"How the fuck did it end up like this," I said, standing with my head low, and my hands crossed. "I love sex more than the goddess of sex herself."
'Well... to be fair, I do like the sound of that... hehehehe.'
"UGH!... fuck it, I accept," I said, looking up at the floating cube. "I'll be your mom and give birth to you."
The truth was, I felt pity for Anamnesis the guy—let's say he's a guy—just wanting to live a little and experience the joys and sorrows of life. It was actually sad to know that the entity responsible for keeping all the memories in the universe can't have memories of its own. How fucked up is that? I won't lie; I thought about turning him down at first, but my instincts kept telling me not to. I pitied him, and I'd feel terrible if I didn't help him. Moreover, I get to have a new daughter—how cool is that?
"You accept?... Really!" the voice spoke, no louder. A hint of surprise was clearly noticeable in his voice. This was the first time that Anamnesis showed such reaction and emotion. It caused me to crack a little smirk.
"Why the fuck are you shocked, dumbass?" I replied, rolling my eyes. "I'm a breeder, and I'm sure you know that already, so I might as well help a newborn in need."
"I didn't expect this," Anamnesis replied, his tone serious. "I thought you'd take a few more years to think."
"..." I didn't reply and kept staring at the floating cube, thinking about what to say next. I have to be careful and not screw up.
"So, what do I have to do to give birth to you? Are you going to plant a seed in me?" I asked, trying not to think too much about the weirdness of the situation. After all... well, let's not talk about it, okay?
"Yes, but not now," the voice said. A second later, the world started morphing again, returning to its calm dark atmosphere. "You're not ready."
"Not ready? What does that mean?"
"It means what it means," Anamnesis replied, his tone becoming gentler as he continued, "Your current mortal form can't withstand the process of giving birth to me. For that, you must first reach the level of a primordial goddess."
"Hmm... A primordial, you say," I hummed, crossing my arms, thinking for a moment. "That could take decades, maybe even centuries. Are you okay with waiting?"
"I'm fine," Anamnesis said. A little giggle was heard, and the cube was shining a bit brighter. "After all, I've been waiting for an eternity. Another decade or two is nothing to me."
"Good to know, but I want you to know something," I said, raising my index finger, a playful look on my face. "Once we're done with this, you'll owe me one, got it?"
"Of course, Mother," Anamnesis answered, calling me 'mother' for the first time. It sounded weird being called that by probably the third-oldest entity in the universe, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea sounded exciting and sexy.
"I'm looking forward to the day when you give birth to me."
"And I'm looking forward to seeing how your cute little face will look, my dear future daughter," I smirked, placing my hand under my chin.
"Hmph... I will try my best to live up to your expectations," the voice said. Its tone was cold and devoid of emotion, but there was no denying the happiness and excitement hidden inside.
"Okay, now that the chit-chat is over, what happens now?" I asked, placing my hand on my hips. "Are we going to talk more, or will I be sent back and start leveling up?"
"No, it's time for you to return," Anamnesis replied. A second later, a small cube the size of an egg floated toward me and came to a stop a few centimeters from my chest. "This is a part of me. With it, I'll be able to contact you the moment you reach the level of a primordial."
"That's nice," I commented, grabbing the cube in my hand and examining it. It was smooth and shiny, a pure blue color, and the weight was not much. "Do I have to do anything, or will you be the one doing all the work?"
"Just place it in your inventory," Anamnesis replied. The cube's light shined a little. "When you finish your ascension, consume the cube."
"Sounds good to me," I said. A little smile formed on my face. "I can't wait to meet you in person, my future daughter."
"Me too," Anamnesis chuckled. "My dear future Mother."
"Hahaha," I laughed, opening my inventory and tossing the cube inside. "You're really getting better at expressing yourself, and it only took a few minutes."
"Hehehe, indeed."
"Alright, I have to go now," I said, closing the space ring. "See you around, sweetheart."
"Goodbye, and thank you, truly."
"..."
I responded with a simple smile before closing my eyes and slowly disappearing, leaving Anamnesis alone in the empty space. A second later, I opened my eyes again only to see the three faceless judges clapping their long, thin hands, congratulating me on finishing the last trial.
"Well done, Queen Morgana," the right faceless spoke. "You've managed to win all three trials."
"I didn't know it was possible," the left faceless replied, clapping his hands. His tone was happy, and a hint of pride was heard.
"Indeed, you've surprised us, Morgana," the middle faceless said. "We thought it would take you more than a millennia. Yet, here you are, a mere mortal who has accomplished the task that took the greatest of heroes and gods an entire lifetime."
"I'm not that great," I waved, shaking my head. "The trials weren't hard."
"They were not, you are right," the left faceless agreed, his tone shifting to a serious one. "But the true test is what comes after the trials."
"That's right," the middle faceless judge nodded.
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious. "What comes after the trials?"
"The ascension," all three spoke in unison. "To discard your mortal shell and ascend to become a goddess."
Before replying to these words, I narrowed my eyes. I had an idea of what kind of transformation was about to happen to me. My body and soul were going to change into something far stronger and better—a true goddess!
Looking to my right, I saw a third glass tube, similar to the other two. Inside it was a crimson sphere hovering and floating like a cloud—a pure orb with a liquid-like surface.
"What should I do now?" I asked the trio of judges, watching their every movement.
"To ascend into a goddess," the left faceless began speaking, waving both hands left and right, "we must shatter your current shell and replace it with a far superior one."
"To re-shape and forge you into a true goddess."
Suddenly and out of nowhere, a colossal white anvil appeared, right between me and the judges.
The anvil itself was quite big, around three meters high and two meters long, and the flat surface of the anvil was spacious, huge, and easily capable of fitting at least two women lying on their backs. The color was pristine white with many gold indentations carved into it. Before I could even utter a word, I found myself lying on the surface of the anvil. A silver, glistening hammer and a skinning knife made from the same material were hovering in the air.
"What the?" I cursed, and my eyes widened in surprise. Trying to move, but there was nothing—not even the ability to lift my hands or wiggle my fingers. My body was seeping through the anvil surface and seemed to be fusing with it, like a human soul to a lich. To be honest, it was quite uncomfortable—I hated it.
One of the judges picked up the silver hammer and stood to my right. The other one held the silver knife and stood to my left. As for the third one, he stood at my feet, raising his hands in the air, where white flames erupted, covering his entire hands.
"So discarding my shell is the hardest part, right?" I smirked, trying to act relaxed. However, deep inside, I knew I was not calm or relaxed at all, because I could guess what was about to happen to me.
"Indeed," the one at my feet spoke. "We have to remove the old flesh and shape a new one, shatter the old bone and forge new ones, erase the old blood and infuse new one."
"That sounds like it will hurt," I chuckled, trying not to panic. "Wait! What about my world tree daughter?"
"Don't worry. I'll protect her from harm," the faceless judge replied, his hands still hovering over my feet. "All you have to do is endure, and no matter what, don't scream or pass out. If you do, you'll never wake up again."
"Are you ready?"
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again with fierce determination.
"Bring it on."