Chapter Text
Fresh out of school.
Ford Pines put the final bags and trunks in the carriage that would take him further away from his parental home than he had ever been before. It was the only regret he had; to be leaving so soon after coming back home as a graduated mage. Or wizard, or sorcerer. He preferred mage because he had figured out that ‘mage’ was the least suspicious term. He already attracted more than enough attention with the extra finger on each hand. It had baffled his teachers; they had never seen someone shoot six bolts of lightning with one hand before. Who would have thought that the kid who used to play alone, shunned by everyone for being a ‘devil’s child’ with his extra fingers, would one day leave the small village as ‘Master Pines’, invited to Gravity Falls, where magic was not only accepted, it was the norm. The same kids who used to bully him, threw mud at him when he was alone, and gave him dirty looks when he was with his twin brother, now walked out of their houses to gaze at the carriage that had come to collect him. Yes, collect him. He tried very hard to not be gloating too much when he saw the stares of the people, for once not because they hated him, but because they were jealous. But when he gave his mother a hug, she whispered in his ear: “Wipe that smile from your face, my dear. I’d almost say you aren’t going to miss me.” Ford looked at her with big eyes. “Of course, I will miss you, mother. Without you, I would have never gone to the Academy at all.” He answered, and she smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. “Cheap tricks, my son. Make us proud.”
Ford smiled back; he would miss home. His father was next, a man of few words and even less affection, and today was worse than ever. A handshake, a respectful nod, and a few quick words, that was all. “Have you heard anything from Stanley?” The mage asked, but his father shook his head. “He has travelled west, that is all we know. You might meet him on the journey. Have a safe travel, son.” That was all his father had to say. Ford nodded, not knowing what else there was to say. “You should visit someday soon.” He mumbled, rubbing his neck. “Master Pines, we have to leave now if we want to reach the tavern before sunset.” The charioteer was getting impatient, and the mage looked up. “I will write.” He then said, getting in the carriage and settling on the remarkably soft seat. Clearly the people wanted him to have a comfortable journey. Ford smiled when he felt how the horse started walking. He gave one more wave to his parents but didn’t give the rest of the people a single look. He was on his way to a new life, and he would leave them far behind him. They couldn’t hurt him anymore. He would actually make something of his life, while most of the others would never even leave the village. They would go their entire life serving the same lord, while Ford, with a bit of luck, would dine with kings. His parents, they would see the results of his hard work, share in his success. The rest could only dream of it. Had they ever showed remorse for what they put him through, he would have considered putting his unique abilities to work, helping them out with their mundane problems. But they never did, and they would come to regret it. Had Ford known what the future would bring, he would probably have cherished those simple, fixable problems of the small village he grew up in.
But the mage’s head was filled with the prospect of adventures, tasks actually worthy of his powers. And while a diploma of magic school did not sound so great, at least a lot less amazing than the accomplishment actually was, he took pride in that certificate, and very much looked forward to actually proving he was worthy of it. Of course, the exams had already proved that, but that was only for his teachers. Now it was time to prove the rest of the world, show them what he could do. Let the hard work pay off. And what better place to start than what appeared to be the world’s capital of magic energy? He had heard about the kingdom at school, obviously. Apparently, something about that kingdom had caused the place to inhabit an abundance of people with magic abilities of any sort. Ford wondered what it was, how it came that out of all kingdoms, that one sprouted so much magic. And even more so, why it was that despite the fact there were so many of them, he had no classmates from that realm. In fact, never in the history of the Academy did they have a student from Gravity Falls. Of course, that weird fact had started many rumours amongst the students, but Ford usually kept away from that. As his teachers said: ‘rumours are as reliable as potions without label.’ And that was a philosophy Ford tried to maintain.
