[In a classroom, a levitating skeleton illusion with organs inside it can be seen.

Camila let out a shriek. "For goodness's sakes, some advanced warning would be nice next time!"

A young Gus then places a plaque under it, which reads: THE TITAN; MEAT TYRANT; OR; VEGGIE KING.

"I think we know the answer to that question now," Luz joked.

Gus gave her a weak smile, but he was cringing internally. Of course his lovely subconscious had decided that this wonderful memory was necessary for them to see to understand the episode. Now everyone was gonna see him get humiliated. And meet Willow, of course, but still.

The skeleton is then revealed to be holding a chicken leg on one hand, and celery on the other as a teacher walks by and sees it.]

Illusion teacher: Very nice work. And how is working with your partner?

Young Gus: No prob. We're practically best friends now.

Gus sighed and scowled at the screen. Luz eyed him sympathetically. She knew exactly what was going on here. As much as Luz's…creative approach to school had dragged down her grades, it was well known to her peers she was quite smart. It was not uncommon for people to pretend to be nice to her, only to stab her in the back as soon as an assignment was completed. It was just the cost of doing business, really. Luz was used to it.

Illusion teacher: Then I think you'll do just fine in this class. [Walks off.]

Young Gus: [Proudly.] You've done it again, Augustus. [Looks at the skeleton.]

[Two students then walk in, both from the illusion track. One of them, the dark-haired boy, is holding two books between his armpits as he listens to his friend speaking.]

Orange-haired student: Yeah, I killed it in fantasy grudgby this weekend.

Dark-haired student: You just.. didn't do the assignment?

Orange-haired student: I got the new prodigy to do it for me. And all I had to do was pretend to be his friend. Hmm?

"Why is he putting pretend in air quotes?" Vee wondered. "Doesn't that mean you're being sarcastic about something? Wouldn't that mean he really wasn't pretending to be Gus's friend?"

"It's a nice thought, Vee," Gus said. "But he's just doing that because he's an idiot."

Camila clenched her fists. Children, it would seem, were the same no matter what dimension they were living in. Those without talent were always trying to take advantage of those with it.

"Say, Gus, could you tell me their names?" Hunter said in a casual tone, his eyes filled with blazing hatred. No one treated his friend like that and got away with it!

"Not with that look in your eyes, no."

[Someone sniffles, which is revealed to be Gus, upset that someone only used him to do the assignment. He dispels the illusion, grabs his bag and runs away in tears.]

"Oh, honey," Camila said. "You don't need people like him. You have us now."

"Thanks, Camila."

Orange-haired student: Aw, come on, dude! It was just a joke!

[Gus runs inside a classroom and sits down dejectedly.]

Young Gus: You've done it again, Augustus. Why does this keep happening? [Bangs his head accidentally on the desk behind him; a book from above it hits him.] Ow! [His eyes turn blue.] Oh, no. No, no, not this!

[Illusions of the two students who he encountered earlier escape from behind him and he projects a wide illusion of the forest as the two students approach him.]

Orange-haired student illusion: [Laughs.] Aww, the poor wittle baby got his feewings hurt.

Luz couldn't bear to watch. Her friend looked so small and vulnerable, even though she knew this was, in fact, a demonstration of his ample power.

Dark-haired student illusion: Talent can't make up for gullibility. [The two laugh at Gus, making him feel more dejected.]

[Just then, they hear another voice, attempting to communicate with Gus.]

Unknown student: Um.. [Different voice.] Hello there. [An abomination waves slowly at Gus; its hand suddenly melts, revealing the bone of a finger.]

"Willow!" everyone shouted. Willow gave a wave.

[Someone chuckles and reveals themselves from another desk; it turns out to be a younger Willow.]

"It's so weird seeing you in abomination clothes," Luz commented. "I've gotten so used to you in your plant outfit."

"It's a good change," Hunter decided. "Green is your color. I mean, anything is your color! I'm not saying you look bad in pink! It's just the green goes with your eyes, and –"

"Hunter, relax," Willow said with a gentle smile. "It's okay."

Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. He had honestly no clue how to be a good boyfriend. So far, he'd figured it was being like a super good friend with extra kissing, and that hadn't failed him yet, but he kept on having the nagging feeling he was missing stuff.

Young Willow: Sorry, I- I was trying to be funny, but, I just ended up being horrifying. I.. thought I was the only one that hid here.

Dark-haired student illusion: Uh, who's that?

Orange-haired student illusion: You might as well just do her homework now. Get it over with.

"Ha, joke's on you, horrible phantasms!" Luz said. "He can't do her homework, cause they're in different tracks!"

Young Gus: [Covers his head.] Go away!

Young Willow: [Confused.] Are you talking to me?

Young Gus: All of you!

[Willow smiles, purges through the illusion and sits beside Gus.]

Young Willow: Hey. Sometimes I get wrapped up in my own thoughts too. But my dads taught me a little trick to quiet the voices.

[She starts inhaling, her hands counting from 1 to four, and exhaling as her hands count back to 1. Gus follows the second time, and after, his eyes turn normal again. The illusions start to disappear.]

So that was where Gus had learned that breathing tactic. Hunter never would have guessed. Willow was so confident now, it was difficult to remember it hadn't always been that way.

Orange-haired student illusion: Huh? No, no, I don't wanna go!

[He and the dark-haired student scream as they disappear and the wide illusion disappears. The classroom returns back to normal.]

Young Willow: I'm Willow. [Offers her hand to him; he takes it.]

Young Gus: Augustus. [The two shake hands.]

-THEME SONG, but it is cut short and only shows the show's title-

"There's a lot of ground to cover, so I asked Luz to not show the theme," Amity explained.

[Cut to the cafeteria. Amity shows Willow and Gus the messages from Luz on her game device.]

Amity: These are the last messages I got from Luz. [Cut to a view of the trio, looking worried.] She must've typed them quickly, because all I could decipher was, "Learned a lot of bad stuff," something, something, "Day of Unity," something, something and, "Don't scare 'em away"? I don't know what any of it means.

Luz gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry! I was…um, well, to put it bluntly, kinda really traumatized?"

"Well, it'd have been more helpful to have all the info, but I won't hold it against you," Amity said. "That last comment, were you talking about Hunter?"

Luz nodded. "Since you told me about offering him a chance back at Eclipse Lake, I thought he might go to your house and take you up on your offer."

"Oh, wow, I always thought you knew about him being at Hexside," Gus mused.

"Well, it was for the best he didn't show up at the manor," Amity said with a grimace. "Mom would have handed him over to the emperor in a heartbeat."

Gus: What about all those hearts? [Amity quickly blushes.]

