#merlins apprentices

“I don’t know how you convinced Vendel to agree to this!” Blinky laughed as he handed the balloons to Suniva. 

“Well, he was not fond of it. But he did say so long as we get to training right away…” She grinned, her dragon wings crackled in the air, warm and ready. 

Her sister finished setting up the last decorations, turning up and grinning at the sight of the trollhunters with the pointy hats. The spirits weren’t as happy, many were disgruntled, however this was not for them. Blinky had offered for more people to greet the trollhunter, but she advised against it; the week had been overwhelming enough.

“Are you ready for the ritual tonight? It is important that everything is set so that our favour is well.” The older sister warned while stringing more balloons onto the forge.

“Yes, yes, sister! I got all under control!” Suniva giggled, landing next to her sister. “It’s not different from all the other rituals of binding! Besides, the Eternal Flame is more than used to me.”

Avaluna grimaced, “Used or not, it is imperative that you are ready for what may come. The ritual is important; it has always been.”

“And I know that, sis! It's gonna be fine!” She smiles, just as she glimpses the entry of Trollmarket and sees the Trollhunter entering. “For now, we have celebrations to attend to.”

Her expectations were turned upside down, however, as Jim wasn’t very happy, which was easy to see from the get-go. Though he did not seem to dislike the intention, indeed, he seemed quite thankful. 

“Happy birthday, Jim! We hope you live many years longer!” The older sister smiled, handing Jim a small box. 

Suniva laughed cheerfully, putting her much larger box on top of her sister’s. “I hope you enjoy my gift as well! I wasn’t exactly sure what to get you, so I improvised! But I am very happy with it! Should be useful!”

Jim is unsure of his words, putting the gifts down for a moment to turn to them, with thankfulness and a forced smile on his lips. “Thank you… I… Appreciate? It?”

“You hate it.” Suniva was quick to read. “Or maybe you hate something else?”

“I… Prefer not to talk about it…” He puts the gifts away from harm and turns back. “So… Erm… are we training today?” 

The sisters look to one another, confused at this unexpected question. “Well. We can, but it is gonna be short! You’re not the only one with a big day ahead of you!” Suniva winked, moving towards the arena’s many levers to get the training ready. 

Blinky patted the boy’s back, smiling, “Well, master Jim! You have a glorious point. There’s nothing better than training on their day of birth, to avoid their day of death!”

Jim chuckled weakly, moving quickly into the arena as the sun sister called. Avaluna approached him and Toby, just as curious as Blinky, she had gathered that there was a missing element in Jim’s life, as she looked through his school records. So when the conundrum queried why the boy seemed so sparkless in a day when he should be brightest, and Toby explained the circumstances in which the trauma occurred, the trainers understood.

Avaluna, too, couldn’t help but feel a certain tingle of understanding. Her first birthing day without her father figure was certainly a day she’d never forget either.

- - - 

Later on in the day, the moon wizard collected the moonflowers needed for the ritual, her sister sat at the edge of the clearing, braiding the fire-lilies into a bouquet, while their brother turned yesterday-today-and-tomorrows into a flower crown. All of them moved quietly and with precision, motions they had been doing for centuries; of course, they had to evolve, taken that some of the things they used to use were not as easy to find as they once were. Thankfully, their deities were understanding, and they were good at finding decent substitutes. 

Suniva finished braiding the flowers; they glistened in the sunlight as her mind tried to think back to her time with their master. “Do you remember your birthdays? Back when we were apprentices?”

Avaluna joined her siblings as she began arranging the flowers. “I do not think he knew our birthdays, not exactly anyways. Why?” 

The sun wizard sighed, thinking. “I remember he’d celebrate with us though… It was nice…”

“Oh yeah! He used to take us to the lake for my birthday. Make those little puddings by the fire, remember?” Douxie reminisced about a time when they made brownies without even knowing what they were. “And we would count the constellations we could see, and he’d let me before I knew they were the same every day, each year.”

