Luz and Varian managed to find the diary of Philip Wittebane with Amity's help. But the diary got eaten by an echo mouse and Amity got fired from her job at the library. Luz felt so bad about it so she went through some trials to convince the librarian to hire Amity again. She returned Amity's name tag, and she got the shock of her life when she saw Amity's hair now purple instead of green. Amity showed Luz how the echo mouse worked and then she kissed Luz on the cheek. She ran back inside her house, but it was clear that she had feelings for Luz.
At the Emperor's castle, Emperor Belos called for the nine Coven heads to give them a glimpse into what the Day of Unity holds for them. Beside the Emperor was Kikimora, The Golden Guard and another scout. During the meeting, the emperor started groaning in pain. Kikimora tried to help but the scout and Golden Guard said that they could handle it. They brought the emperor to the throne room then the scout grabbed a palismen staff for the emperor. Belos snatched it away from the scout then broke it open and absorbed its magic.
He ordered them to bring more palismen for him, but the Golden Guard spoke up and said that there weren't any more and the Palistrom wood was overharvested. Belos reached out to grab the Golden Guard, but the scout jumped in the way and was grabbed inside. "Forgive him, my lord. But he is right. Not many witches have been able to have Palismen staffs. Give me time and I'll find you some." The scout begged.
Belos released him but he warned the scout that if he fails, there will be consequences. The scout and the Golden Guard were dismissed, they headed back to their room. "You shouldn't have done that." The scout said to the Golden Guard.
"Uncle, I was speaking the truth! And I can help. We can make more Palismen! Actually, I read about this technique harnessing wild magic to," The Golden Guard got cut off when his uncle covered his mouth.
"You know you're not supposed to mention wild magic in the castle. If the Emperor hears you, he'll skin us alive. Look, I'll find more Palismen later. Just stay here in the castle." The scout ordered.
Little did they know, Kikimora was spying on them and overheard their entire conversation. She had a plan to impress the emperor and get rid of the Golden Guard.
At the Owl House, Luz made a little home for the echo mouse. "Oh, little echo mouse. You ate the diary that could get me and Varian home. Can't you cough off a tiny bit?" Luz begged the mouse.
King suggested that she should just squeeze the information out of the mouse. He gestured the idea by squeezing his stuffed bear so hard that its head popped off. Luz wasn't going to squeeze the poor thing. She was just going to be patient with the mouse until it gave her the information she needed. Just then Eda and Varian came into Luz's room to tell her that they were going to be late for school. Luz didn't move until Eda mentioned that all of her classmates were going to get their own staff.
Luz ran out of the Owl House at break necking speed. At Hexside, everyone was gathered at the Grudgby field for Principal Bump and Eda's announcement. Principal Bump told the students that they will be receiving their staff and meet their Palismen. To witches, Palismen are lifelong partners that become their good friends and a powerful tool. Bump introduces his Pailsmen, Frewin, a little devil who was actually on Bump's head, he helps Bump see. Eda went on to explain that it is tradition for witches to crave their staff from a Palistrom tree. But those have become extremely rare.
So, Eda and Bump teamed up to bring the students Palismen Adoption Day, courtesy of the Bat Queen. She showed up with a nest full of different kinds of Palismen. She thought that this was a wonderful idea, and it gave the Palismen a chance to have new owners. Luz noticed a red cardinal Palismen trying to sneak out of the nest. Principal Bump saw it sneak out of the nest then he picked it up and put it back into the nest. "Aw. Little rascal!" Luz said.
"These little ones have not had homes in many years. They want to feel a connection. Kneel and state your deepest wish, and your like- minded partner will find you." The Bat Queen explained.
Bosha complained that she wanted her own Palismen and not a hand me down one. Willow decided to go first; her wish was to be strong and wise to protect the people she loved, and to crush anyone that gets in her way. Her wish was tender but tenacious, she got a bee palismen named Clover. Everyone looked impressed except for Bosha, she shoved Willow out of the way and stated her wish which was to play professional Grudgby. Her palismen was a crab named Maya who loved a competitive spirit.
Viney went next and her wish was to open her own clinic for mythical pets, she was given a little manticore palismen. Gus went after; his wish was to become an ambassador to the human realm and meet the giraffes, his palismen was a blue chameleon. Gus gestured to Varian to go next. He was nervous but he kneeled down and stated his wish, his wish was to become a great alchemist just like Demanitus and to make his father proud. The Bat Queen thought his wish was perfect for Sapphire, a blue bird that became his palismen.
