The goddess, shaken by the realization that she was able to escape hell out of GD's hope for her to stay, needed to look after herself first.

She paused as a tear dropped from her eyes. She's thinking first about herself now. For a moment, she seemed to be experiencing a human emotion. She felt her powers slowly weakening after being held captive for so long in hell by Nightmare.

GD...

Dara weakly landed at the gates of heaven, and upon seeing the unjustly injured goddess, the guards of the heaven gates rushed to her aid. They quickly sent her to the healing angels to tend to her wounds.

She had made it—her body broken, her spirit intact...but her heart troubled.

After being healed by the angels, the goddess of hope was summoned in front of the holy servants of the God Almighty—the Archangels. Among them in the council were the loyal messenger of God, Archangel Joseph, and a distraught Archangel Jaesuk.

"God, forsake! It was not the goddess of Hope's fault! She was held captive against her will!" Archangel Jaesuk opposed the verdict as he shook his head. "Do we really have to condemn her to Earth? This is unjust."

Archangel Joseph sighed. This, too, was hard on him. "It's the decree, Jaesuk. God's commandment."

The goddess of hope just bowed her head. She was on her knees, one hand atop it, another on the ground, a loyal stance. She was declared impure, unfitting of a goddess, and condemned to Earth. She had fallen and would become human, stripped of her powers and immortality. No matter how fate had played on her, this is God's will, and she had already accepted her destiny.

"God Almighty will always be with me. The Almighty has not left me alone. I will be serving the Almighty faithfully and with a loyal heart, in heaven or on Earth. My faith remains with Him," Dara stated devotedly.

Both of the Archangels sighed in penitence.

"There must be something you could do," Archangel Jaesuk implored.

Archangel Joseph considered. Perhaps he could do something. He walked to the fountain of holy water, cupped a portion of it, blessed it, and created a light affliction and a glassed tear drop.

"Fallen Goddess of Hope, Dara," Archangel Joseph called out as Dara straightened. "You might have lost your Ray of Hope and are condemned to mortality on Earth, but the hope within yourself remains. It might be under limited circumstances as a mortal with many challenges, but I will give you this in time of need." He handed the glass-shaped tear drop to the fallen goddess of hope. "Hold this close to the humans who need hope. Break this, and it will grant you the thing you hoped for the most. Do you swear in the name of God that you won't misuse it?"

Dara was overflowing with happiness hearing that and such a generous parting gift bestowed upon her. She bowed lower and nodded. "I swear to God."

The Archangels, gods and goddesses, the cherubs, and the guards were reluctant to see her go but were there to say their final goodbye as Dara started the painful process of falling to Earth and woke up to a mortal life.

She had become human. They would know her story of resilience and hope.

Even in the darkest moments of her life, her faith didn't waver, her hope didn't die.

As she started to settle into her life as a normal human being on Earth, she couldn't help but feel the dark, penetrating eyes watching her from the shadows.

"Here you go." Dara handed a bag of rice to the woman in front of her. The woman's child, peeking from behind his mother's skirt, looked at Dara nervously. Dara smiled at the kid and handed him some oranges, making the child smile back at her.

"Thank you, Miss. God bless you," the mother said gratefully as she ushered her toddler to the side so that the people behind her could receive their portions.

Dara smiled as she served the next person in line. Volunteering at the local church's food pantry, she was tasked with distributing food and clothing to those in need, and she was happy to do so.

The people in the church told her she's perfect for the task, as her smiles can give hope to anyone who sees it, especially the poor who need it the most.

If only they knew the truth: she was Hope. She unconsciously touched her necklace with a glass shaped tear drop.

Time passes by quickly as she was on the last person to give the bag of rice and other food items good for few days.

"Dara," Bom, another volunteer, called to her after they were done as they started to clean. "Is your house ready for the trick-or-treaters?" Bom asked.

Dara paused. Oh yeah, it's the end of the month, and Halloween is tonight.

Halloween. A celebration of fear.

At the thought of it, her smile dropped as she shook her head at Bom. "No. I forgot about it," she answered. She couldn't tell Bom that she doesn't celebrate it, as apparently it's a big thing in the West. What surprised her the most when she ended up in this part of the world was that kids actually enjoy Halloween.

An ironic smile appeared on the fallen goddess's face as she glanced at the dark corner of the church.

"Oh, gosh," Bom shook her head dramatically at Dara as she pushed a small pumpkin carved with a smiling face on it to her. It was one of their decorations on the table. "Here. At least put this on your window so the trick-or-treaters will know to stop by your house." She then smiled at Dara. "I know how much you like seeing the kids' happy faces."

