Chapter 35: Return to the Boiling Isles

Ford Pines' POV

"Stay here, kids. The place where Willow went is too dangerous for us," I say, looking at the dead creatures and destroyed fauna through the camera installed by McGucket.

"My radiation detector is going completely crazy right now," I say in a serious tone.

"And Willow?" Mabel asks worriedly.

"I knew she was strange, but she shocked me by running nonchalantly towards this radiation zone without suffering any physical damage," I explain to the children before showing them the video taken by the camera.

It shows Willow heading at an incredible speed towards the area with high radiation. This girl must be similar to Leylin.

I remember she calls him professor; she must surely be one of Leylin's students.

"Wow, her way of moving is impressive," Wendy declares, impressed.

"Mr. McGucket, don't you have something to help us see the situation where Willow is heading?" Dipper asks urgently.

It seems the little one has good instincts. I also think Willow sensed something serious. We should act quickly. It's a shame we couldn't find the kid named Gideon for the ritual.

He must have surely died somewhere due to radiation.

"I had created a remote-controlled drone, but I don't know if it will work for long because of the radiation," McGucket responds, scratching himself.

"It'll do. We need to have an idea of the situation and help if possible," I explain to those present.

"You're right, Ford. Although I don't like Leylin much, I have to admit he has a good heart, and it would be a shame if he lost his life," Stan declares, but he receives some disapproving looks.

"What? Did I say something I shouldn't have?" he asks, confused.

"Leylin won't die, you old senile," Wendy says abruptly.

"I still have to kick his ass," she says slightly under her breath.

It seems Stan and Wendy still hold a grudge against Leylin. I had received a summary of their brutal encounter. Dipper and Mabel must have omitted some details, but it's not important right now.

I need to pilot this damn drone to get an idea of the situation.

....

Willow's POV

I need to stop crying and contain most of the harmful energy that Leylin is emitting in this area of the forest.

I've started tracing reinforcement magic runes that Leylin taught me, and I've used a lot of glyphs to create plans that will limit the spread of the harmful energy Leylin is currently emitting.

"Willow, can you hear me?" a voice resonates.

"It's you, Mr. Ford!" I say, surprised, looking behind me.

There's a strange device flying towards me. It seems Ford understood that the energy emitted by Leylin is bad for them.

"Yes! What's the situation?" he asks.

"The professor seems to have succeeded in defeating Bill, but... he's fallen into a deep sleep, and I can't reach him," I explain quickly.

Leylin always told me that human science is incredible; maybe they'll have a solution for my situation.

"I see. You need protection solid enough to reach Leylin, but also a container resistant enough to contain the absurd radiation he's emitting," he responds before bringing back the strange device.

"Science, huh? I should look into it more seriously," I tell myself mentally.

I put Leylin's recovery aside and focus my efforts on containing and cleaning the energy emitted by him.

After 10 hours, Ford and McGucket came in strange machines.

They had in their possession a metal capsule resembling a steel coffin.

"Leylin won't be able to damage this capsule with these radiations; it's made of the same metal as the dimensional portal," Ford explains before approaching and gently picking up Leylin's unconscious body to put it in the coffin.

(Image)

He would never have been able to reach Leylin without the strange machine resembling an armor that he's wearing.

We could see Leylin's face through a window at the head level. After his confinement, I was able to clean the area and regrow the plants in a few hours.

...

"You should rest, Willow. You've worked all day and a good part of the night," Dipper says, approaching.

"No, I can't right now," I say simply, moving forward to take back Leylin's coffin from Ford's huge robot resembling armor.

We were currently in front of the bunker. I used a plant glyph to create a tree with a door on its trunk.

"Mr. McGucket and Mr. Ford, thank you for helping me bring Professor Leylin home," I say sincerely.

"What's going on?" Soos asks, confused.

"I'm going back to the Boiling Isles and inform Mr. and Mrs. Blight about their son's condition," I explain honestly.

"So, you're going home?" Wendy says, frowning slightly.

"Yes, it's necessary to fulfill one of Leylin's last requests before his sleep," I reply to Wendy.

