I sat in the diner for a few minutes, deep in thought. Unlike last time, when I had chased Dipper who ran away, I decided to focus on my french fries while I contemplated my next moves.

The cryptic messages I had seen just before my previous death continued to haunt my thoughts. Blurred by the loss of blood, one phrase stood out in my memory: "time paradox." Could it be linked to Memento Mori, that enigmatic Victorian-era pocket watch in my mind? It seemed strangely aware of events, particularly since the dream, but I couldn't help but wonder if it had always been sending me messages after my deaths.

My reverie was interrupted by Wendy's voice, pulling me back to the present. She slid into the seat opposite me and helped herself to the french fries I had been saving. I had expected her to be more affected by yesterday's dark events, but my immediate concern was not about her state of mind.

In order to see the message once more, I knew I would have to die again. It was a daunting prospect, but it would provide a chance to test my understanding of how my checkpoints functioned. Currently, I had returned to a specific point in time, and the pattern remained elusive. Yet, I was determined to discover the consequences of eliminating an anomaly, given that these anomalies were somehow connected to the daemon.

But did I truly want to return to the forest and face the hide-behind? Doubts crept into my mind. I recognized the importance of examining my checkpoint ability, but the thought of risking injury was not appealing. The phantom pain that followed each death was something I detested.

As I pondered, it became clear that if another Armageddon event unfolded, Bill Cipher might employ the hide-behind as one of his soldiers or minions. This gave me ample reason to want to eliminate it. However, it also led to a more profound inquiry: What was the connection between the Daemon and Bill Cipher? Were they collaborators, or did they share a more intricate relationship?

My to-do list began to take shape in my mind. First, I needed to decipher how my checkpoints functioned, identify their triggers, and understand their connection to my unique ability to return after death. Second, I needed to unravel the meaning behind the cryptic messages that appeared upon my deaths and uncover the identity behind them.

Next came the enigma of the connection between Bill Cipher and the Daemon. Did they operate together, or was there a struggle for dominance between them? Understanding this relationship was essential for me to fulfill my objective, which encompassed protecting the children, finding the zodiac... but what was this zodiac, and how did it relate to the bigger picture? That was a puzzle I needed to solve.

Lastly, the concept of causality rate remained an enigma. It had not changed significantly since I first noticed it, and I couldn't help but wonder if it held clues to understanding the mysteries that enveloped me.

Wendy's question interrupted my thoughts, and I chuckled, apologizing for my distraction. It was just the two of us at the table now, with Stan and Mabel gone.

"I've been thinking about something," I finally responded to her inquiry.

Wendy's expression darkened as she recalled the events of the previous day. She had been through a lot, and the experience had left its mark, even if she tried to maintain her usual cool demeanor.

"Is it happening again? I..." Wendy began, her concern evident.

I reassured her, "Oh, no. Well...now that you know the strange events in town are real, I can tell you. I recently found something in the forest. Have you heard of the hide-behind? That lives in the forest?"

Recognition flickered in Wendy's eyes. "Yeah, my dad's a lumberjack, and he and his friends used to tell my brothers and me stories about the hide-behind. It's the monster that can follow you without being seen, right? But I always thought it was just a myth..."

I nodded, watching as Wendy pieced together the reality of the situation. "Well, it's real."

"But if it's real, how come I've never encountered one before? I've been in the forest countless times, but I..."

I tried to ease her concerns with a shrug. "It could just be a coincidence."

Wendy's determination flared, and she even considered fetching her axe. "Is it here? I...I'll go get my axe, maybe I can...!"

I quickly intervened, grabbing her shoulders and guiding her back into her seat. She was reaching for the emergency axe on the wall, even though it wasn't her own.

"The hide-behind is not here. I told you, it's in the forest. But speaking of which, you mentioned you heard stories about it, right?"

Wendy, now calmer, sipped her soda and took a moment before responding. "Yes, I did. I even know their... weakness, though I'm not sure if it's a real weakness or just an excuse for my dad and his friends to drink more."

I was intrigued by this revelation. "So, what is the hide-behind's weakness?"

Wendy shared, "Beer."

"Beer?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, or any kind of alcohol. To be precise, it's the scent of alcohol that repels the Hide-behind, at least according to my dad's friends."

The revelation left me feeling somewhat disappointed. It seemed more like a repellent than a true weakness, and I doubted it would be of much help in confronting the hide-behind.

Since Wendy had confirmed the reality of the hide-behind and its weakness, she mentioned that she needed to get some beer to avoid it. At this point, I couldn't help but wonder if there were any other weaknesses that she might not have heard of.

"Have you ever heard of any other weaknesses?" I asked.

Wendy shook her head. "No, that's pretty much it. But how did you even find out about the hide-behind? I thought they couldn't be seen..."

I hesitated for a moment, reluctant to reveal too much about myself. My penchant for secrecy and paranoia made me prevaricate.

