spiritual guide thing. Look, mortals and semi-divinities rely heavily on logic. Established procedures. A standardised set of movements. All these are needed for them to talk to the world. Got it?”

Gaius didn’t quite understand what Oculus meant by when it said ‘talk to the world’, but he had a feeling that this was very important.

“What do you mean, ‘talk to the world’?” Isabelle asked.

“That’s what you’re doing when you channel qi or ether,” Oculus replied. “That’s how your artefacts work. Energy, when directed in a certain manner and whatnot, is essentially talking to the world.”

It paused. “Why do I get the feeling that I just revealed some ground-breaking truth of this world?”

“Because you did?” Gaius asked. “So, that’s what sigils are, eh?”

“Yes, and artefacts and formations and whatever that relies on you running energy in a certain manner,” Oculus replied. “But that’s not the main point. The main point is that this is a means for mortals and lower-ranked semi-divinities. Abyss Sovereign Gaius, the only Boundless One of Orb, a great god in all but name…there are no restrictions on you. Those limits you perceive are merely shackles of your own choosing.”

“What do you mean by that?” Gaius asked, his words slow.

“I know you’ve had this…twenty-metre limitation on you. You are unable to extend pure power beyond that,” said Oculus. “Even after your repeated breakthroughs, you continue to cling to this belief. You are limited by your mortal mind. Gods, however, don’t need to conform to their logic. The mortal path is one of logic and processes, but the divine road is one of will. You can do almost anything, as long as you think you can.”

Oculus hovered in front of Gaius, keeping track with his speed. At that sight, the Abyss Sovereign abruptly recalled that they were flying at a few times the speed of sound, yet Oculus could, without his support, keep the same distance from his head.

“My will…are you saying that I can surpass this limitation if I truly believe in it?” Gaius asked. “If I truly desire it?”

“You are a great god. Not a mortal. Save for another’s will, you can literally do anything. The great gods are Bounded Presences. They believe themselves to be omnipotent only in their relevant domain; it is a limitation they cannot surpass by nature. But you…you are different. The only limitation on you is doubt. Your mental state.”

“Doubt is the greatest enemy, huh.” Gaius nodded to himself and came to a stop.

“You’ve figured it out?” Isabelle asked, curious.

“Let’s give it a try,” Gaius replied, fixing his eyes on an encampment ten or so kilometres away. “I don’t if it works or not, but…little fellow has a point.”

“Which part has a point?”

Gaius reached out with his mind, towards the distant encampment, and a bird’s eye view of the forward camp appeared in his mind.

He smiled at that sudden sight. “Why, everything.”

The Knights in his mind’s eye froze up as he clenched his fist.