A few days later, the sky started to change more and more, covering itself with heavy-looking clouds that carried a sorrowful dye over the blindingly cyan roof. The first winds blew from the plain, evading the mountain which were too high for them, before outpouring themselves in a loud whistling inside the dense forest.

Droplets fell from above the canopy, making their way between the leaves bustling with vitality, then fell again, until they collided with the muddy ground. The trees were only partially soaked on one side, freeing the place from annoyingly roaming insects in exchange of a cumbersome and drippling sensation from being wet to the bone.

And yet, despite the dejecting weather, some people decided for it to become the perfect timing for a ride inside said forest, looking carefully behind the bushes, under the huge roots, alongside the footpath or far from one’s sight to gather the fresher vegetables. Herbs, mushrooms, ferns, nettles, mosses, some even picked up wooden branches and leaves, all this for medical purpose, culinary addition or personal entertainment.

The night faded more and more, but the sky kept turning darker and darker, clad in a spiritless grey, bringing for this day a rainy scenery. During the hours where the sun would intensify the colours of everything, currently the shades were sinister and shadowy. Such sad tapestry had zero impact on Trellia’s humour, unsuggestible by the hazards of everyday.  

On the contrary, such weather was just perfect for gathering the ingredients for a scrumptious soup. In normal times, her private garden would suffice for her needs. It was the sudden arrival of an unexpected person that brought its share of changes to her life.

The mornings were as lonesome as usual, same for breakfast and dinner, for a digestive stroll or a daily maintenance. If she had to point out a peculiar detail that, just by going from “1” to “2”, altered a lot of things, it would be that she finally found someone with who she could hold a proper dialogue.

In short: she wasn’t alone anymore. Despite being this close to a civilized kingdom, the nearby towns and random citizens that lived there, at long last she felt a little less alone.

Nonetheless, it was a half-hearted happiness that dwelled inside her. She couldn’t bring herself to smile honestly now, since the day she performed her little trick in front of him. Her acts and words were true, but she felt like it didn’t influenced that much Friture. It was like, he didn’t knew how to properly react, when confronted to her revealed identity.

Was he really so shocked he couldn’t muster any sort of reaction for her sake? But it was obviously not the case here. He also seemed to have already accepted his miraculous rescue, and despite the still lingering trauma of experiencing a fall toward his death, Friture looked relatively calm. Of course that was only a façade, right? After all, his life was saved just when he decided to throw it away, and most importantly he was living under the same roof of a goddess! Lucky him.

“That’s right. Beginnings always are a bit tough and arduous. Let’s just give him some time.” She knew mortals were a little more biased than immortals were, and way too much focused on personal matters.

Not that it was a bad side or something worth to be reprimanded, but they did tend to forget that, even in time of crisis, they were not alone. They could ask for help anytime.

But they did not.

Was it pride? Was it shyness? Arrogance or cluelessness, it didn’t matter for Trellia. This time, she would not give up.

“I’m baaaack~♫!”

Opening the door before issuing her warning, it couldn’t be helped that Friture blenched like a kid caught in a bad prank. That was what she expected, however all she saw what the fragile back of Friture. The sight pinched her heart, her empathy with a mortal’s pain made her lost her smile for an instant.

She tried to look for some words, something to cheer the little guy… Until she noticed he seemed focused on something. Stealthily approaching him, she glanced from behind his shoulders like a curious pranker… But all he was doing was reading some papers, maybe a memo he kept on himself.

“Ehhh? What are you doing? Doodles?”

“Ahhh! That’s not doodles! Give it back, please!”

Friture blenched in surprise as he never sensed Trellia’s presence.

“Now he’s funny” she thought with a warmed smile. However, her face froze when she glanced at the so-called “doodles”. The lines where neat and straight, accompanied with a lot of words, numbers and symbols which didn’t make any sense and expressed no artistic impression.

It wasn’t readable, nor was it appreciable. How could anyone value this sheet? But looking at Friture’s panicked expression, she couldn’t help but feel teasing him a bit more.

“What is it? Tell me what it is please! Is it a sketch? A poem maybe? But I can’t understand how to read it! It’s so fun!”

Maybe because he thought he would never see it again if he couldn’t take it back from Trellia, Friture pursued her through the small house. But how could a mere mortal be a match against a godlike character?

Despite the smallness of the rooms, she managed to swiftly evade all of his attempts to catch her. Maybe she was dancing, maybe she was playing a trick, however her movements were richer than the dull tries of the little boy.

“Come ooooon~! Tell me, please!”

“That’s… That’s nothing… Please give it back…”

This game between the two continued a bit longer. Trellia jumping over Friture like it was nothing, bouncing on the floor, the ceiling and the walls to dodge, while looking and laughing at the petite stature chasing after her. At last, she went through the window, while Friture used the door to run after her.

“Please… I can’t anymore… I’m done…”

He was? Really? Trellia expected mortals to be a bit more frail than immortals, but to the point of being exhausted just after this little run?

“Maybe it is time to stop playing around, I wouldn’t make him feel sad because of me… Just one last thing!”

She flapped the wind with the paper like one would make a gesture with a towel, with a happy smile on her face that expressed her satisfaction from this little game.

