William's joints creaked and groaned as he forced his rusted limbs to carry himself farther and farther away from the scene of his latest kill. While he doubted that his victim, an old homeless man, would be missed for a while, it was better to put as much distance between them as he could. The old man's remnant had been weak, especially as William hadn't been able to afford to take the time to really draw out the man's agony, but it had been enough to give William's body the energy boost he needed to keep surviving. He longed for a child to prey on, as their youth and easy terror would no doubt give him more than enough strength to really start pulling himself together, but as long as he looked like a walking nightmare, luring a child would be impossible. So for now, he was forced to hunt easy victims.
As the night began to dim at the sign of approaching daylight, William found a shadowed corner within a junk-filled alley. Even though he couldn't smell it, William couldn't help but sneer in disgust at the filthy. To think he had once been able to afford most of the finer things in life, and now he was reduced to sleeping amongst trash. Still, William was practical and knew that he could not be seen (Michael was still out there after all and he could not let his son stop his plans before he was ready), so he grudgingly lowered himself amongst the other broken electronic and, once he was sure he was hidden, allowed himself to power off to preserve his strength until nightfall would let him hunt again.
Now William didn't dream much even when he was alive and whenever he did they could usually count as nightmares (His wife's funeral, the broken bodies of his younger children, the pure hatred in his oldest son's eyes as he tried to destroy William). They could be terrifying in the moment, but as soon as William awoke, those reminders would only serve as motivation to complete his goal and bring back his family in a perfect immortal state. William didn't dream much, but when he did, it was usually fairly predictable.
This is why it immediately got William's attention when the dream he got this night was so different.
When William opened his eyes, he found himself in an unusual place. It looked like a mixture of his home workshop and several of his old offices. Blueprints of his animatronics hung on the walls along with newspaper clippings and what looked like his own research notes. Various animatronic parts and tools lay scattered across the room, though they were most concentrated around a large workbench. Several family photos were on the desk, though all his children seemed to be crying tears of blood and his wife's face was almost completely faded.
When William took a step closer to the desk, planning on studying its contents, there was a metallic echo that made him pause. Examining his own form gave him another unusual sight. He was a mix of his old human self and the metal monstrosity he had become, his pristine business suit seamlessly blending into the dirty faux fur of Spring Bonnie parts.
"How odd…" William commented casually as he flexed the robotic fingers on the metal hand connected smoothly to his jacket sleeve. Before he could continue his examination, William sensed he was no longer alone in this strange place and looked up, finding what appeared to be a yellow triangle with thin limbs, a hat and bow tie, and one large eye that was looking around the room in interest.
"And who… what might you be?" William asked. Though his tone could be considered calm, it implied that he expected an answer and would not be disobeyed.
"Name's Bill Cipher!" The triangle introduced himself, tipping off his hat for a moment. "And let's just say I'm a huge fan! I just wanted to meet the man behind the Fazbear slaughters, the genius who unlocked a path to immortality!"
Now William did not become the founder of two successful companies by being unable to tell when someone was trying to flatter him to get something they wanted, but it was a game he knew well. Giving the creature a charming smile, William said, "Thank you. I wasn't aware I had any fans like you and I can't help but be curious, how did you learn about my accomplishments?"
"I just came across some of the results of your work and just wanted to learn more," Cipher vaguely replied, conjuring a tea set and table. "Sit! Enjoy yourself! I'm so curious how you got started on this path of greatness."
"How does anyone start on a path of greatness," William chuckled, taking a seat and keeping a sharp eye on the creature across from him. "Usually through a combination of luck and good sense, but only the truly brilliant can stay on that path for years."
"Please… tell me more," Cipher prompted, using just the right amount of eager interest in his voice to convince any lesser man to immediately spill all their secrets. William wasn't fooled, but he played along.
