Cassie steps away from Izzy and Lund on the beach and calls Drummond Fox out of hiding. Drummond materializes from darkness, admitting he listened and understands Cassie “went somewhere” she can’t fully explain. Cassie shares more than she told Izzy: the Book of Safety protected Cassie in a place “outside of this reality,” where Cassie sensed strange colors like book-magic. Cassie holds back deeper truths for later, and Drummond asks to hear everything when Cassie is ready.

Drummond explains he has survived for years by using the Book of Shadows to become insubstantial and move unseen, sleeping wherever he can. Cassie asks why he followed Izzy and Lund, and Drummond admits it was strategy: Cassie would return to Izzy first, so staying near Izzy was his best chance to reconnect with Cassie. Cassie confirms she intends to stop the gray-mist woman, even though Cassie doesn’t yet know what “stop” means; Cassie still hopes that if the woman is stopped, the Fox Library can exist openly again. Drummond jokes that Cassie only wants him “for my mountains,” and Cassie’s laughter feels like her first real freedom in years.

Back at the motel, Cassie brings Drummond to Izzy and Lund. Izzy greets Drummond with guarded hostility because Izzy remembers hating him but cannot remember why, after memory tampering. The group settles into uneasy calm, orders pizza and snacks, and talks through options for confronting the woman while Lund half-watches the news. Cassie’s tone with Drummond turns warmer and more intimate, while Drummond remains watchful and practical.

Over pizza, Drummond confirms the woman wants the Fox Library and explains he has hidden it and that he holds seventeen books. Izzy suggests using the library (or a fake version) as bait, and Cassie proposes using the Book of Illusion to create a convincing false Fox Library since illusions worked on the woman before. Izzy admits Izzy cannot reliably control the Book of Illusion, and Drummond warns that even if they lure the woman somewhere, they still must survive the woman’s other books. Lund then mentions Azaki, claiming Azaki once created a cathedral in the desert and could have made a library illusion—though Lund insists Azaki is dead.

Pressed, Lund recounts traveling with Azaki and the shooting in Cassie’s apartment when Hugo Barbary shot them. Cassie and Drummond point out they saw blood but no Japanese man’s body afterward, and Izzy suggests Azaki might have survived through illusion, as Izzy did in the ballroom. Cassie begins probing Lund for details, asking whether Azaki was ever alone while traveling, implying Azaki may have concealed capabilities or plans.

Late that night, Cassie realizes Cassie and Izzy’s relationship has permanently changed now that Izzy has built a life with Lund. Izzy explains Lund’s quiet steadiness and honesty, and Cassie reassures Izzy that their friendship will endure despite time and change. They exchange “I love you,” share a long hug, and agree to meet for breakfast; Izzy even softens toward Drummond after learning he has been quietly protecting them. Alone again, Cassie feels the ache of loneliness and opens a door to visit Cassie’s grandfather one last time.