With a faint flash of light, Gaius took his first steps into the world of his making, Isabelle at his side. Nothing odd happened as his feet landed, but he could feel an intimate connection with Celestia itself. The vast grassland beneath him rippled happily

“In here, I feel like I can do anything,” Gaius muttered.

“You could already do just about everything outside, though,” Isabelle pointed out.

“I can’t affect the natural laws of Orb,” Gaius replied, stretching his fingers. “Or rather, I can’t do that without a massive expenditure of divinity. The Bounded Presences of Orb have their natural advantages in the field. But here…”

Lightning tore through the skies. Day changed to night, and then back to day again. An enormous tsunami stirred up from nowhere, only to become a thick bank of mist as it crashed onto land, which promptly coalesced into a small tornado that made no sound whatsoever.

With a single slashing motion, the tornado came apart.

“Effortlessly done,” said Gaius, smiling at Isabelle’s gobsmacked face. “I can do anything here.”

“I see why the Mortal Light Dynasty really doesn’t like the great gods,” said Isabelle.

“Yeah, me too,” Gaius replied. “I can manipulate the entire world and use it as a weapon. I’m invincible in this world. Which, now that I think about it, is probably one of Kolya’s considerations. How could anyone want such a monster to exist?”

“Don’t call yourself a monster,” said Isabelle.

“But I am a monster,” Gaius replied, a little sad smile on his face. “That’s just how it is. If I am defeated, the world will remember the insane Abyss Sovereign, who, in his despair, sought to bring down the rest of Orb with him. Alluring poor souls with a fantastical promise of a true utopia, he waged war upon the Five Lands and slaughtered hundreds of thousands.”

“You didn’t wage war on anyone, though,” Isabelle pointed out.

“That’s what a historian might put inside a footnote,” Gaius replied. “Well, whatever. I have many plans for you and everyone else…well, don’t look so worried. The great gods cannot defeat me. Their path is inferior. None of them has a will as focused as mine; this is my all-or-nothing gamble. I abandoned the prospect of a personal, peaceful life to change the world.”

Gaius raised his arm and formed a fist with it, blocking out the false sun. “I have absolutely no way out. Unless they back themselves into such a corner, the great gods cannot stand against me when it comes to Divine Will.”

“How about—”

“Yes, I’m a bit more worried about the mortals,” Gaius replied. “Not because they pose a threat to me personally, but because they’re actually creating an answer to my question…although I think they haven’t quite understood what the foundations of my will is.”

“And you’re going to let that slide, right?” Isabelle asked, bobbing her head.

“Like I said, they’re misunderstanding my goal here,” Gaius replied. “But let’s put aside all these weird things for now. I see you’re getting bored.”

“I’m not bored!” Isabelle pouted. “But I do want to see a meteor shower. I saw one before a few months ago, after Orb’s false sky shattered, but I never got to see one afterwards.”

“A meteor shower…well, we’ll wait for night time.” Gaius looked up at the sky.

“Okay. I was going to stop you if you changed it to night, but it’s good that you know your limits.” Rubbing his cheeks, Isabelle looked around the place. “Come to think of it, where are we?”

“We’re outside the city that the newcomers just made,” Gaius replied. “Over there, behind that small outcrop. If you tiptoe, you should be able to see the walls, although I question the need for walls to begin with. Is there any point in having city walls here?”

Gaius closed his eyes for a moment and checked on the original cities of Cybral, which were wall-free. “No, there isn’t. There are no monsters here, no threats. City walls enforce divisions. I don’t need divisions. Therefore…”

The walls that surrounded the new city, as well as those in Celestia, turned into dust.

“Ruthless,” Isabelle commented, a smile on her face. “But no harm done.”

“At least they realised that city guards don’t really have a point in this world,” Gaius replied. “Still, with so many conveniences provided…I’m a bit troubled. There’s no need for work if they just want to stay alive. Fortunately, the energy salts system here is very vibrant, and I can create more energy salt mines as and when needed.”

“In that case, what’s troubling you?”

“The fact that I’m in charge of law enforcement and everything here. There’s bound to be loopholes,” Gaius muttered. “How should I go about solving this issue?”

In truth, coming up with a solution was easy, since he could multitask and examine any given issue from all angles, but he wanted Isabelle and the others to be involved. Gaius knew that if he did everything on his own, it would eventually isolate him from everyone else.

“Hmm…”

“How about this,” said Gaius. “You think of a solution and tell me about it. Okay? I’ll be waiting for your answer!”

“…You’re just lazy, aren’t you?” Isabelle asked. “But okay! I’ll do it! Anything for you!”

In the moment their eyes met, Gaius understood that she had gotten his intention loud and clear, and he smiled. Pulling her close once more, Gaius closed his eyes and indulged in the sensation of being loved. There was virtually nothing that could compare to the warmth he currently felt, and for a moment, he felt that all was well in the world.

After a while, the two of them sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. White light was still streaming in; most of them were people who had died in the past day.

“Right, do you have any thoughts?” Gaius asked. “Suggestions and things like that. My viewpoint is still very limited. And you’ve been wanting to say something for the past hour or so.”

Isabelle jumped. “You can tell?”

“I would be a horrible partner if I couldn’t,” Gaius replied. “Go on, say it.”

She paused for a moment, and then said, “If everyone loses most of their memories, it’s not that different from tearing apart their families. Is there…”

Gaius closed one eye. There was something disturbing in how he never considered that angle, and he had to repress his emotions. “Ah. Yeah. I didn’t consider it from that angle. You should have brought that up to me earlier.”

“I was afraid that you’d think I was showing favouritism to my family,” Isabelle replied. “That’s why.”

“Next time, tell me these things directly,” Gaius replied. “I think I’m entitled to show some favouritism, right? And I’m not omniscient.”

He mulled on that last sentence for a few seconds, and then added, “Not yet, anyway.”