15. The Most Powerful Spell

The Taskmaster watched with some professional satisfaction when the Baron slumped over because of a perfect shot to the head. He lowered his sniper rifle and stood up, turning around to leave his sniper's perch and the battlefield in general.

The Baron could consider this the Taskmaster's resignation.

It wasn't enough that he had been abandoned after one gig gone wrong. But now the Baron had also killed what had held his contract with the Guardians together. Without the Tooth Fairy, the small hope he had harboured for actually remembering something other than his training was gone.

It was irritating. Disappointing. Maybe even depressing.

Well, there were plenty of more employers in the world. More work and more money for him.

Someone always wanted someone else dead. The world was full of opportunities for a skilled assassin.

By the time a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. -agents reached the spot the Taskmaster had shot the Baron from, he was already long gone.

Pitch Black walked through the shadows and called his remaining Fearlings and Nightmares to him. There weren't many left, and Pitch could only hope that the strength he had managed to get from the fear and paranoia around him was worth it. Well, at least it had been fun, for the most part.

He passed by corpses and debris. He walked through people who were trying to patch things back together. He stopped by his allies, all of whom were dead or detained. He gave them a sharp-toothed smirk from his hiding place, and moved on.

Yes, it had been a fun diversion. If a surprisingly draining one. He'd need much more rest to be functional again. But at least he wasn't starving.

He stopped again when he saw the Asgardians. The foolish, love-struck man who still stood by the woman's side. The woman, who had given the order that could have led to Emily Jane's doom. White-hot rage flared inside Pitch. He should have just killed her. But he knew he was still too weak to destroy an Asgardian. He walked by them, materialised only for a second to whisper to the Executioner:

"You did see how she abandoned you right after she had Thor under her spell, didn't you?"

The Executioner growled, but before he could even see Pitch, Pitch was already gone, melted into the shadows again. He fled the battlefield, not nearly as disappointed or angry as he would have expected himself to be.

If all went well, the Asgardians would eventually tear each other apart and save him the trouble.

His grin lingered in the darkness before he fully retreated into his domain.

Cold. Dark.

But the Man in the Moon is with me.

Tsar Lunar, my old friend…

I promise I will save him…

Jack groaned and managed to climb back into the waking world. He was immediately surrounded by the worried faces of North, Bunny, and Sandy. Jack blinked, trying to remember what he had been dreaming about. Or remembering. But it all slipped away. His fingers brushed the tooth box in his pocket while he checked that the ice cube that held Baby Tooth was still intact. The tooth box felt… emptier. Like it wouldn't work even if he tried. Maybe because they needed Tooth back before they could work.

Jack blinked again, a tear running down his cheek, stinging. He wiped it away and gasped when he felt ash and scar tissue on his cheek.

Oh, right. The nuke.

He pressed his cold hands to his face and let himself heal. The already mostly healed scars were wiped completely away by strands of frost.

Jack opened his eyes again and managed a grin.

"Hey, guys. That was some fireworks alright. You okay?"

North and Bunny seemed to be perfectly fine. Sandy looked much more tired than usually. His hair was still singed and he seemed to be feeling ill. But he gave Jack a thumbs-up, so Jack figured Sandy would be okay too.

"And you?" asked North, "You were burned badly."

Jack took a hold of his charred staff and focused until the burns were gone.

"I'm fine. A little bit of nuclear fire isn't enough to keep me down."

To demonstrate his point, he got up to his feet. The world spun, and he felt like he wanted to dig himself into a snowdrift and sleep for a week, but he managed to stay on his feet. He took a moment to regain his bearings, and then sighed at the destruction around them.

"So… it's over now, huh?" he asked.

"We hope so," Bunny said.

"It is over," said the stern voice of Nick Fury. The man with an eye patch and nerves of steel walked to the Guardians and crossed his arms, "The Taskmaster and the Boogeyman escaped, but otherwise we've rounded up the surviving members of the enemy force. S.H.I.E.L.D. can detain them. We can set up specialised cells quickly."

"That is good to hear," said North, "So… this was quite a mess, no?"

"It was, but it's our job to clean up messes like this," Fury frowned, "We appreciate the assistance."

"Good to hear," Bunny said darkly, "An' condolences 'cause of everyone who was lost."

Fury nodded stiffly and then looked to the side. Steve Rogers had appeared behind the man's shoulder, and he looked at the Guardians worriedly.

"Good to see you're okay," Steve said, "Well… aside from… I'm sorry about the Tooth Fairy."

