merendinoemiliano-Thank you!

Sirri-Thank you so, so much! I'm so glad you liked it! I'm just really happy you like how I changed the story, and hope you continue to do so :)

Susanna D.-I appreciate your enthusiasm, but spamming this fic with reviews asking when I will update will not hurry me up in any way. This fic takes time, so you'll just have to be patient.

Ugly-Duckling123-Thank you! To be honest, Blinky, Steve, and Archie were there, but I just forgot to add their names. Same thing for Douxie's line, I was watching the episode to get some lines and I forgot to change it Claire. So if you see stuff like that, assume it's Claire they're talking about!

T3ddyBearL0ve-Jumbo Jimbo is indeed here! I know you've been looking forward to it lol. Thank you! I tried to make the swap flow as naturally as possible, so I'm glad you liked it! Don't worry, you'll find out what Claire put on Jim in this chapter…Aw, I'm flattered I made you cry! Trust me, I totally understand, I rewatched Wizards for the third time and I STILL cried when Merlin died. Don't worry, I love torturing my favorite characters too! (As you can tell from this fic lol.) I saw his burnt hand too and I was like "BELLROC WHAT DID YOU DOOOOO!"


Douxie gazed at the green stone set in his master's staff. He touched it softly, a bittersweet smile on his face. He…still remembered when he saw it in person for the first time.

He had been running away from Galahad after his rigged shell game went wrong. Before long, he was quickly cornered by several other knights. Being the inexperienced wizard he was, Douxie was sure he was going to die, until he arrived. Merlin Ambrosius.

Douxie hadn't believed his eyes. How did the most powerful wizard in Camelot find him, of all people? And when Merlin made him his apprentice, well-he had nearly died of happiness right then and there. His apprenticeship was going to be amazing, absolutely nuclear! They were going to embark on so many adventures, all of which would end in glory!

Never did he imagine one would end like this.

Douxie clutched the staff close to his chest. He wanted to cry, but his tear ducts had dried up. Now he was just feeling hollow. Archie rubbed against his leg in a reassuring kind of way, but it did nothing to lift his spirits.

His gaze roamed over the castle ruins littering the ground. Smoke wafted into the sky. Centuries of art and history had been utterly destroyed.

"It's all gone," he whispered. "Everything. The Heart of Avalon, Camelot…" He stooped down to pick up a shard of the broken Heart of Avalon, a lump forming in his throat. "Merlin."

"Is there anything you want to say, Douxie?" Archie asked, placing his paw on Douxie's foot.

Douxie turned to Jim and Steve and took a deep, shuddering breath. "What can I say about Merlin? He was…he was-" How could he describe someone so great in so few words? "He was everything. He was all that we had." He slumped to the ground in defeat.

The ground shook, and Douxie looked up, startled. He relaxed when he saw it was only Jim, who, thanks to his enormous size, made the ground quake with his footsteps. Jim seemed to realize that he was the cause of the tremors and stopped walking, an ashamed and embarrassed look on his face. He cleared his throat.

"We'll get through this together," he said. "We need you Douxie, now more than ever. The world, our friends are in danger." He used a single sharp claw to slide Merlin's book to Douxie.

"And the Order's about to kick off an arcane apocalypse," Archie added.

Douxie reluctantly took the book and flipped through it. "But Merlin didn't tell me anything." He scanned the text written on the pages and groaned. "And of course, he gave me a book I can't even read!"

He flipped the book over to show to Jim and Steve. "I mean, what is that supposed to be? Orcish? Elvish? Naga snake tribe?!"

Archie gasped. "It looks like…ancient Draconic."

"Draconic?" Steve wondered. "As in…" He paled and squealed, "Oh, no. Dracula! Vampires! No, no, no!"

"No, Steve." Was it just Douxie, or did Jim's eyes just flash red? "As in, dragons."

"As in, Charlemagne the Devourer," Archie uttered, transforming into his dragon form.

Dread settled in an icy pit in Douxie's stomach. He had heard terrible stories about Charlemagne. "Charlemagne the Devourer…he's the keeper of the most sacred stones and treasures. A vicious dragon."

"Which is why we shouldn't trouble him! Maybe someone else can translate."

"Come on, Arch!" Douxie pleaded, holding up the book. "This is clearly about the Genesis seals. And if the Order finds them first-"

"Yes, yes, we'll all be doomed." In a flare of gold, Archie was back to his usual cat self, albeit a rather disgruntled cat. "I suppose we'll have to pay Charlemagne a visit."

Douxie raised his hand and called the flying boat to him. It floated towards him and hovered in place, waiting.

Just before he was about to embark, Jim interjected, "What about Claire? I've got to find a way to save her."

"Go back to Hex Tech," he ordered. "Research any magic that could help her."

"Okay," he said, nodding in determination. "Let's go, Steve."

"Aw, but the dragon quest-!"

A snarl ripped through the air, followed by Steve shrieking. Douxie spun around and gasped, his eyes widening.

