The forest was a nightmarish sight—twisted trees with branches resembling bony fingers, oozing creepy blood-like sap from the bark, and those gigantic white creatures lurking in the shadows, moving with eerie grace but screeching like pure nightmare fuel.

My injuries were nothing short of painful—sprained ankles, bruises covering my body—but I had no choice but to press on. I needed to find safety or answers in this twisted reality.

Following the weird signs on the trees, I eventually stumbled upon the Mystery Shack, a tourist spot from the other Ray's memories. However, what I found there was a scene of complete devastation—a war zone.

"...What the... hell?"

The place was in ruins, as if it had been hit by an explosion. Not exactly a prime vacation spot, that's for sure.

Suddenly, a desperate voice called out from under the wreckage.

"...Wait, this sound... anybody there...!? Under here!"

The voice belonged to an old man. I approached with caution; in this place, one couldn't be too trusting.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I'm Stanford Pines! You... come down here if you want to live!"

Stanford Pines? I vaguely remembered that name from somewhere, but in this messed-up reality, who could I trust?

"What are you talking about? And what's with this whole mess out there?"

"Urgh...! I'll tell you all about it if you come down here, now hurry!"

As if I'd blindly go down there without any proof he wasn't some monster or lunatic.

"As if I'll go down! Prove yourself!"

I waited, heart pounding, for his response.

"...My name is Stanford Filbrick Pines. I'm a paranormal investigator and a scientist. I went to Backupsmore University, and I have a brother named Stanley Pines!"

"Backupsmore University? Never heard of that... Huh... And you're a paranormal investigator, too. How realistic."

"Realistic it is. Can't you see what's going on? And like I said...come down if you want to live!"

Okay, maybe he wasn't lying. Besides, staying out here wasn't any safer.

"...Fine. How do I get there?"

"Just fall down!"

Yeah, right. Trust a bottomless pit? No thanks.

"..."

"Oh, just...!"

"Fine!...WhoaAHHHHH!"

Time seemed to slow as I plummeted through the darkness, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I landed with a thud on something soft. The impact left me dizzy, but I had survived.

"...A teenager?...Not the best choice...Now who are you? How did you survive this Weirdmageddon?" The owner of the voice approached, flashlight in hand. "Most of the civilians are dead, from what I know."

As my eyes adjusted to the faint light, I saw that the man, Stanford, was severely injured. Bleeding from his head, one hand severed, and he had six fingers too—definitely worse off than I was.

"Wait...Hey, are you..."

"I'm Fine! Now answer my question. Who are you!"

The tables turned, and now I found myself holding the upper hand, literally. He pointed some sort of toy gun at me, but I kept my hands up, trying to maintain my composure.

"My name is...Ray Chiu."

"...Chiu? I think Mabel mentioned someone named like that before..."

"Candy Chiu?"

"Ah, yes. It was the name of her friend, according to what I remember...And you are...her brother?"

I nodded, realizing that Mabel was Candy's friend. But then, who was the boy with the hat? And where were the main characters?

"You can put down your hands now. Urgh...! Think carefully, Stanford. You can do this. Should I use that? No, that's too dangerous...And I'm not sure how it works..! Think...! Use your brain, Stanford..!"

Stanford seemed to be having a mental breakdown, so I quickly assessed my surroundings. The place was filled with scientific equipment, some of which I recognized, while others seemed alien.

I also noticed strange images of old paintings depicting a triangle with arms, legs, and one eye. It bore a resemblance to the sign Candy died to...

Enough waiting.

"Um...Mister Pines? Do you know where that boy with a hat is? I think he's the key or something..."

"...Dipper...He's...AAAAARGH! He's dead! He's dead, Mable's dead, Stanley's dead, Fiddleford is dead...and every single person that I ever cared about is DEAD! Do you hear?!"

His screaming didn't faze me; I had to find answers and survive this madness.

"...Dead? You mean like, Dead, Dead?"

"No..No...Dipper..Mable...Stanley...All gone.."

But why? My sister (in my past life) had assured me that the show had a happy ending. It was a Disney show, after all.

This situation was like something out of a bad fan-fiction novel—everyone going mad or dead. But how was any of this my fault? I didn't even do anything! All I did was breathe, and perhaps change the atmosphere's carbon dioxide concentration level.

It felt so unjust. If I was to die, I could have at least enjoyed my summer vacation.

...And I wanted to live.

In this desperate situation where everything wanted to kill me, I desperately wanted to survive.

"...Hey, Mr. Pines? Like...do you have any ideas to get through this? I get your loss, but FUCKING DO SOMETHING, YOU MAD OLD THING, I WANT TO LIVE, I WANT TO LIVE!"

"...Wait, What are you doing! Stop!"

I grappled him down. Despite his age and injuries, he couldn't do much as I knocked him out.

I grabbed his gun and pressed him to the floor. Something inside me told me this was the way to survive, so I trusted my instincts.

"...Ha, Sibal...one move, and I'm going to shoot you through your head. You seem to know many things...What the hell is going on out there?"

"Urgh...I...I'll tell...so calm down..!"

My threat seemed to bring him back to his senses. I kept the gun pointed at him, pressing him down with my knee.

"It's...the Weirdmageddon. Bill Cipher..! He caused all this. He...opened the rift...destroyed Gravity Falls..."

"Who's Bill Cipher! Tell me now!"

"He's an inter-dimensional demon...prophesized to destroy the world. I...I opened the gate..! What have I done..!"

