"These pills are concentrations of what I drink every day. I managed to perfectly combine them last night, actually." Taemin handed Hongbin the bottle of gel-pills. They were almost the color of black. "They should help Jae Ren's weak health. These are decades of testing on myself, so I'm sure they're safe."

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll be able to remake them with even just one sample." Hongbin genuinely smiled. Jae Ren was sleeping soundly in her room and he didn't want them to see her puffy face. It would only make her feel embarrassed if they found out she had been crying. "We all appreciate you doing so much for Jae Ren. None of us even knew it would be this bad."

"But we were aware about her weak health brought by her magic." N said. "I don't understand why, though. Jaekyun was strong- stronger than Jae Ren, I could see- but she didn't have any drawbacks."

"She did." Onew quickly answered. "Just not the kind that harms her physically."

"Time magic eats away at the cells, you see." Taemin explained. "Normally, the cells are replaced everyday- though I'm not so sure about all creatures." He quickly added. "But as I was saying, Time magic destroys the cells faster, almost giving no time for regeneration. Even when she doesn't use her magic, it'll still make her health poor because her body is supporting her magic."

"Because magic is embedded in the body- some say the life force- of warlocks and witches. So her body has no choice but nourish that aspect of her health as well." Onew added. "And Time Magic consumes much of the body's energy. After all, you're harnessing the essence of the universe itself."

"Do you have any weaknesses?" Ravi couldn't help but ask. Realizing how weird he sounded, he quickly added, "Not that I'm planning anything." Still, this earned him a slap on the back of his head from Ken.

"Onew hyung's magic should've caused him to only have a short life-span of 100 years." Taemin answered. "And return to the Earth where his magic came from. Well, that's what it says on the old books of past time."

"I managed to escape that with a gift from a friend." He didn't mind at all. He liked telling the story.

Of how he ran into a dying Green Man of a forest and helped nurse him to health. Then as a reward, the spirit of the forest made him swallow fruit from the tree of life that had died eons ago.

It reminded him of Jaekyun. Because that forest was where they first met as well.

"That's actually... really cool." Hyuk whispered. "I've never met a Green Man before. They never show themselves to anyone."

"They're spirits." Onew reasoned. Though he guessed it was because of the chaotic energy inside VIXX. He wouldn't be surprised if animals scurried away from them. Even if they were such nice people.

"No offence, but... why is it that being immortal is such a big thing?" N suddenly asked. "I've lived for more than a century and to be honest, I don't see myself living forever."

Onew and Taemin shared a look.

"In my case, it's not really about forever." Taemin shook his head. "More like, it's about not leaving before anyone else."

N, Ken, Ravi, Hongbin and Hyuk looked at one another. They had never thought about it that way. Sure, they did think of each other as brothers- even though they knew they weren't- but losing any of them had never crossed their minds. It was part of the reason why they didn't know how to approach Leo anymore. Because for them, he was still part of the group. Even if he was leaving.

"When you live long enough with the right people around you, I assure you that you'd want nothing more than to live for each other." Onew shrugged. "We don't see each other much anymore these days. Maybe only a few days every other month, but knowing they're alive out there keeps you living."

"Since you were born guardians, think about living with Jae Ren for a long, long, long, time." Taemin smiled at them. "It's your primary instinct to live for whoever you are serving. Isn't that right?"

"Wow. N hyung you asked such a stupid question."

The back of Ravi's head was slapped once again.

“Then Jaekyun… she lived a long life thanks to the elixir she made?” Hongbin asked.

“Yes. She’s one of the few who succeeded in making an immortality elixir.” Onew answered. “Since the effects of a high-grade potion differ from each person, it’s hard to create one with a specific use. With no guides and recipes, you’re on your own.”

“She was that amazing as a witch. If she was still alive, I’m sure she would still be getting annual invites to join the Council. If you remember visitors coming to your old house during Fall, that was it. The Invitation.” Taemin put the bottle of dark pills on the table and closed his bag. “They Invite her to join every year for the last few centuries, yet she never accepted. It was a huge loss for Sanctuary.”

“Why? There are a lot of strong people here. You, for example.” N nodded in his direction. He may not have seen Taemins full capabilities, but he could roughly measure it. He was well above Jaekyuns level, not to mention a rare type.

Onew shook his head. “You don’t understand. Jaekyun was only weak because she poured her energy into sealing Jae Ren. If she were to join the Council and have the gifts that come with the acceptance, she would be ten times stronger than her original state.”

“And her original state is enough to keep Onew hyung and I from breathing again.”

She was that strong. N thought. He didn’t know how much she had truly sacrificed. He was beginning to think how wrong he was about her. He was also starting to understand why Jae Ren treasured the mere shadow of her. I was ungrateful to her.

“But we cannot keep mourning for the dead. She tasked you to keep Jae Ren in-check. She knew the set-backs perfectly through knowing me so I’m sure she prepared counter-measures of her own. You just have to remember them.” Taemin said. “That’s your job as guardians. Don’t fail her.”

Well, this is update 5/5 enjoy the holidays guys! Let's enjoy the incoming 2016 with k-pop ~u~