Amity: Oh. [Chuckles.] Those are for me.

Willow: I went by and checked out the Owl House. It was crawling with Coven Scouts. I was thinking of capturing one for information, but...

Amity: It's okay, Willow. They're tough. Not everyone can stand up to them.

Amity grimaced. "Sorry, Willow. I shouldn't have underestimated you."

Willow sighed. "Well…it's okay, I guess."

"Doesn't sound okay," Amity pointed out.

"Well…I guess I just wanted you to see I was a strong witch," Willow said. "When we stopped being friends, you said it was because I wasn't strong. When you had doubts about me…I kind of worried you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore." Amity never thought about it like that. "And, sure, I knew the truth, but it's not so easy to just accept a new truth after years of having the old one rattling around in my head."

Hunter nodded fervently. "You can say that again."

Willow: [Squints suspiciously.] But I didn't want to bring any more attention to Luz and Eda.

"Not to mention, what would you have done with them afterwards?" Vee pointed out. "If you let them go, you could have gone to the Conformatorium. Or your dads." Willow had never considered it that way.

Amity: Oh! [Awkwardly.] Of course, yes. Smart move.

[From somewhere, the bell screams and rings. Amity picks up her food tray and walks off with a depressed expression on her face, as Willow follows her with a dejected expression.]

Gus: [To Willow.] Hey. You should say something.

Willow: I'm fine.

"Speaking as a master of emotional suppression, you are not fine, Willow," Luz pronounced. "Hey, you know you can talk about these things with me, right?"

"Really? Even if it's about your awesome girlfriend?"

"Well…I mean, she's not the only person in my life," Luz said, fiddling with her hands awkwardly. "I'm sure I could, like, mediate if you were having issues. Maybe?"

"Thanks, Luz," Willow said. She wasn't sure she believed it was possible for Luz to be unbiased in such matters, but she appreciated the thought nonetheless.

We just started hanging out again, and, she needs time to get to know the new me.

Gus: You mean the real you. [Winks at Willow.]

"The best you," Hunter said. Willow blushed.

Willow: Mm-hmm. [She winks back and walks off.]

[As Willow walks off with Amity, Gus has just scooped up his lunch when he hears rattling from the trash bin. He turns around to look at it, and out comes Flapjack with a half-eaten sandwich on his beak and chirps.]

Gus: [Gasps.] I remember you!

[Flapjack chirps, drops the sandwich and runs off.

"You sneaky little avian!" Hunter shouted, but there was a fond tone to his voice. "You led him to me deliberately!"

I couldn't let you keep eating garbage! It was undignified!

Gus pockets his lunch, summons his staff and rides on it.]

Gus: Wait, get back here!

[Flapjack flies through the hallways as Gus follows him, and he eventually ends up in the Paranoratorium, Hexside's closed theater. Upon landing, Gus looks around, armed with his staff. Suddenly, someone comes up behind him, and he gasps. The figure steps forward. It's revealed to be Hunter, with a hood and looking rather disheveled.]

"Well, you look like you've seen better days," Vee commented.

"I don't see much of a difference," Luz snarked and gave Vee a high five. Hunter glared at her.

Gus: What are you doing here, Golden Guard?

Hunter: Wouldn't you like to know. [Chuckles.] But rest assured, Gus, I-

[Both hear clattering sounds as Gus looks behind Hunter, confused. Behind him, Gus spots a few packets of Hex Mix and a few books.

"Are those books on grimwalkers?" Willow asked.

Hunter nodded. "I didn't find anything useful. Just tall tales. Belos probably deliberately muddled the waters so no one would know what a real grimwalker was."

Hunter instead attempts to hides it with his cape, embarrassed.]

Hunter groaned. Was it too much to ask for a modicum of dignity?

Gus: I'll ask you one more time. What are you doing here, Hunter?

[Hunter doesn't speak until Flapjack flies across him and bites his singed hair, making his hood come off.]

Flapjack was completely unrepentant and told his Hunter as much. Sometimes drastic measures were necessary to stop his Hunter from being an idiot. Despite Belos's delusions, his Hunter and his Caleb had very little in common, but their propensity for doing stupid things and not trusting people who could help them was one of them.

Hunter: [Angrily.] Ow, ow, ow, ow! Okay, fine! [Stares angrily at Flapjack as he perches himself on Hunter's shoulder.] Truth is, my living situation has been compromised. Maybe. So I just need a place to crash. Temporarily! Hexside.. was the only place I could think of.

Camila let out a gasp. "Oh, mijo. You were eating out of the trash? And hiding? Oh, that's no way to live. You poor thing."

"On the contrary," Hunter said sharply. "It was the only way for me to live. Like Amity said, if I'd gone to her house, I'd be dead, and it's not as if the Owl Lady would have gone out of her way to protect me."

"You don't know that!" Luz protested.

"Yes, I do."

Camila gave a noncommittal noise. "Well, as long as you're under my roof, you're certainly not going to eat out of the trash, young man."

Gus: How... vague of you. Do you know where Luz is, by any chance?

Hunter: [Surprised.] She's... not with the Owl Lady?

[Just then, Bump's voice rings out from the speakers.]

Principal Bump: [From speakers.] Students, please join me in the gym for an important announcement.

Camila groaned. She had a very bad feeling about this.

Gus: [Summons his lunch bag and hands it to Hunter.] I'm not sure what you're going through, but that much Hex Mix can't be good for your stomach.

"It's definitely not," Amity confirmed. "Witches – and grimwalkers, I supposed – require a balanced diet."

"And that doesn't mean rations, young man!" Camila said sternly. "You don't eat enough as it is. We've got to get more hearty meals into you."

[Hunter looks inside the bag to find an orange, an apple and a sandwich. Gus runs off as Hunter looks at him. Cut to inside the gym, where the students are gathered into a crowd. Gus enters.]

Viney: What's going on?

[Above the stage is the illusion teacher, a hooded figure, and Bump.]

Principal Bump: Uh, students, teachers, let me introduce the esteemed-

Hooded figure: Please, Principal Bump, I deserve no accolades.

[The hooded figure steps forward and takes off his hood.]

Camila let out a gasp. "That earring he's wearing, that's the mirror you're using to project all of this!" Gus nodded.

Adrian: Hello everyone, my name is Adrian Graye, Head Witch of the Illusionist Coven.

"I thought his last name was Vernworth," Hunter mused. He remembered Adrian from the coven meetings. He was so full of himself, it was a wonder there was room for a bile sac in him.

[The students gasp and start muttering worriedly.]

