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Inky Mistery in the Dark Revival

Summary:

Bendy didn't even bother to look at the large ink machine that was pouring that thick, black ink from a great height. Ink tainted with the scent of blood and death.

Bendy was expressionless as he watched his smiling shadow whisper to him. The tiny seed of betrayal that was planted in him spread throughout his being, growing deeper and deeper as the ink dripped onto him, falling from him.

He was the Ink Demon. The infamous Ink Demon.

How did it all end up like this?

Mostly from Bendy's perspective.

Notes:

In honor of:
Babtqftim, Batim and Batdr.

English is not my first language, sooooo I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The search for the ink machine had reached its peak, Cuphead and Mugma had delivered Wilson's book almost causing a fit of rage in Felix who almost abandoned the group once again. Bendy must have seen it coming when he felt Cuphead's uncontrollable anguish when he and Mugman disappeared for almost a month and returned devastated, they never said where they went or what they did to end up like that, they only delivered the book asking for forgiveness.

 

Boris barely convinced Felix with the help of his talent and Cuphead asked to accompany them to the end, he asked for another chance, something that made Bendy feel uncomfortable accepting. Holly and Felix locked themselves away to decipher the book and a week later there was finally a discovery, the possible location of the Ink Machine, on the edge of ToonTown's jurisdiction on an island that only McDuck knew about from a legend among his adventures.

 

Mickey helped them by convincing Donald to take them to those coordinates.

 

..

 

 

"Hey, are you okay?" Bendy didn't even flinch at Cuphead's voice, he didn't take his eyes off the island, he still couldn't forget the ghostly pain that ran through his bones.

 

"I'm fine." Cuphead shifted on his spot. He could feel it, a feeling of nervousness and uneasiness coming from Cuphead, fear of something, it was so subtle, almost imperceptible.

 

Bendy took a deep breath as the smell of wood grew stronger. He walked away from Cuphead without a word in search of Felix, the explorer nodded when Donald refused to bring the ship any closer to the black spots near the sand.

Arriving on the island felt wrong, the sand beneath Bendy's feet felt wrong, it was that normal sinking feeling but the way there were black spots didn't leave him calm the deeper he went.

 

The island was seemingly abandoned from the outside, green grasses seemed to dominate the outside of the island, as opposed to the center. The deeper they went, the more uneasy the feeling became and the green that covered the outside lost its color and vitality, changing from green to rotten sepia, almost a pale and sickly brown, like leaves stained with brown.

 

Bendy felt more nervous, all the way across they found broken boards, collapsed buildings, papers, books, many things that they had to avoid.

 

Debris of an exterminated civilization.

 

The most disturbing thing for everyone was the ink dripping down the tree trunks, ink that spread across the destroyed buildings and when they decided to rest, they finally saw a building. It was a studio, the team looked at each other before crossing the destroyed entrance, seeing thrown chairs, projectors, tables and papers.

 

Bendy's shadows danced happily, expanding around the place as he looked at a sign with gears.

 

[JOEY DREWS STUDIOS]

[Archgate Films]

 

"Does anyone else feel like this place is... I don't know, it feels like the labyrinth?" Bendy asked. The entire group looked at him as the demon stared back at them.

 

"Now that you mention it..." Boris muttered.

 

"I don't feel anything" Mugman said and looked at his brother who shrugged.

 

"I feel itchy on my chest, does that count? Ouch" Mugman pushed him and Cuphead rolled his eyes, Cuphead scratched his arm and looked around the room "seriously, I feel a tickling sensation on my chest, it's not pleasant"

 

"No, I don't feel anything like the maze, are you sure about this Bendy?" Felix stood next to the demon who was looking at a book from a chair.

 

"I feel... like we entered a place we shouldn't" Felix took the book examining the cover.

 

[The illusion of living]

 

"Hey, guys!?" Mugman's nervous shout made everyone turn around, standing in front of a turned off projector, near the corner was Mugman looking at something on the floor, Boris approached the boy in blue looking at the floor in surprise.

 

"It's Bendy... why is there a picture of Bendy?" Felix and Bendy looked at each other before approaching, lying on the faded and broken ground was a life-sized poster of a cartoonish Bendy, with his fur conjoined towards his horns. It was similar, but different at the same time.

 

"That's... unexpected," Felix muttered, bending down to inspect the cardboard.

 

Bendy scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, there was no reason for there to be a drawing similar to him, he never left that stupid town, there's no way they knew about him.

Not even hell knew of his existence.

 

He walked away from the trio trying not to think about the discovery any longer, Cuphead who had been more sensible and had gone ahead to investigate the doors shook his head when he found another closed door.

 

"All the doors are locked and they're stronger than a concrete wall to kick through" growled the trench coat mug heading left, Bendy followed him observing the broken furniture cautiously. As they turned another corner the putrid smell of ink hit Bendy hard, the wall that greeted them had "Dreams come true" written erratically, ink spread across the floorboards and debris, he felt his hands tremble at the puddles of ink that seemed as old as the place but at the same time as fresh as the ink he spit out.

 

"Stop doing that" Cuphead took his shoulder tensing it, both had the same feeling of anxiety, they were feeling the other's emotions too intensely.

 

"I didn't do anything," Bendy abruptly let go and turned away, avoiding the chilling words.

 

"You know what..." Cuphead trailed off and walked after him silently, just as he imagined, the doors were closed, the wood creaking brittlely under his footsteps. Bendy jumped over the pipe on the floor, thick black slithering inside, his chest tightening with another wave of disgust.

 

With a shaky snort they both came to a room, a completely terrifying room, held by the frame was barely a structure of what was once a balcony and the rest of the room was nothing more than shattered wooden planks that fell down into the abyss, so dark that light couldn't escape from it, looking up, several chains questioned his sanity, what would be so big as to need an entire pulley mechanism? Bendy looked at the broken chains before looking back at the precipice clinging to the frame.

 

Cuphead looked behind him at the bottom as well and his hands were on top of his, shaking. A wail made them both step back, it sounded so heartbreaking and it didn't take long for other wails to join in, one after another the wails joined in a multitude until they were all silenced.

 

"You'd think it was the entrance to hell," Cuphead laughed, his heart racing. Bendy glanced at Cuphead out of the corner of his eye, that was something he noticed, the mere mention of hell made the Cups tense.

 

"Let's investigate the part we skipped." For a few moments I hesitate, as if something is telling him that what he has been searching for is there, in that abyss.

 

Passing through the pipe again they managed to see Mugman standing under the frame of another corridor.

 

"Hey," Mugman pointed down the hallway behind him with a grimace. "Felix and Boris went ahead..."

 

"It was for the best, on that side there's only a hole that will lead who knows where" Cuphead passed Mugman who looked at him with doubt, Bendy shrugged and urged him to continue,

 

A loud bang made them jump followed by Felix's scream, Bendy didn't hesitate for a second as he ran down the hall to the sound, near an intersection was Boris lying on the floor with Felix covering his eyes, the adventurous cat's fur was standing on end and his gaze was lost. Arriving next to them Bendy also froze, the left hallway revealed the center of a room, in the center was a table with two chairs in front waiting for spectators and in the center on the tilted wooden table was the body of an adult black-furred wolf.

The open thorax with exposed ribs, no organs and only fresh ink gushing from where the heart should be like blood made the demon back away. Bendy felt arched, covering his mouth and leaned on the wall for support.

 

For a moment he saw Boris instead.

 

"Damn it" Cuphead spat with Mugman panting behind him.

 

"Boris" Bendy recovered as best he could to comfort Boris, only to see that Boris had let go of Felix and was watching with some discomfort.

 

"I... I think this better explains what I saw in the instrument." Boris turned to look at them, Bendy felt bad, that's what Boris saw, people like that? Broken and covered in ink? "Maybe this is where the outbreak started like they told Ventis."

 

"But... if this has always been here, how come no one noticed it?" Felix shook his head and stood up, helping Boris.

 

"They did it... The angels... before the devastation." Boris lowered his head with a sigh. "Before we almost lost to the devil."

 

"Yeah... let's just... continue." Cuphead pushed Bendy as he passed, snapping him out of his trance.

 

"Yeah, yeah, let's continue." Bendy shook his head and looked at Felix. "Can you keep searching with Boris? Maybe you'll find something more similar to those... memories."

 

"Are you sure you want to go alone... with them?" Bendy could smell the awkwardness of the drinking brothers behind him. Felix's distrust was still felt, Bendy looked at the ground before looking at Felix tiredly.

 

"You're safer if I go with them" a bold statement, he's been losing control more frequently, not enough to transform him, but enough to make him a bit more violent, if it weren't for Cuphead and Mugman, he wasn't sure what he would have done with Mr. Toad's house.

 

"Okay, but don't hesitate to scream if anything happens." He knew Felix didn't completely trust the brothers, not after their escape, but there was no time to worry about that.

 

The next few doors weren't much different, although the floor and walls were covered in ink, everything seemed to work in a strange way, the pipes pulsated with life even though it should be impossible. They moved away from the pedestals that had random objects on them, who leaves a good gear on a pedestal? Bendy left the wrench and approached Mugman who was looking at a blinking light that said insufficient pressure.

 

"Is it strange that it still works after all these years? Should it even have power?" He muttered, looking at the broken lever.

 

"They created a magic machine and invented runes, so I don't think it's impossible," he shrugged and turned to look at Cuphead from afar. "Are you done harassing the poor posters?"

 

"Fuck you" she handed back the red cup, tearing off one of the signs. "Unless you have to get into a pink tutu like this."

 

"Try that and I'll bite you" he taunted back, Bendy decided he had enough of the dark room with pedestals and walked out to stop in front of a figure that hadn't been there when they entered.

 

"You really are the size of a cardboard box," Cuphead whistled before kicking the cardboard box. "It's rather satisfying to give the beating instead of receiving it."

 

Bendy rolled his eyes and picked up the cardboard, placing it on the other side of the wall so it wouldn't get in the way. He refused to look at the wolf's room, at least Cuphead had the decency to cover the experiment's body with a sheet.

 

"Let's find Boris and Mr. Felix" Mugman muttered, glaring at his brother.

 

"It will be for the best" Bendy walked with Mugman to go to the other side of the studio where the two remaining companions disappeared.

 

"Wait" Cuphead stopped them looking where they entered in the first place, without any explanation he returned to the beginning.

 

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" Bendy looked at the younger brother and sighed in annoyance.

 

"I heard a door creak, Pipsqueak," the blond growled. Looking in front of the mug, the door that was in front of the sheet metal curtain was now half open. The mug approached, pointing with his finger, preparing to shoot at the enemy. Mugman did the same and went down before him, it was a room full of tables thrown over, chairs and some papers, on the floor as well as packaged food and cans of soup.

 

"There are stairs that go down further," he said out loud, looking over the railing and laughed without grace. "I knew this place led to hell."

 

"Let's wait for the others BEFORE you decide to get any further ahead" Mugman scolded watching Cuphead raise his hands in surrender.

 

"I'm not ready to go to hell... again" Cuphead muttered, picking up a chair and sitting at the only useful table.

Bendy gathered up some packages and cans to leave them somewhere else trying to give the place some order. When he left everything on another table inside a box and stayed observing the food, looking more closely, none of it seemed to have an expiration date, it didn't look beaten up and above all, everything looked better than the general structure of the place.

