Krystal and her fellow Guardians wandered the grounds of the Sanctuary. Already, things had changed. The walls that surrounded the palace were no more, demolished by those gifted with Earth, like Kyungsoo. Flowers were beginning to bloom, small animals were coming out of hiding. Inside the palace, there were meetings taking place between their mentors and the older Generations of Guardians. Meetings about what had happened in the past. The tenth Generation had been invited, and all agreed that it was none of their business. This was something their mentors had to do. But there would be other things they would be needed for eventually, and it didn’t seem to make sense to make the trek back up the mountain, back to earth, and back again.

“I’m bored out of my mind,” Sunny whined. “I wish we could go explore some more.”

“Yeah, we’ll really fit in with the townspeople,” Luna said. “Good lord, explaining computers is going to be fun.”

Nana snorted, “Explaining this place to the people back on Earth is going to be fun, too.”

Movement near the Sanctuary doors caught Krystal’s eye. Yixing was leaving the palace.

“Yixing!” Krystal yelled, waving her arms. Yixing waved and started over, and all the girls raced to meet him.

“Is the meeting over?” Victoria asked.

Yixing shook his head. “Sorry girls, still on going. You’re welcome to join, though.”

“Where are you going?” Victoria asked.

Yixing smiled. “To see my aunt. Or to see if she’s alive.” It went without saying that he was going alone.

The girls all wished him good luck and watched him leave. Once he was gone, Sunny went back to whining.

“Come on, so I’ve got blonde hair and a crop top, I can totally blend!”

Yixing borrowed one of the Sanctuary’s horses for his trip. His old house wasn’t too far from the main Sanctuary, maybe an hour by horseback. He sorely missed the ability to have a car, and wondered if it would be possible to introduce such technology to this planet. Perhaps solar powered cars, he wasn’t sure this place had enough fossil fuel to make gasoline possible. There was so much that needed to be worked out now, the Tree had been moved and Earth was as much a part of this world as the Guardians were a part of Earth. But Yixing wouldn’t be able to concentrate on those problems until he was sure that his aunt was safe.

When Yixing saw his house, his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. The garden was still tidy, the house was in good shape, it looked like it was lived in. Yixing tied the horse to the fence post and went to the front door. He took a deep breath and knocked. After a few seconds, the door was answered by a young, obviously pregnant girl.

Yixing’s heart sank. “I’m sorry,” he stammered, “I was looking for my aunt.”

Then Yixing heard a gasp from within the house. “Is that my Yixing?!”

The girl stepped aside and Yixing’s heart soared once more. “Auntie!”

His aunt had aged so much, but it was obvious that she was still healthy. She rushed at Yixing and pulled him into a strong embrace. Yixing closed his eyes and committed this moment to his memory. He had missed his aunt so much.

“My sweet little boy,” his aunt said, leaning back to take his face in her hands. “You’ve grown so much, I can see it in your eyes. You must have a world of stories to tell.”

Yixing laughed. “You can’t even imagine.”

His aunt turned and beckoned the girl forward. “Yixing, this is Sowon. I adopted her a few months ago, she’s your cousin.”

It was obvious that Sowon had been subjected to a hard life. Yixing could see it in the way she shied away, as if ready to flee if she felt threatened. She had the faint line of a scar on her cheek, and the look of someone who had been malnourished from a young age.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sowon,” Yixing said. “I’m a Guardian of the Tree, I’m sure my aunt has told you as much.”

Sowon nodded. Yixing turned back to his aunt. “I have so much to tell you, so much of it is unbelievable, but I hope that what has happened to me will help me make this world a better place.”

Yixing’s aunt took his hands and pulled him inside. “Tell us all about it.”

Yixing ended up staying the night, talking until he thought he would lose his voice. His aunt and Sowon were in tears by the end of it, and when Yixing went back to the Sanctuary the next day, it was with a wagon hitched to the horse and his aunt and Sowon in tow. He couldn’t wait to introduce them to Victoria and the girls, and his brothers. They would be the first citizens of the planet to meet the new Generation of Guardians, and Yixing couldn’t think of a better way to begin the new relationship with the planet.

