Fire and molten rock covered every inch of Arcadia Oaks, the giant Crystalline structure of the heartstone a vivid and angry red as it inched ever closer to the outstretched arm of the fire Titan.
They had lost.
He had lost.
Strickler, Nomura, Nari, Toby, Claire, Douxie, Archie, Charlie, Blinky, AARRRGGHH!, Aja, Krel, Vex, his mom, Everyone. Gone.
Jim sat there, watching. With every second, the fate of the world solidifying right in front of his eyes. There was nothing he could do, nothing at all as he watched the world burn. Yet the fire didn't bother him, he was already so numb to the pain, numb from his injuries and lost hope.
The green glow of the chronosphere next to him caught his attention amongst the brilliant red all around him. At that moment, he heard Nari's voice echo in his mind as an image of her appeared within the orb.
"Trollhunter make Ninth Configuration. Chronosphere will make right. Time unfolds differently, like a flower. Only Trollhunter will know."
Only trollhunter will know.
Picking up the sphere, Jim looked into the crack that exposed the bright green magic that emanated from within it. With a deep breath, he got up, dropping the chronosphere back to the ground.
Only trollhunter will know. Only I will know.
Lifting up the holy sword of Excalibur from the ground beside him, Jim looked around him one last time. Unliving stone surrounded him, Akaridion cores were cast off to the side, rubble buried the bodies of his mother and best friend, magic dust hung in the air around him as a staff and a suit of armor were broken and tossed across from him.
He had failed them, he wasn't able to summon his armor in time, wasn't able to stop Bellroc from hurting his friends. Would they ever forgive him? He didn't know. But what he did know was that there was only one way to fix this, one way to save everyone.
One last time, Jim looked up to the angered hearthstone floating towards the titan. One last time, Jim looked at the sword in his hand. And one last time, Jim would save the world from the horrors of his mistakes.
Allowing a tear to fall from his eye, Jim lifted Excalibur high into the air before swiftly bringing it back down into the Chronosphere just as the Titan made contact with the heartstone. White light filled his vision as everything around him disappeared, either in flames or to the hands of time.
Darkness…
The embrace of the shadows, the cover of the night sky. It was the trigger that set Jim's mind at peace, a warm blanket that calmed his racing nerves, and pounding heart. So he wasn't a stranger to being encased in such darkness, yet this time, it was different. Like drifting in the ocean on a cold winter night.
Seconds, minutes, hours… he didn't know how long he had been in that darkness, he didn't know what was happening around him. He couldn't see, couldn't feel, couldn't smell, couldn't taste, couldn't hear, couldn't breathe.
Was he dead? Did he fail? Again?
Jim couldn't help but wonder, was that really just it? Could he do nothing more to save them all? Was he really so useless that Bellroc ultimately decided to let his final moment be to watch as they engulfed his world in flames surrounded by the unliving bodies and remains of his friends? Of his family?
All of a sudden, he felt cold. Freezing even, yet there was a warmth that ran down the length of his cheek.
A tear?
As if climbing up from the bottom of the ocean, he gasped for air, lungs burning for oxygen to substitute the foreign water. His eyes were shut, yet bright light flooded his vision, an uncomfortable sensation that kept his eyes shut tight, as a loud ringing sounded in his ears.
The cold he felt soon disappeared, instead replaced by a comfortable warmth of a blanket around himself. His chest heaved heavily as he gasped for air, but this time, not because of foreign water that had entered his lungs, but instead because of the uncontrollable sobs and wails that came out with every breath he took.
Willing himself to calm down, Jim forced his eyes open, only for them to shut once again, not used to the bright light that invaded his vision. The buzzing in his ears continued to confuse his sense of hearing, yet he started to hear faint, distorted voices. Familiar voices. Jim calmed his breath, attempting to strain his hearing in order to listen to what was being said as he slowly opened up his eyes once again.
