Bhunivelze towers before her. The light he radiates is beautiful yet so incredibly wrong. It's not supposed to be there. She's not supposed to be there. She tries to unsheathe her sword but ends up empty handed. Her sword is gone, and so is her shield.

"Indeed, souls are invisible to god," Bhunivelze bellows in his frighteningly unhuman voice, cradling Hope's limp body in his talon-like hand. "But because I acknowledge this, I chose this lowly human to be my vessel. I returned this body to its innocent form, transcribed it, remolded it, trained it . . ." He slashes Hope's body over and over, shaking him, hurting him, punishing him.

No, she thinks, don't hurt him, do whatever you want with me but don't hurt him, please don't hurt him.

"From this unclean body of flesh and blood, I have created a vessel worthy of harboring a god," Bhunivelze continues. "Consider my love an honor. As a way to comprehend and sympathize with humans, I have descended to this pitiful state. I have become a merciful god for your kind."

Please don't hurt him, she wants to scream, but she can't make a sound. She can't move. She can't even turn her eyes away. When the god's hand crushes Hope's fragile body, all she can do is scream. She screams, and screams, and screams.

"Light? Light! Wake up!"

Lightning opened her eyes and found a worried Hope hovering over her. He'd put his hands on her shoulders and was shaking her lightly.

"It's just a nightmare," he said. "It's okay. He's not here."

She nodded, trying to get her breathing back under control. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and tears kept falling from her eyes. It was just a dream, she thought, trying to calm herself down. Bhunivelze is gone. Hope is safe. It was just a dream.

Lightning looked around. She was still lying in bed in their dimly lit bedroom, and everything looked exactly like it had before she went to sleep. Even though she knew that she was still in her new home and not stuck in Bhunivelze's strange dimension between worlds, the mind-numbing fear just wouldn't go away. Her body trembled as the memories flashed before her eyes again. The blinding light. The distorted voice. The helpless body, hanging right out of her reach.

"Hey, look at me," Hope said, pulling her back to reality. He cupped her face in his hand and tilted her head back. "Look at me, Light. I'm here, okay? I'm here."

Lightning looked up at him. His eyes were calm, confident and full of love. He was nothing like the fragile boy she kept seeing in her nightmares.

She placed her hands on his shoulders. His skin was warm, and his body was solid. He was there. He was real. A sob escaped her lips. He's safe. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He's here. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. He's safe.

"Come here," Hope said softly. He lay down on his back, pulling her down on top of him. She curled up against him, letting out another sob. He's safe. He's here. He's safe. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"It's okay," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm here."

After a couple of minutes in his arms, she managed to calm down. Her body stopped shivering, and she finally stopped crying.

"Don't ever leave me again," she whispered. "Promise me you'll never leave me again."

"I'll never leave you," he whispered back, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I promise."

Lightning could feel her body relax. He's here, she thought. He's safe.

With Hope's arms still wrapped around her body, she could finally go back to sleep.