Pain
That's all she could feel. The goddess of order; it was merely a title meant to mock her in this age of Chaos. Once in the distant past, she was only second to Fortuna in power and influence, yet now she was merely a whisper of an era long past.
Ever since her rebellion had failed, she had been put in a cage, mocked, and now drained to such an extent that she struggled to even open her eyes. She was no goddess; even a very powerful mortal could pierce her divine flesh now.
The dark chains were not necessary to keep her in prison, but a cruel god like Chrunus enjoyed seeing his former rival helpless and tied. Despite her pathetic physical state, her mind was as sharp as ever.
No matter how much time passed, she would never break due to the actions of a tyrant. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. The view was always the same: Cage's bars and the white wasteland that was the divine realm stretched before her eyes.
What was the point of open eyes in such a pitiful land? There was no beauty, there was no order, and there was no nature. It was all chaos, saturated chalk. It disgusted her. She felt like she would throw up at any moment.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed the form cloaked in green approaching.
"Celara... Sorry for not visiting for so long. Chrunus started observing us more keenly..." Natura's voice carried the burden of sadness, and yet it did make Celara feel better. Natura was the goddess who was hit second hardest by the tyranny of Chrunus.
Her forests took up most of the land, and her order made sure they were balanced. They were perfect coworkers. And she was one of the first supporters of her rebellion. If it were only her that suffered, she would not regret starting such a revolution.
However, it caught many innocents like Natura. Yet Chrunus would have destroyed her forests no matter what. His will was for all of them to die. While she could not speak, she knew what Chrunus planned for them.
The moment he had created the Supreme Chaos elementals, it was over for all of them. Each of them made even Fortuna look like a child. Chrunus had no need for them; they would be purged eventually.
"Celara... It's not your fault this is happening." Natura's hands glowed a gentle yellow. Every day, she came to give what little energy she could spare in an effort to keep Celara from disappearing.
It was pointless; Chrunus would keep her alive just to mock her. Natura was wasting what little energy she had. However, she still appreciated the concern. A warm, golden glow enveloped her being, rejuvenating her for mere moments.
"Chrunus is sending us... to the mortal world. This might be our last meeting." A small trail of tears escaped her eyes.
'He wants to do what?!' Celara's eyes widened. Her spirit returned, she forced herself to move, fruitless as it was. Yet the news made her furious. She needed to fight once more. Alas, she was bound and weak.
"I am here... to say goodbye. Celara, I hope with all my heart I will return and see you again." Natura knelt before the cage, her gaze pierced through the weakened goddess.
"Chrunus is coming... Sorry, Celara, I must run. I hope to talk soon." Natura turned before disappearing in a golden flash.
Celara wished to curse her helplessness. Natura would die, and so would other weaker gods. There was a reason they never descended to the mortal world ever since Chrunus gained his immense power.
They would weaken, their power draining. Their souls would leak the power; they would leak so-called levels. Gods were powerful, yet limited due to their dependency on worship.
Her mind was tired, yet held strong. Now more than ever, she had to be strong. Her being paralyzed was not gonna break her. If she let her friends die, then what was the point of her life?
The dark form of Chrunus appeared before her, her fear suppressed by sheer rage at the mere fact that Chrunus existed.
"Celara, former goddess of despicable order," Chrunus stated with clear disgust in his voice. His eyes flickered. If she had any strength left, she would have pounced on him, just for a chance to gouge out his eyes.
"Disconnected from your lifeblood, forced to use your power, and now helpless. Such is the fate of all things Orderly." Celara wanted to scream; he had said the same thing countless times. He was so self-centered that he wished to gloat in front of her anytime he could.
"Damn you Iguva... You foolish upstart, after I am done with you, I will keep you in a cage like Celara." With the final words, he disappeared and left Celara alone once again.
'Iguva... You being such a thorn for Chrunus makes you very attractive,' Calera attempted to smile, alas, she could not do so. Iguva, like herself, represented Order. He was on the level of Chrunus, and yet he refused to help them.
Of course, she could not blame the emperor. He had a duty to his people, and as such, he protected them from Chrunus very well. Who would engage someone as powerful as Chrunus?
If those two entities fought, the entire World would be in danger of complete annihilation. Perhaps if they fought in the Divine Realm, the world would be safe; however, it would do unimaginable damage to the lands of Chalk.
No matter where the conflict would happen, one realm would be shattered. Two entities of such scale should never fight. Alas, it also meant that gods were left at the mercy of Chrunus.
A sacrifice of one world would be necessary. A sacrifice that nobody would dare commit. Iguva would never sacrifice his empire, and Chrunus would never give up his realm.
She sighed. 'What's the point. Nobody will ever be able to deal with Chrunus.'