The battlefield was an explosion of emotions. Of course, life itself was already like that for Mantis, but even for her, everything became more intense in the midst of a fight to the death, it was just that her lows were much higher than those of most people.

There was Drax, with his protective rage, throwing himself savagely between the enemies and the kids who were still not even out of school. The big guy always carried deep sadness and self-loathing within him. Much of the guilt stemmed from the loss of a child, so it was only natural.

Then there was Rocket, as chaotic as ever, perched on Groot's shoulders while Groot wreaked havoc on enemy lines, creating barriers and scattering spores. Rocket laughed, entirely in his element. It was the perfect excuse to unleash his immense firepower, with the promise of a decent payday once it was all over. But the raccoon was more complex than he seemed. Like Drax, he wanted to protect the kids, his heart far bigger than his small chest.

The same went for Gamora, of course. Silent and stoic, she moved through enemy lines with cold precision, never missing a step, like a deadly dance. Yet, she would give everything to protect the innocents caught in this chaos.

Such were the Guardians of the Galaxy—her friends, her family. They were born to be heroes, and that's why Mantis would follow Peter Quill anywhere. To any planet, no matter how distant. Meanwhile, Mantis did what she could to support them, giving them a push, lifting their spirits, and boosting their strength.

But right now, the Guardians weren't the ones who needed her most. The students—so young, so scared—were forced to fight for their lives, to assist in evacuation efforts even. Although Mantis wished she could send them far out of harm's way, it was clear the situation was unsustainable without their help. That didn't mean she couldn't grant them an extra push, though.

During the fight, Mantis had been gathering energy—the energy of life itself—to combat the malice and darkness before them.

"We're not afraid of you," Mantis declared as the thick, black tide closed in, threatening to consume everything. "Friends, gather around. We're undefeatable!"

The effect on the students was immediate. It was as if their fear had vanished. They threw themselves against the enemies—against beasts and other humans alike, those in white masks filled with hate, resentment, and disgust.

If only she could simply smother those feelings until they were gone, bring them back from the dark and into the light.

But if there was one thing she'd learned from her time with the Guardians of the Galaxy, it was that sometimes the answer was more and more violence.

Always for a good cause, of course.

For a good cause.

—

"She survived the fall," Ruby Rose said.

"Are you sure?"

Ruby nodded without hesitation.

"Well, okay, I didn't count on that, I guess, so whatever. It doesn't change anything. Come on, grab on tight. Your mom will kill me if something happens to you. Where's the other one? The blonde one—what was her name again?"

"Yang," Ruby said simply. "Yang… I don't know where she is."

"All right, well, I'll get you somewhere safer, okay?" Peter said as he took off with his rocket boots, flying away from the tower and the dragon that seemed content to guard it.

"What does that mean?" the kid asked.

"That I'll take you to the Guardians, of course. Where else could you be safer?"

"Oh, great!" Ruby lit up for a moment, but then darkness clouded her expression again. She managed a small, sad smile. "I'd love to see Rocket again."

"He'd love to see you too, though he'd never admit it to your face. You know how he is. Don't worry, okay? I'll make sure your sister is all right."

"I'm worried about my friends too," she said in a faint voice.

"Yes, yes, of course, Ruby. We'll do what we can to save everyone."

The girl nodded with complete seriousness.

"I trust you, Peter. I know you won't fail me, even though you've already done more than enough for me. If you hadn't come to Remnant, I don't know what would've happened to me."

Peter was left speechless.

"You would've managed," he said.

Peter, take my hand.

Star-Lord shivered.

—

Blood.

A carpet of blood on the sand. Peter was the first to arrive. He landed beside her, turning off his boots. He carefully took her into his arms.

The woman in the white cape, rapidly losing its original color, now soaked in scarlet red.

"Easy, easy. You'll be safe now. My friends and I can save you."

The woman turned her head to look at him. Her hood fell back as she did.

What beautiful silver eyes!

Even on the brink of death, they seemed to shine with something special. Peter Quill had traveled across many planets and galaxies but had never seen anyone with eyes like that. He stared, dumbstruck, silently meeting her gaze, waiting to hear what she'd say.

"Do you know of an antidote for a Scorpion Faunus's venom?" the beautiful woman with silver eyes asked, her voice slow and weak. "Because I don't, and I think I'm pretty screwed. Unless that really is a raccoon standing on two legs and two green-skinned people behind you."

"I'm a woman," said Gamora.

"I'm not a raccoon," said… well, the obvious speaker.

"Oh, well."

"I don't know what a Faunus is," Peter Quill said. "But we should be able to find you an antidote. Breathe deeply, okay? I know it hurts, but I'll get you to my ship, and we'll figure something out."

Peter lifted her into his arms.

"What's your name?"

"Summer."

"Summer is a beautiful name. It suits you perfectly. Stay with me, okay? Just focus on keeping your eyes open. If you want to get mad at me, go ahead. I'll listen until you're tired of it."

Carefully but swiftly, Peter carried her toward the ship.

"And you? What's your name?" Summer asked softly.

Her eyes already seemed to look right through him. Peter swallowed hard.

"Peter Quill, beautiful. Remember it."

"Peter, huh? Peter, take my hand."

And then he just broke.

He held her hand tightly. Peter realized he was trembling.

"At least I'm glad I won't die alone in a place like this. Although all this… this can't just be venom-induced hallucinations, right? I can feel you. I can feel your warmth."

It was getting harder, increasingly harder for her to keep her eyes open. It showed.

"I'm here, Summer. I'm really here," he said, carrying her to the med bay.

For once, the Guardians followed silently, partly due to the gravity of the situation, partly because they understood something was happening to him. Something beyond the immediate circumstances.

Peter couldn't stop trembling.

"I don't want to leave my daughters alone," Summer said, tears welling in her eyes. "Peter, Peter, please don't let go of my hand."