"That's how I end up here, in New Jersey, chasing a gnome."

They were into a cave out of reach of sunshines, into the darkness. Jim just told them everything. Really everything. From the moment he found the Amulet to now. The twins listened to him quietly, sometimes they asked few questions but mostly for details, never to bother him. It has been more than an hour since the sun had risen but they decided to stay with Jim. He didn't even know why he started to talk to those two people he literally met few minutes ago.

"I'm sorry guys, I... why did I tell you all of this ?

- Because we aren't the trolls you're supposed to defend neither the friends you're supposed to be strong with."

Jim looked at Mabel who had a kind smile on her face. She nodded to show she understood him while Dipper was writing on his book, a blue one with a pine tree on its cover. Jim didn't know if he was pretending to write something down or if he really was taking notes so he could help to conceive the world Jim was living in.

"Mabel is right. You have such weighs on your shoulders but you had to rely on someone who... doesn't rely on you.

- Yeah but... continued Jim. I shouldn't complain, I chose to be this way.

- You chose to fight, you didn't choose to suffer."

Jim exhaled, deeply, like it was the first time for too long that he breathed. Then, a strange music started. Dipper rummaged around his pockets and found his mobile, ringing with the sound of piano in C minor, and Dipper picked up.

"Yes Grandpa ? Oh thank you ! Yeah yeah Mabel and I are outside. Are you okay ?"

He went out the cave, shook his head to say to Mabel that everything was fine before disappearing into the woods.

"I'm sorry, said Jim. Your family is probably worried now.

- Stop being sorry, she answered. The destiny of the worlds isn't between your hands you know. You're not responsible for everything that happens neither that will happen.

- Yeah but... a lot of things happened because of me. Going to the Darklands alone... I made a big mistake.

- I destroyed a town because I didn't want to grow up."

The silence following this sentence was heavy. Pretty heavy. Mabel was looking at the bottom of the cave, right into the black void. She was calm but Jim knew she was living her memories again inside her head.

"You know, she continued, I think sometimes that being selfish is health-care. Like, you have to be selfish to become who you want to be, right ? But it wasn't selfishness at this point, it was madness. It was : a mistake. Anyway, the town wasn't destroyed after all, my family and my friends stopped the monster I made a deal with, and I didn't think about it, didn't think about the horrors we saw. We even laughed about it and called a pit the "Mabel's fault". No big deal, right ? We were young... right ? Then, we went back to Piedmont, back to our school, back to normal. And I realized this normal could have been different. Could have been abnormal. I could have lost my brother. I could have KILLED my brother. So I started to hurt myself..."

She ran her hands across her legs, squeezing her knees and her ankles through her pants.

"And it took me years to understand that wasn't going to fix what I made, neither to redeem myself. The only way was to learn and move forward."

She turned her head toward him and he could drown into her eyes again. Her hazel eyes, with some golden sparkles, like stars floating on a sepia sky.

"But YOU, you're not like that. You have done nothing for your own purpose like I did, or Dipper did or our family... yeah we have a pretty messed-up family. The kind of family who don't feel the impact their actions have around them. Like... our great-uncle wanted to be the savior of the world but he couldn't protect his own brother. See ? That's what I call a mistake, and an expensive one. So stop feeling guilty, because you aren't.

- Mabel ? said Dipper, going back to the cave. Sorry to interrupt you but Grandpa was calling. He planned something for us today.

- Well, we can't leave Jim here !

- Don't worry for me, I will find a way to the Trollmarket.

- Keep our clothes to protect yourself from the sun then, said Dipper.

- But... how could I return them ?

- Obviously we're going to see you soon, you silly, smiled Mabel.

- In fact... do you have anything planned tonight ?"

The young man asked Jim while winking at his sister, and our Trollhunter was both happy to know he would meet them again and confused about why Dipper seemed to propose a scheme.

"No... no I don't. I have to find that gnome but...

- We can look for him during the day. We can help you."

Don't do this alone.

"It would be great. But how can you find... me ?

- Let just set up a meeting here, in this cave !"

Dipper checked on his phone before showing the online map base with the geographical coordinates of where they were at this moment.

"There ! Saved ! And how can you find this cave ?

- I have... some flair, answered Jim.

- See you tonight then ? I brought some cakes and old saucepans ?

- Oh yes ! screamed Mabel. We could do a bonfire !

- Isn't it illegal ?

- When there's no cops around, anything's legal !

- So it's settled then ? Tonight ? 8pm ?"

Now two pairs of hazel eyes were staring at him. He couldn't say no. He wouldn't anyway.

"Yeah totally !

- Great ! screamed Mabel. Now we have to hurry to catch up with our Grandpa or he will be worried !"

And then she rushed out of the cave with her phone. Dipper smiled and walked out more slowly while Jim put on the hat and the cardigan before stepping into the sun, very slowly. At the same speed as Dipper. That's how he understood that Dipper was waiting for him. Waiting to be sure that he could go out of the cave. Jim nodded, his head protected by the hat, the rest of his body protected by the armor, and his hands protected by the cardigan.

