The Old Scholar

Stepping through the portal, Leilani found herself in the middle of a vast and sprawling field, the sky was bright blue and there were animals of different sizes and species galloping across the plains or flying high in the sky. Alongside the animals were angels that had crimson wings and golden halos with golden robes to boot, truly hitting home that this was Ragneus dimension. 

“Welcome to my realm! Leilani!” The old looking god welcomed her as they arrived in his home, his face wearing a gigantic smile 

“It really is lively, so much life in this dimension…truly something one needs to see at least once in their life” Leilani replied, a bit of her former mature side coming out. 

“Hehehe, thank you for the compliment little one” He added as he patted her on the head and began leading the way, 

As they walked through the field, Leilani marveled at the sights in the distance, conclaves of angels flew in unison across the sky, with large behemoths slowly walking across the land, their steps shaking the ground with each contact. She even caught a glimpse of herds of animals running across the fields, their majestic beauty filling her eyes and leaving her speechless and smiling at the sight. 

Ragneus glanced back and smiled to himself that the mortal who was to save them seemed to be already enjoying herself, telling himself that he had to pull out all the stops during this tour. 

After a while of just blissful walking, the two of them reached a large glass dome building in the middle of a valley, surrounded by thick and lush greenery. Ragneus smirked as he saw Leilani’s jaw drop at the size of the massive structure. 

“Welcome to my place little one, this is called the Ark of Life, follow me” He instructed as they walked through the large wooden doors and stepped into the facility. 

Stepping inside, Leilani’s eyes widened and her already surprised expression became greater as she was treated to the sight of angels wearing lab coats and fluttering around the dome, carrying papers and or animals in their arms, with cabinets and shelves levitating mid-air as well, with some angels flying up to them and storing papers inside. Then on the ground floor, inside a sunken portion of the place called the “Valley” was a set of eight smaller glass domes surrounding one gigantic one in the middle, the sounds of animals of all kinds filling the air as they continued further in. with the two of them coming to rest on a railing as they were on the platform before it descended into the valley of domes 

“This is where the magic happens, inside each of those eight glass domes in front of us houses every single type of creature and being I have ever created. From the smallest insects to the greatest apex predators and beasts that roam the world, all of them are catalogued and studied by my angels, who then store away our findings and keep them all in very organized drawers, and each piece of that information will be given to you of course” 

“That’s cool” Leilani replied with a large smile, the old scientist and researcher inside her was bouncing around with joy

“It is, isn’t it? I know what every single one of my creations does but it does not hurt to just continue seeing their limits and testing them, oh, and if you are wondering if the testing was humane, it is. I am the God of Creation and I care for my creations” 

“But what about the beasts and monsters of the world? The ones that my tribe and many others hunt and kill and who hunt and kill us in return?” Leilani asked him 

“Ahh, that is what the massive dome in the center is for, it stores the terrifying beasts and monsters I create to bring balance to the world. You see little one, the world is sustained by many complex factors that ensure that we are not caught in the tide of the void or worse yet, unravel from reality. But I leave that explanation to Santomin when it is her turn since she is the smartest amongst us gods. But know that I love all my creations but that love is not eternal, if a creation does evil it will earn my ire and scorn, if they do good then I will love them with all. That is how the world works” Ragneus finished as he looked back down at the mortal next to him 

“That makes sense, I too would be mad if a creation of mine goes off the rails and commits evil, but considering you created humanity and the other species that walk this world, you must already be angry” 

“Hahahahaha! You are right, I am already angry but I cannot do much about it, the calculations that keep this world afloat demand us gods to be impartial, so that is what we do” 

“But what about those that pray to you? Do you not answer them?” 

“We do, but in a limited capacity, for if we were to grant the prayers of all, none would come true as the energy in their prayers counteracts and cancels each other out, but I say again to ask that question to Santomin as she knows it more in-depth than any of us” 

“Hmmm I see, but back to my questions. Are there any creations that you have made that you have chosen not to send down to the world?” 

“Oh of course! There have been hundreds of them that I deemed too extreme or underwhelming for the world, but instead of deleting them from existence, I merely keep them here in my realm as guardians to reinforce the angels” 

“Ohhhh. That is an understandable thing to do” Young Leilani nodded as she continued to look at the massive domes in the distance. 

