.
I shot up immediately from my bed, panting heavily with my heart racing along with it. My eyes were widened, staring down at the bedsheets as I attempt to understand what just happened. That was just a dream? Right? Did my mind make up a dimension that suddenly has all of those things ... right? It couldn't be real. It couldn't be! I let out a long sigh, placing my hands on my head. Just calm down Dipper, he's not alive. I gazed down at the bedsheets once more, breathing in and out and grasping the strings of reality once more.
I glanced around my room, seeing it different from the times I'd shared it with my sister. Speaking of her, since our bond stir apart, we each got separate rooms so we won't see each other faces. Mostly, I was upset at that suggestion she made, but I understood when she didn't want to hear from me again- You must be confused, let me start all over from the beginning.
Years back when we were 13, I accepted that apprenticeship from Grunkle Ford. My sister- after we saved Gravity Falls, thought that I betray her for doing that. Maybe at the time I didn't realize what I was doing was wrong, but I wanted something for myself instead of doing things for my sister. So, I convinced her during weirdmageddon and took upon that apprenticeship. She told me I was a liar but I didn't at the moment think it was a lie. Now I do. She wasn't happy, very upset to the point she didn't want to come to visit me but she did anyway the summer after.
From there on out, our relationship slowly dwindles over the years. Did have fun and rekindled that bond on our graduation from high school, but soon fell apart afterward. I thought I saved our relationship when I suggested that idea to her, but I guess I was wrong in the end.
I crushed my hands into fists. I regret taking that apprenticeship. I regret ever accepting it as it ruined my relationship with my sister. I wish ... there was a way I can go back and change the past. This is what I get for doing what I wanted.
I glanced over at my dresser, sighing once more. I better get cleaned up for the day. I stretched out my limbs and got out of my bed. I blinked, standing up still and looking around. How did I end up from the shoreline of Lake Gravity to here? Did someone carry me here? Could be it... I'll have to ask Grunkle Ford. I nodded to myself before approaching my dresser. I pulled my choice and got dressed in the clothes I had. Since I seem to wear the same clothes over and over, I brought the same clothes.
I did this years ago to calm my sister down when she disliked seeing me in dirty, smelly clothes. Once I finished getting ready, I walked over to my end table, sitting down in the chair and spotting my glasses and smartwatch. I placed both of them on before making some daily routine on my watch. My smartwatch then turned on and greeted me in a robotic, feminine voice as it told me the weather, what happened last night and this morning.
I smiled softly when the skies weren't gonna rain. Good. I gazed at my door and stood up from the chair, walking over and exiting my room. My room was on the first floor as Mabel took the attic. I walked down the hallway, stepping into the kitchen as I wanted to get coffee. "O-Oh ... Dipper." I flinched from my sister's voice, slowly glancing over at her. "I didn't know ... you would be up at this hour."
Right ... I usually wouldn't be up at 7:30 in the morning. "... Yeah .. uh, went to sleep early last night," I replied. More like, had a trip of a dream. I still don't know if I fell asleep at the lake or not.
"... Did Grunkle Ford cook any pancakes?" She asked, walking from the kitchen arch to spot the plate of food on the counter. I glanced over at them, nodding my head. Ever since ... Grunkle Stan passed away, Grunkle Ford halted his work in the basement and made sure to feed us before we got up. Up until Soos and Melody took over when they got married a few years back.
Mabel walked over to them, smiling softly. "Nope, these are Melody's pancakes. Guess she told him to rest this time."
"Oh, that's good on her part," I commented. She didn't answer back or continue the conversation as she got her share and walked away. I frowned, looking down at the floor. I went over, grabbed a place, and stab two pancakes over to the plate. I dressed them with syrup before leaving the kitchen with a fork and a napkin. I stepped into the living room and sat on the chair. I placed my plate on my lap and stared at the TV in front of me.
My guilt was still riding along with me as a sad smile displayed on my face. I went to dig in, finishing 10 minutes later. Afterward, I took my plate and fork to the kitchen to wash them, placed them in the dish race, and left the kitchen once more. I walked back to the room, glancing at the chair as I felt another wave of sadness overcome me. I turned and walked into the gift shop area, checking up on Soos who's checking the counter and register.
