I ran through the whitewashed halls as if I was within the most glorified candy store that ever existed. A smile plastered on my face as the armor clung to my body so effortlessly. The sound of clinging metal filling my ears as it bounced off the hospital like walls while I flung my arms back and forth. My feet pounded against the floor with such energy that it was obvious to anyone near that I was excited. I ran past some of my father's fellow workers with ease even though they gave me confused yet angered looks as I bolted on.

Father always said that they would never understand the presence of my duty within the order. He just always told me to ignore it. Let them think what they want to. They're just upset that they don't have such an honor as glorious as mine.

I am the chosen one of Merlin.

The one to save his kind.

The one to free Gunmar.

I came to a dead-end to the hallway which consisted of a set of huge onyx black french doors with no handles. I pushed them open with all my might as my smile grew wider.

"Dad! I finished my training!"

My father put down his teacup with a smile. "Is that so, young Atlas? What did Nomura teach you today? Another way of my kind or one of your own?" The doors closed themselves behind me as I dashed to the red cushioned chair that was in front of his desk. I was small enough that my feet didn't touch the ground but the seat fitted me and the armor perfectly.

"She taught me some Hapa kydo!" I smiled widely even though I was sure I butchered the way she pronounced. I was absolutely terrible with Korean.

"Do you mean Hapkido, Atlas. That is one of her favorite styles. Don't go around saying it differently. She'll skin you for it." I nodded eagerly.

"Sorry, Dad. I don't understand Korean as much as I understand the other languages you and she have taught me." He got up from his black leather chair from behind his desk and circled around the side so he was facing me directly. He crouched down to my height within the chair and flashed me a small smile.

"With time you'll learn, my little one. You have already learned so much with such little time. Within two years alone you have proved to Bular that you are worthy of your position."

I never understood why he would talk in such manors with me but he would always say that it was because within these walls he was at work. Unlike mom who could child me at the hospital, he could not.

This place is strictly business Atlas. You'll understand with time.

But he still ruffled my hair with a gentle hand all the same.

"You'll prove all of us proud. You already have proven yourself to me. Our wonderful Trollhunter."

I shot awake with a cold sweat making my shirt stick to my skin and my hair glued to my forehead. I took some deep breaths as I ran a hand through my hair to try to calm myself down.

I told myself to forget that man. Forget all the things he had me do.

But it all comes back to haunt me, doesn't it?

I can't get away from him anyway.

I pushed myself out of bed and swung my feet around the side to place them on the cold floor. It was a nice difference to the incredibly warm the rest of my body was at the moment. I pushed myself off the mattress and instantly fell back on my ass.

Okay, note to self, never run like a mad man after a troll through the worst possible terrain unless absolutely need be. My legs feel like I ran a marathon.

I gently got myself back on my feet and carefully walked over to my dresser. It took my mom and me four hours all together to grab everything from the U Haul and place them in their respective rooms. That did not count for the other three hours of placing everything in their actual spot though.

Especially those damned dishes. Love to use them. Hate to put them away.

I pulled out a pair of normal jeans and a white t-shirt before heading toward the bathroom. After about ten minutes, I walked right back out with a towel over my head and my dirty clothes within my hands. I placed them in our hallway hamper as I ruffled my hair dry with the towel. I never wore normal jeans for a little while and it shown. After I walked back into my room and sat on my bed, they looked like high waters.

At least that's what my mom would call them.

I grabbed out a pair of long black socks to cover the exposed ankle before diving back into my dresser. Now and then I wished I still had my wardrobe. Where I had all my shirts and jackets handing off coat hanger instead of having to dig through drawers to find even the smallest of things, but that broke when we first moved to New Jersey when it basically fell from the U Haul with a giant crash to the ground.

But hey, a dresser is better than nothing.

I pulled out exactly what I was looking for. A light blue sweatshirt that was once way too big for my small stature. I pulled it over my head and pulled it down, surprised lightly to see that it fit perfectly to my bigger build. I smiled at my reflection in the dresser mirror.

So many memories with an outfit like this.

It was my go to when I was younger. A pair of jeans, a blue sweatshirt, some converses and I was good to go. Didn't matter if I was going to school, the hospital, or with Walt. This was what I almost always wore.

I do need to replace the jeans though. I think these were from eighth grade or something. They're just really short now.

Oh well.

I went over to my desk to grab the amulet from where I stashed it.

"Bottom drawer to the left under my spear notebooks." I whispered to myself as I dug under and grabbed the glowing metal contraption.

"Morning Merlin." I slipped it into my pocket as I exited my room with a little pep in my step. I walked into the kitchen to see mom was still here.

Huh. I must have woke up earlier than normal.

"Morning mom." She turned around from whatever concoction she was making in the little silver bowl to smile at me. "Morning Atlas! I was making up pancakes to celebrate the finalization of the move! You know how special my pancakes are!" I held myself back from laughing at her.

She knows that her cooking is horrendous, but she tries.

"Well look at you though." She gave me another glance before going back to the batter. "Looks like I'm going to have to pick you up some more pants. You look like you can walk through a flood and the cuff will still be dry." She laughed at her self and I approached closer.

