The boy was still crying, and without enduring so much suffering, Clara made him lose consciousness. She thought she could read his mind but soon realized this was far from simple, so she focused on more immediate questions: What was his name? Where did he live? And what could she do to help him?
In a short time, Clara learned that his name was Hector. Although a house surrounded by plants and flowers was clear in his mind, he currently lived in a small and poor-conditioned apartment.
Based on that, and without wanting to waste any more of the precious time she still had, she flew to that apartment, carrying the unconscious man in her arms as if he weighed nothing.
In less than an hour, Hector was adequately settled in his room, and Clara faced his restless sleep and listened to his ravings. Now and then, she clasped one of his hands between hers. It so happened that her senses disconnected from the passage of time, and everything around her boiled down to that guy.
So, the night was swallowed up by day, and when the sun's rays invaded that dismal room, and Hector opened his brown eyes and looked directly at her, there very peacefully facing him, all Clara could do was smile at him. She was delighted with the harmony of his physical features. He was so handsome, and his eyes had a sparkle that completely captivated her.
Despite the apparent confusion in his gaze, he smiled back at her, and Clara knew their destinies had been intertwined.
Moments later, Hector stood up. Clara moved a little closer, and that was when their lips met in a kiss for the first time.
ooOOOoo
In her one year in exile, Clara committed herself to learning about human culture and society. It was a marvelous and unforgettable period.
She and Hector were head over heels in love, and the world invited them to enjoy all the best it had to offer.
Clara now knew everything about Hector. She knew he was the eldest child of a recently divorced couple. And that he never accepted that separation. In his view, her parents needed to be an immaculate and perfect couple, so much so that this was the reason for his suicide attempt.
Hector was incapable of dealing with things outside of what he considered normal. Even aware of this, Clara hid her origin from him. She knew that sooner or later, she would have to tell him the truth, but that was relegated entirely to the background when a fatality occurred in one of Hector's family members.
It was on that occasion that Clara realized how fragile human life was. She spent days studying illness, aging, and death. And she was shocked to learn that, unlike what happened in her world, there, after a few dozen years, people died.
Impulsively, she decided that she couldn't let Hector die. Fortunately, the Day of the Crossing was near, so she decided to return to her world and find a solution to that inconvenience called death.
ooOOOoo
In the tavern in the other world, Clara was sitting in front of a mediator who had just sold her information about the address of a person who could help her get what she had come to seek there and in the little time she had.
"Are you sure you want to resort to her?"
"I don't know anyone else capable of doing things like that."
"That's true, but you know her reputation isn't the best."
"I don't have time to worry about it."
Once the payment was settled, Clara left. In a short time, she reached a cave set on a cliff, where a woman with mechanical wings came to meet her.
"Jade! I want to make a deal!"
"I know. Everyone comes here for the same purpose."
"I want a potion that allows a human to live like us."
"I'm tired of refusing requests like that, but I can answer yours if you promise to give me something in return."
"What would it be?"
"I want a tear from you."
"Only that?"
"Yes, but not now. There will be a right time for that."
"And what else?"
"Nothing more. However, if you accept, the agreement is signed. Your human's immortality for a tear of yours in the time I determine. You accept?"
Clara didn't listen to her intuition or the advice that others tried to give her.
"Yes, I do."
That day, Clara crossed the Human World through the same weakened barrier, taking the miraculous potion.