33 The Goddess Reques (1/2)

Raising two of her blackened fingers, two of the presents that are in her stack float towards me. They float in front of me as if they're saying take me.

”Go ahead,” she says simply.

Reaching both of my hands out, they fall into my hands.

One of the boxes, that no bigger than a child's fist, that's been delicately wrapped in a mirror-like substance and a skull with a black bow of fog coming out of it, rest atop the box. The other is a box that's as long as my arm and covered in inky black starlight, just like the dress that she's wearing. A simple sparkling silver bow rest atop it.

I simply hold them in my hands, not making any move to open them.

”What a sweet and patient granddaughter, I have! You can open those later,” she tells me, and I place them into my storage bank.

”Since you've accepted my presents, then I have something else to offer you as well if you'll listen to one of my requests,” she says with a dazzling smile on her face.

Her silverish purple hair began to float up around her head.

”You don't want anything in return for the two that you've just given to me?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. ”Those two are things that I planned on giving to you,” she says with a small wink. ”The other is something that I wouldn't freely give. Will you accept one of my requests?” She asks me with a smiling face.

Looking at her smile, I didn't feel any sort of malice or ill will. Nothing that made me question her intent. It was a genuine smile, on that felt warm and vulnerable.

Not that this woman was by any means vulnerable. She was a full-fledged Goddess.

Biting my lip, I raise a hand.

”I'll accept this one request, as long as it doesn't involve hurting anyone dear to me,” raising up a finger,” that my one condition, if I accept your request,” I tell her.

Her smile darken, but her face doesn't change.

”It doesn't involve them at all. With that it means that you've accepted my request, as promised I'll give you the other gift,” she says.

Without any warning, she jams her hand into her chest. Her fingers sinking into her body without any resistance. The smile on her face doesn't wane at all, as she digs around in her chest for a second.

After what felt like an eternity of watching her fish in her chest. She pulls her hand out, and within her fingers, I see a completely clear egg with a pitch-black center appear.

With a flick of her wrist, she sends it flying towards me, and I reach out and catch it with ease. It's warm and soft, the black within the egg look sinister.

”What type of egg is this?” I ask her, tilting it in my hand.

”Now, the request. I want you to find something for me, it's something that I've lost,” she says cryptically. Not even bothering to answer my question about the egg.

Sighing, I hold the egg tightly in my hand. It's smooth to the touch and felt warm like a little fire.

”What did you lose, exactly?” I ask her.

”My memories, I want you to find my memories, that have been stolen from me. I believe that they're somewhere within the world dungeon,” she tells me with a grave expression on her face.

I felt my mouth twitch, she was joking right?!

If something was powerful enough to steal her memories, then why in the world did she think that I would be able to get them back for her. It felt like I'd accepted a suicide mission.

”If you know where they are then, why don't you go and get them yourself?!” I ask her.

A pitiful smile appears on her face.

”I'll tell you a secret, God's and Goddess' are unable to enter the world dungeon,” she tells me.

”As such, I can only ask you to find them for me,” her voice softens as her eyes bore into my body.