“Raffles...” I turned and left. I missed him too much, and it was suffocating.
I had gone to Silver Moon City for a year, so we had parted for a year. He had gone up to Silver Moon City, but I had never imagined that after such a brief reunion, I would fall into a distant place and be separated from him again.
It had been almost two years. So much time had pa.s.sed, I hadn"t even known his facial features had changed. It had been so long, I didn"t know what to say when I saw him. But I was going to see him now. I didn"t want to waste another second waiting.
My heart started racing. I only wanted to shorten my distance from Raffles with every step. Ghostie"s water cabin followed closely next to me.
Gehenna followed, but he was stopped by Gru. “Raffles… Raffles is Sis Luo Bing"s husband,” Gru said in an almost taunting manner, and Gehenna was stunned on the spot. “He"s a great scientist,” Gru continued, his voice filled with admiration. He chuckled lightly and walked out with me and Lucifer. I stopped, saying, “Gru, you and Lucifer stay behind.”
“Okay.”
In truth, they wouldn"t be able to stop the Ghost Eclipsers inside, but I couldn"t just leave those people without anyone to watch them.
Ghostie and I sped out from the invisible s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. Then, I hesitated; not about seeing Raffles, but about whether I could believe in Gehenna completely.
They hadn"t tried anything funny or resisted until then, because they had felt some trepidation about my superpower. But once I left…
I turned to look at the s.p.a.cecraft and touched the heart-shaped box at my waist. I trusted my gut feeling. I could tell Gehenna was cooperating with me mainly because his intention was probably to become the King of the Ghost Eclipsers. Only through becoming the king could he protect his women, his brothers, and the others close to him.
I could feel Vanish, Earl, and the other men"s intention to change the Ghost Eclipsers, too.
Vanish wanted to shake off the t.i.tle of Ghost Eclipser so that his wife wouldn"t feel conflicted. From listening to their casual chats, I could feel that the love between Vanish and his wife was strained. How could a woman who had been kidnapped by the Ghost Eclipsers fall for a Ghost Eclipser? And yet, the Ghost Eclipser had fallen for the woman.
Earl"s desire for knowledge was strong. Among the fifty members of Gehenna"s troop, only Earl could read, and he was more civilized than the others.
They might already have had children at their age. Because of their children, they naturally wished for the world to become a better place. As fathers, they hoped for a better life for their children - that they could be educated, and not forced to become Ghost Eclipsers like their parents.
No matter how scary a gangster might be, he would desire to provide his child with the best education and the safest living environment.
My hand left the heart-shaped box in the end. The night breeze blew my hair, and I turned to leave.
I believed in them and believed in myself, but I had to make them believe in me too. It was their desire to change the Ghost Eclipsers that made me trust them. In the end, we shared the same goal, and were traveling in the same direction.
Cutting through the night scene, Ice Dragon"s aircraft landed before me. I entered the craft, but Ghostie only stared at the huge water reservoir.
“Are you not feeling well?” I looked at him with concern in my eyes. He had been soaking in the water cabin all day. Even as a water ghost, he would feel uncomfortable if the water hadn"t been changed. Plus, he needed to excrete too.
He nodded and rubbed his arm. His skin looked dull. When the oxygen in the water diminished, his skin would become worse, and he would slowly lose his s.h.i.+ne.
I smiled and lifted him up using the aircraft.
We took off and hovered above the water reservoir that looked like a lake. When the cabin door opened, he leaped into the water reservoir. He jumped happily, sending up a curtain of water beads, and did a beautiful flip before diving back into the water. Ripples spread out across the surface of the reservoir.
He popped up on the water and waved at me. He seemed to be gesturing for me to leave him in peace and go ahead. I knew that he wanted to give me time to spend alone with Raffles.
Ghostie, you are just like Harry. Just like Harry...
Under the silent moonlight, the green gra.s.s swayed along with the breeze. Over the past few years, Noah City had turned the landscape green. Even so, the people of Noah City stayed cautious and lived underground. They didn"t plant any crops on the green land, to keep others from realizing that humans lived there.
I slowly drew nearer to Noah City. Silver Moon City"s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was parked silently before the city gate. Gale and the others had already entered the city.
Raffles was definitely worried sick. For those who had lost their parents, Elder Alufa had become like a grandfather.
I piloted the aircraft through the north entrance, becoming more nervous as the distance between Raffles and I grew shorter. I landed the craft and walked through the familiar entrance tunnel. It was quiet; most of the people had gone to watch the arrival of the people from Silver Moon City. They would do the same for every visit.
There should be some who were making arrangements for Ah Zong and the others to settle down. Ah Zong and the other guys were from Honeycomb; with my understanding of a.r.s.enal, they wouldn"t be put up somewhere in the East District, but rather would live separately from the people of Noah City.
Ice Dragon showed me that a.r.s.enal, Ah Zong, Gale, and the others were in a meeting.
I avoided the main route and ran along the upper levels towards the east, where Elder Alufa"s room was located. After some time, I finally stood in front of Elder Alufa"s door. I could hear Raffles" soft voice saying, “Grandpa, it"s great that you"re fine, but I really can"t leave Silver Moon City. I"m about to find out the truth!” Raffles"s voice had matured, too.
Truth…
Raffles was looking for the truth…
I gently pushed the door open.
Elder Alufa held Raffles"s hand, saying, “Raffles, you can"t go back to Silver Moon City."
“Why?” Raffles asked. He was still wearing the bracelet I had given him. His long grayish hair draped down his back, and he was wearing the blue ribbon I had once tied on Little Carl. The blue ribbon looked old, missing its former s.h.i.+ne.
I stood behind Raffles and watched him. Somehow, my breath caught in my throat. I missed him too much, and I felt guilty toward him. My feelings surged up from the bottom of my heart and weighed down on my chest. I was suffocating.
Raffles…
I"m sorry that I left you again. Do you still love me?
“Why did you suddenly tell me to come back? Did anything happen to Noah City? You can tell me directly.” Raffles gripped Elder Alufa"s hand firmly.
“Became I came back,” I suddenly said, and Raffles stiffened with shock.