Chapter Text
No one in town paid attention to the small part of it on the edge, abandoned buildings stood as if placed there. It was where trouble would happen, it was where people went if they knew they would do something wrong. It had been that way for years but, in the more recent years, it started to slow. It wasn't due to the morals of the people around improving, but it seemed if people poked too long around those areas they had a habit of disappearing. Into thin air. Not even a footprint or strain of hair was found.
No one knew what was happening for sure. Most people tried to ignore it. If they were in that area of town in the first place, they were likely someone who wouldn't be missed. And besides, they already had the strange case of the Steins for the local youth to make up rumors about. The man rarely left the house, and although no one could ever get a proper look, the fences so high meant the roof did spell out something was happening there. Something they would never know.
But Rhonda knew... Rhonda knew all too well. She lived in one of the abandoned warehouses in that part of town, having converted it into her magical lab. She had slowly made her presence known to those inside Stein's fenced household. Stealing or attacking in quick sessions to get the ink she needed for her test. She would have used the ink machine, but she didn't want to risk 'Wilson' catching her in the act. Not when he could be useful. Let him play god for a little, then tear it all down. Just like with Joey.
Rhonda had to make this new plan work, even if she was sitting here over her desk, frantic angry writing in the notebook she had and shards of a failed creation loaded to her side. She worked too hard for her little world for it to be torn away like this. Should she have collected the human despair sooner? Should she have just settled for that? Would she be queen if she had?
She didn't know... She could only sigh as she glanced at the ground beside her seat, her pet sleeping tiredly on the floor beside her. She could be screaming and shouting if it wasn't for that. But it would wake him up.
"My must you choose the worst times to stay by my side, Falcor?" She sighed, one hand gripping her hair as she tried to stay focused on the desk in front of her but... What was the point? Every single idea, every plan she could come up with, every single one had a flaw that no doubt Stein would be able to take advantage of. The man was perfect. He was supposed to die and yet he didn't. "I spent a good few days just making a body for him in the loop, for nothing." She hissed under her breath.
"Rhonda? Did you get any sleep last night?" That voice came. A voice humans would be quick to call haunting but sounded like the bells of heaven to her. Falcor let out a yawn and shook his head as he awoke, before the figure formed out of the shadows of the room, catching the feline as he hopped into his arms, Shadow giving a small chuckle. "Well, you're starting to get bigger." he chuckled playfully, before turning his attention back to his parent. "But I'm being serious Rhonda."
"I can't sleep until I figure it out." Rhonda hissed as she looked over her notes again. "I can't truly count on Wilson to play his role, you can't trust humans for anything."
"Rhonda, my brother's asleep in the other room," Shadow said, and Rhonda turned to him with an eye roll. Of course, he was an exception. He was great for initially and learning about what might be good times to attack. She didn't like having to work with him, but he was Shadow's brother. She just didn't understand why he was going along with her plans so willingly, it worried her. "You should get some sleep. I don't think I've even seen you take a break in what feels like weeks."
"Sure," Rhonda said as turn turned back to her desk. "Just give me five more minutes." She felt Shadow's hand take her and she glanced up at him. He looked worried. She hated that look. It always melted the outer layer of the wall she put around her heart and she couldn't for the life of her find out why. It wasn't even a sad puppy look, it was just a normal look of worry. "For five more minutes for real this time, you can do a timer." She sighed. "Although I can't promise sleep."
"I don't think this all is good for you," Shadow said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It was fine when everything was going according to plan but, now your world domination thing seems-"
"I know that's unrealistic and impossible now, I get it, you don't need to rub it in!" Rhonda barely held her voice beyond a shout, lowering it to a whisper as she muttered out a "sorry", looking down at the ground below her desk. It was her original goal, she won't lie. But ruling the whole world is a naive, childish thought. She thought she had outgrown it long ago. "I want a kingdom big enough to be a warning to humanity not to mess with me again, that's all. Is that too much to ask?"
"Well, it depends on the size of the kingdom," Shadow said, Rhonda rolling her eyes. Falcor hopped down from Shadow's arms and came over to her, sighing as she picked him up and let him rest in her lap, patting the top of his head. He looked up and tried to nip at her fingers. She gained a tiny smile on her face as she reached with her other hand to close the book, sighing. "But no, it's not. Not after what they did to you." Shadow answered as Rhonda nodded. "Not after what they did to him."
"Onyx..." The sounds of saws carving through wings, the look of life draining from one's eyes. She wasn't sure it would ever leave her memory. "He wanted peace for so long. Such a fool..."
