"Luz? Hey, Luz?"
She wakes up to her girlfriend's worried voice, and it instantly alarms her.
"Amity? What's wrong?" Luz asks.
"I should be asking you that. You were crying in your sleep."
Luz only then touches her eye, and senses the clogged-up tears in it.
"Were you having a bad dream?" Amity asks.
The other girl nods hesitantly.
"Do you… wanna talk about it?"
Luz doesn't usually like to talk about what's bothering her – and especially in regard to worrying her girlfriend –, but she knows that not telling Amity wouldn't help either of them. But it's not going to be easy telling her what her dream was about.
She sits on the couch they were lying on, and Amity follows her gesture, taking one of her still shaky hands.
"When I faced Belos, before he turned into that… thing"— Luz shivers —"I was almost…"
Luz doesn't want to admit it. She doesn't want to make Amity feel guilty, but now the tears are welling up again, and they're going to fall regardless of her wishes.
"I was almost petrified."
It comes out like a whisper, like they're hiding from a monster hunting them. Luz is thankful that the others are sound asleep near them, so they don't get to hear what happened.
"He only stopped because I was able to trick him," Luz continues, "because I played his little game. But if it weren't for that, I… I-I would've died."
Amity only says, "Luz…"
The girl starts sobbing, and she tries very hard to keep it down.
"I keep remembering how it felt," Luz recalls, "how my entire body was quickly turning into stone… how fast I would've been killed, and I wouldn't ever see you again. I wouldn't see my mom again, or Willow, or Gus, or Hunter…"
"Luz," Amity tries to snap her out of it, but Luz insists.
"I'm sorry, Amity, I'm sorry," she hiccups. "I didn't mean to leave you behind. I didn't want Hunter to get anywhere near Belos again. I didn't want any of you getting hurt. But then I still couldn't save Eda or King, I-!"
"Luz. Luz, look at me."
She tries not to, but Amity gently cups her cheeks with her hands, and Luz can't help looking back at her beautiful golden eyes.
"I know you just wanted to save everyone. I could never be angry at you for that," Amity reassures her. "And you're okay now. We've got your back. I've got your back."
Luz immediately falls against her shoulder, and Amity catches her in a hug.
"We'll find a way back to them, Luz. I swear," Amity tells her. "Somehow, we're going back home."
Luz almost wants to say that the Human Realm is her original home, but truly… the Boiling Isles have become a home to her. Otherwise, she never would've met her awesome girlfriend or the amazing friends and family she made. She can only hope none of that will be taken away from her for good.
Amity pulls back and kisses her forehead, which sends Luz good shivers instead of the bad ones she's been having.
"I'm so glad I met you," Luz smiles.
"Me too."
Luz lies back on the couch, Amity on top of her, and they hug each other close. At least this way, Luz can feel their heartbeats, and not her body turning into stone anymore.