AN: I wrote a lot for this story this last week so I decided to post a chapter this week, but It'll be two weeks as usual until the next one... have fun... MWAHAHA

The Illusion of Safety

"What is that?!" Allison gasped in shock when she finally caught sight of Bendy as Linda went past her, tightening her grip on her sword. "It looks like… it looks like the Ink Denton…"

"He's safe…" Henry assured calmly, stepping between Allison and Linda just to be safe. "I know you are probably going to have a hard time believing me, but he's not here to hurt you… We need your help…"

"You said you're going to explain what's going on," Allison replied tensely, refusing to drop her defensive stance as Tom growled beside her. "So explain!"

"Bendy and I helped everyone escape from the Studio," Henry reminded, unfazed by the sword pointed at him. "We've all been able to have happy lives since then. But now the one who trapped us all in the first place, Joey Drew, is doing something that's making everyone act like they did in the Studio, but Bendy was able to resist the spell and it isn't affecting you two as strongly as it is the others. We can use this to our advantage and stop Joey."

"I… I believe you…." Allison admitted after a long pause, finally lowering her sword though Tom was still tense. "I don't know how exactly, but I know you're telling the truth. Please….sit…. We should probably start planning what we're going to do before things get more out of hand."

"Thank you," Henry smiled in relief. Henry, Linda, and Bendy sank onto their couch while Tom and Allison sat down in chairs across from them. As the adults began to discuss and plan, Bendy found it incredibly hard to keep his eyes open. He hadn't slept yet that night and it had taken a lot of energy both mentally and physically to fight off both the Liar and the others. Now that they weren't in immediate danger, his exhaustion was catching up to him.

"It's alright my little Ink Demon," Linda whispered when she noticed Bendy's tiredness. "You've done so much tonight to keep us safe, you deserve some sleep. Go on…. I'll watch over you and wake you when we're ready."

Yawing and giving Linda a small nod, Bendy leaned his head against her shoulder. Holding Ink Blot, Bendy let the comforting sounds of Linda's heartbeat and Henry's voice wash over him as his eyes drifted closed.

A sharp piercing pain shot through Bendy's mind, tearing through his thoughts and jolting him to wakefulness. He cried out in agony and scrambled backward in an attempt to get away from the pain, dislodging something from his lap and finding himself falling to the floor. One hand gripped his head while the other clawed the floor. All around him, Bendy could hear voices and shouting, but he couldn't focus enough to make out what they were saying. All his attention was turned inward and what was happening inside his own mind.

Bendy knew that somehow the Liar had figured out the devil hadn't fallen under his control, so now he was using his magic to attack Bendy directly. Bendy could feel the magic attaching to him like a parasite, searching for weaknesses to dig into, stirring up all his negative emotions and old bloodlust, trying to scramble his conscious mind and make him a monster to manipulate and point toward targets to destroy. Bendy was fighting against it with all his might and his body reflected his internal struggle. Various limbs would start to grow only to melt back down, his wings and tail would absorb into his body only to reform a moment later, and his inky shadows would start to fill the room before retreating back to the space immediately around him.

Something warm and gentle suddenly touched Bendy's head. Bendy nearly attacked it before he realized it was his Creator.

"Bendy… I know you can fight whatever's going on," Henry assured gently, rubbing the space between Bendy's horns. "You're strong, but you don't have to go through this alone. I'm here for you… Just tell me what I can do to help."

Bendy wanted to tell his Creator to run, to tell him to leave him and get somewhere safe, but he couldn't even focus enough to form words. He reverted back to his original way of communicating, letting out pained whines and fearful whistles.

"I'm not leaving you," Henry replied firmly. Henry couldn't understand what Bendy was saying, but he knew his little Ink Demon well enough to guess. "You were able to fight Joey's influence in the Studio where he had nearly complete control and I know you can fight him off now. You are strong and I'm not talking about how you can punch through metal doors when you want to. Despite all you suffered in the studio, you still managed to hold onto your true toon self. You might be a deadly predator, but you have the biggest heart I've ever seen. Nothing could change it and nothing will. And if you can't believe in yourself, believe in me. Because I am your Creator and I know you inside and out. You can fight off Joey and we'll save the rest of our family. Together."

Ink ran down Bendy's face though the demon wasn't sure if that was just normal ink or if tears were mixed in. Either way, Bendy was grateful to have such a loving Creator and found strength in what he said. With renewed determination, Bendy pushed back against the magic that was trying to spread through his ink. Whether it was seconds or an eternity, Bendy couldn't tell, but slowly he managed to fight back the Liar's invasion. He could feel the Liar respond by first trying to attack more viscously, but when he couldn't make more progress, started to retreat.

The Liar wasn't giving up, as Bendy knew all too well that the Liar would pursue his goals no matter the cost, but the attack lessened considerably. Either the Liar's attention was focused elsewhere or, more likely in Bendy's opinion, he was waiting for Bendy to drop his guard. Still, Bendy could relax slightly and finally focus on his surroundings. Henry was kneeling in front of him, watching with worry. Bendy attempted to give him a reassuring smile before he realized he had his huge grin plastered on his face.

Bendy was about to focus on changing his mouth back to normal when the movement behind Henry caught his attention. Glancing up, the toon devil saw Tom coming up to stand behind Henry. Bendy's ink ran cold when he realized the shadow had completely covered Tom's soul, knowing that meant the Liar now had complete control of him. Seeing Tom raise his robotic fist, Bendy let out a sharp high pitched whistle a warning. But it was too late as the partial wolf slammed his first against the side of Henry's head.