Rudy placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.
"Listen, you are an important person to me."
"More important than Elena?"
SIGH!
"I should have expected that. Let me rephrase it." After a brief pause, he said, "You are a special person to me. Special than anyone else in this world. You are my Goddess, my queen, and my princess. Whatever I have done, I did it for you.
I don't know how long I can be with you, but don't lose hope. There will undoubtedly be tough times when you will feel like giving up. But you are strong. You have to be strong. Otherwise, this cruel world would destroy you.
But know that all that won't be in vain. One day, I will come to you and end everything. I will reward you for your hard work and your suffering. I will make you the happiest person in the world."
"Are you going… somewhere?" Rebecca asked reluctantly.
"I am not sure, but if I suddenly disappear, please don't think that I have abandoned you, Jessica, or Elena. I will meet you all again one day and make up for the loss you have suffered," he said calmly while looking into her eyes.
"But I… I don't want you to go…"
"I know. And I don't want to go either. You are my…" Rudy hugged Rebecca with teary eyes and said, "I… love you. I just remembered I have never said 'I love you' before. But it's a different love than I have for Elena. For now, I want you to focus on yourself and take care of Jessica, alright?"
Rebecca hugged Rudy back and hesitantly asked, "Where are you going…? Will you come back? Take me with you…"
Rudy felt something sharp on his fingers, so he looked at his hand and saw lightning was leaking out from the gap between his finger and his nail. He watched as the same thing happened with his other fingers.
'What's happening? I am losing my body?!'
Rudy's powers were emotion-based, and his feelings amplified his powers at his will. But something like that had never happened with Rudy.
He immediately used his restoration ability and fixed his body.
"Is everything okay?" Rebecca asked with an anxious look on her face.
Rudy hasn't moved for a minute, so she was concerned about him.'
"Yes, I am okay."
Rudy looked up at the sky and muttered, "It's evening already. Shall we go home now?"
"Okay…" she said with a gloomy face.
"You want to fly with me, right?" Rudy grinned at her and said, "So are you hopping on my back, or I carry you in my arms?"
"Which one is safer?"
"Both are safer. I am a great pilot with a five stars rating," he said with a smug face.
"Then… carry me in your arms…"
"Alrighty!"
Rudy picked Rebecca up and carried her in his arms like a princess. He looked at the sky and then looked at Rebecca to ask, "Are you ready?"
Rebecca nodded and closed her eyes.
"Come on, don't close your eyes. You are missing the fun."
Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and gulped down in fear.
"Don't worry. I was also afraid of heights before, but it's not that scary if you get used to it."
Rudy slowly took off and hovered in the air above the mountain hills.
The forest in the fountain was already the highest spot in the town, from where one could see almost the entire village. But now that Rudy was hovering even above the hills, the whole town was in clear view.
"Wow…" Rebecca awed. Her fear and anxiety vanished as soon as she laid her eyes on the scenery.
"Looking great, right?" Rudy asked.
"Yes! Look at the lakes! They look so small. I didn't know this entire town was covered by mountains and forests. And the farms look so green. There is also a river right outside the town."
Rebecca looked at Rudy and asked, "Where is our house? I can't find it."
She glanced around but couldn't recognize the area.
Rudy carried Rebecca with one hand and pointed his other hand in a certain direction.
"Do you see the lake near the forest?"
"Where? There are many lakes."
"Follow my finger."
"Oh! I see it! It looks so small!"
"Okay, now I am going even higher above the clouds so no one can see us."
After flying higher, all Rebecca could see was the floor of clouds.
"I want to touch the cloud!"
Rudy flew to the cloud and said, "Go ahead and touch it."
Rebecca tried to grab the cloud, but her hand passed through it.
"Why can't I touch it?"
"You are touching it, but you can't hold it. Clouds are not solid. They are just carrying water."
Rudy explained it in simple words so she didn't get confused.
"I was hoping for them to be fluffy and bouncy…" she muttered.
"That only happens in cartoons. If the clouds become even a little heavier than she should be, they will descend. But that doesn't happen often."
After flying for a few minutes and taking Rebecca around the time, they went home.
"Are you sure? We can fly more if you want."
"No. I want to go home and meet Jessica. But let's eat out at night!"
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Rudy asked in a low voice. "I am getting married."
"As long as you don't stop spoiling Jessica and me, I have no complaints. I am actually happy because… I see Elena as my big sister and a mother. I will have a full family after tomorrow," she said with a happy smile on her face.
Rudy and Rebecca entered the house, expecting Lilim and Jessica to jump on them, but much to their surprise, the house was empty.
"The school ended a few hours ago. Why are they still not home?" Rebecca wondered with an anxious look on her face.
"Don't worry. They are probably with Elena as she knows no one will be at home. Let me call her."
