When the light faded, Krystal was standing in a forest. She looked to her right and saw Jessica, and to her left and saw Minseok. Then she took a better look around, did a headcount, and was relieved to find that all of her fellow Guardians were present.

“We made it,” Kris said. He and the others of his generation were staring around in wonder.

“But where are we?” Minseok asked.

Yixing answered, “I think I know.” He began to walk, disappearing into the thick undergrowth, and everyone followed him. He hadn’t gone more than a few yards before he let out a cry of delight. Everyone rushed forward and broke through the forest and into a clearing, where they saw Yixing embracing a unicorn.

“Impossible,” Minseok gasped. “I thought they were dead!”

Tao and Jongin explained that this was how they knew the portal had worked—a unicorn had passed through it and come to Earth.

“This unicorn?” Yixing asked.

Tao and Jongin nodded, and Yixing began to cry. “It’s Hope,” He said, burying his face in the unicorn’s neck. “I met her mother, I saw her when she was just a baby…” He leaned back and pressed his forehead to the unicorn’s, just under her horn. “Where is your mama?”

The unicorn closed her eyes, and Yixing gasped. His voice shook as he said, “I’m so sorry.”

Kyungsoo went to Yixing and put a hand on his shoulder. “Her mother…did she die?”

Yixing nodded. “Old age. She went peacefully, but Hope still misses her.”

Hope took a step back and threw her head back with a high-pitched whinny, a sound that was echoed from all around the clearing. One by one more unicorns began to emerge, several of which were bright gold and clearly babies. One of the golden babies went right to Hope’s side.

Yixing was in shock. “That…is that your son?” He asked Hope. The unicorn’s head dipped in what looked like a nod.

Yixing slowly looked around the clearing, tears flowing freely. His knees buckled, and Kyungsoo barely managed to catch him before he fell. “I had no idea there were so many of them left,” he wept.

And Yixing wasn’t the only one crying anymore. Tears were being shed all around, even Krystal felt like crying. The creatures were gorgeous, and she could tell that they were pure love. Perhaps that was why they were able to move freely through the planet, when it seemed like there wasn’t even a wind to stir the branches.

And at that thought a chill went down Krystal’s spine and made the feathers on her wings stand on end. She began to look around, but she couldn’t see anything except for the surrounding trees.

“Can I ask where we’re supposed to go now?” Krystal asked.

That seemed to jolt everyone back to the task at hand.

“The unicorns know where the darkness is hiding itself,” Yixing said. “Hope says she’ll take us, but she wants her son and the rest of the unicorns to stay here.”

Hope nudged her son away, back towards the rest of the herd, and began to walk. The Guardians fell into step behind her, walking in pairs and in a line. There wasn’t much room for anything else, the forest was so overgrown.

Jinri called, “How is it possible for the plants to grow if the planet is at a standstill?”

“I think this all happened before that,” Yixing said. “Hope tells me it’s been hard to find certain foods, they eat them and they don’t grow back.”

“How can you speak to her?” Jinri asked.

“Healers have been bonded to unicorns since the beginning,” Yixing said. “But as the planet developed, the unicorns went into hiding. They don’t like the smell and noise of industrialization. Many people thought they had died off generations ago. It was harder for me to communicate with her mother, Grace, because I met her when she was an adult, and even though I’ve only met Hope once before, she was a baby and once she trusted me, we developed a bond. I bet Victoria can understand her a bit, can’t you, Vic?”

“A little,” Victoria answered. “I’m getting flashes of things when I look at her.”

They didn’t talk much after that, the hike was getting steep and it was an effort to keep their minds on the ground under their own feet. Kyungsoo took the lead, carefully picking out where the earth was strong enough to support twenty four people and a unicorn. By the time the group made it to flat ground, Krystal was exhausted and frankly, a little pissed off. What kind of sentient evil made someone climb down a steep mountain to face it?

But they didn’t have long to rest. Hope began to move again, and the group followed her, only for Kyungsoo to suddenly stop dead in his tracks.

“It’s the Sanctuary,” he said.

“Come again?” Asked Tiffany.

“That’s where Hope is taking us,” Kyungsoo said, his voice shaking. “That’s where the darkness is.”

Krystal went ahead a bit and peered through some trees. “Does the Sanctuary look like a big, ugly castle?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo said.

“Then I see it,” Krystal called. She felt Jessica at her shoulder and pointed to the shape of a castle covered in ivy. It looked to be a mile away, and it looked like an utterly miserable place. High walls blocked off much of it, but soaring towers loomed over the walls like fangs rising from the ground. Now Krystal knew why the Guardians had fallen in love with the sprawling Korean palace compound, with its one story buildings, sliding doors, and bright colors. The two Sanctuaries were night and day.

“What a dreadful place,” Tiffany said, looking over Jessica and Krystal’s shoulders.

