merendinoemiliano-Thank you!
No one-Ah thank you! And don't worry, Jim won't forget Nomura so easily. Her death will affect him throughout the rest of this fic. And leaving you with more questions wasn't my intention, but I'm glad you're enjoying it all the same! To be honest, I forgot all destroying the bridge did was cut it off from the rest of the world, but to me, I always imagined it that if the bridge was destroyed, then the trolls' home is too. That just makes more sense to me I guess. And thank you for understanding! This update did take a while to complete but I am happy with it :)
Never had Douxie been so glad to see impending doom. He didn't know how much more fighting he could've taken. Both Jim and Aja had valid points, but he desperately wished Aja had taken responsibility for her actions before verbally attacking Jim like that. That, along with her vehement opposition to his idea of talking to Nari, had shown Douxie the Akiridion was quite the stubborn one.
But he was sort of glad the argument had happened. After all, it had given the castle enough time to reach Nari.
Aja cursed as she realized Nari's titan was right below them. She dashed out of the main hall, the others following suit. They peered down from the balcony at Nari's titan. It lumbered along, stirring up plumes of sand from the Mexican plains. Douxie shielded his eyes from the sun blazing overhead. Well, this was quite the departure from the freezing Arctic he had visited less than three hours ago.
"What do we do now?" Krel asked.
"Well, now that we're here…we could give my idea a shot." He gave Aja a winning smile.
She scowled. "I say we attack with all the firepower we've got."
"Tried that with Skrael, lovely. Didn't work out too well."
"Then we…then we-" she sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll try it your way. But if anything goes wrong…"
He held up his hands. "I know, I know! But I promise you, it won't come to that." He glanced over at Claire. "Would you do the honors of portalling me down?"
"And me," Zoe spoke up, standing next to Douxie. "Nari's my friend too."
"I want to go too."
Everyone turned their attention to Jim. He looked uncomfortable with all their eyes on him, but he continued. "I want to-I need to ask her what she meant by 'unite the three.'"
Douxie studied Jim. The poor bloke looked so…worn out. Drained. Too much had happened to him in too little time. He had lost a friend, Mordrax's miracles, and yet he was still here, fighting. Maybe Aja was right in Jim taking a backseat. Not because he was a liability, but because he needed time to recover and grieve.
"Jim…" he said uncertainly. "Are you sure you're up for this? After…all that's happened?"
Jim nodded his head, and though he was probably exhausted, he spoke with utter conviction. "I'm sure. I have to know."
"Alrighty then," Zoe announced. She pointed finger guns at Claire. "You're up, shadow girl."
Claire grinned. "Only for you, pink zapper."
"I think my nickname was better."
"Debatable." She flicked her hand, and a portal whooshed to life. "After you."
Douxie and Zoe jumped through, Jim close behind. They landed on the lush rocky titan, mere feet behind Nari.
Douxie's breath hitched in his throat. It hurt, seeing her like that. Her eyes, normally so bright and cheerful, were utterly empty. Unseeing.
He had to get her back.
"Nari!" he called out. When she didn't respond, he tried again. "Nari, I know you're still in there. Please, if you can hear me, give me a sign."
The only sign he got was a cluster of vines whipping around his throat.
"Not exactly the sign we were looking for, Nari!" Zoe shouted as she sliced attacking vines with a glowing pink spear.
Jim and Claire weren't faring so well either. Claire shot purple blasts at the deadly plants, but it wasn't long before they overpowered her. Poor Jim was still too exhausted to stand a chance. He didn't even have time to summon Daylight before the leafy vines lashed around him. He cried out as they carried him into the air and dangled him hundreds of feet above unforgiving rock.
"Douxie, this isn't looking so good!" Claire yelled, struggling against the vines now wrapped around her waist.
Zoe, who was also trapped like Claire, spat a curse at the vine before focusing on Douxie. "Whatever you're planning Douxie, do it now. I don't want to hurt her, but we-we might have to if she doesn't stop hurting us."
He swallowed. "Okay."
He tried to take a step towards Nari, but the vines pulled him back. More coiled around his ankles, his wrists, and even his face as he resisted. He gritted his teeth and strained with all his might.
"Blast it, Nari!" he grunted as he reached his hand forward. He was so close, so very close! "You need to remember!"
His hand gripped around hers, and his bracelet flashed cerulean blue. Douxie gasped as Bellroc's magic hit him full force. She was so powerful. The charm around Nari's mind was strong, locking in her free will. But he could break her out. She just needed his help to remember.