When it was Luz's turn, she stated that her wish was to be a witch but none of the palismen were convinced. Luz thought it was because she was a human that it was taking longer for her. "Palismen bond through emotion. I do not sense any conviction from you." The Bat Queen spoke.
Luz felt a little unsure about that, she wanted to be a witch so she could get home to her mom in the human realm. But she didn't think that far ahead about if she would still be a witch in the human realm. Luz was panicking about what to do, Eda asked if she was ok but Luz just backed away. Everyone else got their palismen partner except for Luz. When she and Varian returned to the Owl House late at night, Luz locked herself in her room feeling a little down. Varian felt bad for Luz, and he went over to talk to her.
"I've stayed here to learn magic, right? I want to be a witch like Eda and Azura! But what does that even mean?! And I've read stories like this. The main character always has to return home. And, what, did I expect to be a witch back in Connecticut?" Luz ranted to the echo mouse.
Varian walked in at that moment "Maybe you'll get a palismen someday. But in the meantime, we can share." Varian suggested.
Eda overheard Luz and Varian, so she and King got an idea and they snuck away. Something started moving in Luz's bag, it was the same red cardinal palismen from before. Luz thought the little guy was here for her, but it ignored her. Luz picked up the little guy then her witch's cloak and told Varian that she was going to return the palismen to its nest. Varian offered to come with her, but Luz stated that she'll be quick. But she was gone for about an hour and Varian started to worry about her. So, he took his palismen and flew all the way to Hexside.
When he got to Hexside, he saw a ship stealing the palismen nest. He flew closer to the nest door and found Luz inside the nest, asleep. "Seriously, Luz?" Varian asked, groaning.
He snuck to the top of the ship and the person piloting the ship was none other than the Golden Guard. Varian rolled his eyes then he pulled out a fire glyph from his satchel and he got an idea. Varian snuck up from behind the Golden Guard and then slapped the glyph onto his back. Before the Golden Guard could say anything, the fire glyph activated and rocketed the guard off the ship. He was very proud of his trick. Varian started looking for a way to land the ship then he saw a cord above his head then pulled it. The ship slowly started to land.
"That was surprisingly easy." Varian said.
Suddenly, Varian was picked up by a red light and flung away from the controls and tied up. He saw the Golden Guard reappear onto the ship. "Good to see you too, human." The Golden Guard spoke.
"Why are you stealing Palismen, Golden Guard?" Varian asked.
"Frankly, you should be more concerned about yourself. For the crime of rocketing me off my own ship, you'll be locked in the dingiest cell of the Conformatorium for the rest of your sad little life." The Golden Guard said, bluntly.
He just went back to steering the ship as Varian struggled to free himself from the ropes, he was not going back to jail. Sapphire suddenly peaked out from Varian's bag, and she started chewing the ropes. Once he was free, Varian used the palismen powers from his staff to knock the Golden Guard's staff off the ship. Varian smirked at the Golden Guard as he looked at Varian with hate in his eyes. The two were ready to face off when suddenly, a weird hand dragon appeared and attacked the ship. The creature caused the ship to crash land and both Varian and the Golden Guard were knocked out.
When Varian woke up, he heard the sound of chirping and saw both Sapphire and the red cardinal palismen on his lap. He noticed the Golden Guard lying unconscious just a few inches from him along with the staff. Varian heard Luz shouting from a distance, she was captured by Kikimora and her scouts along with the palismen. The scouts took the nest and Luz to somewhere called Latissa. When they left, Kikimora used a whistle to summon the creature that attacked them from before.
It was her pet, she then ordered it to find the Golden guard and eat him. Varian wasn't going to just leave the Golden Guard to be creature food. When he walked closer towards the Golden Guard, he saw his real face. He had blond hair, a gap in his mouth, a notch in his left, huge bags under his eyes, and a scar on his cheek. "That's the Golden Guard? I expected him to be a lot older, not a student from Hexside." Varian stated.
He heard the monster heading their way, he didn't have time to wake up the boy, so he used a plant glyph to create vines which he used to tie up the Golden Guard and dragged him away. He managed to drag him just in time as the creature came and devoured the cloak that they left behind. As soon as they were far enough from the creature, Varian searched the Golden Guard's pocket for anything useful. He didn't find anything, but he did find a piece of paper that had the same markings as the scroll piece he found in his father's things.