Yoona squeezed her way under Krystal’s arm and gasped. “Ew, it’s terrible.”

“Let me see!” Sooyoung demanded, shoving all four of them aside. Then, “Jeez, they call that a Sanctuary?! Looks more like a prison to me!”

Nana shoved Sooyoung away and before long all the girls were clamoring to get a look. Krystal turned to the older group and realized that they were all frozen, identical looks of horror covering their faces.

“What happened to you in there?” Krystal blurted.

Minseok seemed to snap out of a trance. He spoke quietly, “We couldn’t trust any of them. They terrified us, they seemed like…wax puppets. Like they had no souls.”

Jongin sobbed suddenly. Kris and Suho were by his side at once, trying to comfort him.

“I can hear it,” Jongin whispered. “Just like that day on the mountain, I can hear it calling me.”

“I hear it too,” Tao said.

Krystal looked back towards the palace. There was an eerie feeling in the air, and Jongin and Tao’s words sent shivers down her spine, but she strained her ears and couldn’t hear anything. As soon as she had that thought, Amber leaned into Krystal and whispered, “I can’t hear anything, can you?”

Krystal shook her head. Then she motioned for her fellow Generation to gather around. They formed a tight circle, their heads bent close.

“It really seems like our mentors are more affected by this than we are,” Krystal said. “And I’ve got a gut feeling that it’s going to end up being a problem.”

“I agree,” Amber said. “We know this thing is evil. It breeds doubt and anguish, so I think the best way to combat that is by thinking positive.”

“That sounds too easy,” Jessica said.

“I’m not saying that’s going to defeat it,” Amber said, “but I think it’ll keep us from going under.”

There was a sudden cry from Jongin, “Just leave me here!”

The girls jumped apart. Jongin was on the ground, hands over his ears, and sobbing, “I can’t do it, it knows I’m weak, and angry. I’ll just be a burden to you.”

“NO WAY!” Nana screamed. She marched over to Jongin and sat down beside him. “My mentor is not a burden. My mentor is many things. Angry and scared, are among them, yes, but he is also courageous and kind and he loves his friends, and family, and he loves being a Guardian! My mentor would never ask to be abandoned. I know my mentor and that is not my mentor speaking!” Nana grabbed Jongin’s shoulders and shook him. “Jongin, wake up! This isn’t you, and you are stronger than this thing!”

Jongin grabbed Nana’s arms. He let out a scream, and suddenly collapsed. After a second, a dark mist rose from the ground beneath him.

Nana got to her feet and began stomping on the mist. “GET OUT OF HERE!” She shrieked, “LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

Krystal ran forward and kicked at the mist as well. It scattered, then reformed, and she kicked it again. “GO AWAY!” Krystal screamed. “WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF YOU!”

The mist vanished.

There was beat of silence, broken by Sunny.

“Holy ! I can’t believe that actually worked! What kind of deus-ex-machina, Labyrinth ‘you have no power over me’ BULL was that?!” Sunny shouted.

“I don’t think it’s gone,” Krystal said breathlessly, “Just chased off for now, it knows we’re not easy.”

“Got that right,” Jongin said weakly. He sat up and Nana bent down to help him. Jongin hugged her tightly. “Thank you for that, my dear.”

“No big deal,” Nana said, but she had tears in her eyes. Jongdae came over and helped her support Jongin, and once more the entire group was left a little stunned, and a lot unsure of how to proceed.

“So we know one thing,” Amber said after a few moments. “Negativity gives it a window into our heads. I think we need to keep thinking positive. Now how about we continue on, and we talk about all the good times we’ve had? Who wants to go first?”

“I do,” Sehun said. He linked his arm with Lu Han. “Remember when I proposed to you?”

Lu Han’s whole face brightened and he laughed. “One of the best days of my life.” He looked at Amber and Yoona. “Did we ever tell you the story?”

“Tell us again,” Yoona said.

The walk to the sanctuary became one filled with laughter and happy talks. The good feeling was infectious, and at one point Yixing stepped off the path and touched a small shrub. Immediately, bright blue flowers sprouted from it, and Yixing exclaimed, “It’s working! Just us being here is breathing life back into this place!”

The air of hope wavered when the Guardians reached the doors to the Sanctuary. The unicorn went back into the forest, and once she had gone Tiffany stepped up to the doors. She used her gift to yank the old, rusted doors open and let sunlight into the castle. The air inside was cold and heavy, like that of a cave. The girls were the first to walk in, Luna lighting the way, and they had only gone down the hall when they were stopped dead by a most horrific sight.

Jessica was the first to scream, and it was a scream the girls all echoed.  Their mentors came running, and the girls bolted.

Krystal ran to Kris and hid her face in his wings. “What happened to her?!” Krystal sobbed.

