In the Owl House living room, King was watching cat videos on Hunter's phone, while Hunter was using a magnifying glass to look at a flower. Flapjack was on the table next to the flower, chirping every so often to encourage him.

"Come on, work this time." Hunter muttered to himself, replicating a symbol from the flower onto a piece of paper. When he tapped the glyph it activated, sprouting a flower. Flapjack flew over and perched on his shoulder. "Yes! King, look - I learnt another glyph!"

"You think that's impressive? Check this out! Two warriors battling to the death!" King said, holding up the phone. It showed a video of a cat getting ready to pounce on another one, before falling.

"Ah. I see we're getting enough Wi-Fi through the portal door for cat videos." Hunter said, looking at the open portal door. For a few moments he just stared through the door at the human realm.

Mama must be so worried, he thought, sitting on the couch beside King, still staring at the door. Suddenly, Hunter's phone buzzed with messages, and King handed it over after pausing the video. Hunter winced when he saw it was messages from his mom. He scrolled up, looking at messages his mom had sent the very first day he'd been in the Boiling Isles.

+.*.+

- 1 month ago -

Mom: mijo, where are you??

Mom: please come home soon, im worried

Mom: HUNTER ITS MIDNIGHT IM REALLY WORRIED NOW

Mom: Hunter its been an entire day are you okay??? did i do something wrong???

- 1 week ago -

Mom: hunter whatever i did im sorry

Mom: please come back mijo

Mom: please be okay

- Just now -

Mom: i love you mijo

+.*.+

Hunter fought back tears, gripping the phone tightly. He never meant to make her worry. He just really needed to know about his past. And now he knew she was here at the Boiling Isles, find Luz - and pray she wasn't dead like they thought back home. And learn magic, since it was his birthright as a witch.

He hadn't realized he was crying until King hugged him, Flapjack nuzzling into him to try and comfort him. After a while of just sitting there, he managed to calm down and typed a response.

+.*.+

You: i love you too mama

Mom: HUNTER YOU'RE OKAY

Mom: PLEASE COME BACK HOME MIJO

You: i can't, not right now

You: but its nothing to do with you, don't worry

You: i'll tell you why when i get back

+.*.+

His phone pinged with more messages, but he closed it before he could read them and sniffed, giving King a pat and Flapjack some pets.

"If you ever need to talk I'm here." King said, and Flapjack chirped. Hunter nodded with a smile, wiping his tears away.

"Thanks."

Suddenly, Hooty swung open the door. "Hoot hoot, Hunter! Time to fill up that darling little head of yours with..."

Hooty regurgitated a stack of books on the ground. "Mm-hmm! Delicious knowledge!"

Willow and Gus looked in from the doorway.

"Please hurry." Gus said.

"The more I look at him, the more uncomfortable I get." Willow said.

"Hoot hoot!"

Hunter handed King his phone and got up. "Don't spend all day watching MewTube, King." He said.

"I forge my own path!" King said, as Hunter left to join Willow and Gus. The door shut.

"Hunter, were you crying? Your eyes are red." Gus pointed out.

"No, actually, they're magenta. Anyway, lets head to Hexside." Hunter said quickly, Flapjack turning to staff form. Willow and Gus shared a glance but climbed on the staff with Hunter, deciding to ignore the fact he'd deflected Gus' question.

+.*.+

Stepping into the halls of Hexside, the trio looked around in wonder as the school was decked out with balloons made of abomination goop, streamers, and other decorations.

"What's the special occasion?" Hunter asked, noting the new look.

"Oh yeah! I forgot you've never been here for the social event of the season." Willow said.

"Welcome to your first-" Gus started, but two workers pushed past, rolling a stretcher and making siren noises.

"Outta the way!" One yelled.

"Come with us immediately - your disease, it's advancing!" The other worker said, once the two surrounded a beast keeping student. Said student had blonde hair, dark skin and bat-like ears. The workers helped him onto the stretcher.

"Is there a cure, doc?" The student asked.

"Only one... finding the perfect date to Grom!" One worker said.