Yet he couldn’t help but fantasize about the reason, about what he would find once he would cross the border. Maybe they had their own schools, or maybe the reputation of the Gravity Falls Mages was very exaggerated over time. Outside that kingdom, someone who accurately predicted the weather with the help of a crystal ball was already considered a wielder of magic, while that was often sheer luck. Ford reminded himself that in the village, his own mother was sometimes considered a witch, simply due to the fact she knew her way around herbs, and a few very basic spells. But he didn’t complain, her contacts had helped him get into the academy after all. His father would have preferred if he had learned how to use a sword, but eventually gave in and let him go. And once the mage had actually learned how to properly channel his abilities and successfully use spells, his father had sure seen the possibilities that came with having a mage in the house. Ford’s thoughts wandered off to the rare days he got to spend back home while studying at the Academy. His father’s requests to reinforce weapons and fences were very entertaining, and a good way to practice focus, but they weren’t really what he hoped to be doing for the rest of his life. He always had this idea that he was meant for something bigger, more important. And then that letter from Gravity Falls had arrived for him. How jealous his classmates had been, and the people in his home village even more so. Ford smiled again; he couldn’t help himself. The mage was proud. Proud that his hard work had paid off, proud that his talents were being recognized, and proud that he proved everyone who ever bullied him that they were wrong.
The only regret he had was the fact his brother wasn’t there to say goodbye to him. Ford felt a mix of anger and regret actually. Regret over the fact he wasn’t there for Stanley to stop him from ruining his life, but also anger because of course Stan couldn’t wait with getting in trouble until Ford was actually gone. Two months too early did his rebellious brother decide he had enough with the tax policy of the lord who was in charge, two months before Stanford came home as a certified mage did Stan get himself banished from the village. He was probably out of the kingdom by now, or so Ford hoped. Stanley would be safer in another kingdom, since most kings did not care about those put in exile by other kings. As long as Stan stayed out of trouble, he could live a good life elsewhere. Ford sighed, his brother was strong, but stubborn as a mule, and it had gotten him in trouble before. The mage knew very well that hoping Stan would stay out of trouble and find an honest job was most likely in vain. Who knew, maybe Ford would hear something about him in the taverns he would stay at. After all, the horse would not be able to travel the distance without rest. It was a journey of days, if not weeks. And teleportation magic did not have a place in his variety of abilities. No, the journey would have to go the old-fashioned, human way. With a horse and this carriage. Ford took a book from the satchel he had with him. His thoughts were starting to run in circles, which wasn’t useful. He should use his time on the road to read up on the little information the outside world had about Gravity Falls.
The journey itself proved to be fairly uneventful, so it was good to read about his future home kingdom. There wasn’t a lot known about the place, besides the presence of unusual amounts of magic energy. Almost everything written about the realm was unconfirmed and suspected. He had no idea if the stories about dragons, unicorns, and even weirder creatures were even true at all. Ford thought about the possibility he wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary in the mysterious kingdom. But then it again, it was just that: mysterious. Was it really possible that everything people had ever said about that kingdom was a lie? Or simply drunken tales of people who should have put the mead down hours ago? It seemed unlikely, and they did ask for him specifically. So no, Gravity Falls had to be at least somewhat like the stories he read about. And what he found about the place only made him more excited to get there, to hear what they wanted him for exactly. The letters he received spoke of research about magic. From what he could tell, the people there were skilled in many different ways. That was not that strange; even at the Academy, there were many different kinds of students. Everyone learned the basics, but it didn’t take long before everyone enrolled into their own classes. There was no way to know someone’s limits beforehand, no way to tell how strong someone would get with enough training. Now that he thought of it, it was likely that Gravity Falls indeed had their own Academy of some sort.
