In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by chalky land, a single dot of color sat, her arms hovering over a single plant surviving in her former divine domain.
"Survive... you are the last thing I have left..." Natura's tears streamed down her face, her long elven ears slumped down.
Her green cloak was tattered as if dragged through the battlefield and back.
She was taking care of a single lily, its bright orange color long faded in such an inhospitable environment.
A small golden glow surrounded the flower, restoring its color once again.
For so many years, she kept it alive, the only thing remaining of her beautiful nature.
She did not wish to lose it.
And yet with every day that passed, it grew weaker.
While she tried to pretend she wasn't hurting, it was far from the truth.
In reality, Chrunus had wounded her more than anything else in existence could possibly have.
She despised him; every moment of her existence, she prayed for a miracle to end the rule of Chrunus.
And yet it was impossible, gods were the most powerful existences, and yet Chrunus dominated them effortlessly.
Nothing in existence could hope to defeat him.
Divine realm, now a land of chalk, used to be a balance of her nature and all other gods' domains.
"Why.... WHY!" She shouted as her tears streamed down her face, the water evaporating the moment it touched the chalky land.
She couldn't show herself like this to Fortuna or other gods.
With a heavy heart, she forced herself to stop crying.
Every time she visited the last remaining trace of nature in a divine realm, she burst into tears.
She loved nature, and she loved her forests and animals.
And now none of them existed, none except a single lily.
A single trace of her old self in the middle of a wasteland where nothing natural existed.
She pushed herself up, her cloak billowing in the cold and dark winds of the corrupted divine realm.
With a swift motion, she dried off her tears.
No matter what, she couldn't afford to look weak in front of Chrunus.
No matter how much she hated him, it was a horrible idea to show her tears to that tyrant.
However, this time, she was not as devoid of hope as she had been previously.
For what reason?
Well, Fortuna had finally found a way to possibly break these metaphorical chains.
While unlikely, Natura wished to grasp at even the slightest chance of rescue.
'If that Ariel can get us into contact with a being on par with Chrunus...' She let out a strained smile.
"I want to put an arrow through his heart..." She bit her lip.
However, it was unlikely that she would ever have a chance to get her vengeance.
No, what is worse, Chrunus had planned to send them to the mortal world, which to someone like Natura would quickly become fatal.
Only Fortuna could afford to do so for any meaningful amount of time.
Someone as weakened as Natura would die from a mere week in the mortal world, even less if she were forced to fight.
She was terrified of the prospect of death.
While she understood the cycle of life and death, something that was an important part of the natural order, she still felt afraid.
Her gaze fell onto the lone lily.
"What will happen to you if I'm gone..." She squinted her eyes slightly.
She was supposed to be the protector of all nature and all life in general.
And yet what was she doing now?
She was a slave to a tyrant who destroyed everything she ever held dear.
'I do not wish for much...' A tear formed in the corner of her eye.
Everything she ever wanted was to protect her forests, and yet she was denied her whole reason for existence.
She placed her palms on her face before letting out a loud sob,"Dammit all! Why did I have to be a goddess... WHY ME?!"
Why did she have to be eternal?
'No... No matter how much I wish I were dead, I have to live... for this single flower.' She forced a smile.
There was beauty in the hardiness of nature.
The way that this flower defied Chrunus himself by remaining alive.
Despite the ruination of the divine realm, it remained.
'Defiant, beautiful, resilient...' She had to embody those traits as the goddess of nature.
'To think I would abandon resistance...' This single lily was the only thing pushing her through the dark times.
If something happened to it, she truly would be lost.
If a fragile flower could survive in the darkness of Chrunus, so could she, no matter how much it gnawed at her mind.
She took a deep breath before exhaling and turning around, noticing a familiar presence appearing right behind her.
"NATURA!" Fortuna's voice reached her ears; however, instead usual panic, she carried spoke with happiness.
She pushed down her tears before forcing a smile, "What's wrong? What does Chrunus want now?"
Fortuna shook her head, "No, Chrunus is panicking. Someone is going around killing his followers en masse!"
Natura's eyes widened. "Who is the idiot that would go against Chrunus?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that Chrunus did not receive a single soul; only now had he received souls of a small number of fallen Paladins, they were muttering something about so-called 'Heresy of the Cross'." She beamed a smile.
Natura stared at her silently, waiting for her to finish.
"This new heresy is powerful enough to deny Chrunus his faithful... This must be the doing of Cedric, Ariel's Patron!" She spoke excitedly as she grabbed Natura's hand.
"But... that's not enough, all it does is get Chrunus Angry, he will take it out on us." She averted her gaze.
"For now. But this means we have allies, Chrunus is not as all-powerful as he believes himself to be." Fortuna released her hand, her face gaining a grim expression.
"However... Chrunus wanted the gods to meet again." Her voice quietened.
"But I wanted to tell you good news... I know his tyranny hit you the hardest." Fortuna crossed her arms.
Natura's lips curled into a smile. Fortuna was truly a kind friend to her.
"Thank you... I guess we should meet the tyrant." She forced herself to put on a brave face before two goddesses disappeared in a golden flash.