In Boring, Oregon:
Zander Maximillion, after opening the door to a run-down motel room, starts examining the rooms as Dipper, Mabel, Soos, Wendy, and Waddles take their limited belongings inside. Wendy voices doubt that the room is what Zander was referring to as a safe place, Dipper implicitly agreeing that Zander cannot be trusted. Soos shuts the door as Zander stops examining the rooms, pleased with what he found.
Sensing unasked questions, Zander agrees to tell the four what they want to know. He explains that the motel is a good strategic place, as without food nearby, it would be unlikely for enemies to think they would stay there for long. He also says that the room they are in has a few tricks hidden, thanks to some good investments he made a few decades ago.
Playing with a screw in a nightstand, Zander makes the beds disappear into the wall and be replaced with computers, monitors, and a number of other devices on desks. A voice asks for the password, Zander responding Haddiya, the connection to Omir Steindorf not lost on the twins. Zander starts typing, but stops when Dipper points out that he's been lying to all of them from the moment they met. Mabel tries to defend him, but Soos and Wendy are with Dipper, both wanting more information.
Zander confirms that he is the Guardsman, and that there is a lot he hasn't been telling them. Dipper asks why they should trust him, Zander responding that they need his help. Wendy emotionally tells him that, with Gravity Falls gone, there's nothing he can do to help them, everyone taking a moment to remember what happened the day before. Zander apologizes for the town getting involved in his war with Omir, but says there are worse things going on than the town disappearing.
Dipper mentions families disappearing, telling Zander he doesn't know what family means when he tries to say he understands. Dipper tells him to start at the beginning, asking him how he escaped. Zander says that, after the twins and Arline left, he was able to get... creative, and Graupner quickly realized that he was more than just a retired rock-star. Graupner magiced himself out after the realization, and by the time Zander made it to the surface, it was too late to save anyone. Collecting himself after Mabel tells him what Arline did, he says that they need each others help in saving the world.
Typing on a computer, he explains what he told Dipper in the Glade- when the Stone was created in 1479, it sucked up 80% of the world's magic, an event that became known as the Great Siphon. The twins realize that, with the Stone gone, magic will start to return to the world. Zander says the magic isn't the danger- people, after discovering what magic could do, would be the reason the world is in danger.
He opens a website he and several of his students made so people could report paranormal things they saw, a clip from a real news station beginning to play. The anchor cuts to a field reporter underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The reporter tells the anchor that people have been reporting mermaid sightings, the cameraman showing a group of mermaids having a party, both running away when one of the mermaids offers them something to drink.
Dipper comments that it's not too bad, happy people will finally believe his stories. Zander says that, with the news stations reporting everything, the timeframe of people believing it is all a prank is limited. Dipper still doesn't see the problem, but Zander tells him the return of magic will come in waves, and mermaids are just a teaser of what is to come. He pulls up a graph, the x-axis labeled in five-day increments, the y-axis with the percent of magic returned to the world. The first five days shows barely one percent, but by thirty days, the percentage is up to 73.
Realizing that this means very dangerous things are coming back soon, the four of them agree to help Zander with his plan to get the Stone back. Making the computers go back into the floor, he tells them to rest up, as the plan is to start collecting Starkissed fragments in four hours. Mabel asks what the rush is, Zander reminding them that someone besides the five of them escaped town before the explosion... and that someone is currently heading for his Master's company headquarters.
In Los Angeles:
An eyepatch over his missing eye, Graupner Kinley enters the Steindorf and Co. headquarters building, telling the secretary to tell the representatives that he's on his way up. Leaving the flustered woman behind, he examines the red crystal he replaced his left eye within the elevator mirror, intent to salvage what he can of the company.
On the 19th floor, Graupner orders a dozen soldiers to get everyone out of the building as quickly as possible. As the soldiers do this, he tells another secretary, who asks where Omir is, that the business convention he said he was going to was held in a town that never existed. Passing people who are being pulled away from their search for Omir, Graupner enters the lounge, five older businessmen and a younger clerk already present.
Graupner tells the businessmen that Omir is gone from reality itself, the event that caused the magic resurgence everyone is talking about. As one of the men does something on his phone, Graupner pulls out a piece of paper that names him head of the company after Omir leaves. He says that he's there to get official control over everything, and to liquidize the assets, and if the men don't support them in this, he will kill them.
The man who was on the phone tells Graupner he called security, six soldiers entering a few seconds later. They grab the man who called them in, Graupner explaining that they listen to him only now that he is in charge. He offers the businessmen one last chance to help him, but they refuse. and Graupner orders the soldiers to throw the man out the window. However, the window is bulletproof, and it still doesn't break after three attempts, making Graupner mad.
He uses his magic to shatter the glass, but before he can throw the businessman out, the clerk steps up, saying that it would be worse for the businessman to watch as the company gets destroyed. Graupner tells the clerk, Alvis Leuthar, that he needs to put out the message that he is in charge, and the men need to authorize his claim on the company to get him what he needs. Alvis tells him that he practically does all the jobs of the five men combined already, and offers to join Graupner and help him in his mission... provided he has a part in everything.
Graupner agrees and takes Alvis on as his apprentice, giving him permission to order the soldiers around. Alvis suggests ransoming the five businessmen to get money before asking Graupner how he gained so much power over the soldiers in a day. Graupner shows him the red crystal where his eye should be, commenting that Magic is power as he starts to leave the building.
Graupner tells Alvis to get everyone reporting to the two of them as soon as possible, and to make sure they have groups in place across the country for quick response times. Graupner also tells him to get a team together and meet him in Portland, Oregon in a day, commenting that there are a few loose ends to tie up before taking control. As Alvis leaves to do this, Graupner stares at the sky, stuttering to himself that the Pines can't beat him now.
Cryptogram:
Ftq tgzf tme nqsgz. Oxuyn fa kagd rqqf. Iuft qmot ndqmft, bget fa ftq oayuzs pmk.
The hunt has begun. Climb to your feet. With each breath, push to the coming day.
