FALLEN GODS

A young girl was freezing to death on the coldest mountain in the Todos Kingdom. She had gotten lost in the blizzard that blanketed the mountain in the first snowfall of the season.

Naked and afraid, she crawled desperately against the howling winds. Her white hair had lost its brilliant luster, and her eyes had lost their Godly light.

Yuna had been cast out of the Heavens, stripped of her power, and left to die on the very mountain she'd governed.

She cried and screamed for help, but no one in their right mind would climb the mountain in such weather. Not even if they heard the cries of a Goddess in despair.

Tears froze the very instant they left her eyes. Frost covered her lashes, and her lips had gone blue from the cold. The strength she used to know in her limbs was long gone, every passing moment was a step closer into oblivion.

Fatigue tugged at her senses. When she couldn't possibly go any further, she collapsed in the snow.

It was then that a shadow fell over her. With the last of her strength, she reached out. She didn't want to die, so reached for the last thread of hope. She couldn't make out the figure with the edges of her vision fading in darkness.

She blacked out at the feet of a giant stone statue.

*FLASHBACK*

Yuna couldn't find Thadius at all. She had searched for him in the forest they first met, but he was nowhere to be found. So she went to look for him.

She knew the mountain like the back of her eyelids, so she quickly found the mysterious house near the top of the mountain. She had always stayed away from the top since it was scary. But if Thadius lived there, it might not be so bad.

When she found him, he was in the middle of his physical training. He was climbing up and down the staircase that went down the mountain.

"Thadius! Come play!" she yelled excitedly, running up to him in high spirits.

"I don't think I'll be able to play for a while Yuna, forgive me."

"Oh...."

It was winter after all. Nobody wanted to play with her in the winter time. She was crestfallen.

"But how about a ride instead?"

"YUSH!" Pure excitement slurred her words as Thadius lifted her up.

And so it was, that Thadius and Yuna established their steed and rider relationship.

She rode Thadius as he did his stairs. When he went to the pool, she splashed in the water and talked to the fish. The cold never bothered her, she was a Goddess after all.

When it was time for him to go home, she'd always made him promise to play again the next day. Thadius would say 'Okay' with a smile and pat her on the head. She hated being patted, but she didn't mind it so much when Thadius did it.

Afterwards she went back to her cave and talked to the spirits. Then when the sun came up, she'd start the process all over again. Yuna was very happy that she had someone to play with during the winter.

After a few weeks had passed, Yuna had received another summons to the Heavens. Curious as to why they would call her, she went immediately..

She was in a much better mood since she was already wide awake, and skipped happily into the Tower of the Gods. She wasn't looking were she was going though, and bumped into one of the spirits that swept the tower.

"Ofh!"

"Oh my. Are you alright child?"

Yuna quickly picked herself up. "I'm sorry!"

The spirit laughed. "Such a polite child. What's your name?"

Yuna looked at the spirit for the first time and was shocked. The woman was extremely beautiful. She was tall too, even taller than Thadius.

Yet, what really surprised her was the woman's lustrous auburn hair that reflected gold in the sunlight, and the Godly light in her silver eyes.

"You're a-" she started, but the mysterious Goddess silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Shh...it's a secret." she whispered. Her smile was dazzling. Yuna blushed and nodded.

"Now, what's you name young one?"

"Yuna!"

"Of the Mountain of Yune? I have a friend there..."

"Me too! He plays with me everyday and he wears this heavy armor....."

Yuna excitedly talked about her friend Thadius. When she had finished, the mystery Goddess had a serious look on her face.

"Did he say anything about the Gods?" She asked..

"He said he worshipped Tegaia. I think she may be a bad person, but Thadius said she isn't so I believe him!"

The Goddess beamed when she said that. Yuna smiled too. The happiness of the Goddess was contagious.

"Ah! I have to go now...miss...um."

"My name is Tegaia..."

Yuna had a confused expression in her face.

"What is it Yuna? Do you still think I'm a bad person?"

Yuna was torn. She had heard a lot about Tegaia, and none of it was good. But then she remembered Thadius' words in the forest on the first day they met.

She had indeed met the Goddess in person, and she believed from the bottom of her heart that she wasn't as bad as the other Gods said she was. So she shook her head.

"Good. I don't want you to think bad of me because of something you heard from someone else." Tegaia said happily as she combed her hand through Yuna 's hair. It had been disheveled when she fell. Yuna felt a warmth spread from her head to her toes.

"Now before you go Yuna, will you do something for me?"

"O-okay."

"You must keep our friend Thadius a secret. There are people here that want to take him away from the mountain. Is that what you want?"

"No!"

"Then it's a secret."

Yuna nodded and said goodbye, running up the staircase that lead to the top. When she arrived at the throne room, Thena was sitting on the Hallowed Throne, watching her as she approached.

"Good afternoon, Yuna I believe?"

"Yes..." Yuna was shocked at how cold the Goddess seemed compared to when she saw her at the party.

"Yuna, you were present at the welcoming party for the Travelers, were you not?"

"Yes."

"Are you aware that you are the last one to report in?"

"Ah! I...I was sleeping before the party so-"

"So you went back to sleep? I understand."

Thena said, waving her hands as dismissing something trivial. "So now that you've woken, do you have anything to report?"

Yuna was in a difficult position to say the least. Had she not run into Tegaia before coming here, she would have told the Goddess everything. However, she made a promise to keep her friend a secret. Yuna kept her promises.

"Uh...nope!"

"Are you sure?" Thena's hard gaze pierced her.

"Yep!"

"I find that odd, because according to this fellow," Thena held up a glowing ball,"you have great deal to tell me."

Yuna immediately recognized the spirit from her mountain. It had been one of the three that ran abandoned her after Thadius had introduced himself.

She was at a loss for words. She could try to escape punishment by coming clean, but she stayed silent. She had a feeling that Thadius would be in trouble if she talked about him here.

Thena wasn't pleased. "So you've decided to keep silent. Doing so aids my enemies, which makes you an enemy. Don't you think so?" She asked the spirit.

"...yes"

"I think so too." She looked back at Yuna. There was an indescribable coldness that came from her. Yuna trembled in fear.

"As a Lesser Goddess, your existence is a privilege at best. You spat on that privilege the moment you decided to lie to me. So how about I give that privilege to someone more deserving?"

Chains of Godsteel sprang from the floor and restrained Yuna. Thena came down from the throne to stand before her.

"By my authority as a Greater God, I strip you of you power..."

Yuna screamed as her Godly essence was taken from her. Silver light was transferred from her body to Thena's hand that held the spirit.

The weight of the chains increased in proportion to the power stolen from her. Only those with Godly essence could bear the weight of Godsteel. Before long, Yuna was completely pinned to the floor.

"Yuna, from this moment forth, you are no longer welcome in the Heavens."

At Thena's command, the chains pulled Yuna through the floor.

*FLASHBACK END*

---

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.

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."

Thus, the number of the Iron Dragon's pupils increased to two.