Adrian: Unfortunately, I'm not here with good news. The Emperor's Coven has plans to stop multitrack studies, by inducting every Hexside student into a coven, before the Day of Unity.

Camila let out a gasp. She knew, intellectually, that Belos's genocidal plans included the death of children, but it was still a shock to her system to see actual proof of it.

[Everyone gasps in shock. Viney, Barcus and Jerbo look at each other worriedly.]

"Multitracking was really starting to take off by this point," Amity informed Camila and Vee. "It was definitely starting to become a threat to the status quo."

"I can see that," Camila commented, noting the various people, including Matt and the Blight twins, now wearing multitrack uniforms. Luz gave a proud grin.

Mattholomule: Mother Titan! [Rips off his sleeves and crosses his arms grumpily.]

Gus rolled his eyes. "Always have to be the drama queen, don't you, Matt?"

Principal Bump: Don't worry. No one's magic is going to be sealed away. Head Witch Graye supports us, and has come to help.

[Upon hearing this, Mattholomule takes back his sleeves, puts them on, and crosses his arms again, embarrassed.

Gus couldn't help but snicker. In the moment, however, he hadn't felt mirthful at all. Even though he was committed to illusions, the prospect of having his magic from other tracks permanently sealed away filled him with dread.

A teacher then comes up to Edric and takes him by the shoulder.]

Adrian: Before any Coven Scouts come by, I'm going to make illusions of sigils on your wrists. [A hesitant Edric is led into the stage.] They'll be temporary, and harmless.

Edric: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, wait, I just started the other tracks. Are you sure this is safe?

Adrian: Don't worry, once a scout sees the fake sigil, they'll move on, and you can continue your studies in peace. [Edric, still hesitant, rolls up his sleeve and shows his wrist.] Now hold still.

[Adrian draws a spell circle in the air and aims it towards Edric's wrist. Gus gets suspicious of this, but then he sees illusion magic brandishing Adrian's hand. Gus realizes this is a trap.]

Amity shuddered. It was bad enough to realize back then that her brother had almost gotten suckered into being branded, but now that she knew the true purpose of the brands was to kill him, it was a million times worse!

Gus: [Gasps.] Stop! [Everyone looks at him.] Don't trust him! He's hiding behind an illusion!

[Gus draws a huge spell circle, and aims it towards the stage.

Luz whistled. That was a lot of power Gus was expending there. She knew he had talent, but wow, this was something else.

The illusion dispels and Adrian is revealed to be a Scout Captain in disguise. Edric fearfully shields his wrist as the illusion teacher and Bump step forward and protect him.

Camila nodded in satisfaction at Bump's actions. While she still had issues about some of his methods, there was no doubt in her mind now that he genuinely cared about his students and wanted them to succeed, even if that meant defying the government. Certainly Vice Principal Stone wouldn't have done the same.

The illusion teacher and the captain draw spell circles simultaneously, when suddenly, the real Adrian's voice can be heard.]

Adrian: Cut! [The teacher and the Coven Scout call off their spell circles in surprise.] Just... just cut.

[From the bleachers in the gym, Coven Scouts start appearing, to the shock and disturbance of the students. Some Coven Scouts also appear on stage too, a few handling the lights, and a few handling vocals. The real Adrian then appears, in a director's seat, in the middle of the stage. Adrian is holding a cup of coffee and looks like he's about to laugh.]

Adrian: All right, couple of notes. Tom, [Walks over to a Coven Scout.] that Adrian illusion was lacking a certain, hmm? You get me? [Tom shrugs in confusion.] Severine! That was really... poor, work. You're on thin ice. [Severine whimpers.] Captain, [Walks over to the captain, who was pretending to be Adrian.] the read of your last line was just a little... mm. [Gestures.]

Camila rolled her eyes. She hated supervisors who were extremely vague about their instructions and then blamed their subordinates when they invariably got it wrong. Thank goodness she was her own boss now.

Guard Captain: I don't know what that means.

Adrian: [Hands him the cup of coffee and winks.] You'll figure it out. [Teleports beside Gus and grabs his arm.] And you. Well, you just ruined any chance we had of making this, something.

Gus: You were gonna trick us into getting sigils! [He attempts to escape Adrian's tight grip unsuccessfully; a Coven Scout hands Adrian a glove with a coven sigil on it, which he wears.]

Everyone let out a gasp, even the people who had been there. Gus quickly rolled up his sleeves, showing them to be unmarked. "It's okay! Everything was fine!"

Adrian: Uh, yeah. I work for Belos. Kind of my job. But let's make sure you [The brand on his glove changes from illusion to abomination.]

Gus flinched at the reminder. It had been the scariest moment of his life. He knew nothing about abominations, and he loved illusions with all his heart. If he had been forced to give up the magic he loved so much…well, a part of him genuinely would rather have been dead.

can never use your little illusion tricks again... [Sinisterly.] shall we?

[Everyone gasps, horrified. Gus attempts to escape Adrian's grip again as Adrian's glove slowly reaches to his wrist.]

"You disgusting man!" Camila shouted. "I'm sure glad you stole the mirror from this guy. He doesn't deserve it!"

Gus: No, no, stay back! I said, stay.. back!

[The word "back" echoes, and his eyes glow blue again. He projects yet another wide illusion, but this time, the illusion keeps shifting locations, confusing everyone. Everyone starts running in different directions. Adrian looks at Gus, astonished.]

"Wow," Vee breathed, absolutely transfixed at the incredible power Gus was able to wield. "This is amazing. I could be fed for years with all this magic…" She coughed. "Uh, I mean, good job?"

Adrian: How are you doing this?!

"With the power of awesomeness, that's how!" Luz said.

"That's not a thing," Hunter complained.

[Gus attempts to escape his grip again. Just then, Hunter passes through the illusion and pushes Adrian out of the way, taking Gus with him as they both disappear. Cut to black. Cut again to the shifting illusion. Willow and Amity run through it as they attempt to escape. Eventually, the illusion steadies and they are seen in the carnival.]

"It looks so incredibly lifelike, Gus," Camila praised. "You're really talented."

"Oh, I bet we could use your illusions to make Good Witch Azura fan films!" Luz said. "Please, Gus? Please, please, please?!"

"Uh…maybe," Gus hedged.

Amity: Whoa, what? How did we get here?

[The two start to look around as Amity summons her scroll. Willow walks towards a nearby wall and touches it.]

Willow: I think it's an illusion.

Amity: I just got a text from Ed. He, Bump and a bunch of others are in the Healing Homeroom. [Makes her scroll disappear.] We should find our way over.

[A Coven Scout suddenly looms behind Willow.]

Amity: Willow, watch out!