Blurry figures loomed over him, talking in a soft and gentle manner. "It really is a miracle…" a woman's voice sounded, a sob barely held away from her voice.
"He's so small…" a man said in a hushed voice, a finger gently brushing against Jim's cheek. A creeping dread settled in the pits of his stomach as his eyes adjusted to the burning light of the room. The forms of his mother and a man becoming clearer by the second.
Mom..? He thought, wanting to call out to his mom as he raised up his hands, only to realise that they were small and somewhat chubby. Seeing his hands shocked him, they were small, the size of a newborn's. Fear embedded itself into him, something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong, this wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't the restart he had wished for when he used the Chronosphere.
Barbra let out a soft chuckle, bringing Jim up close to her face as she gently nuzzled the top of his small head. "Our little warrior. Our little Jim." she whispered out, causing the ever rising panic to subside, even if a little.
He watched her with large confused eyes before a look of familiarity crossed his eyes at the sight of his mother's large elated smile. Whatever happened from then on, he promised himself that he would protect that magnificent smile of hers. Even if it meant reliving his whole life from the start, like a second playthrough.
At 5 years of age, on Jim's 5th birthday to be exact, he was given a bike assembly kit by his dad. Jim had gone into the garage after being told that, just to give his parents some space. He knew this day was the day his Father would leave them, and he'd rather not interrupt that after assessing that his mom truly was much happier with Strickler than when she was with James. He felt indifferent to his father leaving, but he would get his revenge on the man one way or another.
"Would dad be mad if I took the credit card?" Jim mumbled to himself as he paced around in the garage, completely ignoring the arguments from within the home. After thinking about it for less than five seconds, a large mischievous grin spread across Jim's face as he raced to the side of the house in order to climb up into his room's window.
Luckily for him, he has had practice ever since he got his own room and could run around without stumbling. Every night he would climb down from his window to sneak out into the forest, every night he did this to train himself, to prepare his body for what had to eventually come just so it wouldn't strain him too much. Ever since his return back in time, he had been too focused on keeping his mom safe from James' abuse, even if subtly by simply entering the room before things got too heated.
Jim could remember all those mornings he would wake up when he was younger to his mother covering up a bruise or to loud noises from downstairs in the middle of the night. This time around wasn't any different, but at least this time, Jim could reduce the amount of times his mom would have to hide a bruise.
Steeling his expression, Jim started his climb from the ground up to his open window, easily pulling himself up and into his room. Making sure to keep an ear out to his parents downstairs, Jim quietly made his way to his parent's room and over to the already packed antique leather suitcase, his target within the contents of the case.
Taking another glance to the door, Jim quickly opened the case, eyes searching for the small wallet he knew James carried around that held all their valuable cards. Quickly finding the black leather of the wallet, he picked it up and quickly went through its contents as he searched for one specific card. And in one swift motion, the card he was looking for was pulled out and tucked away into the pockets of his sweater before getting rid of all evidence of him tampering with the case.
Was this technically stealing? Yes, yes it was. But, this was the credit card that his mother had worked so hard to build up for Jim's college tuition. With a satisfied nod, Jim made his way back down through his room's window, once again sitting in the garage as he sat down to wait for their new neighbours that would be arriving that day, opting to pretend to play with sticks as his mind wandered off to the plan he had come up with.
At first he wanted to give Toby a chance to become the trollhunter since Jim had already gotten his adventure, now it would be Toby's turn. But then he had remembered the vision Merlin had shown him, the vision of the world falling because he wasn't the trollhunter. Not wanting to risk that, Jim instead decided that he would once again take up the mantle, ultimately finding the convenience of being able to influence things more directly by being the trollhunter.
He would have to find Douxie as soon as possible in order to get his opinion on what they could do to prevent the Arcane Order, he also needed to find a way to deal with all the other problems he was going to be facing later on, more specifically a way to convince all the changelings to switch sides much earlier. Could he just go up to Strickler like he did during his unbecoming? He didn't know.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he watched as a familiar cadillac pulled up on the other side of the Cul-de-sac, a familiar old lady hopping out of the front passenger seat, a small smile across her face as she went over to the back seats to let out a very familiar stout boy with ginger hair.
