CHAPTER NINE

The cloaked figure took a step closer.

"Who are you!?" Dipper demanded.

Mabel grabbed a hold of his shirt, trembling nervously, and he found himself clinging onto her sweater. The creature took another step toward them, its face still shrouded by a blank void of darkness.

"Don't even think about coming closer until you've told us who you are" Dipper ordered.

"I do apologise", the being said in his ancient voice. "It was certainly not my intent to cause you alarm, my dear godlings. But I am here to speak to you on behalf of those who have taken notice of your transformation".

"W-whaddya mean?" Mabel said.

"What she said", Dipper agreed.

"All will be explained in due time".

"No, it'll be explained right now", he spat. "I don't know who or what you are, and until I do, neither of us is even going to consider coming anywhere near you".

Another step toward them. Dipper had had enough. Sneering and letting out a snarl of frustration, he sent the strongest shockwave he could at the thing. The creature raised his clawed hand and extended his palm. The shockwave rolled over him harmlessly.

Dipper let out a gasp of shock. Mabel wasn't feeling any better about the situation.

"Bro, this guy is giving me major creepo vibes", she whispered. "Is… is he stronger than us?"

"Why of course I am", the creature said. "At least… as you currently are. Now please, would you just give me a moment to explain myself without throwing needles aggression at me?"

Dipper raised his palm again, Mabel doing the same, even though they both knew that no blast they could conjure was strong enough to defeat this being.

"Fine", Dipper said bitterly.

"Wait, how is nobody noticing this?" Mabel asked, her brow raising as she looked all around herself. The other passengers on the bus were paying them no notice. In fact….

"Are… are they frozen?" she said, noticing how motionless they all appeared to be.

"Quite", the thing said. "I have secluded us within a single moment of time. To the others, this will not even register as a blip within their senses, for it will have gone by too quickly for them to notice. This is one of the powers granted to me by my masters, one of the many powers at which they themselves excel, and which, eventually, you may well do too".

"So… just who are you exactly?" Dipper said.

"I am Gharduul", the creature said. "An emissary of the higher beings of the multiverse, those with power beyond any… except for yours that is. And that is the exact reason that I'm here".

"So… somebody wants our power for their own use?" Dipper said. "And you're here to, I dunno, kidnap us or something?"

"Heavens, no", Gharduul said. "I am merely here to discuss certain matters with you. Let us… step away from this place, and go somewhere a little more comfortable perhaps".

He snapped his fingers, and reality itself blurred away into nothingness, and suddenly they were out in what seemed to be the middle of space, stars all around them, before a tear opened up behind them and they were sucked into it. They had arrived in what looked like an ancient medieval castle, only with no sense of gravity, as the stairwells headed off into all directions, criss-crossing up and down throughout the expansive room, like something out of an Escher painting. The twins still held onto one another. None of this was giving them good vibes.

"What is this place?" Mabel said. "Your mindscape?"

"I can see why you would think that, but no", Gharduul said. "This is a pocket dimension, a little abode I have crafted for myself. Now come along, we have much to discuss".

And with that he drifted away along one of the stairwells. Dipper and Mabel wordlessly turned to face one another. The anxiety showed in both their eyes. They gave a silent nod to each other, then took one another's hands and followed after the strange creature. The stairwell he had chosen spiralled all around the castle, constantly switching up and down (if "up" and "down" were even a valid concept here, Dipper thought) and twisting in directions that shouldn't exist, until finally they arrived at a simple wooden door. Gharduul opened it, then beckoned to them.

"Come on, let's sort this business out", he said, then walked inside.

Following him in, they found themselves in what seemed like quite a comfortable office, with a large desk made of oak, several bookshelves full of ancient dusty tomes, and a cheerful fire crackling away in the fireplace behind the desk. Gharduul settled himself behind the desk and said,

"please, make yourselves comfortable".

With a twirl of his wrist, he conjured two armchairs on the opposite side of the desk. They each took a seat as the creature conjured up a teapot and some mugs, and poured each of them a cup of a strange, pinkish tea with a pleasant aroma unlike anything they had ever smelled before. Mabel took a sip first, and her face lit up.

"Oh wow, this is delicious", she said, her eyes very literally sparkling.

Dipper, despite his reservations, took a sip of the stuff himself.

"Holy… well, you're definitely not wrong", he said.