I perked up a bit and walked over, spotting that sad expression before it dropped when he looked up at me. He waved at me with a soft smile as I waved back, "Good morning, Soos. How's the shop?" I asked, grabbing a stool and sitting down on it.
"Oh... It's doing good, dude! Also, good morning to you too." He replied, perking up even more. Good.
"Nobody tried to steal anything? Especially those nosy teenagers?" I asked, feeling the positivity radiate within me.
"Nope!- Well ... one dude did, but I snatch back the item and chased him out!" He responded, showing his fist to me. "No one will steal from Mr. Pines!"
I nodded, feeling that sadness return slightly. "Yeah."
"I will live up to his name! We both will!" He chimed, putting his hand down before snapping his fingers a second later. "Oh! Melody went out to get some "hidden secrets" from the stores in town."
"Hidden secrets? Are you still trying to carry out the project for the-" I paused and cleared my throat, attempting to speak with a deep voice. "The new creatures coming soon to the Mystery Shack?" I used my hands to give gestures of a con man. I tried, don't know if it worked.
Soos gave a laugh at my attempt, making me smile. "Yeah, dude! It's been working well! So far, Wendy donated some parts of her little collection in the woods, along with some other folks who worked alongside us."
"That's good to hear!" I nodded.
"Every time I walk into here, you two are chatting up a storm like it's nothing." I heard my sister's voice from behind.
"Oh! Good morning, Mabel!" Soos greeted her, "How was your morning?"
Mabel walked over to the counter, causing my smile to dwindle when I saw the tired, dull expression displayed on her face. "Dooing fine for a tired morning. You?" She pointed at him.
"Doing alright here! I'm hoping Melody and I can complete the "hidden secret," tonight. The customers are looking forward to it!" He replied, leaning back from the counter.
"Don't forget I'm looking forward to it too!" She gave him a wink, smiling widely at his smile.
"I didn't forget you either!"
"Good. I'm heading out to see if the stone-like creature is outside, near the shack again." Mabel announced, standing up from the counter.
"Righty. Uh, make sure the creature is not visible to the customers today. I don't want it scaring them off again." He told her. Something deep within told me to ask my sister about the creature.
"Got it-"
"... Could I come with you?" I asked, suddenly to the two's eyes. I might as well listen to this urge of mines. I don't know what got me overworked over the creature, maybe it will be a misunderstood statement once I see it. Then again, Mabel told us it's been showing up every single morning. Ever since ... Grunkle Stan died.
"... Are you sure? You are gonna miss your check-in with Grunkle Ford down there." She asked, looking surprised.
"I'm sure he will understand my reasonings when I tell him," I answered, standing up from the stool.
"Maybe you could capture and hold it up as a statue in this shop." Soos joked, chuckling.
"Don't think the creature would like that." Mabel shook her head at him.
"I know it won't since Dipper's last attempt at monster hunting failed with that huge creature," Soos said, making me look embarrassed.
"That's only because I was determined to capture one alive and please the customers with its appearance," I said quietly, glancing away.
"Well, we won't be capturing it." She said, turning and walking over to the door. "Come on."
I sighed and waved at Soos before following my sister out of the shack. We walked on the porch and over to where the trashcans lie, up against the wall. We halted as she looked up to the stone-like creature who was positioning itself on the wall. I widened my eyes, examining the creature quickly. I never ... knew it could climb up walls. I gulped and up my guard, making sure the creature won't launch at me when it stops glancing at my sister.
"Hi! Welcome back!" Mabel greeted and gave it a small wave.
The stone creature slowly crawled down and landed onto the ground, standing about 6 feet in height. It glanced down at her before turning over to me. I took a step back from it, having my hand on my watch. "... U-Uh, it ... appear right after Grunkle Stan's death ... right?"