“Oh, I do remember that… He told us he’d never forgive us if we broke the magic… Even though it was not magic at all! Hahaha!” Suniva giggled. “He’d take us to town for mine, I think! He’d give me gold and tell me to spend the day shopping! It was so fun!”

The younger siblings chuckled to each other, then they stopped and fell silent until they turned to Avaluna. “Hey sis? What did he do for your birthday? Now that I think about it, I don’t think I remember celebrating it.”

The oldest sibling chuckled, lifting the heaviness off the air. “Master knew I was not fond of big celebrations or acts… I celebrated my birthing day in the forest, flying under the moonlight, surrounded by fae. You were both asleep by then.”

Suniva gasped,     offended now, “YOU HAD A FAE PARTIES AND DIDN’T INVITE ME?!” 

“Sister, you would not have made it out of my celebrations. Without the sun to strengthen you, the fae would have dragged you deeper and deeper into their realm. So Master and I decided that it would be a better alternative to not have either of you join.” 

The explanation made sense, though Suniva’s pout remained, making the elder sister laugh as she finished weaving together the wraith. At which point, the sun was already falling, allowing for the moon to appear and shine. The three of them moved solemnly, using their magic to change quickly into proper clothes as they went deeper into the woods, past the sigils they’d hidden, past the barriers they'd raised in the past. 

The area they had settled centuries ago stood preserved. The flowers bloomed as Douxie approached, butterflies fluttered as they did, and moths glided to where he moved; Suniva was quick to light the pyre she smithed, black iron turned bright red with the heat from the flame; and Avaluna’s windchimes sounded sonorously as the crystals clinked, almost wording welcomes as she had finally returned to them. The eldest turned confidently to her siblings. Suniva already stood barefoot on the grass, and Douxie strummed his well-tuned lyre. 

The moon-wizard filled her lungs, then spoke melodiously, “Gratias tibi agimus quod nos elegisti. Gratias tibi agimus pro vita quam praebuisti. Hic convenimus, in nomine tuo.” While she sang, Sunniva danced, right to left, waving her body like the flame before her, steps sure, almost lighting sparks. All while Douxie followed, the sound of his lyre as he followed his sisters brought all plants to face him. “Ut laudes canamus, o superbi. O Ventus Septentrionalis, o Custos Flammae, o Silva Aeterna. Visne te liberis quos elegisti hoc momento iungere?”

As she finished her song, snowflakes came from the north, forming the shape of the embodiment of the North Wind, with their cloak of shadows and crown of bones. From Suniva’s flame rose the form of the Flame Keeper, their giant pectoral eyes independently moving until they fixed on her. Then, finally, from the patches of flowers emerged an emerald deer that soon transformed itself before Douxie’s eyes, turning into the well-known elven form of the Eternal Forest’s host. The Arcane Order stood before them, and united, the siblings bowed in reverence.

“Stand,” Bellroc called the three to the three wizards, who followed. “As you have called, we have answered. Our most loyal followers. Our most trusted harnesses. We greet you, as you’ve greeted us with hospitality.”

The three deities bowed in turn, making a smile pass through their chosens lips. Then, they turned their backs, Skrael flying high to the sky, Bellrock slithering into the cave behind them, and Nari skipping into the woods. The wizards all nodded, gathering their offerings and taking them as they followed. Avaluna took to the skies, Suniva to the underground and Douxie through the bush. All were ready to bestow their gifts upon the beings that gave them the powers they honed to that day. 

As soon as Avaluna reached the clouds, she was swept by a current of winds and clouds, chuckling as the cold tickled her. “HAHAHAH!!! Please! Please ahahahahah lord Skrael! Hah, stop it! hehe!!”

Soon it did stop, and she was cushioned softly on a dense cloud, the small crystals kept from pinching her by her cloak. The arcane of the North Wind appeared, smile cutting his lips as the dead flesh he wore stretched. “Avaluna Ambrosious Wylt! It has been a year!”

“Yes, it has! As per our agreement.” She smiled back. “I have brought you offerings of the past year. So the future might be kind.”