"If that's the cure... Skara, will you go to Grom with me?" The boy asked, holding out a heart with the words 'GROM?" written on it in red ink.

"Of course I will, or whatever!" Skara said excitedly, hugging him. Some onlooking students and teachers cheered.

"Oh no. You have a version of prom here." Hunter said, paling.

"Not a fan of it?" Willow asked.

"You could say that. It's a lot of me standing on the sidelines while others and their partners have fun." Hunter said.

"Well, Gus and I will be with you on the sidelines. I never got asked for Grom because of the whole 'half-a-witch' thing." Willow said. Hunter smiled.

Suddenly, Amity bumped into Hunter - unknowingly, since she was staring down at a stack of books she was holding.

"Watch it, nitwit!" She snapped, then stopped when she saw it was Hunter. "Oh. Hi, Hunter... and co. Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Hunter said, bending to help her grab her books. Just when they'd finished, the speaker screeched on. Everyone looked at it.

"Attention Hexside students. This is your principal speaking." Principal Bump said over the intercom.

"Oh man, this is it!" Gus said excitedly.

"He's announcing who'll be this years royalty." Willow said.

"This year, I have the privilege to bestow our highest Grom honor to... Amity Blight!" The principal said through the speaker.

Other students gasped, and Hunter noticed that Amity seemed uneasy.

"Amity, you alright?" Hunter asked. Amity sighed and just ran off.

"You might want to give her some space. Being Grom Queen is a tough job. Even for Amity." Willow said.

"Could you explain what Grom Queen is about? Because I'm assuming there's some Boiling Isles spin to it." Hunter said.

"Well, there's a monster that lives under the school - Grometheus the Fear-Bringer." Gus started.

"Every year it tries to break out, and a student - the Grom Queen - has to defeat it before it invades the town. Principal Bump holds a party and calls it tradition." Willow finished.

"Huh... Amity must be dealing with a lot of pressure right now." Hunter said. "No wonder she just ran off."

"Anyway, Gus and I will see you later." Willow said with a wave, before the two walked away to class.

+.*.+

Hunter walked into the gym, where Principal Bump was directing some students on how to decorate the place, before leaving the gym. He spotted a red button and, curious, decided to press it.

The ground rumbled, and a section of the floor opened to reveal an underground arena, connected by a ramp.

"I guess this must be where Amity will fight Grom." Hunter muttered to himself.

"Yeah." Amity's voice said next to him, and Hunter yelped, flinching.

"You scared the life out of me!" Hunter yelled once he'd gotten his composure. Amity simply shrugged, staring down at the arena.

"Do you know why Grometheus is known as the Fear-Bringer?" Amity asked. Hunter shook his head. She sighed. "The worst thing is that Grom can read minds and shape-shift into your worst fear. And mine..."

She took a deep breath.

"...Is very embarrassing."

"Well, if it worries you so much, couldn't you talk to Principal Bump about it?" Hunter asked. Amity stared for a few moments, contemplating the idea.

"That's a good idea. Thanks." She said. "And... Hunter?"

"Yeah?" Hunter said. Amity opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head and closed it.

"Nevermind." And she left the gym, leaving Hunter a little confused.

+.*.+

Arriving back at the Owl House, Hunter opened the door to Eda's room.

"I'm home! Woah, what's going on in here?" Hunter asked.

Eda was wearing a brown tuxedo with King, who was standing on a stack of books and wearing a green apron.

"Careful with those pins." Eda said to King.

"Why am I doing this? I don't even wear clothes!" King yelled.

"I'm chaperoning Grom tonight. So I have to look sharp." Eda said, finally acknowledging Hunter.

"And Gus asked me to co-emcee the fight!" King said, holding a picture of him and Gus standing back to back with a microphone. "We're going to turn this blood-bath into a fun-bath!"

"Ooh! Have they announced the victim yet?" Eda asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's Amity." Hunter said. "She seems pretty tense about it though. I want to help her out in some way... like... maybe I could take her place?"

Eda and King laughed.

"A great joke, Hunter!" King said.

