What Exists Behind

His body moved like a well-oiled machine as he made his way back to Trevor's home.

Thanks to the temporary effects of the Soul Expansion Powder and the realignment of his soul, he moved at a blistering pace, far outpacing the time it would have taken him before his breakthrough in mass.

Arriving at Trevor's, he rushed down the steps, stepping over the still-unconscious Trevor, and went straight to check on his Eagle Spawn.

The cave remained peaceful. The Eagle Spawn had not ended their rebellion. They all sat in a circle, holding hands and singing strange, incomprehensible songs like a bizarre Kumbaya.

Ged pulled out the Agitation Powder he had received from Dill. Keeping its contents hidden from the Eagle Spawn, he poured a small pile onto the ground near the entrance.

The azure powder seeped into the cave floor, triggering a cascading sonic boom that shook the entire cavern. The once-relaxed Eagle Spawn froze, their eyes wide with fear. Some bolted toward the cave walls, scrambling to escape the thick, coalescing smoke.

The smoke twisted and thickened, taking shape as a Holy Cloud Demon. Its glowing azure eyes bore down on the fleeing Eagle Spawn, cold and detached, exuding an aura of cruelty.

Acting as the cave's torturer, the demon's eyes charged with energy before unleashing laser beams of pure agitation, striking the Eagle Spawn with pinpoint precision.

Chaos erupted. The Eagle Spawn ran aimlessly, as if caught in an apocalyptic catastrophe. Helpless to evade the Holy Cloud Demon's relentless assault, their screams echoed through the cavern. With each strike, their movements grew more erratic, spiraling further into hysteria.

Desperate to distract themselves from the torment, they began slamming their heads against the walls once more, seeking any sensation that might dull the excruciating pain of the eye beams.

Ged observed as the cave resumed its rapid maturation. Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, he muttered, "It really does what he said... and it seems to be quite potent."

His gaze shifted to the bottle of Agitation Powder. Its contents had noticeably diminished from just a single use.

"But I need to see how long this lasts... Hopefully, it stretches beyond a week," he murmured.

Satisfied with the chaos unfolding, he turned and left the cave behind.

It was still early, but with nothing else to do, he decided to scope out the meeting point with Gore.

Recalling the resonant coordinates, Ged raised an eyebrow.

"Black Tar Slice…"

He had checked the distance before, but now that he examined its exact location, he gained a deeper understanding of where it was in relation to his position.

Planet Blue Eagle was divided into 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal slices, its surface patterned like a soccer ball.

Elpida was located within the pentagonal Rocky Slice, bordered by five other slices. One of them was the Black Tar Slice.

The coordinates Gore had sent led directly to the border between Rocky Plaza, a fortress-like cluster of mountains, and the Black Tar Sea.

To prevent rogue body sorcerers from tunneling beneath the border, a blue underground barrier had been erected, ensuring that invaders from neighboring nations could not bypass it without traveling above ground.

The journey was long and arduous. Although Elpida was the closest town to the Black Tar border, reaching the exact meeting point still required a considerable trek.

As he approached Rocky Plaza, the terrain grew steeper with each step, the towering mountain peaks casting massive shadows over the land.

Ged pulled out the drill artifact Resh had given him.

Since he had no intention of crossing the border, he drilled through the mountains, traveling at high speed while steadily burning through his core energy.

With ample time before midday, he surfaced atop a mountain peak.

"I've never seen the sea before," Ged muttered, his gaze sweeping over the eerily still, bubbling tar.

But something else caught his attention.

At the center of the sea, a massive parting revealed the bony spine of a long-dead, unfathomable creature, stretching across the entire expanse and vanishing into the distant horizon.

He appeared to be the first to arrive at the meeting point. As he snooped around, he searched for any trace of the Blue Water Sphere Gore had described.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled behind him.

Gore had arrived.

"You're early," Gore said, slightly surprised to see him. Smirking, he added, "Were you too excited to sleep last night?"

"I had extra time," Ged answered bluntly. Turning away, he returned his gaze to the Black Tar Sea.

Gore frowned but didn't press further. Stepping beside Ged at the mountain's edge, he stared into the endless black abyss.

"You know why I chose this place?" Gore asked, his voice softer now. He continued without waiting for an answer.

"There's a story that Plunk once came to this border to settle a dispute with the Black Tar King, who owed him mass.

The Black Tar King played dumb, denying everything. After a long back-and-forth, Plunk simply declared, 'Then I'll kill you, and take it from you myself.'"

Gore chuckled, though there was no real humor in it.

"But that foolish king tried to run. He dove deep into the Black Tar Sea, thinking he could escape Plunk's tyrannical grasp."

Gore glanced at Ged.

"You know what Plunk did?"

Ged remained silent.

"He split the sea to find him," Gore said, his voice almost admiring. "It was impossible for a non-Goo Body to travel through the tar's surface. So he performed a variation of split squats so powerful that he parted the sea itself. Just to kill a wretched creature who owed him mass, he left an imprint that would last for eternity."

He glanced out to the parted sea and the creatures spine that lay beneath and his expression darkened.

"I once stood on this peak, obsessed with understanding the scars he left behind. Back then, I was consumed by the need to know how he did it."

He exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"But those days are behind me," he muttered. "I no longer feel the same thrill when I look at this pitiful black sea and its parted waters to the Black Tar King's spine." His voice dropped lower. "Seeing the man's footprints now only leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

A cold wind stirred between them.

Ged finally spoke.

"What changed?"

Gore's eyes narrowed as he stared into the horizon.

"I met him myself," he said, shaking his head. "And I saw what exists behind him."