"It's a long story, Wendy. I stumbled upon it during one of my... adventures," I replied, keeping the details vague.

Wendy's curiosity was piqued, but she sensed my reluctance to divulge more. "You're a pretty mysterious guy, you know that?"

I offered a half-smile. "I've been told."

Wendy grinned and reached for the last of my french fries. "Well, I'm gonna need more than this if I'm going monster hunting."

I chuckled, appreciating her determination. "You can have all of them. I've got some stuff to figure out."

As I got up to leave, Wendy called out from behind me, "Wait, Ray, don't go all lone wolf on us. We're in this together, right?"

I didn't respond and continued on my way. I needed some time alone to think and come up with a plan.

But before that, I'll need some beer.

I found myself near the Manotaur's cave, the very place where I had met my end in the previous timeline. Uncertainty gnawed at me, and I questioned whether my plan would succeed.

As I stood there, I could sense that the hide-behind was following me. Memento Mori's ticking

had grown louder, and I had a nagging feeling of being pursued. I had no desire to experience those obsidian claws tearing through me again.

My plan was deceptively simple: find a location with only one viable hiding place, then toss the glass bottle of beer I had "borrowed" from Stan's refrigerator. The hide-behind, if it indeed despised the scent of alcohol, would reveal itself when it reacted to the smell, allowing me to strike it with my trusty axe.

I walked toward an area where the lumberjacks had already cleared the wood, leaving nothing to hide behind except for a single tree. The forest seemed oddly silent.

I momentarily looked away from the tree, then turned back to face it.

-tick! tick!

That was my signal. The hide-behind was right behind the pine tree.

I hurled the beer bottle toward the tree, causing it to shatter and the alcohol to spill. The pungent scent filled the air, and then I saw it, a gigantic, emaciated leg extending from behind the tree. It was nearly seven feet tall, and that was just the leg. The rest of its body was even longer, a grotesque, towering monstrosity. Its featureless face was marred by holes, and its pale grey skin hung loosely on its skeletal frame. Its long, trembling arms and fingers were a nightmare to behold.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHALCOHOL!" it screeched, an ear-piercing sound that made my head throb.

I had no choice but to run, the hide-behind giving chase. I had assumed it was smaller, even human-sized, but this towering behemoth was beyond my expectations.

"AHHHHHHYOUSAWME!" it screamed as I sprinted away. Its movement was strangely silent, and I looked around for a place to hide. Then I saw it, the manotaurs. The cave!

"Manotaurs!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping they would respond.

"Ray?! What are you doing here?!" Dipper called as I dashed into their cave.

Dipper had a peculiar appearance, clad in a loincloth with clay smeared on his body like a tribal warrior. But there was no time to ponder his attire; the hide-behind was relentless.

"Manotaurs, I present to you a quest to prove your manliness!"

"Manliness!"

"Manliness?!"

"ME LEADERAUR THE MANLYEST! GIVE QUEST!"

The gigantic, black manotaur stepped forward, exuding an aura of dominance.

"Your quest is to hunt THAT!" I exclaimed, pointing towards the looming hide-behind.

"AHHHHHHHHHDON'TLOOKATME!" the hide-behind wailed, its high-pitched scream echoing in the cave.

The manotaurs froze in place, their earlier bravado evaporating. I seized Dipper and fled, the chase now involving not only the hide-behind but also the manotaurs.

"Hunt the monster!"

"KILL IT!"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Dipper and I continued to run, and after a few minutes, the sounds inside the cave subsided.

"Is it over? And what was that, Ray? Why do you always encounter the most dangerous creatures?" Dipper questioned a mixture of curiosity and frustration in his voice.

I winced, knowing that I had a knack for attracting perilous situations. It stung more when the criticism came from someone in person.

"That's the hide-behind," I confirmed.

"The hide-behind? From the journal? But the journal didn't mention its size being that enormous..."

"I doubt the author ever encountered a hide-behind in reality. If they did, I doubt they'd have lived to write about it. Anyways, we should investigate..."

Inside the cave, the scene was gruesome. The manotaurs lay lifeless, and the hide-behind was crushed, its head squashed by the massive black manotaur. The black manotaur had also lost an arm, but it was cauterizing the wound with a torch from the cave wall.

The hide-behind was undeniably dead.

"Now I need to die once more to check my checkpoint, considering I've eliminated the anomaly," I mused.

"Incoming!" Dipper shouted.

I didn't comprehend the warning until it was too late.

-Crash!

I was crushed by a manotaur corpse that had somehow become lodged on the ceiling and had fallen. It hurt for a brief moment, and then I concentrated, attempting to read the information that was appearing before me.

[[Critical user function failure detected. Life signal...Negative. Commencing respawn sequence at the last checkpoint...Daemon's piece destroyed. New checkpoint made 30 seconds ago.]

I had the information I needed.

"Gotcha."