"Ah, listen, kid." Eda said. "That's a noble sentiment, but Grom is a little above your pay-grade. You're a powerless witch. You barely know any spells."

Hunter's ears went red. "Hey! I've been learning lots of new spells recently! I could handle it." He snapped.

"There's a horrifying spider in your hair." Eda pointed out. Hunter yelped as said spider jumped off his head, and Flapjack chirped, flying after it. Eda snorted, and Hunter turned back to Eda with a glare.

"I'm not as fragile as you think, Eda." He said, and Flapjack returned with a dead spider in their beak. They dropped it in Eda's hands before flying back to perch on Hunter's shoulder as he left the room. Eda stuffed it in her hair.

"Uh, maybe you were too hard on him. He's saved you from multiple monsters, remember?" King pointed out.

"Facing Grom means facing your worst fear, King. And I don't think Hunter knows what that means yet. Especially since he hasn't figured out his past yet." Eda said.

+.*.+

Hunter stomped through the forest at night grumpily, grunting. Flapjack chirped, perching on his shoulder, trying to offer some form of comfort.

"I'm not powerless! Sure, I don't have a bile sac, but I can handle myself just fine! I can be brave!" Hunter ranted, continuing to trudge through the forest. He heard footsteps and yelped. "Ominous footsteps, creepy woods. No problem." He muttered to himself, Flapjack transforming into staff form.

He charged through the bushes, smacking something blindly in front of him with the staff.

"Ow!" Amity's voice yelped. Hunter quickly activated a light glyph, holding it up to reveal Amity in the mud.

"Oh, sorry!" Hunter said quickly, Flapjack returning back to animal form as he helped Amity up - however she just slipped back into the mud.

"And here I thought this day couldn't get any worse." Amity said, Hunter finally managing to help her up and sit her down on a tree stump.

"Did you talk to Principal Bump about Grom?" Hunter asked. Amity sighed.

"He said no. I'm Grom Queen, unless I can find a replacement. And who'd want to switch with me?" Amity said, curling in on herself. Hunter looked down at the muddy ground for a few seconds, contemplating something, before turning back to Amity.

"I would." He said.

"What?"

"Amity, I'll do it. I'll take your place and face Grom in the arena." Hunter said. Amity's eyes widened.

"You'd - really do that?" She asked. He nodded. She looked down at the ground and smiled. "Thanks. You've done a lot for me."

Hunter smiled.

"I think its safe to say our truce is now a friendship."

+.*.+

Hunter was looking through a chest of clothes in his room, searching for something to wear to Grom. But he wasn't exactly the best at fashion - he often thought it was a waste of time - but he still felt the need to at least look presentable. And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, there was someone he wanted to ask to Grom...

Hooty burst through his window, and he yelped.

"Oh, Hunter! You have a guest!" Hooty said, before slithering back through the window. Hunter took a deep breath to mentally stabilize himself after that scare, before heading downstairs to see who the visitor was.

"If that bird tube ever talks to me again, I'll destroy it." Amity said, entering the house as she picked feathers out of her green hair. "Ready to train?"

"Yeah." Hunter said, determined.

"Good, because if you can't defeat Grom, everyone on the island will have to live out their worst nightmare." Amity deadpanned. Then she had a cheerful smile. "No pressure!"

Hunter paled. "Uh huh... no pressure at all." He muttered, following Amity outside the Owl House. Edric and Emira stood outside, and Amity started pacing back and forth in front of the twins and Hunter.

"Alright - Grom will transform into your darkest fears. What are you afraid of, Hunter?" Amity asked. Hunter paused, thinking.

"I'm... not actually sure what I'm afraid of." Hunter said after some thought.

"Wanna say our greatest fears?" Edric asked Emira. "On three. One, two... being alone forever!"

"Being stuck with you forever." Emira said, overlapping. Edric groaned.

"But I did make a list of what makes me uneasy, if that counts." Hunter said, pulling out a paper. The last sentence in the list was hurriedly scratched out with a pencil, as if it was panicked and in a rush. Amity grabbed the list from Hunter's hands and read it. Edric and Emira peeked over, before grinning at each other - and each drew a spell circle.