Over the next several days, Cipher would show up in William's dreams and the two would converse and share tea, both attempting to learn more about the other without giving away much about themselves. William hated to admit it, but Cipher was good. The tringle demon was often able to bring up something that William wasn't expecting the creature to know, prompting William to accidentally give further details. And while the creature could be that good at making logical leaps or just lucky in guesswork, William suspected he wasn't the only one Cipher was fishing to get information out of.
What William could glean though was that this creature was powerful, untrustworthy, and would make a very dangerous enemy in the wrong circumstances. But William still had yet to figure out why the creature was here and what it was hoping to find.
"This has been such a delightful and enlightening conversation," Cipher said casually, putting his tea down. "But I find myself curious about something…"
"Oh?" William prompted, sensing they were finally getting to the heart of the matter. "What is it that you want to learn more of?"
"Can you tell me more about Michael?" Cipher said, leaning forward to show his interest (but not too much to seem too eager).
"Michael?" William hummed curiously. William had a lot of thoughts (Firstborn son, rebellious child, would-be heir) but he didn't let any of them show on his face. He didn't get away with murder for years by letting his inner thoughts be shown so easily. "Why do you want to know more about him?"
"Well… I can't learn more about you without needing to learn more about Michael," Cipher replied casually. "The son that could have followed in your footsteps, but has instead decided to try and stop you at every turn. That must have been frustrating to have your own son refuse to believe your clear brilliance."
"It could be," William said carefully, refusing to react to the bait. "But children are usually just as frustrating as rewarding. But I'm sure with enough time I can make him understand what I'm trying to accomplish."
"Maybe I could help you with that," Cipher offered easily. "I can be quite persuasive under the right circumstances."
"Why are you so interested in Michael?" William asked, getting tired of dancing around each other. "I can tell he's the reason you approached me in the first place, what do you want with him?"
"Oh, I don't necessarily want anything with him," Cipher replied in a tone that was probably supposed to be reassuring. "He just happened to stumble across a place where he shouldn't be and has been getting involved in things that aren't his concern. I'm sure you can understand that feeling and I just want him out of the way and figured we could both benefit."
"And if I don't, I'm assuming you're going to find other ways to get rid of him," William said slowly.
"Permanently in necessary," Bill confirmed, the threat clear. "But it doesn't have to come to that. And of course, I would reward you for your help. I could give you anything you want, money, power, even a new body if that's what you want."
"And I'm sure that there would be a bigger price hiding in the shadows," William replied coldly, abandoning his tea as he glared at the demon. "You must think I'm a fool. No… I won't make any deals with you. I don't need your help. I've been able to unlock the secrets of immortality on my own and I don't need your help to convince Michael of my goals. If you're looking for some puppet to manipulate then I'm afraid you've come to the wrong man."
"I see," Cipher said coolly, flashing red so fast that William almost missed it. "Here I was just being generous and offering to have your say in Michael's fate and you just tossed it in my face. You've made a mistake Rabbit Ears and now your son will pay the price."
"If you've come to me for help, I doubt there's much you can do to him," William said with a scoff, smirking as Cipher flashed red again. "I have succeeded so far with my own skill and intelligence and will continue to do so. I don't need some magical con artist to cheat my way to victory."
"You'll come to regret rejecting me Rabbit Ears!" Cipher shouted, no longer hiding his fury. "When I become the ruler of this universe, I will show you what true agony is!"
"And I know that day will never come," William laughed. If this creature couldn't handle his son, then Cipher wasn't a threat to William. "So you might as well leave me in peace. You won't get what you want here."
Cipher screamed in rage and William found himself shoved into a nightmare made of his worst memories. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to though, so William wasn't bothered.
William wasn't worried about Michael. His son was stubborn, had been since he was a child, but more importantly, he was a fighter (had been since the day Michael accidentally punched William in the nose when he held the newborn in his arms). Whatever that demon tried to throw at him, William knew Michael would survive.
William would just keep biding his time and gathering his strength. When the time was right, he'd retrieve Michael personally and convince his son to join him. William would get his family back, he'd make sure of it. No matter how many lives he had to take along the way.