"Jim!" he shouted, running over to the Trollhunter. "What are you doing?"

Jim had Steve pinned to the ground, his enormous blue hands wrapped around Steve's neck. The carvings on his body flared brightly. His face was twisted in anger. Worst of all, his eyes were glowing a dangerous bloodred.

Poor Steve was absolutely terrified. He kept screaming, slapping uselessly at Jim's meaty wrists. Jim winced at the high-pitched noise and roared in Steve's face. The force of the roar blew Steve's hair back and even scared some birds from a nearby tree. Steve instantly shut up, his screams reduced to fearful whimpers.

"Finally," Jim huffed. Douxie's blood ran cold at the sound of his voice. It was deeper, more raspy, as if he had been eating nails. "All you ever do is make noise. Incessant, loud, ever so annoying noise. That's all you're good at." His lowered his face, his fangs way too close to Steve's neck. "And I'm going to put an end to it."

"That's enough!" A blue rope swished from Douxie's bracelet and around Jim's wrists. With a heave, he wrenched Jim away from Steve. "That's-that's enough."

Jim growled threateningly. "Your weak magic can't hold me," he sneered, snapping the rope in two. Douxie gulped. He needed to get the real Jim back now.

"J-Jim," he started. Mordrax's miracles, he wished Claire was here. "This isn't you. The shard is corrupting you; you've got to fight against it-"

Douxie yelped in alarm as Jim leapt towards him. He dove out of the way. Jim's hands grasped nothing but dirt, and he whirled toward Douxie, pawing at the ground angrily.

He shot to his feet. Archie flapped beside him, flames flickering in his mouth. He raised a hand. Wait. He didn't want to hurt Jim unless he absolutely had to.

Douxie raised his hands in surrender, ignoring how they were trembling. "Easy now," he said. "Easy. Just calm down, Jim."

"No!" he bellowed, charging at Douxie. Douxie refused to panic and sidestepped out of the way. He stared as Jim forced himself to a stop, making deep grooves in the ground. Jim's new form, it seemed, was not as quick and agile as his old one.

"Just listen to me," Douxie said as calmly as he could. "Listen. I know you're angry right now, but you must calm down."

Jim snorted and lowered his head, preparing for another charge.

Brilliant. He still wasn't listening. Douxie sighed. He really didn't want to have to pull this card, but he had no other choice.

"What would Claire say if she saw you like this?"

And just like that, all the rage and hate disappeared. Jim's eyes faded to their normal blue. He stared at his trembling hands in horror.

"What…" he whispered, his voice back to normal, "what have I done?"

Suddenly, he cried out in pain and dropped to his knees. Douxie rushed forward. "What? What is it?"

Jim's breath came out in quick, shaky puffs. "The shard…" he wheezed. "It…burns."

"Let me see." Douxie closed his eyes and pressed his hand against the amulet. He cautiously sent a probing spell through Jim's body. Without warning, searing pain flashed through his hand. He retreated it with a yelp.

"Douxie!" Archie cried, flying over to him and dropping on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Douxie shakily turned his hand over and Archie gasped. A rune was burned into his palm, one that did not bode well for Jim.

"What is that?" Jim asked, his voice low.

"It's the sign of a curse," Douxie said. He winced as Archie started gently licking his palm. It stung, but since Archie's saliva had healing properties, it was best if he let him carry on.

"Curse?! I didn't know the shard was also cursed-"

"It's not the shard," he said. "The curse was from Claire."

Silence. Then Jim's quiet, disbelieving, "What?"

"When you were fighting the Green Knight, and she appeared," he explained. "That spell she blasted you with wasn't some fancy attack. It was a curse. A curse to keep the shard stuck inside you."

Horror filled Jim's face. "So there's no way to take it out? I'm stuck like this?"

"No, no, I didn't say that." Douxie muttered a thanks to Archie as his familiar stepped back, pleased with his work. "The shard can still be removed. But…" he swallowed. "The only one who can take it out is the conjurer of the curse, Claire herself."

Jim fell silent and stared at the ground.

Douxie bit his lip and looked to Archie for help, who merely shrugged. He sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Jim's arm, since he couldn't exactly reach his shoulder. Jim stared at him with wide, scared eyes.

"Look, we'll get her back, Jim," he said. "The real Claire, I mean. You'll be back to your old self in no time."

"Douxie, I'm scared," Jim confessed. He gazed at his hand and clenched it into a fist. "The longer the shard is in me, the more it changes me. I don't know how much longer I can fight against it. If we don't get it out soon, I…I don't think I can come back. There won't be a me to save anymore."

Douxie's throat went dry. The worst part was, Jim was right. He had sensed it with his spell. The shard's magic had changed him physically, and now it was twisting Jim's kind nature into something wicked. If they couldn't get Claire back, Jim would be lost.

