Page 66 of The Gods Order

“Yeah, okay. I know showing off when I see it.”

Meridamus chuckles while Val scowls at him.

Gods. It’s strange and endearing watching the two of them bicker like lifelong friends.

Well, I suppose that’s exactly what they are.

Before the moment settles too comfortably, Val rolls his eyes and focuses back on Yemi and me. The humor on his face dims as his gaze bounces between us.

“You both keep limiting yourselves to barriers because barriers are the easiest application to visualize, and, well…you don’t know anything more than that,” he says. “But boundaries govern interaction itself.”

“Interaction,” Yemi repeats.

“Yes.”

He gestures toward the meadow.

“A physical barrier separates people from physical space. A sound barrier separates sound from an area. Emotional barriers separate influence from emotion. Isolation boundaries separate one force from another.”

The explanation is so painfully simple compared to what I expected that I almost get annoyed.

“You’re telling us this whole power is basically just deciding what can interact with what?” I ask.

“Essentially.”

I stare at him.

“That sounds way too…straightforward.”

Meridamus laughs. “The oldest powers usually are. It isn’t us who complicates them.”

“Like you just said you’ve had several thousand years to perfect them,” I sass, arching a brow.

He dips his head and chuckles.

“Regardless, you’ve both already accomplished impressive things instinctively,” Val says. “What you lack isn’t power. It’s understanding, guidance, and pairing intention with instinct. You’re barely touching the surface of what this domain is capable of.”

Without warning, the pressure of his power vanishes.

One second, the vast weight of his presence stretches across the space between us. The next…nothing. I nearly step back as he and Meridamus suddenly resemble the versions of themselves I’ve always remembered. No shiny skin or bright eyes, and they don’t carry the energy around them that all gods have.

“Kyzen, if you wouldn’t mind, use your power. Do as you please. Speed time up or slow it down,” Val instructs. “Focus on me, Thayla.”

My head jerks, stopping its slow pivot toward Kyzen. I do as I’m told and stay focused on Val. For what reason, I don’t know. He just stares at me.

After a moment of awkward eye contact, I finally shift my attention to Kyzen. His glowing baby-blue rings shock the shit out of me.

I didn’t even know he started using his power.

Why can’t I feel his brush of power? I always feel it.

The God of Boundaries’ cocky, small smile answers that question. When he laid his hand on Meridamus’s shoulder…it clicks.

That wasn’t just some random barrier.

“You’re hiding his power. Yours and Meridamus’s as well,” I mumble, tilting my head. Then my eyes fly open as another realization slams into me. “Oh my gods.”

“What?” Yemi asks.