"Greetings, child. Welcome to my home. It has been too long since I last gazed upon you."
Alexander nodded and tried to speak, but his words were lost in the roaring of his headache.
The goddess spoke again. "Ah, I apologize. You are not quite ready to see me in this form. I was too hasty."
A flash of light erupted from her, and Alexander felt his head clear. He could see her now; she was beautiful beyond compare. Her hair was like an aurora, flashing between different shades.
Her golden eyes shone with power and wisdom, and her skin was pale as a pearl. Her figure was absolutely stunning.
The clothes she wore clung to her body, revealing her curves and smooth skin. A white dress covered her breasts, and her hips flared out slightly from where it fell into a slit up the side of her skirt.
Strangely enough, Alexander felt no lust towards her. Even with her divine figure, he could only think of her as being motherly.
Sit, child. There is much to discuss. As the words left her mouth, a lavish-looking couch appeared behind him.
"Thank you. I will take you up on that." He wasn't foolish enough to refuse her kindness. It was best to stay on her good side.
"You have grown up to be very handsome. And you have an interesting taste in women, my dear." She said with a knowing smile.
Alexander found himself experiencing a sense of discomfort that he was all too familiar with. It was reminiscent of when Grace had peered into his mind in the past, but this time, it didn't give him a headache.
Instead, it felt like there was some kind of strange connection between him and the goddess.
"Thank you... My lady? I am not quite sure how I should address you." He was flustered with how the goddess treated him so familiarly.
"Oh, no need to call me that, dear. That's such a stiff title. Call me Eve." She said in an affectionate tone.
Alexander had not expected such a powerful being to be so invested in him. He was pretty shameless, but even he felt quite embarrassed having a goddess comment on his love life.
'This is nothing like how Grace or my sister said she would be. She's a lot more laid back than I was told.' Alexander thought.
"As you wish... Eve." He added the last part reluctantly, as the goddess just laughed.
It felt strange to address her so casually, but it was also oddly comforting.
"There we go. It's much more comfortable for us to converse like this."
Eve smiled as she sat down next to him.
"Now tell me dear, how have you been? It must have been hard without your mother. Saphira was an intriguing person. I felt for you both when she passed." Eve spoke with a sympathetic expression.
"It wasn't easy, but I managed... But how did you know my mother?"
Although his mother had also received a blessing from the goddess when she came of age, that was not enough of a relationship for someone like Eve to speak so highly of her.
She answered nonchalantly, "Oh, that is simple. Saphira and Layla approached me for help, and we came to an agreement." The goddess smiled mischievously, causing Alexander to shudder at the thought of what his mother had gotten involved in.
"Relax, Alexander. I did not force her to do anything bad. There were... complications with her pregnancy. I helped them create a miracle, and they would listen to two of my requests in return. One of which has already been granted, and the other we shall discuss later." Eve explained calmly.
What could possibly make someone as powerful as a goddess want something from Alexander's mother? As he pondered over this, he also thought of the other woman Eve had mentioned, Layla. He was only too familiar with that name, and it was Grace's mother.
Which only created even more questions he wanted answers to. Why had Layla never told him about something so important? After Saphira had died, she basically became a second mother to him. He resolved himself to ask her once she returned from her pilgrimage.
The goddess gave Alexander some time to process everything before continuing their conversation.
The pair sat there for a while, chatting about trivial matters as she wanted to know more about him. Eventually, she moved the conversation forward.
"So, I see that you have been keeping up your training. I'm pleased to see it. You have grown very strong. I am sure that Siegfried would have been proud. You may have lost your way after his death, but it seems as though you have a newfound purpose."
'I guess she would know Grandfather better than most; she was the one who gave him his blessings in the first place.' He thought to himself.
"Yes, it is as you say. I wish to live up to Grandfather's legacy and honor his name." Alexander spoke solemnly.
The goddess looked at him with a sympathetic smile before speaking again.
"I'm pleased to hear that. I can see that he was a tough teacher, but I know that he cherished you above all else." She said as she reached out and patted him on the head.
He couldn't help but think about his grandfather's training. The old man had not been particularly gentle when he was training him. It was not uncommon for Alexander to return home bruised and battered.
Still, he always picked him back up and offered words of encouragement. It was tough love, but he may have died on the battlefield without it.
"He taught me everything I know. He told me much about you as well, Eve." Alexander smiled at the memories of his grandfather.
Eve's smile nearly fell off her face at his words. She had not been particularly kind while dealing with Siegfried. He was an abrasive man who had a problem with authority.
She still gave him an extremely powerful blessing, but her experiences with him were poor, to say the least.
The only reason she hadn't cast him out of the divine realm for his impudence was because behind his gruff exterior was a very capable and compassionate man.
Feeling that their time was running short and wanting to change the subject from what Siegfried thought of her, Eve moved on to the main reason he came here.
"There is so much I want to tell you, but you will unfortunately have to wait until we meet again." She said softly, sighing as she stood up and faced him.
"You have not come this far today just to reminisce with an old woman like me. You are here for a far more important purpose."
She took on a far more imposing and commanding presence, as if her previous demeanor was a lie.
She now radiated a suffocating aura of limitless power and authority. Gone was the overly familiar and doting woman from before.
Alexander shot up out of reflex, and the couch he previously sat on dissipated into nothingness.
The abrupt change in her disposition left him bewildered, but after hearing her next words, he forcibly regained his composure.
"You have come to receive your blessings, yes? And are you willing to pay the price for such power?"