He closed his eyes and flooded her mind with memories. Like the time she had tried New York pizza for the first time. He had laughed then, and he laughed now as her golden eyes popped in newfound wonder at the taste. He showed her the time their group strolled around Central Park, feeding the ducks and laughing as Archie got chased around by a dog.
Douxie watched hopefully as the scorching red magic flickered. Yes! Maybe now he could wrestle her free.
No sooner had he placed his hands on the magic than he shot them back with a cry. The intensity of the heat was too much, the magic too overwhelming. It still wasn't enough! He…he wasn't enough.
But there was one more memory Douxie hadn't shared with her yet, a memory he wished to forget. He hated looking back on it, but this moment was so crucial to him and Nari that he had no choice.
It was raining outside their small apartment. Douxie was sitting on the bed in his room, his knees tucked to his chest. Tears slipped down his face as he sobbed quietly.
"Douxie?"
He tensed, but he was too miserable to raise his head. "Hello, Nari," he croaked.
His bed dipped as she climbed onto it and scooched to his side. "What is wrong, Douxie? Is-is there anything I can do to help?"
He laughed hollowly. "Not unless you can bring someone back from the dead."
She instantly knew who he was talking about. "Oh."
"It's just-this is all too much, Nari," Douxie said, wiping his hand across his eyes. "So many things can go wrong. If the Arcane Order finds us, they're going to kill Zoe and Archie. They're going to take you away. I wish I didn't have this burden, but I have to bear it because-because he's gone."
He burrowed his head in his arms. "I miss him."
Nari wrapped her tiny frame around him in a tight embrace. "I miss him too, Douxie. Even though I did not know or love him like you did, I wish he was still in this world with you. With us. I didn't think anyone would accept me after I ran away from the Order, but he…he did."
Somehow, Douxie found it within himself to smile. "He has a habit of picking up broken people, doesn't he?"
She smiled back as she nudged him. "And making them better. Don't forget that."
They leaned against one another, simply enjoying each other's company. They gazed out the window, the rain washing everything anew, and hoping it could do the same to them.
As the memory ended, Douxie discovered that fresh tears had tracked their way down his face. He smiled, not bothering to wipe them away. His heart still stung from remembering, but he was glad he had done so in the end.
The scarlet magic sputtered.
Douxie gasped. This was his chance! He placed his hands on the magic and winced. It was still hot, but not nearly as searing as before. He could do this.
A defiant yell ripped out of his throat as he started pulling the magic apart. His blue magic combated with the fiery red for dominance. His hands smoked from the heat, but he was able to keep it at bay.
And there she was. Behind the storm of Bellroc's magic lay Nari's curled form. She looked asleep rather than imprisoned, her face was so peaceful.
"Nari!" Douxie shouted, reaching a hand through the gap between magics. "Take my hand!"
Nari stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. "Douxie?" she said sleepily.
"Yes!" He wanted to sob in relief. "Yes, that's right! It's me! Come on, Nari, let's get you out of here!"
To his horror, she turned away from him. "Maybe in a bit, Douxie. I'm so tired. So very tired…"
Douxie's heart leaped into his throat. "No, no, no! Nari, come on! Come back!" Bellroc's magic sparked against his own. It could give at any moment. "Please!"
Something changed in her then, something that his frantic desperation had awoken. Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Douxie! I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Finally, Nari reached for him. Her face curled from the effort, as if the very air was pushing back against her. Her fingers brushed against his. Douxie unleashed a cry as he made one final desperate snatch for her hand. His hand, a shimmering blue surrounding it, closed around hers.
"I've got you," he whispered, tears burning his eyes, "I've got you."
And just like that, they were back.
Nari collapsed to the ground with a groan. The titan lurched to a standstill, the green orb sputtering weakly before dying completely. Douxie got to his knees, wincing as his burned flesh scraped against the stone.
"Douxie!" Zoe cried, sliding down to her knees and suffocating him in a hug. "You have got to stop doing stupidly dangerous stuff like that," she said, her voice muffled.
He chuckled. "At this point, I think it's just going to be something you're going to have to live with."
Nari's feeble cough brought their attention back to her. "Douxie? Where…where am I?" she asked, turning her wide-eyed gaze on them.
He laughed and swooped her into an embrace. "You're with us. That's all that matters."
Zoe kissed the top of her head lightly. "I was really worried about you, little bean. I'm glad you're okay."