[She attempts to draw a spell circle in the air, but the Coven Scout is suddenly trapped in vines, having been summoned by Willow.]

Hunter smirked. As if there was a doubt some mere coven scout would ever be a match for his girlfriend.

Willow: [Chuckles.] I got it.

Amity: Lucky shot, Willow. [Walks off.]

Amity put her head in her hands. "I'm so embarrassed right now…"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Willow said. "You learned your lesson. I'm just grateful this didn't stop us being friends."

[Willow stares at Amity, concerned.]

Coven Scout: Hey, don't listen to her. You totally got me.

Everyone burst out laughing, including Amity.

[In another place somewhere at the school, Hunter and Gus are also running through the shifting illusion, when it finally steadies and they are seen somewhere in the streets of Bonesborough. Suddenly, they bump into a wall, which actually turns out to be one of the lockers, and they fall to the ground.]

Hunter: [Groans.] Why are we here? [Gus stands up, and he becomes astonished.] Whoa, Gus. Wha- Is your eye okay?

[One of Gus's eyes is revealed to be blue; he rubs his eyes in confusion and looks again. Cut to Gus's perspective; the blue eye can see through his illusions while the other cannot.]

"Does that hurt, cariño?" Camila asked with worry. Gus shook his head.

Gus: My spell, it's still active.

Hunter: [Stands up.] Well, you're a witch... unspell it.

"Pretty sure unspell is not a word," Luz pointed out. Hunter just stuck his head up stubbornly.

Gus: No, I- I don't know how, I've never made one this big before.

Hunter: Well, if we're still in Hexside, [He guides himself through the wall.] we should find a teacher. [Gus follows him as the two walk off.] Maybe they'll know how to help.

Gus: Hunter, why'd you save me back there? From getting a sigil? Don't those guys work for you?

Hunter: I owed you. For the food.

"Sure, Hunter," Gus said smugly. "For the food."

[They stop at a staircase.] Are these real steps or illusion steps?

[Hunter tries skipping over it, but immediately falls down the stairs, groaning. Gus looks horrified.]

Hunter: [Weakly.] Real steps.

Gus gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry…"

Gus: [Walks down the stairs; guiding himself through the wall beside him.] When we first met you were trying to trick me into joining a coven. And now you're helping me stay away from one... 'cause of a.. sandwich?

"Well, I mean, how do you even start that conversation?" Hunter complained. "Hey, turns out, I'm a total moron who served the will of a genocidal tyrant who isn't even my uncle! Also, he's plotting to kill everyone! Also, I'm not even a real witch! I'm a freaking grimwalker!"

"Hey, man, I don't care about you being a grimwalker," Gus reminded him. "You know that. I wouldn't have cared back then either. I mean, who cares about species? I got witch friends, I got demon friends, I got a human friend – I don't discriminate."

Hunter sighed. "Yeah, but…I just wanted to keep my dignity, you know? Well, what little of it I had left after scrounging in the trash. I really wanted to hold onto the last scraps. There's nothing…nothing in my past I can be proud of. Everything I did was wrong."

Not true! Flapjack said urgently. You turned against Belos, you saved me! You're smart! You're a good son to Camila and a good boyfriend to Willow and a good friend to everyone else!

"I'm not sure what he's saying, but I can tell you now that your future is going to be filled with things you can be proud of," Camila promised.

Hunter gave a sad smile. "Thanks, mom. But it's just…I was once the second most powerful man in the Isles. I had power. I had authority. And now I'm just an ordinary teenager. It's kind of a blow."

"Yeah…but I bet you're happier," Willow pointed out.

"Yeah. I guess I am."

Hunter: [Walks away.] It was a good sandwich.

"It was a really good sandwich," Hunter said. "I bet between you and mom, we can have some of the best meals in the Human Realm!"

Gus: No sandwich is that good. [Follows Hunter, who still refuses to speak.] Come on, if we wanna find a way through this, we need to trust each other. What's going on with you?

[The two eventually stop walking. Hunter is about to say something until someone interrupts them.]

Hunter: I..

Coven Scout: Hey! It's the kid!

"How dare you spoil a heartfelt emotional moment," Luz shouted, shaking her fist at the screen.

[Upon spotting two Coven Scouts in front of them, Hunter immediately summons his staff and attacks one of the scouts, but gets intercepted when abomination goo, summoned by the other scout, takes his staff and traps his body in goo.

Willow gave a bestial growl at the screen.

The scout attempts to take the staff, but it immediately transforms into Flapjack and flies around him, trying to distract him.]

"KICK HIS ASS, FLAPJACK!" Willow screamed.

Gus: Hunter! [Tries to run towards Hunter but is restrained by the other scout in vines.]

[A Coven Scout approaches Hunter but stops upon recognizing him.]

Coven Scout 1: Wait, aren't you the Golden Guard?

Coven Scout 2: Seriously? Dude, what the heck? We're on the same side.

Coven Scout 1: Our deepest apologies, sir. [Calls off the abomination goo, freeing Hunter.] The Emperor sent out a search party for you, he's been worried sick.

"More like he wanted to kill me," Hunter muttered.

[At the mention of Belos, Hunter immediately flinches, and tries to hide it.]

"It's gonna be okay, mijo," Camila swore. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. Belos is gone."

"But…but what if he's not?" Hunter demanded. "Belos knew about more advanced magic than anyone! He knew all sorts of secrets the Collector taught him over the centuries! What if he found a way to come back?!"

Camila gave him a confident grin. "Well, if he's still alive, then he'll feel the full power of la chancla! No one hurts my children and lives to tell the tale!" For some reason, even though Hunter knew la chancla was just a sandal, Hunter suddenly felt a lot more secure.

Hunter: [Hesitantly.] You don't say...

[Flapjack immediately flies towards Gus and begins chipping his vines. Meanwhile, Gus spots some leftover abomination goo in front of his feet.]

Coven Scout 2: I'd be honored to escort you back to the castle, sir. I'm sure the Emperor would be thrilled to know you're okay. Say.. why aren't you in uniform?

[Gus is then shown drawing a fire glyph using the abomination goo in front of his feet and upon finishing it, activates it. Hunter is then shown looking nervous.]

Hunter: Uh, I-

[Before he can finish, a wave of fire hits the Coven Scouts, making them fall down.

"Nice work, Gus!" Luz said. "I knew teaching you the ways of mass destruction would come in handy one of these days."

"I don't know what upsets me more, the sentence in itself or the fact you're right," Camila said.

Hunter is taken by surprise as the wave barely passes him.]

Gus: Follow me! [Runs off; Hunter and Flapjack follow him.]