"I won't let that happen," he said, surprising both himself and Jim. But as soon as he said it, he knew it was true. He had already lost his master. He was not going to lose anyone else.

"I promise," he declared, his voice growing stronger. "We'll save Claire and you. Just hang in there, alright?" He patted Jim's arm and started to the boat.

"W-wait!" Jim grabbed Douxie's arm, making him flinch in pain. His grip was very strong now. Jim realized this and quickly released him. "S-sorry. It's just…" he looked away. "You know I wouldn't use the shard unless I absolutely had to, right? I had no other choice. I wouldn't have otherwise, I swear-"

He touched Jim's arm, startling him and making him look in Douxie's eyes. "I believe you," Douxie said. "I know what it's like to make the hard decision, and not knowing if it was the right one or not. And if you feel like you made the right choice, then it's okay. I trust you." He smiled up at Jim, hoping he conveyed what he was feeling through his eyes.

Jim stared down at Douxie, still not entirely sure if he was telling the truth or not. Finally, he offered a weak smile of his own. "Thanks, Douxie. I needed that."

He nodded and watched as Jim approached Steve on all fours. He sniffed him before glancing at Douxie and mouthing, He's unconscious. He carefully picked up Steve in one arm and turned back to Douxie.

"I'm going to run back to Hex Tech," he said, squinting at the sun just starting to peek over the horizon. "I think I can make it before the sun rises. You go find Charlemagne."

"Will do." Douxie saluted and hopped into the boat, Archie flapping onto his shoulder. Before he could insert his staff in the keyhole, Jim spoke.

"For the record…" Douxie glanced over his shoulder at Jim. His mouth was set in a firm line. "I trust you too, Douxie." He gave a salute and charged into the forest in the direction of town.

"See, Douxie?" Archie said. "After all the Trollhunter's been through, he still trusts you. Maybe you should trust yourself, eh?"

Douxie chuckled. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right, Arch."

"Honestly, when am I not?"

"I can think of a few dozen times, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that." His staff glowed, and the boat rose into the air. "We've got to get some answers…before the Order does."

The boat flew into the early morning sky.

.

.

.

Jim hated this.

He hated that he didn't have Claire with him. That even if she was, she had been replaced by something dark and insidious. He hated that the world was ending again. That just when life was starting to seem normal again in New Jersey, everything fell to pieces.

But most of all, he hated himself-or, rather, his new form. Just when he had accepted his troll form, he had to deal with-with whatever he was now.

He hated how big he was. Branches that would normally be no bother to him scraped along his horns. The ground shook violently underneath him, and he constantly had to remind himself that it was not an earthquake, that it was just his pounding footsteps. He hated how careful he had to be with everything, whether it was Merlin's book or making sure he didn't crush Steve to death. He hated how he freaking glowed like a lamp.

The physical changes weren't the scariest part, though. It was the dark magic inside him. Every second that ticked by, the more the shard changed him. He could feel it. Feel himself…slipping. It was only a tug in the back of his mind now, but he knew it would grow stronger.

Like when he had lost it with Steve. He had already been feeling like crap because Merlin had died (he was still conflicted about the wizard's death), and Steve's-Steveness had just pushed him over the edge. He would've never attacked him though! But the shard made him explode with rage, made him savage. Now Steve was out cold because of his actions.

He hated this.

Jim finally reached the border of the forest. He rushed through the streets, grateful that no one was around yet. Before long, he skidded to a stop outside Hex Tech. The store was closed, and no one was inside. Thank god for that. He couldn't deal with stares right now.

He eased Steve down to the ground. Steve moaned and curled in on himself. Jim whimpered. He didn't look hurt, but maybe he had accidentally broken a few of his ribs? He didn't know.

Jim poked him with a claw, a concerned whine rising from his chest. Why wasn't he waking up?! When Steve didn't move, he poked him again, harder this time.

Steve blearily opened his eyes. "Mommy? Why are you waking me up? You know I like to sleep in." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you so blue?"

Jim sagged in relief. He was fine. "It's me, Jim. Can you get up? Do you remember what happened?"

"Oh." Steve frowned as he remembered that he was, in fact, not at home. Then he beamed and sprung to his feet. "Of course I can get up! Steve Palchuk is ready for some more butt-slaying action!"

Jim blinked in utter surprise. "Wha-you're okay? But you were unconscious!" he spluttered.

"Duh, I was sleeping," Steve said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't hurt me! I'm not a creep like you, remember? I haven't slept in days! So I thought that now was the most convenient time to catch some Zs."

Jim couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter, clutching his sides.

Steve stared at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's just…" Jim's laughter died and he smiled at Steve. "Just relieved, I guess." His face fell as he remembered just what he had done to him. He bit his lip. "I'm…I'm sorry. For what I did to you. I really didn't mean to, and I didn't mean those things I said. Although I-I don't exactly remember what I said, I'm sure it was horrible, so I'm sorry-"

"Stop talking about yourself like that." Jim looked at Steve, and he was shocked at the fiery determination and sincerity in his eyes. "You didn't hurt me on purpose, right? It was evil magic or something. So you have nothing to apologize for, and you definitely have nothing to blame yourself for. So, just-stop it. It's okay."