"Haven't seen you in the hoodie in a long time though. I guess you're going to go see Toby?" I smiled.

Nothing gets past her.

Well.

I placed my hand in my front pockets. My right hand slipping easily over the amulet.

Not everything.

"Am I that obvious?" I gave her a sheepish smile and I cycled around the island counter to face her directly. "I'm your mother. I know all." She smiled back at me as pulled her whisk out of the bowl and slid it against the side to get the excess batter off. "You might want to rethink the jeans though. It's a nice jester. Trying to seem like you haven't changed, but your body sure has. One major reason why I bought you all those joggers. You kept growing out of every pair of normal jeans I could find." I nodded as I took my hands out of my pockets and placed my elbows on the counter.

She's right though. Trying to seem like I haven't changed. Kind of pitiful of me to try to seem like I'm the same kid that used to binge Gun Robot movies with him when we were younger.

A lot of things have happened to me over the years.

Hell, I'm sure he's not the same little chubby kid that I used to know either.

I'm sure both of us has changed in some way.

"Hey, mom." She looked up from her crouched down position. Shooting back up with a spatula and a kennel. "Yes?"

"First, you're on the right track with the spatula. The kennel, not so much." She gave me a look that just screams 'Don't be smart with me young man' and she placed the kennel on the counter. "Second, what if Toby changed since I left. What if-"

"Atlas James, when I was over there yesterday, want to know what I saw?"

I gave her a confused look as she pulled out a pan to replace the kennel with. "I saw the same cheeky boy that I knew. Still rather short and rather- big- for his age." I chuckled at her choice of words but she continued. "But he was still that nerdy kid that used to gush about sci-fi movies and talk you to death about geology. To be honest, I think you two have more to talk about now than ever since you got attached to that Lapis thing Walt gave you."

I smiled softly at the memory.

Walt for my tenth birthday wanted me to have a pleasant one, to say the least. He knew that since I was an infant that I never really like my birthday. Even before I knew what happened to my mom on the day I was born with how the man that was supposed to be my father figure left her and I stranded.

He knew that, so he wanted to make it a small jester.

He knew I was fascinated with the color blue so he gave me a crystal that was comparable in color to the bright blue sky. It shined like nothing I ever saw before. When I asked him what it was he said it was a Lapis lazuli. A stone noted for its ties to honor, power and godly spirit.

But it wasn't an actual Lapis stone.

Finding out years later it was a Gulearakum iniir ushhuth thurateum stone which easily translated to the Heart Of Water.

He was right on one thing though. Languages were always easy for me to pick up.

Besides fucking Korean.

My attention was pulled away from my memories as the sizzling of batter and my mom's light humming filled my ears. "Hey, I'm gonna go change my pants. I'll be back down in a minute." My mom nodded as she kept humming along to a song I knew way too well by now.

The song started playing within my head as I walked up to my room.

Muss i denn, muss i denn
Zum Städtele hinaus
Städtele hinaus
Und du, mein Schatz, bleibst hier

I pulled out a pair of plain black joggers and rather quickly changed from one to the other. Slipping the amulet with ease from the pocket of my jeans to my joggers. I went back down the stairs with the jeans in hand, placing them on the counter knowing that we'll probably go through the rest of them and donate them when we have the chance.

As I approached my mom I decided to listen for where she was in the song and join in even though she was approaching the end.

"Sei mir gut
Sei mir gut
Sei mir wie du wirklich sollst
Wie du wirklich sollst
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart."

I never had the best of singing voices but I knew that I was decent so it didn't really bother me much to actually sing at times. Especially when it was just me and mom. Mom always had the most beautiful of voices, even if her voice was unpracticed and rather airy. I still loved it all the same.

"I always seem to forget that you have a way with languages." She laughed at herself as she flipped the pancake over gently. "I remember you were trying so hard to learn that song in German. You would ask me repeatedly how to pronounce 'Städtele' correctly due to how 'the weird A always tripped you up'." I grabbed her the plate where she had the few other pancakes on and gave it to her as a small way to say that it was done. She took it with a smile and lifted the pancake off the pan so cautiously to try to not drop it.

"You were so small back then. Oh, how much you've grown." I placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing all to well that the tone in her voice meant. Her voice was so soft and fragile that it felt like one missed vowel would shatter it completely. She only ever had that tone when she got heavily sentimental.

I decided that it would be better for me to rub circles in her back so I did as she turned off the stove. "Mom, I'm not going anywhere any time soon. You know that." She gave me a smile as I took the plate from her hands.

"How about we chow down? A nice little together breakfast before you have to rush off to work. How does that sound?"

A few hours later and I was pacing in the empty living room all alone.

Mom right after breakfast to head to the hospital for a possible graveyard shift and I was heavily procrastinating my quest of crossing the street. I never felt this nervous since my first fight against Bular. My fumbling hands couldn't even hold Daylight, I kept dropping the poor thing to the ground and almost decapitated myself while trying to pick it up.

What do you expect though? I was only thirteen. All I was ever taught was how to fight humans or at least changelings in human form. I never had to fight a troll till then.