“I am glad you understand, so why don’t we explore those domes eh?” 

“Alright!” 

Descending down into the valley of domes, Leilani was treated to the sight of hundreds of thousands of animals and flora of all kinds that were present or yet to be released onto the world. She saw animals of differing colors, some vibrant and awe-inspiring while others were dark and foreboding, she saw animals that had no legs, one leg, a pair of legs, quadrupedal, decapods, and even twelve-legged creatures. Her eyes gazed upon numerous types of species from all walks of life, whether they were predators or prey. Continuing through the domes she saw the mighty creatures of the sea that were either gigantic or minuscule in size, and even the mighty avian species that also ranged from the colossal to the small.

The entire experience was dazzling as the old scientist and researcher inside her was jumping for joy as she inquired with the angels who were overseeing the animals, all of them happy that a mortal had such fascination in their line of work. All of this excited and awed her as she felt that there was going to be so much to explore and learn in this new world. 

Finally, after a long and extensive tour, Ragneus and Leilani stood before the last dome in the center of the valley. 

“Beyond these doors are the mightiest and most destructive creations I have ever made so far” Ragneus stated as they looked upon the doors

“Does that exclude the double-tailed Scorpios on the way here?” Leilani joked 

“Ha, that was but a taste” 

“Are we heading inside it?” 

“Sadly not as of the moment, Dashran is about to arrive to pick you up, but do not worry. I promise that over the years of your life, you will learn about every single thing there is to know about this world, and I am speaking for all of us” the old looking god continued as he got down on one knee and looked down at her 

“I see..Oh! What about my blessing? Are you not going to give me one?” 

“Hahahaha! Fret not little one, you will get to choose after you see all of our realms, so hold onto that for now” Ragneus replied with a hearty smile. 

Suddenly, a burst of colors blasted into the sky outside the structure, the sounds of the explosion being heard all the way inside, 

“Ah, seems that he is here, come along, let us get to the entrance so I can hand you off” 

Both of them then walked back outside and saw Dashran excitedly jittering as he saw Leilani, both of them could see sparks flying off his shoulders and fingertips. His rainbow-colored body shifting into colors of excitement and glee, 

“Hey there Leilani! Did you have fun touring the Ark of Life?” the young god asked her

“Yeah! It made the old researcher and scientist in me jump for joy and scream internally with happiness” the young girl answered with a smile, making Ragneus smirk as he stood behind her 

“Alrighty then, I will hand her over to you Dashran, don’t do anything stupid now” Ragneus told him as he gave him a smile 

VWOOOM!

“Of course! I would never do such a thing, c’mon Leilani! Through here!” The young god stated as he opened a rainbow-colored portal to his realm and jumped right through it. 

“I’m coming!, Thanks for the tour Ragneus!” she answered as she ran into the portal and disappeared along with it. 

“Hahaha. Looks like our creator really chose right” Ragneus remarked as he walked back to the dome. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Coming out of the portal and being caught in Dashran’s arms, Leilani’s eyes fell upon the realm she was now in. 

She found herself on a large and long walkway that extended into the distance, with the end of the walkway leading to a large tree floating on a golden platform before splitting off into roads to other smaller trees on floating platforms. But the rest of the realm was nothing but midnight blue with a sea of stars filling the empty spaces to brighten it up. 

“Welcome to my realm Leilani!” Dashran excitedly exclaimed as he set her down and gestured to the world around them 

“Those trees in the distance are called the “Elemental Trees” as they are dedicated to every single element in the world” he added as they began walking forward, 

“But what about that one” Leilani asked as she turned behind and saw the road behind her led to a lone tree floating on a silver platform 

“Oh, that’s just my home. No need to worry about that” Dashran replied as he continued forward, prompting Leilani to sprint to catch up with him 

“Anyways, those trees up ahead. Each of them is dedicated to the elements that are present in this world, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, with the biggest one in the middle being the Master Tree that holds all of them and their sub-elements” Dashran explained as they continued, the trees in the distance getting larger and larger. 

But suddenly, Dashran stopped walking and peered over the edge of the walkway, making the young mortal curious

“Is there something wrong?” 

{!}

Without hesitation or an answer, Dashran leaped over the side, his rainbow body disappearing as Leilani rushed over to try and peer down to see where he had gone. 

BOOM!