Jim was suddenly overcome with emotion, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Steve, that's...that's really good advice. Thank you."

"No prob, Bob," Steve remarked, slapping Jim on the back before wincing and holding his hand. His gaze flicked to the store. "Uh, can you fit through that door?"

"I…think so?" Jim hesitantly pushed the door open (which he assumed was left unlocked by the pink-haired girl) and gulped at the small doorway. He carefully eased himself through the doorway. His shoulders scraped against the edge of the glass and he held his breath. Then he stumbled through, the wall still intact.

"That was a close one," he said, giving Steve a fanged grin.

"I was starting to see some cracks," Steve admitted. "But you made it. Now let's go see how the others are doing."

He started walking confidently forward, but stopped when he realized Jim wasn't following. He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, man, you coming or what?"

Jim hadn't even considered what the others would think of him. Heck, they weren't going to recognize him. He was sure they would see him as some-some monster. It would so, so much worse than the first transformation.

He shook his head and started backing away slowly. "I-I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Can't go in there. They'll-they'll scream, they'll try to fight me, and who would blame them, I'm hideous and I look evil and I-"

"Dude." Steve held up a hand to silence Jim mid-rant. "This is Domzalski we're talking about. You've been friends since, like, forever. There's no way he's going to leave you now just because you've got, I don't know, bigger biceps? And I don't know your troll buddies that well, but they seem pretty cool. So," he punched Jim in the arm playfully, "don't worry about it." He flapped his hand in the air and turned around, muttering, "I've got to stop doing that."

Jim swallowed hard before following Steve into the narrow corridor. His heart pounded in his chest as the door to the break room came closer and closer. He knew Steve was right, but a part of him desperately wanted to turn on his heels and sprint the other direction.

Much too soon, they were at the door. Before Steve opened it, Jim burst, "Could you go in first?" When Steve gave him a look, he added, "I'm not going to run away, I swear. It would probably be better if you just, you know, gave them a heads up before they saw me? Kinda explain what happened?"

Steve shrugged. "Okay." He stepped through the door and closed it behind him. Jim started to press his ear against the door, then realized with his heightened hearing there was no need to.

"Steve, you're back!" Toby exclaimed. Worry filled his voice. "But where's Douxie? Claire?" His worry turned to panic. "Jim, where's J-Jim?"

"Douxie has to go see a dragon, Claire is evil now, and Jim, uh…" Steve hesitated. "Well, he's not dead, which can't be said for Merlin."

"WHAT?!" everyone in the room cried.

Jim smacked his palm against his forehead.

"What do you mean Merlin Ambrosius is deceased?" Blinky shouted, no doubt waving his arms in the air frantically. "He's the most powerful wizard alive!"

"Not anymore," Steve commented. He added bashfully, "Uh, sorry."

"Wait, wait, wait, Douxie's boss is dead?" a female voice questioned. Jim recognized it as the voice of the pink-haired girl-Zoe, he thought her name was. "That doesn't seem possible."

"But it is," Nari said sadly. "I sense all living souls, small and great. And I felt Merlin's leave this plane."

"I can't believe it," Toby said. "I can't…wait. You never answered my question about Jim. Where is he, Steve? Where is he?!" Jim's heart cracked at the desperation in Toby's voice, and he knew it was time to reveal himself.

"I'm here, Tobes," he stated. "Just…don't panic when you see me, okay?" He braced himself for the stares and shrieks before opening the door.

Toby chuckled, "Why would I panic Jimbo-OH MY GOD IT'S A TROLL! TROLLLLL!" he screamed, reaching for his war hammer.

"Indeed! A foul beast sent by the Arcane Order, with the gift of imitating master Jim's voice!" Blinky shouted, backing away.

Argh snarled and pounced on Jim. His eyes flared green as he punched Jim across the face. Irritation surged through Jim and he growled. He headbutted Argh with his horns and kicked him off. He accidentally kicked with more force than intended and the giant troll smacked into the ceiling. He crashed into the ground with a groan.

Jim shook his head, trying to dispel the shard's influence. "Sorry, Argh, I didn't mean-"

A bolt of pink lightning shot him directly in the chest. He cried out and dropped to his knees. He glared at the source of the lightning, which was none other than Zoe. Her hands sparked with magic.

"He's down!" she cried. "Now, Toby!"

Toby unleashed a wary cry before sprinting towards Jim. He leapt into the air, swinging his flaming hammer. Jim's eyes widened and he caught the hammer just before it hit his face. Toby glared at him defiantly, still holding on to his hammer with his legs dangling in midair.

"You! What did you do to Jim, you monster?!" he yelled.

Monster. Jim shook off his friend's hurtful words before speaking. "Toby, it's me. It's Jimbo."

