"Goooood evening Arcadia. Another summer nearly gone-I can hardly believe it. And a quiet one, too! We all know for this town that's pretty rare. You know what folks, I'm going to be optimistic here and say this is going to be peaceful year…"

The radio host was right. It was a quiet night in Arcadia. Teens trickled in and out of the movie theater. People chatted at restaurants, and couples strolled around the park with fingers intertwined. On the road, three teenagers weaved around cars on bicycles.

Or more specifically, two human teenagers and one half-troll.

Jim Lake Jr. whooped in joy as he pulled a tight curve. He didn't think he could ever get tired of bicycling. Sure, he loved his Vespa with all his heart, but nothing topped a good old-fashioned bicycle. Not to mention he could do way more cooler tricks with a bike-like the one he was currently doing right now.

"Showoff!" Claire called as Jim popped a wheelie.

Jim laughed and glanced back at his girlfriend. Claire was scowling at him, but the tiny smile at the corners of her lips told him otherwise. He winked at her. That's when she abandoned any façade of irritation and blushed before smiling back at him.

"Jimbo!" Toby panted. "Can you ease up there, buddy? Not all of us are superhuman-or supertroll, whatever-like you."

Jim shifted his gaze to his best friend. Poor Toby was pedaling as hard as he could, but he was still barely keeping up. Sweat poured down his red face.

He winced. "Sorry, Tobes. Got a little carried away there." He looked up ahead at the sign that read "Holland Transit Bridge." "We'll stop up at the bridge, okay?"

"Thank God," Toby wheezed.

Jim skidded to a stop and waited for his friends to catch up. Claire disembarked from her bike and pulled off her helmet. Jim couldn't stop himself from snickering at her scraggly hair.

She frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said, trying to stop himself from smiling and horrible failing. "Your hair, it just looks really nice."

Claire's hand shot to her head. She instantly felt how frizzy it was and shot him a deadly glare. "Why, you-"

"I'm here!" Toby exclaimed as he pulled up to them. He practically fell off the bike seat and flopped on the asphalt, arms splayed. "I'm here. Oh God. That was horrible. You know what, I'm just-I'm just going to lie here for a bit."

Jim laughed. "I'll join you."

He got off his bike and laid next to him. Beside him, Claire did the same. They fell silent as they soaked in the sounds of the night. The crickets chirped, cars rumbled from town, and somewhere off in the distance an owl hooted-though Jim doubted his friends could hear that. Claire found his hand and laced her fingers through his. He squeezed them gently. They looked over and smiled at one another before gazing back up at the stars.

Jim never took these times for granted anymore. Times when he felt so calm and at peace. He never wanted this moment to end.

So, naturally, it did.

Jim's phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket and peered at the screen. His stomach dropped when he saw who had texted him. Even worse was what the message said.

"Guys," he said shakily, sitting up. "It's Douxie. He says…he says they're ready."

"Already?" Claire asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah…I am. We have to go."

They reluctantly stood up and looked at the lights of Arcadia one last time. So much had happened here, so much had happened to him…he had come so far. They all had.

"What if we don't all make it back?" Jim blurted out, voicing his worst fear. "The Arcane Order…they're like nothing we've ever seen. What if-what if this is the last time we're all together like this?"

"Come on, Jimbo," Toby chided, elbowing him in the ribs. "This is team Trollhunter we're talking about! We'll get through this." He beamed up at him.

"Yeah, but still-"

Claire punched him on the shoulder. "Jim Lake Jr, that is no way to talk. We've gone through so much together. Two stupid wizards aren't going to tear us apart now."

Jim looked down at their determined faces and found himself believing them. They were right. They had faced nightmares before and lived to tell the tale. He was certain they were going to do it again. It was going to be hard-maybe the hardest battle yet-but they were going to survive.

He grinned and wrapped them both in a hug. "What would I do without you guys?"

"Die, probably," came Toby's muffled voice.

