Warning

"You'd understand my actions if your own people kept starving to death," Justice spat at Fortune. After a few years of long, early winters most countries on Aathos were struggling with small harvests and lack of food, even the God of Harvest's, albeit to a lesser extent. This, of course, led to heavy tensions between the desperate nations.

"It's not my fucking problem anymore after you've threatened to invade my lands," Fortune replied harshly, thick, gray smoke coming out of the corners of their mouth, a present threat of burning someone's face off.

"Maybe if your blessings weren't shit I wouldn't have needed to resort to such actions," Justice threatened.

"Oh, so it's my fault I cannot bless the entire world? For a God of Justice your sense of what's right and what's wrong is purely based on your own personal gain."

Justice clicked their tongue, irritated. "You could spare the-"

"No. Where were you when that volcano exploded at our border in '247? As far as I know, you're the best at manipulating lava. So what, then you didn't give a fuck about people being burned alive and my people struggling with famine as black ash covered the fields but now suddenly it's a huge problem because it happened to you?" Fortune argued back, their throat glowing a dim red as they said the last few words.

Sunlight grabbed Fortune's arm, but they did not look back. Still, they didn't go right for Justice's throat just yet, so whatever Sunlight was doing, was working.

"We can talk about this calmly at the peace treaty negotiations after we're all calm," Misfortune pleaded, and stood between the two.

"Our situations aren't even remotely comparable. The volcano situation took you three years to resolve. Meanwhile, my famine has been steadily going on for seven with no signs of stopping. The total casualty number is already almost twice as high," they snapped, and after a moment continued, "Besides, the casualties - YOUR casualties, too - will multiply many times if you don't just hand over the land peacefully. What's better, hm? War and death, or letting your people under my wing? You wouldn't even notice the difference, given how big your country already is."

Fortune's red pupils twitched as they hissed. "These lands are culturally significant to my people! You can't possibly suggest I give them to you because someone cannot handle their own problems-"

"Oh, you-"

"Stop."

A voice, a loud one at that, cut through the heavy, tense air with ease. As all heads turned to the source of the sound, they saw a short, white and fluffy dragon, smiling – grinning – innocently with its eyes closed, as if the entire argument hadn't happened.

"Listen…" they started cautiously, "I don't mean to barge in the important negotiations, but… Is it really this easy for you two to put so many lives on the path of death?" The mysterious figure, Life, asked.

"Of course not. No lives should burn out so prematurely. It's why I've been trying to tell Fortune to-" Justice argued, but was quickly cut off.

"Human lives are just a number for you, a metric to predict which army will succeed and which one will fail - 300 thousand soldiers, or 250 thousand? You're so detached from their lives because you've played Kings for so long," they claimed. "You're not the one witnessing people's death, their funerals, their families grieving and houses left empty," their voice took a more grim tone, and their smile cracked if just for a moment.

The atmosphere once again became so thick you could cut it, but whereas previously it was a result of two Gods, Rulers of the biggest nations on the planet threatening to wage war against each other, this tension was caused by an unknown factor entering the fight, a mystery on its own, an unknown danger.

The silence was loud, not even the wind or birds or bugs or any thing in this world dared to disturb it. The other Gods were not speechless per-se, as everything Life said was true, but they didn't dare to mutter a single word. Seeing this, Life decided to continue.

"Well, in the end I'm no King and these are not my countries, so do as you will. But," with that Life opened their previously closed eyes, rings upon rings of hypnotic colors and patterns surrounding brilliant diamond pupils, and still kept the unnerving smile. They lifted up their right arm up to their ear-wing, the one covered in midnight-black feathers, and plucked two feathers right out. "Keep in mind that war has no winners." With that, Life handed Fortune and Justice each a small black feather.

The two accepted the "gift" if from politeness than anything, but the look on their faces was anything but. Horror, terror and realization filled their eyes, as they realized the true nature of the God of Life.

Being handed a Dove's feather was seen as a blessing from Life, a promise of a prosperous and happy life. Other Gods often whispered in private about Life's 'other' pairs of wings, the crow feathers which stood out so obviously on the otherwise pristine-white body.

They now realized that Life's new gift was a promise of Death, not just for their people and nations but for the Gods themselves. No one right in their mind would continue to follow a Deity that brought millions to death for no reason.

War has no winners, and they knew that now.

Life closed their eyes and smiled before turning on their heel and slowly walking off, hand raised to wave goodbye. "Let me know if you still decide to go through with it, yes? I'd have much more work than usual, so the heads-up is nice."