A burning sensation so intense it threatens to consume my mind runs through my veins. It is bizarre, nearly feeling as though it originates from another person, another place, another being, yet I know this emotion intimately.

Wrath.

This heat within me is limitless. It spreads rampantly, taking away all other emotions with it. All that has been taken from me by these monsters—my home, my loved ones, my very sense of peace—burns within me like a wildfire. These beings, these so-called bringers of peace and prosperity, are nothing more than slavers, cloaking their tyranny in deceit.

They are no different than the Estates, simply shrouding their name with mental dominance rather than propaganda and raw power.

The Mother Below's love is false, a fake peace that makes me sick to my very core. So fucking sick. She has taken everything from me, either directly or indirectly. Without her... Sigils only came to our world upon her encroachment on this section of the cosmos.

Before her... there was nothing. There were just... sticks and stones to kill each other with—a brutal but... preferred method. At least back then... one could not kill billions.

The rage wells up, pushing aside the exhaustion, weariness, and every limitation imposed on me. I can feel the weakness of my bones and muscles vanish. My fists tighten, and the blood rushes through my ears with a pounding triumph.

Voices call to me as I heave air in and out desperately, my chest constantly sucking in the Ether around me without an instant of cessation. I double over slightly, unable to withstand the rush of sensations that threaten to burst my skull.

I take a single step forward before I stop, as I realize something is not right. No... it's so much better than simply being right.

An overwhelming sense of freedom fills my being, coursing through my veins, empowering my muscles, and entering my bones. Even my brain is filled with this freedom: something ephemeral, far grander than just a physical sensation, courses through me.

It's a Concept. I've finally touched on it—Conceptual Ether. I can feel my Ether absorbing Limitlessness itself, and instinctively—no, Limitless itself imparts the knowledge to me—every skill, every action, every potential move opens up to a vast new world.

Limitless is not just about simple power. It's not a fist that can break through anything. It's the anything that can do it all. It's found me after all this time. Or, better yet, I've found it while pressed into the dirt by two Gods.

My head swivels back to the skies as more voices call for me. Elizabeth sprints toward me, some Motherbound with a midnight purple set of chains darting for me, too. I don't give either a look; the fire cannot be stopped.

Ether surges into my foot as I twist it into a coiled spring, an old and straightforward skill transformed into something far more significant. Arbalest loses its limits. In less than a second, from the roar I unleash into the air, I vanish, the ground beneath me undisturbed. And then, I am in the sky, ten thousand feet above the ground, momentarily hovering beside this God.

I look at the God for a moment, giving Blodwyn and Lily just enough time to reach out to help. Yet, the moment they do, I feel my Concept rattle and quickly push them away. It hurts them, both literally and emotionally, but we can't risk this.

I'm... in a state I've never had before. And at an altitude that I've never imagined.

This God is a grotesque, tentacled abomination with a million eyes. It must be one of Usen's original followers from wherever she came from. The simple idea that this thing may be cherished by her sends me over the edge.

Fury consumes me, and I strike. The Ether in my arm Whets my limb into a ghostly blade that slices into the God before it can react. A dozen tentacles fall, severed cleanly. As the limbs fall, I pivot backward, with my arms, retracting the Limitless Whetting and driving my other fist into the God.

The crunch I feel and hear as metallic knuckles sink deeply into its slimy flesh is... euphoric. A Limitless Explosion sends it hurtling toward the ground with a pace just as fast as my ascent.

The rush is intoxicating. The sensation of Limitlessness courses through my Ether, expanding my perception, my understanding, and my capabilities.

If this is simply Conceptual Ether... then what the hell is beyond it!? If I imbibe Limitlessness...

I watch as the God plummets, its myriad eyes wide with surprise and pain. But for some reason... the eyes don't appear to be worried. I simply observe for the moment as it slams into the ground, creating a crater that reverberates for miles. Dust and debris scatter in all directions, and I'm already falling right for it again, kicking the air behind me for some extra speed.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The augmented Arbalest cares not if there is ground beneath me or not.

But I don't make much progress, for the eyes of the God light up, and I immediately make a connection with what it is—the God of Reflections. That is how it was hidden.

Suddenly, I feel an intense, searing pain across my right arm.

An invisible sword materializes out of nowhere, visible only to my soul, and slices against my right arm, digging a groove into it that sets a pang into my heart. Before I have time to react to the first strike, I'm spiraling through the air as a phantasmal fist impacts me right in the gut.

My whole world pauses for a fraction of a second, and then it rushes by a thousand times faster than a train passing by the terrain. I feel my back slam into something hard that gives way to my sheer momentum, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

I cough out a mouthful of blood, my insides wrecked by the violent impact. At this point, the damage inside is nearing a breaking point, even for me.

Shit. Reflections, huh?

Grumbling in pain, I roll over just enough to put my arms on the shattered earth beneath.

The tentacles of the eyeful God of Reflections snake towards me, eager to ensnare and finish what it started. Pain surges through every fiber of my being, but I refuse to stay down. My voice leaves my throat with a soft chuckle as I almost find this whole scenario hilarious.

"How much can you return, huh? I doubt it's Limitless."

The creature from some distant planet doesn't deign to reply, simply hovering toward me some more. With a roar, I push myself to my feet, my arms extending enough for my legs to pick up the rest of the burden. Blodwyn slides in to help again, unwilling to listen to my insistence from before.

"Let me help! You're dying! You can't keep fighting like this! I know it'll interfere with your focus, but—"

I don't have time to listen to him, not giving him the go-ahead as the God’s tentacles lash out, but I dodge with a Limitless Arbalest, going straight forward.