That was putting it lightly. The tea was the most delicious thing he had ever drunk. Which frankly just made him all the more suspicious of the creature sitting before him.

"I'm glad you approve", Gharduul said, giving them a short, simple bow. "Now, on to business".

"Yeah, so what exactly are you?" Mabel said bluntly.

"I am a being that my masters would refer to as a Celestial Envoy", Gharduul explained. "A being of reasonable power, but nothing compared to those who created me, and whom my ultimate purpose is to serve. And most certainly nothing compared to your potential. And your potential is indeed limitless. That which has occurred between yourself and the demon Bill Cipher didn't go unnoticed. The interdimensional community of higher beings most assuredly took notice of the gargantuan energy surge. And they aren't sure what to think. They themselves are powerful beings, but you two… nothing like you has ever existed. A greater surge of power has never been seen in the entire history of the multiverse".

"If you're trying to butter us up, it's not gonna work", Dipper said, crossing his arms. "Just cut to the chase and tell us what you want".

"You're certainly a blunt one", Gharduul said, a little bitterly. "But there is no "chase", in this particular instance. If anything, I'm simply here to deliver a message from my masters".

The twins remained silent, glancing at one another.

"I shall continue then", Gharduul said. "You see, the two of you should be impossible. No being has ever attained your level of power, or I suppose potential power now since the two of you seem to have lost what you had. There have been powerful entities who have come about in the same way you have, by absorbing the power of the Nexus and becoming higher beings. The beings I serve no less, the ones who, in your language, would likely be referred to as gods, though they are certainly not the gods of human invention. They are extraordinarily powerful, capable of altering the fabric of entire universes. Through various circumstances, they came to absorb the power of the Nexus and ascended to a state of godhood. But compared to the two of you, they are as nothing. Their power is like a single drop in the ocean that is yours. You absorbed the power of the Nexus completely, and none have ever come close to such a feat, to absorb infinite power should destroy even the most powerful of beings, yet here the two of you stand, unharmed. The two of you are true gods, beyond anything my masters could ever hope to be. Beings of infinite power, eventually capable of creating countless universes with nought but a single thought, beings capable of knowing all things, of doing all things".

Dipper and Mabel turned to look at one another again. Truth be told, the thought of their potential power still frightened the both of them. They were only thirteen years old, yet here they were being told that all of existence would quake before their power.

"So… why exactly are you here?" Dipper said cautiously. "What do you want from us?"

"My masters, the gods, or rather the gods of this particular region of the multiverse, as the multiverse is well and truly infinite, and so there are infinite beings just like them across all of creation, wish to make contact with you. Your power is unlike anything that has ever existed. And that should be impossible. The multiverse is infinite, and as such, since your condition is indeed, it would seem, possible, it should have occurred infinite times with infinite beings, yet it never has, anywhere, at any point of existence, not even with any of the alternate versions of the two of you. This is an anomaly beyond anything ever seen, and as such you have my masters interested. They wish to make, ah, shall we say diplomatic relations with you. Truth be told, this is coming somewhat from a place of fear for them. They know that you could eventually unbind all of reality itself if you wished it, or that you could aid the demons in their undesirable goals".

"Why would we ever help stupid jerkface demons?" Mabel said.

"Yeah", Dipper said. "We've never exactly had the best relationship with them, in case you didn't notice our spat with Bill".

"Well, as I have already said, we most definitely noticed. But my masters wish to ensure that never happens, that your intentions do not turn ill. And so, they have extended an offer to train the two of you"

"Train us?" both of them said.

"Yes", Gharduul said, joining his hands together. "The full extent of their goals for you are not known to a humble servant such as I, but though the two of you have potential power far greater than any possessed by them, currently you are both newborns in terms of godhood, and as it is, your power is very limited. There is a god resident to this version of the earth, who resides in the eastern lands. It is their wish that you train with him in a place hidden to mortal beings".

"And why should we?" Dipper said. "You've given us no reason to trust you".

Mabel nodded furiously in agreement.

"Yeah", she said.

"See, even my sister agrees", Dipper said, "and she's the most trusting person I know".

"Take from it what you will", Gharduul said. "But consider the offer extended. My masters wish only to form a diplomatic relationship with you, and to form an alliance against the demons of this region of the multiverse".

From his robe, he pulled two glowing green crystals, handing one to each of them.