Jim watched the reunion with a sad smile. He knew all too well how much it hurt to see a friend turned against you. He also knew the jubilant feeling when they were finally returned to you, back by your side once again. Unfortunately, his reunion with Draal…it had been fatally cut short. Jim prayed that wouldn't be the case for Nari.
Unite the three. Nari's words echoed in his head. Right. He had to know.
"Nari," he said, stooping down to her level, "what did you mean by 'unite the three?' Trolls, aliens, wizards-we're all standing together." Barely, he added sourly, remembering Aja's words. "What more could we possibly do?"
She smiled. "I wasn't just talking about them, Trollhunter, though working together is very important. No, I was talking about you." She poked a delicate finger at his chest.
"W-what?"
"The answer lies here," she said, pressing her hand against his heart.
He stared at her, utterly bewildered. "I need to listen to my heart?"
Nari giggled. "No, Trollhunter. I mean your amulet, and what lies within it."
"But the only thing that's in it is-" The words slammed into Jim's chest with cold, hard realization. The only thing that was in the amulet was the time stone.
Unite the three. Not just aliens, trolls, and wizards, but himself, his three forms. Human, half-troll, and-
"No," he whispered, backing away from Nari. "No. Y-you're wrong."
She shook her head. "It's the only way. You must unite the three."
"No!" He blinked, and suddenly, it wasn't Nari before him but Merlin, standing in his kitchen. The toxic green elixir sat next to him on the counter, pulsating. The wizard stared solemnly at him as he said, I'm asking you to change. James, I know this is the greatest call anyone has ever asked of you, but I said the choice was yours, and there it lies.
It hadn't been a choice then, and it wasn't a choice now.
Claire placed a calming hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged her off. He strode away from the group and stood near the edge of the precipice, trying to breathe. First the titans, then Nomura, now this…it was too much.
"Nari, we don't have to worry about the world ending anymore," Zoe said, obviously trying to change the subject. "Claire, Douxie, and I-we took down Skrael. He's gone."
"Gone?" Nari repeated. She was silent for a few seconds before raising her voice. "Good. He never saw humans as anything more than playthings. He would've never changed. As for the fate of Earth…I'm afraid this world is still in peril."
"What?!" Claire exclaimed. "But I thought you needed all three titans to complete the ritual! R-right?"
"If the three of us had come together, the world would've been reborn the way it is now. There would've been oceans, plants, mountains. But you only need one titan for the ritual. If Bellroc reaches a Heartstone, then the world will only be reborn in flames."
Jim flinched but still didn't turn around. Heartstone?
"Heartstone?" Claire gasped, voicing his thoughts. "Why would she…of course. She probably needs its life-giving properties, that extra boost of magic to get the job done. We have to stop her before she gets to New Jersey. I pulled too many muscles building a home there for it to get destroyed so soon."
Nari spoke slowly, as if she was confused. "Our minds were linked for a time, and when I saw through her eyes, she was not heading to New Jersey. She was intent to reach…Arcadia."
Jim felt his anger rising. Of course destroying the world wasn't enough. Of course she had to be that petty. She had to decimate his hometown, just so he could see its destruction firsthand. This wasn't rubbing salt into the wound; it was dumping the whole bag.
An animalistic growl bubbled out of his throat, but he forced it down. No. He didn't care what Nari had said. He wasn't going to give the beast any chance of slipping free again. If that meant staying out of his half-troll form, then fine.
"But at least we have you now!" Douxie beamed, desperately trying to stay positive.
"No." Vines wrapped around Nari's waist and lifted her into the air. Her eyes flared a bright green. "You have a titan."
"Yeah, a titan miles away from the other one," Zoe remarked.
There was silence, before Claire spoke up, softly. "I could get you there."
Jim's heart stopped. A storm of memories swirled in his head. Memories of enemies pounding outside the door with nowhere left to run. Memories of Claire lifting her shadow staff high, dark magic painting her veins black. Claire, unmoving in Argh's arms.
He couldn't let that happen again.
"Claire, no!" he protested, sprinting back to the group. "You-you can't. The titan, it's so much bigger than last time. And you almost…you barely survived the last time."
"I know, Jim," she said, gazing up at him. Before, fear would've shone in her warm brown eyes. Now, only determination lay in them. "But I've changed since then. I've grown so much stronger. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't sure I could."
"It's still too dangerous," Jim said weakly, even though he knew she wouldn't change her mind.
She smiled softly at him. "When has that ever stopped us before?"
