Chapter 15: The Fallen Gods (2)

Approx. 4min reading time

Thadius was in the middle of his stair exercises when he received a message.

[The Goddess that has protected the mountain has fallen. Weather patterns will return to normal. Animals will become hostile. Monsters may appear.]

"What!?"

He had wondered where Yuna had gone. She usually came to play at the start of the day. He never expected to receive such a message.

Concerned for her safety, Thadius searched the forest. He was hoping to find the spirits she talked to, or find a trace of her presence from yesterday.

The blizzard started up soon after.

Without the Goddess to restrain it, the full fury of winter was released upon the mountain. The presence of nearby trees and grass started to dim, making it extremely difficult for him to navigate without his sight. Regardless, he pressed forward, trying to retrace his footsteps to the place they first met.

Thadius had been searching for almost an hour when he sensed a weakening presence in the snow. With his Sense Presence at the Expert rank, he could tell the difference between plants, animals, and people. He could also determine the general state of the presence.

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He could tell that whoever it was, had their life hanging by a thread. He approached with caution, the snow had piled up, which threw off his spacial awareness.

He had come close enough to assess the situation as a hand reached out to him. It was in that instant that he recognized the presence he came to know in the last few weeks. Though something was off, the usual strength of her presence had completely diminished.

He picked her up and slowly made his way back to the compound. He transferred his Aura to her, exposing himself to the elements.

"Master!" Thadius cried desperately as he reached the entrance.

Corban was at his side in an instant, sensing his pupils distress. He looked at the young girl in his arms. "Take her to the kitchen and light the oven. It'll help at least. You'll freeze in her place if you use your Aura like that."

"She needs blankets and clothes. I can't feel her dress."

"I'll make something out of the furs in the storage

room."

"You have the tailoring trade?" Thadius had only intended to ask Corban for materials.

"A man needs a hobby. Go, I'll be there shortly."

Thadius nodded and rushed off to the kitchen. The cold had seeped into his bones, making every action feel sluggish.

He lit the small oven and sat near with Yuna cradled in his arms. It proved difficult with the rings on his arms getting in the way. After a few minutes, Corban came in with a thick blanket that he immediately wrapped around the frosty Goddess.

The small oven heated the corner of the room, and Corban's Aura was enough for the three of them. With the warmth returning to Yuna and himself, Thadius' was able to relax.

"I'd have figured you for a blacksmith if anything."

He said as he took turns passing his Aura between Yuna and himself. Corban shook his head.

"Not many monsters drop ore, and it seemed a waste to ignore all the material. Besides," he smoothed out his pure white robe,"it has its advantages."

"You made that!?"

"Surprised?" Corban laughed.

Thadius sighed."I should be used to your surprises by now."

"Look at it this way. Its one more thing I could teach you."

"Right..." Thadius looked down. The tiny Goddess had settled into a peaceful slumber. "In the meantime, what do we do about her?"

"We'll have to hear her out first. Something must have happened, she feels completely different from yesterday."

"I thought so too." Corban had confirmed his suspicions. Just then a thought came to him."Could she have become mortal? I've never seen her react to the cold..."

"Not to mention the sudden change in the mountain. It fits, but I've never heard of....wait a moment. There, on her chest..."

"What is it?"

"It's her status. Next to race it says God(Fallen)..."

Thadius remembered the message he received early. He had completely forgotten in his worrying. "So she was cast out. She has no one but us..."

"Hmm...her stats aren't too far from yours, and she even has Fighting Spirit. With training, she could be quite something."

"She's a child..."

"She's a Goddess, though fallen she may be."

Corban had a point. He often let that fact slip his mind. "Then she trains?"

"I'll take any student that is willing, and with her starting stats, she has a lot of growth to look forward to."

"What level is she?"

"Level one. Its been reduced by her Fallen status."

"What about her skills?"

"That's the surprising part. Says here that she mastered the 'Hide' skill."

They both shared a chuckle. The Hide skill hid the user from sight, but did nothing to hide their presence.

"No wonder she was so confident."

"Indeed. She also has Sense Presence ranked at Intermediate. If she applies what she knows about presences to her Hide skill, she could possibly master Hide Presence Master faster than you."

"She just might if you told her she could win at hide and seek..."

"Ha!"

Thadius shook his head. Things were about to get lively around here.

---

The last thing Yuna remembered was reaching out to someone in the blizzard. So when she woke up wrapped in a blanket on a soft bed, she quickly guessed that she had been saved by that person.

She looked around as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. There was a familiar statue seated in the corner.

"Thadius?"

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Yuna shrugged her shoulders. Then she remembered what happened. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I was....hic...kicked..out..." She couldn't speak coherently as she sobbed.

"You were cast out of Heaven..." Thadius finished for her. She nodded.

"I figured as much. I won't ask what happened, but if you want to ta-"

"Ah!" Yuna exclaimed as she jumped up on the bed stark naked. "I saw her!"

"Settle down now. Here put this on." Thadius passed her a small shirt and pants. They resembled beginner gear. She'd freeze if it weren't for his Aura, but plans had already been made regarding that.

Yuna hurriedly put on the clothes, completely unfazed by her nakedness."I saw Tegaia!"

"Really!?"

"Yeah! She was even taller than you! And she was pretty and..."

Yuna went into full detail about her encounter with the Goddess of Love. Thadius listened intently.

"Then she told me to keep Thadius a secret, but..."

Yuna looked down, tears welling up once again.

"So it's my fault..."

He had a general idea of what happened. His devout worshipping of Tegaia seemed to upset some people upstairs. And when Yuna kept silent about his existence, punishment was unavoidable.

What he couldn't figure out, was why worshipping Tegaia resulted in such harsh treatment. Christina was stricken blind, and a Goddess had been cast out the Heavens for hiding a single follower.

Thadius felt guilty, but Yuna shook had in earnest.

"It's not Thadius' fault!!"

"Well, you don't have a place to stay now. So how would you like to live here? But if you do, you'll have to wear this?"

"Why" Yuna said with a confused face.

"Because only my students can stay here." came a voice from the doorway.

Yuna turned in surprise to find an extremely tanned man leaning against the door frame. Yuna slowly backed towards Thadius in fear. The man was extremely scary.

"Your first impressions aren't very good master."

"You'll know how it feels soon enough. And so will she..."

Yuna was even more confused.

"Yuna, do you want to stay here with me?"

"Yes!" Of that she was certain.

"Then you'll have to get stronger like me. That means wearing this, and listening to the scary man."

"Hey!"

"Do you understand?" Thadius completely ignored his master.

"I'll be strong like you?"

"This man taught me how to play hide and seek."

Yuna's eyes went wide as she turned to the Corban. "Teach me too!"

Corban laughed. It went just as Thadius had planned. "Alright then, I'll take you as my student."