"No! No, you're tricking me, you can't-" Toby faltered, and he peered into Jim's eyes. A million emotions flashed across his face, before recognition dawned upon him. "J-Jim?" he said shakily.

Jim sighed in relief and set down his friend. "Y-yeah. It's me."

"It can't be," Blinky uttered in horror and dismay. "Master Jim? It's really you? But-but how?"

Jim forced out a laugh. "I know. It's, um, kind of hard to explain…" He couldn't bear to look at his friends' horrified faces. And who could blame them? He was hideous.

He shuffled to the darkest corners of the room, unable to hold back his whimpers. He knew he shouldn't have come here.

Surprisingly, it was Nari who broke the silence. "I know this dark magic," she murmured, padding up to him. "It is the work of the Green Knight's." She studied him before pressing a small hand to his arm. He moaned as her soothing magic alleviated the corruption inside him ever so slightly. Her hand dropped to her side, and Jim whined, wanting more of the calming magic.

"This is truly your friend Jim," Nari said, turning to the others. "His soul is right here in front of me." She frowned, looking back up at Jim. "But his soul, it is…drifting away. It won't be long before it has departed from this plane completely."

"What do you mean?" Toby asked, his voice trembling. He gazed at Jim. "Jim, what's she talking about. How-how did this happen?"

Jim rubbed the back of his arm. "I…okay, before I went to the past, I found this-this shard full of dark magic. It was from the Green Knight. I didn't really know what it was at the time, so I took it with me. It-it made me think and do stuff that wasn't me. I felt so angry all the time.

"I was warned not to use it by Merlin, but when we went to the Order's fortress, I was cornered by Claire and Morgana. And yeah, Morgana's back," he said after the shocked whispers from the others. "I know. I had no other choice, so I may have, um, stabbed it into the amulet." He pointed at his heart. "It gave me the power I needed to get out of there, but now it's only a matter of time before I lose my soul. Oh, and it also turned me into a full troll! Yeah…"

"Fascinating," Krel said, analyzing Jim. "I cannot wait to study you, Jim." After he saw the glares the others shot him, he hastily added, "But that can wait, I suppose."

"Master Jim, I…" Blinky's voice cracked. "I'm so, so sorry, my boy. For this happening to you, and c-calling you a beast." He put his head in his hands.

Jim let out a low, soothing croon and butted Blinky affectionately with his horns. He jumped, startled. "It's okay, Blink," Jim murmured. "Honestly, I don't blame you. I do look pretty scary, don't I?" He let out a mirthless chuckle.

Blinky's lower lip trembled, and he threw his arms around Jim. Surprised, Jim returned the hug as gently as he could, not trusting his own strength. Blinky stared up at him and whispered, "I wish…things were different, master Jim."

"So do I, Blink. So do I."

"You know who you remind me of, Jim?" Toby interjected, brow furrowed in thought.

"Let me guess: Bular."

Toby blinked. "What? No-"

"No? Huh, thought for sure it was him. Oh, wait." Jim broke away from the hug. He stomped towards Toby, an unnatural wave of anger washing over him. "Gunmar. I mean, if your screams said anything, I've got be as scary as him, right? Right?"

He leaned over Toby, his hot breath blowing his hair back.

"No, Jim." Toby gazed at him with fear and sadness. "You remind me of Draal."

Jim's anger disappeared like mist in the morning sun. Guilt crashed over him as he stared down at his best friend's hurt face.

"I-I'm sorry, Tobes, I didn't mean-" he took a shaky breath. "This is what I mean when I say the shard is changing me. I'm sorry."

Toby forced a grin. "Hey, it's okay. Bad time to bring it up, anyway."

Jim didn't miss the tremor in his voice, and he looked away. "Do you…do you really think I look like Draal?" he asked almost bashfully.

"Well, yeah!" Jim gawked at Toby, whose smile turned genuine. "You're blue like him-although he was much lighter, I guess-but the thing that does it for me is the horns and the crystals." He poked at the rocks protruding from Jim's arms. "Especially the crystals. Maybe you can even roll on the floor like he used to do!"

Jim laughed. "I hadn't thought of that. I should try that sometime-make do with this new form, I guess."

"That's the spirit, master Jim!" Blinky said, punching his arm good-naturedly.

Argh got to his feet, shaking the dust off his shoulders. He plodded over to Jim and sniffed him. "Jim big troll now, like Argh!" he declared, a wide grin on his face. Jim beamed, feeling like things had almost returned to normal.

Then he remembered Claire's tormented cries, and his smile slid off his face. Right. He had work to do, and not much time to do it.

He turned to Nari. "Nari, you said you can feel all souls, right? Can you feel Claire's, then?"

The green nymph nodded in determination. "I will try."