"You will be okay to go to the Trollmarket ?

- Yes. Thank you so much.

- You know... You told me that your Amulet can have others powers, like helping you to walk into the sun. Also your friend Blinky was turned into a human and your friend Toby took your appearance while you were into the Darklands..."

So he WAS taking notes.

"What do you mean ?

- I mean that you can't go back as how it was before. It's way too hard to be the Trollhunter and a student at the same time. But... if one day you really miss to be a human, you probably can turn into one, at least for a few days."

Jim couldn't believe his ears. Dipper was giving him something he wanted for a long time : hope. He knew it was too soon for that, but planning some "trollhunter-vacation" was reassuring. He could do things that trolls can't. Like... go to the beach ! Who doesn't want to go to the beach in New Jersey ?

"You're right !

- You're welcome.

- And you... you will be okay to search for the gnome ?

- Oh yeah ! We know how to manage with gnomes. Well, the gnomes we met aren't the same type but I'm sure it's the same deal.

- Can I ask you a question ?

- No I'm not going to dress as a princess to lure him.

- What ? No ! laughed Jim. It's... Mabel told me about how she almost destroyed a town. Saying she made kind of a pact with a monster ? I'm guessing the monster is supernatural ?

- He WAS.

- But if you've been so... traumatized by those things, why are you still looking for them ?"

Dipper wasn't walking anymore and Jim immediately regretted to ask this question. It was private, maybe even secret. Maybe they didn't have the answer to this question. But Dipper talked :

"When we went back to our home I... I simply stopped to sleep. For months. I was scared that the things we met would come in my house. And you can't even imagine the creatures we discovered, the enemies we had. But at the same time... I wanted them to come. I wanted to fight monsters and be nerdy about paranormal stuff because that was it. That was all I was."

Dipper turned to Jim and the Trollhunter could see the kid he was. A smart, scared, nerdy, curious kid. He could see the ink on his fingers because he broke the pen, the sweat on his forehead because he was nervous, the dark circles under his eyes because he spent his night to read. Then Dipper smiled... and the Trollhunter could see the man he became. A smart, less-scared, nerdy, curious, caring, daring, funny man.

"But I'm much more than this, and you are much more than this. Just like this universe which has much more to give us. There are many secrets, many mysteries hiding behind every tree, every rock, every house, every town. But there is no mystery worth to loose your family. It only worths to solve it IN family. That's what my sister and I are doing now.

- Wait, I thought you were just spending the summer together for your vacation ?

- Yes... AND we're chasing a monster.

- In New Jersey ? I mean... NEW JERSEY ?

- Duh, New Jersey ! Of course things are weird here. My grand-parents were born in New Jersey after all...

- But what are you searching for ?"

Dipper's smile get bigger.

"You probably have heard of the Jersey Devil ?

- Oh yeah that makes sense. New Jersey.

- Well... My great-uncles almost get him when they were kids...

- So it runs in the family huh.

- ... and my sister and I found out that Devil isn't some kind of whatever beast. It's a dragon.

- A DRAGON ?"

Dipper gave him a you-actually-met-Merlin-and-Morgana-but-you-don't-think-dragons-are-a-real-thing-? look.

"There are so many things, so many beings beyond your imagination Jim. Trolls and gnomes are just the beginning. Wizards, dragons, aliens... this is all reality. This is going to be Arcadia reality.

- What do you mean ?

- My great-uncle Ford thinks that Arcadia may become the new "weirdness magnet". That's how we call towns or places which attract strange things. And things will be stranger.

- I... I don't understand.

- Here. Have this."

Dipper extended the book he was holding the whole time to Jim.

"You can read it. It's everything I know about crazy things around the world. Just promise me you will give me back the book.

- I promise."

He was trusting him.

"Now I have to go. See you ! ran Dipper."

Jim saw him disappear between the pines, engulfed by the woods. The books was heavier than he looked, written pages after pages, more than three quarters of the book were used.. Jim was also fascinated by the drawings Dipper did and understood how good he probably was in CalArts. Then, one page struck him. Well... two pages. The first, on the left, had an impressively detailed drawing of his amulet. The Amulet. The second, on the right, was full of notes about what kind of powers the Amulet can give, what is a Trollhunter, and even who made the Amulet and with what and the list of the stones that can give other powers. Jim turned the page to see if Dipper wrote something else and his heart stopped. There was a drawing of him, of his face, in profile, and next to it was THIS :

"Jim Lake Jr. The human Trollhunter. Chosen by the Amulet as a young man, Jim became a troll to protect both worlds. Strong, kind, selfless, he is a precious ally and an even more precious friend. One day trolls would like to live amongst humans, and that day could only come if Jim is their leader as he cares about his humanity as much as his new family. I'm sure that day his voice will be heard. I'm sure that day he will change History, not because he is the Trollhunter, not because he is a troll, but because he is him. And he will be remembered. Bonus : he said he is a really good chef, which is why he learnt to wield his sword so easily. Might be a good idea to ask him some cooking advices."

He softly closed the book, and smiled. Now he needed to prove that Dipper was right.