Through the staining glass

“Opal, is that really you?”

Opal raised her head, and her eyes watered. “… Toshiko?”

“Opal!” Toshiko didn’t wait for a reply or for Opal to stand up, she just sprang in her direction and threw herself at her, falling on the floor next to her and hugging her tightly, a river of tears soaking the dirty clothes on Opal’s shoulder, sobs making both of their bodies shake.

It took Opal approximately two seconds before she wrapped her arms around her and started crying too: for all that she was worried for her comrades in Kristallia, Toshiko had been her first real friend in that world and Opal hadn’t realised just how much she’d missed her.

“Oh, Opal, what happened to you? Where have you been?” Toshiko asked, putting some space between them but still keeping her hands on Opal’s shoulders, after a few minutes spent crying on the church floor. “You’ve disappeared for weeks, the whole town has been searching for you, we were all so worried!”

If that wasn’t a horror story told in three parts, Opal didn’t know what else it could be. She refrained from beginning to blabber about anything and everything that had happened since the last time they had seen each other, though, and chose to prioritise instead. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise” she replied, sincere. She deserved to know the truth. “However, before that, can we please… return home?” She tried to stop her voice from breaking, but failed. She couldn’t believe she was finally saying that.

Toshiko blinked, and then her whole being seemed to soften. “Of course, Opal. Come on, let’s go.”

They got up and, after having wiped up their tears and dusted off their clothes, made their way back to Opal’s house. In town there were less people than Opal was expecting, but a few of them recognised her, mainly those that had known her since she was very little, and went as far as to give her an affectionate pat on her head or shoulder. Opal felt warm inside, but she also became more nervous the more they approached her house. She had wanted to return home since the very first day she had spent in Kristallia, but how would’ve her parents reacted? Nevertheless, even though they arrived at the front door in the blink of an eye, she rang the bell with barely any hesitation.

Not even ten seconds later, the entrance opened and her mother, who had probably just returned from work, was the one standing out on the threshold. Her eyes widened, blinking furiously, and her mouth opened and closed a few times.

Opal had just the time to say a wobbly “Mum?” before the woman started crying and enveloped her in a crushing hug, abandoning her bag on the floor without a second thought and ignoring the dust on her mismatched clothes.

“Dear, who is it at the door?” asked her father from the other room. When her mother didn’t reply, far too occupied with making sure Opal didn’t suddenly disappear from her sight and smothering her with affection, he came to check what was happening, probably worried due to all the crying, and stopped with a sharp inhale when he got his answer. The space of an instant, and his arms were around the both of them, his sobs wracking his body.

And in that moment, Opal broke. Her parents’ were holding her as if she was the most precious thing in the two worlds, as Agata, despite her undoubted affection for Opal, had never quite managed to do, and in their hold Opal felt finally, truly safe to break. She cried, and laughed, and sobbed, and wailed with all her energies, letting herself shatter, because she knew that they would’ve held all her pieces together with their hug. She didn’t care about what others thought, she even forgot that other people were there, because her world had been reduced to that moment, that hold, that warm and bright spot in the middle of the raging sea. She had thought so much about them, about returning home, about seeing them again, and now that she was there she couldn't get enough. She buried her head in her mother’s chest, clenched her fist in her father’s shirt, like when she was little, and they hugged her with equal force, as if wanting to ensure that she was real, placing kisses on her head and whispering sweet nothings in her ears, crying all the while.

They stayed like that until they had no more tears in their bodies and Opal had calmed down, before disentangling and getting inside. Toshiko, who had patiently waited with a soft smile on her face for all that time, got invited too, and after a few minutes they all found themselves around the low table in the living room, sitting either on the sofa or on the few chairs present. Opal, her eyes puffy, was on the couch, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands, courtesy of her father. Her mother was next to her, not quite touching, but not far either: she had made sure to have Opal in her sight and in arm’s reach at all times, scared that she would disappear again if she didn’t.

Opal knew that all eyes were pointed on her, that they were all waiting for answers, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. She could only stare blankly at the dark liquid sloshing in her mug.

In the end, it was her father who, as gentle as a soft blanket, asked her what happened, and Opal capitulated.

“I… I’m not your real daughter” she began, without lifting her gaze.