.
.
.
Jim watched Claire anxiously as she planted her feet firmly into the rock. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. It simmered in the pit of his stomach, filling him with nausea. Aside from Douxie and Zoe, he was surrounded by the same people from before. It was all too horribly familiar.
Aja and Krel had stayed aboard Camelot, as it would have taken too long to fly to Bellroc's location. They didn't want Claire to try to teleport a castle as well as a titan. She had already portaled the six of them to the national forest several towns or so over from Arcadia. She needed to save her strength.
Jim's mom and Strickler were still on Camelot as well. He was glad that they wouldn't reach Arcadia until nightfall. Knowing his mom, she would've caught on something was wrong immediately. And he couldn't…he couldn't tell her just yet.
But right now, he had bigger problems to worry about it. Bellroc's titan loomed in the not far-off distance, growing closer and closer by the minute. Even with the fiery monster in his sight, his fear of that paled in comparison to what Claire was going to do next.
"I can do this," Claire muttered, extending her hands. "I can do this."
Vivid purple bled into her eyes as she screamed, "One. More. TIME!"
A storm of violet and black magic formed above the wooded valley. Lightning flickered angrily within it, only adding to the churning chaos. Claire grunted from the strain of the magic. Yet the portal still wasn't big enough for a titan.
"Come on!" she cried. "COME ON!"
A shockwave of magic blasted from Claire, knocking Jim and the others to the ground. Sparking purple magic swirled around her and lifted her into the air. The air hummed with power, making the hairs on Jim's arms stand on end. The wind had picked up and blew viciously, hard enough to dislodge Claire's headpiece. Her hair whipped around her face. And her eyes…the glowing purple irises had returned, swimming in a midnight-black pool.
"No," he whispered hoarsely. He raised his voice as he begged, "Claire, you have to stop! Please! You're hurting yourself!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears. She was so intensely focused on the storm in the sky she was oblivious to the storm below. But even though Jim had to squint to see through the howling wind, he could tell the portal had significantly increased in size. The raging clouds now covered over half the valley in shadow.
And yet it still wasn't big enough.
Claire shouted as lightning crackled around her. Jim watched in helpless horror as a streak of her hair bled white. Then another. And another. Before he knew it, her dark brown hair- the hair that reminded him of hot chocolate on a rainy day, the hair that used to hold an endearing amount of hair clips-was gone. It had all turned a shocking white, as blinding and as pure as snow.
Then Nari's titan finally fell through the portal.
The portal abruptly disappeared, and with it, so did the magic around Claire. Argh managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Once again, the memory of an unmoving Claire flashed before Jim's eyes, but he shoved it aside as he rushed over.
"Claire!" he cried. "Claire, you have to wake up. Your portal worked, see? You got Nari through. Because of you, we have a chance."
She didn't stir. She looked so ghostlike now, with her startlingly white hair. "Please be okay," he whispered. "Please. I can't lose you too."
Her eyes fluttered open. "Jim? Did…did it work?"
He let out a sound that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. "Yeah, it did. You were incredible." He pecked her gently on the forehead. "But don't ever do that again."
She laughed weakly. "I don't think I could if I wanted to."
"Claire!" Douxie called as he and Zoe jogged over to them. He pressed a hand to her forehead. "How do you feel? Any dizziness, nausea, fatigue?"
Claire frowned. "All of the above, I guess? I feel so light-headed and shaky. I don't know if I can stand, and…why are you looking at my hair like that?"
They all jumped. "Um, no reason!" Toby spluttered. "I mean, why would we be staring at your hair? It's not like it's totally different or anything!"
Nice one, Tobes, Jim thought with a groan.
Claire gazed at her reflection in Jim's armor and let out a startled scream. "My-my hair!" she gasped. "It's…oh no, it's bad, isn't it? What I just did? She's going to come back, and I'm going to attack you again, or-"
"No," Douxie said firmly. "You conquered the darkness of your magic last summer. You don't have to worry about her anymore, alright? Your body just couldn't handle all that magic."
"And we're speaking from experience," Zoe added. She pointed at her own hair. "This isn't dye. A long time ago, I unleashed a storm of magic too. I saved our hides, but my hair changed color as a result from the overload."
"Really?" Claire asked, eyes wide.
Douxie chuckled. "She's not the only one." He tugged on his own blue streaks. "While I've never gone nuclear like you two, I've had my fair share of magical explosions."