A giant speaker materialized, playing loud music. Everyone covered their eyes, but Hunter was especially uncomfortable.

"Loud noises!" Hunter yelled over the noise.

The speaker poofed away - in its place, however, was a very large deer. Something about deers rubbed Hunter the wrong way - especially the antlers.

"Deers!" He said.

A girl with short blonde hair with a pink streak through it poofed in, along with two of her friends. This girl in particular had bullied both Luz and Hunter in primary school, and when Luz went missing she continued to bully Hunter through middle school and high school.

"Bullies!" He said.

"Oh, what's this at the bottom that's scratched out?" Emira said, tracing a spell circle to remove the scribbles over the words. Hunter paled and frantically tried to grab the paper from them, but it was too late - they'd already seen it.

"Asking Willow out to Grom, eh?" Edric said, tracing his own spell circle. An illusion of Willow appeared with a poof. Hunter's ears and cheeks went red, blushing like crazy.

"I-It's not like that!" Hunter said, reaching to snatch the list away from Emira but she held it high above her head so he couldn't reach. "GUYS!!"

"Not enough." Amity said, the illusion disappearing - to Hunter's gratitude. She walked towards Hunter. "The reason I can't face Grom - it goes deeper than things that just make me uneasy. What's your real fear, Hunter?" She poked him in the shoulder.

"My real fear..." Hunter thought for a second, looking up at Eda's room window, before turning back. "It's that Eda thinks I'm too fragile to do this! And if she's right, I'll never be a real witch!"

Edric and Emira drew a conjoined spell circle, as a giant Eda illusion rose out of the ground and flipped her hair. The Eda illusion looked at Hunter.

"You're inadequate." Illusion Eda said, drawing a spell circle. Hunter was suddenly sitting in a high chair, wearing a bib with the words 'weak baby'. His ears went red.

The real Eda exited the house into the front yard, gasping. "Is that me?" She asked. After a few moments she grinned. "Dang, I look great."

The high chair and bib disappeared, as Eda came to a realization. "Wait, you're training to take Amity's place against Grom!"

"So what if I am?" Hunter shot back, as Eda walked up to him.

"You think training will help against Grom?" Eda said. "Hunter, you always get into trouble and I end up bailing you out. Now, what's the fun in watching a kid get eaten by a monster if its my kid?"

"Well, maybe you'll have fun watching me defeat Grom!" Hunter said. Eda looked worried.

Amity put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Look, I don't think you're ready, but we're literally out of time."

"I'll do my best." Hunter said.

+.*.+

Rockabilly-style music played in the background, couples awkwardly dancing on the dance floor.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted demons!" Gus said into a microphone. "It's almost time for our main Grom event. Please, please, take a seat, and be aware that the first three rows are designated splash zones."

Only one guest was sitting in the first row, and they were wearing a raincoat and opening an umbrella.

"I see we've got Principal Bump in the house! Now, sir, I hope you won't throw us in detention because, uh, we're going to raise the roof." Gus said. The spotlight landed on Principal Bump who sat in the bleachers with a smile.

Hunter took a deep breath, just outside the doorway to the gym - dressed in a black tuxedo suit. He paced back and forth, making sure he had his glyphs easily accessible and would be able to use Flapjack if needed. The red cardinal chirped, nuzzling into him for reassurance. He smiled and gave the bird a pet, before he spotted Willow coming from inside the gym.

"Hey Hunter. How're you feeling?" Willow asked. She was wearing a green dress with a yellow belt with a bow, and yellow shoes. Hunter blushed a little bit.

"Oh, um, I'm doing fine. A little nervous, but that's inevitable." He said. After a few moments he cleared his throat. "Uh, you look nice."

Willow blushed a little. "Thanks. You too."

After a few moments of silence, Hunter took a deep breath, but when he opened his mouth he heard Willow's voice instead - though not from his own mouth.

"Do you want to dance with me after you defeat Grom?" Willow asked, waiting with bated breath for his answer. Hunter's cheeks and ears were so red from blushing that you could compare him to a tomato.

