This wasn't according to the plan.

Will stood in the center of the woods, with his friends accompanying him and chatting amongst themselves. He guessed it wasn't so bad, at least he wouldn't be alone if something dangerous attacked him.

"Ah, gotta love that fresh air," Mabel said, blissfully. She tried to emphasis her point, and inhaled deeply, only to accidentally swallow a falling leaf.

Dipper quickly ran to his sister's aid, as she rolled on the ground making choking noises. Bill stared at them, as Dipper patted her back, as Mabel coughed up the leaf.

"They don't go out that much, do they?" He asked, turning to Wendy.

She shrugged. "Wasn't that obvious?"

"Phew! I almost died," Mabel laughed, despite recently been choking on a single leaf.

Bill rolled his eyes, then turned his attention on Will. The blue haired boy regarded the blond curiously, as Bill walked over and stood beside him.

"So, find anything in that journal?" Bill asked.

"There's something in here about a squash with a face," Will suggested, pointing to one of the pages in the book.

The blond held his head back, and groaned loudly. "Yep, this is torture."

"It's a wonder why you came with," His brother chuckled.

Bill was silent for a while, looking down at his feet. He then spoke softly. "For one, I wanted to ask you about something."

Will regarded him. "What is it?"

"I know you were with Robbie, again."

Will's posture stiffened with fear, as Bill looked up and glared at him suspiciously. "Haha, you got me," He laughed, nervously. "I told you I was going to visit him often."

"Which is strange, considering you two have nothing in common," The blond noted. "So, is there another reason why you're visiting him?"

The blue haired boy fingered the helm of sweater. "Not any I can think of, no."

Bill squinted. "Admit it, you told him about your powers, didn't you?"

Will stared at him. "How--"

"I'm not an idiot," The blond snapped. "First, you discover that you have magical abilities. Now, you're sneaking off to visit possibly the only Guardian that doesn't recognize our past lives."

The blue haired boy. "OK, you got me. I asked Robbie if he could teach me about magic, but I didn't tell him that I was a Demon."

"Still, you broke your word," Bill reminded.

"Try to at least look in my perspective," Will argued. "Thanks to Robbie, I actually know how to use my powers, it's just the matter of making it stronger."

"And, we're here for that reason?"

He nodded. "Robbie said that Demons fuel their powers with magical artifacts, and I thought--"

"I see, you thought you could hide this from me," The blond muttered. "And what then? You learn how to do magic tricks, and get caught?"

Will narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you see what I did with Mason? Bill, I could accomplish great things, if I just--"

"You could also get killed!" Bill snapped, harshly, but careful not to raise his voice. "The Pine twins, Wendy, Gideon, every Guardian in this town, hate the Ciphers for what they done in the past. They could turn on us in a second."

"No," Will started, then said without thinking. "Bill, they would turn on you. You're the one who destroyed everything."

Bill stared, speechless.

"I'm going to look somewhere else," The blue haired boy decided.

The blond didn't try to stop him, as Will walked off without the rest of the group's awareness. He strolled in one direction, absent of mind, before making a complete stop. Slowly, a wave of regret filled his chest to the brim. What had he just said?

Will trembled, as raw guilt clawed at his insides. How could he had said that to Bill? He was angry, but that was no excuse! He had to apologize. With that, he turned around, but realized then...

Where is everyone?, He thought, looking at the endless clutter of trees.

Will couldn't have gone that far from the group. He called Bill's name, but there was no response. Panicking, he retraced his steps, while desperately calling for his friends. As he walked on, the silence became almost suffocating.

❇❇❇

The group were deeper into the forest. Dipper watched with a smile, as Wendy gave Mabel a piggyback ride. He then turned to the back, to check on the Cipher twins. Dipper was distraught, to see that Will was missing.

He slowed his pace, so that he could walk beside Bill. "Where's your brother?"

"Will went for a walk," Bill said, bitterly.

Dipper caught his tone, and nodded in acknowledgment. "Ah, you two had a fight?"

"We've been having a lot of fights lately," The blond admitted, his expression softening.

The male Guardian couldn't help his concern. He reached out, and placed a hand on Bill's shoulder. Unintentionally, he had a memory back when he saved the blond from that water tower, and couldn't help the blush that formed up his neck.

"It's normal, Mabel and I fight all the time," Dipper reassured. "Siblings only have to learn to understand each other in the end."

Bill frowned. "I guess, I never put any effort into understanding Will's side of the story..."

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

"Thanks, Pine Tree," He said, smiling softly. "Once I find Will, I'm going to apologize for everything."

The brunette returned his smile. "I'll help you look for him, if you want."

"And you'll give me a piggyback ride?"

"Hell no."

"C'mon, Wendy does it with Mabel, and they're the same height," Bill complained.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "That is not a proper comparison, Wendy can lift a truck with her pinky finger."

Bill huffed. "Suit yourself, Pine Tree."

The blond quickened his pace a little, but stopped short. His foot got stuck on a stone that jutted out of the earth, and he ended up tripping. As Bill fell, Dipper instinctively reached out and grabbed his hand. Unfortunately, the Guardian ended up being dragged down with the boy.

Once he hit the ground, Dipper groaned. At this point, he noticed something had broken his fall.

"Pine Tree, will you get the hell off me?"

Dipper blinked, and looked down. It was revealed to him, that he was on top of Bill, while the blond laid on his back. He flushed, feeling the tips of Bill's hair tickling his neck.

"Sorry!" He spluttered, in embarrassment.

"You can prove you're sorry by getting off," Bill shot back. "Damn, you're heavy."

Dipper obliged, and quickly scrambled off. By then, Mabel approached them, not being carried by Wendy anymore.