“Master Pines, we have reached the last tavern. I hope you have not gotten tired of speaking with the common folk.” The charioteer interrupted his thoughts and he looked up from his book. About time they got to the last tavern. One more night on the road, and tomorrow he would finally reach his destination. He knew that this tavern, also known as the ‘halfway house’, served as some sort of meeting point. It was only a mile away from the border, and it was the only place where people from outside Gravity Falls had the chance of meeting some of the actual folk. “As normal as they get, so close to the kingdom.” Ford answered and stuck his head out the window. The building was strange, the door was much wider and higher than what he was used to from the other establishments they had stayed at on the journey. If the charioteer had not warned him, he wouldn’t have recognized it as a tavern at all. “You are right, Master Pines. Most folk we will see in that Halfway House are from my home kingdom. They won’t be so normal.” The man chuckled and hopped off the carriage with an elegance that surprised Ford every time. The two travellers entered the building together, and the mage was already bracing himself to be stared at. It happened every night, and it was his least favourite part of the evening. Usually the staring stopped by the time he got his meal, but still. Today however, things would be different. Nobody was staring at him, or his companion. The other guests simply looked up, gave a nod, and returned to their conversations. Ford was taken aback but preferred this over the strange looks he had gotten so far.
When they sat in a booth and the owner came over, the charioteer simply ordered them both a beer and the meal of the day. Ford didn’t mind but did suddenly realize something. “You were born in Gravity Falls, but you seem human.” His voice soft, no need to alert anyone. The other chuckled. “Master Pines, we have been on the road for weeks and you haven’t even asked my name. You were far too occupied with being stared at.” He replied, and the mage went red. “The name is Tenney Strange. I might be the most normal person you will meet in a very long time.” Tenney didn’t seem to mind. “Gravity Falls has very few ordinary people. I am one of them, which is why they ask me to collect people from other kingdoms. I am often sent out as herald too, and the only one to visit other kingdoms often, because I do not get stared at.” His eyes lingered on Ford’s extra fingers for a second. The mage frowned; he didn’t like getting stared at. “I apologize, Master Pines. I am used to unusual sights from my own kingdom, but it always a pleasure to meet them somewhere else. I can assure you that you will feel at home in Gravity Falls. The owner brought them a meal, and Tenney looked up. “Back again with a new face I see.” He commented, and the charioteer nodded. “This is Stanford Pines, invited by the council of mages, to come strengthen our ranks.”
The owner just nodded and left them to eat their meal in peace. He had more to do after all. Ford leaned over to Tenney. “What do you mean ‘strengthen our ranks’? I thought I would be working with different kinds of magic. It was vague, but I got the impression this was much more research related than battle. But what you just said worries me. I was not trained for battle.” He asked carefully, hoping there was some sort of misunderstanding. “Oh, I know. You will strengthen our ranks, but probably not the way you think. We’re not asking you to pick up a weapon. Our fights are not fought with weapons like that anyway. But I am not the right person to ask about that. You will meet the council soon, they can explain.” Tenney shrugged and didn’t explain further, not matter how much the mage asked. So eventually, Ford just moved on to another, but related, subject. “Why is Gravity Falls so closed off from the rest of the world?” He asked, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, same reason you are eager to get there. Everywhere you go, people stare at you. In Gravity Falls, nobody gives it an extra look if you shoot flames out of your nostrils. All they do is tell you to keep a bucket of water around.” Tenney finished his food and leaned back. A few of the other guests came over to their table, but they seemed more interested in the charioteer than the mage. They asked for stories, leaving Ford to his own thoughts. The young mage wasn’t completely sure what all of this was about, but it seemed like he would have to find out on his own. He had to admit he was startled by the sudden change of tone now that they were so close to their destination.
That night in bed, Ford had trouble falling asleep. Tenney’s words came back to him. Mostly about his upcoming task, but for some reason the fact he didn’t learn the man’s name sooner also seemed stuck in his head. Why did it bother him so much? It was a simple mistake. Tenney was only there to get him to Gravity Falls anyway. He wasn’t a wielder, so it was unlikely that the mage would have a lot of contact with him later on, especially not if the man also acted as Herald. No, better to focus on what he would be working on. Ford tossed and turned a few times before finally falling asleep, dreaming of the unknown kingdom in front of him. His dreams were more confusing than usual, as if someone was messing them up. Not once did they turn into nightmares though, and Ford got a full night rest, which was welcome. He wanted to be sharp for the moment he would set foot in the kingdom for the first time. Gravity Falls was calling him, and even in his dreams it filled his mind. His only regret was that in none of the taverns on the journey did anyone know anything about Stanley.
