BEYYOND

Slithering strands of hair twisted and coiled, weaving themselves into something grotesque—a heart. Suspended in the void by an unseen force, it pulsed, each slow, wet thud sending tremors through its tangled fibers. The strands shivered with every beat, as if the heart itself was resisting its own unnatural existence.

A faint buzzing filled the air.

A swarm of flies spiraled around the heart, forming a tornado-like vortex. The rhythmic pulse grew louder, its echoes stretching unnaturally, distorting the space around it.

Then, with a final, shuddering beat, the heart sent out a ripple. The vibration spread outward, the waves shrinking with each pulse, folding in on themselves—collapsing into a singular black iris.

---

The clock on Jason's nightstand glowed 00:12.

He frowned. He could've sworn he had slept for at least eight hours, but the math didn't add up. Barely four had passed.

He sat up, expecting the usual stiffness after crashing from exhaustion, but his body felt... fine.butHis throat was dry.

He shuffled to the kitchen, filled a glass, and took a slow sip. The water was cold, refreshing, but—

Something's off.

It wasn't that the water tasted bad. It tasted like nothing. Pure absence.

Jason smirked at his own paranoia and leaned against the counter. "Great. Now my brain's expecting flavors that don't exist."

At least today was a half-day—some downtime after their 20+ hour battle with the virus. A rare, welcomed privilege.

Still, he felt restless. Too much energy.

Dropping down to the floor, he decided to burn it off. Push-ups.

He knocked out 50 in a row. No effort. Barely winded.

Jason had always been in decent shape, but that? That was different.

He ran a hand over his stomach. No dramatic changes, though his abs were making a stronger attempt at revealing themselves. "Would've been nice to wake up shredded," he muttered.

Bored, he wandered into his sister's room, marker in hand.

Elyse was deep in sleep, sprawled out with Jay, their ever-energetic pup. Jay's paws twitched, padding against the air like he was chasing wind across meadows.

Jason smirked and drew a tiny mustache and a monocle on Elyse's face.

Jay huffed, as if in approval.

---

By noon, the team had planned a group lunch at a nearby restaurant—a rare chance to unwind after the all-nighter. The place buzzed with life, filled with the scent of grilled meats, spices, and freshly baked bread. Conversations blurred together, a mix of office gossip, cybersecurity jokes, and sleep-deprived nonsense.

Jason slouched in his chair, letting the warmth of the restaurant sink into his bones. Sleep still clung to him, but the lively chatter kept him awake. Across the table, Diego was demolishing a plate of wings, Sophia was stirring her drink with the slow patience of someone who had lost all hope, and Arnon was engaged in a silent battle with a particularly stubborn piece of steak.

Robert leaned back, stretching. "So, we fought off a nightmare virus, kept the company from imploding, and somehow… we're still not getting a bonus?"

Diego scoffed, wiping his hands. "Please. The bonus is knowing they'll dump another crisis on us in a week."

Sophia exhaled through her nose. "More like tomorrow."

Jason smirked, nudging Arnon. "You know what this lunch needs?"

Arnon looked up, catching the familiar glint in Jason's eyes. "Oh no."

Jason grinned. "An arm-wrestling match."

Sophia groaned, already regretting her life choices. "Not this again."

But it was too late.

Elbows hit the table. Hands locked. Jason vs. Arnon.

A few curious glances flickered their way, but most of the team had seen this too many times to care. Sophia took up the role of reluctant referee, counting down between sips of her iced tea.

"Three… two… one… go!"

Nothing.

For the first five seconds, neither hand moved. Fifteen seconds, and they were still frozen in place, their arms trembling, muscles tensed but unmoving.

Jason narrowed his eyes. Why wasn't Arnon budging?

Arnon, equally confused, muttered, "Are you even trying?"

They both were.

But neither could overpower the other.

A flicker of something odd passed through Jason's mind. Hadn't he felt stronger than usual today? His push-ups, the ease of lifting Jay, and now this…

Across the table, Robert glanced over and shook his head. "You two morons are gonna sit there all day, huh?"

Sarah Patel, their team lead, leaned forward, finishing off her drink before tapping her fingers against the table. "By the way," she said casually, "there's a pleasant surprise coming soon."

Jason, still straining against Arnon's grip, barely flicked his eyes up. "That a good thing or a bad thing?"

Patel's smile was unreadable. "Guess you'll find out."

Sophia sighed. "I hate when she does that."

The challenge fizzled out as neither Jason nor Arnon managed to gain an inch. Eventually, they both pulled away at the same time, exchanging a glance that neither could fully explain.

And with that, the lunch wrapped up. The team paid their bill, exchanged their usual parting jokes, and went their separate ways—some home, some back to the office.

Back at home, Jason stood opposite the bathtub, arms stretched over his head—a subconscious habit before doing something he'd rather avoid.

Jay, however, had already figured it out.

The pup backed up slowly, eyes darting toward the door.

Jason raised a brow. "You really wanna do this?"

Jay lunged.

Jason caught him mid-air, holding him in place. The dog wriggled with every ounce of resistance he could muster, but Jason barely felt the strain.

He lowered Jay into the tub. A splash. A bark. A fight of soapy chaos ensued, ending in Jay sulking under a towel, dramatically betrayed.

---

Later that night, the rain poured outside.

Jason lay in bed, the rhythm of raindrops against the window lulling him into a half-conscious daze. His black eyes flickered shut.

Somewhere a small restaurant bench sat under the downpour.

Water collected on its surface, Slowly, the droplets merged, the puddles pulling toward each other,pooling into two separate puddles.