A bright light appeared, temporarily blinding her but when it faded Iola’s family was all there. They look a little lost, confused, but they were there.

“Mom! Dad! Yunho! Changmin!”

Immediately they turned to her, their faces quickly changing from bewilderment to shock and surprise and most of all, joy. Iola ran the whole way before flinging herself into their open arms. All of them were tangled together, arms joined othersit was hard to know which limb belongs to whom. Tears and kisses were exchanged, words weren’t necessary at the moment.

Her mother pushed her back a little, keeping her grip on Iola’s hands as if not wanting to let her go.

“My baby,” she sobbed, seemingly couldn’t stop crying. “My baby, my little daughter, oh Iola, my sweet baby girl.”

Iola sniffled, smiling even when tears were still falling down her cheek. “I miss you too, Mom, so much.”

Her father scooped her up and spun her around, engulfing her in his much bigger frame.  He put her down with a kiss on her temple, his voice gruff with unshed tears. “Where have you been, Iola? We’ve searched everywhere for you!”

“We were so worried.” An arm wound around her shoulder, pulling her close as Yunho dropped his head on top of hers.

Changmin tugged her hair, not hard enough to mean anything vindictive about it. “Don’t ever scare us like that again.”

Iola laughed and cried and smiled, relishing on her family’s touches and love. The happiness of seeing her family again was making her heart clench in the most beautiful way and she greedily touched and hugged and kissed them, reconfirming again and again that this was real.

Changmin broke the moment, though, when he asked, “But where have you been all this time, Iola?”

Yunho took a look around, frowning when he saw the colorful trees surrounding them. “And also, where is this?”

Iola could picture the confusion that must be on her family’s mind, overwhelmed by the strangeness of the environment. She remembered her own confusion when she first was brought to this world, how everything seemed so much different than everything she knew.

“This is the world that I am now,” she replied, her voice muffled from where her face was mushed into her father’s chest. “Well, not literally. This is a dream to be exact, your dream. The boundary between our worlds is easily transcended in dreams so I slipped through.”

Her father’s arm stiffened under her hand and her mother stopped her hair. Iola knew they were more confused more than ever and wriggled out of her father’s grip.

“Look, there.” She pointed far ahead, over where the cluster of red trees with gray leaves stood, marking the edge of the small meadow they were in.

She waited until her family turned to where she pointed, and grinned when they gasped in shock. She knew what they saw, the way that the edges of their visions blurred and shifted, like they were vibrating at an inaudible frequency. The edges were rough and the seams of their thoughts overlapped in blurred sights. But she knew that every time they would try to look closer the space would fill in and the feeling lost.

“This is your dream. I gathered your thoughts, blending the boundaries together and slipped into it so I can talk to you all at the same time.”

Her father looked more confused than she ever saw him. “Iola…princess, you owe us a lot of explanation.”

Iola nodded, stepping away from them though not too far; her mother was giving her an imploring look, as if she was afraid Iola would disappear into thin air.

“I’m sorry for making you worried; I would’ve told you where I was before if I could, but now I can.”  Iola reached out both arms, palms toward her family. “I could tell you, but it’ll take too long, so it’s better if I show you.”

Her brothers stared at her in confusion, hesitating, but it was her father who grabbed her hand first and one by one the rest followed his example.

Iola smiled and closed her eyes, immersing herself in that now so familiar sea of threads. She immediately found threads of her family, so dear and familiar to her and let her own core, shining bright with the symbol of the Tree of Life, connected with it. Her family jolted at first, but the fact that none of them let go of their grips made her smile. She went through the memories of everything that happened to her since she arrived in this world, leaving nothing behind.

Well, almost everything; there were memories of a certain dimpled man that she much prefers her family doesn’t see.

There were shocked gasps and fearful murmurs as Iola replayed her memory for her family, their grips on her hands tightened at each moment when she was in danger. Iola tried to send reassuring waves to them, confirming that she was alright now, but that didn’t’ stop the concern and worry they felt for her.