Jim laughed as he released them from the hug. "Considering what happened last summer, there's no 'probably' about it."

Claire shuddered. "God, please don't mention that ever again…"

Jim's phone buzzed again, and he sighed. "Duty calls."

He put his phone his pocket, and as he did so, his fingers brushed against a small round object. Oh. He had forgotten about that. Jim pulled the object out and laid it on his palm for the others to see. It was a bright green stone.

"What is that?" Toby asked in a hushed voice, gazing at the glowing stone.

"A fragment of the Heart of Avalon," Jim answered. "Douxie thought a time stone would be useful in the amulet, sort of like a power boost."

"What does it do?" Claire said.

Jim shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know, and neither does Douxie. But we both knew the armor wasn't going to be enough to defeat the Order-not even the Eclipse blade. We needed something more."

"Is it even safe?" Claire's eyes followed Jim as he took out the amulet and placed the stone inside.

"Well, Douxie was able to harness the Heart's power for that weird time-loop contraption, and it didn't blow up." Jim glanced up and saw that his friends were staring at him in horror. "Oh, come on! I've done more dangerous things than this. It'll be fine."

"Knowing you, probably not," Toby grumbled. He slapped a hand on Jim's back. "But if it does end up exploding, we'll be right by your side to say we told you so."

"Thanks, I guess?" Jim looked down at the pulsing blue amulet. "Here goes nothing…"

He closed his eyes and recited the incantation he knew all too well:

"For the glory of Merlin, daylight is mine to command!"

.

.

.

Douxie's foot jittered nervously. His eyes flicked around the subway train, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Well, besides Nari, who sat beside him. She stroked the flower in her hands, humming quietly. He couldn't count Archie either, who was currently a small sparrow in a cage. Or Zoe, who sat on his other side, nodding her head to whatever tune she was listening to. Even Douxie himself was far from normal-alright, that was enough. He had to look out for any sign of the Arcane Order.

Mordrax's miracles, he really was sleep deprived, going off on a tangent like that.

He couldn't take it anymore. He stood up abruptly, causing Archie to squawk indignantly. "This is a bad idea."

"No." Nari placed a small hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "No more running, Douxie."

"But-"

"Douxie."

He looked down at Zoe, who had taken off her headphones and was giving him a stern look. "We can't live like this anymore. I'm more tired than I've been in centuries-and you are too." Her gaze softened. "This is the best chance we have. Let's take it."

Douxie glanced at Nari, then Zoe, then back to Nari. Their calmness eased his own nerves, and he sighed.

"No more running," he agreed.

No sooner had he sat down when he felt a sudden chill in the air. He exhaled slowly, his breath showing. He placed a hand on the window and shuddered at how cold it was. "Can you feel that?"

Nari's flower closed its petals. She looked up at him grimly. "They're here."

The compartments on Zoe's side started glowing orange, the metal melting in oozing boiling rivers. They stood up and backed away from the increasingly hot compartment.

"Here we go," Zoe murmured.

They exited the car and hopped into the next one, only to slip on an ice-coated floor. They all fell, bumping and sliding into one another.

"Nariiiii," a voice sang.

Douxie gasped and swiveled to face the voice. Skrael emerged from the fog, a delighted grin on his face. "We have tracked you down and we are bringing you back."

Douxie grit his teeth. "Not on my watch!"

He shot to his feet, willing himself not to slip. He summoned his staff to his hands. "Causa crepitus!" he chanted.

The poles in the car started vibrating violently. The screws glowed cerulean blue as they wiggled themselves free. Seats, poles, and anything else that wasn't anchored down floated into the air.

"Ignis impestuom!" Zoe cried, raising her hands.

The floating metal shone violet as Zoe's pink magic bled into Douxie's blue. The air shimmered as the metal grew searing hot, melting the ice on the train.

Douxie grinned. Not bad. He thrust his staff forward. "Magna torna tuess!"

