Oak Tree | BillDip

Chapter 12 - Drift

Dipper stared at the clothes that were laid out on his bed. It was the next day and one of the demons knocked on his door right after he went back to think after his interaction with Pyronica last night. They told him to wear them the next morning because Bill wanted them to go practice magic outside of the Fearamid amidst the chaos.

He put them on, brushed his hair lazily, then put on his dirty pine tree hat. The colors all blended in with each other.

Then darkness slammed against his eyes and when he opened them, he was next to Bill by that triangle-shaped hole in the wall. He could hear screams and flames cackling. This wasn't really him, he willed himself to think. He is corrupted.

"Good to see you've arrived, Pine Tree."

Dipper whirled. "Why am I wearing this?" He asked, picking at his top. And it was scorching hot outside—why was he wearing pants?

Bill ignored him. "Come," he said to him, his body turned toward the world, watching. He finally floated out of the wall  and out to the outside world, turned and waited for Dipper to follow him.

"W-wait—" Dipper spluttered, looking down at the burnt ground beneath the castle. "You want me to... float over?"

The demon looked at him with a pointed look. He patiently put his black arms behind his back. "Just trust your instincts, kid, you'll be able to do it."

Instincts. Right. Demon instincts. I can do this. He looked ahead past Bill, willing nothing to distract him. I can conjure up a flame and make it go away with no problem, this is fine. Bill would catch me if I fall. Right?

He imagined himself in his head with his feet hovering over the ground, carefully moving forward—wait.

He... he was in the air! He was a few feet away from the pyramid wall! We was floating all by himself!

He was so lost in his achievement that he started to fall. His throat closed up and he closed his eyes, preparing himself for death. He couldn't think of anything else except the wind slapping against his skin—

My family. He remembered that he was going to save them, and maybe the whole world, later. And so he caught himself right before he hit the burnt, crisp grass. He lowered himself gently and the dry, burnt floor beneath him crunched.

He heard applause beside him. He'd almost killed him! He turned to scold Bill but he didn't let him talk as he said, "Bravo! That was the only way you could ever learn how to levitate," he shrugged in mock innocence. "So, congratulations, you'll need to know that once I send you to get the equation."

Not my family—the equation.

Dipper wiped away non-existent dust off his pants and asked with a voice still shaky, "What else will I need to learn?"

"How to teleport. How to peak inside someone else's mind."

Wait, what?

Bill crossed his arms and watched the fires burn the town. Dipper couldn't bring his gaze to his home. "I meant what I said, PT. You need to see inside minds to learn information. You'll also need the teleporting to escape in case other henchmaniacs get on your tail," he waved a lazy hand and made his way back up to the castle. "Not everyone knows about you, kid. Demon or not, you still look like a weak meatsack. Now come back up. We have more lessons to do."

Just a corrupted soul. Just a corrupted soul. But he couldn't help but remember the demon penetrating his uncle's mind, the possession, and hearing the anguished screams and the hissing fires around him, filling his mind like a waterfall of wildfire.