He squeezed her hand. "It won't corrupt you, okay? Your body will adapt. And if doesn't, you'll fall unconscious. That's all."
She sagged in relief. "Okay."
"You know," Jim said, brushing his hand over her hair, "it's really not that bad. It makes you look mysterious."
Something twinkled in her eyes then, and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, does it?"
He smiled. "Yeah. I like it."
Douxie withdrew from the couple as they talked, zoning out the rest of the world. He could afford to give them that, if only for a little while.
He joined Zoe at the edge of the cliff. His stomach twisted at the sight of Nari all alone, but she had insisted on facing Bellroc alone. It's too dangerous, Douxie, she had told him. And…I need this. I need to fight her for what she's done to me and all of you.
"Why isn't she doing anything?" Zoe asked, tearing Douxie from his thoughts. She was staring intently at Bellroc's motionless titan, which was less than ten miles away now.
"She's probably wondering how Nari broke free and is trying to get her back under control," he answered.
"Then shouldn't we stop her?!"
He smirked and flashed his bracelet at her. "We don't need to worry about that. I placed a charm on Nari to ward off any intrusions on her mind. Quite unbreakable. We just have to wait until Bellroc finds that bit out."
As if on cue, an infuriated roar bellowed from the titan. It lurched forward, placing one massive foot after another, before breaking into a full-on sprint. Nari unleashed a cry of her own as she charged forward. Douxie tensed, waiting for the titans' inevitable clash.
The collision shook the entire valley. The ground trembled underneath their feet, and flocks of birds fled from the forest. The titans grappled with one another, locked in a temporary standstill.
"How?!" Bellroc demanded, pushing back against Nari. "How did you break free from my control?!"
Nari snarled, "My friends set me free so I can stop you!"
She raised the front limb of her titan and smashed it against the other's head. It reeled back from the blow, smashing countless trees under its smoldering feet. Vines thick as cables snapped from the forest titan and lashed around Bellroc.
The fire titan flared, burning through the plants, and Nari yelped. Temporarily distracted by the pain, she didn't notice as Bellroc's fist came roaring at her. It slammed into the forest titan's midsection. As it doubled over, Bellroc punched it again. But before she could land another blow, Nari smacked Bellroc. The force of it was enough to send her flying through the air until she crashed into a small mountain. Dust billowed around her, shielding her from sight.
Douxie dared to let his hopes rise. Maybe that had been enough! Maybe Nari had-
Fireballs the size of small suns exploded from the mountain. They charred the tops of the trees as they whizzed through the air. With a deafening BOOM, they blasted into Nari. She skidded back, tearing up mounds of dirt, before collapsing.
Meanwhile, the fire titan pushed itself out of the mountain, leaving a smoker crater behind it. It tore towards Nari, lava dripping from its limbs.
"Get up, Nari!" Douxie cried, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "You've got to get up!"
And miraculously, she did. Just before Bellroc reached her, the forest titan clambered to its feet. It threw itself against the fire titan, shoving it back. Before it could regain its footing, Nari grabbed its shoulders and shoved it under the forest's lake. Bellroc thrashed against her grip, but she just pressed down harder. The water boiled and hissed from the heat. The front limbs of the forest titan flickered with little flames, but Nari must've ignored the pain, because she held firm.
Slowly but surely, the fire titan's struggling grew less and less violent. The runes dimmed. It pawed weakly at Nari one final time before going limp.
The forest titan's grip slackened. And that's when Bellroc struck, and Douxie screamed.
A/N: Personally, I really loved writing this chapter. I always felt like Douxie breaking Nari from the spell was too quick and empty, it should've had more emotional OOMPH, you know? Show their relationship, don't tell it! That's basic storytelling 101! But anyway, that's why I added that memory of them together; I thought it was really sweet.
And yes, that Claire scene was heavily inspired from Bianca Siercke on Tumblr. She drew out a bunch of predicted storyboards before rott aired (remember those good old days), and one of them was Claire unleashing so much magic that her all her hair turned white. Well, I adored that prediction so much I put it in here. Like with Douxie and Nari, Claire's 'huge portal moment' was just...too simple. It felt quick and hollow. Like, if you compare that to the season 2 finale...man. Really makes you wish for the old Trollhunters.
Again, really sorry for this late update. College has been crazy busy and I'm not happy, no sir. But I have less than a month left until summer so really, really hoping I can have a monthly update schedule once again. Thanks guys for sticking with it!
Oh, and enjoy that lovely cliffhanger :)