Jim's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his once best friend as tears pooled in his wide blue eyes. Toby was safe. Toby was alive. Seeing him right there, alive and so full of life, ready to move into his new home made it difficult for Jim to hold in his emotions. It was already hard having the emotional integrity and impulse of a 5 year old, as he had learned over the course of the years.
Jim's attention was soon caught by the loud slam of the front door, causing him to peek out from the garage. James was already carrying his suitcase and speed walking away as Barbra walked out in an attempt to stop James, except Jim stopped her by running to her side and grabbing her hands, a calm expression on his face.
"Mom?" he asked, gently giving her hand a comforting squeeze. He knew how hard this was on her- on them, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about the man that had just walked out of their lives. Besides, His mom would eventually find someone much better.
Tears lingered on her puffy red eyes as her gaze lowered to meet Jim's, ready to tell Jim anything to spare the boy the heartache. But to her surprise, Jim didn't ask, he didn't even look at James' retreating form as he got into the rental car.
The boy, without even sparing a glance at the leaving car, smiles up at his mother softly as he starts leading her back inside the house. Once inside, Barbara could no longer take the silence of their home, the silence of her son as she allowed the tears to flow from her eyes, guttural sobs following not long after as she leaned against the back of the closed door.
How could this have happened? How could she have allowed James to just leave them like that? Leave Jim? Tears continued to flow as she slowly slid down to sit and hug her knees. Was she even good enough to be a mother? Small hands rubbed against her cheek, wiping away some tears with relative ease, causing Barbara to look up at her son.
Her son.
Her son, that's right. He needed her now more than ever. She couldn't allow herself to break down like this in front of her son- he had already lost a father, he didn't need to lose his mother too.
Without another moment of hesitation, Barbara pulled her son in for a tight hug in an attempt to comfort him and herself. "Everything will be okay, kiddo… Dad just went on a trip..." she whispered out, willing away the remaining of her tears.
Small arms soon came around her, Jim's tiny form cuddling up to his mother while he attempted to rub soothing circles on her back. A soft smile on the boy's face as he looked up at his mom, his eyes holding a look of knowing as he watched his mother try to be strong for him. "All we have to do is take care of each other?" He questioned quietly, waiting for her response.
A proud smile formed on Barbara's face and she held her son closer to herself. "We will take care of each other…" she replied with a small nod.
She wondered if her son knew what exactly happened that day, why his father left. But then again, Jim had surprised her with his mature understanding of certain situations; like the first time he caught them mid argument and James had grabbed her wrist just a little too tightly to the point that it started to bruise, the look in his eyes when he realised that she was hurt, and the way he calmly got out the ice pack from the freezer.
Jim had always been this way, too mature for his age and sometimes even having, from what she knew and saw, basic knowledge of complex tasks such as chores, cooking, and even first aid. Sometimes, it was as if Jim wasn't the 5 year old he was but was instead a young man in his early 20s, helping out his mom.
That day, Jim and Barbara stayed home, watched some movies and enjoyed each other's company. With Jim constantly clinging onto his mother as if she would disappear if he let go, only ever doing so when they had to. Somewhere along the line, Jim had mentioned that they had new neighbours now, and that there was a kid around his age too. They would go to greet them, but that would have to wait for a later date.
For this day, and for the next couple of days, they would simply spend time together and enjoy each other's company.
For three months, Jim watched his mother juggle the life of a med student and a single mother. He watched and observed her behaviours and mannerisms during that time. He had given her the a week after James had left, just to make sure he wouldn't come storming back in to take the card.
The first month, Jim allowed his mother time to grieve for a good for nothing man that he wanted nothing more to do with. He allowed her to cry when she thought he wasn't listening, to drink some alcohol with moderation, and started to look after her and their home, often doing chores from when he got home till he had to go to bed. It was hard at first, but soon he had found and formed a routine.
