Return of Cipher (Hatters!AU: Return to the Falls)

Chapter V: The Return of Bill Cipher

Author's Notes:

With the change of the storyline comes a rewrite I thought I'd never do! Lol enjoy

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Chapter Started: 1/21/23

Chapter Finished: 1/29/23

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July 2021

The Mystery Shack

Lucky

"Alright, we're here."

I stopped just in front of the bush that hid us from the view of the shack's residents, all of us looking the shack up and down. Blackhat and I looked to each other, then nodded with wicked grins on our faces. We suddenly looked down when we heard Bendy speak.

"Sweet! Let's go get Bill!" Bendy began running up to the shack, but I caught him by the tail. "Gah!"

"Hold on just a minute there, love," I said, holding him up by his tail as he squirmed. "We can't just go rushing in, remember? We have to be clandestine, covert, and... another word for stealth that begins with C."

"Lucky's right," Blackhat agreed. "Stealth will be key. We get in there, get Bill, and get out."

Bendy folded his arms with a pouty expression. "Fine."

I dropped him, and he landed on the dirt ground with a loud "oof!" as I rolled my eyes. Blackhat and I began walking towards the shack, and Bendy eventually got himself together and scurried to catch up to us as we stopped in front of the shack. We nodded to each other, which was enough to signal what we were each going to do. I motioned for the two to follow me, and I rushed up to the door and tried to open it. Finding it locked, I quickly came up with a solution and took off my hat, searching for something to open the door. I found bobby-pins I had used to pick locks in the past and stuck them into the keyhole, fiddling with it until it clicked. Blackhat slipped away into the shadows, as I slowly and stealthily opened the door and snuck inside on my tiptoes, Bendy tiptoeing with me and looking around for any sign of Bill. We searched every little knickknack in the shop to see if he was trapped inside it, to no avail. Suddenly, an idea on where he could be popped into my mind.

"Wait, he was trapped inside of a mortal's body, right?" I whispered.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Bendy whispered back.

"If a demon possesses a mortal who dies, they end up stuck inside that body until the vessel is destroyed, though sometimes there's an extra step to setting them free. Do you remember what they told us when we were at the graveyard?"

"Uh, about the cremation?"

I nodded. "If they cremated them, that means the vessel was destroyed. But some demons aren't so lucky, and if Bill's not here, then it must mean he's still trapped inside the ashes of the body!"

"Which means...?"

"We have to destroy the urn, you dolt."

"Ohhh," Bendy said with sudden realization. "Where's the urn?"

"That's for us to figure out," I said. "But I doubt they'd keep it in the shop. Come on, let's see if they're in the living room or something."

We both snuck around and explored the shack, eventually coming across the living room. Atop the TV, there were two urns sat right next to each other. We approached the television and I looked at the two urns, confused.

"Shit, which one is he in?" I asked myself quietly.

"How about the one that's shaking violently?" Bendy asked, pointing to the urn that was shaking like a genie's lamp that begged to be opened.