"I - uh-" He stammered.

"It's okay if you don't want to!" Willow said quickly, losing confidence.

"No! I mean..." Hunter said, cutting her off. "I... I'd like that."

The two shared a blushy smile.

"Good luck with the battle against Grom!" Willow said, before heading back inside the gym to watch from the bleachers.

Hunter heard footsteps and a worried sigh from down the hall. Amity walked in, staring at her pennstagram scroll.

"Hey Amity, you alright?" Hunter asked. Amity looked up from her pennstagram, a disappointed frown on her face.

"It's my girlfriend. I asked her to come to Grom with me - she said she'd come, but she hasn't arrived yet or responded to any messages I've sent her." Amity said, dropping her scroll and watching it poof away.

"What do you mean? I'm right here."

The two looked up to see a girl with short brown hair, wearing a pink tutu with a formal tuxedo that looked similar to what Hunter wore.

But to Hunter it wasn't just any girl.

It was Luz.

Luz seemed to recognize Hunter as well, and both just stared at the other for a few moments with teary eyes, before Hunter broke the silence.

"...Luz...?" He said, his voice disbelieving. This felt too surreal to him, like it was a dream.

"Hunter!" Luz said, sprinting towards him and tackling him in a tight hug. The two hugged each other for several long moments, sniffling and wiping their tears away.

After what felt like hours but was probably only a minute, they pulled away, wiping their tears.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Luz said.

"I could say the same thing." Hunter said. Luz looked him up and down with a chuckle.

"Look at you! Who knew you could be so fancy." She said, and Hunter playfully punched her shoulder.

"Hey! I can look good when I want to." He said in mock offense, chuckling.

"...It's been ten years since we last saw each other, huh?" Luz said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, it's been a while." Hunter said. Luz quickly pulled out her pennstagram scroll.

"Before I forget, I need your pennstagram, so we can talk. Do you have a pennstagram?" Luz asked.

"Oh - yeah." Hunter said, getting out his own scroll. The two exchanged numbers, before their scrolls poofed away. Luz turned to Amity.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, sweet potato!" Luz said, giving Amity a loving embrace and peck on the cheek. Amity chuckled.

"You know, normally I'd be protective of Luz, but seeing as you two have been a couple for a while now - and I've gotten to know Amity - I'll allow you guys to be together." Hunter said. Luz snorted.

"Pff, as if you could stop us from being together." Luz said. "Now, let's go grab some good seats on the bleachers. I wonder who the Grom Queen or King will be!"

"Actually, I-" Hunter started.

"Now, introducing our Grom King. You know him, you love him... you've at least heard of him. Hunter, the powerless witch!" Gus' voice rang from inside the gym.

Luz gaped at Hunter. Hunter shrugged with a sheepish smile. Flapjack chirped, and Luz's eyes widened.

"First of all - how did I miss the fact you got a palisman? Second of all - you're the Grom King? And you're a powerless witch?" Luz asked, dumbfounded.

"I'll explain over pennstagram, promise!" Hunter said, moving towards the doorway.

"Good luck out there!" Amity said.

"¡Buena suerte, hermano mayor!" Luz called, as Hunter gave them a thumbs up and headed through.

The students in the bleachers cheered as a spotlight landed on Hunter. The pedestal with the red button appeared in front of Gus, who pressed it. The arena opened up from the ground, weapon racks rising up on either side of Hunter.

Hunter decided to pick up a flail, putting an ice glyph on the end of it and watching as it glowed. Flapjack chirped on his shoulder, and Hunter took a deep breath, before entering the arena. Grom rose.

"Okay, so far so good." Hunter muttered. Grom turned into a deer. He held up his flail, swinging it to gain momentum before slamming it to the ground. The ice glyph activated, a pillar of ice rising and rocketing out the deer. The students cheered.

When the deer landed, it turned into multiple speakers, generating loud noises that made everyone in the bleachers cover their ears. Hunter wanted to as well, wincing at the noise, but he slammed down a plant glyph, the vines wrapping around the speaker and squeezing it tight, muffling its volume and allowing everyone to stop covering their ears. Soon the speaker disappeared, and everyone cheered.