The Guardians had been on the planet for a week, and already several changes had been implemented. For one, the planet now had a name—Olea, the scientific name for the olive tree family. On Earth Olive trees were seen as a symbol of hope, something this planet desperately needed. Many of the other changes were related to the authority of the Guardians. The Ninth Generation had made it a rule that they would have jurisdiction over all future Generations, and would oversee their training. It was one of the many things they had done to ensure that no child would ever suffer the way they had again. In addition, the old ways of the Guardians were brought back. The Sanctuary was no longer a place just for the Guardians, but its doors would be open to all who needed help, including the orphaned and the disabled.

But the biggest change was the wormhole. Named “The Rainbow Bridge,” it was to be an eternal connection between the worlds, and the people of both worlds were to be free to cross between the worlds as they desired.

For the first time in hundreds of years, all Generations of Guardians addressed the people of planet Olea, and for the first time ever, all the Generations of Guardians addressed the people of Earth. Soon the ninth and tenth Generations would go back to earth, and they would remain there, keeping the Gyeongbok compound as their home. But they would take a key role in the leadership of Olea as well, until such time that they knew they could trust the older Guardians once more. The next few years would be tough, and there were many details that needed to be worked out, but the Guardians were ready for the challenge. They had each other, they had love, and they had hope.

Four years later

Yixing looked up when he heard a knock on his door. It was open, and Jongin was standing in the doorway, a smile on his face.

“You have a visitor from Olea.”

Yixing frowned. His aunt had passed away last year, so it must have been Sowon. He closed the book he was translating and followed Jongin to the innermost gate. It was indeed Sowon who waited for him, and she had her son with her.

Yixing hadn’t seen Jinki since he was only a few months old, he hadn’t come to the funeral for his aunt, and he was shocked at how much the boy had grown.

“He looks just like you,” Yixing told Sowon as he approached. Jinki hid his face in his mother’s neck.

Sowon smiled and her son’s hair. “Well, that’s about all he got from me.” She had never mentioned Jinki’s father, and for a moment Yixing was unsure of how to respond, but before he could think of what to say, Sowon bent down and put Jinki on the ground. “Look sweetie, there’s a cat over there,” she said, pointing at one of the many cats that lived at the Sanctuary.

Jinki whirled around. Upon seeing the cat, he clapped his hands and squealed happily.

“Kitty!” He ran to the cat, arms outstretched, and had only gone a few steps when he tripped over seemingly nothing at all and fell flat on the ground.

“Oh my goodness!” Yixing cried, but Jinki picked himself up and continued on his way.

“Kid trips constantly,” Sowon said. “He’s the clumsiest child I’ve ever met.”

Yixing laughed nervously. “Is that so?”

Sowon nodded and said quietly, “He’s also one of the smartest kids I’ve ever met.”

Yixing looked back to Jinki. He was still playing with the cat, waving a dandelion around for it to chase.

“He has a mark,” Sowon said.

Yixing felt like his heart was about to burst. “A…a mark?” He echoed.

Sowon nodded. “Sweet heart,” she called, “Can you please come here?”

Jinki toddled over, shying away from Yixing as he passed. He clung to Sowon’s leg, looking up at Yixing with an unsure expression.

Sowon patted Jinki’s head. “This is your uncle, remember I told you about him? He has a mark, just like you do.”

Yixing knelt and pulled up his sleeve to show Jinki the unicorn mark on his wrist. Jinki’s whole demeanor changed. He smiled joyfully and pulled up his own sleeve, and showed Yixing his upper arm.

“Yours is just like mine!” Jinki said happily.

“It sure is,” Yixing said. It was clear as day, Jinki had the mark of a healer.

“I always thought it was strange,” Sowon said, “He never got hurt, no matter how many times he fell. I was sure he broke his arm once, but the next day he was totally fine.” She knelt and said, “Jinki, tell uncle Yixing about your favorite book.”

Jinki smiled at Yixing. “It’s the one you wrote with the Guardians! About how the rainbow bridge works! I crossed it today, and I tried to pay attention, but it happened so fast! Can you tell me more about how it works? Can you, please?!”

Yixing nodded. “Jinki, how old are you?”