“And what offerings would these be?” Skrael grinned even wider, the corners of his mouth shredding open.

The wizard put her hands inside the basket, producing three jars of colourful contents. “I bring you the sweets of this year’s harvest, survivors of the waters you’ve sent.” He took it gracefully, opening one, delighted at its scent. She then produced a pelt from a great deer, the fur soft and scented of cinnamon. “Then I bring new skin, to weather through snow and waters, to sheath your form, even if unable to feel the sting of death.” He took it warmly, shedding the old, cold, rotten skin and wrapping himself in the new skin, his grin once necrotic, now the welcoming display he intended. Finally, she produced the wreath of moonflowers, softly raising it to him, “Then finally, I give you this wreath of moonflowers, representations of you, to show that even in today’s unforgiving world, there will forever be those who witness you even in the smallest things.”

The god took it and crowned himself; the wind, once howling, now calmed. “Thank you for your gifts, Avaluna, of Phocis, Avaluna Ambrosious. My protected…” The god took one of the jars, cutting it clean in half with its contents remaining in the halves. “Eat with me. Tell me, what have you in your heart to keep that tenseness in your features?”

Avaluna turned to him, feeling her soft smile fade away. With her hand, she scooped the jam and ate it slowly. The sweetness was good, just as she had made it. Once she felt soothed enough, she turned to her deity. 

“I have… been fighting demons of my past.” She spoke, keeping her tone as calm as she could while the arcane member watched. “Bular the Butcher… He has been terrorizing this town in search of his father… and some believe he’s close to it…” The god continued quiet, and that made Avaluna’s uneasiness worse. “I need your foresight, Skrael of the North Wind. Please, assist in my vision, grant me a sight into what may happen.”

The god stared at her, head tilting as he engulfed the jam and placed the empty half back into the basket. “I agree to give you a vision into a clear future. But it may not be what you wish to see…”

“I have nothing I want to see.” She clarified.

But the cackle from the winter spirit denied her. “Oh, but there is… See, I recall many centuries ago, when you summoned me, tears streaked your eyes. You told your dear siblings you were saddened over the deaths from the Battle of Killahead, but you told me the truth…” He moved, sitting beside her. “You told me, that you had been betrayed by the one you now call a demon… You told me the promise you had screamed from your heart. But that was no promise now, was it?”

The words of Skrael were true, but they did not change her mind. “I still view it as a promise.”

“One you’ll break, if you have not already.” They smiled softly. “I will not shame you when you do. For a fact. You have treated me nicely all these centuries, and I replied in kind. The spoils from the other wizards are coming less, however.”

“We are… doing our best.” 

“I know, I am not here to blame you! I know times are changing, and thankfully, you human wizards kept your oath.” He states, levitating in front of her once more, extending his hand to hers. “Now. Will you accept my vision?”

She watched his hand for a moment, then rose hers, touching the icy fingers as her vision crystallized. Through the crystals, images flashed. The bridge, the battle, Gunmar’s threat, Draal’s hand crumbling, Jim and the Butcher under the bridge and-

She gasped, the image that ended the vision embedded in her mind, crystal tears falling as thunder roared beneath her. 

“Bular will die…” 

“Indeed he will. Quite a sad death, perhaps. Pieces left to be forgotten or devoured… Personally, I find it a waste…” He mused, floating around. “Unless someone does something.”

A little something... maybe I'll get to it someday.

Sleep was never soft for Avaluna, the night was not her place of rest, unlike her sister and unlike her brother.

It was not like she desperately needed it either, she was not mortal, things like sleep were not a requirement. For the moon-wizard, dreaming was her way of receiving visions. When tiredness overtook her in the arena before Jim’s fight was a premonition, it only happened when the world had something to whisper.

Her eyes were closed, her physical body relaxed, however her heart and soul were hard at work.

She kept her spiritual eyes open in the darkness, until images began forming and she felt her limbs begin to awake internally. The soft glow from her hands telling her of the vision she was about to witness, nothing she had not been faced with before. From the depths of her core, she hummed a melody of old and an owl appeared in her view, wings made of moonlight. It flew within a moment, leaving Avaluna to follow.