His hands held one of the preserved cans, dried on the outside with drops of ink, using his claws he opened the lid drawing the attention of the glasses, Mugman looked at him strangely before they both covered their noses in disgust and horror.

 

"We're in a place abandoned by the stars and you open a can of preserves that's probably expired!?" Cuphead scolded, covering his nose with his trench coat.

 

"It doesn't smell bad." Bendy looked at the contents. It looked disgusting, slimy, and possibly inedible, but for some reason, it smelled like fresh bacon soup. He tilted the can and took a sip. Behind him, he heard Mugman's alarmed cry and Cuphead's gagging. "And it doesn't taste bad."

 

"That's disgusting!" Cuphead pretended to vomit, holding his stomach, looking at Bendy as if he were the aberration of the entire world and perhaps the universe. "You're disgusting."

 

"Are you okay? Are you sure you won't die from food poisoning? That can looks like it's at least a thousand years old." Mugman stood in front of him, staring nervously at the slimy contents.

 

"I'm fine, this actually tastes good" Bendy took another sip savoring the bacon flavor on his lips.

 

"Are they here?" Boris's voice came through the door at the top of the stairs.

 

"We're going down the stairs!" Mugma shouted back.

 

"Bendy just ate something that expired thousands of years ago!" Cuphead shouted, slamming the table. Bendy rolled his eyes once more at his gossipy companion, Felix and Boris' footsteps echoed against his ears and despite that, Bendy continued drinking until he finished the can.

 

"What Bendy what!?" When Boris arrived the can had already left the demon's lips, in a quick movement the wolf snatched the can and looked inside, just like Cuphead made a face of disgust when smelling the contents and threw the can away from his poor sensitive nose. "Ugh, it smells rotten, how could you eat that!?"

 

"Rotten? It smelled good, it smelled like fresh bacon soup and it tasted good." Felix, as cautious as ever, looked at him skeptically and shook his head.

 

"Let's hope you don't suffer from food poisoning. Eating something from a place you haven't visited in years is wrong, Bendy, no matter how preserved it is. So eating more of that food is prohibited." Bendy shrugged in place and nodded reluctantly. "Well, now that we're all here, let's review what we discovered."

 

"Where we went there were only tape recorders and a movie theater," Boris said, looking at his brother.

 

"Pedestals in the other room, nothing useful." Mugman sighed, shaking his head. "But Cuphead found stairs that go down even further over there."

 

"Downstairs" Cuphead shrugged and stood up to guide the explorer. Just as Cuphead said, a staircase led downwards with almost no light, Felix inspected it a bit while the others sat waiting for Bendy's imminent collapse.

 

"I'm sure I'll die from eating that," Cuphead muttered, arms crossed and hunched awkwardly. "And if you do it again, I'll kill you."

 

"To tell you the truth, I feel better than before, less tired and grumpy," he commented, while Boris looked on in disbelief.

 

"You're high. That's what it is." Bendy chuckled and stared at the ceiling.

 

Felix was quick to return and say that he was our best option if we were to continue our search for the ink machine. They carefully descended the unstable stairs, using shadows to hold back those that were on the verge of collapsing. They went down for quite a while, too long if you count the four turns on the spiral staircase. They got as deep as the ink would let them go, the paths were flooded with thick, viscous ink. Bendy looked over the railing and could see a crank on a pipe. His fur bristled as he heard the disgusting bubbling of ink under the wood of his feet. He didn't want to go in there.

 

"What? Afraid of some ink?" Cuphead taunted, punching Bendy's arm. The demon rubbed the bruised spot before taking a step back. "Pipsqueak?"

 

"I don't want to touch that, not that deep." Boris looked strangely at his brother who looked uncomfortably at the thick substance.

 

"Okay Bendy, I'll do it." Felix grabbed Boris's shoulder and walked inside, staining his suit, to drain the pipe. "Uh, this will be hard to remove when it dries."

 

It took Felix a couple of minutes to turn the rusty crank, minutes that only made Bendy's uneasiness worse. Mugman put his hand on the demon's shoulder as he watched the fur bristle with each liter of ink that went down until only the accumulated residue remained.

 

Boris was the next to come down complaining about his stained boots, Cuphead followed scratching his chest and glaring angrily at Bendy, Mugman shook him a little urging him to come down.

 

Bendy shook his head and stepped into the sticky liquid, a shiver ran down his spine and he reached the others being the first to cross the unblocked door. Once again they were in a yellowish room, Felix and Bendy inspected it in detail, noticing dust and a collapse beyond the next door that denied passage further. A room with no exit.

 

"Great, Rubble... again" Cuphead complained.

 

"I don't see you looking for solutions," Felix growled from beside the glass.

 

"Can't we remove them?" Boris peered over Felix's shoulder. The four of them began to argue over what to do now, the cups wouldn't fire and Felix couldn't get his bag to work, Bendy watched in silence, looking at every splintered piece of wood as he continued to pace around the room.

 

"Maybe I can move them enough to get through," I commented, only to receive silence.

 

"That's not up for discussion Bendy, we won't let you keep using your shadows until we know... How this affects the disease" Felix shook his head. Bendy stopped at a wall next to the entrance.

 

The creator lied to us.

 

Bendy frowned and wondered why they couldn't just go through the wall and be done with it? It wasn't like the building wasn't already collapsing, the plank on that wall didn't really seem to be a pillar so it was possible to let them make their own way.

 

"Then let's just break that wall, my fists don't risk setting the place on fire" He mocked, glancing sideways at the brothers. Cuphead smiled and approached the wall, knocking lightly, hearing a muffled echo.

 

"Heh, it sounds hollow, there seems to be machinery behind it too." The cup muttered and turned to the demon who advanced preparing to demolish. "What are you waiting for? Break up this star dust."

 

"Are you crazy!? That could collapse the whole structure!" Felix shouted as he stood in front of Bendy, stopping at his chest and looking at Cuphead angrily. "We'll find a way that doesn't involve destroying a wall."

 

Bendy rolled his eyes and unnoticed showed his fangs, Felix and Boris were surprised by the demon's hostility, Cuphead shrugged before turning away with a snort.

 

"Then give us some solution Felix." The largest man in the group narrowed his eyes and focused back on the collapse, both Boris and Mugman inspected the room unlike their brothers who sat and watched from the sidelines. Bendy and Cuphead were arm in arm, there was a strange feeling in both of their chests, something inside the walls that made them alert, more alert than everyone else.

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

“That thing, whatever it is, withstood my gunfire,” Cuphead gulped. “What’s wrong with this place?”

 

“We have to go back”

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Felix sighed as he looked at his ink-stained hands. Now he could better understand why Bendy found it difficult to see the ink residue on his body.

 

The black fur was perfect for avoiding suspicion.

 

He looked over his shoulder at Boris and Mugman, both of them had sat up in the dream looking through the backpack that had the supplies in it for something that could help. On the other hand, Cuphead looked at him with disdain glued to Bendy, the demon didn't take his eyes off the wall he wanted to destroy.

 

Felix had noticed it, Bendy was acting weird since the Cups had disappeared, sometimes more sensitive and volatile, he had become very cautious when he was around them, when he asked him about it, Bendy just looked at him with fear and said: "I feel irritated and when you guys get close, I just want to hit you."

 

There was also the worrying disappearance of the demon Black Hat. The mere fact that he had no news of his mentor had left Bendy nervous, tense. Felix went back to the wall, the phrase only increasing his questions, who is he referring to? Is it that Joey guy? He is mentioned in several tapes, often not for good reasons or because the man was crazy.

 

“Uh, Dad?” Boris called out. Felix hummed and sighed with his hands on his hips.

 

“I guess it’ll be impossible to get this thing off.” He ignored Cuphead’s cocky grin and focused on Bendy who was scratching the wood with too much anger. “I think we can try breaking some planks off that wall, Bendy?”

 

The demon jumped off the board and stood in front of the wall, the way Bendy looked at the wall was as if it had offended him, he didn't hesitate for a second to throw a punch at the wall, the boards broke like paper, torn and full of protruding splinters, he had used too much force, but he had found a kind of vent from which ink was dripping.

 

The strange thing was that it was the perfect size to cross standing up. Felix flinched for a moment as he saw a flash of red in Bendy's eyes, eyes that stared at the pieces that still had the ink on them.

 

“Looks like it wasn’t a pillar,” Boris muttered with Mugma nodding at his side.

 

Felix walked over to inspect the hallway, it looked safe, as safe as an old wooden house could be.

 

“Let’s try this way, it seems safe enough for us to go through one at a time” declared Felix, being the first to go through the hole.

 

They took up their course again, they didn't know where this would take them, there were crosses that were crumbling leading them in only one direction, it was disgusting when they had no choice and had to cross a waterfall of ink falling from the ceiling. So after endless minutes they reached a dead end, Felix hesitated for a moment looking at the rotten wood and then looked at the group over his shoulder, Boris and Mugma followed him, while Bendy and Cuphead brought up the rear with Cuphead following Bendy.

 

“Bendy, I think you’ll have to break another wall.” Bendy didn’t seem to have any vendetta against this wall this time as he made his way to the front, passing the other members, taking more care with the wood until he found the soft spot to hit. The hole was narrower but big enough to get through, one after another they came out into another room flooded with ink, much to Bendy’s chagrin who was literally the first to get on “solid ground,” Boris following close behind as they saw the stairs going up to another floor.

 

“How is this place so big?” Mugman shuddered at the wailing that echoed off the walls.

 

They went up and ended up in a hallway, a locker, a chair and a note lying on the floor, some kind of letter signed by a certain Sammy Lawrence, something that Felix noticed and couldn't let pass was that Bendy's name was mentioned. Once again they went down a hallway flooded with ink, wider fortunately for the team, Felix once again led ready to fight if necessary, in the depths another cardboard of Bendy with a chilling note. Felix took out his diary and began to save the letters between the pages.

 

The deeper they went, the more questions they had, automatic doors that had already been opened by someone else, who could come to this place abandoned by the world and enter into the heart of the place? They certainly would.

Another tape, an announcement of the death of the man Joey Drew, chairs lit with candles and a wall with protruding bricks through which to access the upper part of another floor. Another hallway, it seems that they will have to get used to these closed spaces. They continued to another open metal curtain, something else to get used to will be every corner adorned with ink and shadows.

 

“Another Bendy… this… this is getting too creepy, did you have a cult following your tail or something? Because I’m sure no one worships something that much if it’s not a cult.” Cuphead looked at the giant cardboard cutout of Bendy’s cartoon head, Bendy beside him looked at him expectantly before rolling his eyes and continuing to the left, stopping next to Felix.

 

“Yeah, it’s something we need to look into as well, I don’t think this kind of obsession is normal,” Felix continued ahead before watching Bendy grimace. “It’s like you’re some kind of star, almost like Mickey, it’s too strange.”

 

“Unless Bendy is as old as Ventis, I doubt Bendy actually has any followers,” Boris commented, adjusting the straps of his backpack on his shoulders.

 

“There are always exceptions,” Mugman muttered with a shiver.

 

The next room was the largest they had seen. A sign over a fountain with a waterfall of ink was what could be seen upon entering, so striking.

Heavenly Toys was the name that greeted them, Boris entered curiously looking in surprise at the giant stuffed wolf, it was the wolf they found on the table above, He also found himself captivated by the giant stuffed animal of a smiling Bendy.