Sandy created a few half-hearted sand images above his head. Bunny nodded.

"Sandy's right. We're not giving up on her yet. But thanks."

"So you're saying you can bring her back?" Fury asked.

"Yes," North said.

"You sound sure about that."

"Of course," North said almost lightly, "If one is not sure, it won't work. Simple, really."

"You don't need to worry," Jack chimed in, "We've got people who can help us with this. But in case some of you want to lend a hand after you're done here, we'd appreciate it."

The other Guardians glanced at Jack in surprise. Steve smiled.

"I can help. After this is done. And I have a feeling Stark might want to see this too, at least."

Jack just grinned. It helped him to stay positive when Tooth's death still kept weighing him down. Baby Tooth's body felt heavy and too cold in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Awesome! They'll be so hyped to meet you!"

Steve frowned.

"Who?"

It was a lovely, fresh October weather in Burgess that weekend. The leaves were crisp with frost that had sneaked over them during the night. But now it was melting, at least before a pair of bare feet touched down in a park in the centre of the town.

Jack looked around, hoping that the kids would already be there. He heard North's sleigh landing not-so-gently near the swing set at the corner of the park. The Guardians and a couple of the Avengers jumped out. Tony Stark dusted off his suit and walked to stand beside Jack. The man looked around, a slightly sceptical expression on his face.

"This is where your necromancy session is going to take place?" he asked.

"Yup," Jack said, "It's not really necromancy, though. Just a simple spell."

It had taken them a week to recover and for S.H.I.E.L.D. to clean up the mess enough so that the mysterious fight was becoming forgotten in the eyes of the random bystanders. During that time, Sandy had made sure that tons of dreams had featured a certain lovely fairy queen. And the Guardians had been busy trying to keep Tooth's work going. It had been hard without Tooth instructing them, but Jack liked to think they had managed.

There was enough belief floating around. Now it just needed the final nudge.

"Where are kids?" North asked, looking around worriedly, "They did get message, no?"

"I'm sure they'll be here," Bunny said, "We'll just wait for a bit."

Stever Rogers frowned. He was dressed in his Captain America suit. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, and some hiding from Fury to get the Cap actually do that. It was worth it, though. The kids would be starstruck for sure.

"So… who are we waiting for again?" he asked.

"Friends," Jack said, "They… hey, I think they're coming."

And sure enough, there was faint chatter and laughter in the air, followed by footsteps that crunched on the frosty leaves. A group of kids came to view from behind a small hill. They had all come together. Jack smiled and waved at them with both hands.

"Heeeeeeyyyyy guys!"

Jamie Bennett was the first to see him. Of course he was. He took his little sister Sophie by the arm and led her and the rest of the kids to the Guardians. He almost jumped at Jack, who hugged him as a greeting.

"It's so great to see you guys," he laughed. Behind him, Sophie immediately hopped over to Bunny, whose occasional ice king act always defrosted at the sight of the adorable little girl. North greeted the kids with a hearty laugh and a gentle bear hug, and Sandy floated down to give everyone handshakes and hugs as well. After the greetings were done, Jack motioned towards Steve and Tony like an artist unveiling his greatest masterpiece.

"And this, everyone, is a couple of guys, whom you may know…"

"No way!" said Monty, adjusting his glasses, "That's Captain America."

"And Iron Man without the suit," Jack said, grinning at Tony, who still looked rather incredulous about the whole thing, "Gentlemen, these are some of our friends: Jamie, Sophie, Monty, Claude, Caleb, Pippa, and Cupcake."

"Cupcake?" Tony repeated dryly. The tall girl glared at him, and then proceeded to ignore him in favour of excitedly asking Captain America for an autograph.

The kids swarmed the two superheroes, until Jamie suddenly froze and turned around to face the Guardians again.

"Wait… where's Tooth?"

The Guardians' smiles were gone in an instant.

"That is why we called," North said quietly, "Something… happened."

The kids' faces instantly fell.

"Was it… Pitch?" asked Claude.

"There was a fight," Bunny explained, "Tooth… protected people."

"But she got hit pretty badly," Jack said. Slowly, he took Baby Tooth's frozen body from his pocket and set it on the ground. The kids gasped. Tony muttered something about showing corpses to kids.

"She needs your help now," North said, "You know what to do."

Jamie looked at them, and his brown eyes hardened. He was older than before. But he was still the same kid who believed in wonders and magic and fun. He nodded.

"Yeah. Right, guys?"

