BEYOND 3A: BloodRed and ScaleBlack

The Fifty-Ninth Feather: Throw a Rock Down There

While all of that was happening, Iron Will and Wakamol had finally gotten to the scene where ninety-eight percent of Texas completely vanished. The big guy stood beside the investigator and asked: "Well, any comments?"

Wakamol: "...It's a massive fucking hole. What's there to comment on and isn't already apparent?"

Will: "The boss said this was caused by a 'black heart'."

Wakamol: "Yes, the Hylic synchronisation. Fun fact, did you know that normal shifters can create lite versions of black hearts?"

Will: "...Is that true?"

Wakamol: "Yes, but only theoretically. Since beyonders tend to not interact directly with each other while inside their hosts, it's completely impossible to establish a connection strong enough to create a black heart. But! Supposedly, if two people had the same Beyonder, they could create a very weak recreation of it, only doubling the potency of their energy, perhaps someone with a copying ability could pull that off. Anyway, back to the planetary anus."

Will: "Don't call it that."

Wakamol: "Fine, 'The Backdoor', then."

Will: "What should we do about it? Where do we begin investigating?"

Wakamol: "Hmm... I was told no one can summon a door over it, right?"

Will: "Yes."

Wakamol: "...Let's throw a rock down there."

Will: "That's it?"

Wakamol: "This isn't a mystery drama, my guy, we need to take small steps. Throw a rock down there and let's see what can and can't go through its space."

Will complied and threw a palm-sized rock down, letting it fall into the darkness without making an audible impact with anything. Wakamol said: "Okay, this confirms this pit is either bottomless or just very, very deep. I wonder if a person can fall down there."

Will: "Before you ask-"

Wakamol: "Can you jump down there?"

Will: "-I won't jump down there. Damn, you can't even let me finish talking?"

Wakamol: "Just try to jump down there. If you fall, just catch a ledge and climb back up. Simple!"

Will: "How about I throw you down instead?"

Wakamol: "I won't stop you, but your fight is going to be with the boss and his wrath. C'mon, you're an elite, are you afraid of a cliff?"

Will: "Fine, it's your fight with his wrath if I don't make it out."

Wakamol: "Sure thing~! Off with you!"

Iron Will unwillingly stood before the cliff, preparing himself to stick his fist into the dirt wall below him, and put one foot forward. However, he couldn't pass the threshold. For some reason, some invisible force was repelling Will's entire body from going near the hole. He pushed as hard as he could, shattering the ground below his feet, until he was propelled several feet away. Wakamol commented: "Well, that's interesting. Not only doesn't this backdoor like magic doors, it also doesn't like buff dudes wearing ridgepunk shades. Hmmm..."

Out of curiosity, Wakamol moved his hand over the hole to test whether or not he could pass through, and surprisingly, he did. He turned to Will and told him: "This hole hates everything Beyonder-related. Magic doors are made with Beyonder energy, and you have a Beyonder in your body, meanwhile, I'm just some guy, as far as this hole is concerned. Chances are, it's trying to keep you all out for a reason. I'll have to go through the catalogue of recorded Beyonder instances and figure out which combination could make something like this."