The metal flew into Skrael, burying him under a heap of scorching hot rubble. He and Zoe fist-bumped one another. One down-

The air grew hot behind Douxie's back. He whirled around and blinked at the harsh light that greeted him. Flames flickered along the edges of the car, the metal dripping down onto a figure with a feather headdress.

Bellroc glared at them. "Nari, you've been a naughty girl." She walked forward, melting the compartment as she went. "You are coming back with us."

Douxie grunted and used his staff to fling more seats at her. Unfortunately in Bellroc's presence, they had forgotten about Skrael. With a growl, he froze the chairs completely before throwing them off. Bellroc did the same and sneered.

"You cannot hide from us forever," she rasped.

Douxie smirked. "Who said we were hiding?"

As if on cue, a black portal opened from above, and a familiar half-troll dropped down. The light from the flames gleamed off his silver armor. A long, notched sword appeared in his hands in a swirl of blue fire.

Jim Lake Jr. rose to his feet and grinned at Bellroc, showing off his fangs. "Miss me?"

Bellroc's face twisted in anger. "Trollhunter!"

She lobbed a stream a fire at Jim. He called up his shield. The fire struck against it and dissipated into smoke.

"Nope!" Jim shouted. "Now I hunt wizards."

He charged at Bellroc, his shield protecting him from the fiery balls she threw at him. Jim's shield morphed into Daylight and he swung it at her with a grunt. She blocked his blow with her staff. He pushed her staff away and brought his sword down upon her head. She smacked it to the side and lifted her hand.

Flames burst from the floor. Jim yelped and leapt onto the nearest chair. He spotted Archie stuck in his cage, the fire growing dangerously close. He used Daylight to lift the cage from the floor and opened the door.

Archie flew out and transformed back into his cat form. He shuddered. "You have my gratitude. That was…close."

"Go!" Claire yelled as she hurled her magic at Bellroc. "Remember the plan."

"Got it!" The familiar ran off and disappeared into the smoke.

Jim hurled his glaives at Bellroc and turned to Claire. "Aren't we missing someone?"

"I know, I know!" She furrowed her brow in concentration. "But you try summoning a portal on a subway going fifty-five miles per hour!"

Jim held his hands up in surrender. "Fair enough."

"Hold on, I think I got it!" A portal opened next to her and an armor-clad person stumbled out of it. "Yes!"

Steve Palchuk groaned and placed a hand against his head. "Man, I really hate those portals…"

Jim patted him sympathetically on the back. "Sorry dude, but we don't have the luxury of you having a stomachache right now." He nodded at the sword hanging on his hip. "We need that if we're going to win."

Steve nodded in determination and withdrew Excalibur from its sheath. "You can count on me, Lake!"

Jim grinned and summoned his own sword. "I know." He rushed towards Bellroc. "Now let's put your training to use!"

Jim thrust Daylight at Bellroc's side while Steve attacked her from below. She parried Jim away with one hand, and with the other, she shot a ball of fire at Steve. Steve rolled to avoid the flames and sliced at her. She deflected Excalibur, but Steve retaliated with a counter-thrust of his own. While she was engaged with Steve, Jim swiped at her arm. Molten lava leaked from the cut. She hissed in pain and whirled on Jim. He shrugged innocently.

She growled and swung her staff at him. In her rage, she failed to noticed Steve cutting at her leg. She shrieked as Excalibur hacked into her leg.

"Enough!" she snarled, setting herself on fire.

Steve and Jim yelped at the sudden heat and leaped back. She laughed and sent a torrent of fire their way. Steve ducked under the flames while Jim summoned his shield.

Jim lowered his shield only to be met with Bellroc's foot colliding with his face. He flew back and landed on the floor with a moan.

"Jim!" Claire cried, pausing in her fighting with Skrael to look down on him with concern.

"I'm fine," he wheezed as he climbed to his feet. Honestly, he was more embarrassed than hurt. He frowned as he noticed the train was still travelling much too fast. "Where's the ray? We're not slowing down at all!"