[The Coven Scouts chase after them as they run into a tangible wall, confusing the Coven Scouts. Scene then cuts to the two panting behind the door, and they are shown to be in Gus's room. Hunter starts panicking once more.]

Hunter: Oh Titan! He's looking for me! He'll know I'm here. I-I g-gotta run. I-I gotta hide! I g- [Breathing heavily.]

Hunter sat down next to Camila and held his arms out to signal he wanted to be hugged. Camila immediately obliged. "I've got you, Hunter," Camila vowed. "I've got you, son."

Luz stood up, but Hunter shook his head and she sat down again. Luz got it. Sometimes, you just needed a mother's touch.

[Gus puts his hand on Hunter's shoulder, which makes Hunter stop hyperventilating and look up at him.]

Gus: Hey. Try to breathe. Like this.

[Gus repeats the technique that Willow showed him; he starts inhaling, counting from 1 to 4, and then exhales and counts back to 1. He repeats as Hunter follows along, eventually calming down.]

"I'm just so lucky to have a good friend like you, Gus," Hunter said, wiping a tear away from his eye.

Gus: Did you run away from the Emperor's Coven?

[Hunter nods.]

Gus: Why?

[Hunter opens his mouth to speak, reconsiders, glares at Gus, then buries his face in his arms.]

"Ugh, it was just so hard to trust people," Hunter admitted. "I mean, I didn't know much about you, Gus. I didn't know how strong you were. But…we were on a team together, at least. And I didn't want you to think badly of me either."

Gus: Not too long ago, when I showed a little talent and started taking more advanced classes, it always felt like anyone who wanted to be my friend had an ulterior motive. Until I met Willow. And, eventually Luz, and some others.

Luz waved cheerfully. Gus waved back.

[He gets up and walks toward pictures of him with Luz, Willow, and even Mattholomule.]

"You hung up our banned posters!" Luz said with a grin. "Aw, Eda would be so proud of you. You'll be a part of the Bad Girl Coven yet!"

So yeah, not everybody's great, but not everybody's bad either, y'know? For what it's worth, you can trust me. I promise not to mess with you.

Hunter: [Scoffs.] That's not worth anything. Stop acting foolish.

"Hey, no, I get it," Gus said before Hunter could say anything. "Back at the castle, all of the 'friendships' were transactional. You didn't know what it was like in the real world. But you do now. And I'm glad you finally trusted me, man."

Gus: All right, tough guy. Let's keep moving then.

[Gus walks through the wall, Hunter stands and looks at Gus's pictures, then turns to leave. The scene cuts back to Willow and Amity as a Coven scout is thrown across the screen. The Guard Captain then summons a rock scout from the ground and lunges it towards the girls.]

Willow: I got this! [Draws a spell circle on the ground.]

Amity: No, I got this! [She too draws a spell circle.]

[Willow's magic summons vines and Amity's magic summons an abomination, but the vines end up impaling the abomination; the rock scout nearly hits the girls, who dodge the attack as the rock scout slides through the wall.]

Amity did a face palm. "What was I even thinking? Why did I doubt you so much?"

"You were scared," Willow speculated. "You were lapsing into old habits of thinking I'm weak. I understand. I sure didn't like it, but even then, I kind of understood."

Willow: [Frustrated.] What are you doing?

Amity: I just got you back as a friend. Let me protect you!

[A bookshelf appears above Amity. It nearly topples on her before it's caught by Willow. She summons vines to both keep the bookshelf from crushing her, and knocking out the Guard Captain.]

"Wow," Hunter breathed. "So strong…"

Willow: [Grunts.] I don't want your protection! I want you to see who I really am!

[She pushes the bookshelf aside

"Whoa…" Hunter breathed, his mouth open with astonishment. "How did I ever get so lucky to have someone like her interested in me?"

the illusion teacher, Edric and Emira open a way out of the illusion as Bump appears in front of them.]

Principal Bump: Come quick!

[Willow runs past Amity, holding her arm in pain, Amity soon follows her. Scene cuts back to Gus and Hunter as they run into the school hallway.]

Hunter: Is this...real?

Gus: [Touches a water fountain and gets gum stuck on his hand; he groans in disgust.] Yes! Yeah, we made it through the illusion! High five!

[Hunter confusingly raises his hand to Gus, which he slaps, causing him to grunt; "Willow" is seen walking through the halls and stops as she notices the boys.]

"Wait a second, weren't you with Principal Bump?" Luz said, scratching her head. Willow nodded.

Gus: Willow! You're okay!

Willow: Augustus! I've been looking everywhere for you! [Notices Hunter.] Whoa, what is he doing here?

Gus: Oh, don't worry. It's cool. He helped me escape from Graye. [Whispers.] I think he ran away from the Emperor's Coven. Also, he hasn't showered. In a while. Be nice.

"HEY!" Hunter said. "You didn't have to tell her that! You're making me look bad!" He just thanked his lucky stars the real Willow hadn't heard that.

Willow: Interesting. Anyway, let's find the others before these illusions get any more...[Squeals.]

"I should have known better," Gus lamented. "The real Willow never would have feared my magic!"

"Wait, that's not the real Willow?" Luz said. She gasped. "Oh, no! Maybe it's one of the other basilisks!"

Vee looked over at Gus, who quickly shook his head. "Aw."

[Hunter looks at her suspiciously.]

Gus: Okay, let's get moving.

[Hunter summons his staff and teleports in front of the two.]

Hunter: Who are you?

Gus: [Stands in front of "Willow".] What are you doing? Willow's on our side!

"Sorry, Willow," Gus said with a wince. "I mean, how did I not see through this? I've known you for so many years!"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Willow said. "It's a pretty good imitation."

Hunter: That's not the captain.

Willow: You're scaring me, Hunter!

Hunter: Have you ever seen her play Flyer Derby? There's no way she'd be afraid of me.

Willow beamed at him with pride. She knew very well from their texting just how dorky and ultimately harmless Hunter was. He was right. The day she was scared of him was the day the Boiling Sea froze over.

[Gus starts to back away from her.]

Adrian: Oh, again? Cut!

["Willow" reveals that she is Severine in disguise.]

Adrian: Severine! [Severine squeaks in surprise.] You had your chance, and you blew it! Not that I'm surprised.

Severine: But I-I followed all your notes.

Adrian: Well, he was still able to see through your shoddy performance. So maybe you should've figured out the note inside the note.

"What does that even mean?" Camila complained. "The note inside the note? He's just a terrible director! He should own it!"

[Severine walks away, whining.] And you two, are making my job very difficult.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, I bet!" Luz said proudly.

