Ruby Rose watched Pyrrha Nikos vanish.

I couldn't do anything when Mom died, she thought. I was just a child.

But all those years of training had to mean something. All that effort, the determination to become a hero, to make the world a better place—surely, it all had to matter.

And yet, at the moment of truth, when people needed her—when her friend needed her—she had failed. Again.

She could call it sadness, but it was worse than that. It felt as though her heart had been replaced with a black void. Not sadness, not grief—just numbness.

The horrors of the past hours had already stretched her beyond her limit. Pyrrha's death was the breaking point. She couldn't take in anything else. She just couldn't.

The ground trembled beneath her feet. A colossal Grimm—dragon-like in form—loomed near the shattered tower. Right where they had been.

Ruby had no idea where the headmaster was. But if he wasn't here—if Pyrrha had been forced to face that red-clad woman alone—then he was probably dead too. Ruby hated how her mind pieced things together fast when she least wanted it to.

Despair. All her allies shattered, scattered, dead. And the black tide—the endless flood of darkness, the swarm of red-eyed beasts—closing in, devouring everything in their path.

What could she do? What could anyone do?

"Gonna play the hero, little girl?" taunted the arrogant woman in red. One hand on her hip, her dark hair billowed in the wind, blending seamlessly with the night sky.

The darkest night. A starless void shrouded by heavy clouds.

The light of the shattered moon seemed more distant than ever.

"Then you'll die like the rest," the woman declared, stepping forward, flames igniting in her hands.

Ruby had fought her before. It wasn't hard to recognize the woman's form, her hair, the way she moved. The fight had been brief, but Ruby remembered it clearly now. She'd had a chance—one chance—to stop her, to lock her away before all of this happened.

But now, numbed by grief, Ruby hardly registered the metaphorical knife stabbing into her heart again.

"Like your friends. Like the headmaster."

Friends. Yes, Penny had been her friend too. And she'd died a terrible death. Ruby hadn't been able to save her, nor Pyrrha.

"Are you giving up, Ruby Rose? Do you see now that there's nothing you can do to stop me? Good. This will be quicker and easier for both of us."

Cinder Fall.

What a ridiculous name. So obviously villainous. And yet no one had seen this coming. It wasn't easy, but Ruby didn't blame them. Even now, it was hard to reconcile the creature before her with the seemingly normal person she'd met in fleeting moments before the festival.

No one could have guessed the truth. Everything had gone exactly as Cinder had planned. And the worst part? She was right.

Ruby stumbled back, her will to fight drained. Cinder was right. There was no path forward. Pyrrha had been the best of her year by far—better even than many upperclassmen, truth be told. At least in combat. If Pyrrha hadn't stood a chance, what could Ruby possibly do?

She'd die, and it would be meaningless.

Cinder didn't even look tired from the fight, as if she hadn't taken so much as a scratch. Ruby's knees began to tremble. She had to be strong, brave, like a true hero. But against this overwhelming evil, this endless abyss, her legs betrayed her.

She didn't want to die. She didn't want to disintegrate like Pyrrha.

She had to go home—to her mother, her father, Yang.

Her hands instinctively reached into her pocket, pulling out the peculiar device the man who had saved her mother had given her so many years ago. It felt like a dream now. He'd told her to use it, to break it in half, if she ever found herself in serious trouble. That he and his team would come to her aid.

She'd broken it the moment this nightmare began, but there had been no sign of the man. Maybe he was dead. Maybe the device no longer worked. Maybe he'd forgotten about her.

But oh, how she wished he were here in her darkest hour. How she wished this wouldn't be her last day. That she could make it through the darkest night and see the dawn.

Cinder launched a jet of flames. Ruby's body, trained since she was very young, reacted instinctively—dodging, leaping into the air, spinning with her scythe. She had to fight. She had to fight to survive, especially when there was no hope. After all, wasn't that what heroes were for?

—

The Milano drifted through the stars on autopilot.

Peter Quill sat in the captain's chair, though he wasn't piloting anything. Reclined in his seat, ankles crossed on the console, hands behind his head, he bobbed his head to music only he could hear. Courtesy of his trusty, old headphones.

Otherwise, his team would've complained. Sometimes, he ignored them anyway, but tonight he wasn't in the mood for another spat with Rocket. Or worse—with Gamora.

Classic rock and other favorite tunes drowned out the noise of the world. Peter Quill wasn't bothering anyone. Yet somehow, both his enemies and loved ones claimed he had a gift for getting on people's nerves. He always denied it, though maybe he'd admit they had a point. Because, somehow, he'd managed to irritate Rocket.