The next morning, Ford woke up early, but not earlier than Tenney. While the charioteer was no wielder, his ability to get up at the crack of dawn every morning was a mystery of its own. “I have asked the owner if we can get breakfast as soon as possible, so that we can leave. So, if you are up, we can get going.” Tenney was fully dressed and just left the room, giving Ford the time, he needed. The mage rolled over, sat up, and grabbed a bundle he had brought from the carriage. It contained a new set of clothes, made by the tailor in his hometown. The charioteer was already suspecting Ford might want to dress up. They all did when coming to Gravity Falls for the first time. The man had seen a large variety of wizard robes over the years, and they got more ridiculous every time, in an attempt to impress the council of mages probably. So, when Ford came downstairs in a dark green tunic, black pants, and boots, covered with a relatively simple brown robe, he was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but still. He had to admit it was a much better look than he had seen from other wielders over time. Ford had chosen this look for a reason. He would let his skills speak for themselves. He didn’t need a flashy robe to prove he was good at what he did. In his eyes, people who needed clothes to stand out weren’t worthy of the title of mage. And besides, he was one for practicality, and this was a lot more practical than any flashy, fancy robe a wizard could ever come up with.
After a quick breakfast they went on their way again, for the last time. Today they would reach their destination. Ford leaned back, smiling. “We are about to cross the border.” The charioteer warned him, and the mage took a deep breath. A few seconds later, he felt a shiver go down his spine. It was as if his senses suddenly got sharper. His sight got better, his ears picked up noises he had not been aware of before, new scents reached his nose, and he took another deep breath as the magic energy in the air fuelled him. “Now I know why nobody leaves.” He muttered to himself. He would imagine people who were born here would feel terrible if they left the kingdom. As if everything got blocked off all of a sudden. Tenney’s voice came from the front. “How are you holding up?” There was a mild concern in his voice, which Ford found a bit strange. “I feel fine, why do you ask?” The charioteer let out a chuckle. “The sensation of this place is very overwhelming for some people. I always make sure to ask if people have not lost their mind.” He explained, but it appeared that everything was fine, so they continued. Ford looked at his hands for a second, as if he was expecting to see a change there too, but everything was the same. And yet, the levels of power that lingered in the air was astounding. How did the people manage to not get consumed by this constant feeling? Of course, they were most likely used to it, but still. He wasn’t the first outsider to come to Gravity Falls. How many of them had gone insane?
It didn’t take long for Ford to shake the thoughts of the terrible consequences a place like this could have on people. If they let it get to them, that was their issue, not his. So instead, he shifted his thoughts towards the possibilities. He knew he would be stronger here, but when he asked Tenney about new kinds of magic he might be able to use, the charioteer shook his head. “No, you are still limited to the options you were born with. That is actually part of the reason why the council has invited you.” He answered and halted the carriage to give the horse one last break before they would reach their final destination. The mage got out and stretched. “What do you mean? With the number of wielders this kingdom is supposed to have, I didn’t think there was still a type that they didn’t have.” Ford assumed that was the reason they would specifically ask for him. Tenney only chuckled but didn’t comment. When the mage turned away, his smile faltered, and the charioteer rolled his eyes. What was that with mages and their superiority complex? Oh, if this kingdom was ran by humans instead of the council, they would have had far less issues. Or at least different issues than the constant bickering that was going on now. He loved his country, that wasn’t the issue, but sometimes he envied the people he met on his travels. Their simple lives, their biggest issue being the taxes of the local lords.