[Hunter and Gus run away from Graye, but are halted in their tracks by Belos.]

Luz let out a shriek of horror. No one had ever told her about Belos being at the school!

Hunter: [Fearfully.] Belos...

"You're here with me," Camila said soothingly into Hunter's ear. "It's just a memory. He can't hurt you."

[Graye kicks Hunter to the ground and grabs Gus by the arms. He holds Hunter down with his foot and snaps his fingers to summon the two scouts casting Belos as an illusion.]

Luz breathed a sigh of relief. False alarm. It was just an illusion.

Hunter: I command you to stop!

[The scouts stop advancing on him.]

Scout: Technically, he is our superior.

Adrian: Well, right now he's just a runaway, and our dearest Emperor wants him back. So tie him up.

Hunter sulked. He should have known better than to think that would work. As much as he loved the love and respect he got from the people who loved him, a part of him really missed the authority he'd wielded as well.

[The two pick up Hunter, who proceeds to kick the scout and headbutt the Captain.]

"YEAH!" Willow shouted. "Get them! Pulverize them! Make them all scream!"

Guard Captain: [Groans.] Just put him-

Scout: Out of his misery? Got it! [Draws a spell circle.]

Camila let out an animalistic snarl at the screen. "HOW DARE YOU?! NO ONE TRIES TO KILL MY SON AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" Hunter grinned widely. "YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN WE GET BACK! YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!"

Guard Captain: To sleep, dude! To sleep!

Scout: Oh, yeah. Right, right. [He summons a flute and plays a tune that expels a gas.]

[The gas causes Hunter to slowly close his eyes. When he opens them, the scene changes to the Healing Homeroom with Flapjack looking down on him, he is soon accompanied by Skara and Viney.]

Skara: He's waking up!

Hunter smiled. It was nice to see his teammate again. Since Skara and Viney's stories didn't really intersect with him and his friends' a lot, he was happy for the rare opportunities he got to see them. He really hoped they were okay.

[Hunter sits up and rubs his head in pain. He looks around the room and is surprised. Cut to a view of the room. Barcus is licking a scar on one of his paws, while beside him is Jerbo, his leg being wrapped around with a gauze roll. Bump is damping a wet cloth onto Mattholomule's arm. Emira is then shown summoning a spell circle and holding it up to a part of Edric's scraped head.

"Oh, when I get my hands on whoever hurt Edric, they're history," Amity vowed, slamming her fist against the open palm of her other hand in emphasis.

Willow is then shown getting a part of her arm healed by Cat. After looking calm for a while, Hunter starts to get up.]

Hunter: [Gasps.] T-This.. This is an illusion! Gus! Are you- ah!

[He tries to stands up, but falls to the floor and groans. Viney and Skara help him up.]

Viney: Whoa! It's okay. Try not to stand so fast.

Skara: This isn't an illusion. You're in the Healing Homeroom.

[Bump approaches Hunter with a distrustful look on his face.]

Hunter wasn't too bothered about Bump distrusting him. After all, as far as Bump knew, he was still loyal to the Emperor's Coven, which had just tricked him and attacked his school. Hunter would have done exactly the same thing in his shoes.

Principal Bump: Well, Mr. Golden Guard.

Hunter: [Manages to stand up.] Hunter. [Flapjack flies up to him and perches on his shoulder.]

Flapjack echoed the move in real life. Hunter stroked his wings in acknowledgement.

Principal Bump: We saw you being dragged around, and the flyer derby team was determined to save you. [Hunter looks at Skara and Viney, surprised.]

"I'm so lucky to have great friends," Hunter said.

But I am not yet convinced of your innocence. Where have your scouts taken Augustus?

[Everyone is now eyeing Hunter with suspicious and distrustful looks on their faces, except Viney and Skara.]

Edric: That's the Golden Guard?

Amity dissolved into a fit of giggles. It served Edric right after all that time ranting about how the Golden Guard must have been so dreamy underneath that mask to finally come face to face with him at his worst.

Emira: [Whispers to Edric.] Dude looks sickly.

Mattholomule: [Pops out from behind Edric.] I could probably take him.

Hunter scoffed. "In your dreams."

Barcus: [Barks and growls lowly.]

Hunter: I- I'm not with them, I swear! I was with Gus the whole time. I was trying to get him to you.

Illusion teacher: Maybe we can trade him for Augustus. I'm sure the Emperor would want him back.

Camila let out a gasp. "How dare you? He's just a kid! My precious little boy," she added, giving him an extra tight hug.

"I'm not little," Hunter muttered perfunctorily.

"You're my little boy," Camila said firmly and Hunter's resistance entirely collapsed as he nodded.

[Hunter flinches at this. Scene cuts to Willow, exercising her arm which had just been healed.]

Hunter: I'm not lying, Gus was showing me around. T-There was a sandwich, he showed me this breathing thing.

[Upon hearing about the breathing technique, Willow realizes he's not lying.]

Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't mentioned the breathing technique, there was no way they wouldn't have handed them over.

Hunter: Please, you gotta believe me!

[Willow puts a hand on his shoulder.]

Willow: He's telling the truth. [Smiles at Hunter, then steps forward.] And he can help us drive Head Witch Graye and his scouts out of the school. [Looks at Hunter.]

Hunter: Y-Yes! Um, Graye said he'll be in the gym. But he will be guarded.

Amity: [Stands up.] That won't be a problem. Willow can bust through anything. [Willow smiles, now knowing Amity trusts her fully.]

"Finally, you're showing some sense," Hunter said.

Willow: Yeah. But I'll need help.

[Amity starts walking towards her but Mattholomule reaches her first.]

Mattholomule: Say no more, I'm on it. [Willow eyes him, annoyed.]

Gus groaned. "Must you spoil this heartfelt moment, Matt?"

Principal Bump: [Sighs.] Let's just come up with a plan.

Skara: Yes! [Starts clapping excitedly.] This is my favorite part!

[Scene cuts to inside the gym, which is enveloped inside an illusion of the Looking Glass Ruins.]

Adrian: And yes, at first, I thought that fooling children was a waste of my impressive talents.

"What impressive talents?" Camila pointed out. "You've gotten outmaneuvered at every turn! Gus is ten times more powerful than you!"

[Adrian keeps pacing back and forth in front of a captive Gus, being held by two Coven Scouts.]

Adrian: But I realized that a true genius can find the art in everything he does and- [Realizes Gus is not paying attention to him.] Hey. Hey!

[The captive Gus is looking rather guilt-ridden and hopeless.]

Gus: [Sighs disappointedly.] You've done it again, Augustus. You can't even tell Willow apart from the fake one. [Adrian snaps his fingers in front of him.]

