Early update! I figured I'll post early, since I'll be busy packing for camp on Saturday

"Are you seriously taking notes?"

Will looked up from his notepad, shrugging. "How else am I gonna remember all this stuff?"

Robbie stood across from him. The Cupid shook his head. "To be honest, I never met a kid who is invested in studying like you are now."

"And I can tell you're gonna be a good teacher," Will deadpanned.

He was currently at Robbie's place, which was an abandoned manor deep in the woods. On the outside, it looked creepy with it's rotting walls and dusty stained windows, and the inside was no different. If Robbie hadn't been there to walk him in, Will would've turned on his heels and ran back to the shack. However, once they reached Robbie's main bedroom, the boy eventually relaxed. Surprisingly, the Cupid's room wasn't as creepy as the rest of his house. The windows were closed off, it was dark for the exception of some fairy lights that streamed overhead from the ceiling. Will even spotted a miniature garden in the side of the room, with a collection of different plants, with Val in the center. He wondered how Robbie managed to keep all those plants alive without any natural sunlight pouring into the room.

"OK, loser," Robbie started, sitting crosslegged in front of Will. "What would you like to learn first?"

Will never thought that far, he expected the Cupid to just give him pointers. Now that he was thinking about it, there was one thing he would like to know about...

"What do you know...about Demons?"

Robbie stared at him, like the boy just broke an unspoken rule. Maybe Will had? He suspected it was unusual for mortals to speak about this war with Guardians, especially ones that weren't there to witness it.

"Why a question like that?" The Cupid asked.

Will caught Robbie's hands tightening into fists, and he began to fear for his life. "Dipper and Mabel mentioned them once, you don't have to answer if--"

"No, it's alright," Robbie reassured, in a nonchalant tone. "I only know a bit about Demons from Wendy, so there's not much, though. What do you want to know, anyway?"

Will rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, how do Demons make their magic stronger? Just curious..."

Robbie arched a brow, then sighed. "Some say that Demons fuel their powers using magical artifacts."

"Really?"

"Yep," He said, nodding. "How about you venture into the forest and look for some for your next lesson?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Obviously."

"Fair enough," Will admitted, starting to stand up. "Also, thanks for doing this, Robbie."

"Don't get mushy with me, kid," The Cupid groaned. "This is weird enough."

Will nodded, then turned and walked away. By the time he left the room, Robbie was alone. The Cupid blinked his eyes tiredly, before they switched to a bright red.

Robbie immediately went limp, dropped to the floor, when a ghostly ball of crimson light floated out of the back of his skull. The glowing sphere then formed into a man.

Kill smirked. "Interesting."

❇❇❇

"And...checkmate!" Dipper declared, triumphantly.

"Aw, man," Mabel sighed, looking at the chessboard.

"That's what you get for stealing all the tiny horses."

She held the up the knights gathered in her palms. "But, they're my babies!"

"You two, keep it down," Bill scolded them.

The blond returned to his current task, which was trying to call Will. His brother still hadn't returned his texts, and Bill quickly grew worried. Will mentioned he was working a shift at the diner, but how much time did waiting tables or driving out wild animals take?

"I knew I should've planted a tracking device on him," Bill groaned. "To hell with this town's privacy laws!"

"You need help," Wendy said, from beside him.

"Don't test me, Red," He warned, without looking away from his phone.

At that moment, though, the front door to the shack opened. Will stepped inside the kitchen a few seconds later, greeting everyone with a smile.

"Hey, guys."

Bill breathed in relief. "Oh good, you're okay...now I can yell at you."

The blond moved forward, grabbed Will by the shoulders and shook him as he snapped. "Why didn't you return my texts!?"

"Oh, I forgot to charge my phone," Will said, quickly. "Now that I'm here, I unfortunately have to leave again."

"Where to?" Bill demanded.

Will hesitated before answering. "I was thinking about going exploring in the woods, maybe I'll find something interesting. Can I borrow the journal, so I can write down what I find?"

Bill forced a smile. "Of course...only if you let us come with you."

"What--?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun," The blond insisted, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulder. He turned to the others. "Right, guys?"

Wendy shrugged. "Sure, I can be your guide so we don't get lost."

"Mabel and I don't have anything to do at the moment," Dipper said. "We'll come with."

"Yay! Adventure!" Mabel cheered. "I'm gonna hug every baby animal I see!"

"OK, but the mothers might maim you," Wendy pointed out.

The female brunette looked at her friend seriously. "It'll be worth it."

"Uh...well...alright," Will sighed, in defeat.

Bill nodded. "Now, that we're all in an agreement, we should leave now when it's still bright outside."

The group murmured in agreement, and shuffled out of the kitchen. Will was left alone for a few minutes, comprehending what had happened, before Bill called for him.

"Will! Are you coming or not?"

Will breathed out deeply. "OK..."

❇❇❇

Meanwhile, in a dark room, located in the middle of nowhere. A table stood bare before him, and a single book was in the center. Journal #2 in all it's glory.

Gideons hands glided across the pages, flipping them, and examining each one with high focus. In the corner of the room, Jill was braiding her hair. Once she was done, Jill admired her work in a hand mirror she was holding.

"Very nice," Jill said, approvingly. She then turned to smile in Gideon's direction. "Giddy, don't you think I look cute in this style?"

"I don't care," He sighed, without turning away from the journal.

Jill pouted, and looked close to complaining, when a cloud of red smoke drifted into the room. When it cleared, it revealed Kill Cipher, with a wide grin on his face.

"Brother, where were you?" Jill asked.

Kill chuckled softly. "Inside of Cupid."

"I don't know how to respond to that," Gideon replied, truthfully.

"I was possessing him, you nasty," The Red Demon protested.

"In Gideon's defense, you have no filter," His sister pointed out.

Kill rolled his eyes, then quickly changed the subject. "I was just with Little Boy Blue, and I have a suspicion he might be regaining his old powers."

Gideon stared, while Jill had a look of interest. "Ooh, does this mean he's actual use to us?" She asked.

"Probably," The redhead responded, looking a little disappointed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gideon rambled, catching the attention of the two Demons. "Will has powers--"

"Again, it's only a suspicion," Kill reminded.

"Then, what if Bill's regaining his powers, too?" The white haired boy said, worryingly. "We should destroy him when we have the chance."

"Calm down, Snow White," Kill remarked. "Have you forgotten that Bill is being protected by Guardians? We have to get rid of them first."

Gideon looked reluctant, but eventually nodded. "I guess so."

Jill floated off the floor, and drifted towards Gideon. She wrapped her arms around him. "All this pressure has been going to your head, handsome. You should take a break."

Gideon pried her arms off, but nodded again, indicating that he agreed with her. After he took the journal, he left the room a moment later.

Kill waited a couple of minutes, before turning to his sister. "OK, when do we murder that kid?"

Jill sighed. "Kill..."

"I'm serious," The Red Demon said. "Eventually, he's going to find out we've been lying to him."

"You're right," The blonde girl frowned. "If only he weren't so cute."

"And you call me desperate," Kill muttered, softly.

Jill kicked him in the shoulder while she was still airborne, and then floated down until her feet touched the floor. "So...you suspect that Will has his powers back?"

Kill rubbed his shoulder, sending her a glare, while also answering her question. "I guess so, he asked about Demons, and there has to be a reason he's taking magic lessons. I sent him on a little scavenger hunt a while ago."

Jill played with her braid thoughtfully. "Scavenger hunt, you say?" She smirked. "In that case, how about we give him a little surprise?"

Kill returned her smirk. "Now you're talking, sis."