She felt her mother stop moving, even stop breathing after a particularly sharp inhale. “Oh, Opal- Opal, was that the reason why-”

Opal raised her head so fast that she very nearly gave herself whiplash – and also risked spilling her hot drink –. The woman was looking at her with a horrified expression on her face, similar to the one her father sported, her hand covering her mouth, and Opal rushed to explain. Thinking back, that wasn’t a good point to start from. “No! Mum, no, that isn’t- I could never!” She shook her head, tumbling over her words. “I mean, of course I was surprised when I discovered- well, remembered- realised it, but-”

“‘Remembered’?”

Opal groaned, looking back down. She wasn’t good at that kind of things. “Yeah, well, the thing is, I-” She tightened her hold on the mug. “What I meant earlier was that I… I’m not- I’m not… human” she finished lamely. Before her parents and friend could think that she had awful self-esteem or something, she held one of her hands with the palm up and made rocks of all types emerge from her skin. She ventured a glance at them, but, apart from widened eyes and shell-shocked surprise, they didn’t seemed disgusted. Worried and confused out of their minds, maybe, but not disgusted. It was a good sign. She took a deep breath, willing her limb to return human-like. “I am…” She glanced away, but then forced herself to look at them. “I am what we could call a clay construct.”

Starting from there, she told them everything. She spent close to an hour speaking about her original world, her creation, her growth, her decision to lead a human life, her adventures in Kristallia, everything she could think of, and they listened with varying degrees of concern and disbelief. Only in that moment, while she was recounting the events of her life as though she was telling someone else’s story, she actually managed to process and come to terms with what- who she was, and what she wanted to do. Everything had changed, but, at the same time, nothing at all: in the end she was still herself, and she was there because it was what she’d wished for, seventeen years before as well as mere weeks earlier.

When she finished, impossibly exhausted and nervous, her mum simply took her into her arms, putting her chin on Opal’s head. The mug of once-hot chocolate, in any case, had long since been abandoned on the low table.

“I’m glad, Opal” her mum said.

“Glad?”

“I’m glad-” Her voice broke slightly. “-that you still chose us. That you returned to us. That you consider us your home.”

Opal didn’t dare move. “Aren’t you… disappointed, though?” Because despite everything, deep inside herself, she was still a child looking for her parents’ approval.

“How could we?” her dad asked, shaking his head. “When we discovered we couldn't have kids, you arrived in our lives. You’re a miracle, Opal, and you’re our daughter, our child. You’ll always be.” His gaze seemed glassy with unshed tears. “How could you disappoint us?”

Opal’s eyes widened, and before she realised she let out another body-wracking sob.

“Not loving you has never been an option” her mum said, holding her tighter and kissing the top of her head.

“And, if I can add my two cents” Toshiko intervened, smiling. “For what concerns me, whatever you are doesn’t change you, or the fact that we are friends.”

At that point, Opal was just all-out crying for the second time. “Thank you” she said. “Thank you” she repeated over and over like a broken record, until she slowly calmed down.

Some more time later, she was once again nursing her mug of reheated – all hail their microwave – hot chocolate, thinking about how to tackle the next topic.

Toshiko, maybe not so surprisingly, was the first one to understand what was going on inside her mind. “You’re worried about your friends.”

She nodded, her lips pursed. “They’re in danger, I know it.” She raised her head, staring pleadingly at her parents. “I need to go. I need to help them.”

Her mum seemed amused for a moment, as if she found it funny that Opal was asking for their permission, but then shook her head good-naturedly and got more serious. “Will you return home?”

Opal didn’t even need an instant to think about it. “Yes. Always.”

“In this case, please don’t take too long” her dad said. He was undoubtedly worried, but tried and smiled nonetheless.

“And make sure to bring your friends here, sometime” added Toshiko. “I want to meet them.”

Opal nodded, her resolve stronger than ever. “I promise.”

Another round of hugs and reassurances later, she went out in the direction of the church. Once that she arrived she took a deep breath, looked at Agata’s image, and dived into the stained glass.

The Cathedral of the Saintess in Kruos was filled with worshippers, who froze in awe at her appearance, but she ignored their reactions when she resurfaced and landed on the elegant floor. In that moment, she only cared about one thing.

“Where are the people that got captured by the royal knights?”