Jinki puffed out his chest proudly. “I’m three and a half!”

“Wow,” Yixing said, “I thought you were much older.”

“Everyone says that,” Jinki said, rolling his eyes. “Mama lets me work on year five math! You should see the look on people’s face when I add up the total of all the stuff we buy at the market before the vendors can even start writing it down. Mama says she trusts me more than any of them!”

“That’s amazing,” Yixing said. “Jinki, I have someone very special I want you to meet. Do you know about the Tree of Life?”

Of course Jinki had heard about the Tree of Life, and he was so excited to meet it. Yixing lead the way to the garden and told Jinki to sit at the foot of the Tree, close his eyes, and put his hands on the trunk. Then he stepped back.

“You’re not going to help him?” Sowon asked.

Yixing shook his head. “He doesn’t need help.” And sure enough, he could tell the Tree had already reached out to Jinki. “They’re talking right now.”

Sowon lowered her head. “He’s one of you, isn’t he?”

“I’m positive that he is,” Yixing said.

Sowon took a deep breath. “He’ll have to stay here, won’t he?”

Yixing felt terribly sorry for her. “You’ll still be able to see him.”

Sowon gave Yixing a sharp look. “You’ll look after him, won’t you? He’s yours now, isn’t he? Will you love him?”

Yixing put his hands over his heart. “He’ll have me and twenty three aunts and uncles to love him. He’s the first of his Generation, he’ll be spoiled rotten with love.”

Sowon smiled, her eyes filling with tears. “I always felt like he wasn’t truly mine. But I’ll miss him terribly.”

Yixing held out his arms and Sowon accepted his hug. He and Sowon weren’t half as close as Yixing was with his fellow Guardians, but they were still family and he loved her. “Will you be alright?” Yixing asked.

Sowon nodded. “I’ve been working at an orphanage, helping girls like myself. I’ll continue that line of work. Maybe I’ll take a few of them in now, your aunt always said she wished the house would have children in it.”

“I think she would be very proud of you,” Yixing said.

Sowon stepped back and wiped her eyes. “She would be proud of Jinki, too. She said he was just like you from the moment he was born. I wish she could see this.”

“I think she knows,” Yixing said.

Jinki opened his eyes and leapt to his feet. “Mama! Uncle Yixing!” He screamed, running to them, “The Tree says I’m a Guardian!”

Sowon smiled and swept Yixing into her arms. “That’s so wonderful, baby!” She said, “I’m so happy for you!”

And Yixing could tell that she meant it.

Sowon stayed for a few days as Jinki settled in to his new life at the Sanctuary. Just as Yixing predicted, Jinki was showered with love. The first member of the Eleventh Generation had arrived, and he had been born on Olea.

“Does this mean the next Generations will come from both planets?” Suho wondered.

“It would seem like that will be the case,” Kris said. “I just hope it doesn’t mean we’ll have twelve from each planet, can you imagine twenty four little boys in this place?”

“No,” Krystal said quickly, “I think it’ll still be twelve.”

Victoria adored Jinki just as much as Yixing did, and Yixing told Sowon that he and Victoria would make sure Jinki was always cared for, always loved, and that he would never forget her.

Finally it was time for Sowon to leave. There were no tears between her and Jinki, but it was obvious they would miss each other, and it gave the Guardians hope that maybe from now on, the Guardians could have healthy relationships with their families. But only time would tell if that could happen. In the meantime, all they could do was prepare. The eleventh generation was coming, and it was time to get ready.

IT'S OVER! I FINALLY FINISHED IT! I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME BUT IT HAPPENED I'M SO HAPPY I COULD CRY!

Writing this story has been an unhill battle, so much happened to me each time I tried to write I felt like the story was cursed! But I finished it and now I can get ON with my life and write my other stories without feeling like this one would never be done.

I already have plans for the next Generation. I'm not sure if I'll write an epic third story or just a short thing but I have big plans for the next generation and let me tell you, I'm not posting it until it is 100% COMPLETE!

And yes, that's SHINee's Onew/Jinki I'm talking about as the first member of the eleventh Generation.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this, thanks for reading, and thatnks for being awesome! See you again soon!