Clark, who was somewhat hesitant, stopped in his tracks.
He looked upstairs with a complex expression, his eyes filled with hesitation.
His mother was currently in the throes of childbirth; if he left, he wouldn't be able to stay with her.
Could he truly tolerate leaving at a time when a family should be together, supporting and encouraging each other?
Compared to family and the companionship of loved ones, which was more important: the heavy responsibility of saving the world, or his omnipotent superpowers?
And what did gaining or losing superpowers mean to him, compared to such gains and losses?
The expression on Clark's face kept changing until Jonathan walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Clark, we need to go."
"Okay."
Clark smiled slightly at his father, comforting Jonathan: "Don't worry, Dad, Mom will be fine."
Looking into his father's eyes, Clark made up his mind and stepped towards the hospital.
In the corridor outside the hospital, Eric and Clark waited, their expressions serious as they listened to the faint sounds of pain coming from the delivery room.
Clark's bewildered eyes held a hint of anticipation, while Eric pondered what the soon-to-be-born girl would mean to their family.
Jonathan, standing outside the delivery room, was the most nervous of the group, pacing back and forth incessantly.
Barbara had already gone to look after her husband, and there was no one to ease his tense and anxious expression.
Finally, after an unknown period of agonizing waiting, Eric's super hearing picked up the loud cry of a baby.
With the arrival of the baby, Eric and Clark both let out a long sigh of relief.
After waiting for some time outside, they were finally allowed to enter the delivery room to see Martha.
Martha, lying weakly on the hospital bed, smiled at Jonathan, "It's a girl, the doctor told me."
"Yes, a girl."
Jonathan knelt by the bed, held Martha's hand, and kissed it, "You worked hard, my dear."
"No, all I feel is joy."
Martha's eyes sparkled with joy, "To experience firsthand the process of a child from conception to birth, I don't think there's anything more meaningful in life than that."
"So, have you thought of a name for our daughter?"
Jonathan asked his wife softly.
"I haven't decided yet, something like this can't be decided on a whim, perhaps—"
Martha, a slight smile playing on her lips, said, "We need to have a democratic voting system; Eric and Clark can both offer their suggestions."
"How about Rachel?"
Eric offered his suggestion.
"Uh..."
Hearing Eric's words, Martha and Jonathan exchanged glances.
"I think it's good."
Martha said first, "It reminds me of a close friend from college; her name was Rachel, and she was a cheerful girl. If I hadn't returned to Smallville to live and get married, perhaps we'd be working at the same law firm now."
Jonathan's lips curved into a wry smile as he listened to his wife talk about her college days.
If he hadn't inherited the farm, he probably would have become an ordinary office worker in Metropolis.
But if he had lived in Metropolis, he wouldn't have the peaceful yet happy life he had now.
Compared to a vague and uncertain future, he still preferred his current life.
"Rachel, Rachel Kent, hmm, sounds like a good name."
Jonathan shared his wife's thoughts.
"Perhaps she will become an amazing girl in the future."
Kent Farm.
Since today was Martha's discharge day, Eric and Clark got up early to clean and tidy the house.
The stroller and various toys were already prepared, and baby formula and all kinds of food needed for infants were already placed in the room.
Jonathan had already driven to pick up Martha, so only the two of them were home now.
An hour later, the sound of a car engine echoed outside.
Martha got out of the car holding a baby, and Jonathan helped take the items from the hospital out of the car.
"Can I hold her?"
Eric asked, looking at Rachel in his mother's arms.
"Of course."
Martha doted on her daughter, who was like a porcelain doll, to the extreme, gently handing Rachel to Eric, "Rachel seems to be especially well-behaved; she won't cry when she's held by a stranger."
"I'm not a stranger; even if she's Raven, I'm still her brother."
Eric said with a smile.
"Raven?"
Hearing Eric say Rachel was Raven, Martha shook her head, "Rachel is not Raven."
"Maybe."
Holding Rachel, observing her porcelain-doll-like fair skin, soft purple hair, and a red dot on her forehead, Eric gently flicked her very elastic cheek.
