The Old Scholar

Stepping through the portal, Leilani was hit with a sense of relief and eternal peace which unnerved her for a moment as her true feelings towards herself spilled out for a brief moment, a horrendous mental sludge of self-hatred and anger towards herself surfaced only for a moment before they were driven back down by her sense of duty and her personality and her own feelings to continue living for the world and for her beloved. She stepped onto the fluffy white clouds that formed the base of Heaven, looking at the pearly gates in the distance which were illuminated by a warm golden glow that was easy on the eyes and gave a feeling of peace and tranquility. The sky above her was an amazing tapestry of stars that spanned as far as the eye could see, it was a beautiful canvas of red, purple, green, gold, and every other color in existence that brought a sense of joy and ease to those who looked up at it. 

She walked towards those pearly gates and as she stood before them, looking up at the large ginger-haired angel wearing a white robe and golden halo above his head who was busy looking at a list for the arrivals of today. 

"Hey there Remus" Leilani said as she looked up at him 

"Oh! Miss Leilani! What brings you here?" Remus asked as he looked up from the paper and smiled as he looked down at her 

"I am here to speak to someone, where is Sigismund?" She asked the angel as she gave a warm smile 

"Ah! Of course, Sigismund is still on his personal cloud with his family, I will bring an angel to help escort you there" Remus said as he waved his hand and a young angel man with silver hair appeared before Leilani 

"Hi there! I am Ariel and I will take you to Sigismund Crete and his family" The young angel said as he flashed her a smile and then bowed to her 

"Please, leader the way then" Leilani replied with a nod of her own, waving bye to Remus as she followed Ariel past the pearly gates and into Heaven proper 

Inside Heaven proper, Leilani found herself on a cloud being commanded by Ariel that flew over the paradise for so many and their families, Leilani saw so many familiar faces below the cloud and as much as she wanted to join them in peace for all eternity, she still had reasons to live for and things to do, she was not going just abandon all of it just to finally rest, she had made it this far and she was not going to stop now, not until everything was done and she was satisfied to see the world's progress. 

They continued for a good while until Leilani was dropped off at a cloud that held a golden door on it, emblazoned on a plaque hanging on the door were the words 

Sigismund Crete and Bellephrone Crete 

Leilani let out a sigh as she braced herself mentally. She knew what she was about to ask her old friend, she knew that what she was about to do would violate the promises she had made to him, but despite these facts, her heart raged for the chance to finally put the nails in the coffin for the Order of Sigismund, they had gone too far now and she was not about to stand idle this time. Come Hell or Highwater. 

"Right then, let's get this done with" She muttered to herself as she placed her hand on the doorknob

Opening the door, Leilani felt the brisk brush of air flutter by her as she entered the realm where Sigismund resided. She found herself smack dab in the middle of an open field and her eyes were greeted by the sight of a medium-sized house that sat at the edge of a clearing right next to a massive forest, with the back of the house facing the forest and the front of the house facing a large clearing which was filled with rolling plains of grass where she currently stood, with a massive city in the far distance behind her. There was a small rocky pathway that led to the house in the distance and as she walked along the pathway, she saw a pair of people in rocking chairs sitting side by side and enjoying the moment they were in together. A small faint smile appeared on Leilani's face as she recognized the two people there. 

One was a young man with golden locks that were long enough to reach his shoulders, he had a lanky and tall build that served as the perfect camouflage for his powerful magic skill, he was dressed in a white robe that had a blue interior with a pair of brown loafers. Sitting next to him was a beautiful woman wearing a black robe with matching golden shoes and her ginger hair was tied neatly in a braid that was resting on her shoulder and her hand was clutching the man's hand gently. 

They rocked back and forth in unison as the brisk wind rushed by them like a pleasant dream, they had their eyes closed as Leilani began walking from the clearing and those eyes opened once she set foot on the first stone of the pathway. 