He told Sapphire to wake up the guard so he could get answers. Sapphire flew close to the guards' face then pulled on the hair cowlick which woke up the guard. The guard struggled to get free from the vines until he stared right at Varian with his magenta eyes. Varian got lost in those eyes until he snapped out of it and pointed the Golden Guard's staff at the guard. "Listen, you are a bad person and I do not like you. But Kikimora is trying to have you killed and I need you to help me." Varian stated.
"And why should I help you?" The Golden Guard snipped.
"Unless you want to be food for that creature, you don't have a choice. I'm prepared to offer you a deal. You will join me, free the Palismen and Luz from Kikimora, and you'll let us go. Then, and only then, will I return your staff to you. That is my deal." Varian explained.
The Golden Guard reluctantly agreed to the deal then Varian cut him free from the vines. The two traveled to Latissa which was a town that looked a lot like a hot spot for pirates and criminals. Varian tried to ask where they were heading but the Golden Guard just glared at him and continued walking. The Golden Guard brought Varian to a coven base filled with scouts. He tried to get the scouts to let him in, he even showed them his sigil under his glove. But the guards just laughed and shooed him away.
The guy was humiliated; his face and ears turned bright red. Varian tried to comfort him, but he turned towards Varian and lunged at him trying to get his staff. Varian ran off before the Golden Guard could grab him but he chased after him. The two ran through the streets and alleyways trying to avoid each other. Varian stopped at a dead end, but he quickly made an ice glyph then activated it to give him a boost over the wall. As soon as the Golden Guard caught up, he saw Varian on the top and he just turned away.
Varian looked at him confused wondering why he wasn't using any spells to help him. That was when he realized that the guy was powerless without his staff. The Golden Guard managed to use his skills to climb up the wall and joined Varian. They got a good view of the base, which was where the nest, Luz, and Kikimora were along with her pet. But the Golden Guard's face went pale seeing a familiar scout coming out from the building. He started asking Varian if it was possible to just leave.
But Varian wasn't going to leave the Palismen behind. "We had a deal, Golden Guard." Varian snapped.
Varian felt a little guilty for snapping at him, but he still wanted to free those Palismen. So, they agreed to a truce to free the Palismen. While Varian drew a combined fire and ice glyph on the wall in front of him, the Golden Guard returned with a sack filled with Sleeping Nettles. The Golden Guard looked a little impressed with the glyphs. "So how will this help?" he asked.
"Well, we don't want to spook Kikimora's steed because it might drop the nest and hurt the Palismen! So, using these fire and ice spells, I can command the glyphs to produce a thick mist!" Varian explained.
"And the Sleeping Nettles?" The Golden Guard asked as he handed Varian the Nettles.
Varian took them then he pulled the cloth mask over his face and carefully squished the pollen into one of his chem balls that doubled as a smoke screen. He placed it in the hole right where the glyphs were drawn. "A key ingredient for one of my alchemical solutions. Combine it with the mist from the glyphs it'll create..."
"A sleep-inducing smoke, forcing Kikimora to land. Genius." The Golden Guard finished.
Varian's face slowly broke into a blush at the complaint. He confessed that he read about a similar spell in a book about wild magic. Varian knew what book he was talking about, Luz told him about how Eda pickpocketed the writer once. The Golden Guard started sharing information about how the glyphs were similar to the elemental magic practiced in the Savage Ages. He wanted to say more but he stopped when he remembered that wild magic was restricted for a reason.
"But why? I don't understand. What is the emperor's problem with wild magic? I've seen witches on multiple tracks at Hexside." Varian asked.
"It's the Titans will. At least, that's what the emperor tells me. A lot of my ancestors were powerless witches like me. I never thought I'd have a future in a world like this. But then Belos found me and my uncle. He gave me a staff with artificial magic and made me his Golden Guard." The Golden Guard answered.
"Must have been kind of lonely. Were there any other scouts your age?"
"Not really. I'm the youngest scout. I don't have time to make friends let alone have friends. IN the Emperor's Coven, it's every witch for themselves. Besides, no one wants to be friends with the genius teen prodigy."