"We all start that way, dear," Shadow said, trying to use the gentle-ish voice he could think of. Rhonda could tell. Shadow knew she didn't like bringing her brother up in most situations. It brought back memories she could never erase. Things she wished she could undo. If she could go back in time and stop herself from- Her train of thought was cut off by a faint pain in her hand. "Falcor, no, bad!" Shadow scolded as the feline creature let go of Rhonda's hand, backing up slightly in shame.
Rhonda hissed as she garbed a bandage from nearby, wrapping it up. "He's growing alright. We'll need to get him bigger food." She said as she stood up, letting the creature fall to the ground, licking his paw as if he had hurt it as well. It gave her a small smile... were the corners of her vision blurry? That wasn't a good sign. She sighed as she began to head to the stairs. "Come with me?" She asked as she turned back to Shadow, who needed as he came over. "I don't trust myself."
"Have you been eating?" Shadow asked. Rhonda couldn't answer honestly. "Do I have to lock the door to the lab?"
"I can just make another key, Shadow. Don't waste your time." She claimed as the two began to head up the stairs, Rhonda looking down at the bottom floor of the warehouse. The traces of the machine are below. She didn't know what exactly it had been used for. The machines had sharp blades so maybe some packaging company? She liked to believe it was a slaughterhouse. "Next time we get an intruder, we should see how sharp the blades are instead of our usual methods." She said as she glanced into Shadow's eyes.
"You'll leave the mess for me to clean, won't you?" Shadow asked as he opened the door to Rhonda's room, turning on one of the tiny electrical lights as he led her to her bed. Rhonda hissed slightly as she got on it, glaring at where her wing made contact with a broken spring. She needed to get a better one of these every day. Shadow checked a few small things around the room, using one of his long tentacle-like limbs to open the window for her. "Is this good?" He asked as he looked back at her.
"Perfect..." She sighed as she looked to the side. "When I figure out my plans, I promise. We'll find the people who
hurt you too. Make them pay."
Shadow went over, gently taking her hand before kissing it. "Worry about yourself first, dear."
Falcor started letting out little 'meows' as he scratched at the side of one of Rhonda's chairs. Shadow picked up the feline before heading out. Rhonda watched for a moment, slowly preparing to get off the bed. Only to find herself passed out before she even realized it.
Yet the thoughts continued into her dreams.
She walked down the halls of her mind, each a blurred painting of some event that shaped her into who she was now until she came across one that was out of place.
The great Radiance. A Keanrot so powerful he was seen as the God of Light. He worked with humans to defeat some threat she could not recall. Agatha used to love the stories. Of the heroes and the peace between Keanrot and the human race.
She reached her hand out and sent fire to burn the wall. Why cloud her mind with lies anyway? They will do her no good in the end.
-------
The sounds of birds chirping were the first thing that met her ears when she awoke. There must have been a nest in the warehouse, somewhere. A foolish choice by the birds, they'd be hunted down soon enough. Rhonda rubbed her eyes slightly, trying to get the 'sand' out of them. She never learned what it was called. Had more important things to learn. To understand. To Master... And yet she couldn't seem to do so despite her best efforts. Why was she cursed with success so early on for a plan that would go nowhere?
It was all Stein. Henry 'impossible' Stien. He should have died. If he died, he would have lost his memories. Been reborn into a body of ink. Eventually, he would come to realize he was never real. So he would have no reason to fight back. He was stuck in the loop for nearly a decade! She hadn't even thought of a backup plan in case that happened because it seemed so impossible! And yet one slip-up took it all down. It made her want to pull her hair out in anger. It wasn't fair!
"I set up hundreds of ways for him to die and yet he never did.." Rhonda decided to save her voice from shouting. For now at least. The others may be asleep still, she didn't wish to break them. She walked over to the desk in her room, pulled out her chair, and sat on it, pulling out the old book she had. The one she used when she and Joey created the loop, plotting every possible death and plot beat. Everything... "All this work gone to waste." She dug her hands into the paper.
She didn't like Joey, not from day one. She may have grown to care for a short while, but at the end of the day, he was just a tool to an end. The second he had no more purpose to her, she tossed him away. Left him trapped in a way where he would surely be torn apart. She designed an Ink Body for him too, but never planned on actually using it. Gave him too much freedom once he was free from the typical mortal shell... She still wondered what happened to it. She went to check on where it was kept one day and it was just... gone.