As she did, the terrain began taking shape.

The grass gave way to tree tops, feeling more and more familiar as they flew on. Avaluna followed closely to the spiritual guide, never losing it from her sight, staying close, but not too close, as they dove beneath the canopy. The trees were ethereal, yet running into one would hurt the same, no matter if it was vision or not.

Finally it landed, the moon wizard recognizing the layout of the opening more than the bridge that stood before her.

Drawn by the remnants of the phantasmagoric owl, she sought the core of the vision, it wasn’t a hard mission, she had traversed those dream-like plains for centuries. Hopefully, it would bring some clarity to some of the mysteries that had appeared around Arcadia, or at least, that had shown themselves in the times they paid attention.

The meditative realm she created, for all its hallucination-like sights, was one of comfort. It wasn’t hard to traverse by no means and it had been a long time since that realm had become hostile to her, not since she had learned to master traversing the currents.

As the owl disappeared, Avaluna was left with a new woodland, younger trees, different grass. Following the horizon’s light, she found the city, still in its beginnings. Wooden houses, no concrete, only carved stone and faces she could almost remember. Flickers in the corner of her eyes brought her attention, faces and bodies flickered among the crowd, going from human to troll-looking, some didn’t even have a form.

Changelings. They were always there.

Time moved forward, the city unmaking and growing, and they were all still there. Among them, a figure she had seen before, towering before her for a moment, long enough only for her heart to skip a beat.

“I suppose I will break my promise.” She sighed, a mixture of feelings churning inside her.

Her mind barely wrapped around the memories before the ground gave in below her feet, dropping the wizard through the air, no matter how much she tried to summon her wings. Though the lack of control sent a shiver through her spine, she did not scream, looking around the void for a reason. Only then, finally spotting the dark prince, much younger, on a cliff’s edge as the sun crept up, ready to envelop him in stone.

Avaluna watched, heart pounding now, focus loosened.

Her wings returned, her body moving without her command, she dove toward the gumm-gumm.

She shouldn’t care, not after everything, not after her promise.

—

As they were about to collide, Avaluna opened her eyes to reality.

The dimly lit room of the library welcomed her, air entering her lungs deeper as she sat up. Her heart was still pounding, though now it slowed down.

“Pleasant vision, Lady Ava?” Archie queried, sitting down next to her on the living room table.

Avaluna’s eyes didn’t leave that spot on the wall she stared at, though slowly, the sounds of the ambience overshadowed the one of her heart. “I have not had a pleasant vision in quite a while, sadly enough.”

Her voice was hoarse and tired, she had been asleep for a while. “Are… Bad things to come?”

Avaluna watched the little dragon as she took the tea mug from the side table, carefully sipping the liquid, which softly soothed her throat. “I do not know… It was not too clear… But there seems to be adversity.”

“Well. We have dealt with adversity before! Right? It cannot be too difficult.” Her brother’s familiar was optimistic, that was something.

The moon-wizard turned to the window, watching the gleam of sunlight through the blinds, then she turned to the clock on the wall. It was almost time for her to go to her new work, she needed to get ready. Thankfully, she noticed her clothes had already been set aside for her, a sticky note with her sister’s handwriting on top of them.

“Hope you have a good day sis! Tell me about the vision at 14h? Same place as we used to? Love, Suni*. Ps: You owe me breakfast ;)”

Avaluna chuckled, pocketing the note and moving to the washroom with the change of clothes, emerging as her “Miss Lunalima” persona.

Being a counselor wasn’t entirely different from what she expected, but in Arcadia, it was still a different experience from most places. Many came with the usual fears, being SAT prep, tests, driving, romance. Others came with strange experiences they couldn’t explain, many of which she had insight on, but covered up with a layer of lies scrambled in scientific terms that seemed to make sense. Jim and Toby came by that day as well, requesting advice about who to look for when it came to the changeling threat, how to seem inconspicuous and so on.

