Broken Glass - Taekook

55

"You've had the process explained a few times, but we've only looked at a basic summary. I've never explained how it feels, what shifts and changes as a result of a connection to the golden river. I've never explored the importance of knowing your own strength, or knowing where your power lies. To know what you can do, you must first understand your connection, and then what brings that connection to light," Namjoon starts. It's been a while since the whole 'staring into the mirror' fiasco from earlier, and we've had a chance to breathe and eat since then. 

Now, refreshed, and ready to focus, Namjoon and I are standing a few metres away from the edge of the river, in a small grove of trees that encircle us in a protective wall of leaves and trunks and vines. It's more shaded, which gives us a break from the angry gaze of the sun. Despite the fact that we're out of the savannah now, it's still overwhelmingly warm. 

Namjoon's long hair is drifting free in the breeze, his eyes narrowed and in control one more, dressed in a sleeveless vest that looks a lot like it was made from some of the leather we've made over the course of our journey. In this outfit, it's easier to see the deep green lines that trace over his arms and hands, and to see how they drift to his shoulders. They connect together at the sternum, becoming one thick line that blends with his jugular vein and slowly fades into his normal skin colour. 

The necklace around his neck is also hanging free, free from excess cloths or ribbons, shimmering a faint green in the dappled light of this tiny glade. I'm standing a few metres away,  opposite him. My cloak lies on the floor, and the mirror is on the ground in front of me. For the sake of both of us, it's currently positioned so that the reflective side is facing the floor. 

"Tell me what you remember about the golden river," Namjoon instructs, his voice unyielding, a new strength entering his expression. I bite my lip, meeting his eyes. 

"The golden river is the source of power in Eithyr," I start, a little hesitantly. "It is a massive storage of energy that flows under the ground, everywhere you go, and the kind of power differs depending on who you are and where you are. Those with access to the river can tap into that energy, and trade it for their own in order to perform feats of power or strength. Different people can do different things."

"Good," he returns, but his expression doesn't change. "The first step is to remind yourself of how to access the golden river, without losing yourself in the process. It's easy to drift along the different currents of energy that you can experience when you're just connecting with the golden river. And that is good, when you're starting out. But if you want to use it, and make the most of what it can offer, you need to retain a level head."

I nod a little to myself, taking a deep breath. Namjoon watches me carefully for a second, and then continues. "Kook, I would like you to take a dive into the golden river. Just bathe in it for now, and I will tell you when to come back. Sit with the sense of connectedness you gain when you tap into this flow of energy and consciousness." 

I nod again, closing my eyes and feeling myself drift into that state of being. Within a few seconds, my body feels lighter and harder to control, and my mind is engulfed in a visible stream of golden light. For a few seconds, as with my first dive into this, I find myself lost in it completely, unable to keep up or fight back against the flow of energy. And then, as I remind myself of where I am, I find myself battling that current and staying afloat. 

The only thing I can compare it to is the rich currents of an ocean or river. The golden river is aptly named, in that respect. In the same way that it's easy to get lost in an ocean, it's almost too easy to flounder in the complex movements and shifts that come with this strange, energetic world that exists below the surface of Eithyr. Without a good idea of what you're doing, it's easy to just drift, to lose your mind and your awareness in depths that just keep on going for what feels like eternity.