A week into the second month, Barbara stopped drinking, her crying less frequent as she got over James. Jim had made sure that by the time the new college semester started, her sleeping schedule was back on track by making her sleep with him in bed more often- not caring about his dignity as a mentally fully grown adult by that point. Though that had meant he had less time to train.
By the third month, Barbara and Jim fell into an all too familiar routine of Barbara working herself dry and Jim happily taking care of her, even taking up his chef's hat once again, starting with simple dishes like calico omelets and French toasts.
That night was a day off for Barbara and Jim, a weekend for them to just spend together and relax. Except that wasn't the case for Jim that night as they watched the news come on.
"We interrupt your scheduled program to bring you an important announcement." The man in a black suit said, black hair combed back neatly with a grim expression. "Earlier this evening, two more horrifying monsters were identified and confirmed to have been sighted within our small town of Arcadia Oaks." The man said as a small blurry image of a beast, blue as the sky with burning golden red eyes seeming to be running away, appeared on the screen.
Jim's heart dropped to his stomach. Blurry or not, he knew a troll when he saw one, and that image was definitely one of a troll. An all too familiar troll if the big white antlers were an indication.
"We urge everyone in Arcadia to be cautious at night and to lock the doors of your homes just in case." The man continued before the image zoomed into full screen to show a recorded video of the creature, Jim unable to help but get up and watch the screen numbly as the video played.
The large azure troll stood backed up against the walls of the alleyway, in his arms a small bundle of fabrics. He let out a loud roar of intimidation as people started to surround him, in their hands weapons imbedded with magic. Then all of a sudden, a skinny figure clad in a very familiar set of armour appeared, daylight in their hands as they charged towards the azure troll who attempted to jump out of the way only for him to get struck and get his right arm torn off.
A roar of pain escaped the now downed troll as the arm turned to unliving stone before crumbling, leaving him with only one good arm left, yet he refused to let go of the bundle of cloth in his remaining arm. Forcing himself onto his knees, the azure troll turned to growl at the person in the trollhunter armor, whole body tense as they approached him with a raised blade.
Another loud roar echoed throughout the alley way as familiar giant black mass landed in between the azure troll and trollhunter, its golden eyes burning fiercely with rage. "Trollhunter!" Bular bellowed, pulling out his twin blades, prepared for a fight. "Your fight is with me!"
Jim's eyes flew wide with surprise at the sight, he knew he was going to face Bular again one day- but he wasn't expecting him to protect Draal, the son of his enemy. Without another word, the Gumm-Gumm and trollhunter clashed in battle, their swords dancing to the tune of their movements. Using the sudden distraction, Draal got to his feet, sending Bular a grateful look.
The next words that left Draal shook the once trollhunter to the core. Even through the screen of the TV, through the noises of battle and clashing blades. Jim heard the three trollish words that ultimately changed everything he knew for fact about this new reality of his.
"Be careful, brother." And just like that, Draal was gone. Bular following after the azure troll after knocking down the trollhunter with a lucky hit.
After that, Jim just stood there in front of the TV, mind reeling at the implications that this was not his timeline. He knew, from the bottom of his heart, he knew that this was not his time, not his reality. But actually having it confirmed in front of him shook him to his core.
"Don't worry, kiddo… the trollhunter will keep us all safe from the trolls…" Barbra whispered slightly seeing her son's slightly shaking shoulders. For a second she through it over, the trollhunter was a very respected figure, especially among younger kids who aspire to be like them. Was Jim just so in awe of the trollhunter that he started to idolise them like how her brothers were when she was younger?
A single sob brough Barbra back to reality. Her son was sobbing, holding himself in a tight hug as his body trembled heavily. Acting quickly, she walked over to her son and pulled him into a hug. "Jim?" she called out gently, trying to get a response from her son who just continued to sob and shake in her arms.
