"Hm..." I thought for a moment about the question, thinking of an answer, but as I was about to give my response, the winged woman interrupted me, adding in a very low voice.
"Can you love her?"
"..."
The silence filled the air. I stared at the white-haired woman, and she was doing the same. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held a strange feeling, a mix of expectation, hope, and something else.
"Yes, I would love her."
"!!!" The winged woman's eyes went wide. The calm and composed expression disappeared, replaced with pure shock, as if what I just said was the most shocking thing.
"If she's my daughter, then of course, I'll love her as a mother."
"You'll really do that?" the white-haired woman asked. Her voice was a bit shaken, but at the same time, it was filled with joy. Her face was also different. The serious and calm facade was gone, replaced by a young girl smiling and blushing.
"Of course," I smiled. "She's my daughter. I'll take care of her, love her, and teach her everything I know. I'll protect her and do anything to see her smile."
"I see... good," the white-haired woman nodded, wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye, writing something in her pink notebook. Then she raised her head, staring at me for a good minute before saying,
"Pretend that your daughter is standing in front of you. What will you do?"
"Well..." I swallowed my words when I caught the trembling of her hands. This woman was not joking; her question was real.
'Is she my daughter for real?' I don't know what's real or not, or even if the question was a test, but the emotion in her eyes was real. This woman really wants a mother, a true mother. 'Well, can't say no to that, she's cute.'
I stood, but before I could move, the white-haired woman jumped off her seat, running toward me.
"MOMMY!" The white-haired woman embraced me, wrapping her arms and her wings around my body.
"I-I... I love you, Mommy," the white-haired woman cried, burying her face in my neck. Her body was trembling, and her wings were wrapped around me tightly.
"There, there," I rubbed the back of her head, stroking her smooth white hair. "I love you too, baby."
'Damn!!... is she truly my daughter?'
"Thank you, for everything."
"..." The words were spoken in a whisper, but they were crystal clear and full of joy. The woman kept hugging me for a good while, only burying her head in my chest and enjoying the warmth she seemed desperate for.
"Mommy," she whispered, breaking the silence.
"Hm? What is it?" I asked, looking at her. The white-haired woman raised her head, staring at my crimson eyes with her pure white ones, truly mesmerizing to see. She placed both hands on my cheeks and whispered,
"The road to your ascension is rough. The remaining trials will test you in ways you can't even imagine. You'll be faced with your inner demons and your darkest thoughts."
"..." I kept silent, absorbing her words.
"Mother, do anything in your power to ascend and become the true goddess. And please," she gave me a hug, burying her head in my neck, "please find me and save me."
"..."
"I-I...I..HMMM!" Before I had the chance to say a word, she pulled back and locked her lips on mine, giving me a passionate kiss. The moment our lips connected, I was hit by a huge wave of mana, the surge of power enough to send me flying. But the winged woman kept her wings and arms around my body as she pushed something solid down my throat.
'What is this thing?'
The kiss ended as quickly as it started. The white-haired woman pulled back her head slightly so she could have a better look at me.
"This is my gift for you, Mother. It will help on your journey."
"Ehh??... thanks," I said, not really understanding what happened. But strangely, my head began to get heavy.
"I love you, Mommy. I hope to see you soon."
"I love you too...HUH??... w-wait, what do you mean?" My mind was getting foggy; I couldn't think clearly, and my body felt numb. "W-wait... where are you going?"
"Hehe, good luck, Mommy."
"W-wait."
"Bye."
"No...wait... I still...need to... ask you" I couldn't finish my sentence. Everything turned black, and I lost my consciousness.
=====
When Morgana fell unconscious, the winged woman carried her like a princess to the glass tube, where she used Morgana's hand to place the last remaining golden piece on the disc lock. The moment that happened, both Morgana and the glass tube began to glow bright before vanishing into thin air.
"Good luck, Mother," the winged woman whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. But then her white eyes suddenly glowed crimson as she shifted her focus to a certain spot in the white space.
WHOOSH!