I launch myself at the God, my movements blurry even to myself. I aim for its central mass with a closed fist. Sheerly due to my speed, I bypass the tentacles and eyes that seek to ensnare me.

My fist enters its center once more as another Limitless Explosion leaves my arm, the metal concaving but holding firm. The God, Ojibwe, its name coming to me through its very connection the Concept before me finally, bounces across the landscape before slamming into a hill and digging a trench through the majority of it. Then, it reflects my attack as quickly as it arrives.

Sent in the opposite direction, I flip head over heels as the bottom left of my torso evaporates into blood. Holding the injury with one hand, the other grinds against the earth, tearing up hundreds of feet of rock before I catch myself.

Landing on my feet, I gaze ahead as the tentacled God climbs out of its hole, far less damaged than I am. Fuck. I pick myself up and rush ahead as Ojibwe moves to meet me.

The Devil mentioned this one in passing. The God of Reflections is capable of reversing any and all attacks on it. The only way to beat it... is to overwhelm its Concept or have one that undermines it. Tightening my fist, I swing at it once more with a step too fast for it to follow.

The battle stretches on, becoming a brutal game of endurance. Every attack I land on the God of Reflections rebounds back onto me, whether it comes from my fist, a blade, an arrow, or even my Limitless Manacles.

Each blow I deliver is like driving a nail into my own coffin, bit by bit chipping away at my life. Digging my own grave has never felt easier.

I focus on my Ether, crafting intricate advancements of my old skills, but nothing manages to be enough. Second by second, more of my blood falls to the earth.

The God isn't impervious to my attacks, but the damage it receives is far less than me. Each time I connect with its slimy appendages or torso, the energy ricochets back, tearing into me mercilessly.

Ojibwe's Reflections leave nothing unaffected. Just moments ago, my connection to Limitless was so clear and empowering. Now, it begins to waver. The strain of maintaining it, coupled with the self-inflicted damage, saps my soul beyond measure.

I see why Blodwyn struggled so much to keep up his Adaptation. It isn't easy—not one bit.

I grit my teeth, refusing to give in as my fingers dig into the coarse dirt beneath me. The environment around the two of us is utterly devasted, and there is nothing with life remaining this far east. From here, I can even see the shores, the Endless. It is... just within grasp.

My vision blurs, sweat and blood falling into my eyes on top of the pain. I'm reaching my limit here, even with the Concept. These Concepts are reality-altering abilities, but they are not omnipotent.

Ojibwe watches with its countless eyes, unblinking and cold, while I struggle to move an inch. It’s a predator toying with its prey, drawing out the battle while savoring my wretched suffering. My breath comes in ragged gasps that make me acutely aware of the blood within my lungs.

Finally, it speaks.

"You cannot pierce me."

The words are simple, and it is obviously meant to be an executioner's statement.

My body is a sea of agony, every muscle screaming in protest as if to prove its words. Yet, I push on, the fires within still raging, though now dulled. I lunge at the God, aiming for a vital point, only to feel my own attack mirrored. The impact into my jaw has me kissing dirt, the ground rushing up to meet me with bone-jarring force.

I lie there for a moment, glaring up at the God of Reflections. My mind races, trying to find a way, any way, to break this cycle. But the more I struggle, the more apparent it becomes that I am fighting against myself.

The anger, now only an ember, subsides, and Limitlessness vanishes alongside it. The emotion... it is what brought it. Right. Emotions are power. Feelings are might.

But...

I can't feel much right now.

Those tentacles near me, reaching out almost lovingly before a little girl appears in front of me, pointing directly at Ojibwe and shouting at him in indignation.

"Leave him alone! You'll fight me now! Come here! You big-eyed bastard!"

Hearing Lily curse throws me off a little, but Blodwyn's words are just as jarring.

"The Concept is affecting your mind. The Wyatt I know would never push us aside for more power. Harness it. You are Limitless, but you are not Limitlessness."

A chord is struck just as Lily raises her right hand, creating a finger gun and pulling the trigger by bringing her thumb softly down. Blodwyn is right. I need to separate myself a little. I cannot let the Concept control me. I have to shepherd it. Ether rushes from my chest at an incredible volume as a river of darkness connects us to Ojibwe.

For a second, I'm hopeful that Lily will manage to get past the Reflections, but I quickly realize that will not be the case. Screaming in horror, I force myself to stand as the Cardinal in the air twists on itself.

With a hand on Lily, I pull her backward, taking the mirrored attack in her place. Vitality seeps out of me while Blodwyn puts in the work, already having our heart beat with the very Concept of Adaptation.

Seconds pass as I fall back to my knees, struggling to stay breathing. But with each second, my lungs move more leisurely, more effortlessly. Blodwyn breaks past the devouring nature of the Cardinal, already experiencing it before and adapting to it.

So, we stand again, shaky, but we stand. And we surprise the God with our resilience. Its question will never be answered aloud, but we know the truth.

"Alive? How?"

It is a combination of Blodwyn's regeneration and adaptation, Lily's passive healing and strengthening of my soul, and my Dominion doing just as my father's does, moving my body when I should otherwise be in the dirt that keeps us in this fight. It's not as effective, but I sure as hell look like an Undead to any spectator, and that means it works.

My foot stutters, sliding along the rocks as I raise a closed fist. Bone already starts to grow from the insides of my chest from my heart while my blood is replaced with an ocean of lively black waters. The Ether in the sky speaks in reply for me while sparks of plasmic Ether waft from the cracks in my bone, equal in viscosity to nightmarish lightning.

One Heart Beats For Three.