 

“It’s so cute! Can I have one if there are any little ones?” Boris smiled, wagging his tail in excitement. Bendy sighed before smiling and petting his brother’s head.

 

“Sure, why not?” Felix frowned.

 

“Let’s avoid taking anything if it’s not necessary.” The B-brothers looked at each other before nodding.

 

“I don't see anyone needing them anyway,” Cuphead followed Felix up the stairs.

 

Felix refused to fall for the mug's provocations, at least Mugman had the decency to apologize to him. As they climbed to the upper floor they saw the protruding brick wall again, Boris and Bendy were the first to climb up, when Mugman was halfway up, running cans were heard below, Felix went on the defensive and Cuphead positioned himself behind him ready to shoot.

 

“This… is something unusual.” A female voice appeared holding a can. A woman with a pair of horns on her head, bearing an uncanny resemblance to her older angel friend, seemed surprised, bewildered at the sight of the two cups and Felix.

 

“Who are you?” Cuphead pointed his finger at the stranger, the woman looked at him strangely before looking at the three of them.

 

“My name is Alison, Alison Angel, who are you?” Felix tensed as he watched the ink drip down her hair, how it wrapped around her arms and legs, how it fused with her clothes, she seemed to be an engineer, if the tool belt was anything to go by.

 

“We are travelers, Miss Alison. My name is Felix. I am an explorer and these are the twins Cuphead and Mugman. And my sons who are already upstairs are Bendy and Boris.” Felix saw the friendly expression turn into a frown at the mention of the B-Brothers. “What are you doing here? How did you get to this place?”

 

“Those names…” Alison muttered before shaking herself. “I’ve forgotten when I first came, but I’ve lived here for as long as I can remember. Now you guys, what’s your purpose here?”

 

“That doesn’t concern you,” Cuphead growled, his finger shining brighter. Alison took a step back and a hand went to her hip. A loud animal growl was heard from above, Cuphead was pushed to the ground with a scream from Mugman, he barely reacted when he dodged the body that jumped towards Alison.

 

An older wolf than Boris stood in front of Alison, raising the metal arm it was attached to. Felix opened his eyes in surprise. It was the wolf that was on the table on the first floor. It was almost identical to Boris, but with one difference: on its cheeks there were two black circles and a scar on its right cheek.

 

“Tom!!” The woman shouted, grabbing the wolf’s arm.

 

“Grrr” The wolf, Tom, was holding a familiar backpack in his other hand, Boris’s backpack.

 

“Where did you get that backpack!” Felix shouted, tightening his grip on his bag.

 

“Mr. Felix!” Boris’s voice came from above, and he jumped down and ran to the cat and looked at the bag snatcher. “That wolf took my backpack.”

 

“Tom?! You stole that?!” Alison shouted. “Wait, please, there must be an explanation, we didn’t intend to steal!”

 

“Give back that backpack!”

 

Bendy jumped in front of Him and Boris, ink dripping down his forehead and his eyes glowing red. Alison and Tom backed away with wide eyes filled with fear, Tom threw his backpack away and backed away, still protecting Alison.

 

“It’s true… Audrey was right, he’s back.” Alison took Tom’s hand and started walking further and further away from where they came. “I don’t know why you’re with him, but you have to stay away from the ink demon, STAY AWAY FROM THE SMILING DEMON!”

 

They vanished into the dark hallways. Boris ran to Bendy and held him as he bent forward.

 

“What stardust was that!” Cuphead complained, shaking his trench coat.

 

“A wolf stole Boris’ backpack, tackled you and ran away with that horned girl” Mugman pointed out, picking up the backpack next to the stairs. Checking the contents, everything seemed to be there. “At least he didn’t take anything, not even the pieces”

 

“Come on,” Bendy stood up as if the dripping ink wasn’t an ink attack, Boris stopped him by the arm and forced him to sit down. “Hey!”

 

“You're not going to move anymore, you're melting!” Boris shouted in panic, searching for the medicine in his backpack.

 

“Huh?” Bendy looked at his hands and then touched his face, the ink stuck to his claws. “I hadn’t felt it.”

 

“You… didn’t feel it?” Felix crouched down and looked at Bendy strangely. “You were dripping ink when you stood in front of us.”

 

Bendy blinked at his father and took Boris's medicine.

 

“There are people ahead, oh at least I think they are people, Bendy and I got ahead of the, uh, wolf a little bit” Boris sighed scratching the back of his neck. “They seem, really angry”

 

Felix frowned worriedly, the pieces were always alone, as far as people were concerned, although the maze and the gear were the exceptions, they were not expected to affect an entire city.

 

 

 

When Bendy was better, they continued on their way, going up and down, coming and going, it was starting to tire the group.

 

“This is WORSE than a maze!” Cuphead passed another can in the messy dining room and Bendy rolled his eyes searching around the place, something they were finding in abundance were batteries the size of his hand, also parts and gadgets, it was great if you wanted to create something. You also notice that Felix (for scientific reasons) was saving in his journal.

 

“Stop complaining and help me find a way to continue.” Bendy stood in front of the door to what seemed to be the kitchen, there was movement on the other side. “Hey, there’s someone in here.”

 

Cuphead nodded and walked over to Bendy, preparing to shoot he kicked open the door. A dark, human-shaped mass turned to see them and screamed running to attack, Bendy tensed when the shots hit the ink, the thing, the person, didn't stop making them both back off, Cuphead gritted his teeth and shot the head with the best shot he had blowing it to pieces.

 

The body took three more steps before falling to its knees and lying at Cuphead's feet, both looked at the body disturbed, the ink covering it began to melt until it disappeared, like Bendy's shadows once did.

 

“That thing, whatever it is, withstood my gunfire,” Cuphead gulped. “What’s wrong with this place?”

 

“We have to go back,” Bendy shook his head. Cuphead didn’t refuse to go back, that being disturbed him, looking over his shoulder at the place where that thing died, he felt bad, yes, killing was something he had to do and yes, he would have to be honest with Bendy at some point, but to end it, he felt like he wanted to kill Bendy, here and now.

 

“You don’t have to finish them off for me, you know?” The demon in front of him spoke without even looking at him. “You don’t have to.”

 

“Oh yeah? Then you’ll do it?” Cuphead mocked, he could feel it, they could both feel the Disgust boiling under his skin, his stomach twisting with guilt and fear. “I… I’ve already killed, it’s better that it’s me than you.”

 

“I’ve killed too,” Cuphead grimaced.

 

“I know, that beastly thing in the coliseum,” Bendy shook his head, stopping at the barred door that separated the hallway.

 

“No, I’m not talking about that time,” Bendy closed his eyes and looked tiredly at the cup. “It was in hell, yes, but, there was an accident with those guys, the Animaniacs. I ended up in beast mode and… Demons died at that moment, Black Hat was there too, I don’t know how I came back… but, it was terrifying.”

 

There was something in Bendy's eyes that said it was a half-lie but Cuphead didn't press it.

 

“That’s right, it’s scary the first few times. But THAT wasn’t you” the mug took Bendy’s shoulder and squeezed in support. “Let me give you a choice here”

 

Bendy looked at him with wide eyes and pushed him away with a huff.

 

“Stop being weird,” the demon laughed. Cuphead relaxed for once in this place. When he returned, there were more bodies lying around, some headless and others complete, Boris ran to Bendy and began to recount what happened.

 

Those things, people, were aggressive, attacking with bare hands or with objects, Boris was holding a pipe that said Gen and Felix looked a little disheveled, but they were okay.

 

“We can continue this way,” Felix pointed to a door with the top half boarded up. Felix, Boris, and Mugman were the first to go through the door into a flooded room once again, leaving him and Bendy as the last.

 

“I'm getting tired of the ink,” Bendy complained as he saw that he couldn't escape this if he wanted to cross the room.

 

“I could carry you whenever you want” Cuphead was standing nearby waiting for him to enter at once.

 

“How about I charge you instead, you piece of battered pottery?” The demon defended itself already on the other side of the frame, Bendy could only take a couple of steps before getting dizzy and holding his head in pain, as quickly as he could, he charged the demon away from the ink and stepped back when faces formed in the thick substance, whispers alerted the entire group, he didn't have to call his brother to know what they had to do, they both shot at the complaining faces and disappeared.

 

Bendy was shaking in his arms, just like the first time in that alley, but this time it wasn't because of an attack, the demon's face was wrinkled with pain.

He tightened his grip and quickly got out of the ink, when the boards were under his feet he dropped onto them and leaned against the wall, Bendy was still shaking in his arms, Felix crouched down next to him and tried to get Bendy to turn his face towards him.

 

“Bendy? Bendy!” Felix called. Bendy jumped up and grabbed the adventurer, Cuphead could only watch as the cat comforted the demon, trembling and gasping, it was the second time Bendy suffered for something here. “It's okay Bendy, take a deep breath and let it out, that's it Bendy”

 

“I-I’m fine, but those things kept screaming,” Bendy said from between the cat’s clothes. “They said I was one of them, that the dark puddles longed for my return.”

 

“Puddles?” Boris looked at the ink they passed through, his gaze full of secrets and fears.

 

“Maybe it was the faces that appeared?” Mugman pulled Boris away from the ink. “The strange thing is that it only affected Bendy, I didn’t hear any voices, just moans.”

 

“Let’s keep moving forward. Cuphead, you’re the tallest, keep Bendy away from the big ink stagnations.” Felix squeezed Bendy’s shoulders before letting go and looking at the cup. “Only when there’s ink.”

 

“I can walk!” Bendy complained to the cat.

 

“Yes, but only in wood.” Boris stood in front of his brother and looked at him pleadingly. “Come on, let’s find the machine to finish this.”

 

Going into the next room and being greeted by the phrase [You don't have to kill me] wasn't creepy at all, much less the mass of ink under the phrase.

 

The further they go, the more they see that some puzzles are done, everything is open and pushed aside to pass. Cuphead with his hands in his pockets looked at the toy train tiaro next to the couch, why would he open a toy here? He hopes not to see any creature imitating the appearance of a child. He turned when his brother called him indicating that they should continue, a ventilation duct darkened and half covered by a box, looking towards the others Bendy after Boris while Felix finished with another type of ink.

 

“Do Not Touch,” he read aloud as he passed through the door. “Damn stars, where’s the map when you want to find something?”

 

I ignore Boris's shudder and Bendy's frown.

 

 

“Damn it, just get lost!!” Cuphead shouted as he kicked another ink creature, Bendy was pushed back much to his chagrin, even his brother was fighting! Entering another projector room didn’t seem strange, not until those creatures burst out of the ground and almost hit him, the bastards had joined in a group taking them by surprise.

 

“Where do so many come from?” Boris complained, wiping his forehead tiredly. “Are you okay, Bendy?”

 

When the last ink fell Bendy felt like he could explode. He was not disabled! He can hit perfectly, he doesn't need to be the protected princess, he gritted his teeth and with a sigh he showed his brother his thumb in affirmation.

 

“All right,” Boris looked pleased, wagging his tail. At least Boris was happy. “Can we take a break?”

 

“I think that would be the best thing to do.” Felix took off his hat and walked into a middle area, there was a sign, inviting them to say hello. Cuphead didn’t hesitate to set it on fire with gunfire, his smile and eye twitch announced his limit.

 

“I’m sick of every ink I see.” Removing his trench coat, Cuphead sat down on the couch and examined the garment. “The ink has made this too heavy for my taste.”