Tenney brushed off the horse and then they went on their way again. This forest was the last thing that separated Ford from his new life. His excitement was growing with every click of the horse’s hooves. A tingling in fingers made him look down and chuckle. Time to calm himself down, before he would accidentally scorch a hole in his new tunic. One of the very few downsides of being a wielder; the immense control it took to actually focus and control the power. The stronger someone was, the earlier it was often discovered, simply because kids had less control over their own emotions, and thus their powers. While thinking back about the many hours of meditation exercises with one of the professors, Ford managed to lessen the sparking of his fingers. The glow around them dimmed and went away as the mage forced himself to calm down. There would be time to explore the sensations of this kingdom at a later time. First, he would hear what it was that had caused the council of mages to invite him. What part of his abilities had caught their interest? He thought about the diploma in his bag. It classified him as a practical mage. He was an active wielder, who had mastered various kinds of magic. However, none of his abilities were typical for warfare. He would be able to assist, but not stand on the battlefield. His magic was much more useful when it came to progress, so maybe that was why they called him? Working to improve life for the people here? He was top of his classes in that field after all. It made sense for them to call him for that. Ford started overthinking the possibilities that came with a task like that. Of course, he would have to wait until he knew more specifics, but so far, it seemed very likely that he would be thinking in the line of research.
Those thoughts were interrupted when Tenney halted the horse again. “Master Pines, we have arrived. Unless you wish to freshen up before we go, I was told to bring you to the council right away. They have been meeting almost constantly for a long time now, so they should be able to see you immediately.” The charioteer spoke up and Ford got out of the carriage. “What about my things?” He asked Tenney, but the man waved his hand. “There are people for that. I am sure they already set up a house for you, so you don’t have to concern yourself with that. Just follow me, the sooner you know why you were called, the better, don’t you think?” Ford nodded at that, and then just followed the charioteer through a large building. The corridors reminded him of the ones from the castle of the lord back home. “Tenney, who is the ruler of Gravity Falls as of now?” He asked, speeding up a bit to walk next to the man. “The council is. They rule together, and it is a mess. This castle used to belong to our king, but he died without bringing us an heir, so the council took over. Not everybody agreed with it, but nobody had a better option. There were some other things offered, but those were equally bad as the solution we have now.” There was a bitter tone in Tenney’s voice when he answered.
About half an hour later, Ford had already seen and heard enough to know that the charioteer had been absolutely right. The situation as it was did not work at all. The council of mages consisted of several people, both men and women. They all had their ow set of skills. The mage didn’t even bother to learn all of their names. He disliked almost all of them immediately. All they did was cut eachother off, argue among themselves and just delay every decision they were trying to make. Ford didn’t like wasting his time like that, he just wanted to know why he was there in the first place. He sighed deeply, tapping his foot, trying to stop himself from rolling his eyes. From what he could understand, they all thought their area of magic was more important than the others, and they all wanted the final say. Very time-consuming, and he really had something better to do. Eventually he just interrupted them. “I am sure that what you have to say is very important, but this is dragging on, and I have my things to unpack.” He spoke up, and they all looked up, some annoyed, others confused, as if they had already forgot who he was. Just great, if he wasn’t even worth their time, what even would be worth his? This kingdom was amazing, at least that was what wielders from elsewhere always thought. But from what he could see here, he wasn’t impressed. Ford Pines turned around and paced out of the room, realizing he didn’t have to listen to this. He did not spend weeks on the road, just to listen to a lot of arguing of a bunch of mages that didn’t really impress him at all. If they couldn’t agree on what they needed him for, he had some ideas of his own, and he would just work on that until they would come to stop him.