Bill Cipher? Oh, right. That picture—the nacho chip with an eyeball. Eye of providence...

"You mean that nacho chip with an eyeball?"

"...Well, yes, if you say it that way."

"But what happened to the main characters...I mean, Mabel and...Dipper? Why are they dead?"

"...Bill...He...he...used something. Some kind of anomalies that he never used before. The ones that make you dead the moment you recognize them. Dipper's brain couldn't handle it, and neither could Mabel's or Stanley's..."

So they're dead... And what can I do now? It's not like I know anything about this. And how can I go against something that kills you when you recognize it?

-Crash!

A loud noise echoed from outside, and I could feel a strong presence approaching.

My survival instincts were overloaded with danger. I couldn't find any hope big enough to move me.

"HELLO?! SIXERS? WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT?! THIS LITTLE GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK IS BEING A BIT BORING!"

The booming voice made the world itself scream. My ears rang, and one of them started to bleed.

And then I realized it. Something was breaking... Something was going to crack, and when it did, I'd probably die.

"...How can anybody survive that? Even if someone survives, they'd go insane for sure."

"...That's Bill. Probably here for me...Hey, Kid...You...talked about something...about main characters, right? Tell me about it."

I had to act fast. I couldn't let fear paralyze me.

"...I'm actually a guy from a different...reality? dimension? Whatever. I just woke up in this body that had the same name as me. And this world...it was just an animated series in my world. A kids' show, actually."

"Interesting...Do you remember anything? The mechanism of your inter-dimensional travel?"

"No. Anyways, this is a kids' show. It had a happy ending. I didn't really watch it, so I have no idea about the details, but I'm sure it had a happy ending. So when I woke up here, I just decided to stay still because everything was supposed to go on safely. But for some reason, things went like this... why?! I didn't do anything! Ssibal.."

As the banging noise grew louder, I felt the presence getting closer.

"...As a scientist and a dimension traveler, I think I understand what's going on."

"Wait, you actually believe me?"

"Yes. And...it seems like your existence triggered something, causing everything to go 'wrong.' Events aren't unfolding as they should. In short, it's like your existence is destroying causality."

"...So it's all my fault? This apocalypse, all my fault?"

"...No. But...you said you know this show, the one featuring our story, right?"

"I mean, I do know, but I don't have any ideas about the details."

"Good. Now listen carefully to my instructions."

Stanford handed me a small golden pocket watch with a metallic skull and snakes surrounding it on the cover. It was written in Latin, "[Memento Mori]."

"...What is this?"

"That thing is an extremely rare tool I found during my dimensional travels. It will...erase time. Erase everything until a certain point."

"...What does that mean? Erase time?"

"It will take you back in time, but not like going to a specific point. It will erase every single event that ever happened in this world until the point you go back to. So you can change the future and manipulate it..."

Going back in time? It was literally an overpowered tool. If I could go back, maybe...

"If you succeed in going back in time...Remember, save the Zodiac, and help my grandnephew and niece...Find the journals, and stop Bill."

-Crash!

"FORD! YOU THERE?!"

"...He's here...I have to go. Now run! RUN!"

Stanford was back on his feet, and I ran through the dark room, leaving him behind. I couldn't understand why he gave me the pocket watch. Why didn't he use it himself?

...And most importantly, how was I supposed to use this thing?

As I ran, I kept the pocket watch open, trying different things. I rotated the mainspring, turned the dials manually, and even shook it. Nothing seemed to work.

And then I realized something. The room was pitch-black, and I couldn't see anything. My hands, the pocket watch—nothing was visible.

Suddenly, the room lit up, and there stood the triangular figure—the yellow-glowing god, Bill Cipher. His eye locked onto me, and I felt like he was looking through my very soul.

"HMMM...? YOU ARE INTERESTING. FOR REAL!"

The sight of him sent chills down my spine.

"...Ha, Sixers, really? 'Memento Mori' for this thing? You 5-sense skin puppets are funny. You don't know how to use this...neither do I! And you too!"

He had turned Stanford into a golden statue, and I felt powerless, frozen in place.

Stanford had warned me, but I couldn't comprehend the true horror of Bill Cipher until now.

Suddenly, Bill turned himself...smaller.

"Stanford Filbrick Pines...He's done for. Now, let's see what we have here..."

Bill approached me, and I tried to move, but my body refused to obey.

"Another Inter-dimensional ghost! Funny, and cute!...I've got something special for you, kid. A one-way ticket to the Fearamid. HAHAHA!"

Within a brief second, I was locked up in a pyramid-shaped jail made out of human bones. Bill just came closer to me, tossing Stanford up and down like a ball.

"You're funny. Do you know that? I never saw something like you...two souls mixed completely into one without any errors? WOW! But...now, give me that pocket watch. Then, I'll keep you as a...pet. You'll live...oh yes, you will...just give me that frilly know-it-all's thing."

That moment, something...felt weird, like I was floating in the air...for a brief second. My sight went lower, and soon I could see my own body. Bill was happily shoving his hand inside my headless neck, trying to find something.

...I am dying. My head was already cut off.

The last thing I saw before dying was Bill becoming Very Big and Red And Mad, Screaming at me like crazy. He was screaming something like...'Impossible!'.

And as my consciousness slowly faded away, a bright light dissolved everything around me. Stanford, Bill Cipher, The world...

And then I was back in my room, with Candy looking at me in concern.

"...Oppa? Are you alright?"

"...Candy?"

...Okay, I'm done with understanding.