Claire frowned. "Something must've gone wrong-"

Steve yelled as he was thrown back by Bellroc. With no one else left to distract her, she turned her full attention to Claire. A tunnel of flames roared towards them. Claire hastily conjured a purple shield. She grunted as the fire hit her shield.

"Where is that ray?!" Claire yelled. "I can't hold this for long-!"

Suddenly the train car was bathed in a cool blue light. Both Claire's shield and Bellroc's fire fizzled out. Bellroc gaped at her hands, horrified.

Claire beamed. "It's working! Their magic's gone!"

Jim gasped as his armor disappeared. The amulet dropped onto the floor, and he hastily scooped it up. He looked at Claire desperately. "Yeah, but mine is too!"

She rolled her eyes playfully and tapped his horns. "Forget about something?"

He blushed a deep purple. "Oh. Right."

Jim lunged forward with a growl. Bellroc dodged his swiping claws but he quickly retaliated with an uppercut. She reeled back from the blow but quickly recovered, batting his fist away and aiming her own at his jaw. He caught her punch easily. She looked up at him in shock. Jim gave her a wink before promptly throwing her across the train. She smacked against the wall and slumped to the floor.

Now's my chance! Jim rushed forward, raising his hand to deliver the killing blow-

Now it was his turn to be surprised. He gasped as Bellroc's hand shot out and caught his wrist. He tried to break free, but her grip was too strong.

She smirked. "My turn."

Bellroc used her other hand to ram her fist into his stomach. He doubled over with a strained yell. Through his blurry vision, he could see the deadly sharp point of her staff plunging down.

"Leave him alone!" Steve yelled, swinging Excalibur at Bellroc.

Bellroc spun around to block Steve's attack, leaving her open to Jim. He got to his feet and raked his claws across her back. Lava streamed from the wounds, and Bellroc screeched. She kicked Steve back and whirled on Jim, seething with fury.

At least she doesn't have her magic, Jim thought wearily as he blocked her blow.

Then the blue light disappeared, and Jim knew he was a goner.

Bellroc exploded in a plume of fire. The flames swirled around her and cleaved a hole right through the ceiling of the train. Jim and Steve were thrown through the opening from the force of the flames.

The lights of New York City flew past Jim in a sickeningly bright blur, and he had to force himself not to throw up as he stood. Steve had already recovered and was engaged in fierce combat with Bellroc.

"Look at you," she leered as she relentlessly dealt blow after blow. "You haven't mastered Excalibur's magic at all, have you? You can barely wield it as a normal blade."

Steve didn't answer; he could only grunt as Bellroc pushed harder. She laughed as she swiped Steve's feet from under him. She picked him up as if he weighed nothing and held him high into the air.

"That Arthur was a fool, but at least he could fight." She grinned. "You are nothing but a frightened little boy!"

Bellroc dropped him and kicked him off the train. Jim froze. "Steve!" he cried out.

Just before Steve hit the ground, one of Claire's portals appeared and swallowed him. Jim sighed in relief, then scowled as he turned to face Bellroc.

"Just you and me, Trollhunter," she hissed with a wide smile.

"Good," Jim snarled. "Then that means I can kill you myself!"

The armor appeared around him as he sprinted towards Bellroc. The wind stung his eyes, but he didn't care. The Order had been chasing his friends for nearly a year-and had almost succeeded in killing one of them just now. It was time to put an end to this, right here, right now.

He unleashed a guttural roar as he swung Daylight. It clashed against Bellroc's fiery staff, sending a spray of sparks. Jim slashed again, and again, and again. He forgot all the techniques he learned as he descended into a frenzy of hacks and thrusts. He just wanted the Order gone, wiped from the face of the earth. He wanted to make them feel the pain they caused his friends. He wanted-

"My, my, my," Bellroc chuckled as they locked blades. "Such a temper, Trollhunter."

Jim snarled in reply.

That only seemed to amuse her more. "Why, if I didn't know better," she said with a nasty smile, "I'd say that corruption still lies inside you. You of all people should know that scars, especially from dark magic, never truly disappear."