Her bedroom door creaked a little, the smell of burnt eggs filling the room faintly. "Is it sad this is the most well-rested I've seen you in weeks?"
"Oliver!" Shadow stated from behind the man, the human giving a tried smirk to his younger brother. Rhonda floated the plate over to her with her magic, looking at the meal. It was burnt all along the edges, the smell insulted her nose. Better than what she could have done without magic. She started to eat, quickly at first but slowed down once the heat quickly caught up to her. "Hey, Rhonda, easy." Shadow gently spoke up. "We don't have anything planned today. You can take it easy."
"I Can-" She sallowed before she continued. "I can't until I find some way to deal with Stein, Shadow. I try to rest, believe me, I just can't." She said as she turned to him. Shadow sat on her bed as he glanced at her, gently reaching over with his hand. She sighed as she took it, rubbing her fingers over his. She forgot how soft a shadow could be. People always seemed to be frightened of them. Called them sharped. "I just want those creatures back under my control. But if Stein can survive nearly a decade in a loop designed to kill him, what can?"
"He just got lucky, dear. He's only human." Shadow tried to reassure her. Rhonda glanced at the ground. That was true. Stein was just human. One who had a better moral compass than the rest, but was still human. If he hadn't made himself enemy number one, she might've admired him for that. But even if he was human, the family he built of those in the studio wasn't. Not in body, at least. "We'll find some way to take care of him. Then you can have your fun with as many people as you want."
"All it takes is time for him to go," Oliver stated as he rested against the wall of her room. "Or him choking on something, whichever happens first." Rhonda gave a tiny chuckle before she paused. She looked over at a box on the ground, filled with potion she had stolen from the stores of her homeplace before she ran away. One caught her eye, a clear liquid that shimmered faintly with all the colors man was capable of seeing. "...Don't tell me I just gave you an idea now.."
"I think you did." Shadow stated as she picked up the potion, a glimmer in her eyes. An evil, joyous glimmer. It was so simple. "I don't think I've seen that one before..."
"Some Keanrot children struggle to get their magic working." Rhonda began to explain. "It can be a struggle that goes well into adulthood. This potion was eventually created to help awaken the magic genes of the body and allow them access sooner. It hurts, supposedly, so it's only used in rare cases." She watched the boys each tilt their heads before she smirked. "It happens to be made of ingredients that while causing pain to Keanrots, are deadly to humans. To them, this is just a cocktail of death."
Shadow's eyes widened as he looked at the potion again. "You're going to poison him?" He asked, Rhonda, giving a faint nod as she looked back at it. She hummed and grabbed another potion from the box. She poured the second one into a cup before she poured a little of the first in. Just a few drops were enough to make it shimmer like the first, and she quickly threw the new potion out the window before she could risk it blowing up. "So, I don't think you can sneak it into a drink."
"Knowing our luck someone else would take it even if we could," Oliver said as he glanced out the window, hearing a
faint crash and the smell of a mess he could have to clean up later. Rhonda closed the window as she sighed, looking
back at the potion. She could figure out a way to make this work, she was sure of it. She just needed to think a bit. Oliver looked to the side. "The Ink Creatures will stop us if we tried to force it down his throat. We wouldn't be able to jump him outside his house..."
"If only he was dumb enough to take it on his own," Rhonda mumbled, before pausing. That was it. He wasn't dumb enough too if he knew the effects... but only if he knew the effects. "What if he thought it was something else? Like a mind control spell?" She asked as she glanced back at the two. Oliver hummed and gave a nod as Shadow stood up, Rhonda pacing back and forth with the potion. "We get the ink demon and pretend we will make him a puppet with this. Stein will come to save him."
"And drink it to save his son." Oliver finished for her. "Dooming himself in the process. How fast does it work?"
Shadow shuttered. "I appreciate you becoming more like us but, I don't know if I wanna see a man die of poisoning in front of us." He said as Oliver nodded slightly. Rhonda shrugged, they didn't have to watch. She could enjoy every moment on her own, and no one could tell her otherwise. Besides, if it took too long, it should at least make it easier for her to kill him herself. "Do you need anything from us for this plan?" Shadow asked as she turned to face them, a smirk on her face.
"Get the cage ready. See if we have anything that could be used like a torture device." She answered with a smirk. Oliver nodded and began to head out to get to work. She looked at the potion again and decided to place it down before she accidentally spilled any in her excitement. She turned to Shadow and took his hand, bringing it close to him. Her eyes seemed to burn with a new passion. "We're gonna take him out Shadow," Rhonda said. "And once we do, we're gonna have everything we wanted."
