Chapter 128 - Chapter 130

In the city of Gaoling, Amell was walking with Toph by his side. The streets were full of people and most of them would stop and stare at the giant that was casually walking through the town. No one paid attention to the little girl by his side, most didn't even see her because she became so tiny in comparison to Amell.

Toph wasn't smiling now like she usually would whenever Amell came to visit her. He hadn't said anything, and he barely needed to. Toph felt the aura around Amell, and it wasn't happy. He also wore an apologetic expression without having done anything wrong, and this, in turn, made her very sad because she was smart enough to figure out what that meant.

Her town wasn't all that big so it didn't take long for them to reach the outskirts of the city border. Neither one had said anything this entire time, it had been absolute silence between them since Amell picked her up at her house. But her parents had yet to figure out that she had been sneaking out of her house for years.

"It's a beautiful town, ever thought about leaving it?" Amell asked as they walked on the dirt road leading away from the town.

"Every day, I suppose. Just don't know where I would go." Toph said, without looking at him. She had grown up now, and she was twelve years old. Soon to turn thirteen. So Amell was really worried how a teenager would react to him pretty much abandoning her.

"Toph, I have something to tell you," Amell said and stopped walking. Before he could continue, Toph interrupted, "Let me go with you!" She said, and the ground beneath her feet broke apart from her clenching her toes.

Amell sighed, "No! You can't follow me to where I'm going." He said, trying his hardest not to give in. You could see on his face, him trying to look and act cold because one emotion from him would cleeve his resolve in half and he would give in.

"Why!? You are more of a father to me than anyone in the damn house ever will be!" toph said in frustration. She also tried to keep it together on the surface. Inside of her, she was breaking down from just Amell flat out denying her request to tag along.

"It's not about that, Toph. You won't understand now, maybe never, but you have a role to play in this world, I don't. I have no idea what your future holds, but it is important that you stay in this world and find out." Amell said and earned a great look of confusion from the girl.

"What are you talking about? World this, and world that! We're all from the same world, aren't we?!" Toph said and stood there and looked determined.

"No, we are not! I have talked to you about the spirit world, and how that is its own existence. Well, what I didn't tell you is that there are more like it. And I am from one of those many different worlds. And I must go back to mine now. That's why this world has no place for me in it, I have no part to play. If I had, I would stay, but now that I know that I have no part in it, I have to leave before I cause harm to this world, and to you." Amell said in a monotone voice while looking over at the horizon.

"Stupid, I couldn't care less about whatever place you come from. All I know is that you do have a part to play here, and that's with me! You are MY family, old man!" Toph said as her voice cracked because she was fighting against a lump that was stuck in her throat.

Amell bent down and put his hands on her shoulders, "Toph, I have never had a daughter. But you are as close to the real thing as anyone could be. You will always be my family, and I will never forget your laugh or that adorable face you bring out whenever you sleep. You will always be in my heart!" Amell said and brought Toph in for a hug, and he heard Toph silently sobbing while pressing her head against his chest.

Amell pushed her away while still holding on to her shoulders, "Toph, I have to leave. But I do have a gift for you before I go." Amell summoned a multi-coloured form of weird-looking energy to his right index finger.

"For being the most exemplary daughter I have ever had, I will give you the best gift I could think of." Amell placed his index finger on Toph's forehead and guided that energy towards her eyes carefully. And a warm and fuzzy feeling came over her as in front of her eyes, a strange, blurry and wavy figure started to become visible.

"Hi!" Amell said with a bright smile, and Toph saw the blurry figure starting to wave one of its hands at her. And without warning, she started to cry, she completely opened the flood gates without any constraints.

Toph dove head-first straight into Amell's embrace and cried her eyes out for the next few minutes. "Toph, it's okay, look at me!" He said and pushed her away again.

"H-H-How did you do that?!!" Toph said, barely being able to speak audible and understandable words.

"You have your secrets and I have mine. That's my gift to you since I couldn't leave you without a proper goodbye gift." Amell said and his smile was going full force.

"T-Thank you!" Toph said and turned around and wiped away the tears on her face. "it's okay!" She said as she stood with her back turned against him.

"What is?" Amell asked and tilted his head,

"That you're leaving! You can leave now because now I can always just close my eyes and you'll be here." Toph said and closed her eyes, and Amell's attractive middle-aged face popped up in front of her.

"I will miss you, Toph," Amell said and stood up.

"Of course you will, daddio, who wouldn't? I am the greatest person in the world after all." Toph said and took her first step away from him. And on her cheek, the tears were streaming down, but she was smiling with the greatest and brightest smile she had ever shown.

"I will make something out of myself, you know! I will become the strongest in the world!" Toph said and took another confident step away from Amell.

"Yes, you better since I trained you, I wouldn't allow anything other than the top spot," Amell said and waved towards the clouds, signalling his partner that he was ready for a pickup.

Toph didn't answer him, she just laughed and made a life long promise to herself, 'I will become the strongest in this world, and then... I will look for you all across the universe if I have to!' Toph clad this promise in iron, and she soon disappeared from view. But none of them was sad, Toph had a never before seen burning determination, and Amell was as proud as any real father would be of their daughter.

"Burn bright, Toph!" Amell said and made a giant leap towards the eagle flying high in the sky above him.

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End