{!}

Suddenly, a loud thud came from behind Leilani who quickly looked behind her and saw Dashran in the sky above, rapidly coming down with a giant streaking rainbow-colored trail following behind him,

“WahoooO!” he shouted as he descended, eventually landing with a loud BANG as he hit the walkway. 

“What the fuck!?” Leilani cursed as Dashran landed

“Hehehe…sorry, couldn’t resist it” he replied with a wry smile

“Couldn’t resist what?! Suicide!????” Leilani continued as her eyes were wide and her expression was that of confusion 

“Ok, ok, I am sorry. But in my defense, I always wanted to do that. I designed it so that if someone falls or jumps off they just get teleported to the top of the realm and descend back down to the walkway, trust me it is faster than just walking. Plus, it will not harm you in any way” 

“What the fuck!” the young mortal still shouted after hearing his explanation

“Try it for yourself, trust me. It is an amazing feeling” 

“No!”

“Pleasee” the young god pleaded as he clasped his hands together and tried making puppy dog eyes, which were not seen in the slightest due to his multicolored form 

“No” Leilani still refused

“Pleaseeee! I don’t get many visitors and I wanna impress you!” he added as he got on his knees 

“Sigh…Fine” Leilani gave in, understanding what it felt like in his position as it was something she had seen and done a lot during her time in her old world

“Yay!” Dashran replied with a smile as he got up and started doing a little jig 

“But, I am doing this because it feels weird that a god more than a hundred years of age is kneeling before a thirteen-year-old kid” she added as she neared the ledge

“Aww, that doesn’t matter to me. But thank you anyway Leilani!” Dashran added as he hugged her, something she did not hate and returned as well

After pulling out of the hug, Leilani braced herself as she neared the ledge, glanced back at Dashran who nodded her on and jumped off the walkway. 

She felt herself descending for a few moments before she felt an invisible force pull her and rapidly transport her in an instant, with the view switching from the infinite void below to a view above the walkway and the trees, the feeling of gravity pulling her back down to the walkway. She also felt a thin layer of air coat her in a protective shell as she descended with the trail following behind her shimmering a grand crimson with black lightning. 

“Woooo!” she shouted as she descended, the feeling really kicking in as she glided from side to side on the way down,

‘God this is just like Apex, except without the jumpjets’ she thought as she continued to descend, but instead of heading straight to Dashran, she began descending toward the tree at the end of the walkway before it split in four separate roads. 

Dashran saw this and began booking it to meet her there, transforming into a four-winged bird with a sharp beak to fly fast. 

Landing at the base of the tree, Leilani met up with the young god and she was very giddy about the experience 

“Hahahaaa. Seems you were right about the feeling” she exclaimed as she leaned against a piece of bark to catch her breath

“See? It was, wasn’t it? Anyways, now that we are here. Let’s give you a tour around” he added as he escorted her onto a lift that led into the tree. 

Stepping off the lift, Leilani was treated to the sight of hundreds of different colored spirits of different shapes and sizes moving around the gigantic room, the spirits carrying papers, pipes, tubes, and other objects that the young mortal could not figure out their shape. The spirits continued their work after they all took a quick glance at their creator and gave him a bow before resuming their duties, with some going inside small tubes with what they were carrying and then using those tubes to be transported to the other trees, 

“Huh, seems very busy” Leilani remarked as she looked around and followed Dashran 

“Yeah, when the world relies on elemental magic, it draws power and energy from this place, the little guys here help me keep track of the energy that is drawn and make sure that it goes smoothly” 

“So does this mean there is a finite amount that can be drawn everyday?” 

“Oh no, this place naturally regenerates more mana than is consumed, kind of like an infinite overflowing fountain, you can grab as much as you can but it will never truly run dry. But it also depends on someone’s mana pool, and I am in charge of that” the young god answered 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, there is a sublevel here in the tree, that is where the mana pools for creations are made, the mana pools are decided through a randomizer system that creates a specific mana pool that is to be used and attached to the being sent down for creation. But in case you are still confused here is a simpler version” Dashran continued as they walked near a whiteboard and pulled out a pen