"Hey, no more moping!" Willow ordered him. "That's a coven head you were up against! You would have been lucky to survive, but instead you beat him!"

Adrian: Yoo-hoo. Come on. Are you listening? This is my monologue. Now, this- is- your- doing?

Gus: [Turns away guiltily.] Yeah. It's all my fault.

Adrian: Oh. Right. All about you. Now how about telling me how you know about the Looking Glass Graveyard? I've been looking for the Galdorstones. [Walks over to a statue and touches it.] They'd make great gifts for the Emperor. Where did you say you found them? [No response from Gus, who looks at him angrily instead.] Ah. Boring.

[He gestures towards the Coven Scouts and they hold Gus to the point where his arms are tied. Adrian then takes his mirror-shaped earring.]

Adrian: See this mirror? It's a handy little magic amplifier. [Draws a spell circle.] It'll help me sort through those little memories of yours.

Camila just thanked her lucky stars the mirror was being put to a more noble purpose now.

[He then aims the spell circle towards Gus using the mirror-shaped earring. Gus starts writhing in pain.]

Camila unloaded a plethora of Hungarian swears at the screen. That sniveling coward dared hurt a child! She hoped he got tossed into prison next to Warden Wrath.

Gus: [Groans.] Ah, stop! Wait, this hurts!

Adrian: Oh, don't be so dramatic.

"Dramatic?!" Camila shouted. "You're hurting him!"

[The illusion all around the school dispels through a large orb. Adrian looks around.]

Adrian: Hmm. Well, that's one less thing to worry about. Now, where were we?

[Upon turning around, however, he discovers Gus's eyes are now both blue. He starts creating an orb that grows rapidly.

Luz grinned and clapped her hands. This was going to be awesome.

Adrian and the others step back in shock. Back outside the gym, a Guard Captain looks towards his left, and spots Principal Bump walking towards them.]

Guard Captain: [Blocks the path.] Gym is off-limits. Graye's orders.

Principal Bump: Graye may be Head Witch, but I'm still principal. It'd be wise to let me through.

Guard Captain: [Chuckles and aims his spear towards Bump.] Oh, yeah?

Principal Bump: [Frewin comes out his head and aims it towards the guard captain.] Yeah.

Everyone let out a cheer. "Bump is awesome!" Luz said. "Best principal ever! I mean, that's not a high bar to set, but you know what I mean."

[Behind him, an illusion dispels. Hunter, Willow, Amity and a few other students then appear, with a few abomination and creatures, like Puddles. Upon seeing this, the Guard Captain immediately whistles and a few other Coven Scouts appear behind the battalion.]

Guard Captain: Get 'em!

[The fight commences. A Coven Scout attacks first, but Bump blocks him with magic. Another Coven Scout appears and attempts to attack Hunter, but he simply teleports behind him and he shoves the Coven Scout off. An abomination attempts to attack another Coven Scout, but he slashes it. Suddenly, Puddles lands on top of him, with Viney and Skara riding him.]

Skara: Yeah!

[She attacks an incoming Coven Scout beside her, but a vine suddenly wraps Puddles's leg, causing both Skara and Viney to get thrown away. Emira immediately runs over and starts to heal Skara. A Coven Scout attempts to attack them, but he is suddenly countered by an abomination summoned by Amity, who smiles at them; they smile back.

"It was nice to see Emira finally getting an opportunity to bond with her crush," Amity mused. "Or at least near her."

She runs off, controlling the abomination. Behind her, Edric and Barcus carry a handful of potions which they throw at the Coven Scouts. Jerbo is shown chasing after some Coven Scouts with his own abomination. Mattholomule is then showing defending himself, summoning walls which the incoming Coven Scouts hit.

"And just think, Luz," Vee said. "How much of this would have been possible if you hadn't started multitracking?" Luz had never thought of it that way.

Afterwards, he blows away his spell circle and smirks proudly. Just then, the wall behind him cracks as an incoming Coven Scout attempts to attack him, but is suddenly trapped and raised by vines, summoned by Willow as she flings them.

Someone let out a high pitched squeal of excitement and Hunter was horrified to realize a second later it had been him.

A Coven Scout attempts to attack beside her but Hunter teleports behind him and throws him away. A wave of energy summoned by the Guard Captain suddenly hits everyone, ending the battle.

Guard Captain: Enough! I will NOT be cowed by a group of students!

"Wanna bet on that?" Camila said smugly.

[A mix of abomination goo and vines suddenly hit his face; he is then trapped in a wall. Willow and Amity step forward as they call off their summons.]

Willow: Then how about just the two of us? [She and Amity pose together.]

Hunter and Luz's mouths both dropped open simultaneously in astonishment. "We have the coolest girlfriends ever," Luz whispered. Hunter nodded eagerly.

Amity: Nice one!

[Hunter suddenly runs in front of them and out of sight. Unbeknownst to everyone, the guard captain pulls out an Abomaton controller and presses a button on it. Hunter kicks the door open to find the glowing orb, Adrian and the two Coven Scouts lying on the floor in pain.]

Adrian: [Groans.] Make it stop. Make it stop! I don't.. like these memories... [Lies down to reveal a curled-up Gus.]

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to torture a child," Camila said without an ounce of pity. The bastard was getting exactly what he deserved.

[Willow and Amity rush inside.]

Amity: What's going on?

Willow: Gus is trapped in his head! And the others are being affected too!

[The three suddenly hear loud thumping and turn around. Scene then reveals an Abomaton tearing his way inside the gym. All the other students behind it are now trapped in abomination goo. The Guard Captain enters with the controller.]

Guard Captain: [Laughs.] I needed a reason to play with one of these!

[The Abomaton advances on the trio and starts revealing its weapons.]

Hunter laughed nervously. "Sorry about that…"

"Hunter, this was Odalia's fault," Camila reminded him. "Sure, you forced her to make her weapons available only for the coven, but if you hadn't done that, someone else would have. And ultimately, she didn't do it for you. She did it for the emperor. You don't have to feel guilty about everything, sweetie."

"I don't know how to stop," Hunter admitted.

"Well, I'm not sure either," Camila said. "But we'll figure it out together. Yes, mijos?" She looked at Luz pointedly. Luz nodded.

Amity: I really have to talk to my parents about this. [She and Willow summon their palismen.]

Amity groaned. She'd actually thought that was going to work, hadn't she?

Willow: We'll hold them off. You save Gus.

Hunter: But- how?