Dara smiled back as she received the pumpkin. Indeed, she loves making people happy, especially the little ones. "Thanks, Bom."

Bom waved at her as they parted ways for the night. It was getting dark.

Dara drove her car and parked it in the driveway of her small suburban house. It was a cute two-bedroom house with a kitchen, but what she loved the most was the garden. The garden had a prayer area with statues of the Holy Mother and God Almighty. She spent an hour or two each day there, praying and finding solace in the peaceful surroundings.

But a stroll to the garden could wait tonight as she needed to prepare for Halloween. She chuckled at the thought of humans and their penchant for many celebrations, including something they should be afraid of.

Dara stepped inside her house, shaking her head at the thought of someone associated with that celebration. She gently placed the carved pumpkin on her window, just as Bom instructed, so the adorable trick-or-treaters would know her house has treats.

Treats.

Dara frowned. She had no candies at home. She had to run to the nearest store to buy those. Sighing, she grabbed her keys to leave the house again. On the way out, she checked her amulet charms hanging in different parts of her house. Their purpose was to ward off evil from entering her home or her life. She had encountered enough demons in her past life; she didn't want any right now.

Dara shrugged off the thought as she left the house.

She bought two bags of candies and returned home, immediately noticing that something was off.

There were trails of blood on the floor, her amulet charms tampered with. As she checked the house further by following the blood trail, she held her breath at the sight of someone near her study table.

"You call this a book?" Nightmare raised a brow as he showed her the Kindle on his hand.

"GD." She gasped his name. "How did you get in?" Her amulet was supposed to ward off any evil.

GD, while using the Kindle in his hand, pointed to the pumpkin on the window. A small ball of fire played inside it now, illuminating the area.

"Halloween," he answered. "One of my celebrations. And that," he pointed at the pumpkin again, "is one of my symbols." He smiled darkly, amused at something. "Though, the pumpkin cannot be the best portal for an evil like me." He shrugged, as he put down the Kindle.

Dara studied his face for a while, her heart beating faster at the sight of him in her house, and something else more. She turned her back and started to walk away, with GD following her towards the kitchen.

She took a glass bowl from the cupboard and poured the candies into it.

GD was amused. "Celebrating Fear now?"

Dara sighed as she turned to face him, only to realize he was too close. "What are you doing here?" she asked instead.

GD smirked as he looked outside the window; little trick-or-treaters in their Halloween costumes started to fill the streets and knock on neighbor doors for treats.

"Just passing by," he stated.

Dara didn't believe him. She then noticed the blood from his arms due to her amulet charms. She opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out something.

"Well, it took a while for you to come out from the shadows and finally approach me," she remarked.

GD snapped his head to look at her quickly, astounded. "You knew I was watching you?"

Dara nodded. "Yes." She opened the first aid kit and held onto GD's arm.

She was about to put a cotton ball on his wounds when he stopped her hand midway. She looked up, and GD's familiar penetrating gaze met hers.

"Why?" He asked, his voice confused and something else.

Dara didn't answer, and that seemed to deepen Nightmare's frown. "Why the hell didn't you tell me to off or ask your dear God Almighty or His loyal shenanigans to condemn me to death for my many sins?" His eyes darkened as he looked at her. "Or the sin that I did to you." His voice cracked next. "Why didn't you push me away?"

Dara held onto his arm again as she looked down, unable to meet his longing eyes. "Because I have forgiven you," she answered after a while, her voice low.

That was enough to quell any emotions rising in Nightmare as he finally let the fallen goddess of hope touched him and tend to his wounds.

"But why?" GD asked again. 'I broke you. I'm the reason you are condemned to Earth,' he wanted to add.

Dara looked up this time and met his eyes. "Because you've helped me," she answered. "If you're not the one who claimed me, it would've been someone else. It could be War, Lust, or Hades himself. And it would be much, much worse." She then dropped her gaze. "You were gentle. And you helped me escape."

GD was about to tell Dara something when a knock on the door cut between them.

Dara strode towards the threshold, opened the door, and gave out candies to the happy trick-or-treaters.

She closed the door behind her and turned around, only for GD to gently pin her to the door.

"Please," he begged.

Dara smiled wearily at him as her hand slowly lifted to his face to cup his cheek. She too was tired fighting her emotions inside. "GD," she whispered the name.

That was all GD needed to hear as he leaned down and captured Dara's lips with his for a gentle kiss.

--//tbc//--

a/n: Ready for the ending? Thanks for reading. Give me some love by commenting, will you?

thank you calmbeforestorm for the lovely comments from the previous chapter ^^

love, siv