Chapter 1 - The Aftermath

It was a mere day after Morando was defeated. Gaylen's core is gone, or so they thought. When Morando was destroyed, Gaylen's core flew into the sky and crashed into the nearby forest, but no one saw it happen. Aja had said her speech to the people of Arcadia and formally revealed her and her brother's true identity. But it was time to leave, back to Akiridion-5. They will be leaving by tomorrow morning. They have their duties and responsibilities now to attend to with their people. Aja had decided to take a walk around the block, contemplating everything that had just happened. Her parents were now truly gone, sacrificing themselves in Aja's and Krel's place. She was heartbroken but had to accept it now as a noble sacrifice.

As she was walking, she heard her parent's words in her head. She remembered when her mother had told her, "You are extraordinary, Aja. You could leave this palace, fly far away from our world, and your destiny would follow you." Her parents would live with her and Krel.

She was almost back at the mothership when she felt something off. Fog started to roll in, almost unnaturally. Something called out to her.

"Aja Tarron, I am waiting."

"Uh, hello? Who's out there?" Aja hesitantly asked, pulling out her serrator.

She didn't get an answer. But she then got a weird feeling that was pulling her into the woods nearby, almost against her will, but also captivating her natural curiosity.

She wandered deeper into the woods, growing darker even under the full moon. The wind started to pick up and whispers were heard that were unintelligible. She then saw a bright light. As she moved in closer, she saw that it was Gaylen's core.

"What?" Aja said, shocked. "How is it here?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. But as soon as she stopped, her body started moving towards it again, without her mind being able to control her body.

"Seklos and Gaylen!" She tried resisting, but it was no use.

She then stopped right in front of it. It was right on the edge of a river. Her hand then started to try to make contact with it. She tried to resist it, but there was no use. As soon as she touched the core, it shot up into the air, pulling her closer. It then shot into her, integrating with her instantly. The wind picked up and started to shake the trees. Aja screamed as her body began to levitate into the air. Her body marks started glowing bright blue and her eyes started to shine bright blue. It had taken hours for Morando to integrate with the core. Aja integrated with it in an instant. As soon as she stopped levitating, an energy wave blasted out of her and spread across the planet and into space.

In the mothership, Krel, Luug, Zadra, and Varvatos are preparing to go home to Akiridion-5. The doorbell rang. Krel opened the door, and in came Eli, Toby, Steve, Argh, and even Darcy and Mary were here to say goodbye.

"So you guys are going home now?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, we got our world back," Krel said.

Mary had been more quiet than usual this evening. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she liked Krel.

Krel saw Mary's sad expression and got a great idea.

"You know, I just got a great idea. If you accept, how about you guys come back with us for this summer?" Krel suggested.

Mary, Darcy, and Eli gasped and then cheered.

"Yes, of course we accept!" Mary and Darcy say. "Me too!" Eli says.

Everyone then looked at Steve, Toby, and Argh to see if they also accepted the offer.

Toby spoke first. "Yeah guys, we would love to, but someone still has to protect Arcadia. We never know what can happen next after all this."

"Stay with wingman," Argh said.

Steve agreed with him. "I think we will see each other again soon enough."

Krel understood. He has seen and even been part of the strangeness of Arcadia.

"Oh we're staying too," Ricky said. "This place is just lovely for us," Lucy said.

Just then, the blue energy wave hit the mothership, causing the lights to go out for a minute and shaking everyone.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa…?" Toby says shocked.

"What was that!?" Darcy asked.

"No idea. Wait! Where's Aja?" Steve worryingly asked.

They all rushed out the door to see that blue light was coming from the forest. They all ran into the forest, weapons drawn.

In the Heart of Avalon-powered floating city of Camelot, the trolls, including Jim, Claire, Blinky, and Merlin had traveled to New Jersey but had found no heartstone. They had searched for weeks. It was just a rumor. They were all in the throne room around the round table, debating about the next actions they should take now that there was no living heartstone to be found anywhere.

The trolls were just pissed off. They had traveled all that way for nothing. They were shouting things. "Where will we live now that there is no heartstone." Another shouted, "What should we do now, Trollhunter?" Another shouted, "We'll crumble into dust in time." The last comments sends gasps through the trolls.

Blinky then shouted, "Quiet all of you ruffians! We are trying to figure this out!"

"Thanks, Blinky," Jim said, relieved that Blinky could get the trolls to quiet down.

They all ultimately decided that they should go back to Arcadia and see if there was any way to revive the heartstone. Just as they finished talking, the blue energy surge hit the flying castle. Everyone felt the impact on the castle as if the magic itself powering and keeping the castle afloat was disrupted.

Ever since the shadow staff was destroyed, Claire has been unable to use shadow magic efficiently but has some purple sparks come out of her hands from time to time. When this blast reached her physical body, she felt this energy go deep inside her. It sent chills down her spine. Merlin became paralyzed for a few seconds. It affected him more due to his deeper connection to magic. The trolls balanced themselves as the castle stopped shaking. Jim was speechless.

"What was that?" Claire says, shocked.

"Great Gronka Morka, that was unnatural," Blinky said.