Tenney met him again in the corridor. “And?” He asked, and Ford glared in the distance, keeping up a quick pace. “You are right: this does not work. But I have an idea to get rid of all of that.” He gestured in the direction he came from. The charioteer rolled his eyes, out of sight from Ford. They all thought they could fix it, and yet they all fell short in the end. “You’re going to fix our ruling system?” He asked, trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice. “And what is your plan to get it done?” Ford smirked and looked at Tenney. “They all want to be the best at everything? They all think they are more important than the others, well then. I will prove to them who is the best. Time to find out which type of magic is the most essential when it comes to ruling over a kingdom. Settle that argument once and for all, and maybe they will actually give me an explanation as to why they called me here in the first place.” The mage was very annoyed with the fact they couldn’t even stop fighting long enough to tell him that. He made the journey, the least they could do was actually pay attention to him for a second. But no, some stupid fight was more important. He missed the amused smirk on Tenney’s face as he continued to rant about them not giving him a moment of their time. The charioteer had seen this before, they all came out of that room frustrated and offended. Some of them left Gravity Falls immediately, some stuck around for longer, some tried to do something about it. They all failed. Tenney didn’t expect Ford to be any different. He would give up at some point, they all did, eventually. “Well, at least they remembered to have housing arranged for you. Come, I think you will love it. It’s very secluded.” The charioteer kept his tone down, wielders didn’t like being mocked, he knew that from experience. Ford perked up a bit and followed Tenney out of the castle. At last some decent news.
“Tenney, how is it possible that the council hasn’t collapsed already? If this is how they rule this kingdom, I would think everything would have come down long ago.” Ford was sorting his books on the shelves of his new house. The books were flying around, trying to find their spot, almost smacking that kid in the head. The mage had been mildly irritated to find an unknown boy in the living room of his designated house, but he had proven to be very helpful. “Corduroy, try to stay out of the line of fire.” Ford warned as the heavier spell books rose from the case they had been transported in. “Yes, master Pines.” The boy ducked out of the way when the heaviest of all landed with a smack on the stand right behind him. “Page 618, thank you.” Ford told the book, and it started to flip through the pages. Tenney was staring at it, there were times he envied the wielders, and this one of those moments. It just saved so much time. Ford didn’t seem to notice. He was way too caught up in getting settled. Dan Corduroy was young, but he came from a long line of lumberjacks with an eery talent of reinforcing wood, which was a valuable skill for a mage with more books than was necessary. “Thank you Corduroy, but it’s getting late, go home.” Ford told the kid, who took off almost immediately. The mage sighed in relief. Dan was helpful, but he didn’t like children that much. Way too undisciplined, and Dan was no exception.
Tenney put the final bags and cases away, then turned to the door. “You are all set for your research now. Time for me to go.” He mumbled; half relieved he was done with the mage. Ford seemed to have his heart in the right place, but it was coated in a very thick layer of arrogance at the moment. Perhaps that would lessen if he found out more about the kingdom. In the end, the mages were all the same. Nobody was the best, and they all thought they were. But nobody listened to someone who wasn’t even a wielder at all. Ford stopped him before he got out the door though. “Wait, I have a few practical things to ask you.” He settled in a chair. Tenney reluctantly did the same, he had an idea of what was to come. And indeed, Ford spread out a map of the kingdom Dan had given him and started asking about kinds of magic, if there were areas where a certain type was dominant, about the history of the kingdom, anything he needed to know. The charioteer was glad Ford remembered humans had to eat, but it still took him several weeks before the mage stopped sending him message orbs with more questions. “As if I have nothing better to do than make a mage familiar with the most magical kingdom in the world.” He muttered sarcastically after returning home from what he was quite sure was the last the last trip he would make to Ford’s house. At least until the mage decided he would give up and go home. Some of the locals were already making bets. Tenney had avoided the closest taverns, because he would be drowned in questions from people who wanted to know if Ford was getting desperate already. They all knew it was just a matter of time.