They left with some answers, which hopefully she worded in an understandable enough way. She sighed, turning her gaze down once more towards the papers of student files, a few bullies she was told to talk to, recommendation list students…

She almost didn’t feel time pass, the light outside darkening, the moon shining through her window even as the sky was still blue. As she left the office, the chattering of the faculty reached her ears. They spotted her before she could turn around, calling out warmly.

“Yoohoo! Miss Lunalima!” Ms. Janet called, waving at her. “Wrapping up for the day?”

“Yes. I’m heading home. We’ve been busy!” She smiled back.

“Oh! We could drop you off! I’m dropping these two off and there’s space in Suzana, my car, for one more!” Uhl offered. “If anything, we put the coach on the trunk.”

“Hey!” They all laughed.

Avaluna obliged, walking alongside them, taking the time to start friendly chatter. “Mr. Uhl, is it? Thank you for the offer. May I ask, where are you from? I recognize the accent but fail to remember where it is from!”

Uhl puffed his chest with pride, “Austria! My home land!”

Avaluna smiled, remembering the little german she knew from five decades prior, “Aaah, das heißt also, dass du Deutsch sprichst, ja?”

“Ja!” He replied, a shin of recognition and excitement in his eyes. “You speak german as well?”

“It’s been a bit, but I had some friends from Germany.” She then switches to spanish, “¿Pero me han dicho que también enseñas español?”

“Si… I am a polyglot. I learned a lot of languages in my travels, talking to people.”

“Indeed. That takes skill.” He seemed to have become quite shy now, apparently unused to the compliment. “What about you, ms. Janet? Where does your passion for theater come from?”

She blushed. “Oh… It’s a long story…”

“Well, why not? We have a bit of time.”

Ms. Janet grinned, ecstatic over someone showing interest in her story. “Well, it began in my college years…”

Although indeed long, Avaluna found the story both enlightening and entertaining, explaining well the woman’s passion for theater and passing it onto the next generations.

“Well that’s a story! Thank you for sharing!”

“Oh… It was nothing!...” Ms. Janet took a long sigh. “I just wish this generation knew all the things theater can provide…”

“Oh but they do!” Avaluna smiled, while the other woman’s eyes widened. “I cannot share private details, however many students have mentioned how much the theater classes have been beneficial to their mental health, how it helps them be better. Just like you said.”

The woman leans back, a slight blush and a few tears in her eyes. “Oh… Really…?”

Coach Lawrenced rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, Avaluna watched him, he was a bit dull, though many mentioned how warm he was although he showed through tough love. He was about to ask something, when they finally arrived at the bookshop and he leaned back, waving it off. The counselor nodded, understanding, however made mental note to check on him.

Uhl stopped the truck, allowing for her to jump off.

Thanking her newfound friends once more for the ride, the wizard watches them roll off and disappear behind a corner. Once the coast was clear, she enters the store, bids good evening to Archie, then exits through the back before disappearing into the skies. Her eyes scan through the night, perfectly used to the wind that stings them, as she makes her way to Trollmarket for the Trollhunter’s lesson. The woods that cut through Arcadia were quiet, some bats, some night birds, some deer.

A few goblins, a few gnomes, a few trolls that used the night time to meet on the surface. She grins as she swerves in the air, descending quietly beneath the bridge. Entering Trollmarket as trolls exited made her feel centuries younger, as she flew through the crystalline cave, waving to friends and newcomers. Then finally, she arrived at the Forge.

The mechanisms were already tiredly at work, however, she was not hearing the screams of teenagers. She knew she was slightly late, however she knew they were still supposed to be there. She waited and sat by the feet of Unkar, scanning the training grounds, she found her sister at work, dodging the blades.

“The Trollhunter never came…” The ghostly presence spoke in her ear.

“Oh? Why?”

“Watching over a human child… Brother to a girl he’s infatuated with…” There’s silence for a long moment, tell that the ghost was hiding something.

“What is it?”