The other kids nodded vigorously. Even Sophie, who was now reaching that age where belief became an actual issue. Until recently, she had been too young to even understand that some things would have to be believed in.

The kids gathered around Baby Tooth's body. They glanced at each other, and then at the Guardians. The Guardians took their places in the circle. North looked at Steve and Tony.

"Come along, now," he said, "We could use all help we can get."

Hesitantly, the men joined the circle, clearly having no clue about what would happen next.

It's very easy, don't worry, Sandy mimed. Jack wasn't sure if the men understood.

It was Cupcake who said it first. The most powerful spell:

"I believe."

"I believe," said Jamie.

The other kids joined in, as did the Guardians. And maybe even Tony and Steve, albeit with confused looks on their faces.

To the outsider, it might have looked like a bizarre children's imaginary sermon.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was that it worked.

Slowly, Baby Tooth started glowing. Jack quickly dispersed the ice around her, but stayed ready in case she would start falling apart again. Her body stayed intact, though, and it glowed for a while before the glow dimmed again.

All became quiet.

Then they began chanting again.

"I believe, I believe, I believe."

Baby Tooth's eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, and let out a small, weak chirp.

Jack let out a relieved sigh.

Feathers started falling from the sky. After a while they became fairies, who floated down gently and joined Baby Tooth.

Jamie, who was standing right next to Jack, squeezed Jack's hand.

The tiny tooth fairies blinked owlishly in the gentle October light. Then they too joined hands, and merged.

"Well, I'll be damned," Tony whispered.

Amidst the glow of feathers and light, the familiar shape of Tooth began to form. Her slender arms spread experimentally, her wings started fluttering as they regained their shape and translucent texture. More feathers grew until she looked the same she had always looked. Her eyes opened slowly, and she took her first breath.

And that was when her powers started working again.

People all over the world started remembering something dear they had forgotten. A girl took out a stuffed teddy bear she hadn't looked at in a long time. A teenaged boy remembered how much fun he'd had while biking down a grassy hill with his friends. A man dug out the picture of his estranged mother.

And far away from Burgess, the Taskmaster shuddered when a memory popped into his head. Then another. And another. A name. Faces. Places. And…

"I have a wife?" he whispered to himself.

He looked into the horizon, quickly wrote down what he remembered. Something told him that he should have known what the sudden moment of remembrance had been caused. But he couldn't remember. Oh, well, that didn't matter.

Because he had a life to catch up with before he forgot it again.

Cold. Dark.

But the Man in the Moon is with me.

Tsar Lunar, my old friend…

I promise I will save him.

The boy is so much like me. So happy. Full of joy. A child at heart. Maybe forever.

I think I understand him better than I understand anyone else. Especially now that Katherine is gone…

He too is a Guardian.

I will help him.

I promise.

…

Goodbye, my friend.

Jack's eyes snapped open. Had he closed them at some point? He had to have. When Tooth had opened her eyes and the memories had flooded his head. They were still disjointed and in pieces, but at least… there was something that made sense now. He breathed in a choked breath like he was breathing for the first time. Tears he didn't notice filled his eyes. He understood now. How the Man in the Moon had brought him back. Why he hadn't done it more. It was because he couldn't. And he shouldn't.

"Nightlight," Jack whispered.

"Nightlight?" Tooth repeated, and Jack realised her smiling face was right in front of her. She seemed to be fine. As radiant as ever, "Are you okay, Jack?"

Jack burst into laughter and wrapped his arms around Tooth. The rest of the Guardians joined him in a relieved group hug. The kids cheered in the background.

The Guardians didn't let go for a long moment.

They were complete again.

Their family had been fixed.

Bruce Banner listened to the calming music flooding his ears through headphones. It was nice. It made his worries and most of all, his anger dissipate. Slowly. But steadily.

It was just a start. But it was working.

He opened his eyes and looked at Natasha Romanoff, who gave him a rare real smile.

"Well?" she asked.

"I think we're getting somewhere here," Bruce said.

He thought about it.

"Still needs some work, though."

He opened his hand and let Natasha take it. That too calmed him down somehow.

Outside, it was windy. Emily Jane Pitchiner walked past the secret testing facility, and stopped to glance inside through all the security systems. The green monster was being tamed. Something so uncontrollable and all-consuming was on its way to perhaps being controlled after all.