"If you wish to take up their request, simply tell it to these invitation crystals, and they will guide you to the place where the god lies, to the hidden mountains of Shangri-La. The god who resides there will teach you in the ways of your power, how to increase it at a faster rate for example, and to control it as it grows too big for your newborn godhood to contain".

They each stashed away their crystals, but Dipper kept a non-too friendly eye on the mysterious figure.

"Why should we believe any of this?" he said.

"Gotta agree with my bro", Mabel said. "You've told us all this funky stuff, but why should we believe any of it? And why should we accept any "training"? We've handled our powers just fine so far".

"Suit yourselves", Gharduul said, "but there will certainly come a time when you may reconsider the offer. So I'd advise you to keep the crystals, if I were you. In the meantime, be aware that you are being watched by forces currently beyond your understanding, and I'm not speaking only of my masters".

"Care to expand on that?" Dipper said.

"I'm afraid not", Gharduul replied. "I am only a conduit for the will of the gods, and though I may wish to inform you further on such matters, it is not their desire to do so, and as such, I cannot".

"Great, withholding information, totally trustworthy tactic", Dipper said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, what is it that the religious earthfolk always say? God works in mysterious ways. Or rather, gods, in this case".

"If they even are gods", Dipper said.

"So… what happens now?" Mabel said.

"Now", Gharduul said, "I give you a brief taste of your potential abilities".

He snapped his fingers again, and in an instant they were transported from the office to a city, floating high above it. They were floating above gigantic skyscrapers, and down below, Dipper and Mabel could see countless people frozen in time.

"Welcome to Tokyo", Gharduul said.

"Whoa, we're in Japan!?" Mabel gasped. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Mabel, don't you think there's, uh, more pressing matters at hand", Dipper said, nodding in Gharduul's direction.

"Oh, right, sorry", she said, clearing her throat and regaining her composure.

"So, why did you bring us here?" Dipper asked.

"Well, I figured it would be good to give you a little example of what you will one day be capable of doing. And so, I thought it would be good to give you something to see on a large scale".

Once again he snapped his fingers, and Dipper and Mabel felt a mighty tug on their very being as they were lifted out of the third dimension and ascended higher. For a few seconds, all they could do was stare in awe and gasp in wonder at what they saw.

"Bro, this… this is freakin' weird", Mabel said.

"Agreed", Dipper said, his voice hoarse.

Before them, the entire city was visible. In the very literal sense, in that they were looking at the third dimension from a four dimensional perspective. They could see all sides of the buildings at once, they could see inside them even with the walls still surrounding them. In effect, nothing was hidden from sight. It was all laid out before them. It would have been impossible to describe to beings restricted purely to three dimensions, as they once had been, but now, from their new perspective, it made perfect sense.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Gharduul said.

They remained silent for a good long while before Mabel finally said,

"so… this is real, right?"

"Incredibly so", Gharduul confirmed. "It's quite the sight, isn't it, when you see it for the first time. And look around yourselves".

Snapping out of their trance, they did as they were bid, and looked into directions that hadn't existed before, and they saw the indescribable objects and energies of the fourth dimension, taking on shapes they wouldn't have thought possible, out of sight to the human beings down in the city, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

"This is seriously the weirdest", Mabel said. "All that time we spent in Gravity Falls, and we didn't see the weirdest jazz ever until leaving it".

"Yeah, that's true", Dipper said, his mouth still agape. "This is… this is just bizarre".

Neither of them could peel their eyes away from it, away their new perch beyond the perception of mortal beings.

"One day you shall be able to achieve this on your own", Gharduul said. "And perhaps that will come quicker if you take up our offer, along with the countless other abilities you can attain. Think about it, you will be able to ascend dimension upon dimension, until you can see the entirety of the universe in its truest form. Object reality. And it will be your plaything, no less".

They remained silent.

"Well, I shall leave you with your thoughts on the matter. In the meantime, I shall bid you farewell, Dipper and Mabel Pines of Dimension 46'\".

"Wait, but…" Dipper started.

"For now I have told you all that I can", Gharduul said, interrupting him.

"But…" Mabel began.

"My apologies", he said. "But in the meantime, you may go on with your normal lives if you wish, though I have my doubts as to whether or not you will be able to keep up such a façade now that you are such fundamentally different beings than you previously were. But, like I said, be aware that higher powers are watching you. Beware the demon known as Jacques".

And with that, everything went black.