His fists clenched at his sides.

"This life… all these grand sights before us… they are not as beautiful as you think," he said bitterly.

Ged's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Gore exhaled, his tone unreadable. "The world we perceive is hidden behind a curtain."

"I once believed I was trapped in a cave, forced to watch shadows on a wall, controlled by rulers who kept me ignorant."

"Every fiber of my being ached to escape, to step outside, see the light, and uncover the world's true nature, free from deception."

His voice grew quieter as Ged's confusion deepened.

"But the world I found outside was not what I expected. The sun I longed for did not reveal the truth. Instead, it blinded me, its rays searching only to illuminate itself."

His hands clenched into fists before slowly relaxing.

"Ged... do not make the same mistake I did."

He exhaled sharply, as if struggling to contain something.

"The rules of this world are not meant to enslave us. In fact, it's the opposite. They exist only to protect us."

His breathing grew uneven. A haunted look flickered in his eyes.

"I can see that you've increased your size since we last met." His voice darkened. "Do not pull back that curtain any further than you already have. Do not build your strength so recklessly without understanding its consequences."

His voice trembled, and for the first time, his mask cracked.

"I spent my life desperate to escape the cave," he whispered.

"But now... I would give anything to return to it."

Ged's mind swirled with thoughts. Gore was being cryptic, but the raw legitimacy of his emotions was undeniable.

Something had shaken Gore to his core. He was no longer the same person Ged had once known.

Ged pressed further. "What did you see that terrified you so much? No one saw you for an entire year. Where did you go?"

Gore's gaze remained distant. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "These days, I don't even trust my own thoughts."

Ged frowned. "Did he undergo Blue Water Madness?" he wondered. He had spent too much time around those who had lost their minds. It was the only logical explanation.

Yet... Gore showed no symptoms.

Despite the madness in his words, he still seemed like himself.

Gore waved off Ged's grim expression. "It doesn't matter. Forget I ever spoke about this." He turned his attention to the Black Tar Sea.

"It seems Vernom has just arrived."

The black sea bubbled violently, waves of swirling ink rising like living shadows.

Then, from within the murky depths, a geyser erupted, revealing a giant human hand. Its palm was so large it could crush houses beneath it as if they were mere insects.

One by one, more geysers burst forth, unveiling an entire disembodied corpse rising to the sea's surface.

Ged narrowed his eyes. "What is that?"

Gore's expression remained neutral. "The Elpida City Governor."

"These are the final modifications the city ordered the Blue Company to make to his body," Gore continued, turning his back to Ged.

Shock rippled through Ged.

He had never realized the City Governor was just a puppet made of body parts.

All this time, he had believed the governor was a real person, an elected authority hidden deep underground who surfaced only to settle conflicts.

Gore's words shattered everything he thought he knew about Elpida's governance.

Before he could fully process it, Gore kept speaking.

"Surprised?" Gore smirked. "These kinds of caravans usually travel underground. You'd never see them like this unless they crossed the slice border. And if they caught you sneaking a look?" His eyes darkened. "You wouldn't make it out alive."

Without warning, he suddenly rushed forward at great speed, heading straight for the caravanning body parts.

Ged's eyes narrowed as he watched him go.

"But we have clearance for this, so we don't have to worry," Gore called over his shoulder. "Come on, let's meet Vernom. This is only the first stop. After this, we're heading for the Blue Water Sphere."

With no other choice, Ged followed closely behind.

They arrived at the valley of a mountain and waited patiently for the limbs to be carried ashore.

One of the City Governor's hands reached the shore, slithering onto the land as a green slug-like creature beneath it dragged it toward Gore and Ged.

Once it stopped in front of them, its fist opened, and out jumped the mustached body sorcerer, Vernom.

Vernom's cold gaze settled on Ged.

"Good," he muttered. "It seems you've learned to be more considerate of others' time."

Ged met his stare with a sharp glare of his own. "My payment." He stretched out his hand.

Vernom clicked his tongue. "Impatient bastard. You get paid after the job is done. I don't trust you not to run if I give it to you now."

Ged narrowed his eyes, considering walking away on the spot.

Before he could move, Gore intervened.

"Vernom, just give him his things. He won't run. I put my word on it." Gore locked eyes with Ged and gave a firm nod.

Vernom snorted, then reached into his abs and pulled out stacks of vials along with a clay tablet detailing the Blue Crystal Mine workout. He handed them to Ged.

"Be on your best behavior," he warned, his voice dripping with contempt. "Otherwise, I'll kill you myself."

Ged nodded, barely acknowledging the threat. His reward was in hand. That was all that mattered.

The rest of the limbs finished surfacing, and as soon as they landed, the green slugs transporting them expanded, enveloping the body parts in their gelatinous mass.

From their fronts, massive white teeth emerged, spinning like excavation drills.

One by one, they burrowed into the earth, their destination unknown.

The only limb that remained was the massive arm Vernom had stepped out of.

"Let's move quickly. I can only borrow this arm for a short time before someone important notices it's missing," Vernom said, his tone sharp.

Gore nodded in agreement and led the way, with Ged, Vernom, and the City Governor's arm in tow.

After traveling several kilometers, they arrived at an inconspicuous quarry, where Gore finally came to a halt.

"We're here," Gore said.

Ged's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Where is it?"

Gore looked at Vernom, and Vernom looked back at him. Without a word, they exchanged a knowing nod.

Ged frowned. Something wasn't right.

His grip tightened as he prepared a Peg, ready to Grapple away at a moment's notice. His mind swirled with the possibility that he had just walked into a trap.