She pressed her hand to the floor, and Jim and the others gasped as glowing green webs of magic spread from her feet and all throughout the room. They pulsed with a comforting light. Nari stood and raised her hands, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"My roots extend across the earth," she uttered. Her face fell, and the magic webs flickered away. She gazed at Jim sadly. "But I cannot find the soul of your friend."

Jim shook his head. "No. I won't accept that. If we can't find his soul in this world, we'll just find it in another." He hesitated for a second before plunging forward. "I'm going to the shadow realm."
"Master Jim, you mustn't!" Blinky pleaded. "With Morgana back, that dimension is no longer safe. Not to mention we have fair Claire to worry about to in there."

"I can't abandon Claire," he said stubbornly. "I may not have magic of my own, but I'm going to find her soul and bring it back."

Blinky sighed in defeat. "If you insist, master Jim. But, exactly, how are you planning to get there? We have no one here who can practice shadowmancy-and as such, no one to open portals to the shadow realm."

"Actually, that's not quite true," Zoe drawled. They turned to her, surprised, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not nearly as good at the stuff as your friend is, but I'm definitely more capable than Casperan, so…" She shrugged. "I could probably summon a portal."

She raised her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth. Sweat dripped down her face. Finally, magic sparked between her fingers, and a portal with pink edges flickered into existence. She dropped to her knees, exhausted. Krel rushed to her side to help her up.

"I'd go now, before the portal closes," Zoe coughed, brushing her bangs from her face. "And good luck."

"Godspeed, master Jim," Blinky said.

"Bring back Claire, Jim," Toby said, squeezing Jim's wrist. "Please."

Jim nodded in determination and dove through the portal. He blinked, and just like that, he was in the shadow realm. It was pretty much the same as he remembered: dark, dull gray, relatively cool, and tons of random boulders floating around.

He had forgotten, though, that there was no such thing as gravity here. He flapped his arms to balance himself, sure he looked utterly ridiculous and very glad no one was here to laugh at him. After he righted himself, he found that he actually liked the floating-it helped him forget about his colossal weight.

Okay, time to find Claire. Jim pushed himself forward as he would in a swimming pool, and he shot further into the darkness. To be honest, he had no idea where he was going, but maybe he would see some sign of her-

A golden light flickered in the distance, and he slowed to a stop. He narrowed his eyes. Was it just his brain playing tricks on him, or was the light getting closer?

His eyes widened as he realized it was not a trick and he swam out of the way just in time to avoid a beam of golden light. Where had that come from-

"Trollhunter!" Morgana spat, slamming into him.

"You here for a fight?" Jim snarled, wrapping his hand around her and hurling her into a boulder. "That really wouldn't be wise while I'm like this."

"I'm not here to fight you," she hissed, throwing her hands up. Half a dozen glowing knives materialized behind her, and with a flick of her wrist, they flew towards Jim. He quickly grabbed a rock and held it in front of him as a makeshift shield. The knives collided against the rock with a dull thunk.

"Oh sure, because throwing knives at me is really proving your point," Jim growled, tossing the boulder aside. "You're always up to something."

"I don't have time to quarrel with you, Trollhunter!" Her sneer slid off her face and she sighed. "I'm here to save my brother. I must know if my Arthur still exists."

Jim, against his better judgment, found himself believing her. After all, he had seen her doubting her actions back at the fortress…maybe this Morgana was different than the one he had fought so long ago.

"You want to save your brother," he said slowly. "I want to save Claire. I propose a truce. We can kill each other after we find Claire and Arthur's souls."

Morgana considered Jim's proposal before giving a curt nod. "Wise." She started soaring away, and Jim followed her. "You're a good deal brighter than most of Merlin's Trollhunters."

"Thanks, I guess."

They flew in awkward silence. Finally, Morgana spoke. "Tell me, how did it happen?"

Jim started, and almost smashed into a rock. "What?"

"I know you used to be human," the enchantress said. "That you only turned into a troll because of my master-Merlin's-magics." She looked over at Jim. "And yet, despite being a troll, the girl still loved you. How?"

Jim shrugged. "I know it's hard to understand this because of what time period you're from, but in my time, you're supposed to love someone no matter what they look like. Or even what they are." He gazed at his four-fingered hands, a soft smile growing on his face. "I'm lucky to have someone as amazing as her."

"Perhaps if there had been more people like Claire in my time, things would've been much different," Morgana murmured. "I would've been different."

"Yeah," Jim said. "I wonder too-" he paused, his attention caught by something in the distance. "What's that?" He swam closer and gasped at the sight of a very familiar bridge.

Morgana said slowly, "Isn't that…"

"The bridge where you nearly killed me and all my friends, yeah," Jim snapped. He pushed his anger down with some difficulty. "Sorry." Oh, he did not just apologize to freaking Morgana.

She had the nerve to smirk. "Apology accepted."

Jim rolled his eyes and scanned the bridge for Claire, which wasn't hard. He knew this bridge well, considering it was the only entrance into Arcadia. Not mention this was where he had killed Bular, so suffice it to say, this bridge held a lot of memories for him. But for Claire? He didn't know why she was here. He had expected her to be at her house like she had been before.

