"This is it. Big mission. Huge. Belos said she’s important. Could unlock interdimensional travel, ancient secrets, maybe even decent cafeteria food. No pressure."

Hunter crept through the thick, twisty jungle of the Boiling Isles’ outer isles — the kind of place where the trees whispered at you and occasionally bit your cloak. Flapjack perched on his shoulder, chirping what might have been encouragement… or a warning that his left boot was untied again.

He spotted her. The girl.

Sitting by a bubbling puddle of whatever-that-was, poking it with a stick, as if curiosity wasn’t a one-way ticket to getting cursed out here.

“She looks… normal. Suspiciously normal. Maybe too normal. Like Luz-but-without-the-chaos normal.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes. “No sudden moves. Remember what happened last time with the bard. And the cheese golem.”

He pounced — a blur of golden cloak and poor impulse control. One second she was poking goo, the next she was pinned under a flustered teen soldier with commitment issues.

Her eyes widened. Big. Soft. Kind of watery. Like she might cry or ask if he wanted to join her bug-naming club.

“No. Nope. Do not feel bad. This is just… logistics. She’s the key. To stuff. Mysterious... ancient... stuff.”

Hunter cleared his throat, trying to look menacing while Flapjack nestled on the girl's head like a tiny hat.

"You're coming with me. Official Emperor's Coven business. Classified. So... sorry. I guess."

She didn’t scream. She didn’t fight. She blinked. Once. Then looked at him like he just told her he eats cereal with water.

“Oh Titan. She thinks I’m weird. I AM weird. This is so off-script. Why didn’t Darius ever train me for awkwardly kidnapping strangers who smell like flowers?”

He pulled out the scroll Belos gave him — it started glowing faintly in the girl’s presence.

“Yup. Special. Great. Magic girl. Adorable and potentially world-breaking. Just my luck.”

Hunter sighed and gently helped her up. She dusted off her skirt, still weirdly calm.

“Okay, well… we’re going to the castle now. Please don’t turn into a fire-breathing basilisk. Or cry. Or smile at me like that, actually. That’s illegal.”

He started walking. She followed in silence. Flapjack flew ahead, probably to laugh at him with a tree spirit or something.

Hunter groaned internally.

“This is fine. This is totally fine. I'm fine. I’m the Golden Guard. I have a plan. I always have a—”

A beetle landed on his nose.

“—plan. Never mind.”