The twins snapped into consciousness an unknown amount of time later with deep, gasping breaths.

"Whoamygod!" Mabel yelled, wild eyed. "Bro, did you… was that… did you see the guy, and the things?"

"I did", Dipper said, clutching his chest, his heart, or perhaps just a facsimile of a heart now, thundering away. "What the heck was that?"

"I have no idea", Mabel said, sinking her hands into her hair. "That was crazy, bro-bro. Like, mega whacked out super bonkers crazy".

"That… about describes it", Dipper said. "The fourth dimension was… I don't know how to describe it, but it was the strangest thing I've ever seen".

It was then that the two of them realized where they were. They were back on the bus, and time had resumed its normal course. All around them, people were staring at them, giving them the strangest looks. Both of them awkwardly looked away, and the stares pretty quickly stopped. As far as anyone else here knew, they were just a pair of kids with an overactive imagination. They would never have the slightest inkling of what had really happened.

"So… what do we do about his offer?" Mabel said.

"I say we don't take it", Dipper said. "That guy was giving me major bad vibes, I don't trust him or these "gods" as far as I can throw. He was trying to tempt us with power there at the end. If that doesn't say red flag, then I don't know what does".

"Yeah, that does seem like the sort of thing that Bill would do", Mabel said.

"Exactly", Dipper said. "That guy even looked like a demon".

"Yeah, he kinda did", Mabel agreed. "Like, textbook definition, generic stereotype demon-y guy".

"So yeah, for now, can we just agree to not trust him or anything that he says?"

Mabel paused for a good long while, obviously thinking things over, before nodding in agreement.

"You're right, bro", she said. "But, we should probably keep the crystals, just in case".

"True", Dipper said. "Wait, do we even still have them?"

The two of them searched all of their pockets for them, and indeed they found them, though their glow had currently vanished. Mabel looked the thing over, and slowly, a forlorn look crossed her face.

"Nothing's ever gonna be the same again, is it?" she said morosely.

Dipper let out a long, low breath.

"No", he muttered. "It's really not".

There was brief, heavy silence, both of them looking away from one another.

"Dip, who do you think Jacques is?" Mabel asked.

"Huh?"

"He said to beware a demon called Jacques. Why does that name sound so familiar? It feels like we've already met the guy somehow".

"Huh… I don't know. But whoever he is, he can't be good news. I guess… I don't know. For now we should just keep a low profile, you know. Let's see where things go from here".

And Dipper agreed with her, something about the name Jacques was so jarringly familiar, but how? He couldn't remember a thing, but the familiarity was beyond frustrating.

"Yeah, I guess you're right brozone", Mabel said. "But, whatever happens, I guess at least we'll be going through it together, huh?"

She gave him her signature big grin, and Dipper's face melted into a soft smile.

"Yeah", he said. "We'll go through it together just like we always have. Mystery twins?" he said, offering her his fist.

"Mystery twins", Mabel agreed, placing her fist on top of his and staring into his eyes for some much needed reassurance.

Suddenly, there came a crackle of static as the bus driver flicked on the transceiver.

"Next stop, Piedmont", came his static-y voice.

"Wait, WHAT!?" Dipper said.

"No way", Mabel said. "But… we only just got on the bus, right?"

"I mean… I thought so, but… wow, we must have been out for a while".

"I guess so", Mabel said, her eyes still boggling.

Before long, they were entering their hometown and coming to a halt at the bus stop. Looking outside, the twins saw that their parents were waiting expectantly for them outside, excited grins on their faces. They both gulped, dreading what was to come.

"So, we're still not telling them, right?" Mabel said.

"Yup", Dipper said.

"Then why am I still so scared?"

"I don't know, but if it helps any, so am I", Dipper said, offering her a nervous but reassuring smile.

Mabel smiled back, though it wasn't quite her usual big toothy grin, far more anxiety behind it than was usual. Taking their luggage off of the rack, the two of them took hold of one another's hands once again. Taking a few deep, calming breaths, they headed towards the entrance of the bus.

A/N: HAHA, YES! I updated in a relatively short period of time, woo! So anyway, this was a very enjoyable chapter to write. I'm happy to be introducing these new elements to the story, and I'm curious to see what you all think about Gharduul and his so called "masters". Also, the title of Celestial Envoy is a total Okami reference, because I saw an opportunity to reference my favourite game of all time and I took it gosh dang it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time, all the best.