"Yep. It did. Soos and I guess that this creature belonged to Grunkle Stan's soul because of that reason. But ... I don't know if it's really is Grunkle Stan." She replied, placing her hands on her hips. How ... how would a human soul be placed into another creature's body? ... this doesn't make any logical sense. I flinched when it was approaching me. Oh no, what is it doing?! I attempt to get away only to be wrapped around by its arms in a hugging way. I froze, confused at its actions.
"Don't worry, Dipper. I reacted the same way when it hugged me. ... Wait ...- Wait here!" She told me, bolting back into the shack. I widened my eyes, watching it lean back and sit down on the grass. I gazed over at the way my sister left before glancing back down at it. The feeling within me just grew a lot, telling me something about a dimension.
I ... I don't know how to describe this at all. I need to talk to Grunkle Ford.
.
I glanced over to Mabel's return, halting right beside me. She panted and caught her breath before frowning, "Well, we could do our experiment later, Grunkle Ford wants you."
"Oh." I frowned, nodding. "Do I return here later on or..."
"It only returns back to us every morning. Tomorrow should be good." She told me, turning over to the stoned-looking creature.
I nodded before turning and walking back to the shack's entrance. I entered and was firstly guided down into the basement when Grunkle Ford spotted me. I was scolded before we went over the lessons and discussions on today's projects. I sighed, sitting in the chair. Might as well discuss what we did over these years with them. These projects we work for helps improve Gravity Fall's living system, especially when it comes to bending biology a few- well ... multiple times.
McGucket attempted the idea to bend biology and try to find a way around it. Grunkle Ford was interested in the idea, but soon drop out of it when he wanted to work on other projects that could help the town in its current state. There are many successful projects we made to improve the town. One was keeping the supernatural animals in check and making sure they would keep their place. That one ended up going to a once small group named, SN Cover. The team itself is a part of the police department as they work with the police there with their findings of the weirdness in the forest.
If they found anything serious about it, they would report to either me or Stanford as either of us would come and solve the issue at hand. There have been troubling cases in the previous years, but not enough towards the level of ... the weirdmageddon incident.
Another successful project is Disease Detectors. At Mayor Tyler's request, we installed these boxes all around the town so that if a person were to be infected with any type of disease, the box would release a drone to lead the person to the nearest hospital. We built this project because of a huge disease that broke out worldwide back in late 2019 and through 2020 and so forth. The drone that gets released can scan the infected individual further and can declare the disease as being either inactive or active.
So far, they've been doing their mission and kept the town fresh and healthy from any diseases.
There are others, but at the given moment, I'm focused on another project that we decided to work on. Communicator 46. It's named that because its 45 siblings failed to live up to our ideals. It's a communication device that appears as a tv remove, though it displays a telegram and tells you what that person is saying in your language 100%. It's a work in process and so far, none have been successful. We will keep trying to achieve it to the greatest quality.
After replanning out the entire model, we took a break. I sighed tiredly, and sat back on the chair, glancing up at the technology above my head. I blinked, remembering the question I had for Grunkle Ford, along with the dream. It's now the chance to ask him about it. I glanced over to him, getting up to my feet. I made my way through the sea of technology: some broken down devices, working ones, and in-progress ones. Shortly I arrived where Grunkle Ford was still trying to plan out the model.
He should take a break and rest his mind, maybe then we'll come up with something later. "Grunkle Ford?" I began.
He blinked and glanced up at me, soon repositioning himself to look more formal. "Need anything, Champ?"
"Not right now. I have a question to ask you of something." I replied, fiddling with my fingers.
He nodded, "What is it then?"
"You told me different dimensions, right?"
"Yes ... I have."
"Have ... you came across a dimension that is named Starry Galaxy Realm?" I asked. Please tell me it's a dream, please let me know it's a dream.
"Starry...- Oh! I have. Such a weird Realm that one was." He replied, nodding his head.
I froze, staring at him with wide eyes. The thoughts raced in my head as my heartbeat against my chest. "... With ... the space and domes floating around?"