 

“At least you don’t have any fur to stain” Boris laughed, peeling his pants away from his fur, his boots were ruined.

 

“What do the notes you found say?” he finally asked when he saw Felix scribbling on the pages of the journal.

 

“It’s… It’s hard to explain. There’s this guy named Joey, there’s also this Nathan Arch who’s mentioned on some tapes… It seems like… the place was an animation studio.” Felix looked at him, there was something else he wasn’t telling him.

 

“What, what’s in those notes?” Felix looked away and focused on one of those cardboard drawings of other characters. “Felix… Dad?”

 

“There are… letters that mention your name Bendy, they mention you.” Her eyes widened in surprise before she shook her head.

 

“No, impossible. Maybe it’s a weird name, but there are other people who could have it!” he exclaimed, getting up from the sofa. “Come on! Just because my name is there doesn’t mean it’s me they’re talking about!... Right? Felix?”

 

“I… I don’t know, Bendy.” Those words hit him too hard. He stepped back, hitting the couch with his leg, Felix quickly raised his hands so as not to seem threatening. “I don’t think it’s you, but this is strange, it’s a drawing that looks 70% like you and it’s the same name.”

 

“70%, There is still a 30% chance that it is not him.” Boris took his hand and looked at Felix determinedly. “There has to be another explanation.”

 

“If there is, I hope we can find it too.”

 

He sat back down and Boris sat next to him without letting go of his hand, he didn't like this, every step he took seemed to lead him to a truth that he was sure he wouldn't like, why when they're close to the end, something new must appear? Boris leaned on his shoulder and he didn't hesitate to hug him, whatever was happening, he hoped it would end soon.

Notes:

Happy Anniversary!!! Bendy and the Ink Machine!! I wasn't planning on posting this until next week but, Qhahhahah I can't help it ;)

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Summary:

“a city built on broken dream” he murmured, reading the engraving on the window. He looked down at the lonely streets.

“Oh, so this is where you were hiding?

Chapter Text

He and Cuphead decided to go ahead to explore, Boris had not protested, hitting so hard was not advisable for such young muscles, Bendy and Mugman stayed behind to protect the wolf.

 

Cuphead crawled through the pipe to the next room, another bottomless pit with chains floating, on the other side was another door but it was inaccessible to them.

 

“Another alley,” he growled, ruffling the foam on his head, the blond hair beginning to turn black at the tips. “Cuss! We’re not any closer to finding that machine.”

 

“Why did you come back?” The question took Cuphead by surprise. “One month, you disappeared for a month and came back with Professor Wilson’s journal, beaten, on the verge of death, why? What did you do?”

 

“It doesn't matter anymore, we left for something we had to nip in the bud and we came back to finish what we started” There was no way Felix would believe it and Cuphead shrugged his shoulders didn't help either. The cup walked to a console, the one that controlled the chains and activated the lever, there was no change.

 

“If it doesn’t matter now, you shouldn’t mind telling me what it was.” Felix clenched his fists and faced the cup.

 

“It’s more complicated than just spitting star dust,” Cuphead complained, kicking a piece. “They’re safer not knowing what it is.”

 

“And there it is again,” Felix growled. “When are you going to be honest with the kids? Will it be when they are in danger? Or when your damn problem catches up with them?”

 

“I told you, it IS complicated!” Cuphead shouted back. “You think I just want to keep things from them? I care about them as much as Mugman does!”

 

Cuphead and he looked at each other with a frown, he could see it in the cup's eyes, the guilt, the sadness and the determination, Felix almost hesitated, there seemed to be sincerity in the taller man's gaze, the guilt under the dark circles, the light that radiated from his eyes full of fear and panic, he seemed even younger than he should.

 

He looked like a child playing at being an adult.

 

A roar echoed through the walls, a roar so loud it shook the walls and their bones. Cuphead and Felix looked at each other before running back through the pits, a loud crash and another beastly scream gave them the warning of disaster, when they entered the room they saw only black, black splashing their faces, screams of pain and anger swirling around each other.

 

A push sent both black masses through the wall into another area, Felix stopped breathing as he looked at the ink splattered on the wall, Cuphead was the first to move, ignoring the beasts fighting and ran looking for his brother, Felix watched Boris scream in alarm at the cup being held back by Mugman.

Felix shook his head and chased after the beasts as they brutally hit each other, he didn't know what to do, that was Bendy, he knew it, one of those things was Bendy.

 

The claws tore through the walls throwing wood everywhere, another scream, this time of pain, rang out before a blue gunshot, Cuphead and Mugman shot at both of them, Felix wanted to yell at them to stop, but stopped when the wood under Bendy and that thing started to creak. If they don't stop Bendy now, he will fall.

 

“Bendy!” Felix shouted, launching into action. He didn’t know which of the two transformations was his adorable boy, but if they didn’t stop the fight, Bendy would sink into the abyss of the studio. With a quick movement, his bag transformed into a rope and he threw the lasso at the horns of one of the beasts. Taking support from a wooden pillar, he pulled the demon away from the shots from the cups.

 

Too bad he didn't consider the strength of two monsters fighting, Felix was pulled forward when the beast shook itself off, striking the other with its front claws, he skillfully jumped onto the back of the larger beast, the smell of blood and ink mixed together made him wrinkle his nose.

 

“Mr. Felix!” Mugman shouted. As the two met, Felix heard the creaking of wood giving way under the weight of the fight.

 

“Bendy! You have to come back! The floor is going to fall!” Felix shouted at the inked beings, a needle-like tail grabbed Felix’s wrist and pulled him, throwing him against the cups.

 

[Interlopers] The voice that came out of the beast that subdued the other, standing with a claw on the head of who assumed to be Bendy who was breathing heavily. [Intruders, too many intruders, Puddles ooze with anger]

 

Bendy growled against the claw that only pressed him down.

 

“Bendy!” Boris heard them shout, the other demon, who looked a bit like Bendy but scarier looked at the searchers and growled turning to Bendy.

 

[I'm going to devour you, after them] The voice growled. The ink on Bendy was melting, Bendy was losing his transformation.

 

Felix saw the agitation in the little demon's eyes, dread and fear as the older demon turned towards them, Bendy's shaking fist struck the ground again and again, until it pierced the wood beneath him, the older Demon looked back at Bendy at the claws that grabbed his arm and a smile formed on the row of teeth as the wood sank deeper and deeper.

 

The look in Bendy's eyes confirmed the worst. He ran, trying to lasso Bendy, but was pushed back by black debris as Bendy fell into the chasm he himself had created to push himself into the distance.

 

Boris screamed his brother's name, crying and almost throwing himself into the well if it weren't for Mugman and Cuphead.

 

“Oh, that could have been fatal for you!” a cheerful voice answered from beside him. “Solid bodies with no ability to regenerate.”

 

“What?” His voice came out barely in a whisper. The man beside him was one of those ink creatures, but with a mining helmet and ropes on his torso.

 

“The fall, my friend! Only the children of the machine could survive that height,” he hummed, looking over the edge of the drop, “and let me tell you, I can’t feel it on you, on any of you!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about? Who the hell are you?” Cuphead let Mugman deal with the sobbing wolf in the face of the apparent new threat.

 

“I speak of the corruption that keeps us here, Magic that only a few can control and few can fight.” The being turned back to them and its bright yellow eyes closed into smiling crescents. “You may call me Porter, an old adventurer. Now, what is your name?”

 

 

Bendy flinched at the thick ink around him. His eyes opened in pain, a spiral greeted him, a spiral that led him to a yellowish light, he shook his head coming out of the daze.

Where was he? Where were the others? Then he remembers the creature.

 

Sharp teeth that tore through his flesh like paper, claws that could break his bones, ink that mixed with his own as one. Bendy stood up shakily, the ink in his mouth could confirm to him that he was not dead.

 

Then he heard them, he whispered them around him, moans, pleas, prayers, each and every one of them drilling into his head like a hangover. He inhaled and exhaled a few times before he began to walk towards the light, when he reached it everything went dark, distorted and then, he emerged from the ground as if it were natural. He grabbed onto the metal surrounding him, looking back, it was one of those ink reservoirs that looked like watering cans, he stepped out of the strange device and dropped against the wood with a gasp.

 

The strange tingling ran through him until he was exhausted, he looked at the ceiling above him and stopped breathing for a moment, it was the same wood, of course it was, but without the hole that protected his friends from the strange being. It wasn't where he had crashed.

 

It was a demon, the energy it gave off, that bloodlust, is only something he had felt during the trial that the devil gave him in hell that time.

That thing, that demon had come out of the wall, he had heard a growl and as the walls darkened, like inky veins sprouted from the wall as if it were alive, He barely heard the crunch of ink separating wood he jumped on Mugman, it didn't prevent them from scratching his arm but it did prevent the mug from being decapitated, The being appeared in front of them from a wall, A WALL! Bendy shuddered again, they had growled one after the other, they had started a staring contest and only the creaking of the wood started the fight.

 

He didn't know when, maybe when the claw pierced his chest and pressed him against the wall or maybe when his arm was almost bitten off, but he had changed, he started clawing back, he started biting back, the fight had escalated to such a degree that they went through a wall to another place.

He thought he heard him speak during the fight. Who are you? Where do you come from? Why do you feel like me? Bendy shook himself again and came out of his stupor, he was fine, from what his hands could check and found no wounds.

 

Focusing around him and already standing, he looked at everything with a frown, ink on the floor reaching his knees, passageways that led to other areas, there were a couple of corpses scattered around the place and pipes, the damn pipes.

 

“This looks like a sewer,” Bendy growled as he looked to his left. Sure enough, there were ink-filled channels cut through a wall. Looking at the structure behind him, it looked like an entrance to another area, perhaps a more promising one. He walked through the door, seeing steel grates instead of a floor. It was like entering a workshop. The oil ran beneath them, already unusable, straight into the waste.

 

At the end of the hall there were stairs, stairs that led upwards, perhaps to an exit, he decided to go up without thinking twice, it is better to be on top than submerged in ink. As soon as he touched the stairs his body paralyzed, a deep voice made him tremble, all his instincts put him on alert, he turned in seconds turning his back to the stairs, almost sticking to them in the face of the threat.

 

[I can see your thoughts, the deeper you go, the more the truth is revealed. Our destiny]

 

His heart was pounding madly in his chest, he didn't even hesitate, he ran up the stairs as fast as his body allowed him, staying still was bad, staying still was bad. He left the stairs and walked through open doors, ignoring the broken locks at his feet, he held his breath when he saw the window, a city, a small city of large buildings watched him through the glass, there could be people, a community! Bendy approached the window and climbed onto the chair.

 

“a city built on broken dream” he murmured, reading the engraving on the window. He looked down at the lonely streets.

 

“Oh, so this is where you were hiding?” Bendy started at the melodic voice, turning back, a woman with dark curly hair and yellow eyes greeted him, the woman seemed to be older than him, maybe two or three years older, the woman smiled at him cringing as she took a step back. “Wait! I, I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

 

“Hurt me?” The woman opened her eyes in surprise.

 

“Did you just… talk?” He asked, bringing his hands to his mouth. “Now you can talk!?”

 

“Of course I can talk! Jeez! Who are you!?” I shouted, pointing my hand at him. “What is this place!?”

 

“I'm Audrey, I woke up in this place because of a co-worker, his name is Wilson” Bendy opened his eyes in surprise, did she know the doctor? Bendy approached her getting off the chair exasperated.

