The cave was dimly lit, its walls dotted with tiny lights. Low-ranked creatures called glorms — Beyond's version of glow worms — hung everywhere, casting a soft, bluish-green glow that illuminated my surroundings. In the center of the cave, sat a single tree.

“Welcome to my home.”

“So…I’m for real not hearing voices?” I said.

“Look down.”

……

“...What am I looking at?”

“Come closer.”

I crouched closer to where I was supposed to be looking. There, on a rock, sat what I assumed was a black-scaled snake, no bigger than the size of my palm. Every once in a while, parts of its body would glow a bright gold. It even had whiskers — or maybe it was a mustache. It was kind of cute.

“Behold, it is I, the great and powerful king of the socrix!”

“I see.” I stared.

“Y-you dare not bow! I saved your life!”

“You did.” I continued staring. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

“So…you’re a socrix?”

“Correct!”

“...and the king of them?”

“Correct again!”

Tsk.

“Human, did you just—?”

“Force of habit. I’m working on it,” I said. “So…why did you save me?”

“Fate! I’ve seen plenty of depressed humans, but watching you made me sad!” It exclaimed. “And your body? It’s a total mess!”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“That you’re a depressing being?”

“No, the part where my body’s a mess,” I said, brushing off the other statement.

“Ah! Well, if you must know, the affinity you're born with is like multiple streams of water flowing through your body. BUT! Yours are like rapids being blocked off by giant boulders!”

Was that why my progressions were so slow?

“Is there a way to fix it?” I asked.

“Don’t know. Maybe. Not sure.” It replied. “Well…there might be something.”

“What is it?”

“Form a bond with me or should I say sync?”

“Huh?”

“Human, are you deaf?”

Throughout all my playthroughs, I had never encountered an unknown socrix — especially one this chatty. I had no idea what its intentions were. Even more, I could sense it was around tier nine, maybe seven at best. The one I was after was at least rank three. It would be perfect, sitting just behind Novian’s rank two socrix.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“I was actually thinking about forming a bond with another socrix,” I said. “It should be around tier three.”

“Hah! Mediocre at best.”

“Are you implying you’re stronger?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously, I mean, look at me," it said proudly, puffing out its tiny chest, the glowing gold on its scales pulsing brighter.

"Uh-huh... then if you're so strong, there should be no reason to sync with me. I’m extremely weak. You’d be better off finding someone stronger."

"No, it has to be you. You've caught my interest — especially your innards I mentioned," It said enthusiastically. "Your chaotic, blocked-up energy! It’s fascinating. I haven’t seen something like that in centuries.”

I won't lie, it’s a tempting offer, but I don't know how much I can trust a socrix. Socrixes naturally seek to grow stronger through whatever means necessary, including manipulation. This could easily be a ploy that could get me killed. I can’t take the risk, not yet.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

“Hmph! Suit yourself,” It said.

"So, where exactly are we? I’m not taking ‘your home’ as an excuse."

Throughout my playthroughs, I don’t recall a hidden area like this. There were countless secret locations that BP players uncovered and shared on the forums, but this one was never mentioned — not even by the developers. What’s even stranger is this socrix. I’ve met, synced, and seen plenty of them, yet I’ve never encountered this one before. Things weren’t adding up, but honestly, what has made sense lately?

"The Abyssal Ravine, or as you humans call it, 'The unknown.' Haha! You humans sure are funny with your names." It said, chuckling to itself. “It’s a place of high concentration of essence, or what you humans call affinities. Which is why I’m surprised you’re even alive. Humans can’t handle this level of concentration. Their bodies usually… explode!”

“Wait, so you brought me here with the fact I was going to die?”

“No, like I said, you’re a unique human, but I could’ve been wrong! Hahahaha!”

Tsk.

“You’re crazy.”

“I’ve been told. Now, follow me.”

“Why?”

“You’re arm. Let’s fix it. I’ve been meaning to try something.”

“…”

"...hah... Fine, I'll go along with it, not like I have much of a choice.”

My arm was basically broken, and it needed to be healed. I still had two days left to deal with the trials, and having a busted arm wasn’t going to cut it. I also had no clue how to escape this place.

The socrix slowly led me, continuing our walk until we approached a massive tree in the middle of the cave from earlier. It seemed to be pulsing with life, its energy was captivating. It felt serene, safe almost.

“Focus, human. This tree has a habit of luring prey who manage to survive down here.”

“Huh?”

“You were dazed. Don’t fall for it again.”

“Oh. Right. Got it.”

“Now, I don’t know how long this tree has been here, but it’s been around for as long as I’ve arrived. There’s not much detail I can provide about it, but what I do know is that it’s strange.”

“Wow. That’s so informative.”

“Let me finish,” the socrix said. "It naturally pulses with essence, but it’s been pulsing more frequently since you human children arrived at the Prism."

"That doesn’t make much sense. The school always holds its trials here. Past students have been here all the time, no?" I asked.

"Exactly, which is why it's strange. Something's different this time."

The socrix slithered its way up the tree near a hollow.

"Put your arm in this."

“...”

Tsk.

"The way you show your annoyance is quite verbal, human." It remarked with a hint of amusement.

“I’ve been told,” I said. “Are you sure this is safe?”

“I don’t.”

Tsk.

Was this really my only solution?

I looked around, hoping for a magical exit to appear. Nothing.

I really had to put my faith in the thing that kills humanity, huh?

It’s not like I had much of a choice. And death? Did it really matter to me? What did I have to lose?

Chakakaka….

"Human, it would be wise to make a fast decision."

“What?”

"Ablians. Creatures that roam the darkest parts of the ravine. They must've heard us from earlier."

Tsk.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Fine.”

With no other choice, I stuck my arm into the tree hollow.