In the blink of an eye, Rocket was standing before him, finger pointing, mouth moving furiously. The music was blasting, so Peter couldn't hear a word.

Oh. Oh, yeah. It was probably that.

Peter pulled off his headphones.

"What is it now, Rocket?"

"Turn off that crap. It's impossible to concentrate."

"That's why I have headphones, dude."

"Not that. That damn beeping. God, it's like a drill in my skull."

"What beeping? Oh, yeah, I hear it now. Not much, but…"

"Yeah, but you don't have my ears. Or my nose, for that matter."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You figure it out, Quill. Just turn it off. My head's gonna explode. I was in the middle of fixing something, and it's impossible to focus."

"Fixing what? Trying to strap more weapons onto your weapons?"

"Exactly—important stuff."

Peter quickly found the source of the noise: the Milano itself. A light blinked on the console, one he hadn't expected to see again after all this time. He checked the interface.

"It's an emergency signal from Remnant," Peter said.

"Remnant. That rings a bell," Gamora called from the lounge. She was perched on one of the sofas, legs crossed, reading. Probably a fashion magazine. Women. "Wasn't that where you called some lady a MILF to her face? I'm used to secondhand embarrassment from you, Peter, but I had no idea where to hide that time."

"That was forever ago! Besides, I backed off as soon as I found out she was married and had kids."

"You want a medal for that?"

"I am Groot," Groot said, in case it wasn't obvious.

Rocket laughed.

"Exactly."

"Exactly what…?"

"Never mind. Just turn it off."

Peter silenced the beeping, but the signal continued to transmit, pointing the way.

"After all these years, what are the chances she triggered it by accident? Or that it broke?"

"None," Rocket said. "And you know it."

Peter exhaled deeply.

"Yeah. You're right. Let's go, Guardians."

"Alright, alright."

"I am Groot."

"I just hope we're gonna be paid well," said Rocket, taking a seat nearby.

"Well, we'll see about that as we go along."

The Milano took off, gliding through the unfathomable sea of stars toward the distant planet known as Remnant.

Distant and primitive, virtually unknown to the galaxy. Peter wondered what could be happening there. The last time he had been, it wasn't for long. He hadn't exactly had the time to take a vacation. He just hoped the little one was okay.

And her mother. Because, damn, she had been stunning.

Even in the galaxy, you didn't see women with silver eyes every day.

—

Ruby Rose coughed several times. She felt like one of her lungs had collapsed. She couldn't breathe. She simply couldn't breathe properly.

Cinder made it worse. She pressed one of her heels against Ruby's chest and pushed down. It felt like a sword sliding between her ribs.

Ruby had given everything she had and more as a Huntress. And as a Huntress, it hadn't been enough. Now, she could only wait to die miserably.

Leaving her family behind, her friends, her mom...

Oh, mom, she thought.

What she wouldn't give to see her one last time. Maybe I should have listened to her, she thought. Maybe I should have backed out. This life isn't...

What was the point of regretting the only life she had known in her final moments? What sense did it make?

"You did well, kid. I'll admit it," said Cinder, smiling, "but it's a shame. This is your limit. You're just a first-year girl, after all. If you'd had the time to come out of your shell, you might have been something... but this is the end."

Cinder laughed softly, drawing her flame-clad hand closer to Ruby's face.

I'm sorry, Mom, she thought. I'm sorry.

Then, a metal bird descended from the skies, tearing through the dark night. It landed in the middle of the ruined Beacon, the battlefield.

"What the hell is that?" Cinder muttered, momentarily forgetting Ruby, though she didn't ease the pressure of her heel against her chest.

Ruby wasn't surprised that she didn't understand. It wasn't an Atlas ship. Obviously, it wasn't from Vale, Vacuo, or any other kingdom. It wasn't even from this galaxy.

Her heart soared as though she had grown wings. Ruby recognized it instantly.

It was the ship of the legendary Star-Lord.

The man beyond the stars. The man who had rescued her mother. Just as he had promised, he had come for her. A little late, but...

Ruby laughed, triumphant.

"He's here. He's really here."

"Who is?" Cinder punched her. "Answer me, you little bitch!"

—

The Milano's ramp descended, just like the Guardians of the Galaxy, with Peter at the center.

Peter activated his helmet and raised his Element Guns, aiming at the army of robots and dark creatures surrounding them.

"Well, looks like we're late to the party."