His train of thought abruptly stopped as his eyes landed on Claire, who was back in her old armor. She was now a purple, shadowy version of herself, like when Jim had found her last in this realm. Worst of all, she was kneeling on the concrete, clutching thin air and sobbing.

"I knew a piece of her was still here," he said. He turned to Morgana sheepishly, scratching his neck. "Could you, um, put an illusion spell on me or something? I don't think seeing me as a massive troll is going to help her break free."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought looks weren't supposed to matter between you two?"

Jim groaned. "It doesn't, but-could you just do it, please?"

"Very well." Morgana waved her hand, and golden dust fell over Jim. When he looked down, he was back to his normal troll self, in his normal clothes. He almost burst into tears, even though he knew it wasn't real. Instead, he squared his shoulders. The sooner he got Claire back, the sooner he could get back to being like this.

He floated over to the bridge, his feet making contact with the rough concrete. He reached out to touch her. "Claire?" he said softly. "It's me, Jim. I'm here." His hand passed through her shoulder, and he gasped. Right. He had forgotten about that.

She sniffed, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, Jim," she whimpered. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. This is…all my fault." She put her head in her hands.

"Oh, Claire…" he whispered, a lump forming in his throat. "Don't blame yourself. If anything, you should be blaming me."

But she didn't hear him; she only continued to weep.

"Claire…"

"She's too far gone," Morgana said, a touch of sadness in her voice.

Jim shook his head, refusing to believe it. No. I can bring her back. "Remember our first date? Or that time we ditched the school dance to have our own dance? We've been through so much together, Claire." He lowered his head. "I've put you through so much. And I'm so, so sorry. I know the only reason you gave in to your magic was to save me, and I still disregarded your sacrifice." He gazed at her beautiful eyes and cupped his hand around her face. "That's why you have to come back. So I can make it up to you."

He leaned forward and kissed her, his fangs brushing against her lips.

Claire blinked, and she looked at him, really looked at him. "Jim?" she said, as if she couldn't quite believe he was there. "You found me."

He made a sound that was a mix of a laugh and a sob. "Of course I did."

She smiled at him, then shrieked and clutched her head in pain. Inky blackness started pooling into her eyes.

"No," Jim whispered. "No, no, no. Fight it, Claire, fight it!"

Claire shook her head as black veins started running down her face in spindly webs. "I-I can't. Get out of here, Jim! Get out of here!"

"I won't leave you! Not again!"

"You have to! I can't-" she stopped struggling, her limbs going limp at her sides.

"Claire?" Jim said, reaching out a trembling hand.

Her head snapped up, and Jim's heart sank. It was the Claire from the fortress now, black armor and all. She lunged at him with a cackle. Jim yelped in alarm. He leapt back to avoid her sharp armor-tipped nails and launched himself over the bridge. He panted, floating in the abyss.

Claire glared at him, but she made no move to follow him. When Jim shot Morgana a questioning look, she explained, "The girl is unable to leave. The bridge binds her soul, her inner torment, manifested from the physical realm. She-"

"You!" Claire spat, her attention on Morgana. Violet magic crackled around her hands as she flung several balls of magic at her. "How dare you betray the Order? Our cause?"

"I never wanted to join them in the first place!" Morgana shouted, throwing up a golden shield. "I had no choice, and whatever you might think, you don't either!"

"Lies!" Claire screamed. "All lies!"

With a screech, she started firing beams of magic left and right. Most hit the floating rocks, making them explode in a shower of tiny shards, but some barely missed Jim and Morgana. One ray grazed against Jim's arm and he hissed, clutching his arm close to his chest.

Morgana grabbed his shoulder and started pulling him away. "We cannot stay here. It is too dangerous."

Jim shook her off. "Claire was in there, which means I can save her!"

Hope sparked in Morgana's eyes. "If there's hope for him, there's hope for my brother…and myself." She turned from Jim and flew away, her braid whipping behind her.

Jim glanced at Claire one last time. She raised her hands to fire more spells at him, and he quickly flew after Morgana. I will bring you back, Claire, he promised. If it's the last thing I do, I will.

Still, that didn't stop him from feeling like the worst boyfriend ever as he drifted further and further away from Claire. He always had a nasty habit with sacrificing himself. It started with the Darklands, then the transformation, and now…this. His actions had finally come back to bite him, and the results were worse than he had ever thought. If only he-

Morgana stopped abruptly, and Jim almost crashed into her. He careened to the side and knocked his head against a boulder. He rubbed his sore head and growled, "Hey, what gives-" He followed her line of sight, and his mouth dropped open. "Oh."

On a large, rocky island, grew a forest Jim knew well. He recognized it to be the forest in Camelot, although every tree and plant shimmered with a strange glow. And in the forest, Excalibur in hand, was the shadowy version of Arthur.