“Basically, we receive the shipments of empty husks of life, such as their bodies and shells. We then attach a mana pool that has been randomized through a randomization machine and then bind it to the husk alongside a randomized specific type of element or elements they are mainly going to use. After that, the husks are sent over to Armenakis to breathe into them their new souls and cast a death rune on them and then to Santomin to give them minds that can give them wisdom before they are sent down to the world. I remember when it came to your body, we followed special instructions to create a being that can rival us at her peak. Meaning you Leilani have the largest mana pool this realm has ever created and it has been outfitted to house every single element. And honestly, that was some of my best work yet as all of us gods were responsible in crafting that body, Ragneus gave your body super dense and enhanced muscles and bones and skin. Making sure you can dish out as much as you can take. I do not know what Armenakis did nor Santomin but you can ask them later” he finished as he capped his pen and set it down

“I can show you the process later, but for now let’s go check on the rest of the trees” 

“Alright then” 

The two of them then began walking to each tree, Leilani marveling at the spirits filing away papers and monitoring crystals and machinery that gave accurate readings about the amounts of energy being drawn from the realm to be used in those specific elements. After marveling at the tree that housed the fire elements, Leilani looked up at the young god, a curious expression on her face

“So let me get this straight, each of the trees monitors the amount of mana being drawn for their specific element?”

“Yep, and we record the amounts drawn and file them away as to make sure that if there are any fluctuations we know that something big is going down and thus adjust accordingly as a failure to provide the correct amount of mana that is required for a spell can cause complications and may lead to irreparable damage to the world. If I explain more then your head will go boom, so let’s stop here” Dashran answered her as they continued walking. 

The next half hour was spent walking and inspecting the other elemental trees, with Leilani learning and digesting every single detail there was to learn in the process of how mana was used in the world and how it was provided by the realm, with her making several mental notes and questions she would ask later on when she had the time. 

Reaching the main tree again, Dashran turned to her and looked down at her

“I almost forgot, before we head down to the sublevel, I will explain this tree’s purpose. As it is called the Master Tree, this entire tree is well, the main source when it comes to monitoring and giving out the mana and energy necessary for spells, incantations, and runes, this tree can do the job of the other four combined and it houses all of the sub-elements as I had said earlier, this tree also controls the other four and if this one shuts down which is unlikely since I am around, but if it shuts down the other four follow and that's where that tree you saw earlier when we arrived comes into play” 

“You see, it is not only my personal residence, it is a generator that will keep the realm functioning in the event I die, and will be working until another god is made to replace me” 

“Oh…that is, wow” Leilani replied, unsure what to make of the information

“Yeah, wow. But anyways, let’s head down to the sublevel as I am pretty sure Armenakis is waiting for you now” he stated as he escorted her onto the lift and pressed a button that sent them further down, into the platform the tree was resting on. 

Stepping off the lift, Leilani saw a large conveyor belt-style floor and there were hundreds of thousands of elementals working. Some were inspecting the husks that had just arrived, all of them of different animals and beasts, as it was cleared they were sent further down the line to another group of elementals who grafted special black bowls that were placed inside the husks before passing further down the line to another group that branded the black bowls with stamps of different color, then resealing the husks and sending it down the line to repackage and send to the realm of Armenakis. 

“So those black bowls..”

“Oh those are mana pools, and no, if you dissect a person or beast you will not find them, they are like souls, you have them but you cannot see them, but just like souls you can feel them” 

“Ahh, but how are they made?” 

“Through that machine there” Dashran pointed at a large mechanical machine at the far end of the room making whirring and shunting sounds

The machine made those noises only for a bit before it opened a hatch on the left-hand side and tumbling out came a bunch of different-sized bowls that were then picked up and ran through a scanner that marked the bowl for which individual and being. 

“Huh, so that’s how it's done. And the mana bowls are randomized?” 

“Yep, the scanner over there randomizes the user from one to a hundred then decides which to give based on the number” 

But as Dashran finished his explanation, an elemental walked up to him and whispered something in his ear

“Ah, seems that my time is up, Armenakis can’t contain herself anymore and wishes to see you” the young god smiled as he opened up a portal next to them,

“Thank you for the tour Dashran! I will see you soon!” Leilani bid as she stepped into the portal with a happy smile. 

“Hehehe, see you soon Leilani” he replied as the portal closed. 

 

A/N: Hey there! so here is the next chapter and it was one I enjoyed writing. sorry once again for the slow uploads as my main series and college are taking a good amount of my time, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! thanks for being patient and as always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!