“Just tell me what it is and I’ll give it back, okay?!”

“It’s… Nothing… Really!”

“Then I can’t give it back! Ah ah ah!”

“But why does it seem so important to him?” With this question in mind, she gave a second try deciphering the notes written on it. Still the same polygons, characters and stuff which, despite her grand wisdom, was something outside her domain of knowledge. Now that she looked at it a second time, Trellia felt a sort of familiarity somewhere on this document. But where?

“Why don’t he want to tell me? Does he think I won’t be of much help?

Oh! That’s right! He is a doctor or a scientist dude!”

“Eh! Is it related to your previous work?”

Still trying to catch his breath, Friture looked at her, then at the ground. What did that mean? Has she guessed right? So why does it feel kind of ominous right now?

“What were you working on? Was it something fun? Something incredible?”

Still no response. The silence became awkward for her, as an itching doubt emerged from her mind.

“Come on! You can tell me, right?

Or maybe you can’t… Because it was something dangerous?”

Still no response from Friture.

“… Something illegal or immoral? Was that why they threw you over the cliff?”

Something didn’t feel right here. Just what kind of character did she save from certain death? What was his project he seemed so fond of he couldn’t abandon it even after all that had happened to far? And why didn’t he respond to any of her questions? Actually, Trellia had a clue about it, however she wouldn’t give it any credit. That would mean distrusting Friture who she saved, and thus meaning her actions were influencing a path that was wrong since the beginning.

As a goddess, making a mistake was both unforgivable and irremediable. Did she… Make a mistake, when she decided to save him? There was only one way to find out.

“Was your work based on what you call ‘divine energy’?”

No answer.

“…So that’s how it is…”

With the term “divine energy” in mind, she read a third time the paper in her hand. She still couldn’t understand all of it, however her massive amount of comprehension about divine energy allowed her to make some analogies here and there. She didn’t get it all, however that was sufficient for her to make a picture out of it.

“You were working on a weapon of a different scale-“

“It’s not a weapon!”

Interrupting someone in her sentence was already rude enough. Interrupting a goddess in her sentence was no different from blasphemy. However, something bothered him so much he couldn’t let it pass without interfering.

“That’s not a weapon…”

“Then what was it?! Divine energy. Military use. Secret worth killing for. Are you trying to lie to me?!”

What was it then? With which other word could you call that but a weapon? She made a mistake again, didn’t she? Why did she always make mistake? Why couldn’t she be right for once? She tried to convince herself to stay composed, but this self-directed hatred just couldn’t loosen its grasp on her emotions. That was utterly puerile for a goddess of her calibre, which only added fuel to the burning flames in her head.

Fortunately, Friture saw none of it. Because he closed his eyes. Because he gathered his strength to finally make this first step forward on his path. He breathing in all the air he could, filling his lungs until they felt like they could explode anytime due to the stress, then shouted as loud as he could.

“THAT’S NOT A WEAPON! IT’S A WAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD, STOP THE WARS AND SAVE EVERYONE!”

He did it. He still couldn’t open his eyes, but he did it.

“I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE! I WANT THEM TO STOP LIVING IN FEAR BECAUSE OF THEIR NEIGHBOURS! I WANT TO MAKE IT SO EVERYONE WOULD LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!”

Trellia couldn’t believe her ears. Did he… Did he really said that? That was unbelievable. That was profoundly irritating. That was impressively comical. She first laughed, then, the more she processed the information, she louder her laugh became. It dissipated all the tension that lingered in the air, all the sombre thoughts threatening her serenity-looking conscience. It lasted so long Friture felt he was mocked like the village’s idiot.

“You! I can’t believe it, you really said it! Ah ah ah! Ah my belly, it huuuurts!”

Trellia fell to her knee, unable to suppress her laughter while holding her stomach.

“What is this mortal thinking?! It’s so ridiculous I can’t stop laughing!”

“You want to… You want to help everyone… To save everyone! Ah ah ah! Please! Ah ah ah!”

“I-I’m not joking! It’s perfectly possible!”

Acknowledging the seriousness in this idea, it didn’t help Trellia at all at stopping her laughter. Seeing that it was useless to pursue any further, Friture waited for her to regain herself, feeling dejected that even a goddess would find his project unrealisable.

After a long and dispiriting moment, Trellia managed to get out of this loop. She still had watery eyes and held her tummy with a pitiful but delighted expression on her face, but at least she stopped laughing hysterically.

“Hey Friture. Do you know why us gods use what you call divine energy?”

That was a question… He didn’t expect at all. What was she trying to tell him through this interrogation? He didn’t felt like finding any hidden clue in her phrase, so he just answered in negative with his head.

“I see… Well, that does explain this and that.”

This funny time really brightened her mood now. She understood that Friture wasn’t a bad guy, and he didn’t give the impression that he would willingly bring harm to others. That was a strange but novel mindset from people of this era, Trellia thought. But she didn’t dislike it.

“Maybe I didn’t make a mistake, after all?”

She smiled at this thought, now feeling a bit more spirited to give it a try with this person in front of her.

“Then follow me. I’ll show you the everyday of a divinity who watches over you all.”