Dipper set the whole stone tablet on the floor and then spread out his notes. With Pacifica's help he had been able to decode quite a bit of the stone but now was the time for finally figuring out what it said. Ford came walking in with Stan, the two dragging a white board with them. Mabel danced in behind them carrying a handful of colorful expo markers.
V"Alright everyone ready?" Dipper asked looking at his family. Everyone nodded. Mabel moved into position at the board. "First line has 22 symbols. Second line has 27 symbols. Third line has 14 symbols. Fourth line has 11 symbols. Fifth line has 16 symbols. Sixth line has 30 symbols. Seventh line has 14 symbols. Eight line has 14 symbols. Ninth line has 22 symbols. Tenth line has 25 symbols. Eleventh line has 19 symbols." Dipper looked up from where he was looking at the tablet. Now the white board looked like a complex game of hangman.
I"Now I'll read what we've got." Ford said picking up the notes. "Ready Mabel?"
G"Ready!" She said and started to transcribe what they already had.
EFor the next hour the four of them worked until they had the complete hangman like board filled out. Mabel put the cap back on her pen and they all took a step back to look at the board.
NDipper slowly spoke, reading what the board said. "Axolotal's name was played. Leaving the beast free to return. Chained in place. It is trapped. Yet easy to release. When trusted blood is split on stone. Chain will break. Chaos will reign. Until the seal is restored. But first trust must be broken. Seek the sign of one eye."
EThey all went quiet.
R"Axolotal." Ford whispered. "A powerful creature…"
E"I'm more worried about the blood part." Stan rubbed his chin. "What does it mean split on stone? This stone?"
"And what beast is it talking about?" Mabel asked.
Dipper reread the stone tablet in his head and looked down at it. "One eye." He whispered and then a shiver ran down his back. "Return… One eye… Oh no."
"What's wrong Dipper?" Ford asked.
"One eye, beast… Chaos." He looked at each of them. "Return." He met Ford's eyes and Ford seemed to understand.
"It's not possible."
"What are you two talking about?" Stan frowned.
"Bill Cipher." Ford sat down. "But he shouldn't be able to return… We erased him from existence!"
"And what is this about Axolotal's name?" Mabel asked. "How can you play a name? Grunkle Stan did Bill say anything before he was destroyed?"
"How can I remember? That was what… Seven years ago?" He frowned. "But…" He closed his eyes. "I think… I think he said a stream of gibberish."
"It's possible that he was saying Axolotal's name just in another language." Ford whispered. "If this is true… Dipper." He looked up. "This is bad."
"But he's not back yet is he?" Mabel asked. "We're safe for now right."
m"Let's take a look at it again, piece by piece." Ford said. "Dipper write down the decoded set."
iDipper nodded and wrote down the whole message. "Done."
n"Okay read the first line." Ford said as he erased the board.
d"Axolotals name was played." Dipper said. Ford transcribed the sentence at the very top in one color. "But we already talked about that right. Grunkle Stan remembers Bill saying something."
s"Right." In another color Ford wrote Bill's last words in Stan's mind. "Okay next line."
c"Leaving the beast free to return." Dipper said. Again Ford wrote the line.
a"Which means Bil can come back." Mabel said. Ford wrote on the board- Bill comes back.
p"Chained in place." Dipper said. They were all silent for a minute, none of them had any ideas. "It is trapped."
e"So Bill is trapped somewhere." Ford said as he wrote Bill trapped. "That's good."
"Yet easy to release." Dipper whispered. They didn't speak, and Dipper continued. "When trusted blood is split on stone."
s"The blood line." Stan said. "But what does it mean by trusted? Poindexter any ideas?"
h"Maybe if we one of us sacrifices someone we trust and spills their blood on the stone tablet something will happen."
a"But the next line says Chain will break, and then Chaos will reign."
r"So someone Bill trusts?" Mabel asked.
k"I doubt Bill trusts anyone." Ford waved a hand and then wrote a question mark next to the line about blood. "But whatever it is let's keep blood away from the stone tablet."
"Right." THey all agreed. Dipper looked at the next line. "Until the seal is restored."
"The seal keeping Bill trapped?" Stan asked.
"Most likely." Ford wrote on the board, reseal Bill.
"But first trust must be broken." Dipper said. "Our trust?" He looked up.
"I think that line connects to the blood line again." Stan said.
"It could have something to do with my old saying." Ford whispered. "Trust no one. Or maybe this is a warning of not to trust anyone… Bill could be using anyone, we can't forget that Bill is tricky. This might have to do more about what will happen if Bill is released. Dipper what is the last line?"
"Seek the sign of one eye."
"That's talking about Bill right? Something that represents him." Mabel said. "There are lots of old windows that have a triangle with an eye."
Ford was rubbing his chin. "I just thought about something." He said slowly. "It sounds like Bill is trapped somewhere, but the only place I could think of him being trapped in is the mindscape. If that is true then we can go and defeat him there. All we have to do is get there and then we can defeat him for good, before he breaks free."
"Is that such a good idea?" Dipper frowned standing back up. "What if by going we break him out instead."
"He's weaker in the mindscape." Mabel said. "I bet we can easily beat him. Remember kitten fists." She smirked.
"I don't know…" Dipper looked down at the stone tablet. He thought of the old cipher wheel they had started to use to beat Bill. It made sense that his symbol, Ford's, Mabel's and Stan's but he didn't understand why Wendy's symbol was on it.