"I know the feeling." Varian looked at the Golden Guard who was a little surprised. "Back in my village, everyone thinks I'm just a menace to the town because most of my experiments and inventions kind of blow up in my face. I try to use my talent to help my people, but my kind of help isn't always appreciated. I'm just Varian the Screw Up Alchemist."
The Golden Guard stared at Varian for a few seconds then he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, it's their loss." he spoke, softly.
The red cardinal palismen landed near the guards' feet, he didn't shoo it away instead he picked it up then the palismen shifted into its staff form. Suddenly, they heard the sound of Kikimora's beast, they looked out towards the base and saw Kikimora on its back ready to fly. Varian and the Golden Guard made sure to tie masks around their mouths, so they don't breathe in any of the mist. Varian decided to hand the Golden Guard back his artificial staff as a sign of trust. He then activated the glyphs which created the mist.
They flew behind Kikimora to be close enough to her to see where they'll land. Both the creature and Kikimora start feeling woozy from the mist. The creature suddenly crashed to the ground and fell asleep which knocked Kikimora off the creature's back. Varian and the Golden Guard landed near the nest. When Varian opened it, Luz was still inside along with the palismen, none of them were hurt. Luz gave the palismen her witches cloak to keep them warm. Just then, the Golden Guard pointed his staff at Luz and Varian.
"Wait, that's the Golden Guard?! He's a lot, younger than I imagined." Luz commented.
"You don't have to do this. You don't have to hand all these innocent little guys to Belos. I know what he does with them. I thought you were a good guy, not just the Golden Guard." Varian said in defeat.
The Golden Guard looked into Varian's eyes, a ping of guilty washed over him. He took off his mask, "My name is Hunter." he spoke.
Without warning, something fired a blast of magic at Hunter giving him a small cut on his forehead. They all saw Kikimora who was trying to fight off the effects of the mist attacking. Her vision was blurry so she couldn't see who was there. Hunter sprang into action defending both Varian and Luz. He managed to snag Kikimora's whistle off her neck and tossed it to Varian. Hunter told them to go while he dealt with Kikimora. They got away on the creature with the palismen nest.
The next morning at Hexside, the Bat Queen returned for her nest of palismen. The red cardinal palismen told the Bat Queen that he had finally found a new owner so she let him go to the owner. Back at the Owl House, Luz was still moping about not getting her own palismen. Just then, Eda and King climbed in through the window covered in twigs and scratches. Before Luz could say anything, Eda dropped a blue log in her lap. "How thoughtful?" Luz said, confused.
"It's Palistrom wood, ya ding dong!" Eda stated.
"But I thought this was super rare. How did you get it?" Varian asked.
"Let's just say that the Bonesborough Garden Club..."
"Was robbed! By us!" King finished Eda's sentence.
Eda figured that since Luz didn't get a palismen, she could make her own. Luz was grateful for Eda doing this for her, but she told Eda that she wanted some time to think. "It's hard to picture my future without seeing my mom." Luz stated.
"There's no rush. Just know that whatever you need from us, we gotcha." Eda said, confidently.
Meanwhile at the castle, Hunter was in the throne room kneeling at Belos. He heard about Hunter's attempt to retrieve the palismen but failed to bring them to the castle. Belos was not happy with Hunter's failure. He reminded Hunter that he gave him and his uncle everything and he can take it away. Hunter begged Belos not to, he wouldn't fail him again. Hunter tried to reason with him by saying that he could find a cure with wild magic. That was Belos's last breaking point, he raised his hand then it turned into a tentacle and it missed Hunter by an inch.
"I warned you about mentioning wild magic in my present!" Belos shrieked, "Consider this your last warning. Fail me again, I will show no mercy on you and your uncle."
He got up and left the throne room but he was not prepared for what waited for him. When he returned to his room, he found his uncle on the bed with bandages around his arm. Hunter asked his uncle what happened and he told Hunter that Belos did this to him as punishment. "I know you were in Latissa. I told you to stay in the castle Hunter. Why did you leave?" his uncle asked.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help. You're getting worse every day. The emperor says he's willing to cure you but sometimes I wonder if he is. I hardly see you without that mask." Hunter explained.
Before his uncle could say another word, they heard the red cardinal palismen that was standing on the window. Hunter quickly brought it inside before anyone could see it. His uncle looked a little surprised seeing the palismen. He told Hunter that this palismen used to belong to Hunter's father. The palismen shifted into its staff form which meant that he was now Hunters.