 

“Did you know Wilson? Were you friends with him?” He asked, taking her hand. She might know about the Owl’s research, she could help them find the machine! “What do you know about his research? Do you know where the machine is? Is that how you got here?”

 

“Bendy, wait!” Before he could even process the warning, an electric current ran through his body. His only feeling was pain. He screamed, letting go of the woman and fell to the ground holding her arm. This was worse than the Cupbros’ gunfire. Breathing became difficult and his vision became blurry. It was hazy, but he could see the woman above him, nervous, scared, she didn’t know where to put her hands, and Bendy almost saw Boris in his actions.

 

Oh Boris, just hope he's safe with Mr. Felix and the cups.

 

The floor had become soft against his back when he was conscious again, he groaned as he pushed himself up from the floor. He was in a room, he blinked looking around the place, it was actually a hotel room, he looked down at his body, he didn't have his jacket or his boots on, but he did have a sheet covering him.

 

“You’re awake,” the woman said. Audrey smiled as she peeked through a hole in the ground. Bendy looked at her strangely. There was more ink on the girl’s clothes and yes, maybe her hair was messy but she seemed to be okay. “How do you feel?”

 

“confused,” he replied with a shrug.

 

“I’m sorry I hurt you… you too,” the woman walked over and sat at the foot of the bed. “I guess you’re not the Bendy I know, right?”

 

“And I guess your Wilson isn’t a dead owl… or is he?” Bendy asked back, she shook her head leaving the Gen tube on her lap. “How long did I sleep?”

 

“Not really. We just brought you here an hour ago,” Audrey scratched the back of her neck with a laugh. “Time is so complicated here.”

 

“Did you finish? Is there anyone else besides you?” Audrey was surprised and nodded.

 

“If you’re okay, I guess I could introduce you two,” Bendy nodded, the girl handed him her boots and jacket, he couldn’t believe there were nice people in this place, cuss, it could be a trap as far as he was concerned! He adjusted his jacket right in front of the hole Audrey had entered through, the girl stood next to him and smiled at him before jumping in first.

 

When he reached the ground floor, Bendy had a moment of out-of-body sensation. On a chair in the reception area was… Him, a younger Bendy, wearing brown pants and a vest, a big bow adorning his throat and an ink stain right where an eyebrow should be. The girl approached without noticing his overwhelming confusion.

 

“Bendy, this is the Bendy I mistook you for.” I pointed at the demon who jumped down from the chair. “Bendy, the Little devil darling.”

 

“I'm Bendy, Bendy Bbrother” he muttered the name the news gave them, the woman smiled and clapped her hand without the golden spot on the demon's head at her side.

 

“You are the strangest thing I have seen so far, you are similar but different at the same time” Audrey sat on the couch and watched both Bendy's interact.

 

Little Bendy looked him up and down, circling him like a feline, inspecting him, observing every detail. He shouldn't, of course not, this Bendy was shorter than him by half a head! And yet, he was afraid, he felt threatened, as if the little boy in front of him was a predator.

 

“Where did you come from?” Bendy looked at the brunette, the woman had a worried frown. “How did you get here?”

 

“I came with a group, we are looking for a cure, a cure for the ink disease.” Audrey blinked at his serious expression, she didn’t seem to know anything about it. “This disease turns people into ink, it puts you in agony as you try to resist, sometimes it’s so painful that… you just want to give up.”

 

“Sounds like those walkers, the lost ones, that's what Alison calls them” Bendy was surprised by the name.

 

“Alison, it’s that horned girl, right? She’s riding with a prosthetic wolf.” Audrey nodded at the first question but cringed at the other.

 

“She said she had a wolf that didn't like people, that's why he couldn't go with her.” Bendy snorted, leaning against the counter. Little Bendy began to play with his jacket.

 

“Yeah, that bastard is a sweetheart,” Bendy complained. Alison laughed at the swearword. Bendy for once didn’t seek out a woman’s attention, nor did he flirt with her. He felt like they were family, like she was like Boris, his little sister, someone who needed protection. “What about you? How did you end up here?”

 

“I'm still not sure, Wilson brought me, turned on the machine and flooded the place with ink, when I woke up I was already in the studio” she explained looking at her hands, Bendy frowned, the place was a studio, at least the upper part.

 

“How old are you?” Bendy asked the girl, the woman looked up and observed him closely. She made a face. “Don’t look at me like I’m a child.”

 

“I actually thought you were over 50, at least Bendy is over 50, maybe 70?” Bendy was petrified.

 

“I’m not 50, or 70!” Bendy shouted. Audrey laughed at the reaction. “I’m 20, you hear? 20!”

 

“Well, it’s funny, I’m 23,” Bendy blinked and nodded. “But if you’re a demon and you’re part of the machine, what guarantees that that’s really your age?”

 

“... You lost me, what are you talking about?” Bendy complained.

 

“...it's nothing... I'm just, I'm rambling. This cycle can drive you crazy” Audrey muttered, looking at the floor.

 

“You’re talking about a cycle, what cycle?” Audrey sighed, hugging herself.

 

“I found out from my father and Mr. Stein, when the machine is turned on, the loop begins.” Audrey bit her lip, Bendy walked away from his counterpart who had decided to investigate his eye scars. “The machine was turned on again, not long ago, perhaps, for that reason, your 'Disease' became noticeable again at a faster speed.”

 

“What do you mean?” Bendy feared the answer as he saw the sadness in the girl.

 

“The more the machine is used, the more corrupt it becomes.” Audrey raised her hand, the golden spiral that resembled the face of someone screaming made him step back. “And the more corrupt it becomes, the more unpredictable it becomes.”

 

 

 

Chapter 4

Summary:

“I can't feel it,” he murmured, his trembling hands running through his frothy forelock, as if trying to retrieve something he could no longer hold. Desperation was palpable in his voice, choked and broken.

 

“What don’t you feel?” The question hung in the air. He didn’t know who had asked it, but Cuphead did know the answer. It was the most painful truth.

Notes:

This episode contains mention of mutilation, blood, ink, and other elements. Be careful, because we both know you're going to read it anyway.

Have fun!

Chapter Text

The empty shaft dividing the door and their previous position with ink walkers made his guts churn. Black man descending the boards to endless floors of madness and danger. That guy, Porter, sat with them for a moment, answering questions, talking about a certain Bobby and the ink demon, that time was a concept the machine had devoured. No one could believe it; he spoke of this entity as a reprobate being that hunted all living things.

 

He gave them tips on hiding and apologized for not being able to give them his special ability, a stupid transportation ability.

 

Cuphead dragged on his cigarette, irritated, still staring into the abyss below him. The bastard at least helped give them some context: this place, these ruins, belonged to a civilization corroded by machines. It had created its own world on the island, an ecosystem more complex than they'd imagined.

 

“Oh, one more thing before I go! Be careful of the Lords and the Faithful! The Lords rule certain areas, though it’s only the half that connects to the outside world,” he exclaimed happily. “The other end is guarded by the Faithful, who follow a tyrant who mocks to wipe out the ink demon. Ha! Both sides are evil, so be careful who you meet!”

 

The cigarette pressed against his teeth, deforming the paper cylinder. Frustrated, he spat the cigarette into the abyss. The black man devoured the miserable light of the cigarette without remorse.

 

“And the stupid angels knew about this place,” he muttered, reaching into his trench coat for another cigarette.

 

“You’re not going to jump in, are you?” Mugman approached him, also staring into the abyss. “I hope Bendy’s okay…”

 

“How’s the puppy holding up?” Both cups looked at the door where Felix and Boris were, the wolf trembling in the cat’s hands, both sitting on the armchair, giving him some space to vent for a moment.

 

“He tries his best, Felix said we should get going, If what Porter said is true, Bendy should be fine and maybe we can meet up later” Cuphead frowned.

 

“Which sounds illogical,” Mugman shook his head. Cuphead just snorted in amusement. “Do you think I’ll forget what that guy insinuated? Bendy can’t be the son of the machine.”

 

“But he said he’d survive, maybe he fell into a room stagnant in ink” Cuphead gritted his teeth again losing another cigarette, His blood was boiling, he could feel his liquid soul in his head bubbling.

 

“Yeah, and he also called us Warriors, which we are not,” he grunted, throwing the cigarette into the well.

 

“Well…” The look he gave Mugman was enough to stop the rant.

 

Boris was ready when they re-entered the room, with one last glance at the wall and his warning about the keepers, Cuphead sighed at the unnecessary hallway behind the wall that divided the stairs.

Stepping on the last step up, the beast's voice echoed off the walls,

 

[Your journey will end when my kingdom of darkness consumes you.

Here, pain will show you the truth.]

 

With a quick movement the four pressed their backs together waiting for the attack, their fingers glowing, he and Mugman were ready to shoot, ready to kill.

 

But the monster never appeared.

 

Their backs remained tense as they entered the resting place, there were mounds of ink scattered on the floor, announcing that someone else had passed by there, the sound of gloves squeezing metal made him turn around, Boris seemed more nervous than they were, his ears moving in different directions shrinking at the eerie lullaby.

 

“We need to hide,” he exclaimed in terror. No one questioned him. Just as Porter had said, they found places to hide: the wooden closet across the room and the hollow boxes inside the small kiosk. Minutes passed, and it seemed all was well until a loud crash shook the place. One of those things, those walkers, fell with a watery thud against the floorboards, and it didn’t take long for the ink demon to be looming over him.

Its claws tore through the ink, spilling it all over the floor. Its teeth reached out and bit the lost creature, devouring its insides. Cuphead felt nausea rise in his throat.

 

And just like the lost ones they had finished off, the body crumbled away until the floor was clean. The beast, the ink demon, snarled, thrashing its claws against the ground, the ink dripping from it like an ink attack. The Demon tensed and snarled, rolling against the wood like a wounded beast. It crawled as the mass compressed, small horns replacing the larger ones, the deformity of the body becoming small and recognizable.

 

It was Bendy.

 

“Bendy!?”

 

Cuphead tensed as Boris came out of his hiding place, running towards Bendy who seemed to be melting, but even when he shouted his name, Bendy just disappeared through a wall… A wall. Everyone came out of hiding, approaching Boris, looking at the space stained by Bendy's silhouette.

 

“Just…” Boris muttered, his breath bated. “That was Bendy… right? That was Bendy?”

 

“That wasn’t Bendy,” Mugman denied. “Bendy doesn’t go through walls!”

 

“But he can use his shadows to transport himself, right?” Boris turned hopefully to him.

 

“He can make a fucking door, but this? Whatever it was, it wasn’t Bendy. I didn’t feel the other guy’s emotions.” Boris’s shoulders slumped, and Felix grabbed the younger boy’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

 

“What did you feel?” Felix asked, looking at him.

 

“Not the usual, that 'Bendy' looked angry, but I didn't feel anything with the connection”

 

“So it’s just the appearance, we could identify the fake with Cuphead” Mugma snapped his fingers nodding at the idea.

 

“It doesn’t work like a damn radar!” Cuphead snorted. “It’s only when we have emotions that are too strong.”

 

"That means we should be cautious. If that wasn't Bendy, Our Bendy, and it's just a trick from the ink demon..." Felix looked at each person, stopping at Boris, who closed his eyes, holding back tears. "It could be a trap next time."

