In the Prison of the Abject, the flayed man retrieves a suit of human flesh from the branches of the dead tree and re-skins himself.
With the Wizard still in Ev, Tip, West and the elder witches march on Emerald City, where "Ozma" is crowned queen. Eammon surrenders himself and states he killed Ozma's parents to please the Wizard, but couldn't kill Ozma because she reminded him of his daughter and he submits himself for punishment. Tip erases Eamon from his family's memories and sentences him to wander Oz in the "skin of the lion," i.e. his leonine battle armor. West (who had previously clamored for Tip to kill Eamon) is pleased with "Ozma's" justice.
Jack and Jane make their way to the Wizard's camp on the battlefield - Jack is intent on killing him for his role in Landwidere's death, but the Wizard stops them with the revelation that Jane’s daughter is nearby.
When Glinda and her army attack the Wizard, Dorothy attempts to reason with Glinda, trying to avoid another war. Dorothy states she has a Stone Giant on her side, but Glinda commands Sylvie to use her power to destroy it. Across Oz, the stone giants crumble. The Wizard shoots Sylvie and orders his men to fire on Glinda’s army of young witches. But the weapons turn out to be useless, as only a witch can kill another witch. Glinda's army revives, and proceeds towards Emerald City with Dorothy and the Wizard in tow.
Glinda and her army reconvene with West and Tip. While Glinda argues that magic ought to reign supreme in Oz, West argues that magic and reason can co-exist in Oz, and that they must support Ozma as ruler to return to the pre-Wizard peace of the past.
Dorothy and the Wizard enter the castle, where the Wizard's "Vortex Manipulator" (read: tornado generator) is situated. Dorothy wants to use to device to banish the Wizard from Oz and send herself home. The Wizard protests, telling Dorothy that Jane is her real mother before he attempts to smash the mechanism. Jane appears and shoots the Wizard, verbally confirming his revelation that she is indeed Dorothy's birth mother.
Across Oz, Jack (hacked to pieces on the battlefield but still alive thanks to his mechanical upgrades), Lucas (still strung up on a scarecrow's pole where Dorothy left him) and Eamon (banished from the Emerald City and trudging down the brick road) all see a massive, winged shadow flying over the land. Tip, West, and Glinda also see the winged shadow looming over the Emerald City - the true Beast Forever has returned.
Jane utilizes the Vortex Manipulator to return Dorothy to Kansas. Dorothy awakens outside of Karen's trailer and rushes to Karen's aid, stabilizing her until medics arrive. Dorothy returns to her normal life, shaken by her experiences in Oz but unsure if everything that happened was a just a dream. Lucas appears on her family's farm and tells her that Jane needs Dorothy's help to fight the Beast Forever. "Have you come to take me back?" Dorothy asks him as thunderclouds roil on the horizon. "I've come to take you home," Lucas replies.
Tropes:
- Distinguishing Mark: Invoked and Discussed — In a remarkable bout of foresight, Jane put a tattoo on her infant daughter's hand in case they were ever separated. When they meet again twenty years later, she tell Dorothy the origin of the tattoo as a Trust Password.Jane: When you were little, I gave you a tattoo on your left hand. Just below your thumb. Five dots, a circle... I used to kiss each mark before I put you to sleep... one to keep you safe, one for good dreams. This one right here.Dorothy: Why?Jane: So if I ever lost you, I could find you again.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Tip punishes Eamonn for the murder of Tip's parents, by erasing the memory of Eamonn from his wife and daughter.
- Neck Snap: West casually snaps a guard's neck with a wave of her hand when he tries to attack Tip/Ozma.
- The Reveal: Karen Chapman is not Dorothy's birth mother, Jane is.
- Trust Password: The existence of Dorothy's tattoo. Dorothy hadn't told anyone in Oz about the origin of the tattoo on her hand, so when Jane corroborates that Dorothy has had it since she was an infant it's an immediate sign that Dorothy can trust Jane at her word.
- Would Hurt a Child: The horrifying scene when the Wizard shoots Sylvie right in front of Dorothy and orders his soldiers to massacre the witches, the eldest of whom are only in their mid-teens.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: Dorothy spent a few weeks in Oz, but when she returns to Kansas barely any time has passed - half an hour at most.