Emily Jane pursed her lips in annoyance. She thought about the battle where Pitch Black had jumped in to defend her without hesitation, and without questions. It had to have been some ancient, deeply-rooted reflex. Nothing more. Unlike Banner, Pitch Black couldn't be saved. He had been that way for far too long. Now the small glimpses of what had once been were just painful.

Emily Jane clenched her hands into fists. It was so much easier to keep up the hate and indifference than to try conjuring up false hope. She idly wondered where her father was now. It lasted only for a moment, but then she was focusing on her work again. The Asgardians were gone for now, but she had a feeling something worse was coming.

And she would be ready for it.

Nick Fury took a short break from his work to stretch his arms. Why did all the crises have to end with so much paperwork? And crises like this, where Fury didn't feel like he had enough answers to properly assess the situation were the worst. Why had the Baron attacked? Why had he targeted S.H.I.E.L.D.? It seemed like the Baron had some grudges towards HYDRA, but that didn't answer any questions. HYDRA was a long-dead organisation. What would attacking another, unconnected group solve?

Fury narrowed his good eye. It could be that the Baron had simply been crazy, and that he had chosen his target either randomly or just because he had had bigger plans after taking down S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. Still, he had a feeling he should conduct some research into his own group. And to prepare for anything. So nothing new there.

There was also the matter of the Asgardians, and the Radioactive Man. Thor had taken the Asgardians away, but that didn't mean more couldn't come through. Mother Nature had apparently been worried that just that would happen. Would Earth have to face more and more intergalactic and interdimensional threats? That was likely. Fury would have to find even more people he could recruit into the Avengers. And he needed to triple-check that the tailor-made cell for the Radioactive Man would work in the long run. At least for now it seemed to keep the man and his powers contained.

There was always a lot of work to do.

Clint Barton breathed in the air at the yard of his secret home. It smelled fresher than he remembered. He could almost feel the warmth of home-cooked food in it. It had been a rough couple of weeks after the whole mess with the Baron and his little team of supervillains. But now it was all calming down, and Clint finally had time to visit his family again.

He brushed some stray dirt from his sleeve and then turned to look at the tall, furry form of the Easter Bunny.

"Thanks for taking me here," he said, "I could've just taken a copter or something but…"

"I happened to be around," Bunnymund said, "It's no problem. My tunnels are much faster, and you don't want to keep the ankle biters waiting. I get it."

Clint nodded.

"Thanks again."

"Sure. Don't mention it. And if ya happen to be here around Easter, ya should take the ankle biters for an egg hunt. There might be some eggs even here then."

Bunnymund actually smiled at that. Clint couldn't help but uncertainly smile back.

"I'll keep that in mind. And you Guardians won't tell anyone about this, right? Not even the other Avengers?"

"Of course not," Bunnymund said, "Part of our job, remember? Now go. I bet the ankle biters'll be really happy to know you're back."

The giant bunny waved, and Clint turned his back on him after a wave of his own. When he was on his way across his yard, he heard the sound of earth shifting, and didn't need to look back to know that Bunnymund was gone.

The front door of his home opened, and the excited steps of children greeted Clint. Clint smiled and took his family into his arms.

Toothiana looked at the rows of tooth boxes as she fluttered through the corridors filled with them. Everything seemed to be in order. She had been afraid that her short absence had made her palace falter again. But no, everything seemed to be where she had left it. The other Guardians had made sure that the children had kept believing while she had recovered in the… in the dark.

She didn't want to think about it. Being taken apart hadn't been a fun experience. She would distract herself by focusing on work and comfort herself with the knowledge that the battle was over. For now.

She stopped when she reached a specific row of tooth boxes and summoned a box into her hand. It belonged to the Taskmaster. Tooth traced her hand on the box's lid and focused. It seemed that she had unwittingly made the man remember back when she had been restored. Perhaps the memories would stick for long enough for the man to start turning his life around.

Or perhaps not; Tooth liked to be optimistic, but even she had to admit that there was something very amoral about the Taskmaster. Still, maybe being reminded of his life every once in a while would do the man some good. Even though the memories would fade under the flood of survival skills and fighting. Even now, the Guardians were completely fading from the man's mind. That, at least, was probably for the best.

Tooth laid the box back in its place and made a mental note to help the Taskmaster remember when he needed it the most. She had promised, after all.

Nicholas St. North crashed into his favourite armchair. It was good to be back home. And to be able to take a break every once in a while. His factory had run perfectly while he had been absent, thanks to the yetis and despite the elves, but North still had his hands full with work. It was too close to Christmas for these kinds of delays.