When Eric gently flicked her cheek, Rachel opened her small hands in displeasure and waved them at Eric, making "Eeyore" sounds.
Even though Eric didn't understand magic now, he could still sense the powerful potential contained within her body.
Holding Rachel, Eric walked into the room.
Clark was nailing Rachel's picture frame to the wall.
Before, he only needed to aim at the nail and press it in with his thumb, but now he was using a hammer, tapping it in one stroke at a time.
Bang!
Accidentally, the hammer hit his finger.
Clark immediately dropped the hammer, clutching his injured finger.
Blood flowed down his index finger, dripping "drip-drip-drop" onto the floor.
Clark, holding his finger, gasped.
The piercing pain in his finger made him gasp repeatedly.
"Clark."
Jonathan was moving things into the room, and upon seeing Clark's actions, a shocked expression appeared on his face.
He quickly walked over, grabbed his hand, and pulled it closer to examine it carefully.
Upon seeing the blood flowing from Clark's finger, Jonathan asked him incredulously, "Clark, what's wrong with your body?"
"Nothing is wrong, Dad."
Clark casually withdrew his hand, "I... I just became a normal person again."
"A normal person?"
"But Clark, you are not a normal person."
Jonathan said with a serious expression, "Your abilities and talents are innate; you have always lived in that state. Why have your abilities and talents disappeared?"
"Jor-El took away my abilities."
Clark showed no resistance to losing his abilities and becoming a normal person again, calmly explaining to his parents, "Actually, being a normal person is also very good."
"From childhood to now, I've had to hide my identity at all times. When playing football, I was afraid of accidentally hurting others, so I had to be careful with physical contact, fearing others would discover my secret. I don't know where my talents lie; I can't participate in any public activities, perhaps..."
Clark said to Jonathan, "When my superpowers were stripped away, I chose to be a normal person and experience a normal life, which isn't bad either."
"You'll get hurt, Clark."
Jonathan said helplessly, "Once you adapt to that kind of life, it's very difficult to go back to being a normal person. You'll feel like you're constantly in trouble, and when you can't use your talents, you'll feel like it's two different lives."
"I know, but I also know one thing: you won't love me any less whether I have superpowers or not."
"Of course not."
Jonathan shook his head, "Clark, whether you have superpowers or not, your mother and I love you very much. But... your abilities also come with a responsibility. I know we can't force you to bear such a heavy responsibility. But... you should understand, Clark, you have always been the most unique person, and your mother and I will always be proud of you."
As the two were talking, Eric walked into the room holding Rachel.
"The bestowal of power is never given to you by others, Clark."
Eric said to Clark while holding Rachel.
Of course, he knew about Clark losing his superpowers.
After all, having been instilled with so much Kryptonian information in the Secret Fortress by Jor-El, it was easy to notice Clark's abnormality.
"That is an innate talent. If your heart is firm and you are unwavering in the path you adhere to, then no one can strip you of your abilities, even if his identity is your nominal father."
Eric said to Clark while playing with Rachel in his arms.
"Maybe."
Clark was noncommittal to Eric's words; he knew what Eric meant.
But between family and the world, he would never unilaterally choose one path and abandon the other.
Choosing to save all humanity and abandoning the option of family—if he did that, what would be the difference between him and those two Kryptonians?
Sacrificing emotional companions or family for the sake of the so-called dreams of the majority was an act he could not accept, and he would never understand or empathize with it.
"Can I hold little Rachel?"
Clark asked Eric.
Clark was also exceptionally fond of his sister.
Because he grew up with Eric, and their ages were even quite similar, Clark didn't gain much experience about being an older brother from Eric.
After taking little Rachel from Eric's arms, Clark's eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at the little Rachel in his embrace.
"Her purple hair is so beautiful, and her eyes too."
Clark had never seen a newborn baby with such long hair and such beautiful eyes.
"Eeyah! Eeyah!"
Little Rachel reached out and grasped Clark's bleeding hand, shaking it gently.
The next second, something that astonished Clark happened!
He felt a warm sensation passing through his fingers.
Clark looked at his bleeding finger, which Rachel had touched, and found that the wound on his finger had completely healed.
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