The Trials of Furina

Chapter One: Masquerade of the Guilty

"Come on Furina, you can tell us!" Said the Traveller from another land.

A conflicted Furina put a hand on her chest, already emotional from her near breakdown at the water in Poisson.
She had been led into a round, rusted shack, supposedly hiding with someone who was attempting to gain her trust.

But she couldn't tell her... telling even one person could ruin everything.
But telling them how you've been feeling may not be as damaging, right?

Lumine looked hopefully into Furina's weary eyes, covered by makeup, tears having caused some of it to smudge.

"I..." she began, the Traveller looking at her hopefully, giving her a nod of approval to continue.

Furina suddenly sighed. She couldn't. The consequences were too severe. She had to endure. But for how much longer? One day? One month? One year? A hundred more years? A thousand years?
There was no end to the prophecy in sight. Furina knew she was on thin ice with everyone, but maybe, just maybe, she could outwit them. Maybe she could fool them. For just a little longer...

As Furina stared into Lumine's disappointed eyes, the shack began to shake again. Her eyes widened. Is another calamity happening?! Maybe she could help the people this time! She couldn't save those who were lost in the Poisson flooding... but she will not let another life be lost to the Primordial Sea.

Suddenly the walls of the shack began to unfold, like a box. A trap. Revealing what was inside.
Furina's eyes widened in horror at the familiar sight she was greeted with. There, a full seated audience, watching her own capture.

'I shouldn't have said anything, I should have run from her!'
For just a moment, Furina wore no mask. Her horror and confusion was on display for everyone to see. She had been betrayed. She had been tricked, deceived. And now she was caught in a trap, like a hunter who had captured a rabbit. She took several deep breaths, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

There was no escaping this. Furina scanned the audience. She saw so many familiar faces. Navia of the Spina Di Rosula, Charlotte of the Steambird, Lynette, Freminet, even Clorinde.
Furina wasn't as stupid as she may seem. She quickly connected the dots. She had been set up from the very beginning.

In the corner of her eyes she saw a proud Lyney take a bow.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes my opening performance!" He announced to the audience, doing his usual card trick with a smile on his face.
"Now, without further ado... we may proceed to the trial of our god."

Furina's blood ran cold. She felt herself stiffen on the spot. She was being put on trial. Of course she was, she had expected it. She hadn't done what was expected of her as a god. To the people, she did nothing at all. No matter how many times she lifts the hopes up of her people, eventually it'll all come crashing down.
Maybe this was the 'trial to end all trials'?
But it couldn't be.
'Mirror-me wouldn't possibly do something like that to me... right...?' She asked herself, unsure.

Looking at the audience, she quickly took a breath. She had to act fast.
"Ah, so this is what it is," she began, shutting her eyes for dramatic effect, "yes... you deserve praise for the effort you took to raise the dramatic stakes."

Furina adjusted her posture to look more confident.
"Do not forget, however, that I am Focalors, the God of Justice — the embodiment of justice itself. Does it not strike you as even the least bit obeyed to bring the very concept of justice to trial?"

Perhaps this may have bought her some time. Who knows? Hopefully this was an unofficial trial - one held strictly by the people.
However the presence of the Traveller from a faraway land gave her cause for concern.