Dipper hated to admit it, but he had never been so afraid in that moment.

He had reached the end of the ladder. Dipper was expecting to see nothing but darkness at the bottom. But, instead, he was almost blinded by a flash of gold. When his eyes adjusted, what he saw was the biggest hallway he seen yet.

The walls were plated gold. A collection of glowing symbols floated in the air, and moved constantly. There were many doors, and Dipper could practically feel the power radiating from them.

For a moment, he was paralyzed. He just couldn't believe he was here, standing in the depths of the Demon's mind. On one hand, Dipper wanted to leave, but on the other, he wanted to open every door in sight. Eventually, he shook his head, snapping out of his trance. He had a job to do.

Quickly, he began his search. Dipper walked through the halls, grasping at any door in his sight. The first memory he opened, took place years ago. Dipper saw Bill and Will as kids, sitting crosslegged, as their older brother, Tad, was tutoring them. Dipper didn't know much about Tad, only that he was the most powerful Cipher, and he would often teach his younger siblings spells, mostly Will and Bill.

Dipper watched, as Tad summoned a swirl of purple light in his palm, and showed his younger brothers.

"You see, magic is an extension of our bodies," Tad noted, the purple light pulsing. "It is not something we can force out, but something we use normally like we do with an arm or a leg."

Will stared in awe, while Bill titled his head curiously. Meanwhile, the light in Tad's hand disappeared, and he looked at Will intently.

"Will, since Bill already got the hang of his powers, I think it's time you summoned yours."

Will rubbed his arm nervously. "I don't think I can..."

"Not without any assistance, of course," Tad smiled. "Since you've been studying all you can about healing magic, how about I be your first practice subject?"

"Really?" Will perked up. "OK, let's do it!"

Tad nodded, before holding up his hand. There was a shimmer of light in his palms, then a sharp knife materialized in his grip. Will's eyes widened, when without hesitation, Tad pulled up his sleeve and stabbed himself in the forearm. He dug the knife deep to it's hilt, before dragging it down to his wrist, creating a huge gash that leaked blood onto the floor. Will watched in horror, while Bill looked on with calm interest.

Dipper gulped down, as bile rose in his throat. He forgotten how disturbing Tad's classes could get. He once heard from Kill, that Tad used to set him on fire, just to see if the Red Demon would come back to life. Dipper had been horrified to hear this, but it turned out Kill thoroughly enjoyed those kinds of lessons. Demon magic was truly something difficult to understand.

Tad pulled the knife out, and tossed it aside. After it clattered to the floor, the man moved his bleeding arm to the blue haired child before him.

"OK, Will, show me what you learnt," Tad smiled, despite his arm caked in blood.

Will trembled violently, before bursting into tears. Tad pulled back, genuinely surprised and confused. Meanwhile, Bill comforted the sniffling boy beside him.

Tad blinked, as though he finally understood. "Oh dear, I've forgotten how squeamish you can get around the sight of blood."

With that, the man touched his wounded arm with his other hand, and immediately healed himself, the gash and the blood gone from sight. After that, Tad reached out and ruffled Will's head gently.

"I apologize for scaring you," He said. "But, in all honestly, if you want to be a healer, you have to get use to the sight of blood and dead bodies, Will."

Will sniffed. "I know..." He sighed. "But, it's just so scary."

"Nonsense, it's not scary at all," Tad protested. "The organs and blood are as natural outside of the body as are inside. And there's no need to be afraid of dead bodies, either. Everyone dies as some point. Even though we're immortal, we shouldn't be disrespectful and regard the corpses of others as revolting."

"Everyone dies?" Will questioned.

"Of course," The man said. "For example, if you were a mortal, your death would be most celebratory."

Will beamed. "Really?"

"Yes. You will be draped in the finest of clothing, locked in a tight box, and buried in a hole. And at one point, maggots will climb into your box and feast on your corpse. They'll lay eggs in your eye sockets, and then fertilize the earth with your remains that they stored in their body waste. You will live on through nature. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Will cried loudly, tears streaking down his face. Bill wrapped an arm around him, then sent Tad a glare.

"Maybe, you should stop talking," The blond advised.

"Yes, that would probably be for the best," Tad agreed, sheepishly.

Dipper sighed, a part of him felt sympathy for the older Demon. It must have been hard for Tad to raise his siblings by himself, especially considering the man's incapability to actually take care of a child. The Guardian was about to shut the door, since he couldn't spot Kill anywhere. However, he paused, as more people entered the memory. Before him, Dipper saw Ford enter the room where the three Demons gathered. He wasn't alone, as Dipper saw two children stand beside him. They were Mabel and himself. Alright, now he definitely remembered this.

"Tad," Ford started, his silver eyes glinted behind his glasses. "I hope we're not intruding, but my niece and nephew would like to play with your brothers."

"We're actually in the middle of a lesson," Tad told him.

"I'm sure you can take a break," Ford countered.

"Yeah," Bill agreed, then sent his older brother a pout. "Please, Tad?"

Tad furrowed his brow. There was a long pause, before he said. "I suppose for a little while," He said, then added sternly. "But right after, we must resume our lessons."

"Great," Bill smiled, then turned to the young brunette. "Dipper, come here! I wanna show you something cool."

The young boy looked at the blond curiously, before approaching him.

Dipper regarded the scene sorrowfully, as the two boys sat beside each other. It was hard to register the fact that they used to be best friends.

Meanwhile, Mabel walked over to Will eagerly. "Hey, Will!" She beamed. "Why are you crying, again?"

Will quickly wiped his eyes dry. "Nothing, I just realized maggots eat brains."

"Cool!" Mabel grinned. "They're probably be like..." She reached out, and ruffled Will's hair with her fingers. "Nom! Nom! Nom!"

Will laughed in return. "Stop! That tickles!"

"Never! Nom! Nom!" Mabel laughed back.

Tad watched the kids, his sternness seemed to melt away, and he held an earnest smiled. However, Ford was the opposite. His eyes only held a frantic worry, as he expected something bad to happen.

Meanwhile, Dipper was giving Bill a warm smile, and he asked. "So, what's this cool thing you wanted to show me? It better not be something weird like deer teeth."

"Deer teeth are awesome," Bill protested.

"Wendy was really angry with you," Dipper chuckled. "And you deserved it, you know how she feels about animals."

"That treehugger is no fun," Bill sighed. "Also, it's not deer teeth."

"What is it, then?"

"I've been getting stronger," The blond said, proudly. "Tad says I might surpass him someday."

"That's amazing, Bill," Dipper smiled. "Maybe when we grow up, you and I could cross the galaxy together once I become a full fledged Guardian."