Seven years. That's how long Dipper Pines had been a part of the Church of Cypher. The farming town of Gravity Falls was nestled in the woods, miles from the nearest village. Everybody in the town went to church every day to worship the Old Gods: Odin, Freya, Balder, and all the rest. However, that all changed when their Lord Cypher had blessed them with his presence. The deity had arrived suddenly, interrupting a service at the church with a flash of blue light, looming before the townsfolk with a wolfish grin splitting his cheeks. He told tales of nightmarish realms and terrifying creatures that he reigned over, speaking in a deep, gravelly voice that grated against the ears and made one fear for their lives. To Dipper, though, it sent electricity shooting up his spine. That voice was the most beautiful sound the young man had ever heard, and he craved it almost constantly in the days and weeks following the divine encounter.
Since that first visit from Cypher, the townspeople abandoned the Old Gods and began worshipping this new deity who graced their tiny town. The pocket-sized church was repurposed for this new being, and the Pines boy attended every worship, sermon, and ceremony they held in Cypher's name.
Each day in Gravity Falls was the same. Wake up. Pray. Eat breakfast. Pray. Go to church. Pray. Do chores until supper. Pray. Get ready for bed and pray until one was claimed by sleep. For years, that was the norm; pray to Lord Cypher for one thing or another, only receiving silence in return. Still, the townsfolk remained faithful. When their crops dried up in the summers, and they were left with too-little food to last through the winter, they prayed. When their water was polluted and their children were dying, they prayed, the corpses of the deceased being the only answer their God gave them. Everybody in the town prayed in the square until the sun dipped below the horizon, and even then they continued to murmur their wishes to the heavens in an attempt to contact Cypher. For those seven long years, he was silent. He was watching and listening, but would not intervene, for he wanted to see how far these little humans would go for him. One human in particular caught his attention: the boy graced by the touch of the cosmos. Cypher kept a close eye on that one for several years until he knew exactly what he wanted to do with him.
"…per… Dip… Dipper!"
"Ah!" Dipper shot up, his bleary chocolate eyes locking onto his sister, Mabel. "I'm up… What's going on?" Mabel looked concerned, though excitement was clear in the honey-brown hues of her irises. "Mabel, what's wrong...?" He swung his legs over the side of his bed, his feet recoiling from the cold wood of the attic floor. He watched his twin expectantly, waiting for her to answer. The young woman bit her lip and wrung her hands nervously before responding.
"The Church has called an emergency service. Great Uncle Ford says Lord Cypher contacted him last night. Come on, we have to go!" She turned on her heel and ran out of the room, heading towards the church without waiting for her brother. The mention of Cypher made Dipper's heart race. If he contacted a human directly, it must be important. The Pines boy finally sprang out of bed and shot out after his sister, not bothering to change out of his pajamas.
By the time the twins reached the church, the service had already started. They entered quietly and hung around the back of the room, listening intently to the man speaking at the pulpit; their Great Uncle Ford. "I have received guidance from our Lord Cypher. The All Knowing One came to me in my dreams last night, whispering of traditions long forgotten to our people." Ford gazed out across the congregation, his eyes locking with Dipper's. The traces of fear that his relative held in his eyes sent a shiver down the boy's spine. "Our God desires a human sacrifice."
Hello, hello, hello! This is the teaser/prologue for my new story, Bleeding Gold and Blue (BG+B). Thanks to my beta gbtiger for helping me out! Go read her Reverse Falls fic, "Hope", on AO3 it's super good and she's the best and I love her. Until next time.