In the hushed ambiance of the nearly empty restaurant, Eric and Erika upied a corner booth. The threat of the monster attack had left most customers fleeing for safety, leaving the siblings with an almost private dining experience.
Eric ordered his chosen dish, as did Erika, and as they awaited their meals, their attention was absorbed by their smartphones.
Erika nced up from her phone and shared the recent message with Eric. "Aunt Reba agreed to move to the castle," she ryed the news, her voice tinged with a mix of acknowledgement.
Eric nodded, his eyes never leaving the screen of his phone. "Yeah, she sent me a text too."
Erika pondered for a moment, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I guess... it''s safe to assume she has also given up hope of Rudy''s return. Everyone has finally moved on," She couldn''t help but inquire further, her voiceced with a touch of mncholy. "Isn''t it sad?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Eric, his eyes flicking up from his phone, shook his head as if to brush away unwee thoughts. "Don''t ask me."
Erika was not easily deterred. She was well aware of theplex feelings that surrounded the situation. "Rudy was our father. Even if you don''t want to ept that, the reality won''t change," she stated firmly, her gaze unwavering.
Eric''s tone was harsh, reflective of his internal turmoil. "Yeah, I don''t want to ept that my best friend... is my father. Just thinking about it makes me want to kill him!"
Erika''s response was softer, her words carrying a weight of understanding. "He''s already gone," she sighed, recognizing the pain and confusion that had apanied the revtion.
Erika sighed, realizing theplexity of her brother''s emotions. A few months after Rudy''s mysterious disappearance, Elena had gathered everyone in the castle to reveal the truth. It was during this emotional meeting that she finally disclosed to Eric and Erika the startling revtion that Rudy was their father.
"Why are you so upset about this? It''s not like he and mom were having a secret affair behind our backs. They were in a rtionship even before we were born," Erika stated matter-of-factly, her voice carrying the wisdom of eptance.
Eric''s frustration simmered just below the surface, and he spoke with a mixture of perplexity and annoyance. "That changes nothing. I still don''t understand why you''re so chill about this, but it''s too much for me. I''d rather not talk about it."
Erika, however, refused to let the matter rest. "When we were kids, Mom had told us that our father would return one day. She could have said our father died, but she didn''t. Of course, I would have hated our father too if he had left Mom for no reason, but that wasn''t the case. Rudy had time-traveled in the past, and that''s why he couldn''t stay. It wasn''t his fault.
It wasn''t under his control. Besides, it''s not like we had a terrible childhood or anything. Mom was wealthy, and we had a fair upbringing. In fact, it was Rudy who had a struggling childhood."
Eric brushed her words aside, his discontent clear. "Yeah, yeah. Rudy was the victim of everything. I bet he only came to y at our house for Mom. Maybe whenever he had sleepovers at our house, he and Mom were doing things behind our backs. I''m as angry at Mom as I am at Rudy."
Erika, however, remained steadfast in her defense of Elena and Rudy. "Mom already rified that Rudy had no memories of that. He remembered everything after the ne crash incident."
Eric''s skepticism persisted. "Why should we believe that? I''m honestly having a hard time believing everything. Rudy could have chosen not to impregnate Mom. He knew she was our mother, and still, he..." Eric''s voice trailed off, ending with a frustrated sigh.
Erika met her brother''s frustration with a calm assurance. "Had he not impregnated Mom, we wouldn''t have been born. If anything, I''m d that Rudy is our father."
Their meals arrived, but the twins continued to grapple with theplexity of their origins and the emotions that apanied it, their conversation reflecting the tension between a past shrouded in uncertainty and the unspoken desire to find closure and understanding.
In the midst of their meal, Eric, in a teasing tone, suddenly asked Erika, "Well, didn''t you use to have a crush on Rudy? How does it feel to find out that the boy you grew up with, the one you loved, turned out to be your biological father?"
Eric had thought his yful teasing would provoke some reaction from Erika, but to his surprise, her response was unexpectedly calm andposed.
Erika calmly replied, "I feel the same way I have always felt about Rudy. The problem with you is that you now see Rudy as your father, while I still see him as my childhood friend."
A momentary silence followed, as if the truth they had learned was heavy enough to suppress any immediate emotional reaction.
Erika continued, her voice unwavering, "I think the same about the apocalypse he caused. He was left with no choice. He lost his life to fulfill the Lord''s duty. I see Rudy and the Lord as two different people. I hate the Lord, but I love Rudy."
Eric, in the face of Erika''sposed perspective, was left without words. He couldn''t find any ws in her logical and heartfelt exnation. The weight of the revtions hung in the air, but they continued to eat their meal.
Meanwhile, in the far reaches of space, Shadow Rudy, now transformed into a hardened, statue-like structure, suddenly opened his eyes. He found himself staring at a mysterious figure, a beautiful girl adorned in ancient garments with a veil concealing her face.
Upon seeing her, Rudy experienced a strange sense of nostalgia. It was as if he had encountered her in some distant memory, yet he couldn''t ce when or where. He had a peculiar sensation of knowing her, yet he couldn''t recall any previous encounter.
Rudy couldn''t see her face as it was under the veil, but he still felt as if he knew her. With a calm and emotionless tone, the girl spoke, "Oh, you are awake."
Her words held no trace of surprise or tion, and she continued, "I will be honest; I didn''t expect you to wake up."