I looked through the living room window to look across the street again.

But I shouldn't be nervous about this! I wasn't this nervous when I met that Claire girl yesterday! Why am I so emotionally wrecked now?

I answered myself easily.

She never knew me before. Toby did. There's was no expectations when it came to meeting her. Re-meeting Toby, there's a possibility of him having ideas of who I am and who I've become. He won't expect me to be towering over him. He won't be expecting me to be this fit.

He won't be expecting the shit that might happen if he's near me too much.

I shook my head and backed away from the window and began to pace once more.

But this is my childhood best friend! The guy I would nerd out with when it came to anything that dealt with robots. The guy that I read comic books with over walkie talkie when his grandma and my- mom - was asleep. The guy that I would tell everything too when I thought no one else would understand.

Two kids that went through a lot even before they were ten. Two kids that already had baggage to carry but had our hearts on our sleeves.

He meant a lot to me. He still does. I shouldn't be scared to go talk to him.

I took a deep breath and walked over to grab my keys and left the house. I locked the door with another deep breath and jogged across the street. I hesitated before taking the steps that lead to the door.

This is it.

After about seven years.

I took the steps and walked up to the door with a raising fist. I knocked very lightly and almost instantly heard the unlocking of the door.

"I got it Nan-!" When the door opened we were face to face. Or really, he was facing the middle of my torso. I chuckled at how much shorter he was to me.

"Mom wasn't joking. You really haven't changed a bit have you?" His eyes grew wide as a smile plastered on his face. "DUDE!" He dove right into my chest and wrapped his arms around me tight, almost forcing the air right out of my lungs.

"Whoa there!" I had my arms above him before patting his back with a laugh.

"I just- I know I was talking to your mom yesterday but- I never- YOU'RE REALLY HERE!" He pulled away bouncing on his feet laughing with an open smile. His red sweater and off yellow shirt combo, khaki pants, and converses were almost the same as his childhood wardrobe. His bright red hair now a little longer than I remember but he was physically the same.

He hasn't changed a bit.

What was I worried about again?

"Dude, we have so much to catch up on! Wait, have you been near the school yet? The place is huge! I had to go there yesterday because they screwed up my schedule for next month. Have you got yours yet? It would be metal if we had classes together again! Just like old times!"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "You're rambling Tobes." He stopped himself dead in his tracks and took a deep breath. "Right." I chuckled a little.

I can't remember the last I laughed this much.

I had friends and all in New Jersey, but most of my days consisted of training, studying, and school.

The order was really strict with me.

I shook myself mentally out of those thoughts as I saw Toby run to his grandma that just appear to explain who was here. "Hey, Tobes." He stopped mid-sentence and looked over at me. "How about we take a bike ride around town? Like old times. Show me where the school is and everything." I could tell that he was holding back a squeal as his grandma walked up to me. "I'll go get my helmet!" I saw him dash off before I noticed that Nancy had placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Have my old eyes deceive me? Is it really you Atlas? My Toby's little Jim?" I gave her a small smile. "Yeah, it's me, Grandma Domzalski." She instantly pulled me into a hug that was comparable to Toby's in every way.

I wonder where he gets it from. I thought with a little laugh. She pulled back and looked at me once more. "My, look how tall you have grown! Double that of Toby-pie for sure!"

"Grandma!"

I laughed as Toby's voice echoed from the garage. I heard it open and footsteps basically run out front. I turned around to see an eager Toby with his bike in hand and a helmet already on his head.

"Come on, At! I got so many things to show you!" I smiled and gave my goodbyes to his grandma before shutting the door behind me and running across the street to grab my own bike.

After that, I dawned my helmet after re-locking up the house and we rode off. He was so excited to show me what changed and what hasn't. Even more, after I said I took a run around Arcadia the day before stating that I only saw the bare minimum.

He stated there was so much to see but so little daylight to see it.

I couldn't agree anymore.

I pushed myself through the canal as I held Daylight in my hand with an iron grip. I checked behind my shoulder as the tiny shadow that hid from the street lights followed me in swarms.

It just had to be goblins, didn't it? Just fucking had to.

I raced under the bridge and ran up the side of the canal as I placed Daylight back into it's original place on my back. I jumped off the side of the wall and grabbed onto the bents of the bridge and hosted myself up. I ran across the metal bents of the bridge and then twisted around to see the goblins failing themselves to make the gap.

"HA!" I stated with a proud smile.

That smiled disappeared when they decided to chuck each other toward the bent of the bridge, this actually causing them to reach the piece of metal I made a walkway. "Shit." I turned around and continued my way across the under supports of the bridge. Using the metal rods as boost until I came to a dead-end on the other side of the canal. I jumped down and turned around to see the goblins were already closing in.

"I lived through Bular's beatings. Killed countless of Gum Gums to die to goblins?! What kind of Trollhunter am I?" I grabbed out my sword from its attachment from my back and pressed my back against the wall.

"At least I'll go down fighting."

Then, out of nowhere, I started falling backward and I felt a hand collapse itself around my midsection. "What the-?!"

Then I was pulled into complete darkness.