“The child’s been changed… That is not a human anymore…” A chill went down Avaluna’s spine, “It will end well. You should not intervene. Do not let the changeling know you.”

“It was never my intention.” The mechanisms stopped, allowing Avaluna a better look at her sister, sweaty and with a grimacing glare at the ground, following the grooves. “I will calm her.”

She flew down, looking over her sister’s shoulder at the cracks on the floor and smiling. Suniva’s voice didn’t need to be directed at her, “These gears need some oil. I wonder if Kanjica hasn’t been taking care of it.”

“He had been awfully busy.” Avaluna smiled. “What is bothering you tonight, dear sister?”

“Oh nothin’ just…” Suniva opened the latch, tossing the stone aside to look at the mechanisms. “Jim just… Doesn’t seem to take training seriously!” She grumbles, jumping in with her trident, fighting the rust. “I mean! Doesn’t he understand! That this is- is- like a job?! You have to work! No sick days!”

“He is also a teenager. Or did you think it would be easy?” Avaluna sent a current of cool air to aid her sister, as the Forge could get overheated, “You were excited once, about him.”

“Yeah, but now I realize how hard it is.” There is a crashing sound and a curse from her sister. “CARALHO NINGUÉM CUIDA DISSO MAIS NÃO?!”

Avaluna does not hold back her grin as she helps her sister out of the machine. “They do take care of it, if not, I shall help you later. For tonight, perhaps resting is more appropriate. It’ll clear your mind for their training tomorrow.”

Her younger sister glared at her, the smile the moon-wizard held was the same as she had when the sun-wizard was younger. However, it was hard to argue, when she was indeed tired. Rolling her eyes, she summoned her wings, ready to take to the skies.

“You owe me breakfast.” She grinned, charging up towards the exit.

Avaluna chuckled, she hummed a low and powerful melody which scrapped the rust off of the metal gears. There was little left to do, thus, she walked her way back to the market. Somehow, the shadows that lurked among the hallways and stores felt darker than usual. It was only then she realized she had not told her sister of the vision, and by that time, Suniva was already in bed, out cold. Sighing, Avaluna opens the portal out of Trollmarket, stepping out into the night for what felt like the millionth time.

She’d tell her sister in the morning, as usual.

As the wind washed through her hair, its voice warned her of a presence. Her armour was dawned, her bow drawn as she climbed out of the canal, watching the shadows. Two glowing red eyes caught her lenses, heading for the city, like a lone wolf stalking prey. She never understood, but did not beg to question why they would do that, hunting alone was a hazard. Still, she could not allow him to trouble anyone, not tonight, not when she was watching.

Her arrow flew righteous, hitting the gumm-gumm in the back. It would never be enough to kill, however it drew his attention, that was enough.

Bular turned to her, his eyes glimpsing the black and silver armour that hid among the trees, his hands moving instinctively to the swords in their sheaths. His grasp on them did not frighten her, even as he charged her, his blades were caught effortlessly by her arch, sliding off to the sides. Her arrows would not pierce his flesh, few arrows could. Only the Trollhunter’s blade could kill the son, her arrowheads were too weak in comparison. Still, they’d annoy him enough.

Just as planned, he chased her, striking over and over in that predictable way, a way she tried to force from her mind.

“What are you, demon?! Speak!!” He demanded.

Her response was a blinding arrow he deflected, having learned from their last confrontation. Her head tilted, surprised that he picked it up as fast as he did. His smirk sent a burning feeling to her head, an anger she repressed failing to be contained as her arrows flew. It didn’t take long for her to drive him from the city, an old overflow diverge laying in front of them, the empty muddy walls a remnant of the drizzles that sometimes hit Arcadia.

His eyes were on her, trying to decipher what she was.

Well, her job was done.

“You are not human… Not troll… And you don’t smell changeling…” He growls, hatred dripping out of his words. She does not react. “What are you…?”

She rolls her eyes, whispering a fast song, she claps her hands and disappears in the blinding light that follows. The skies served well as a hiding place.