"Let's go now. It's a long weekend so we can spend it searching the mindscape for Bill." Ford started to gather up the notes. "What do you all say?"
Dipper frowned but eventually they all agreed and then before he knew it the four of them were setting it up so they were arriving in the mindscape. And then they set off. The first day of searching provided almost nothing and they explored the whole of the town of Gravity Falls' mirror world in the mindscape. The next day they started exploring the forest area.
Dipper glanced around. Even after most of the day before it felt strange to see the mindscape all around him. The world felt warped and strange.
"Does it feel like something is watching us?" Mabel whispered. She moved closer to Dipper. "This place seems creepier than yesterday."
"The further we get from where we are tethered to the real world the more the mindscape will reject our presence." Ford said as he led the way. "But it won't change our power here."
"It's still creepy." Mabel whispered.
Dipper glanced around. He could feel it as well. And then he heard a loud screeching noise. It reminded him of a sick bird and he and the others jumped. "Grunkle Ford?"
"I don't know…" Ford frowned as he glanced around. "I've never spent much time in the mindscape. Come on, we'll keep going… just slowly.."
They continued to walk, every now and then hearing the screech again. And it kept getting closer. Dipper and Mabel stuck close to each other. After a while Ford held up his hand and they stopped. "Did you hear that?" He whispered.
Dipper concentrated and heard a crunching noise. He tensed, wishing he had a weapon. Suddenly he had a ray gun in his hand. Oh right mindscape. He thought to himself. They all waited and then the bushes in front of them rustled and a figure came walking out of them. It was Bree. "Bree?" He asked.
She stopped and stared at them. "What are you four doing here?" She frowned. "How did you get here? Now forget that you probably used a spell. What are you doing here?"
"We should be asking you that." Ford frowned. "This is the mindscape."
"I'm aware." Bree rolled her eyes. "I've been wandering the mindscape in my spare time since I was an infant." She shook her head. "I know my way around here better than any of you Pines." She glanced at Dipper and then back at Ford. "Now you didn't answer my question."
"We're looking for something." Mabel said. "What about you?"
"I'm just wandering ." Bree shrugged. "I do this sometimes. I was out camping this weekend and decided to see what I could find, sometimes I find interesting things in the mindscape." She looked away. "See ya."
"Wait!" Dipper rushed forward and grabbed her arm. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Bree turned to face him. A look of concern was on her face.
"A loud screech." Stan said moving closer. "Have you ever heard anything like that while here?"
"Sure." Bree said. "There are creatures that live in the mindscape, but they aren't a problem as long as you stay away from them. Though I have used them as ideas for masks and horror stories before." She smiled. "Dipper already got himself a gun, so you shouldn't be so freaked out."
"It sounds like it's been following us and getting closer." Ford said.
Bree frowned. "Now that's weird. I've never seen one move closer, of course I've always been on my own." She glanced around. "I would advise returning to your bodies."
"We're a little far." Dipper glanced around.
"Well there are other ways." Bree chuckled. "Your physically make yourself return to your body, even from a distance, by knocking yourself out. Of course it isn't very comfortable and you'll have a headache for a while depending on the distance. It's kind of like forcing yourself awake."
"You know a lot about the mindscape." Ford said.
"Like I said I-." She stopped as a loud screech sounded from nearby. "Okay that is close." She looked around. "Yeah I would say return now."
"Why?" Dipper frowned holding up his gun. "We can defend ourselves."
"True but if they tear too many holes into your mental form it can scar your brain when you return. I wouldn't advise risking it." She glanced around. "Go."
But before any of them could move a creature jumped out of the nearby bushes. It looked like a hairless deformed human. It had an elongated muzzle like face and two red beady eyes. Sharp shark like teeth filled its mouth and long grey claws were in place of it's fingers.
"What is that?" Mabel jumped.
"A mindscape shark." Bree whispered. "At least that is what I call them. They travel alone throughout the mindscape and are fast. I've never seen one up close though." She moved slowly until she was closer to Dipper. "Don't make any sudden moves."
"Can't I just shot it?" Dipper asked.
"And risk missing and enraging it?" She grumbled. "That's not a good idea."
"So knock ourselves out?" Ford asked.
"Best idea." Bree nodded.
"Hang on." Dipper whispered. "Look." He tensed. A necklace of bones was around the creature's neck. "Someone is controlling it."
"That shouldn't be possible?" Bree turned to look at Dipper. She honestly looked confused. And the creature shot forward, straight at her.
"Bree!" Dipper shoved her away and they all scattered.
Bree was quickly back on her feet, circling with the creature as it's eyes jolted between each of them. It screeched and then lunged at Bree again, aiming to cut her with it's claws. Bree jumped to the side in a nimble movement. "Knock yourselves out!" She yelled. "It's-." The creature slammed into her and she went flying and slammed into a tree. The tree and her fuzzed slightly and then Bree was gone.
"Bree!" Dipper yelled and then he had to move to avoid the mindscape shark. Slowly he was backed up until he was back to back with his family, they all had weapons in hand.
"That's enough." A voice called out.
The mindscape shark hissed and then backed down crouching low. Gilroy came walking out of the trees as he looked at them. "Hello Pines."
"Gilroy." Ford frowned. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I told him to." A voice laughed.
A chill ran down Dipper's back as a familiar shape came out of the trees. Bill Cipher. He was laughing, but strangely there was a chain wrapped around his ankle that connected to… a bird.
"Bill." Ford growled.
"Long time no see Sixer." Bill smiled. "Miss me?"
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