"Hello there....old friends" Leilani called out to them, her right hand slightly up and waving slowly 

"Well I'll be damned...you finally came" Sigismund remarked with a wide smile as he looked at her 

"Hello there Leilani" Bellephrone greeted with a nod before she and her husband stood up and walked towards her 

"Sorry it took me so long to visit you both" Leilani said as she embraced the two of them, a smile on her face as she enjoyed the warmth filling her heart for a moment 

"Come inside, join us for some paradise refreshments" Bellephrone said as she gestured to their humble home 

"I...That would be lovely then, please, lead the way" The Dean replied with a hesitant nod before following them inside the house 

Although she did her best to hide the tsunami of emotions building up inside her, both Sigismund and Bellephrone could already see the cracks showing in her usually steadfast and confident expression, the subtle shifting of her feet and the light clenching in her fists told them all they needed to know, their best friend was in pain and had come here for a reason other than just a visit like she had promised at their graves so long ago. 

The trio sat around a simple wooden table which was circular, in the center of the table was a blueberry cheesecake which the couple knew was Leilani's favorite and one that Bellephrone quickly whipped up with her magic and cut out three slices for herself, her husband, and their good friend, alongside a trio of cups that contained some Honey-Malter alcohol they used to drink with back when the couple was still alive. The two of them sat across Leilani, smiles on their faces as they could see Leilani's nervous expression under the smile she flashed from time to time, unsure of what to say or even do to start the conversation. 

"So...." Leilani began 

"So" 

"So" The couple replied 

"I...I notice that little Isaiah and Lousina are not here. Are they busy playing somewhere?" The Dean asked as she looked at both of them 

"Oh, they uhh..." 

"They reincarnated Leilani" Bellephrone answered her 

"Oh! Reincarnated....where? If you wish I can-" 

"Not here Leilani, they were reincarnated in your previous world, wiped of their memories, new identities, new lives, the whole shebang" Sigismund replied 

"Oh....wait, my previous world? I don't recall telling you both I was from another world" Leilani remarked 

"Oh no you are right you didn't" 

"We just found out because of the company here in Heaven, especially your Mother and Father, Aunty Kalani and Uncle Malikei" Bellephrone answered her with a small smile 

"Ah, they always were a chatty pair, even back when I was a child" Leilani remarked with a soft smile as she lovingly remembered her parents 

"But, enough of the pleasantries for now...tell us Leilani, you have come here for something else no?" Sigismund asked, with him and his wife seeing the First and Only Scholar of Santomin freeze as she stared down at the floor 

"Was I that obvious?" Leilani asked them with a defeated smile as she looked up at both of them, her eyes betraying the immense guilt and anguish that was mixed with tremendous maternal anger 

"Just a little" Sigismund replied with a small smile 

"Well, since it is out in the open now. Yes, I have come here to ask you for something my old friend" 

"You want my blessing to destroy my order right?" 

Leilani said nothing but she simply gave a small nod that affirmed his question. Bellephrone looked at her husband, the two of them looking as if they had expected something like this for quite a while now. 

"I am honestly baffled at how long you were able to tolerate them ever since they went downhill my old friend" Sigismund remarked as he took a bite of his cake 

"I only tolerated them for so long because of the promise I made to you Sigismund, that I would just let it be..." 

"Yes, and while I am honored that you have upheld that portion of the promise, I must say I am saddened by the fact that you have allowed them to continue existing because of it. The order is no longer what it once was, hell it's too far from it at this point. I will not lie, it did its job, it provided enlightenment and brought a better level of learning to the land, but I know when an apple has gone bad. Leilani, I built that organization to help spread enlightenment, and what they did to your son's library is not that, it is so far from it. So please, do not worry that I will ask you to spare them, hell I wouldn't even ask you to redeem them. I want you, no the WORLD needs you to put a stop to them" Sigismund said as he looked her straight in the eyes, the burning fire that laid bare was something she could see from miles away, the same resolve that she saw when he was alive

"So...you give me your permission? Despite that promise?" 