 

“Bendy said this place is like the maze” Cuphead and Felix looked at each other, if Bendy was right, they were in serious trouble.

 

Investigating the rest area, they found a passage on the second floor. Using the magic bag as a grappling hook, Boris and Mugman climbed up to inspect the possible path forward.

Unfortunately, they were soon attacked by a new group of Lost Ones and a strange spider that scurried away after a few shots. Cuphead felt it exploding with the head of the last enemy.

 

There was no physical contact. There were no words. Just a sudden pressure, as if something had suddenly ripped the air from her lungs. She clutched a hand to her chest, stumbling backward, barely holding on to the wall.

 

He was no stranger to this feeling, to this invasion.

 

A wet, thick weight that slid inside him like hot ink spilled onto paper with no history yet. It was Bendy's pain. Not the pain of his body, but the pain of his entire existence. Overwhelmed by the rising tide of emotions, he felt as if every cell was denying its form and liquefying in despair.

 

Rage.

Fear.

A constant mourning for something that was never whole.

The pain of being created only to suffer.

 

And in the midst of that faceless chaos, a spark: a silent plea. A brutal need to be seen, to be understood, to not be alone in the ink.

 

Felix, a few steps away, flinched, not understanding what was happening. He was close, but he didn't feel the same way Cuphead did. He couldn't perceive what he was experiencing. What Bendy was feeling. His breathing became ragged and his face turned somber. Felix called out to him, worried.

 

He fell to the floor with his back to the wall, not in body, but in mind. His breathing was labored, his vision blurred by tears he couldn't control. Something foreign had invaded him, and he felt unable to push it away.

 

As if an invisible cord had suddenly snapped, everything stopped. The emptiness in his chest expanded with a force that left him breathless. Cuphead felt the connection fade, the bond that tied him to Bendy snap, and with it, the flow of emotions and suffering they had shared until that moment immediately vanished.

 

An icy abyss replaced the chaos that had just engulfed him. The emptiness left a trail of cold, as if a part of himself had been ripped away, and with it, the anguish and anxiety he had felt so intensely. There was no longer that distant scream that pierced him, no longer that storm of pain echoing inside his mind. The stillness was even more terrifying than the chaos.

 

Cuphead's hands shook violently. The weight of nothingness overwhelmed him, the void consuming him from within. And yet, his body remained tense, as if still trying to hold on to something that no longer existed.

 

Felix was nearby, but Cuphead couldn't even register his presence. Cuphead's mind was drifting, empty and lost, searching for something that wasn't there anymore. He didn't hear his brother calling him, nor did he feel the comfort he normally would have found in his voice. He was alone, alone in the vast abyss that the severing of that connection had left behind.

 

Felix, worried by Cuphead's trembling and silence, held him tighter, but Cuphead didn't respond. His brother couldn't understand what was happening, couldn't see what was going on inside him. The connection was gone, and with it, a part of Cuphead himself.

 

“Brother?” Mugman’s voice was barely a whisper, choked with concern. When had he returned? Cuphead slowly raised his head toward his twin. Mugman’s furrowed brows only increased the weight on his chest, an unbearable pressure that crushed him even more.

 

“I can't feel it,” he murmured, his trembling hands running through his frothy forelock, as if trying to retrieve something he could no longer hold. Desperation was palpable in his voice, choked and broken.

 

“What don’t you feel?” The question hung in the air. He didn’t know who had asked it, but Cuphead did know the answer. It was the most painful truth.

 

“The bond, that fucking bond…” His voice cracked as his eyes scanned the group, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaws felt like they were about to snap.

Anguish was evident in his eyes, the horror of the irremediable.

 

“I felt what connected us break. I felt Bendy… the pain… but now…” He paused for a moment, as if those words burned his tongue. “Now I feel nothing… I can’t feel anything!”

 

The group exchanged shocked glances, Cuphead's words echoing around the room like a cruel, empty sound.

 

Bendy.

 

 

 

Ink trickled from his forehead as he struggled with the restraints, moaning in pain this time on a smaller scale.

 

Why does something always have to happen to him? He flexed his ink-numbed fingers and spat out the stream that had accumulated in his throat.

 

Audrey had gone to get a card to open the door, she looked tired but smiled, at some point little Bendy disappeared which didn't seem to worry the girl so she didn't worry either. When they went through the gates outside the city and its buildings, in front of them rose a building, it looked like the entrance to a laboratory, in large letters it had the words Gent shining under a lamp, Bendy squinted reading the shadowed ink "we are the KEEPERS" there were two large antennas on either side of the building.

 

“Here it comes…” he heard her murmur with an apologetic look on her face. “I hope it doesn’t hurt you as much as it hurt him.”

 

“What?” he managed to say before a loud bang shook the place.

 

In front of them, the figure of the demon emerged, the same demon that had once tried to devour their friends. Larger, more imposing than ever, it roared with fury as it advanced with each resounding step. Bendy, without hesitation, reached out to place Audrey behind him, shielding her with his body.

 

The demon's claw rose with brutal intent. Bendy tensed, ready to fight, but then his antennae began to glow. Lightning bolts pierced them like spears of light, and in an instant...

 

The pain was unspeakable. Her knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed, her voice renting the air between her own and others' screams. She writhed on the ground, her breath caught in her throat, her body convulsing. Through the fog of her suffering, she barely opened her eyes.

 

The demon... the dark colossus... shrank, transforming back into that little Bendy. With a slow, limping step, he disappeared behind some crates. The towers flickered one last time and went out with his departure.

 

Gasping, covered in ink, Bendy moaned weakly. Audrey screamed his name beside him, desperate. Unable to protest, he felt her gently lift him up and carry him inside the building.

 

“Oh dear, oh dear! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would affect you so much!” Audrey said, her voice trembling and panicking.

 

Bendy smiled softly, barely a curve to his trembling lips. It wasn't that bad... yet.

 

He sank into the armchair with a sigh and began wiping away the traces of black ink that covered his forehead.

 

"I'll be fine. Keep opening that door." He smiled, pushing through the discomfort. "The faster we move, maybe the faster I can find my brother. He has what I need for these situations."

 

Just as I expected, Audrey nodded vigorously searching for the password and gathering materials, Bendy almost laughed, reminding her in part of Boris, nervous to continue, determined and capable.

 

"I've got him!" Audrey approached again and tried to lift him up. Bendy immediately refused, only allowing the girl to support him until the door opened. They walked into another room where the doors closed behind them. Screens appeared in front of them, turned off. Audrey let him lean against the wall and looked around the room looking for a way to open the door. Then the screens lit up, showing a strange being.

 

“Anomalies detected,” the voice, full of interference and glitches.

 

“It’s Audrey! I’m here to see Wilson!” Audrey shouted at the screen.

 

“Subject re-naming required… Dangerous. Too dangerous. Immediate capture of Subject 814 required. Subject 814 is harmful. Toxic gases activated.” Bendy’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

Audrey recoiled at the fumes that leaked into the room, Bendy winced in pain, the ink began to flow more abundantly, Audrey managed to break the bars of a ventilation duct, Bendy coughed, he didn't know if it was because of the ink coming out of his throat or the toxic fumes.

 

“Cough, cough! Bendy!” Audrey was already inside the vent. Her voice trembled through her cough, but her concern was evident.

 

Bendy fell to the ground; his limbs felt numb, as if the ink had turned to lead in his veins. He looked up at Audrey with the one eye not yet covered in ink, and his lips moved as best they could, barely managing to form words.

 

"Cough, cough! ¡Bendy!"

 

"go away..."

 

His vision faded to black with Audrey's frightened face.

 

Some time passed. He didn't know exactly how long. The next thing he felt was the cold metal beneath his back and the straps biting into his skin. He opened his eyes with difficulty, only to confirm what he'd feared: he was strapped to a stretcher.

 

The room was sterile, harshly lit, and the utensils scattered around left no room for doubt. He recognized that instrument… he'd seen it before, in Dr. Oddswell's hands, during his experiments.

 

He gave a dry, tired laugh.

 

"Where am I now?"

 

Then he saw it. At the back of the room, floating with that disturbing calm, the thing on the screen.

 

"Subject 814 is back in custody," he announced in a metallic, emotionless voice. "The procedures established by the last experiment will resume to achieve a definitive form of containment for the entity known as: Bendy."

 

The creature turned slowly, holding between its appendages a scalpel and a knife that gleamed in the white light.

 

"We started with the protocols"

 

“Hey! Let me go!” Bendy shouted, trying to use his magic, his shadows, but they didn’t respond.

 

"The subject appears to have recently acquired the ability to communicate." The knife plunged into her leg in a swift, fluid motion. The scream that tore through her throat was surely audible all the way to the surface; the knife pinned her leg to the table, unable to move it.

 

“Cuss!! You damn lunatic!” He writhed as best he could, the burning of his flesh and the smell of blood and ink only increasing his anxiety.

 

"The subject appears to retain scarring, something that was not possible to do. We will proceed with the last procedure that worked."

 

 

"¡Aaaaagh!"

 

The scream ripped through his throat before the wires did the same to his side. The flesh tore open, slowly and cruelly, as if the metal were hungry. His leg, already pierced by the blade, throbbed with a sharp, pulsing pain, as if the muscle were begging to be extinguished. The sound that emerged wasn't just a scream: it was ink. Black, thick, hot like newborn blood.

 

His ink attack.

 

The air in the room was unbreathable. A metallic, acidic stench wafted from every corner: rusted iron, old ink, and wet flesh. It was as if pain had its own scent, made of fear, dried sweat, and raw despair. Each breath was an olfactory stab, a swallow of alchemical decay.

 

His body was no longer bleeding. It was falling apart.

 

The skin liquefied, becoming fluid, a living ink dripping from the wounds, trailing along the floor, sticking to the table as if trying to write its suffering on the surface. But it wasn't the end. It never was.

 

The ink began to tremble. As if drawn by an invisible thread, it returned to him, climbing his body like black branches. Upon contact with his skin, it thickened, solidified, forming dark patches that pulsed gently. His body rewrote itself, patch by patch, as if trying to remember what shape it had had before it broke. It wasn't flesh. It was bound will.

 

And still trembling, the hardened ink marking his ribs like scars from another language, he screamed again. Not from pain… but from what was coming next.

The Keeper hovered just inches off the ground, its elongated body covered in a dark robe that seemed to merge with the ink itself. Rusted gears and tubes protruded from its back, breathing with a slow, almost organic rhythm. Its mechanical arms moved with surgical precision, while dark tentacles slithered behind it like living extensions of its will. Its face, encased in a featureless oval mask, glowed faintly with golden lines, betraying no emotion.

 

He watched in silence as the ink settled over the body, hardening like a black crust on a cursed parchment.

The entity, though barely conscious, no longer writhed. Its breathing was an uneven whisper, as if each breath were borrowed.

 

Without looking back, the Keeper slowly sat up, wiping the debris from his gloves with a rough cloth. Its cables slid across the ground soaked with dried ink and clotted blood.. The stench still permeated every corner: metal, rotten paper, something that should never have been born.

 

He crossed the room with firm steps, unhurried, like someone who has fulfilled a duty older than language. He stopped in front of the recorder embedded in the wall: an old device with hard buttons and a flashing amber light. He pressed REC.

 

"Record twenty-seven. The entity has been contained. The body has entered a reconfiguration phase. The injuries inflicted have caused partial structural collapse, but the self-healing protocol has responded… adequately.