"Definitely. I don't remember much of it, but Stanley told me much about it. Saying that he had a dream of it one day and then the next ones after it. I believe it to be something to deal with the spiritual bodies within ourselves, where our souls live on after death rather than a dream. That believable stuff where the religious folks have it at. But, in the end, Stanley didn't tell much of it as it annoyed him every time he gets sucked back into the realm." He explained, giving me a worried look. "Why are you asking? Are you having the same experience as he is?"
I slowly nodded, gulping down my fear. ... So, he's alive ... after all these years ... he's alive?! We ... we erased him from Grunkle Stan's mind, surely his soul must have died too, right?!
"Dipper, are you alright? You look like you saw a ghost."
I lowered my arms, frowning. "Villians don't come back alive ... do they?"
He stared at me with a serious look, standing up to his feet. "Don't tell me he's back." He knew exactly who I was talking about.
"... Not in our world, in that dimension, I was in," I told him.
He bit his lip, turning and walking over to one of the tables. "... Then we ... should be good if ... he doesn't plan to come back-"
"Of course, he would! He would love to have revenge on us if he attempted." I interrupted him.
He crushed his hands into fists, turning his gaze to me, "Then we must keep a close eye on him and keep him away from here. Surely you can do that whenever the realm pulls you back in?"
I stared at him, wide-eyed. I ...- ugh, "Yes, I can." Great. Actually, now that I think about it. When he threatened the ruler of the realm, he seem to be a little frightened of the lord's actions. Is it because he knows he will get erased if he tries to attack him? Just, how does that realm works? A thought appeared in my head as I smiled softly. "Well, if you want to hear more of it, I will be noting down information of it in a spar journal you gave me."
"That would be great." He nodded.
I blinked, remembering the stoned-like creature. Though at the same time, I felt something off about my body. I paid no attention to it as I continued with my question. Well, I would have asked it if I heard myself speak it. Soon I saw Grunkle Ford speak back with no sounds of his voice. I looked confused, not realizing the grey environment around. I blinked and once again, I was back in the space of the realm, floating in front of Earth. Didn't realize I was returning so early. I do wish that it'll waited until I was done asking that question about the stoned-like creature.
I blinked my eyes in realization. Oh, fuck! Shit ... I ... I gotta deal with ... him.
"( Hello ... Pinetree. A lucky chance to greet once again. )" I heard the famous voice in my head.
Fuck off. I thought to him, slowly turning my body over to the bright, yellow glowy figure. I could sense that he was smirking down upon me without seeing his face ... or triangular- whatever.
"( I'm afraid I can't do that! )" He telepathy to me, sounding excited. I groaned in annoyance, turning my head away from the light. Is this the reason why the lord assigns you as my guide?
Silence came to my head before I heard the voice once more. "( ... Now that I think about it ... I'm actually glad that he did so! Might have to thank him later... )" I grumbled quietly in my head, knowing that I can't say words in space. Great. An annoying lord and yet he knew we knew each other and the dynamic of this situation.
"( Now I don't know about that part. Never told Blister that. )"
But he does ... keep a close eye on you, right? I thought to him, turning my head back to the light before glancing away.
"( We better want to begin a lesson! After all, we don't want to let that soul of yours waste any precious time in this dump fire of a realm. Though ... I would love to see you struggle to return back to your body as you slowly die. )" As he continue to telepathy me, his voice got darker and creeper as shivers were sent down my spine. And soon enough he moved away and float d towards the sphere, leaving me alone. It was worth a shot. Then again, I don't want to go through that one again. Who knows what he could do to me? I stared down at my hands, reaching forward as I commanded my body to move forward.
My body moved as another thought appeared in my head. I widened my eyes, remembering when Galoon gave permission to him to harm me. Oh God, think you can rescue me from this? I shook my head. No need to think that way, I have it all under control. I just ... got to replan my steps to this whole situation.
.
Soon I approached the shield, spotting the ground within it. I stretch out my legs and made sure to land right on them. Once I phrase through, I did but only so slightly it hurt. I grunted, rubbing my feet against the ground. "( This will be hard to get used to. )"
"You don't need to telepathy inside the shield, Pinetree."