Morgana flew down to meet him, but Jim didn't follow. Like he had to talk to Claire by himself, she had to do the same.

"Guinevere!" Arthur shouted, charging forward and attacking a glowing stalkling.

"Brother!" Morgana reached out a hand, but he couldn't hear her. He yelled as he slashed Excalibur across the stalkling's throat, and the beast crashed to the ground. "You're trapped in your loss," Morgana said. "Your Guinevere is gone."

Jim watched as a terrified Guinevere tried in vain to beat back the stalkling with a stick. The stalkling roared and snapped at her.

"Guinevere!" Arthur raised his sword, but Morgana stopped the blade with her hand.

"Please!" she cried. "Rest. Be at peace." She gazed at him imploringly.

To Jim's surprise, Arthur lowered Excalibur and regarded Morgana coldly. "Sister, how can I be at peace when the world is still broken?"

"You can hear me?" Morgana's voice contained unrestrained joy. "Your mind is clear!"

"Yes…clearer than ever." He advanced towards Morgana, a sinister look in his eyes.

"Then I can free you! We can escape." She started backing away, and the smell of fear tainted the air.

"No. The Arthur you knew committed too many sins to count. He awoke to a legacy of a violent, awful world." Morgana tripped over a log and fell to the ground. She scrambled back, her eyes wide with fright. "I see now the only path to redemption is the Order's, to wipe the world clean and begin again." His form flickered to that of the Green Knight, before returning to Arthur's.

Oh no, Jim thought. He braced himself in case he had to come to Morgana's aid…and he can't believe he just thought that.

"No." Morgana stood up, braced against a tree trunk. "I fought for magic's freedom, not destruction. Why did you resurrect me?!"

"To destroy Merlin," he answered. "To stand by my side and watch as the Order ushers in a new dawn."

Jim watched in horror as features of the Green Knight bled into Arthur. Then, somehow, the Green Knight stood before Morgana in the flesh. His eyes glowed hungrily.

"No, no, no!" Morgana shouted, and shot a ray of magic at him. It deflected harmlessly against the Knight's armor. Still, she fired again and again, even knocking his helmet off, revealing a corrupted Arthur underneath.

But her magic had no effect on him, and she slumped in defeat. "Brother, what has become of us?" she whispered, hanging her head.

The Knight raised the tainted Excalibur, and Jim knew it was time to act. He dived down into the forest and grabbed Morgana milliseconds before the Knight struck. Excalibur swung at nothing and embedded itself in the tree. He glared at Jim and Morgana.

"We have to get out of here!" Jim yelled, leaping from floating rock to floating rock.

Morgana glanced at her brother, guilt and sadness etched on her face. "Alright," she said softly. "There's nothing for me here anyways."

A portal opened before them, and they flew through, leaving the shadow realm behind. Jim crashed onto the break room floor with an oof.

"Jim, you're back!" Toby beamed. "And, oh my gosh, you're back to normal too? How did that even happen?!"

"Um, it's actually an illusion," Jim grunted, pushing himself to his feet. "Courtesy of-" Morgana fell out of the portal and landed next to Jim. "-her," he finished.

Toby shrieked. "Evil lady!"

"Eldritch queen?!" Zoe gasped.

"Queen of darkness!" Blinky declared, his face hardening. "Compatriots, to arms!" They started approaching Morgana, Toby activating his war hammer.

"Stop!" Jim pleaded, standing in front of Morgana. "You've got it all wrong, she's not the enemy!"

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure that isn't the corrupted side of you talking? 'Cause last I checked, she was definitely still evil."

Jim groaned. "Yes, I'm sure. Listen, she-"

A low rumbling filled the air, and the whole building shook violently.

Morgana set her mouth in a grim line. "They followed me."

Their quarrel with Morgana forgotten, the group rushed out of the break room and into the main part of the store. They gasped in horror at the sight before them.

The Arcane Order's fortress hovered just outside the store, the skull's eye sockets glowing ominously.


A/N: You guys, you have no idea how much I'm losing my shit over the Rise of the Titans trailer. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, everyone looks older, and Jim has freaking Excalibur?! I mean I kinda knew that was gonna happen but still! I was so excited to see all these characters again after almost a YEAR (oh my god it's almost been a year since Wizards came out) that I almost started crying. I'm so sorry to see them go, and I've only been in this fandom for two years.

Aw, poor Jim is really down on himself. I mean, who can blame him, he's losing more and more of himself to the shard. Who knows if they'll get Claire back before it's too late... *evil laughter*

Yeah, Steve is WAY more supportive in here than in the show. I love Steve, really I do, but the comedic parts of him could be toned down a little for some emotional scenes, you know? Besides, I really like the idea of him and Jim as friends and actually showing that. Oh yeah, and Zoe is gonna play a bigger part too, because her only appearing for a few seconds in the show was a CRIME.

Wow, I can't believe it. Only one more chapter left...Well, see you in the next update :)