Once Upon a Time season 5 is just a few short weeks away! Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis reveal some new details about the Dark Swan and what to expect this year.

The Dark Swan is heading to Once Upon a Time, but where will Emma Swan turn up in the premiere. Co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis revealed a few more details about the show’s fifth season to EW. Get to know the Dark Swan and what to expect in the Once Upon a Time season 5 premiere.

Emma’s journey into the Darkness

Emma’s transformation into the Dark One is not an overnight process. In fact, you can expect to see her struggle with the temptations of evil for quite some time. Kitsis says, “We watched the Darkness consume [Rumpelstiltskin]. We’re going to see the same with Emma. We’re going to see her struggle against this very dark thing inside her, and we’re going to see what happens.”

Speaking of Rumpelstiltskin, how exactly will Emma and the former Dark One cross paths? With Mr. Gold lying on the floor fighting for his life in Storybrooke it seems impossible to have the pair meet up in the Enchanted Forest.

“How is Rumple there? Why is he behind her, and why did we give the caption, ‘If you’re going to be the Dark One, gotta learn from the best’? I would say all of those questions will be answered in the premiere,” says Kitsis. At least we will not have to wait too long for some answers.

Expect to learn much more about the Dark One’s history in season 5 as well. Kitsis continues, “Emma is going to be taking us into the Dark One and the Dark One mythology, and we are going to learn this first half of the season who the original Dark One was, what made them tick, and why there is even a Dark One to begin with.” Any guesses? Could this be an Avatar universe tie in? Perhaps the Dark Ones can communicate with the past Dark Ones for the best way to ruin someone’s life.

With a timeline as twisted as Once Upon a Time‘s could it be possible that Emma is no longer in the present and somehow traveled back in time to meet Rumpelstiltskin? Adam Horowitz confirms that is not the case this season. “We’re not doing time travel. We dipped our toe in that. It was fun,” says Horowitz.

For the love of the Dark One

When the dagger fell to the ground in the final moments of the season 4 finale, how many fans were shouting for Killian to run and pick it up? With the Dark One under his control, surely Emma would have to answer the call the return to Storybrooke. However, as we saw in the first few minutes of the season, that is not the case.

This poses an interesting question– who should have the dagger? Kitsis believes it all boils down to whom you trust the most. “I would say who you trust with the dagger is an interesting thing. You want to trust the person who has your best interests at heart, but in the same respect, who would you say has the ability to unplug the machine? Meaning who’s the person that’s going to make the right decision at the right time?” asks Kitsis.

As we saw with Rumpel, giving the dagger (real or fake) to someone you love may not be in your best interest. Kitsis adds that “Who [Emma] gives the knife to… or who takes the knife has a lot of meaning and emotion but also some practicality to it.”

Hook has spent his life chasing after the Dark One in order to exact revenge. Now he is chasing after the Dark One with a different intention. He wants to save the woman he loves. This could be the perfect opportunity for the captain to return to the Darkness and live happily ever after with Emma, however Horowitz and Kitsis assure viewers that he has other intentions. Horowitz says, “There certainly is a dark part to Hook that is engaged by the Darkness that is taking over Emma, and it is something that he certainly can relate to in a way that many others can’t.”

Related: Once Upon a Time season 5 spoiler: The dreamcatcher returns

Kitsis adds, “But I would say that right now [Hook’s] main focus is on saving the woman he loves.”

What about the rest of the people who love and care about Emma? David and Mary Margaret are not going to have an easy time sorting out what to do in season 5. “For the very first time since season 1, we’re going to really see them disagreeing about the best way to save their daughter,” says Kitsis.

Who is the Dark Swan?

By this time we know Emma Swan pretty well. She’s the Savior, the product of true love, and a loving mother, friend, and girlfriend. How will the Darkness change all that? Horowitz says, “I would say that Dark Swan is an extension of Emma and an exploration of who she is. Just like when Rumpelstiltskin became the Dark One, it became an extension of all the character traits, flaws, and strengths he had.”

“Emma becoming Dark Swan has been a great opportunity for us to explore who she is at her deepest levels and to see those traits exploded in a way. That’s what the Darkness does to you. It takes who you are and twists it, and that’s what we’re going to see with Emma,” says Horowitz.

Emma’s journey into the Darkness begins in a few weeks time. Until then, let us know what you expect to see as the origins of the Dark One become clearer and the search for Merlin begins!

Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 1, “The Dark Swan,” returns Sunday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.