Grom rose behind Hunter, towering over him and casting a shadow. He turned to see an illusion of Eda in her cursed form with glowing eyes. He took a deep breath, gripping the flail harder, Flapjack chirping to reassure him. However, Grom-Eda reached to his head and his eyes glowed, before slithering back and transforming into something else.

It transformed into a tall figure, wearing a golden mask with antlers, and a white cloak with dark shoulderpads and a hood. Hunter didn't know who or what this was, but it made him feel more scared than anything else in his life. And he didn't know why.

The crowd gasped, whispering amongst themselves. "He's afraid of Emperor Belos?" They asked.

The figure stepped closer, Hunter backing away and dropping the flail in a panic. Flapjack chirped, turning into staff form, but he couldn't muster the strength to face this... thing.

So he ran.

He knew he really shouldn't, that if he didn't Grom would escape, but in that moment all logic flew out the window as fear gripped at him. He ran past Gus and King in the hallway, his breaths sharp and quick, Grom chasing after him.

Eda walked out, along with the rest of the crowd. Amity, Luz and Willow were standing beside Eda with worried glances, before they all nodded and ran out to chase after Hunter.

+.*.+

Hunter ran out into the forest, completely snd utterly terrified of what was chasing him. He's never been this scared before-

Except he has. That memory of him escaping into the human realm - of getting his scar-

His past is what scared him. Because there's nothing scarier than facing the unknown.

Eventually he came up to a cliff and stopped just before falling off. He turned with wide and fearful eyes at the Grom-Emperor.

"Why are you running, Hunter?" It said, in it's cold, chilling voice. He gripped Flapjack's staff tighter.

"I don't know who are what you are, but leave me alone!" Hunter yelled, turning away, despite knowing it was useless.

"Spicy toss!"

Hunter turned to see Eda riding in on her staff, hitting Grom with a fireball.

"Hands of my witchling, you misshapen excuse for a monster!" Eda yelled, landing on the ground. Grom roared.

"Eda! You were right, I wasn't ready!" Hunter yelled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"That's okay, I got this one." Eda said, starting to trace a spell circle, before Luz, Amity and Willow flew in on an artificial staff, putting themselves between Hunter and Grom.

"Get away from my brother!" Luz yelled, pointed the staff towards Grom as it glowed red, ready to dispel some energy at it. She glanced at Hunter. "You're afraid of Emperor Belos?"

"I don't know! It reached inside my mind and then it appeared!" Hunter said, panicked. Willow put a hand on his shoulder, and after a few moments Hunter took a deep breath and calmed down. But that didn't mean he wasn't gripping Flapjack's staff tightly.

"I'm sorry, Hunter. I should've fought my own battle." Amity said, stepping forward in front of Luz. Luz lowered her staff.

"No, Amity!" Luz said, grabbing her hand. "It's okay, I can handle this!"

"I was chosen as Grom Queen originally. I'll do it." Amity said, lightly pulling her hand out of Luz's. Grom grabbed Amity, and Luz cried out.

Her eyes glowed, before she was lowered and Grom transformed into Luz.

"Amity, this was a terrible night! You're so weak!" Grom Luz said angrily. "You know what? I'm breaking up with you!"

Amity's eye welled with tears, despite her knowing this was an illusion. Luz stared with wide eyes, before gritting her teeth and charging forward, using her staff to attack Grom with all her might.

"How dare you! Amity is a great girlfriend! I'd never say any of those things!" Luz snapped, glaring at Grom. She turned to Amity with a sad smile.

"Don't worry. Today was a perfect night." Luz said, outstretching her free hand to Amity. Amity hesitated, before smiling and taking it.

And so, they danced.

Twirling each other around, they laughed, using a combination of their artificial magic and abomination magic to take on Grom.

Willow turned to Hunter.

"So, you know that dance I asked you for before the fight?" Willow asked. Hunter blushed a little and nodded.

