The falls

chapter 45

Bill stood before the final rip, the device he had cobbled together humming quietly at its side. A stabilizer—something he would have never bothered with in the past. But after all that talk from the angel, after years of planning and scheming, he couldn't shake the idea that this time things could go wrong. So, the stabilizer was necessary. Even now, with the rip in a stable state, he couldn't see what dimension it was connected to. Instead of the usual swirling chaos of potential destruction, there was only a blank, unnerving white.

"White? Huh, that's new," Bill muttered to himself, stepping closer to the rip, his eyes narrowing as if squinting would reveal its secrets. "It's like a blank canvas, but where's the fun in that?"

For once, he hesitated. He had expected something—a glimpse of the Nightmare Realm, maybe a peek into Hell. But this? This was something else entirely. And that intrigued him, but also left him unsure. Not a feeling Bill Cipher particularly enjoyed.

Just as Bill began to consider his next move, the sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel behind him. He turned, around walking. his arms crossed. To his surprise, it was Lilien. Alone.

"Well, well, well," Bill said, grinning wide, his voice dripping with amusement. "If it isn't the little rebel herself. Here to stop me? Or maybe you're lost, sweetheart."

Lilien didn't respond immediately. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the rip, her face serious. "You've stabilized it," she said, not a question but a statement. Her mind was already working, calculating the risks, the possibilities.

Bill floated around her, like a vulture circling prey. "Yep. Pretty impressive, huh? But here's the thing, toots—no idea what it's connected to. Could be Heaven. Could be Hell. Could be... somewhere else entirely." He leaned in closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Feel like taking a peek?"

To Bill's surprise, Lilien nodded. "Yeah. I'll go through it."

That stopped Bill in his tracks. He blinked, then laughed—loud, sharp, and incredulous. "Wait, what? You're serious? You wanna go through the rip? What do you think you're gonna find, kid?"

Lilien shrugged, her face still calm, though her hands were trembling slightly. "Maybe Heaven. Maybe not. But if I have even a chance of seeing the Silver City, I'm going to take it. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting in any other way."

Bill took a step back, still laughing but intrigued. This was interesting. Sure, he had toyed with the idea of sending someone through the rip before, but now? This was an opportunity he hadn't expected. And it wasn't like he could go through himself—not until he knew for sure what he was dealing with.

"Alright, alright, I'll bite," Bill said, his tone shifting from mockery to amusement. "You want to take a little trip to who-knows-where? Fine by me! But we're doing this my way." bill tied a long rope around lilien's ankle. He tugged on it playfully. "Can't have you getting lost in the great beyond, now can we? I'll pull you back if things get too spicy."

Lilien looked down at the rope and nodded. She didn't have any better plan than this. If she could at least glimpse Heaven, then maybe—just maybe—there was something more to all this than the chaos Bill represented. Or, at the very least, she could learn something valuable.

Bill watched her with that unnerving grin of his, but for once, there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Now, don't go turning into angel food before I get my answers, alright?"

Lilien walked forward, standing at the edge of the rip. The white, blinding light seemed to stretch on forever, endless and silent. She hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest.

This was it.

"So, you really want to do this?" Bill asked, curiosity laced in his voice. The rope around her leg felt uncomfortably tight, a tether to the world she knew.

Lilien nodded, her resolve firm. "I won't get into heaven any other way. If this really is a connection to the Silver City, I want to take the chance."

Bill raised an eyebrow but didn't stop her. He tied the rope securely around her leg, the knot digging into her skin as a reminder that he could pull her back if anything went wrong. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya," he sneered.

Taking a deep breath, Lilien turned toward the rip, letting the light wash over her. She stepped forward—and then everything went wrong.

The moment she crossed the threshold, gravity vanished, and she plummeted into the vast, blinding light. Her scream echoed in the void as she felt the rope snap. She tumbled through the endless white, her body spinning out of control. For what felt like an eternity, there was nothing but the sensation of falling—falling deeper into the unknown.

Just when she thought she would crash, something changed. A presence, warm and gentle, enveloped her, slowing her descent. Mere inches above what appeared to be shimmering golden roads, Lilien was caught mid-air, cradled by a figure glowing with radiant light. It was an angel, with enormous wings spreading out behind them.

The angel's eyes, soft and kind, met Lilien's wide, frightened gaze. "You don't belong here, child," the angel said, their voice calm, almost musical, yet filled with a strange sadness. "Not yet."

Lilien's breath caught in her throat. She glanced down at the golden roads below her, the ethereal beauty of heaven stretching out beneath her, breathtaking in its serenity. "Is this...?"

"The Silver City," the angel confirmed, but there was no joy in their words. "It is not your time. You are meant to return."

Lilien could barely process the weight of the words. She had come this far—closer than anyone would ever believe—but it wasn't meant to be. As much as she yearned to know what lay beyond the gates of heaven, she understood what the angel meant. This wasn't her place. Not yet.

"I—" Lilien began, but before she could form the words, she felt herself being lifted upward, her body slowly pulled back toward the rip that had brought her here.

The angel smiled softly, releasing her as she ascended. "Remember this moment, but do not fear the future. You are on the right path."

The brightness of the Silver City faded as Lilien soared back up toward the rip. She was yanked through the portal with a forceful pull, the light turning to darkness for a moment before she crashed back into the tunnel, gasping for breath.

Bill was there, watching with his arms crossed, but even he looked a little taken aback. The severed rope dangled uselessly behind her.

"Well, that was something," Bill muttered, tapping his chin as if calculating what had just happened. "I just didn't expect that. what did you see?"

Lilien lay on the cold stone floor, still in shock from what she had seen and experienced. Her chest heaved as she tried to process everything. The angel's words echoed in her mind. "heaven," was all she could mutter.

She had been to heaven—just for a moment—and it had changed her forever. But at that moment all she could do is pass out.