Only when she landed, did she realize one of the steel feathers was missing. What she deserved, for not wearing her armour in so long.

—

Bular saw the glimpse in the grass, taking the steel in his claws and examining it. It was hand made, it was durable, it was magic.

I do have more chapters of Merlins Apprentices done. They're simply not in order.

Would you all like to read ahead? Or wait for them to come in chronological order? There may be BIG spoilers ahead.

The sun was high in the sky, and Arcadia was ever so rustling and bustling as usual, with people moving and cars rolling down roads and streets. The park was the perfect place to bask in the sun’s energy. After all, it was easy— it was California. The summer’s warm heat was soft, and it reflected the bright colors of her tarot cards nicely as she shuffled and reshuffled them. 

The backs of her cards had an intricate design of a flowing river, with banks filled with wheat and grains, with falcons on each side. Carefully, watching the smoke of the incense flow off, she finds specific cards on the shuffled deck. Laying them down on a cup shaped organization, she reads it carefully, muttering under her breath. Lighting a lighter, she watches the flame dance on its opening for a second, it grew brighter for just a moment as she mentalized her conclusion.

She was right.

With relaxed shoulders, she sets down the lighter once again as the incense is quickly consumed and the last bits of smoke drift in the wind. Reading those cards had been something she always had pride in, wizards of all kinds had their methods of divination, hers was one of the hardest for its subjectivity. Avaluna herself also had a difficult divination, but even she, as the oldest, had difficulty reading cards. They bonded over it, as the eldest helped her perfect her technique, something she’d always be thankful for.

The sun-wizard was ready to pick her cards together once more, when a shadow was cast on the grassy floor she sat on. 

“Tarot! I have not seen that in a while!” The woman in front of her spoke, voice soft and excited. Her eyes indicated she was of asian descent, however Sunvia could not tell from where, her green eyes were almost as bright as her browns and her hair was black and draped down like ink. It almost reminded her of her sister centuries before the blue lights. “Pardon the intrusion! I was simply heading into the museum and couldn’t help but notice!”

“Oh it’s not a problem! Hope you don’t find it weird or anything!”

“Ah of course not! I always had a fascination for who could read these things!” The woman noted, smiling. “And that is a beautiful deck!”

“Thanks! I made it myself!” Suniva felt something off about the woman, there was dissonance in the sound of her aura. “Say… Why don’t I pull some cards for you?” 

The woman was surprised, but nonetheless, sat down on the blanket Suniva had stretchded out. “My name’s Zelda, though most know me as Ms. Nomura.”

“Well, you may call me Nini! Suniva smiled back, picking up her deck and shuffling it. “So tell me, anything in particular you’d want in your reading?”

Nomura thought about her words, turning her green eyes to the other once again. “I do have a business meeting in a few weeks. Why not see how it’ll go?”

Suniva chuckles, giving the cards a bit more of a shuffle. “The cards cannot predict the future, it’s a funny misconception! But they can advise you about it!”

Paying attention to the sound of this lady’s aura, like a broken record, Suniva’s fingers dance on the edges of the cards as she draws five, arranged in a line. She observed the symbols, trying to keep calm as she watched the pictures twisting into meaning, moving beneath her eyes alone. The woman kept her eyes calm, watching her as she watched the cards.

“Alright, so! I see good things and bad things… I’m not sure what to make of it specifically… It’s like the reading is split in half? Well, anyhow…” Suniva smiled, pointing at the first card. “You see, this one says there’s praysal in your future, you have something someone else wants and they’re gonna be happy you have it!” She moved on to the second card. “Though, these ones say there’s some conflict in your future as well… Old scars opening up again as well as… A lot of anger that’s been repressed.” She points to the fourth one, a huge building that had cracks, to her upside down, with bricks falling like dust. “And this one… This one says really bad things will happen. You will crumble, probably be at your worst. But then…” She points to the last one. “All will be well, there’s always always calm after the storm and soon, you’ll be surrounded by friends. Everything will work out!”