[Hunter looks at Gus determinedly and runs towards the orb as Willow and Amity begin fighting the Abomaton. Hunter passes a groaning Adrian and sees Gus, his face buried in his knees. Right after his staff morphs into Flapjack, he touches the orb, and flashes back to some of his memories inside Belos' mindscape. He struggles to fight it and eventually does, purging through the illusion and reaching Gus.

"I'm so proud of you, Hunter," Camila said. Hunter beamed.

However, when he touches his shoulder, the background immediately changes and shifts through various locations again. He then finds himself inside the forest, but turns around and spots Gus, inside the detention room, looking guilty.]

Gus: What's wrong with me? Why can't I learn?

Hunter: Gus! [He approaches him only for the background to change into white. He turns around again, and finds illusions of Bria, Gavin and Angmar circling around Gus.]

Gus: I let myself get tricked... again.

"It's not your fault," Luz assured him. She remembered what Camila had told her. "Gus, people won't always meet your expectations. But that doesn't mean you should stop trying." Camila grinned at her. She was so proud Luz was taking her lesson to heart.

[The whole illusion vanishes as the background changes into white once more. Hunter turns around again to find Gus staring to himself in three mirrors.]

Gus: Everyone thinks I'm the smart one. So why do I keep acting so dumb?

"You're not dumb," Hunter said sharply. "They're the stupid ones for trying to trick you into doing their work for them. They're just jealous of you! They know you're smarter than all of them put together and they'll never be as good as you!"

Hunter: Gus, can you hear me?

[The illusion fades again. Hunter, seemingly lost, looks around and steps back. The background now changes to show Gus's room. The real Gus appears, burying his face in his knees.]

Gus: I can't even trust myself anymore. [Hunter sits beside him.]

Hunter: It's... hard, when you can't trust yourself. I spent my whole life believing I was doing something good for someone good... but it was a lie. And some part of me still wants to.. believe in that lie, just like you wanna believe you're dumb, or, whatever. But it's not true. [An anguished Gus raises his head and looks at him.] I promise. I wouldn't mess with you. Uh, now, uh, how did that breathing thing go again?

"You're such a good friend, Hunter," Luz said. "I'm so grateful you were there to help take care of Gus when I couldn't."

[He starts inhaling deeply and whistling, which makes Gus laugh. Gus's blue eyes return back to normal, and the illusion finally fades completely. Hunter and Gus stand up and look around. Gus grabs the mirror.

"I feel kind of tainted using this thing after what Adrian used it for," Camila admitted.

"Hey!" Gus shouted. "No one talks about Veldhuyzen van de Zandschulp like that! He's serving a higher purpose now!" Hunter did a face palm.

Willow, Amity and a few other students manage to subdue the Abomaton. Willow and Amity look at each other and grin, then turn around and see Gus and Hunter.]

Willow: Gus! [Runs towards him and hugs him.] Aww, I'm so glad you're okay!

Gus: Me too.

[Hunter attempts to walk away sheepishly but is pulled into a hug by Willow and Gus, much to his embarrassment.]

Willow: Thanks, Hunter.

Hunter: [Blushing.] What is.. this?

"YOU WERE BLUSHING!" Luz shouted suddenly, making Hunter jump. "Huntlow was a thing even back then!"

"Hunt…low?" Hunter asked, completely confused.

"Yeah, it's your ship name," Luz said, as if it was transparently obvious. "Hunter/Willow. Like mine and Amity's is Lumity and Vee and Masha's is Vasha."

"Pretty sure it's Veesha," Vee offered.

Luz glared ferociously at her. "It's. Vasha."

Gus: Just go with it.

[Cut to outside the school. The Coven Scouts prepare to leave. Two of them are dragging a traumatized and whimpering Adrian inside the ship.

"Serves you right for trying to hurt my son," Camila said.

The Guard Captain looks back.]

Guard Captain: When Emperor Belos catches wind of this...

Principal Bump: [Proudly.] I'm sure he'll be thrilled to learn one of his captains was defeated... by a couple teenagers.

"Yeah, you'd be so dead if he ever found out," Hunter pointed out. "Literally dead."

[The captain groans, then sees Severine walking away.]

Guard Captain: Severine! Get on that ship or you'll be walking back to the castle!

[Severine has finally had enough.]

Severine: You know what? It has been a rough year, and my self-esteem can only take so much! I quit! [Throws her mask to the floor, revealing her cat-like head and walks away.] I'm going back to the Tiny Cat Coven.

"Good for you!" Luz said. "You don't need to take this!"

"Does anyone else think she kind of sounds a little bit like Tinella?" Amity wondered. Everyone stared at her. "Heh…just thinking out loud…"

[The whole school starts cheering and clapping as the ship finally leaves. Hunter and Gus watch it leave as they are approached by Willow and Amity.]

Amity: [To Gus.] I can't believe you took down a Coven Head.

"I can," Hunter said in a matter of fact tone.

Gus: Yeah. And I almost went down with him.

Hunter: Is Graye gonna be alright?

Gus: Uh... [Shrugs.] probably? [He and Hunter chuckle.]

"Who cares about him?" Hunter said.

Skara: Hunter!

[The four turn around to see the students approaching Hunter.]

Skara: What's going on at the castle?

Viney: Did you actually leave the Emperor's Coven?

Edric: Have you ever sneezed with your mask on?

"Oh my gosh, Edric, do you have any sense of tact at all?" Amity complained. "I'm so glad he was taken by this point." Hunter had to agree. Though he was attracted to people of all genders, Edric was very much not his type.

Barcus: [Barks.]

[Hunter looks hesitant at first, but then looks at Gus; they both smile.]

Hunter: [Inhales deeply. To Skara.] Everyone in the castle is traveling to the head for the Day of Unity. [To Viney.] I... think I did. [To Edric.] Yes?

"You'd have done the same thing if you were me!" Hunter defended himself.

Edric: That's gross, man.

Hunter: Listen. Emperor Belos has been lying to everyone. The Day of Unity isn't about the Titan or magic. It's much scarier than that.

[Everyone has worried expressions on their faces upon hearing this. Willow and Amity look at each other, then hold hands.]

Hunter: Sorry... there's a lot to explain.

Principal Bump: [Approaches Hunter.] Then you'd better get started.

[Hunter, Willow, Amity and Gus look at him worriedly.]

"You don't need to hear the explanation, do you?" Hunter said. "It was hard enough the first time and it's nothing you don't already know."

"Of course not," Camila assured him. "I'm so proud of all of you, you know. You were so brave and handled yourself so well. I just wish you hadn't had to." She turned to Luz. "How much is left?"

"Not that much," Luz said. "Probably just about…three more episodes?"

Camila took a deep breath. "Then let's get to it."