"T-this isn't real…" Jim whispered shakily. "I-its some kind of sick joke…? R-right…?" he asked looking up to his mom. Barbara sat there stunned, her hands gently rubbing Jim's back in comfort.
"That wasn't a joke, Jim. but don't worry, we're safe…" she whispered to Jim, offering him a gentle and reassuring smile. "The trollhunters will keep us safe from those trolls!"
"Jim…" she started, gently picking up her son and carrying him over to the couch so they could sit more comfortably after seeing how shaken her son still was. "Jim, trolls are dangerous, yes. They've hurt and hunted us for centuries. Until king Arthur came and protected everyone with the help of his wizard, Merlin. To this day, King Arthur and Merlin watch over all mankind against these magical beasts… so there's nothing to worry about, kiddo." she explained with a small forced smile.
"But who will protect the trolls?!" Jim suddenly exclaimed, surprising Barbra with the sudden outburst.
Jim's small hands formed tight fists around the front of his mother's shirt, a frustrated frown forming on his face. "it isn't fair…" he mumbled before wiping away his forming tears, body still shaking with bottled up sobs. Seeing her son so distressed and frustrated made her worry, a frown growing on her face the longer she watched her son. Surely that tale of how King Arthur and Merlin protect them would have been enough to calm him, right?
"What isn't fair, kiddo?" she asked quietly, wanting to understand what was going on through her son's mind.
"Everything!" Jim yelled, hands coming up to wipe his eyes as he sniffled.
"What do you mean, Jim?" she tried again.
"Trolls aren't monsters! They're peaceful creatures!" he exclaimed, looking up at Barbara with deeply saddened eyes. She couldn't believe just how sympathetic her son really was, a more relaxed smile forming on her face. Seeing the broken look in his eyes, Barbara often forgets just how young her son is, but she knew for a fact that Jim knew enough to at least understand the more difficult truths of life.
"You're right, Jim…" she whispered, holding her son close. "Magic or not, they're still living beings." Personally, Barbara never liked what they did to the trolls and magical beings. She found it cruel that they were hunted for just existing without even giving them a reason to be killed. She just couldn't bare to see any living creature hurt, that was why she was studying to become a doctor after all, to save as many lives as she could.
Hearing those words from his mom made the young boy relax enough for him to substitute his angered thoughts with unanswered questions. Mind swirling with thoughts, he didn't notice his mother carrying up the stairs to be put in bed.
"Let's get some sleep, kiddo." She said, gently putting Jim in his bed and tucking him in with a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Let's just keep the "I think trolls are innocent" thought to ourselves alright?" She whispered gently, earning her a small nod from her son before she left him in the room.
Jim laid in his bed, staring up at the glow in the dark star dotted ceiling of his room, mind racing as he fixed together everything he's learned and going over his plans again.
First, the trollhunter was a human, and actually hunted trolls. Second, Arthur and Merlin are both alive and awake, both governing over the humans as a whole, even though there are still governments at play. Third, Draal and Bular were working together. What else had changed? Toby didn't seem any different, neither was his mom. What about Blinky and AARRRGGHH? of Douxie and everyone else?
'Time unfolds differently, like a flower' Nari's voice echoed in Jim's head. 'Only trollhunter will know.'
Eyes going wide with realization, Jim shot up into a sitting position, going over the words in his mind.
"Time unfolds differently, like a flower…" he mumbled, realising that what Nari had said made more sense now. With every petal that unfolds, the flower takes on a new form, a new shape yet still clearly a flower. With every choice he makes, a new outcome forms yet still its his reality.
"Only trollhunter will know…" he mumbled again, eyes burning as a tear fell from his eyes. Only he would know, know what? The horrible fate of an alternate time where he failed to save them all?
No, that's not it. He thought as he wracked his brain for anything he alone might know. That's when it hit him.
Taking a shuddering breath, Jim wiped away his tears as a determined expression crossed his face.
I know what I must do.