When it was finally finished she opened her eyes, waiting patiently for her family to open theirs. The first thing her father did when his eyes opened was pulling her into another tight embrace, her mother quick to join them. Yunho and Changmin weren’t far behind, pressing down kisses on the crown of her head.

“Iola…” Her father’s voice shook with emotions. “It must’ve been so hard for you.”

Iola shook her head. “It was, but everything is alright now.”

Her mother’s hands shook as she cupped her cheeks. “Then what happens now, dear?”

Iola wished she didn’t have to answer, because she knew it would break her family’s hearts. Her mother seemed to feel it too as she straightened her shoulders, in that way Iola knew meant that she was bracing herself for bad news.

“Now, I will stay here, continuing to be the Chosen Soul.”

Her father looked stricken and her mother’s eyes began to water again. Her brothers opened their mouth ready to protest, but Iola quickly spoke again.

“The moment I prepare to die for this world I knew that I could never go back. I can never go back to our world, no matter how much I want to.” She met their gazes, trying to convey her own regret. “I’m sorry, but…..I’ve decided that already.”

Her mother looked like she would faint as she leaned heavily on her father, while her brothers looked livid.

“So that’s it?” Changmin hissed. “You save this world and you have to stay here?”

“Iola, do you know how worried we were when you were gone?” Yunho looked torn between furious and devastated. “We spend months looking for you, months! Now that we found you, you expect us to accept that you will live here?!”

Iola shook her head rapidly, tears clouding her vision. “Please, please try to understand. It’s not that I don’t want to, but….,” She took a deep breath and tried to force her voice not to crack. “I have a responsibility here, a duty that I must do.”

Her brothers tried to argue some more but Iola stood her ground and the arguments were increasing in volume. It was starting to turn ugly, when her father raised a hand and immediately they quieted down.

He pushed her mother gently towards Yunho, who quickly wrapped his arms around her. Iola fidgeted under her father’s heavy stare; he was always able to see through her and she hope he could see that she was serious about staying here, no matter how much it hurt.

Her father sighed. “Are you sure about this, Iola?”

Iola nodded. “I do, Dad. I may not know why I was chosen for this, but I do know that I won’t escape it. I was ready to die to save this world, and now I am ready to live and accept the responsibility of continuing to save it, to teach others to respect nature and sustain the Tree of Life together.”

His father nodded slowly, somehow looking much older than Iola ever saw him. “And there’s nothing you can do about it?”

“….No, Dad. I must stay and live here.”

The old man closed his eyes as if it hurt him physically to hear her words and Iola felt clogged up with remorse and guilt for hurting her family. When he opened them again Iola choked back a sob, seeing those familiar hazel eyes, so similar to her own, gazing at her with infinite love and patience, the way it always does her whole life.

When he opened his arms Iola ran straight to his embrace, burying herself in his much bigger frame, letting her tears fall freely.

“I’m sorry Dad, I’m so sorry.”

Her father rocked her slightly and Iola was transported back to when she was a toddler, dancing with her father on their living room, stepping on his feet as he twirled her around the small space.

Her father hummed in answer. “I’m not saying I’m happy with this, Iola. But if it’s something you must do, then I won’t hold you back.”

Iola peeked behind her father’s shoulder on tiptoes, staring imploringly at her mother. She tried to smile for the older woman’s benefit, though it quickly crumbled as her mother engulfed her in her own hug, her own tears mixing with hers as she pressed her cheek into her mother’s warm, soft ones.

“My baby…” her mother whispered over and over again as she pressed kisses on any part of Iola’s face she could reach. “My little baby girl.”

Her father gathered them both in his arms, resting his head on top of Iola’s. After several moments Iola felt other pairs of arms encircling her shoulder and waist, the heavy, familiar touch of her brothers only serving to make her cry some more.

There were only the sounds of her mother’s sobs, low comforting murmurs her father uttered every now and then and Iola tried to take it all in, to imprint every touch and sound and scent she could take and brand it into her mind and soul.

