The Power Within || BTS

TWENTY EIGHT

♦ Thick Enough to Cut Through ♦

Darkness.

That's how these dreams always started.

I was standing alone in the abyss, nothing ahead, behind, above or below me. It was like drowning in a bowl of ink, except I could still breathe.

I knew something big would happen after I was deep enough in my subconscious. These kind of dreams make sure I'm actually resting before disturbing me.

I hadn't told anyone. Even I couldn't make sense of it myself. Standing in this abyss, I could only make sense of one thing.

This is definitely a part of my mind I cannot access... But why?

Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light and a strong gust of wind. I tried steadying myself in case it was a sign of danger but before I could, something pulled me towards the light. I tried to cover my eyes, but the light still shone through.

Once it faded, I was standing in a green field next to a large oak tree. It seemed familiar but I couldn't tell why.

"Tanana, sweetie."

I whipped my head around so fast, I probably pulled a muscle. That voice... It sounds like...

"Do you want to hear the story of the jewels again?"

I tried finding the voice but I could tell where it was coming from. I ran around the oak tree to find a beautiful dark skinned woman in a white summery dress with a five year old on her lap.

"Oh, yes please!" the girl replied excitedly. "Can you tell me about the protector?"

The woman laughed softly. "You're so eager to learn about that. Why?"

"Well... You never told me about the protector before and they seem fun!"

"The role of a protector isn't easy," the woman told her, face darkness for a split second. "The protector can do many things, yes. Possibly more than all the guardians combined if they train hard enough. But we haven't had a protector live past the birth of a new one, their next kin."

The girl's head tilted in question. "Are there only girl protectors?"

"Oh no, they are some male protectors sprinkled around history. Only two have actually been put in action. It's the protector's job to hold the team together and lead them, so of course the women were better at doing this."

The little girl gasped. "Mommy, that's so mean! What if the next protector is a guy, too?"

"Then all the next rulers would be kings instead of queens. It was the other way around in my time," she said softly, a look of sadness on her face.

The girl's eyes widened. "Really? Were you a protector?"

"No, my step brother was. After the forming of the royal counsel and official coronation, he got married and had two beautiful children."

"I have cousins?"

"Yes, but we can't visit them now with the tension on their side of the kingdom. But I promise we'll take a family trip there as soon as we can?"

"Yay!" The girl jumped up in excitement and hugged the woman. "Thank you, Mommy!"

"Anything for you, Tanana."

I gasped. It suddenly became hard to breathe. My head began to pound and I crumbled to my knees clutching it. I tried to scream out in pain but all I could hear was a muffled blur of words.