But they didn’t know Ford. They weren’t familiar with how stubborn he could be if he wanted to. How much he cared about being taken seriously. They underestimated his brain, and his lack of ability to back off. He had that urge to prove he was either right, or simply the only one able to do something. And when Tenney had told him that uniting the council of mages was simply impossible, he had ignited a fire in Ford’s head. A fire that would drive him through the desperation that made everyone who came before him quit, a fire that pushed him to stay up until deep in the night to study moon phases and the level of magic he could feel in his veins. The urge to solve this mystery was soaking into the very essence of his being over time. And days were passing steadily, and the locals were starting to believe that Ford wouldn’t just pack his things and leave. Tenney started to show his face in the tavern again, and while the townspeople asked him if he had already taken Ford back home again the first few times, those questions died out over time. Instead of whispering that Ford had given up when they didn’t see him around for a couple of days, they started going over to his house to check if he still had food. Slowly but surely, they started to feel something other than mockery about this foreigner who thought he could fix the council. Slowly, they started to feel hope. The rumours shifted from disbelief to hypothetical ideas of what this kingdom would turn into if Ford managed to succeed. What if the mage really found the solution? What if the Grand Unified Council would indeed become reality? What if they could actually go to the mages for help, and have them help? Would it help to bring change where it was needed, or would they get stuck in the same place, but with the full agreement that it was a problem? Either way, it seemed like an improvement to bring the council together, let them work as one. So, then the locals started glancing in the direction of Ford’s house with a different look. As if they pulled strength from the idea that someone was at least trying to making it right. And it was someone who wasn’t giving up.
The mage was slowly getting stuck though. He had started with the kinds of magic he could do himself. The telekinesis and spellcasting, things like that. But he knew there was a lot he couldn’t do, and he truly wanted to make a fair judgement. Ford was convinced that spellcasting in itself was a very important area, but it was such a trivial, basic way of channelling magic that he doubted that it could truly be called the most important. And he had to go through all the other types first, and preferably he would speak to the masters of those things themselves, but it still wouldn’t be the same thing as experiencing it. How could he be sure that what they told him was really the same thing, would they be able to convey the full extent of their abilities. Oh, if only he could wield every possible kind of magic. It would be so much easier, because he could just do all the work himself, and have the same person judging every type of wielding. But that was impossible, nobody ever mastered them all. Everyone had their limits, and even Ford had to submit to the laws of nature. Maybe he should just bring in a master of every area, let them describe their powers. A one on one investigation, even for the things he already covered. But that would mean weeks of work down the drain, which he also didn’t really like. The mage rubbed his eyes, trying to think of the best way to continue.
Ford’s struggles had not remained unnoticed. But not only the townspeople had realized the foreign mage had serious trouble moving forward. His thorough research had caused quite a stir on another plane of existence as well. Magic had its origin too after all, albeit a much more fluent one than most. And the origin of magic had its own realm so to speak. A realm inhabited by beings. Humans would call them demons, as they would see magic as some sort of unearthly fire. The creatures didn’t care. If they were to be called demons, they were fine with that. This one in particular, even owned up to the name most of the time. Bill Cipher had felt the shifts and spikes in the air around him from the moment Ford set foot in Gravity Falls. Oh, that kingdom, that blessed and cursed piece of land where magic seeped away from his home realm, into the world of humans. The result? A lot of chaos most of the time. Humans and magic were such a funny thing to see. They made sparks and call it a miracle, unaware of what they could truly do with what they had in their hands. But that wasn’t why Bill was watching so intently now. No, that was because of this newcomer. Ford Pines was strangely aware of the possibilities, it was almost admirable. Maybe this could be fun, and maybe this could put that kingdom straight. Not by solving the issues of the council, Bill didn’t care about them, no. A kingdom with so much magic should be ruled by someone who actually understood power. Someone who could actually utilize the energy. Someone who was one with magic. That wasn’t a human. Bill stretched casually, watching the mage through that astral window. Ford was reading a book, having three others floating near him, in case he needs them. Perfect.
Bill rose, and took a step forward, through the astral window. On the other side, he stumbled shortly and silently, glad to have appeared behind the mage. A human body, it had been a while. But it only took seconds before he remembered how to work with this. Once he was sure he would move smoothly, he leaned against the wall and smirked. “Do you really think your books will help you here? Help you with something nobody has managed before? That’s cute. But maybe you should try another source. Something other than what you find under a lot of dust.” He then spoke up.