Finally her father pulled back gently, wiping his wife’s tears before turning back to Iola. Her mother still looked heartbroken but she managed to send a small smile when Iola turned to her.

“I trust you and your father’s judgment on this, Iola,” she spoke up, voice hoarse and cracking from tears. “I will miss you, so so much, but I will trust you.”

Her brothers, though, didn’t look like they were ready to give up. Yunho still had a frown on while Changmin looked ready to punch someone.

“What about your living condition here, Iola?” Yunho, ever the practical one, asked. “Do you have somewhere you could live, people to look after you?”

“Yeah!” Changmin nodded furiously. “From what you’ve shown us, you mean a great deal here. What makes you sure that there won’t be any danger to you? Who’s going to protect you if we’re not here?!”

Iola felt the Guardians’s presences long before her family sees them. The hum in her mind purred with contentment, a burst of warmth that soothed her previously frayed nerves. From her peripheral vision she could see the edges of the dream blurring, everything shifting in and out of focus before it disappeared and clarified once more and she could sense them, their energy and bond humming in accordance with her own.

Her mother saw them first and gasped, the rest of her family caught up and stared in astonishment. Iola glanced behind her shoulder and just like she knew, the Guardians were standing in a line behind her, close enough to guard her yet leaving some space out of respect for her family.

Iola waved her arm with a flourish, feeling affection bubbling in her chest. “These are the Guardians that I’ve told you before.”

The Guardians bowed as one before straightening back, Wufan and Joonmyun stepped closer to flank Iola’s sides.

“You ask before who is going to protect me here, Changmin.” Iola jerked her thumb behind her with a grin. “Well, I’ve got twelve bodyguards here; I’m sure I’ll be safe.”

Changmin still didn’t look convinced but it was Yunho who voiced his opinion, always the protective big brother.

“Are you sure about that, Iola? From what you’ve told us they haven’t been doing such a terrific job, what with the amount of multiple times you’ve been in danger.”

Even without looking back Iola could feel the guilt and remorse radiating from the twelve men behind her, and she tried to send comforting thoughts in her mind.

“That was in the past, Yunho. But they did guard me well, and I’m sure they will continue to do so in the future as well.”

Yunho looked like he wants to protest some more but their father stopped him with a wave of his hand. The older man stepped forward then, eyes scrutinizing the twelve men intently.

He was silent for several tense moments and Iola braced herself for whatever he had to say, but she wasn’t expecting it when it did came.

“I thank you for keeping my daughter safe. Usually my two sons have that duty, but since they weren’t there, I thank you for taking their place.”

Joonmyun looked startled, but quickly bowed again. “Please do not thank us sir; it is our duty as well.”

Her father nodded curtly, before his face hardened again. “This…world is nothing like we know, and will be filled with danger we wouldn’t know either. My family and I will also not be here, no matter how much I wish we could. Can I trust you to protect her when we can’t?”

As one, the twelve men got down on one knee, closed fists splayed above their hearts and Iola had to bite back a smile at the feeling of déjà vu.

“Our lives for her protection, until the last of our breaths.”

She beamed with pride at the Guardians, before turning back to her family. “See Dad, Mom? I am safe here, so don’t worry.”

His father seemed to accept it, though Changmin still looks disgruntled. “Yeah, they better take good care of you. I’m warning you,” he glared at the Guardians, making a point to look at each of them in the eyes. “If even just one hair of my sister is harmed, I will come back and open a can of whoop- on all of you!”

Iola had to bit her lips in order to not burst out in laughter when Wufan looked rather confused, even as the tall, blonde only nodded shortly. “We will guard her well.”

The laughter finally escaped though, when Wufan and Joonmyun stepped back to join the others and Iola could hear the Guardians murmuring between themselves.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, but it sounds painful.”

“What’s a can?”

“No, what’s an ?”

Iola’s chuckles died when she glanced