"Everything?" Shadow asked with his brow raised. "Maybe one day, but not so quickly. That would be unhealthy."
Rhonda gave a small chuckle as she leaned him in to give a quick kiss, before pulling away and going to head downstairs. Garb herself a coffee and get to work. This was it. She was going to take care of Stein. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he realized he doomed not just himself, but everyone she wanted.
"Then he'll know what it's like." She whispered under her breath.
The feeling of just wanting to do good, only to cause a world of pain to those closest to you. All because of someone who had more control in a situation?
She paused by one of the windows of the warehouse, glancing outside of it. Looking up at the sky. It was warm and sunny. Only a few clouds dotted the sky. It would be a perfect day if she went to the other parts of the town. Where the human children would run along the streets, and the workers in their shops. Not knowing one day she might be able to have them as her little puppets. Make up for the mistakes their blood caused to her family and many others so long ago. Wouldn't that just be perfect?
"It would be fair." She claimed.
She may not be able to have every human under her control, but by the time she was done, she would make herself known to the world. The leaders can try to stop her if she wants, but by then she'll have brutes of ink ready to slaughter and bring their foes into their ranks. She could already taste the amount of despair in the air from such a kingdom, and she would love it.
-------
Bendy hissed as he rubbed his hands slightly, sitting on one of the benches near the town's fountain. Henry told him about artists needing to take a break and stretch their hands so they didn't get hurt to the point he couldn't use them anymore. The ink demon was naive, he didn't even have proper mussels. He should have been fine, but now he was paying the price for a foolish assumption. He didn't even make anything worth the pain, why must he deal with it?
"How do these ink bodies act so much like human ones and yet nothing like them at the same time?" He wondered, glancing down at the cat that rested beside him. The Cat glanced up at him and stood up slightly before slipping back down. He gains a small smile. It almost looked like a shrug. He petted the cat, who seemed to hiss at first before caving into it. "You're a strange one, Count." He said as the cat glanced at him. "Sometimes I wonder if the ink can make animals smarter."
Count glanced at him with an annoyed expression, only to jump into his lap as Trevor came by. "That's something I have been wondering too." He said, looking at Dakoda as she came by his side. Mainly her inky leg that had replaced her missing one, only being attached via a metal device around the dog. He remembered being worried when they first tested it out, but it seemed like any normal prophetic, maybe even better than normal ones. "I swear she got a bit smarter since gaining the leg."
"Well, the ink isn't attached to her biologically. Still wonder how Lacie did that." Bendy hummed.
"I think a lot of people stopped questioning how she does things after she got Bertrum into the robot," Trevor said, before humming. "I should still go ask sometimes." He chuckled as Dakoda went up to where Count was, the cat hissing as it backed away. Not out of fear but announced. Bendy picked him up from his lap and let him rest around his shoulders. He seemed to like being higher up anyway. "Maybe I should go ask now. Knowing my luck I'll probably forget if I don't anyway."
"That's your issue, not mine," Bendy said as he waved goodbye, Trevor nodding as he went to find the house, Dakoda tagging along. Bendy sighed as he glanced up at the sky. It almost felt wrong how... relaxed he was now. Sure he still had plenty of bad days of being haunted by his past and he doubted they would ever go away. But somehow he was able to just... be happier on days like these... And then he heard what sounded like a crash. "What.." He sat up from his leaning position.
There didn't seem to be any signs of any conflict around, anything that fell. No one else even seemed to notice" it.
"That's weird, I could have sworn I heard something coming from this way," Bendy said, Count climbing onto his head as he glanced down at him, seemingly confused. Bendy began to head down one of the 'alleyways' between the houses, expecting to be met with a passed-out ink creature or maybe part of a building having broken. Expect he found nothing. Nothing but an area near the fence and one of the houses. "Am I going crazy again?" He wondered as he reached to put Count down.
The cat hissed as he did, before starting to mouth something that only came out as little sounds. He did that a lot. Bendy always found it strange. He tried to push it out of his mind as he walked around, trying to see what might have caused the sound. The last thing he needed was to ignore something that might be a bigger issue later. And yet he couldn't seem to find anything. Maybe he heard the crash from inside one of the houses. He turned around to go in check before it felt like he stepped on something.
"Ouch!" The voice faded quickly and whatever he seemed to step on disappeared. "Too soon."
