There are a lot of questions heading into Supernatural‘s thirteenth season: What will happen to Mary and Lucifer? Who is in the apocalypse world? Is Lucifer’s son good or evil? And, perhaps the biggest question: WHAT’S GOING ON WITH CAS? Quick reminder: Season 12 ended with Lucifer driving an angel blade through Castiel’s back, thereby killing him. And yet, we know Misha Collins is sticking around. So … what gives?

Well, EW can reveal that fans will first see Castiel in episode 3 of season 13, though his whereabouts are still being kept under lock and key. What we do know is that he’ll be in what co-showrunner Robert Singer calls a “very, very dark place” that is not heaven, hell, purgatory, or earth but that has been spoken about on the show previously. “It’s a place we’ll be seeing for the first time through his eyes,” co-showrunner Andrew Dabb teases. Misha Collins adds, “I really think that this is potentially the most boring place in the universe.” And when we catch up with him in this mystery location, Collins says Cas is “really preoccupied with the notion of getting back to the boys and Jack.”

The good news? He will do just that by episode 6. After what Jensen Ackles calls an “understated reunion” — because, remember, no chick flick moments — Castiel rejoins Team Free Will. “The idea is that it’s a hard reset on Cas,” Collins says. “He remembers right up until the moment that he was killed, but he’s infused with a little bit of the old Cas. He’s back to full power.”

Speaking of the old Cas, Collins says our favorite trenchcoat-wearing angel comes back with a “slightly different wardrobe” that he describes as “more like the original Cas.” And once he’s back, expect him to pick up right where he left off when it comes to protecting Jack, Lucifer’s son. “There is a bond,” Collins says of the duo. “Cas does really see himself as guardian to this kid.”