Jim's rage instantly dissipated. "I-you're wrong, the shard's gone-"

Bellroc threw back her head and laughed, and Jim's resolve faltered. "Do you really think one needs a magical artifact to be 'evil?'" She pushed harder, her staff getting closer and closer, but he found himself unable to fight back. "The shard may be gone, but the roots it planted are still there. It is only a matter of time before the beast returns."

The beast. Dread, oily and cold, settled into the pit of his stomach at those words. Jim had tried his best not to think of that terrible night for the past year. How he had hurt his loved ones, and even worse, how much he enjoyed it…despite his friends' reassurances, he still felt horribly guilty.

He was acting like a monster again, but this time, there was no evil shard to blame.

Daylight dropped to Jim's side as his grip went limp. He shrank away from Bellroc, feeling more small than he had felt in a long time. The demigod's eyes widened in surprise before a wicked grin stretched across her face.

"Well now, isn't this an interesting turn of events," she smirked. "And one I fully intend to use to my advantage."

Bellroc struck her staff across his jaw, and everything went black.

.

.

.

Douxie stumbled out of the train with a groan. Everything hurt…but that was to be expected after a train crashed from midair. Zoe coughed from beside him, and he helped her to her feet. She gave him a weak smile.

He smiled back before realization dawned on him. "Where's Nari?!" He scanned the ruins to no avail.

"Douxie," Claire called. She staggered down from the rubble, hugging Nari tight to her side. She glanced to her right and left before switching her gaze back to Douxie. She wore a pained look on her face. "I can't find Jim!"

Douxie frowned. That was worrying, but if he was being honest, Jim was probably fine. He was a troll with a magical suit of armor, it would take a lot to actually hurt him-

The train exploded from behind him. He whirled around and his eyes widened. Bellroc flew from the destroyed car in a swirl of flames with a triumphant cry. Strained yells alerted Douxie to Toby and Argh. He gasped as Skrael summoned ice to crawl over them, freezing them in place.

"Nari," Skrael purred, raising his staff. "Come."

"No!" Claire shouted, standing defensively in front of Nari. "You can't have her!"

"And who's going to stop us?" he demanded, his cheeky demeanor disappearing.

He shot a beam of ice at Claire. She shoved Nari aside and blocked it with a shield. He scowled in irritation and pressed harder, his magic growing brighter than ever before.

"A little help, guys?" she cried as she started to slide back from the force of the beam.

Zoe and Douxie rushed forward to help, but Bellroc's laughter stopped them dead in their tracks. "Don't forget about me now, young wizards."

An inferno of scorching flames roared from her staff. Douxie thrust his own staff into the ground. Azure magic blazed from the weapon a millisecond before the fire hit. Douxie shuddered from the force of the heat, but held firm…for now.

Zoe looked back and forth between Douxie and Claire, torn on who to help. Determination filled her face, and she set her mouth in a grim line. She raised her arms, her body crackling with electricity. She grew brighter and brighter, but still she didn't let go. Finally, when her magic was so intense Douxie was nearly blinded by it, she unleashed it with a shout.

Hot pink lightning arced from her fingertips and connected with both Douxie and Claire's shields. Douxie gasped at the sudden surge of power. He felt all tingly, warm, and…unstoppable.

He grinned. Oh, he could work with this.

Douxie's eyes glowed as he pushed back against Bellroc. Shock spread across her face as her flames started inching away from Douxie. Surprise devolved to anger, and she roared. The tunnel of fire grew so intense that the asphalt started to melt. The air shimmered with heat. But none of that fazed Douxie. If anything, it encouraged him. He just needed a bit more time-

"ENOUGH!" Bellroc bellowed. With her free hand, she shot a ball of flames at an exposed Zoe.

Douxie's heart dropped. "No!"