The subject remains conscious. Screaming. That's good. Means there's still mind to be read.

Ink level: stable. Controlled expulsion. Has not broken containment. Yet."

 

There was a pause. The Keeper lowered his gaze. A barely perceptible inflection in his voice: interest, or perhaps respect.

 

"No container lasts forever. But this one… still persists."

 

He released the button. The amber light went out with a sharp click, and silence filled the room again like a promise.

 

“!!!!”

 

The alarm erupted from the walls with a mechanical urgency...

 

The Keeper raised its head, its luminous mask swirling, its features revealing neither thought nor fear. One of its metallic arms slowly closed into a fist, while its tentacles wound restlessly around it, as if sensing what was coming before it did.

 

He spun on his floating axis, the gears on his back turning in a rhythmic click, and moved toward the exit with a stepless movement, as if the ground no longer belonged to him. Before crossing the threshold, his tubes emitted a moist breath, and soft pops of drying ink came from the opening in his neck.

 

He looked back at Bendy just once and then left.

 

The ink dripped with a slow, sticky sound from the metal gurney, marking the floor with black traces like open wounds. Bendy lay broken, the ends of his body barely holding their shape, his silhouette trembling as if trying to remember what it was like to be whole. His visible eye blinked erratically, stained with dark tears that didn't quite fall.

 

With a titanic effort, he stretched a dripping hand toward the edge of the gurney. The shadows crawled, obedient, trembling, trying to intertwine, form a foot, an arm, something that could pull him out. But they fell apart, as if his very will had been drained from him with every cut, every shock, every damned experiment.

 

A dry gasp escaped his chest. He tried again, and again the darkness betrayed him, falling like smoke to the ground. Despair enveloped him. He couldn't even scream anymore.

 

It was then that the door creaked and he feared the worst.

 

It was Audrey.

 

The light from the hallway swung behind her like a bolt from another world. Her face changed in seconds from confusion to absolute horror. “Bendy!” she cried, her voice breaking, running toward him.

 

He barely lifted his head, only to drop it with a muffled whisper of ink.

 

Audrey fell to her knees beside him, her hands stained with ink as Bendy spilled through her fingers, parts of him formless, but still alive. Still, her eyes scanned each destroyed part in despair. Her chest rose and fell with difficulty, as if the air weighed more than ever.

 

“What did they do to you...? Oh, God…” she whispered, her trembling hand resting against Bendy’s side, right where the ink was dissolving formlessly.

 

He closed his eyes. The ink in his body began to vibrate.

 

A black and gold glow erupted from his palm, spreading like a network of liquid veins, and for a moment the air thickened, charged with ancient energy. The ink on Bendy responded with a violent spasm. His body barely rose from the table, as if something invisible were pulling him apart. Shadows and shapes began to coalesce, slowly organizing themselves, dripping and settling in on themselves.

 

Audrey screamed, pushing more power, her eyes wide open, shining with that hue she only had when she connected with the ink world.

 

An arm was reformed.

 

One eye stopped dripping.

 

But then something snapped. The energy rushed back, like water repelling a foreign body. Audrey gasped, shaken, staggering backward.

 

The ink flowed again, more stable, but incomplete. Bendy was breathing, but still fractured, like a forcibly patched-up statue.

 

“I can’t…” Audrey murmured, her voice hoarse. “I can’t give everything back… I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I only stopped the collapse…”

 

Bendy, with difficulty, raised a trembling hand towards her, barely touching her cheek with a blackened finger.

 

“That’s enough…” his voice was hollow, an echo of what was.

 

She looked at him, tears staining her face, knowing this wasn't the end, but it wasn't a victory either.

 

It was just a respite before everything collapsed again.

 

A metallic whirring sound broke the silence. The lights flickered as if fearing what was coming, and a mechanical screech announced the arrival of something inhuman.

 

The Keeper.

 

His illuminated mask emerged from the darkness of the hallway, followed by the dull whir of its mechanisms. Seeing Audrey on top of Bendy, his body rhythm changed, as if the protocol had been activated.

 

“Unauthorized unit. The experiment must continue.”

 

Audrey gritted her teeth. There was no time to hide. With a grunt, she tucked her arms under Bendy's body—still warm, still breathing raggedly—and pulled him off the stretcher. His form was barely holding up, ink oozing from his open wounds.

 

“Not this time!” he shouted, just as the Keeper raised an arm that sparked with electric shocks.

 

Audrey twisted her body sharply, dodging the blast by inches. The ground beneath her feet became slippery with Bendy's ink, thicker, almost alive, forming deep pools that seemed to ripple with her breathing.

 

He leaped through the observation bay, the hatches bursting, the glass shattering, dragging Bendy along with him. Behind him, the remaining ink began to bubble and collapse like a formless sea, filling the chamber with a thick roar.

 

The Keeper stopped dead in his tracks at the collapse of black liquid, assessing the damage. Audrey didn't wait for him. She ran through the flooded hallways, the weight of Bendy in her arms, his silhouette barely defined beneath the layer of ink.

 

“Just hold on a little longer,” she whispered through her teeth, her hair soaked and her feet squelching with every step, “we’re almost out of here.”

 

Bendy's ink still left a trail as if his soul was still bleeding.

 

And the Keeper... wouldn't be long in following them.

 

No one heard the sound of something being pierced and the gurgle of a last breath.

 

 

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Summary:

"When you're better... we'll continue on our way."

 

The light flickered once more. But for the first time in hours, the silence that followed didn't weigh as heavily as before.

Chapter Text

The flickering lights of the Gent Building hummed as if breathing through the hallways. Audrey ran with Bendy's body pressed to her chest, her arms shaking from the weight and strain. Ink dripped from him in thick, black drops, leaving a trail that seemed to scream its pain. Her magic, alive and her own, sparked weakly against her skin, trying to rebuild what couldn't be sustained.

 

A metallic sound echoed to her right—a Keeper patrolled the hallway, its eyeless face floating in a bell jar, its body a cross between a surgical machine and an otherworldly creature. Its gait was slow, but precise. Like an executioner who doesn't need to rush because fate always catches up with it. Audrey held her breath and sank behind some rusted crates, holding Bendy tightly, her face soaked with sweat and tears.

 

When the sound faded, he ran again, climbing the spiral staircase. Each step creaked, and his body ached more with each stride. Finally, a door. Locked. He pressed the lever, only receiving a couple of jolts of electricity. No way out.

 

"No! No, no, no!" she muttered desperately, slamming her shoulder into the door. "There has to be a way!"

 

A soft murmur came from the gloom. A figure emerged: a small, ink-colored girl with large, curious eyes, a bun smack in the middle of her collarbone.

 

"It's the keepers' prison, the hole, if you go in you won't be able to get out, but I can open it if-" he said softly.

 

Audrey didn't even let her finish. She stood in front of her, holding Bendy tightly, tears trembling in her eyes.

 

"Please! Please open the door!"

 

The girl approached without hesitation, her expression compassionate and her serenity contrasting with the chaos around her. Despite the way her eyes seemed to avoid Bendy, she wordlessly took Audrey by the arms and brought her face close to his. Their foreheads touched.

 

In that instant, Audrey felt a strange, warm surge, as if the ink inside her body was vibrating in sync with that of the lost man. It wasn't pain. It was power.

 

"Now you can do a little jump too," the girl whispered, almost in a whisper.

 

The door shuddered. With a single touch of Heidi's fingers on its surface, it slowly opened with a deep, low creak.

 

Audrey looked at Heidi with infinite gratitude, her eyes still filled with tears.

 

"Thank you..."

 

The girl's eyes smiled sweetly.

 

"I'm Heidi. If we meet again, promise to play hide-and-seek with me."

 

And Audrey crossed the threshold, clutching Bendy to her chest, now carrying a fragment of Heidi inside her.

 

Audrey stepped into the hallway that revealed itself on the other side. The lights here were sharper, but no less sinister. Tubes embedded in the ceiling breathed slowly, and an electrical hum sent shivers down her spine. As she crossed the threshold, the door behind her closed with a loud metallic click, followed by a locking click.

 

[Decontamination in progress.] announced a neutral-toned robotic voice, undoubtedly belonging to one of the Keepers' systems.

 

A light mist of clear particles swept through the cold, odorless hallway. Audrey hugged Bendy closer to her chest, worried that any exposure would damage him further. He groaned weakly, barely conscious, ink slowly seeping down his sides.

 

The next door opened with a hydraulic hiss. Inside, a vast room lay, so different from the chaos of the rest of the studio that it seemed alien. Audrey's heart pounded; the sudden change in atmosphere unsettled her.

 

On one side of the room, a board jutted out from the wall, resembling a makeshift table. As carefully as possible, she placed Bendy on it. His hands were shaking, covered in sticky black ink. He responded only with soft, almost inaudible breaths.

 

"Come on... please..." he whispered, caressing her ink-stained face.

 

But she knew she couldn't stay still. Regeneration in this place sometimes responded to basic needs: defense and food. Maybe that would help. Maybe if she found something...

 

Audrey stepped back and began scanning the room. A panel on the wall displayed several numbers. One of them, Subject 414, was blinking. A rusty lever rested right next to it. Audrey watched it for a few seconds. Her instincts told her it wasn't a good idea... but she had no other choice.

 

With a push, he lowered the lever.

 

A faint click, followed by a soft whir. In front of her, a section of the wall slid aside, revealing an observation cell behind thick glass. Inside, a man sat on a bench. His clothes were wrinkled, but not dirty. He seemed calm. He was writing calmly on a piece of paper, his face hidden by the shadow cast by the glass frame above.

 

Audrey took a step toward the glass, puzzled.

 

Then he heard it. Bendy's gurgling murmur.

 

He spun around like a spring, his nerves on edge.

 

"¡Bendy!"

 

"what?"

 

She turned her gaze back to the interior of the cell. The man was looking directly at her now. His eyes were human, serene... but with a peculiar gleam. In his voice, a mixture of strangeness, curiosity... and something else.

 

"Did you just call Bendy?" The man stood up from the bench, leaving the pencil and paper on the bench. "I don't think it's possible for him to get here."

 

Audrey swallowed, feeling the ground slip away from under her feet.

 

"He's... hurt," she replied softly. "And he's not regenerating like he should."

 

The man placed the paper on his legs and clasped his hands.

 

"...that shouldn't be possible," the man muttered. "Nothing can kill the Ink Demon."

 

The room grew colder. Audrey clenched her fists and turned back to Bendy, his body still motionless on the table.

 

As the man in cell "Subject 414" murmured enigmatic words behind the glass, Audrey was already moving. She couldn't stop. Not now. Help, if it were to come at all, would have to come later. Bendy remained motionless, his body still wet with ink, his breathing growing shallow.

Audrey crossed the threshold into the next section of the containment area. The walls were darker, saturated with old stains, and the air had that thick smell of burnt oil and desperation. The place was filled with older cells, each with a rusty lever.

 

One after another, he lowered them.

 

Some cells were empty. Others contained scraps of dried ink, broken dolls, or simple shadows that dissolved when she looked at them. But there was one that made her pause for longer than she should have.

 

The cell opened with a low, slow creak. Inside, the space was lit only by the flickering of several candles meticulously placed on the floor. Sitting on a wooden bench, a faceless, ink-like being slowly strummed the strings of an old banjo, each note echoing like an ancient lament.