Well, at least it had been taken care of. And at least Thor had taken away that awful Bloodaxe. North was busy enough without any extra guard duties. And Tooth was fine – thank the Moon – and so was everyone else. Everyone was back home, and getting back to their usual work. And so should-

"North?"

North straightened his posture a little bit when Jack peeked through the door to the room. The boy looked uncharacteristically sombre. North frowned

"What is matter, Jack?"

Jack shrugged, and slipped through the ajar door.

"Nothing," he said, "Well… no. It's something. I just…"

He fell silent. North knew the boy well enough to know something was really bothering him. North patted the armrest of his chair, and Jack hesitated before coming a bit closer to it. He didn't sit down, though, but North hadn't really expected it either.

"I know I should be telling this to Tooth first…" he started after a long, awkward silence, "But she's busy and still recovering, and I didn't want to bother her. And besides, I…"

He shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, you remember Stark bugging me about the whole resurrection-thing?"

"Yes," North said, remembering what Jack had said when Tooth had been brought back, and getting a feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Well, I asked Baby Tooth to bring me my tooth box, and she did. I tried to remember things… you know, something to shut Tony up. And I started getting these flashbacks that didn't make a whole lot of sense, but then Tooth was brought back, and…"

He took a deep breath.

"IthinkI'mNightlight," he finally said.

North blinked. Then he blinked again. Yes, he had expected something like this… for Jack to have some knowledge of the lost Guardian. And North thought about the ways the boy resembled Nightlight. The fun-loving personality of an eternal child, the white hair, even the frost-light the boy could cast. It made a lot of sense, in a rather tragic way. North didn't say anything, though. Jack wasn't done talking, he knew.

"So… I know it sounds crazy," Jack said slowly, "But I feel like… maybe Nightlight was there when I died, helping the Man in the Moon to bring me back. But that he somehow became me… or I became him."

He hugged himself, now letting his legs fail him, and slumped onto the armrest.

"Am I really me at all?" he whispered.

North felt his throat constrict. The poor boy had been worried about that? It had already been days after Tooth had woken up. North didn't dare to think how long Jack would have tried to figure things alone if he hadn't found his place among the Guardians.

He put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Of course you are," he said gently, and when Jack opened his mouth to speak, North silenced him by raising a hand, "Maybe Nightlight did help Manny save you. Maybe there is something of him there. But you and he are not the same."

Jack traced the edge of the armrest with his finger. Frost curled around the fabric.

"But I was just… Jack before I was brought back. And… someone had to die so I could be here."

North squeezed the boy's shoulder.

"I'm sure he knew what he was doing," he said, "Sometimes sacrifices are needed. You know that."

Jack nodded, still not looking up.

"Jack and Nightlight are gone now," North said, "But you are here. Is like making a something new out of old parts. Something different, but great."

Finally, Jack looked up at North, bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"You think he'd be… happy with me? That they'd be okay with what they had to die for?"

North smiled.

"I know they would be, son."

Tony Stark really couldn't be surprised anymore when a selectively invisible teenager knocked on his window. That probably was a sign that his life had gone somewhere strange. Although maybe the robot suits and the arc reactors and aliens had already proven that. He was actually more surprised that he'd let Frost in without much hesitation. Maybe seeing a fairy resurrected in front of his eyes made him want to actually talk about things. Unfortunately they were things Frost didn't usually want to talk about. Now that Tony thought about it, he could understand. He didn't want to talk much about the wormhole he'd once flown into and almost died in either.

"So, what's it this time?" Tony asked when Frost had settled on one of his favourite place to stand on: objects that weren't meant to be stood on. This time it was one of Tony's more old-fashioned flat computer screens.

"What do you mean?" Frost asked, "You think I'm here to see you just because something's up?"

"You usually do. Or is this one of those amateur psychologist visits?"

Jack Frost jumped down from the computer screen.

"You do realise you just used 'psychologist' to refer to me?"

Tony shrugged.

"I also called you an amateur. So, what do you want?"

Jack shifted his weight, suddenly looking almost nervous. Almost his age too.

"Well, I came here to bury some hatchets," he said after a nervous pause.

Tony raised a brow. Jack slung his staff over his shoulders and tried to look carefree again. The image was somewhat ruined by the serious look in his eyes.

"I get it," Jack said, "Immortality, bringing people from the dead… it's all really cool and all. Tempting and stuff. Especially with your hero complex."

"Hey! Tha-"

"What I'm saying is," Jack raised a hand and to Tony's surprise, that actually shut him up. Maybe it was because the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, "That I'm not angry at you."