"To hell with that promise! I should have told you to fucking annihilate them once they started tarnishing my name dammit!" The former human scholar said as he slammed his fist onto the table, the silverware and plates bounced, causing Bellephrone to shoot him a look that made him regret that action 

"Look Leilani. We have watched as that organization has done horrendous things in my husband's name, a far cry from what we originally wanted. Do not feel bad about doing what needs to be done, we don't hold anything against you. In fact, we owe many things to you ever since we discovered who you truly were through the conversations with your family. To think you had so much on your shoulders despite our requests, our arguments and our petty troubles, you chose to always help us...the mental fortitude to just keep pushing after that and continue serving the world is immense" 

"Not to mention the fact that you of all people have the power to rule the world under on flag, yet you chose not to...you allowed people to live their lives independently and thus allowed me and Belle to carve our own paths and make our legacies" 

"The world owes so much to you, we owe so much to you. I don't think it is fair for you to ask us for permission when you have done more than we could have ever hoped to achieve in a single lifetime" 

"Please both of you, do not belittle yourselves, both of you have done so much for the world as I have" 

"And yet the stewardship still remains in your hands because there is no one that can do it as well as you have. Leilani, you don't need our permission to do what needs to be done. The Order has run its course and we are glad it was able to help people before it turned to shit. So please, do what you will Leilani to remove its stain from the world and once you are done, we can have a more pleasant talk" 

Leilani stayed silent as she heard the words from her friends, they could see the sincerity and the resoluteness in their eyes as they told her these things. There was no malice, no anger, or even disgust aimed at her from their gazes and words, in fact, she saw regret and sadness as they told her they owed her so much for her actions. She hadn't even brought up her question but it seemed that it was already answered, she nodded her head and turned her gaze downward towards the blueberry cheesecake still untouched until now. 

She let a small smile form on her face as she picked up the fork and took a bite, her emotions fading away as she savored the sweet taste of the cheesecake in her mouth, it was even cold which was a bonus as it added a delightful factor into the mix. She looked at the two of them once more and her uneasy and nervous expression shifted into one that was resolute and determined. Taking in all the words that they had said, she was in her right to destroy the Order of Sigismund by this point but that didn't sit right with her still. 

"I will destroy the order, and replace it with something better" She told them as she took another bite, seeing their faces look at her with large grins on them 

"Oh? And what will this new order be called?" Sigismund asked with crossed arms and a smile as he leaned into his chair 

"The Order of Bellephrone. In honor of the two of you, I know there is no order that has been dedicated to you Belle, so think of it as a final gift from me to you both" Leilani answered him as she looked at Belle who had a small smile on her face 

"I see, well. If it's named after my lovely wife, that would be just fine" Sigismund said as he planted a kiss on his beloved's cheek that was returned with interest 

"Right. With this all settled, I will be leaving you both now. I am grateful for the talk and I will come visit you all when it is on a less damaging topic. Thank you, Sigismund and Bellephron, I will take my leave" Leilani said as she stood up and then embraced her two friends 

"Thank you as well Leilani, for everything. And our apologies for the mess that is now on your lap" 

"You don't need to worry. I will deal with it, and once I am done, I shall place something brighter in its place, I will make sure of that" The Dean said as she smiled at the two of them before walking away

As she disappeared from their realm, the couple stood on the porch of their humble home, hand-in-hand as they turned to one another, small smiles on their faces as they kissed one another and then returned back to sitting on their rocking chairs. 

"It seems what Aunty Kalani said was right, despite everyone saying they forgive her or telling her she doesn't need our forgiveness. She still holds it close to her heart and asks for it anyway. It seems she still does not forgive herself for her past failures" Bellephrone said as she looked at her beloved 

"Well, I think it just adds more to her in all honesty, it makes sure that she keeps herself grounded and not too ambitious...unlike we were my darling" Sigismund remarked as he looked at her back

A/N: New Chapter. Enjoy! Hehehehe