At the end of the hallway stood a girl, no older than Krystal herself. She looked like a statue, she was utterly frozen, even her hair remained still despite the breeze coming in through the open doors. Her skin looked like wax, it was grey and looked like it had a strange film covering it. The most horrible part of her were her eyes. They looked fake, like the eyes in a taxidermy animal. Krystal didn’t want to turn around, she didn’t want to see that girl again.

“It’s Seven,” Chanyeol said. “By the Tree…”

At the mention of the Tree’s name there was a sudden howl and gust of wind that came not from the open door, but within the castle walls. When it stopped, Krystal could feel Kris shaking with fear, but she was pissed.

“Was that the darkness?” Krystal demanded. She leaned back from Kris and began to look for trails of mist. “Damn it all, stupid thing can’t even keep to itself in a time like this.” Her eyes landed on the girl once again and she looked away. “DID YOU DO THAT TO HER?!” Krystal shrieked. Kris jumped, and he wasn’t the only one. Krystal walked away from Kris and forced herself to stand in front of the girl. “Seven isn’t really her name, is it?”

It was Jongin who answered. “It’s Kai. She was the Seventh Kai.”

“What was her name before that?” Jinri asked.

“I don’t know,” Jongin said. “She never told us.”

Slowly the girls began to approach Kai. Victoria was the first to attempt to touch her. She merely pressed her fingers to Kai’s hand but quickly pulled them away. “I can’t heal her,” Victoria said, her voice shaking.

Yixing spoke up. “She was different from the other Guardians. She cared about us, and the Tree. She was the only one we thought we could trust, and we did trust her for a while, but she warned us not to. She said the Darkness was like a virus, and she was already infected and didn’t want us near her because of it. I guess we never imagined we would find her like this.”

“It was comforting not to think about it,” Kyungsoo said. “She was our friend. She is our friend.”

Krystal turned to Kai. “Did you hear that?” She asked. “Your friends are here. They came back for you.” She reached out to put her hand on Kai’s shoulder, and then she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

‘Don’t touch her.’

The voice made Krystal’s spine tingle, but she didn’t listen to it. She put her hand on Kai’s shoulder.

‘Don’t touch her,’ came the voice again, louder this time.

Krystal leaned closer to Kai. “Kai, if you can hear me, everything is going to be okay. We’re here to help you.”

The voice rose to a howl. ‘DON’T TOUCH HER!’

“Why not?!” Krystal screamed back.

‘SHE’S MINE!’ The voice wailed, ‘THEY’RE ALL MINE!’

A cold blast of wind swept down the hall. Luna and Baekhyun held glowing balls of white light in both their hands and raised them high. Black mist swirled around the floor, and it wrapped around Kai’s body. Krystal was immediately furious.

“You get away from her!” Krystal screamed, swatting at the mist. “She doesn’t belong to you!”

‘STRONG WORDS FROM SUCH A LITTLE GIRL,’ The voice said.

But Krystal was not alone. Jongin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kai. Chanyeol joined him, as did Yixing and Luna. The rest of the Guardians began to ready themselves to fight, each glaring at the mist.

“I’m not just a little girl,” Krystal said. “I’m a Guardian.”

‘So was she,’ The voice crooned. ‘And look what I did to her.’

Krystal balled her hands into fists. “You played dirty. You hit them where they were weak. You made them think they weren’t loved! But I know I’m loved!”

‘Do you really?’ The voice asked.

Krystal put her hands on her necklace. “Yes! Because I love my sister so much that I made the Tree’s magic come to me, so I could be with her forever!”

‘DO NOT SPEAK OF THE TREE!’ The voice screamed.

Krystal ignored it. “And the Tree gave me ten more sisters who love me more than you’ll ever know!” She screamed right back. “And I have Kris, who loves me like I’m his daughter! And I have Suho and Tao, who love me just as much as Kris does! And I have Minseok, and he loves me more than I ever thought possible, just like I love him more than I ever knew I could love someone! And I have Lu Han, Sehun, Jongdae, Jongin, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Yixing! They all love me, and I love them! You can howl all you want and blow all the hot air you want at us, but you can’t make us forget that we love each other!”

The mist swirled together in one, great cloud. It hovered in the hallway, blocking out the sunlight. Luna and Baekhyun put their hands together and made their light stronger.

A howl came from the mist. ‘WHY DO YOU FIGHT? LOVE CANNOT DEFEAT ME. I AM STRONGER THAN LOVE. LOOK AT WHAT I DID TO THE ALL POWERFUL GUARDIANS. THEY ARE MINE, AND YOU WILL BE MINE, TOO.’

“No, we won’t!” Jessica screamed, coming to stand by Krystal. “We have something greater to fight for! We don’t fight for ourselves, we fight for each other! You’re selfish, you could never understand!”

‘YOU MAKE ME SICK,’ The mist screamed.