Tony nodded slowly.

"Oh, good. It's nice to know the harbinger of winter doesn't hate me. That probably also means less exploding pipes and all."

"Hey, I never said I hated you!" Jack smiled, "That's such a strong word. Sure, I hate some things. Like suffering, needless violence, global warming, and shoes… but you? No way."

He thought about it for a second.

"But I do want an apology. Because you did act like an ass."

Tony sighed.

"Okay. Sorry."

They were quiet for a moment. It was an almost companionable silence.

"You know…" Jack said then, "I finally know how the Man in the Moon brought me back."

Tony's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. It's not going to be very helpful, though. I was brought back because another spirit helped him… at the cost of his own life."

"Oh… wow. That sucks."

"Yeah. It does."

More silence.

"So… you're okay with that?"

Jack nodded.

"The others helped me deal with it. I just… I'd just really want you to drop it. There are plenty of other ways to save people."

Tony thought about his other projects. More suits. More security systems. Ultron…

"Yeah, I guess so. But are you sure it's… the only way?"

Jack looked at him, and something flashed in his icy eyes. Annoyance? Worry? Or maybe it was just a memory.

His heart is not beating when my spirit merges with him. I will it to start again.

I believe it can.

I believe.

I believe.

I feel parts of me slipping away.

I know this is the last thing I will ever do.

Jack, you have to live.

We… I… have to live.

His heart beats again, sluggish but alive. The Man in the Moon calls out to us.

He will not be the same, because I am here. And I and he will get mixed up and create something new. Someone from the cold and dark around us… mix it with light and laughter. I hope so at least.

It is the last thing I hope.

And believe.

His eyes – my eyes – open, and we break into the surface… breathe in my last and first breath.

I see the Moon, and I know it will keep me safe.

I just don't remember exactly why it's so comforting.

The Man in the Moon speaks to me, then. Tells me my name.

Jack Frost.

Yes. That's me.

That's the first thing I remember.

Nightlight slept. Then he disappeared into the new-born young man. Over three hundred years into the future, Jack Frost remembered him a little bit more. And smiled.

"Just trust me on this," he said, "Some things are better left alone."

Then he was gone in a gust of wind. Tony Stark was left behind, and Jack could only hope that everything would turn out fine.

At least for a while.

After all, everything being too fine would get boring, right? And Jack Frost hated boredom.

He let out a laugh and let the wind take him home.

Author's Note: Aaaaaaand… it's done! Just in time before my school starts again. Tooth's back! Yay! Like I'd really permanently kill off canonically surviving characters in a fanfiction. That's just not my style. And here's also my weird attempt of further tying the film and book AND picture book –canons of the Guardians together. So yeah, I think I bended the canon a bit more than I usually would, but I guess it's not that bad. I mean, in this fanfic, Jack did still die and he was still a normal kid, and MiM brought him back, but I just added the bit about Nightlight helping him and merging with Jack. For those who don't know, in the picture books, Nightlight and Jack Frost are the same person. Nightlight turns from a light spirit into the spirit of nature and forgets about his previous life after he falls into a lake after battling Pitch, and then turns cold because he longs for his old life he can't remember and feels lonely.

So, I'm going to have to say that this story was… messy to write. It was in many ways even more ambitious than the first one, because there the plot was much more straightforward. Here I added a lot of character stuff and tried to put a lot of different characters to work together. I also had to do a lot of research to get the villains at least a little bit right, and when you think about it the end result is kind of plotless, but I'm more of a character writer anyway so it's no surprise. Still, I'm trying to better my plotting skills all the time.

Thank you all who have read, commented, or just given this a passing glance. I know that without your support, I would never have even started doing this. You're awesome and your comments have helped me so much. And some of you even helped me plan this with suggesting villains and all! So thank you so much!

As for the future of my fanfic-writing… again, I have no idea. It seems I keep getting ideas every once in a while. I kind of want to go back to writing RotG -oneshots or something because I really feel at home in the RotG/Guardians of Childhood -universe. But at the moment, I don't have ideas for it. If I do, I'm going to do some writing. So you never know. And this time I'm not going to say for certain that there will be no sequels for this, because as you can see, you never know. But I do have to say that I'm really behind in watching the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and to be honest, I'm not even that interested in the newer films. I did like Ant-Man. That was fun. So like I said, you never know…

But without any further rambling, I'm going to say one more thank you, and good bye! See you all later, maybe!