I blinked, realizing I didn't think that in my head. "... Another confusing concept of telling the difference between using telepathy and thinking in my head." I sighed, looking ahead.
"You'll get used to it." He spoke, walking forward as I watched. "For now, why don't we start by visiting one of the sectors?"
"... Sector?" I questioned, looking puzzled for a moment. I stepped forward, following behind him. Light did mention being in Sector 0 ...
"Think of it like solar systems. Instead of planets circling the sun, you have spheres circling the main sphere in the center. They're usually larger than the rest." He explained. I slowly nodded, picturing the images in my head. So it's like that, huh? I refocus onto my surroundings, noticing we took a turn and were approaching a large building that seem to be half on half with the shield. It acted like it was a connection of some sort. Perhaps something that these creatures use to travel?
As we approached, I could see the purpose of this building and I was right. It was like bus transportation with these other bus-like vehicles parked inside the building. I slowly nod, noting down the details of this palace in my head. As I was doing so, my pacing was slow due to me looking around. "( Hurry up. )" I flinched and picked up my pace, remembering what I was here for. I walked over to the demon, who was waiting on me by the steps I climbed up. As I arrived, he turned and lead the way to a panel that was about the height of our waists.
I widened my eyes at the technology, getting curious at all of the buttons on the transparent-looking screen. There was a big text that read: "Pick Your Sector!" I tilted my head, wanting to press it until the demon right beside me pressing it. I inched away from him and watched the screen fade into several sectors. Ranging from Sector 0 to Sector 50, there were even more from there. Since sectors act like solar systems, there would be thousands upon thousands of them in this realm. Do ... they have a galaxy as well?
"Blix! I knew you would be here!" I glanced up and over to the odd voice, watching a ... figure approach us with a questionable appearance. I spotted the starry human right beside them, standing so stiff as if they were in trouble.
Bill grunted, looking as if he didn't want to deal with this person. "What do you want, Claw?" Giving a glare to them.
"It's Gidlax." The figure corrected him. Soon I was feeling a high authority coming from them, soon realizing this could be one of the high ranking ... whatever they were called again. I gulped quietly, taking a glance at the starry human who stood there like a robot. I tilted my head, noticing its glowy blue eyes. Are they sick? Maybe I could ask if we get sick in this realm. "Anyway, how's the job coming along? Since ... you know ... Lord Galoon went against your wishes." Gidlax grinned.
"Fine." He answered with a sneer.
"You sure? The little brat seems to can't keep his eyes off of my apprentice."
... Little brat? Who- why would- ... I don't get it. I shook my head, glancing away.
"There's nothing in the possible world you can do to help." Bill continued to reject Gidlax's offer.
"Oh! There is! Are you two going to Sector 2?" Gidlax perked up with an excited smile.
"... I guess," Bill grunted, giving up on his word. This person must be an annoyance to him. Possibly everything might be an annoyance to him since he can't rule over anything, anymore.
"Goodie! We can both show our appearance to the generation of spheres. We'll start with my sector!" Gidlax chirped, walking closer to the panel and inputting the destination. As soon he finished, a bus moved over to us and opened its doors. "Come on! Can't be late to this celebration."
I nodded slowly, walking around the panel and over to the bus, getting on after the person. I stood in the midsection, watching the demon get on only to shoot a death glare at Gidlax, who just smirked widely. "Oh! While we travel on over there, I might give you some tips on owning an entire sector for yourself."
"... Entire sector?" I said as I was gently shoved by him towards a seat as I sat down.
"Yep! That is if you want to own one."
"I ... could learn some of it." I nodded slowly, halting my scooting when I hit someone. I turned my head over to the starry human who stared at the back of the seat.
"Good! That's wonderful news!" Gidlax chirped, walking away. The doors closed, making the vehicle move and quickly zoom to our destination at a light-year traveling speed or ... like those warp jumpers I see in space movies. I glanced back to the starry human, frowning slightly. I waved a hand in front of them, getting no reaction at all.
... What's wrong with them?
.
- End of Chapter 2 -