Merlin got back up to his feet. "We need to get back to Arcadia as soon as possible," Merlin said, concerned.

Nari had hidden herself in the corner. She had felt it too, affecting her dearly. She had not felt this power before, but it felt familiar. In her thousands of years of existence, she and her two siblings were thought to be the most powerful beings in the universe. How wrong they were. As she was an ancient being, she could see things others couldn't. She received a vision. In this vague vision, she saw a girl, but not just any girl. This strange girl would bring destruction with her, whether she chose to bring it or not. For the first time in a long time, Nari felt uncertainty. Some things are even out of a demigoddess's hands.

Back in Arcadia, Douxie had just finished his shift at the cafe, while Zoe had finished her shift at HexTech. They had both locked up for the night and went to meet up with Archie, who was currently in cat form.

Archie broke the silence first. "So how was today in your human jobs?"

"The same as any other day here in Arcadia," Douxie responded with sass.

Just as soon as he responded, the blast hit him, Zoe, and Archie. They were the closest wizards to the source, so it hit Douxie and Zoe like a bullet and knocked them down onto their knees.

"Douxie! Zoe! Are you alright?" Archie pleaded. They got back up onto their feet.

"Mordrax's miracles. That was…" Douxie said. "...strange." Zoe finished.

Back in the forest, Aja dropped back down to the ground, exhausted.

"Aja!" She looked to see that her friends and brother were coming towards her.

She then lost consciousness and fell into the river.

"Aja!" Krel yelled, running to the river to help Aja. Everyone also ran after her.

"Aja! Can you guys see her?" Steve yelled. "No!" Darcy yelled.

In their flying skull castle of doom, hovering over the sea, the Arcane Order was preparing to execute their plans. They needed Nari and the Genesis Seals.

"We need Nari!" Bellroc claimed, hot-headed as ever.

"Agreed! But Merlin and his mortal, mongrel allies need to be destroyed first. We should tread carefully." Skrael said with caution.

The Green Knight was in the background, along with shadow mephits and goblins, listening to what the two wanted to do next for their plans.

Just then, the blue energy wave hits the flying fortress, causing it to violently shake. The goblins fell from the roof, crashing onto the ground. The Green Knight was thrown to his feet. Bellroc and Skrael were hit with the energy blast. They felt the power. It gave them real fear and something familiar in a certain sense.

In the shadow realm, Morgana lay trapped. Her Skathe-Hrun was gone. But she was relieved that it was destroyed. She needed it to escape initially, but the Arcane Order had cursed it with blood magic to make her go deeper into madness. It was once her prized weapon and it was used against her. She tried to destroy it many times but there was no use. Her added madness didn't help much either. Now she was trapped again, but this time she was no longer insane. Out of everyone who would defeat her, she didn't expect the girl she possessed to be the one to do it. She was inexperienced but was no doubt powerful. But something then felt off. She felt something. Even trapped in the shadow realm, she could feel the power wave that Aja caused, but it was weaker for her. "Interesting," Morgana said.

Back in the forest, the group was running at the river banks, trying to find Aja, but couldn't see her.

Then, everything is black. Aja opens her eyes. She is no longer in the river. Instead, she is in a weird dimension. She weakly stands up to find solid but transparent ground. She looked around and saw stars in outer space all around her.

"Where am I? Am I dead? Kleb!" Aja says, confused.

Just then she heard a voice that seemed to shake time and space.

"Aja Tarron. Welcome, I have been waiting for you."

Aja turned around to see a great being of enormous size. It was the Great Gaylen.

"Seklos and Gaylen! It's you." Aja says as she knelt out of respect and fear and bowed her head.

"Oh, there is no need to kneel, my child."

Aja looked up and got up onto her feet. "Wait, what do you mean you were waiting for me? Did you know this would happen?"

"Yes, I knew this day would come," Gaylen responded.

"Ok, but why?" Aja asked.

"Aja, you are more special than you think. You and your family are my descendants."

"What!" Aja said, surprised.

"House Ventis was my descendants, and House Akraohm are of Seklos, the first royal. The houses were fated to join one day into a single and greater house, House Tarron as your parents named it. The firstborn child of House Tarron would be the divine heir of my core, Aja."

Aja was trying to process all of this insane information that this dead celestial was giving her all at once.

"Lively. This is incredible but also dangerous. Won't this power corrupt me like it did to you?" Aja asked.

"Not if you can learn to control it, Aja," Gaylen said. "I let this power go to my head and believed myself to be invincible. It destroyed me."

Aja understood, barely, but then more questions came to her mind.

"Wait? Then how did Morando integrate with it? Did he see you?" Aja asked.

"You have many questions, as is your right, which will be answered in time, but now it is time for you to go," Gaylen said.

"What? Wait!" Aja said, but before she could say anything else, her eyes began to glow again and the world began to fade into black again. As she opened her eyes again, she was underwater. She started to swim up, but she saw something jump in and grab her. She was pulled out of the water and into the arms of Steve.

"Aja! Are you alright?" Steve asked, relieved to have found her.

"My queen!" Varvatos said.

Everyone else stood around them, also happy she was found. But, before Aja could say a word, she blacked out again.