“No,” Jongin said. He looked up at the mist, his face perfectly calm. “We make you afraid.”

A chilling laugh rose from the mist. ‘I AM FEAR. I DO NOT FEAR YOU.’

“You can’t be fear,” Krystal said, “Because I’m not afraid of you.”

“Neither am I,” said Jessica.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Yoona said.

“Nor am I,” Tiffany added.

“You don’t scare me,” said Hyoyeon.

Nana and Sooyoung said together, “We’re not scared of you.”

‘SHUT UP!’ The mist howled.

“I’m not afraid,” Luna said.

“Neither am I,” said Jinri.

“I’m sure as hell not scared of a pissed off rain cloud,” said Sunny, laughing.

“I’m not either,” said Amber.

“And neither am I,” said Victoria.

‘YOUR MENTORS FEAR ME,’ The mist screamed.

“We used to,” Kris said. “But we’ve known true fear. The fear of being alone and forgotten, of never seeing each other again. And we overcame it. We found each other. We found our new Guardians, we found a new home.”

‘AND YOU SAW ME IN YOUR NIGHTMARES,’ The darkness said. ‘I AM MAMA. I AM POWERFUL AND MIGHTY AND YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME.’

“You were human once,” Yixing said.

‘I AM NO LONGER!’

“But you used to be,” Suho said. “All you were was a power hungry despot who was willing to manipulate people. You never knew true power.”

‘YOU LIE!’

“No,” said Tao, “We are true leaders. We respect the people we lead. We serve them, not the other way around.”

‘THAT IS WEAKNESS.’

“Maybe for you,” Krystal retorted. “We took your weakness and made it our strength, so what does that make us?”

‘I WILL END YOU!’ The mist cried. It broke apart and began to swirl around each one of them. There were a few cries of shock, and Krystal herself was surprised at the suddenness of it, but she didn’t let it shake her. She closed her eyes and held out her hands.

“I’m not alone,” Krystal said, her voice resonating over the darkness’ pitiful howls. “I am part of a whole. I’m never alone.”

Krystal fell into the dream-like state of meditation easily. One by one, she felt her fellow Guardians join her. Jongin was the last, but Krystal could feel him at the edge of her own consciousness. When she felt Jongin join them, she realized that he had brought someone along—or tried to.

“Shin Hyeseong,” Jongin said, “We knew you as Kai. Can you hear us?”

The soul was feeble, but Krystal could feel its strong desire for companionship and love. She could see why her mentors had gotten along with this girl.

“Join us,” Krystal offered, sending the soul an offer of friendship. Kai—Hyeseong’s soul latched on to her own, and Krystal surrounded it with love.

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ The darkness howled.

No one paid it any attention. As they had done all those years ago, twenty four souls began to merge as one, taking Hyeseong’s soul with them. They brought the older Guardian into their circle of love and trust, and showed her how to be part of the collective soul, what it meant to possess a soul in the first place.

The darkness came and tried to break them apart, but it failed. The more it tried, the more was chipped away from the darkness, until a tiny light began to shine through it. As one, twenty five souls reached for the light and brought it forward. It was the remains of the soul of the human who had been absorbed by the evil power it sought to control. The soul was small, battered, and worn down, but it was still good. It was, however, even weaker than Hyeseong’s had been, and its body had long been lost. It was time for the soul to move on.

“Don’t be afraid,” Krystal said, and all the souls connected with hers echoed the statement. “You’re free now. Purged of the evil that tried to drown you out. This isn’t the end for you.”

Freed from the darkness, the soul rejoined the collective. None of them would know where it had gone, they didn’t know if they would ever see that part of the collective soul in a human body ever again. That wasn’t up to them.

It seemed that freeing the last shred of good from the clutches of the darkness sent Mama flying apart. The thing that had called it into being was untouchable now. The darkness sought to cling to the collective, then it tried to pick them apart, but the Guardians stayed strong. The darkness howled and screamed as it attacked, over and over, but it wasn’t strong enough, and with each attack it weakened, until finally there was nothing left of it. In the end, it was almost like Mama had caused its own downfall.

When Krystal was back in her own body, the first person she looked for was Jessica. Her sister was fine, more than fine, and so she turned to Minseok. He looked shaken, but physically unharmed.

“Is it really gone?” Minseok asked.

“Only the Tree knows for sure,” Kris said, his arms around Tao and Suho. “But it sure looks that way.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hi there, Hyeseong.”

Whatever spell or curse she had been under was broken. Hyeseong was free again, and she looked absolutely stunned. “I can’t believe what I just saw,” she said. “Where did you learn that?”

“From our tenth Generation,” Suho said. “We met them on Earth.”

Hyeseong looked over the girls, and she began to cry. “So much has happened…we missed it all.”

“And it’s time to make up for it,” Jongin said. “I believe we have some things to discuss with our fellow Guardians.”