Soon, a cloaked figure materialized. His appearance was similar to the faceless judges that Morgana met.
"What do you want, Grand Judge?" The white-haired woman asked, her voice cold and emotionless, not a single trace of the joy or happiness she had shown just a few minutes ago.
"This is no way to talk to your father," the cloaked figure replied. The face was invisible, but the white-haired woman could sense the smug smile behind the darkness that cloaked his face.
"I don't have a father. You're not related to me in any way; you just raised me. And besides, there's not a single living being who would want to carry your child."
"..."
"Now, what do you want?"
"Sigh... Your actions are beyond the limits, interfering in the trial, and even worse, revealing your existence to the challenger. I'll have to report this to the other grand judges," the cloaked figure spoke. His tone was calm and composed, but there was a hint of anger and annoyance, clearly not pleased with the way the winged woman was acting.
"Punishment, right?" the white-haired woman scoffed, crossing her arms. "Just because I helped my mother a little. Go ahead, punish me, if you can."
"She's not your Mothe–"
"SHE IS!!!" the winged woman screamed, cutting the cloaked figure off. Her raven wings flapped, and a strong wind blew, making the cloaked figure stumble a step back.
"How dare you speak like this? She's not your real mother; we just made you from her, a tool," the cloaked figure spoke. The anger and annoyance were obvious in his voice.
"Yes... Yes... I'm a tool, a weapon, a monster, I know. You couldn't miss the chance of using the genes of the mortal who slew the god of war, to make for yourself a god," the white-haired woman spoke, calming herself down a little.
"Isn't that against the rules?" she asked with a smirk. "What do you think the reaction of the other primordials and gods would be if they knew about my existence?"
"Are you threatening us?"
"No. I'm just reminding you what would happen if they knew," the winged woman said with a smug smile. Her words were clearly a threat, and the cloaked figure knew it.
"Besides, you can't even kill me. I'm Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of Night and Darkness, daughter of Victoria Morgana Nosferat, slayer of gods, and the soon-to-be goddess."
"..."
"Now be a good little boy and inform the others: if they interfere in my mother's trials, the silent, cold of the night will embrace you all." The white-haired woman, Nyx, spread her wings and flapped, vanishing into the dark.
"That little bitch," the cloaked figure cursed, his entire body trembling. Rage filled him from within, and he wanted to beat her so badly, but he couldn't, or else it would mean the end of his existence, and that would be bad, very bad. "What a joke; I can't control what I created."
"Sigh... at least I'm safe because of the blood seal I placed on her when she was young." The cloaked figure shook his head and vanished into the darkness, leaving the white space empty.
...
Inside what appears to be a sea of shadows and dark flames, Nyx, the Primordial Goddess, was sitting in a chair, her legs crossed, as she was writing in her small pink bunny notebook.
"Hehehe.... Mother said she loves me," Nyx chuckled, placing a hand on her cheek, blushing. A big smile formed on her lips as she kept writing down her thoughts.
"Sigh... it's a pity that she won't remember meeting me."
As a primordial of the night and darkness, mortals can't remember her existence and the time they spent with her. It was one of Nyx's powers; without it, the other primordials would have sensed her existence by now and killed her.
A new existence at a primordial level suddenly being born is a big threat to all of them.
"At least I managed to collect enough of this," Nyx mumbled, pulling from the darkness a glass vial filled with a whitish, suspicious substance.
"Hehehe... Mother's essence," Nyx chuckled, shaking the vial in her hand and staring at the contents with a lustful gaze. Licking her lips, she whispered, "With this, I'll be able to create my own minions."
"Oh wait a second... won't that make them my brothers and sisters?... Hmm…I hope we can have a big orgy."
SLAP!"
Nyx suddenly slapped herself, hard on the cheek, leaving a red mark.
"Living with Mother for a thousand years in the trial surely affected my mind."
...
[Announcement: Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
I would like to inform you that posting will be paused for a week or two due to some personal things I have to take care of. It will be no more than two weeks, and possibly even less.
Thank you all for your support and understanding.
See you in the next chapters]