"Guys, we found something!" She announced, beckoning them towards her.

They watched as she ran off in the direction she came from, and quickly rose to their feet, so they could follow her. They made sure not to lose the long brown hair in front of them, and eventually, Mabel made a complete stop.

The two stood in awe, as they took in the newfound scenery. It was a cove, completely inhabited by crystals jutting out of the earth. The sunlight danced over them, making them cast large glowing beams. Wendy stood nearby, examining the mystical stones.

"I travelled all over this forest, but never came across this," The redhead said, in amazement.

Dipper was stunned into silence, until something else caught his eye. Nearby, he saw a pair of glowering eyes staring from behind a couple of bushes. Before he could warn anyone, a mountain lion lunged from it's hiding place at them. The group screamed in surprise, but stopped abruptly, as soon as the animal touched the pink beam of light. The wild cat shrank drastically, until it was the size of a finger. Bill yelped, when the tiny creature landed on his arm.

"Bill, are you okay?" Dipper asked, quickly.

Bill peered at the mountain lion, before pinching the scuff of it's neck and pulling it off his arm. "I'm fine, Pine Tree," He insisted, flicking the shrunk creature aside.

Mabel looked at the crystals with wide eyes. "So, they shrink things?"

"Not just shrink," Wendy chimed in, pointing in one direction. "Look."

They turned, and were taken aback when they saw a giant butterfly resting under a blue light. The colossal bug twitched it's antennae, before flapping away, the beat of it wings sending a heavy breeze to flatten the grass.

Dipper watched it flew away, then smiled ear to ear. "This is amazing! A material that can shrink and grow things. This could solve world hunger!"

"Or better yet: a human ant colony?" Bill suggested. "No? Just me? Fine."

"Will is gonna love this!" Mabel beamed. Her eyes scanned around, she frowned. "Uh, where is he?"

Bill didn't answer, crossing his arms. Dipper gave him a worried look, then turned to his sister. "Will went for a walk."

Mabel took this in with uncertainty. "Is it safe for him to be alone?"

"Don't worry, I can track him," Wendy reassured. "I could look for him now, and bring him back here."

"No need, he'll be dead once you reach him."

Everyone froze, and turned around. What they saw, standing on top of the heap of crystals, was Kill Cipher. The Demon grinned at them, showing his sharp teeth.

"It must be my lucky day," He laughed. "The group is all here."

The Guardians didn't hesitate, and took out their weapons. Wendy raised her axe, Dipper unsheathed his sword, and Mabel made her Bubbles of Pure Madness appear in the air around her.

"Leave," Dipper hissed, pointing his blade in the Demon's direction. "Or we'll finish what you started in the museum."

"Blue Pine, you're cute when you're angry," Kill smiled. "However, cuteness can only get you so far. You're all coming with me."

"As if," Mabel remarked.

The Red Demon narrowed his eyes, until they were merely slits. "I guess, I have to make you."

The group tensed, when he pulled out one of his knives. Kill calmly twirled it in his hand, then turned to the beam of pink light.

"So, you say these crystals shrink and grow things, Blue Pine?"

Dipper's eyes widened. "Stop him! Before he--"

Too late. Kill thrusted his blade into the light, bending it in their direction. Bill stepped back just in time, but the others were less fortunate. The Guardians yelled in terror, when they were hit by the pink light, and immediately shrank until they were only a few inches tall. Bill couldn't even register his shock, as Kill jumped off from the crystals.

The Demon swooped down and grabbed the small people. The Guardians struggled in his grip, while he grinned in Bill's direction. "See you again, Brother."

"Wait--"

But Bill was cut short, when Kill disappeared in a puff of red smoke. The blond stood in silence, before he eventually snapped out of it. He looked back at the crystals, and furrowed his brow in determination. Bill dug in his pockets, hoping to find something useful. He thanked whatever god was up there, when he pulled out a Swiss Army knife. He bent down, and used it to dig out one of the smaller crystals.

Bill looked at the stone resting in his palm, knowing that it was his only chance at saving his friends.

❇❇❇

Will had been walking for knew how long.

His feet were beginning to drag on the floor, as he forced himself forward. Will knew he needed a break, but he feared that it'll turn dark soon if he wasted anymore time. Eventually, he couldn't take it, and leaned against a tree. He panted softly, pressing his cheek against the bark. Where were they?

"Does my eyes deceive me?"

Will blinked at the unfamiliar voice, and looked around. He stopped, once his eyes caught on a moving figure. Once the person drew closer, it was revealed to be a teenage girl with blonde hair.

Will moved away from the support of the tree, and approached the girl. "Uh, who are you?"

The girl smiled innocently. "Aw, don't you recognize your big sister?"

Now, he was truly confused. Will regarded her in shock. "Big sister? What are you--" He paused, as realization poured over him. "You mean...from that life. I had more than two siblings when I was a Demon?"

"You had four, actually," She explained, then started listing down with her fingers. "Bill, Kill, and me, Jill Cipher."

"What about the fourth?"

"Oh, we don't mention his name," Jill sneered, something cold flashed in her eyes.

By now, Will's mind was whirling. His thoughts were put to a halt, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Will turned, and almost screamed when he saw Jill standing right beside him. How did she move so fast?

Jill looked at Will approvingly. "Finally, I have a sibling that is my height. Do you know the pain of being the shortest in the family? Kill always gave me a hard time for it."

"What are you planning?" Will demanded, immediately backing away from her. "Is Kill with you?"

"It's only me, little bro," She reassured. "And, I have a deal for you."

Will's eyes squinted in suspicion. "What kind of deal?"

"Well, you give me something," Jill started, her eyes glowing yellow. "And in return, I'll teach you everything about magic..."