Bendy froze for a second, processing what he heard, and quickly put to pieces together in his head. "Count, go get my dad, or Trevor, now." He told the cat. The Cat started to his as in anger at the suggestion but quickly ran off when something came from Bendy's shadow. Bendy quickly swung his claw behind him, knocking away Shadow's hand as the figure stumbled back. "For the last time, you and your little hothead friend had your fun with us. Can't you just leave us be? Haven't you ruined our lives enough?"
"It doesn't seem very ruined to me." Shadow stated as he glanced around, before going to attack the ink demon again. Bendy could see the needle hidden in the grip of one of his limbs, so he grabbed it when it got close, rolling to the side and crushing it under his feet as he stood up. He quickly swiped at Shadow again as he went to try and grab him, the being of darkness giving a tried, annoyed sigh. "We're doing this the hard way then, great." He said, before jumping into the shadows of one of the buildings. Bendy tried to grab him before he could meld with them, but his hand only met grass when he tried.
"Leave us alone!" Bendy shouted as he went to get back into the lightened areas, meaning Shadow would have to jump out of wherever he was hiding to get to him. Bendy waited a bit, clawing at the ready as he turned around, trying to keep all the shadows in his sight at all times... Expect for his own. Shadow's hand came from the ground and pulled at Bendy's leg, making him fall. "That's not fair!" He called as Shadow raised from it, kicking him away with one leg while he tried to get back up.
Shadow stumbled back a bit, grabbing his chest from where he was kicked, and taking a breath. "Oliver's right, I need to work on my strength more." He mumbled. Bendy smirked as he charged at him to attack. He was able to slash at Shadow before the man could react. But Shadow fell in the shadows of the houses again, pulling enough of his body into them so that he couldn't be hit where it hurt. "But at least I know how to use my surroundings. You just run around until you fall into someone's trap."
"I don't see any trap of yours," Bendy said as he went to attack what little of Shadow he could, only to get garb. "What-"
"That's better," Shadow said as he used another one of his limbs to garb Bendy's claw hand, holding it away from him. Bendy growled and struggled to get free for a moment, before getting the limb as close as he could to his mouth and biting it. Shadow shouted and hissed from the sudden action, letting go out of instinct as Bendy began to rip into the limb wrapped around him. "Why must you be such a pest? I thought you wanted to leave this demonic act in the past." He smirked.
"There's a difference between hurting innocent people and hurting people like you," Bendy claimed as he finally managed to break the limbs away, charging at Shadow and knocking him into the light. He was about to strike again, hoping to knock him out. Before he paused for a moment. Didn't shackle have four those those limb- He didn't get to finish that thought. A strong sudden knock to the side of his head and a crash into the building left him seeing nothing but black. Shadow grabs him.
"Bendy?!" Trevor's voice called, Shadow looking over with a smirk as the man appeared following the cat.
Shadow smirked as he wrapped the rest of his limbs around the demon and pulled him into the shadows. "You like puppets, don't you?" He asked, tilting his head as if he was genuinely curious, only to smirk as he began to fade into the shadows. "Well, I got good news! Your big brother will be just let them soon." He gave a small fit of laughter as Trevor raced over, fist at the ready. "Really, how cute. But I don't have time." He said before he vanished completely, taking the ink demon with him.
"No!" Trevor shouted, getting to the ground and punching it in some vain attempt to try and hurt the shadow and get him to appear again. Deep down, he knew it was useless. Count let out a panicked meow as he raced to where Bendy last was, crawling to the ground while shaking his head. Trevor began to see red, taking some breaths and trying to hold back the tears, before he was bumped "What-" He paused when he looked at Dakoda, noticing something hanging from her mouth. "What do you get there, girl?"
Dakoda dropped what looked to be some old card on the ground, letting out a small bark. Trevor picked it up and looked at it. It looked to be an old business card for those warehouses on the far edge of the town. Shadow must have had it on him and it fell out during the fight between him and Bendy. He paused as he heard footsteps, turning around to see some Ink Creatures had gathered near the sight, Henry rushing to the front of them. "Trevor, what's going on? I heard shouting from my office!"
"Rhonda's friend came by and took Bendy with him," Trevor said, glaring at the ground. "I was too slow to get here, I thought I was hearing things til Count came." He walked over to the group, keeping his gaze on the ground until he got to his father. He looked up slightly to see the horror and faint anger in his eyes before he showed him the business card. "The only good news is that I think I know where they took him." Henry took the card. "Wouldn't be surprised if its where they been this whole time."
"Trevor, go around and make sure everything else is ok." Henry took a breath. "I'm going after them. They aren't hurting him again."