".....Ishtar....could you excuse me for a moment. I need to make a quick point...."
Chrona didn't so much as step forward as appeared within a footsteps distance from the angered god. There wasn't any real speed in her action, but to Asha'rah it was beyond even a blur of motion. Her hand flicked forward and with a casual "boop" from the time familiar she tapped the goddess on the nose and the world went white.
Before her, a bleak and lifeless nightmare of ash and pulverized earth continued upon endlessly.
"Listen.....Believe what you want of me. But don't assume I'm treating this as some sort of game......you have no idea the trial and error I had to go through to get a timeline like this just right. I've seen bad endings to this story that would curdle the blood in even a goddesses veins. For example..." Chrona appeared in front of her and pointed outwards.
"In 67.666% repeating of possible outcomes, Erosa dies. It doesn't matter how much you "strive" to avert that outcome......the universe doesn't treat the efforts of even its creator with any favoritism. In a fraction of those outcomes....you strive, a little too hard. Take for example...this one. Alternate Path 2611-B."
Chrona turns to Asha'rah. "The revelation that Erosa dies, despite your best effort to the contrary....acts as a fundamental breaking point. You kill my master, you kill parsic....and you kill me. But that isn't good enough, the sorrow to great, soon you shift the blame onto others.....Etrina for failing to help, Ishtar for being too late. Eventually you kill them too....and your team of friends.....and this world.......this galaxy......"
"Is this an ending you want, Goddess of Creation? Look up....."
Chrona gestures, and the dark ash clouds part above them to reveal a starry sky.
"Your the last god in this timeline....all the others are dead. This universe will never be unsealed....."
The world went white again, and Asha'rah found herself back in the garden before the wreaked house with Chrona back to where she was standing, popping popcorn in her mouth.
"Believe me when I say this....I've seen ever bad ending there is to this tale. The reason I'm here, even bothering to treat with you, is because this timeline is the closest I've come to engineering an ending that benefits everyone....So I'll stake my life on making sure Erosa survives. If she dies, I'll die. Sound fair enough for you?"