The Eldest Cipher

Out of the Shadows

   Everyone stepped away from Stan except Ford and Asilea. Ford stood protectively in front of his brother. Stan looked around, this being one the rare times he actually showed fear.

   "You stay away from my brother," Ford yelled, although he had no weapon defend himself or Stan.

   "I won't do anything to your brother," Asilea reassured, "Not yet at least. I just need to know how you 'defeated' Bill."

   "And what will you do after that," Ford demanded his temper rising once again.

   "That will depend on what I hear," she stated. Everyone was quiet as Asilea awaited her explanation. Eventually Mabel stepped forward.

   "Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan tricked Bill into going inside Stan's mind," she said, "When he was in there Ford used a memory erasing gun to completely wipe Stan's memory, taking Bill with it."

   "And let me guess, not to long after he miraculously got his memory back," Asilea replied. Mabel hesitantly nodded. 

   "Could Bill really still be inside Grunkle Stan," Mabel asked, tears starting to well in her eyes.

    "Of course not," Ford argued, "Bill was destroyed along with Stan's memory."

   "And Stan's memory returned, fully restored," Asilea countered.

   "This is ridiculous," Ford shouted.

   "No, it's not," Stan interjected, "She's right."

   Ford turned to face his brother, surprise and concern written all over his face.  "What?"

   "At first I didn't think much of it, we had just survived an apocalypse after all. I figured it was because of that. It just started with small headaches. But then the headaches turned into migraines, and then...then I started seeing things in my head that have never been there before...terrible things. When we left Gravity Falls last year, it got better, but it started up again the second we got back."

   "Stanley... why didn't you tell me this was going on? I could've found something to help you," Ford replied.

   "It all happened so fast," Stan explained, "After we left I thought it was over. I guess I also felt like I could handle it."

   "And now Bill is on the brink of escaping your mind," Asilea said.

   Stan look at her with a look of fear and determination. "How do we stop him?"

   "There is a way that we can not only safely get Bill out of your head but also stop him for good," Asilea explained, "but you're not going to like it."

   "If it gets him out of my head, I'm all ears," Stan replied.

   Asilea sighed. "Then the answer is simple: Stan lets Bill take over his body."

   "What?!" Ford shrieked, "If you think that I am letting that demon take over my-"

   "It's not your decision to make," Asilea interrupted, "It's Stanley's."

   Everyone turned to look at Stan. He sighed and turned to face Asilea. "If this works, Bill's gone for good?"

   "You will never need to worry about him again," Asilea promised. She extended her hand out to him, green flames surrounding it.

   "Then let's get this over with," Stan said, shaking her hand. The flames extended to their elbows, and Asilea eyes flashed a bright green. Stan's eyes mimicked her's and he fell asleep.

   "How is this going to work," Ford asked.

   "Bill was weakened by the memory wipe, that much is certain," Asilea explained, "Combine that with the natural obstacles he has when possessing a human, and we should be able to keep him in place until we can expel him from your brother." A green marker materialized in her hand and she began to draw on the ground.

   "And how do you plan to expel him," Ford wondered.

   "I created a symbol when I first set out to defeat Bill," she told him, "With the right people in place, it will not only expel Bill from Stanley's body, but drain him of all of his power. We just need to find the people." Asilea stepped away from the symbol that she had drawn on the ground. The Pine's stared in awe, not because it was such a strange or wonderous symbol, but because they had seen it before.

   "That's the symbol we tried to use last time," Dipper muttered.

   "So then you know the people that are needed," Asilea said.

   "We do," Ford replied, "my brother is one of them."

   Asilea thought for a moment before responding. "I'll deal with that when the time comes. You go and get the people that are required. I'll stay here and keep my brother in check."

   "I'm staying too," Ford added, "I'm not leaving my brother while that thing is inside him. Certainly not with only you around."

   "Very well," Asilea said, ignoring Ford's job, "Dipper, Mabel. You go and get everybody. Try and be swift. It won't take long for Bill to gain strength once he has a vessel." They nodded and ran out the door. Ford sat in Stan's chair while Asilea continued to stand in the same spot, her eyes pulsing a bright green.

   After a few moments, Stan began to stir. He slowly stood up, rubbing the back of with head. He stretched and looked around. When he locked eyes with Ford, Ford flinched. Stan's eyes had become bright yellow, and his pupil's were slanted like a cat's.

   "Howdy, Fordsie," Bill said, "Long time no see."

   "Bill," Ford replied, standing up, "You will pay for this."

   "It was nothing personal," Bill responded, "It was simply a matter of survival." He turned smugly away from Ford, but his expression changed when he saw Asilea. It seemed to be combination of surprise, fear, and surprisingly of all, joy.

   "A...Asilea," Bill whispered. He attempted to walk forward, but was stopped abruptly. He looked down to find green chains around his hands.

   "Hello Billius," Asilea said. Her voice showed no emotion, but her eyes shown with pain and regret. "It's been a while."