He turned away from Bellroc and tackled Zoe. They fell to the ground, barely missing the deadly blast. Without Zoe's power, Claire's own magic faltered. Her shield started to crack. Skrael cackled with glee and urged the ice beam forward. Claire shouted in defiance, but it was too much. Her shield exploded in a spray of purple shards, and she collapsed.

Bellroc and Skrael floated over to them. With difficulty, Douxie got to his feet and pushed Nari behind him. He still had to protect her.

"She's not coming with you," he said with a glare. From the corner of his eye, he could see Zoe and Claire getting into a battle stance.

"It appears we are at an impasse," Bellroc rasped. "But we both have something the other wants."

"There's nothing I want from you!" Douxie shouted.

She smiled devilishly. "Oh, really? Not even…him?"

She lifted her hand. A limp form shot out from the ruins of the train. The figure hung suspended in midair beside Bellroc. The figure's head lolled back, and Douxie gasped. It couldn't be…how was it possible? How did he-

Bellroc grabbed an unconscious Jim's chin. "Do you realize how easy it would be to kill him?" she crooned. "Even with Merlin's armor, I could still do this…" She pressed the tip of her staff against Jim's heart.

"Wait!" Claire screamed. There was a terror in her eyes Douxie had never seen before. "Please, don't!"

"Oh, but I will," Bellroc purred. "With the way he is now, it would be a breeze. But you can save him." Her face hardened. "Give us Nari, and we'll give you your precious Trollhunter."

No, no, no. This was it. Douxie's worst nightmare had come to life. Save his friends, or save the world. He couldn't do this. He couldn't make these decisions anymore!

Douxie looked over at Claire. His heart squeezed painfully. Pure agony was written all over her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Jim was her everything. If he died, he doubt she would care if the world ended or not.

He looked down at Nari. Nari-the sweet, innocent person he had grown to love as a little sister over the past year. She…she had been Douxie's beacon of hope. Even when he doubted himself, she always believed in him. She wasn't just his charge anymore-she was a dear friend.

Douxie grabbed fistfuls of his hair and barely choked back the urge to scream. He couldn't do this.

"Enough waiting," Bellroc snarled. She shoved the tip of her staff closer to Jim's chest. "What do you-"

"I will go."

Douxie gasped as Nari strode forward. Despite their perilous situation, she was utterly calm. "Return the Trollhunter, and I will go."

Bellroc grinned. "Excellent choice." She waved her staff, and Jim started floating down towards them.

"Nari-Nari, no!" Douxie pleaded, stooping down to her level. "We'll figure out another way, just-just give me some time, please-"

"No, Douxie." Nari squeezed his hand and gave him a warm smile. "Your friends have sacrificed themselves enough for my sake. I want to do this."

She rose into the air and started flying away. Tears welled in Douxie's eyes. No-he couldn't lose anyone else! He grabbed her hand and pulled with all his might.

"Let her go, Douxie," Zoe whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go."

Douxie shook his head. "I can't let them take her!"

An idea popped into his head. A dangerous idea, yes-but he had no other choice.

His bracelet glowed as it whirred to life. "But they can take…me."

Zoe's protests sounded far away as his magic flowed into Nari. I'm sorry, Zoe, he thought as his eyesight dimmed. I had to…

As Douxie floated away, he was dimly aware of his own body slumping to the ground. He had just enough time to register how odd that was before he lost consciousness completely.

A/N: And so, it has begun. For the record, there is NO dark magic left in Jim from the shard-Bellroc just said that to get inside his head. But as for what happened to Jim on the train, well, you'll just have to wait and see for the next update hehe. Yes, Zoe is going to have a pretty big role in this, because I love her to pieces and she deserved better.

Also! I am making significant changes to canon-way, WAY more than I did for my Wizards rewrite. Like, will characters still die? Yes, absolutely. Will the other characters forget about it in five minutes? No, no they will not.

Concerning updates, they'll probably come once a month. After all, I'm still working on my other fic, and I'm not putting that on hiatus again lol. But thanks everyone for reading! I can't wait for you to see what's in store :)