Warning: SPOILERS for The Flash #49.

The latest issue of The Flash has revealed that there are hereto unknown cosmic energies that lie beyond The Speed Force. The existence of these powers was revealed after Wally West attempted to use his powers to breach an opening in The Speed Force, only to accidentally break The Force Barrier.

This shocking occurrence is only the latest of many stunning events to occur as a result of the Flash War storyline. The previous issues saw Wally West learning that his memories had been altered by the same mysterious all-powerful being who is rewriting the history of the DC Universe and had previously trapped Wally outside of reality. Reminded of the existence of his children, Jai and Irey, by the supervillain Zoom, Wally became determined to break The Speed Force open in a bid to free them.

This led to a frantic chase, with Wally's mentor Barry Allen trying to stop Wally before he did something drastic, remembering all too well the damage he himself had done to the time-stream attempting to stop his mother's murder during the Flashpoint event.

Related: DC Reveals The TRUE Opposite To Flash's Speed Force

Unfortunately, Wally proved himself to be the true Fastest Man Alive and was able to outrun his mentor and create the break he wanted. The resulting explosion sent both heroes back to Barry's hometown of Central City... and into the the clutches of a gloating Zoom.

The Flash Discovers Forces Beyond The Speed Force

Zoom quickly revealed that his true intention in reminding Wally about the existence of his children was to trick Wally into breaking The Force Barrier - a cosmic barricade that concealed energies that could be tapped into by the right people in much the same way that The Speed Force empowers speedsters. These energies include a Sage Force - seemingly based around telepathic and telekinetic powers - and a Strength Force. Zoom discovered the existence of these energies reading 25th century history books and determined a way to tap into these energies as well as The Speed Force once The Force Barrier was broken. He also donned a replica of Barry Allen's costume, declaring himself the one true Flash, before deciding that he would spare Barry and Wally the pain of their future lives by ending them now!

This issue of The Flash adds another interesting wrinkle to the ever-changing cosmology of The DC Comics Universe. A recent issue of Justice League revealed the existence of a Still Force that serves as an inertia-based balance to The Speed Force, as well as an emotional spectrum similar to the one that empowers The Lantern Corps, though based on hidden emotions and non-visible light. It remains to be seen what will be made of all of these changes and who will ultimately survive, as the Flash War continues into The Flash #50.

More: The REAL Reason The Justice League Needs John Stewart

The Flash #49 is now available from DC Comics.