Outside the cave, Coco and Tetia test their Sylph Shoes by flying around. Coco’s control gives her much better speed, surprising both Tetia and Qifrey. Watching her, Qifrey realizes that Agott nearly crashing into him earlier was due to how straight her glyph lines were. He notes that if Agott is still using them, it likely means she’s interested in Coco’s magic, which shocks Coco.
Suddenly, a hat drifts through the air. Qifrey catches it and immediately recognizes it as Alaira’s. He grows concerned, explaining that hats are extremely important to witches, and sending one like this usually means something went wrong. He suspects they may have run into a Brimmed Cap witch. Coco asks if the others inside are safe. Qifrey decides to call Olruggio to take Coco and Tetia back to the atelier while he contacts the Auditorium and investigates the cave himself.
The Brimmed Cap’s attack
Before they can act, the ground behind them twists and collapses, sending all three falling. Qifrey holds onto Coco and Tetia as they drop. As he looks around, he suspects they’ve been attacked by a golem, a product of ancient forbidden magic. A large rock hits him, and he begins to lose consciousness.
Meanwhile in the cave, Agott, Euini, and Richeh run from the Brimmed Cap witch chasing them. Euini uses his modified cloak to shield the girls and their Myrphons so they can hide, but since it’s not the original Mirror Cloak the Myrphons attack him. That disturbance alerts the Brimmed Cap witch to their location.
They suddenly vanish, which catches the kids off guard, but the witch immediately casts a spell that almost drags Euini toward them. Richeh uses a Wall Breaker Seal to free him and the three keep running. Agott starts to worry, thinking that if even Alaira couldn’t defend herself, they don’t stand a chance against a Brimhat. She then comes up with a plan to freeze the path like Alaira did before so they can move faster. Using the tiles beneath them, they freeze the path and Agott pushes them forward with her Sylph Shoes while Euini and Richeh maintain the ice with his pre-made spells.
Agott lies to protect Coco
As they move, Agott wonders why they’re being attacked now and suspects it’s because of Coco. She suddenly stops and turns to face the Brimmed Cap witch. She yells that the person they’re looking for isn’t with them and lies, saying Coco’s memory was wiped and she was sent home. The witch ignores her, rushes in, and pins Agott to the ground, calling her bluff.
Euini and Richeh try to rush in to help but the witch blocks them off with ice magic. Agott notices the smell of ink as the Brimmed Cap witch mocks her and points out each of their weaknesses. The cloak tightens around Agott’s neck as the witch reveals their plan to use her to force Coco into using Forbidden Magic.
With Agott restrained, the Brimmed Cap witch tears open her sleeve and exposes her forearm. They begin carving into her skin. Agott realizes what they’re doing—the Brimmed Cap Group engraves glyphs into their bodies as tattoos. Even if forced, having one is considered a serious crime. Panic sets in. Agott screams and struggles, terrified that her future is being destroyed in this moment.
Richeh throws a Crystal Ribbon toward her and tells her to grab it once she falls. Right after, the ground beneath Agott and the witch explodes. They both fall. Agott catches the ribbon and is pulled back to safety beside Richeh. It’s revealed that Euini caused the explosion from beneath the path, pleased with himself. That doesn’t last long. The Brimmed Cap witch reaches out from the shadows and drags him down.
Euini’s horrifying transformation
The girls quickly realize something is wrong and call out to Euini. After a moment, Richeh spots him. His body is distorted, crawling toward them. He calls for help as he begins transforming into a Scalewolf. The Brimmed Cap witch appears and reveals they experimented on him. The result didn’t turn out the way they wanted. This angers Richeh, who demands they turn him back. Instead, the witch disappears.
After a brief exchange, Agott and Richeh split up. Agott goes after Euini, while Richeh heads for the exit with the Myrphons. Before leaving, Agott tells her that the magic Richeh uses—magic she enjoys and creates herself—won’t be enough to save Euini right now. The comment clearly upsets Richeh as Agott leaves. Elsewhere, Coco, Tetia, and Qifrey land in a strange cave. Coco wakes up first, nudged awake by Brushbuddy. The others are still unconscious. As she tries to wake them, she notices Qifrey is badly injured.
She reaches toward him, but he suddenly wakes and slams her hand away. Tetia starts to come to as Qifrey scans their surroundings. They’re being watched by strange golden figures. Qifrey recognizes them as the Ancients of Romonon. Struggling to stand, Qifrey gets to his feet and tells the girls to stay close. Even injured, he’s ready to protect them.