"He also asked me to keep in touch with Mr. McGucket and ask Mr. Ford if he wants to work for him too," I say to the two scientists.

"Holy cow, of course I'll keep working with you!" McGucket declares before doing a little dance.

"And you?" I say, observing one of the men who interests my master.

"I still have a lot to study in this dimension, but I don't reject a long-distance partnership," Ford explains before throwing me a phone.

It seems he wants to be a partner, but he doesn't exclude that he could become a subordinate in the future.

I can accept this answer.

"Wait!" Wendy and Dipper say.

I was about to use the titan's blood to return when the two stopped me.

"I really want to learn magic even if it can be painful sometimes," Dipper quickly declares.

"I want to talk personally to Leylin when he wakes up, and I don't think I could live a normal life after all these adventures," she explains before moving towards me.

"And like Dipper, I also want to learn two or three magical tricks," she says enthusiastically.

"No!!!" Mabel shouts.

"You can't leave me alone," as she says these words, tears start to flow from her eyes.

"Mabel, you saw how powerless we were recently, and we won't really be separated since Willow can open portals," Dipper explains, giving her a hug.

"Okay, but we'll go to high school together, promise?" she asks.

"Yes, promise," Dipper responds sincerely.

"I never agreed to take both of you, but I don't think Leylin would be against new students," I declare as I start to open the portal.

"Oh! I almost forget, no one touches the objects collected by Leylin and me in the bunker," I say seriously before leaving through the portal.

...

Mini Author's POV

"It's all well and good that they left, but who's going to explain the situation to Dipper's parents?" Stan Pines says, looking at the freshly closed portal.

"Well, Mr. Pines, you were entrusted with the twins, so it's logical that you find a solution," Soos says, scratching the back of his head.

There was a short silence after Soos's words.

"Soos, shut up," Stan simply says before returning to the bunker.

"Where are you going? It's my bunker originally," Ford says, walking quickly to catch up with the man who had stolen his last home.

"Be careful of the magical traps and mine!!!" McGucket shouted, following them hastily.

"Don't leave me!!" Mabel says, following them.

After a few explosions coming from the bunker, silence and tranquility returned to the forest.

.....

Willow's POV

"Welcome to Leylin's second laboratory," I declare as I exit the portal.

"It's impressive, it looks like a laboratory on Earth with a mystical side added," Dipper declares, looking around.

"Indeed, Leylin was inspired by your laboratories on Earth," I explain before taking the lead to leave the place.

It seems Beast or Huntress haven't come by here today. I understand that Suu is currently busy, but Beast and Huntress should have time to watch this place in their free time.

"Stay here, for now, it's dangerous outside," I give as a warning before heading towards the exit.

"You can leave easy, Willow. We're not kids who need a babysitter, right Dipper?" Wendy declares, but my instinct screams that she'll do something stupid.

"Yes, I agree with Wendy," Dipper responds hastily, glancing at Wendy.

I just nodded to signal that I was entrusting them with the place before leaving with the metal coffin, which contained Leylin's unconscious body.

I really hope they won't do anything stupid. I'm not worried they'll steal something, but I'm afraid one of them might die foolishly.

I didn't take a lot of time to arrive at the Blight residence. I just left this place only 48 hours ago, but I feel like I've experienced a lot of things, or maybe that's exactly the case.

"You can't enter this private residence with this suspicious attire," a guard declares.

I wanted to discuss out of reflex, but I remembered they are damn stubborn. I just sighed before removing my mask to show them my identity, I just hope they won't be too affected by it.

"W...www Willow?" he says, stuttering.

"Indeed, I am Willow. Now, can I pass?" I ask again. The guard nodded mechanically before signaling his colleague to open the entrance.

It's currently dawn in the Boiling Isles. So I headed to the dining room to meet the Blight family.

"Excuse me for the intrusion, Mr. and Mrs. Blight, but... I bring dark news," I say in a serious tone before depositing the metal coffin containing Leylin's unconscious body, visible through the window at the head level.