The Ink Devil Returns

Bendy was trapped though he wasn't quite sure where. Couldn't see anything, even when he believed he had his eyes opened and the blackness surrounding him was far to empty and consuming for it to be simply called dark. It was a void, one that he was sure he couldn't escape even if he knew how to try. It felt like something was keeping him here and firmly locked in this one spot. He wasn't even sure how he got here. He knew something had happened… something bad… that put him in this place but he couldn't recall any details…

That was something that was happening a lot since he got here… forgetting…

This void didn't seem content with just keeping him trapped. It was slowly consuming who he was, erasing him like words from a page. It was getting harder and harder to hold onto who he was, to remember those he cared about. There were moments where he couldn't even remember his name was Bendy and that terrified him.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen once he faded completely? Would a new "Bendy" be rewritten on all those blank pages? A new toon with his old face? Or would he just be left blank? And empty shell to serve whatever purpose the one who put him in here had?

It was hard to keep fighting…

At some point, time was meaningless to him right now, little drops would come into the void. They would fill Bendy with warmth and sense of hope. They would restore little pieces of what had been taken and remind him of things he was forgetting. Though the little drops didn't last, they kept coming and made sure Bendy didn't fade completely.

It took a few drops for Bendy to recognize it as his Creator's doing.

There was another shift sometime later and the void slowly started to fade along with Bendy. Now, most people would consider it a good sign and hope that escape was near, but Bendy knew deep down that wasn't the case. Whatever was draining the void was going to finish Bendy off along with it. Bendy couldn't stop it and he could no longer endure it.

He closed his eyes as he felt the last bits of himself begin to fade away…

Suddenly a stream began to fill the void, bringing Bendy back from the edge. He felt his Creator's love embrace him, refusing to let Bendy slip away without a fight. The stream continued to fill the void, restoring Bendy and pushing against the confines of the prison. Even when the stream was cut off, the golden light remained, swirling and expanding. Just as the liquid gold finished restoring Bendy completely, the void burst and the bonds dissolved.

Bendy was free.

Even when Bendy was freed from the prison deep within his own mind, the little ink demon didn't wake up immediately. Instead, he gradually rose to consciousness as if he had been in a very deep sleep. He slowly blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry as he was still on the edge between waking and sleeping.

"…Henry..?" Bendy mumbled as he became more awake. His memories were still a bit hazy, but he was sure his Creator was near. Bendy pushed himself up into a sitting position, his body a strange mix of sluggish and charged with energy. He placed a hand on his head to help with a sudden dizziness and began looking around. He was on a bed and in a room, he didn't recognize and he could see Sammy's soul just outside the door.

Something about Sammy's soul looked funny, but he didn't have time to think about it as his gaze was drawn to the larger group of souls further back. It seemed to be his whole family and the Liar. The same weird thing that was going on with Sammy's soul was going on with most of the others but the more pressing issue was how close the Liar's soul was to Linda and how terrified both Linda and Henry were.

Memories of the situation came crashing back to Bendy and that combined which what he was seeing, drove him into action. He leaped forward, his body beginning to transform as he crashed the door. Sammy was knocked back and by the time the toon man recovered, Bendy was already rushing towards the group. The Ink Devil in his full glory burst into the room, causing everyone that could to freeze in shock and surprise. Bendy barely registered what was going on in the room, tackling the Liar before he could use the knife in his hand.

The two crashed onto the ritual circle and Bendy used his claws to break the circle lines. The magic that had been building up exploded outward, knocking everyone back and splashing ink over everything in the room. Henry recovered quicker than the dazed toons and hurried towards Linda and dragged her back, untying her as Bendy subdued Joey.

To say Bendy and Joey fought would be a gross exaggeration. While Joey was stubborn and willing to lash out with all he had, he was still a weak old man. Bendy was the strongest creature from the Studio, driven by his love for his family and energized by his Creator's love in return. It only took a moment for the Ink Devil to have Joey completely pinned. Once he had his prey on place, The Ink Devil plunged his had into his the Liar's chest, reaching beyond the physical and immediately latching onto the vile soul within. Bendy started pulling the soul out when his Creator's voice made him pause.

"Bendy! Don't!" Henry said fearfully, looking towards his toon. The other toons were standing around looking confused. Whether the backlash of magic had broken the mind control or they just didn't know what to do without more instructions was unclear, but the point was they didn't seem like they'd be doing anything for a minute. That left Henry plenty of time to deal with what Bendy was doing right now.

"You don't have to devour his soul Bendy," Henry said, focused solely on his creation. "We can find some other way to deal with him."

Truth was, Henry didn't care if Joey's soul was eaten or not. The man had caused far too many deaths and brought to much pain to his family for Henry to feel that kind of mercy towards him. What he really cared about is what eating a soul might do to Bendy. Henry knew the little ink demon had been fighting against that craving this whole time and his little toon had been terrified he'd slip up at some point, especially after what happened with Tom. Henry would not let Bendy become everything he feared, especially not because of someone like Joey.

"I have to," Bendy replied, keeping a firm grip on the Liar's soul. Memories and thoughts flashed before Bendy's eyes of the evil Joey had done. Bendy knew that if they didn't finish off Joey for good, he would just come after their family again. Even with his soul partially removed from his body, the Liar was still thinking of ways he could punish Henry and his family for this defiance. Bendy had to do this, or they would never be safe.

Henry was going to argue but paused as he realized what emotions he was feeling from Bendy. While there was anger aimed a Joey, that wasn't the driving force. Instead, it was a desire to protect his family and the calm acceptance that this needed to be done. This wasn't just a knee jerk reaction made in the midst of a fight for survival, but a purposeful decision. Henry didn't really understand the reasons behind Bendy's choice, but he could choose to trust his little Ink Demon.

Henry gave Bendy a nod to show his support.

That was the Ink Devil needed to finish removing the Liar's soul. The black glowing orb fits perfectly into Bendy's hand and the Ink Devil couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation. The toon part of himself said he should just release the soul, letting it go to whatever waited beyond this life. But the demon part couldn't resist and the Ink Devil brought the souls up to his mouth and swallowed it whole. Beneath the Ink Devil, the Liar's body released its last breath.