 

Audrey approached cautiously.

 

"Hey... do you have any food in there?"

 

The creature continued to play, but turned slightly toward her. Then it snorted, a hollow, unpleasant sound, as if laughing without a throat.

 

"Why should I even respond to a sheep going to the slaughter?" he said in a mocking, flat voice, completely devoid of empathy.

 

Audrey frowned, her fists clenching in frustration. Her lips trembled, but anger and urgency overcame her fear.

 

"My partner needs it! His name is Bendy, and he needs food," she replied firmly, but still trembling.

 

The banjo player stopped dead in his tracks. His entire body tensed. He turned so sharply that he nearly toppled the bench in one swift motion. His posture changed from mockery to confusion... and then to something resembling hope.

 

"My Lord?... He is here?"

 

But Audrey looked at him strangely and shook her head, no longer listening. She spun around, her footsteps echoing as she muttered under her breath:

 

"I don't have time for this..."

 

The creature's screams faded behind her as she entered a sealed-off room, darker than the others. A rusty sign hung halfway up, illegible.

With effort, she opened a crack and stepped into the darkness. The light was minimal; she could barely see her own hands. She took a couple of fearful steps, and as she turned the corner of the room, she stumbled upon something that took her breath away.

 

A huge head, embedded in the wall, stared at her. Its inky eyes shone with attention. It didn't move. It didn't speak. It just stared. Audrey immediately backed away, breathing heavily.

 

But then he saw it.

 

Three cans of bacon soup. Dusty, slightly dented, but sealed. They gleamed in the darkness as if someone had left them there on purpose. He didn't hesitate. He ran to them, picked them up, and turned around, leaving that strange chamber as quickly as he could.

 

When he arrived at the spot where he had left Bendy, Henry was already there, standing by the table, staring at the little demon with his arms crossed and a blank expression on his face.

 

Audrey stopped at the sight, panting, the cans shaking in her hands.

 

"How is he?" he asked in a broken voice.

 

Henry didn't respond immediately. He looked at Bendy... and then at Audrey.

 

"It's not getting better," he said softly. "But... now that you have that, maybe there's still a chance."

 

Audrey walked over and, without wasting any time, began opening one of the cans. The soup smelled of nostalgia and hope.

 

Time seemed to stand still amid the flickering lights and the distant hum of the Gent Building. In a corner of that white room, isolated from the chaos outside, Audrey and Henry worked in silence. Ink-soaked cloths were stacked to one side, dark and heavy. Henry changed them with methodical efficiency, while Audrey tenderly wiped a new one over Bendy's still pale but almost complete face.

 

The soup had worked, in part. The little demon's body, once melted and shapeless, had regained its structure. The edges of his gloves, his horns, the curve of his now closed smile—everything seemed more defined. But not entirely. There was a new fragility about him, as if a part of him still didn't know whether to return.

 

Audrey sighed, gently running her hand over her forehead. The ink no longer flowed in torrents, but there was still a warm dampness in every corner.

 

Suddenly, a slight sound behind her alerted her.

 

The banjo player was back. He walked with a shuffling but strangely calm gait. His face was now covered with a cardboard mask, a crude reproduction of Bendy's face. Seeing the reclining demon, he stopped, staring. And for a moment, it seemed as if he might bow down... to offer him something bordering on devotion.

 

But Henry intercepted him first. With a firm gaze, he placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him toward one of the side rooms. The old entertainer had found a rusty but functional axe and a portable screen, one of those that displayed words invisible to the naked eye. He knew what he had to do: find more soup, more resources. More time.

 

Audrey let them go. She didn't object. The vitality that now shone faintly in both men's eyes was reason enough. Where there had been exhaustion, there was now direction. And hope.

 

He turned back to Bendy.

 

His half-open eyes looked at her with a weak, almost childlike glow.

 

"Audrey?" he whispered hoarsely, as if his vocal cords were still swimming in ink.

 

She leaned down, gently stroking between his horns. Her voice was barely a murmur.

 

"It's okay... you need to rest even if it's just a little."

 

Bendy nodded, his eyelids slowly drooping. He didn't have the strength to resist.

 

Audrey arranged a thin blanket for him, and without taking her eyes off him, she added in a firm but warm voice:

 

"When you're better... we'll continue on our way."

 

The light flickered once more. But for the first time in hours, the silence that followed didn't weigh as heavily as before.

 

....

 

"What did you say?" Holly's tense voice sounded from the other side of the mirror. In the reflection, she and Alice stared at them, their eyes wide and frightened.

 

"The connection... the connection Cuphead had with Bendy broke," Boris said, gripping the mirror frame tightly.

 

"But that's impossible. The parchment..." Holly trailed off, her sentence half-finished.

 

"The scroll was wrong!" Cuphead shouted from afar. Mugman, beside him, rolled his eyes as he held his brother's trench coat in his lap.

 

They had reached an area resembling a waiting room. Dark armchairs lined up against a wall with a giant half-length image of Bendy, grinning behind metal railings. They hauled Cuphead's body with difficulty onto one of the armchairs. Still in shock, his tense muscles made it clear how unnatural he felt. Unable to move, the group decided to take a break.

 

They called Alice, the young archangel, and Holly answered first, frightened. According to them, three weeks had passed since they arrived on the island and descended into that hellish pit. To everyone's surprise, Holly informed them that someone was trying to pass them off as dead, as if it were a mission with no return, a hopeless and hopeless quest.

 

Despite everything, they managed to exchange valuable information. They talked about the disturbing presence of Bendy drawings and cartoons all over the place, and about the demon that dragged their partner into the depths of the studio. Alice nearly burst into tears upon learning of Bendy's disappearance, and Holly wasn't much better.

 

Felix sighed and sat down next to Boris on the armchair.

 

"Bendy's pain and fear... it seems like it was so intense that maybe Cuphead broke the bond on reflex," he said, frowning as he massaged his forehead. Then, he looked at the girls.

 

"We're talking about a demon bond," Holly replied. "It's almost a lifelong contract. Cuphead is still alive. Separating a soul bond should kill the other if one dies."

 

"Maybe Bendy broke the bond before the tragedy happened," Alice said, hugging her arm.

 

"But that would mean he pushed Cuphead's soul out of his own... and it self-destructed as a result." The truth hit the group hard. Felix grimaced at the small wolf's quiet gasp.

 

"Bendy has overcome a lot. Breaking a soul contract shouldn't stop him," Boris bellowed through gritted teeth.

 

"But he's a demon," Mugman added. "Black Hat said it: demons are beings of magic. Their soul is pure magic. That's why they hide it so carefully. Remember the soul check? Bendy was on the verge of turning into a beast or having a breakdown."

 

Boris's dark circles deepened suddenly, lowering regretfully. Felix wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a silent half-hug.

 

A thick silence fell over the group, as if each previous word had left a mark that was hard to erase. Bendy's name hung in the air, like an open wound. Then, Cuphead raised his voice, his tone firmer, almost regaining some of his composure.

 

"Let's go back to Bendy's Starry Cult," Cuphead muttered, still staring at the mirror. "The one who's been after us since that town the brothers came from. It can't be a coincidence anymore."

 

Mugman nodded slowly.

 

"Now that you bring it up... A sacred disease. People with black spots on their skin, sunken eyes... It was as if they believed being consumed by ink was some kind of ascension."

 

Felix looked at him with growing disbelief.

 

"Is that why we couldn't recognize them? Maybe they mingled with the sick because of the illness."

 

"Well..." Boris replied gloomily. "In the village. People have been waiting for years... for Bendy to leave, as if he were carrying the plague."

 

"And after that," Mugman continued, "they started following us in Toontown. But if we're comparing cults, there isn't even a single lunatic Bendy poster out there."

 

"And in here," Felix added, his voice low, "it's the complete opposite. It's everywhere. Cardboard cutouts, recordings, notes... They treat it like it's a god. A protector. Or a divine punishment. And the ink... it's just the medium."

 

Cuphead, still trembling slightly, spoke from the armchair:

 

"If anyone knew the whereabouts of this island... it was your grandmother, feathers. She knew more than she was letting on. And if by a stroke of stardust she knew this place, she also knew this divide. Between those who worship ink... and those who worship Bendy."

 

Alice tensed up upon hearing that.

 

"Maybe she knew," Alice murmured. "When I asked her about the illness... she acted like someone who lived in fear of awakening something she shouldn't."

 

"And that Bendy... wasn't just a demon," Holly added. "He's the center. The breaking point. One of these cults already considers him a god with form and, according to their description, feared. The other wants a disembodied, mindless plague to free them."

 

"I'll look through my grandmother's things," Alice promised from the mirror. "Maybe this time I'll find something."

 

Felix remained silent for a moment longer, as if still processing what he'd just heard. Then he spoke, his tone low, almost thoughtful.

 

"There's something else that's been bothering me," he said, his eyes fixed on the ink tubes lining the walls of the studio. "When this started... neither the angels nor the demons knew about Bendy. No one up there or down there. And that's weird. Very weird."

 

"You mean...?" Holly asked from the other side of the mirror.

 

"Because he was invisible to both spheres. No one knew about him until he left the protection of Sillyville. Until he was exposed. I've thought about it since we arrived... Maybe Bendy didn't come from another plane. Maybe he wasn't born in hell or heaven. Maybe he came from here. From the machine and its ignition."

 

The silence that followed was thick.

 

Boris frowned in disbelief.

 

"That doesn't make sense. Bendy can't be more than a hundred years old. I knew him when we were kids. We grew up together, he's not as old as the machine!"

 

Felix didn't contradict him directly. He rubbed his neck, uncomfortable.

 

"I'm not saying it's always been... that. But everything changes in here. And what I've read among the notes and recordings makes me think that maybe what we saw growing was a part... or a replica... of something older. Something created, perhaps reincarnated."

 

The cat then stood up, serious, his eyes shining as if connecting all the pieces.

 

"I've read a lot of things in this place. Notes from Joey Drew, recordings of broken, obsessed workers. They talk about dreams, faith, and ink. About how the machine didn't just print cardboard: it could transform souls. But they needed something more. Emotional energy. Suffering. Belief."

 

He turned to the others, his tail held high.

 

"The workers at Gent built the systems that made this possible. Some didn't know what they were doing. Others... did. They spoke of an experiment: 'an ink demon.' A subject that seemed to have a will of its own. Capable of shapeshifting. And they describe it. Devil ears. Wide grin. A creature that shouldn't have existed."

 

"Are you saying that demon... is Bendy?" Cuphead muttered.

 

"I'm not sure. But remember the first Machine Piece we found? Bendy transformed. It wasn't just magic, it was more physical. It was like something recognized him. Like the machine was claiming him. Like he was a part of it."

 

Boris swallowed, his expression breaking a little.

 

"But he... is still our friend. My brother."

 

"It is," Felix nodded softly. "But if that's true, then Bendy isn't just a victim. He could be... the key. Or the center of all this."

 

"And if the cult inside the studio treats him like a god... maybe they're not so wrong," Holly added quietly.

 

Cuphead covered his eyes with one hand, defeated.

 

"So we don't just have to find him. We have to stop him from becoming the king of the ink hell. Perfect. What stardust is this!"

 

Felix clenched his fists.

 

"Before the studio finishes absorbing it. Or the machine takes it back."

 

 

Notes:

my tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/bendyandtoonsaventure?source=share