"Well, why don't we give them a hand?"

Willow held out her own hand to Hunter, who was blushing like crazy but took it, Flapjack turning to animal form and perching on his shoulder as the second pair started dancing as well, however they used a combination of plants and glyphs.

With the quartet both working together to defeat Grom, in a matter of minutes, Grom exploded - leaving behind a tree with pink and purple leaves.

Hunter and Willow just stared at each with smiles on their faces, before they pulled away, both turning into a blushy mess. Amity and Luz looked on with smug faces, holding hands.

"And there you have it, folks. A happy ending for this year's Grom. Let's give a big hand to our Grom royalty - A human girl, Amity, Hunter and Willow!" King said, walking over with a microphone. The students peeped out from behind the bushes and cheered, as tiaras appeared on the quartet's heads.

The students rushed over to them, cheering, holding up all four, as Eda, Gus and King clapped for the four. Then they grabbed King and held him up too, and Hunter chuckled as King cheered happily.

+.*.+

"So... Hunter." Luz said, after Hunter, Eda and King had arrived back home. Eda and King headed inside the house, a little exhausted from the eventful night. "About that form Grom took. That made you run."

Hunter looked down. "Before you ask, no, I don't know why I'm scared of Emperor Belos. I don't remember anything about my past - except two memories I got after finding the Boiling Isles."

Luz took his hand.

"I-"

"Wait a ding dang second!"

Eda kicked open the door, putting herself between Luz and Hunter. "You're the Golden Guard!"

Hunter's eyes widened. "Eda, what are you doing?"

"You're staying with the Owl Lady?" Luz asked, as both Eda and Luz got in defensive positions, glaring at the other. Hunter moved form behind Eda so he could look at both of them.

"Woah, guys, we're on the same side here!" Hunter said, trying to calm them down. Flapjack chirped.

"No, we're not. Luz may be your sister, but she's also the Golden Guard - she works for the Emperor." Eda growled. Hunter paled, staring at Luz in disbelief.

"You... I..." Hunter stammered.

"You think because of all your wanted posters I'd turn you in?" Luz asked Hunter, hurt.

"No, I - I just-"

"No, I get it. You just found out I work for someone you don't trust." Luz said, relaxing her position. Eda didn't let up, though, still glowering at the human girl.

"But why don't you trust him?" Luz asked. "He invented sigils to protect witches from wild magic. From themselves. What about that isn't trustworthy?"

"Because, as you can see - I've been using wild magic and I've been fine." Eda said.

"Have you? You're cursed, Eda. I could hardly count that as 'fine'." Luz shot back. Eda said nothing. Luz turned to Hunter. "And that palisman - they're made from wild magic too. They're dangerous."

Hunter held a hand protectively over Flapjack, who chirped. Luz sighed.

"Fine. I know you won't be swayed." Luz said. "We'll talk over pennstagram?"

Hunter stared. "Yeah - we'll talk over pennstagram."

Luz gave a wave, before mounting her artificial staff and zooming away in a flash of red light. Eda sighed, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder - the one that didn't have Flapjack on it.

"Let's head inside. We've had a long night." Eda said, gently leading Hunter inside. Hunter just nodded, his mind swirling with questions and thoughts. Eda flopped onto the couch.

"Well, aside from that Golden Guard stuff - whoo! You did great, kid. You had a little hiccup but after some support you pulled through!" Eda said, trying to cheer him up a little. "You even managed to dance with your crush!"

Hunter's ears went red. "She's not my-" He sighed. "Thanks, Eda. But I think I'm gonna head to bed." He took his tiara off and placed it on the couch next to Eda, before heading upstairs.

King scampered over and grabbed the tiara, placing it on his head.

"Now I am king and queen! Best of both things!" King said triumphantly.

+.*.+

Hunter opened the window, sitting on the windowsill, staring at the night sky. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it up, seeing messages from Camila. At the same time, he got a ping on pennstagram from Luz, the scroll poofing in his free hand and showing the messages. He smiled, staring at the two screens.

It felt like his family was finally coming together.