Chapter 948 - The Greatest Gift
Belle became silent as they drew closer to their final destination.
It was a place that was very familiar to her. Perhaps, it was even more familiar to her than it was to William. When she was young, she would often go there to accompany her father because her mother was too busy handling their business to take care of her.
Although she had a hunch that William would come to this place, she still felt melancholic as they descended from the sky and landed on the rooftop of the hospital that belonged to her family.
"It's quite unfortunate that it's not sunset at the moment," William said as he looked up at the clear blue sky that extended in all directions. "Still, it's not so bad."
William's body was constantly emitting a refreshing breeze, which warded away the heat of the sun. Just to be on the safe side, he also cast a protective barrier around Belle to prevent her from getting sunburn and heatstroke.
"Your father told me that I would often come here to think when I was still in this hospital," William explained. "I don't know if he is just messing with me, but since I don't have my past memories of this place, I decided to believe him for now.
"Ah. He was also the one that told me about the orphanage. It was his idea that I should visit these places before I returned to Hestia."
William chuckled as he gazed at the city where he had lived for most of his past life.
"Although I can't remember anything about this place, I think I have a vague idea why I visit this place from time to time when I was still confined in the hospital." William sighed. "I don't know if your father told you about me, but according to him, I suffered from a very rare lung disease. It was a terminal illness, and back then, I only had a few months to live.
"I'm sure that I might have felt really sad during those times. Perhaps, thoughts of jumping off this roof might have also crossed my mind back then."
Belle hugged William and rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't say anything and simply showed her support to her beloved as he voiced the thoughts in his mind.
"Your father… told me that I made a deal with him to donate my heart, and other healthy organs to children who were suffering from diseases," William said softly. "I'm sure that 'the me' back then decided to go all out in order to repay the people that had played an important part in my life. Of course, one of those beneficiaries was the Smiles Orphanage where I had been raised."
The Half-Elf closed his eyes as if trying to unearth the memories he had of this place, but nothing came to mind. It seemed as though all of his memories, except for the memory of their time in the countryside, had vanished completely.
"Belle, I am happy that, even now, my heart beats for you." William could hear, and feel, the beating of his heart that had been transplanted inside his wife's body.
It made him happy, knowing that he had been with her even after he had crossed over to the afterlife.
"It is the greatest gift that I received from someone," Belle replied as she looked up at William. "Thank you for giving me a second chance at life."
The two kissed once again and held each other in a loving embrace.
After a while, Belle lightly caressed Wiliam's chest before asking a question.
"How long do we have?" Belle asked.
The Half-Elf glanced at the timer that was ticking away on his status page and told her the answer to her question.
—--
—--
"Forty-nine minutes," William answered. "Is there a place where you want to go? We still have time."
"Let's go back home," Belle stated. "And spend the remaining time inside my room."
William smiled as he nodded his head. "Understood."
—--
"Great Grandpa, it's time for us to go," Stella said while holding Maple's and Cinnamon's hands. "You don't need to escort us in the void."
"Don't worry about me." James chuckled. "I'm just sightseeing in the void. Making sure that my great grandkids return home safely is not a big deal."
Stella smiled because she had already expected that something like this would happen. Since James had already made up his mind, there was nothing that they could do to stop him from doing what he wanted.
"Let's go," Raizel said as she summoned Gleipnir to create a protective bubble that encompassed her, Stella, Maple, and Cinnamon. "Maple, Cinnamon, open the passage to the void."
"Maple understands!" Maple raised her hand.
"Cinnamon, too!" Cinnamon also raised her hand to imitate her sister.
James looked with great curiosity at what his great grandkids were about to do. When he saw Maple and Cinnamon wandering in the void. He already knew that the twins were not ordinary children.
No one could take a stroll in the void as if they were just walking in their own backyard. Even James had to rely on Sleipnir to cross through the void safely.
The two pink-haired girls started to sing. A moment later, the air trembled as a small portal, the size of a basketball ball appeared in front of them. With every second that passed, the portal grew bigger and bigger.
When Maple and Cinnamon finished singing, a portal that was three meters tall, and wide, appeared in front of them.
With a wave of Raizel's hand, the bubble she and her sisters were standing in flew towards the portal. Gleipnir would protect them from unexpected mishaps that could happen while they journeyed through the void.
The earlier incident that had separated Maple and Cinnamon from them was a painful lesson that Stella and Raizel learned the hard way. They had spent considerable time looking for their little sisters in the void.
Fortunately, James was passing by and found Maple and Cinnamon along the way. With Sleipnir's ability, it was able to locate Raizel and Stella in the void as well, and the sisters had a tearful reunion after James had arrived with the twins in tow.
This was also why James decided to escort his great grandchildren. If anything unexpected happened, he would be there to offer his support and allow them to return to their timeline safely.
James lightly tapped Sleipnir's neck, and his mount followed the girls as they passed through the portal. Just as soon as the old man appeared in the void, he glanced back at the portal that was slowly becoming smaller and smaller.
The time for his short vacation on Earth was over, and it was now time to resume his mission. However, before doing that, he would ensure that his great grandkids safely returned to their timeline.
As for William, James wasn't too worried about his grandson. He knew that his grandson wanted to spend his remaining time with his wife, so he didn't bother to bid goodbye to him.
As he escorted his great grandkids through the void, the Half-Elf and the black-haired beauty returned to the Parker Residence to spend the time they had left inside Belle's room.
The two of them had learned a lot from their last parting, and were using what remaining time they had to create more wonderful memories, before William would be forced to return to Hestia and bid his beloved wife goodbye.