This is the "lock" between humans and gods.
The rules of this world are even more cruel than Gawain imagined.
Now, he finally understood why Melita had those near-loss-of-control reactions after revealing secrets about the Inversion Tide and gods to him. He now knew the true mechanisms behind it—it wasn't just the punishment of the Dragon God on every dragon, but even the Dragon God in all its divinity was a prisoner under these rules.
The gods are both chains and prisoners, and even executioners, and this entire "prison" has been built by mortal faith.
The Dragon God saw Gawain lost in thought and silence, and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
"I was just thinking about Melita—she told me some ancient things, and now I realize how much risk she took back then."