Zelda clutched a fist, nodding along. “Wow! That’s a very good explanation! It kinda makes sense too! It’s… Hope bringing!”

“Meh, what can I say? I like bringing hope whenever I can!” She smiles. 

A man walks behind them, patting Nomura’s shoulder. “Ms. Nomura! We’re gonna be late to the meeting.” 

The woman gave him an annoyed look, frowning deeply before turning her head to the woman once again. “Thank you for that Nini. I hope the reading comes true.” 

“Same to you, ‘Ms. Nomura’!” She smiles, nodding to the man respectfully. His aura sounded incredibly similar to hers, yet his was like an untuned orchestra. “Hope the meeting goes well!”

Before they left, Suniva managed to overhear them whispering to each other. The man with the turtleneck spoke first, she watched him from the corner of her eye. “Since when do you care for corner superstitions?”

“Since I had a bad night and like distractions, Strickler.” His name dripped like poison from the woman’s lips.

“Strickler” huh? That name was familiar, for a very obvious reason. Had that night not been the battle between Jim and Draal, she’d confront, but for now all she could do was burn the image of the two into her mind. Thinking about the situation, she pulled another card, looking into the eyes of the reversed moon. Blinded path and illusions. 

She sighed, getting up and going to her bike. The bright yellow fiery paint glinting under the sunlight, she felt the warm leather and hopped on, riding through the streets until she was off Arcadia. 

☀

When night descended upon Arcadia, the solar sister joined the children in Trollmarket. 

It was the last night of training before the rematch with Draal. Jim moved fast, reacting to everything around him, every blow and every click of mechanisms. It alerted him, it brought a reaction. This was, of course, a controlled environment, and the training there was nothing like the training she knew Draal to have. And yet, it was all the boy would get before such an event, he was ready, though she could tell he did not believe it.

He and Toby improved, her readings often were accurate, more accurate than what she gave credit for, yet there was a pressure on her throat she couldn’t shake off. 

By ending of training that night, she watched as Jim jumped when she approached.

“Ibi siste.” She called out, and Jim’s feet were stuck to the ground. 

He turned around, flushed and annoyed. “Hey! What gives?!”

“I wanted to talk. And you’re not running from me.” She insisted, walking up while shooing Toby. “Remember the exercises I passed you. It’ll make your joints feel better.”

“Thanks Suniva! Good luck Jimbo!”

When they were out of earshot, Suniva unstuck the boy’s shoes. “You been distracted, Trollhunter.”

“Oh, no! Just impending doom on my mind. No biggie.” The sarcasm made the sun wizard cackle, her laugh echoing in the room.

“Get used to it. It’s not gonna be the first time you have to deal with it.” She took her stance, golden armour shining as she challenged him. “On guard.”

He lunged at her, striking her trident with his sword, she defended, then he defended, switching roles in a dance. “Besides this supposed impending doom, what else is occupying your mind?”

Jim went quiet, for a moment Suniva thought she was being too harsh, then he started talking again. “I saw something the other day. In the museum. I swear it looked like the killahead bridge!” 

Suniva’s heart throbbed, she disarmed the trollhunter with a swift move, forcing him down and lowering her voice. “Are you sure it was it?”

He pulled out his phone, opening it on a picture sent to him from Toby’s phone, it was incredibly blurry and darkened. Almost impossible to make out what the image was. There was a faint resemblance, it was clearly an arch of some sort and seemed to be inscribed with something, though it was too hard to tell what it was. 

“I- I know it doesn’t look the part! But I swear Suniva! I swear it was it!” He begged, with desperation and honesty in his voice.

But simply a picture would not be enough, especially not one of that quality. “I believe you Jim.” 

“Really?!”

“Of course! You’re not someone who lies easily. So, I have no reason to not believe you!” She ruffled his hair, undoing her armour. “But I gotta say, you gotta take one battle at a time. Thank you for telling me. I’ll keep an eye out for you, but focus on fighting Draal.”

The boy’s shining eyes dimmed, disappointment clouding his mind. “I will. Okay.” 

“Nice.” She got up. “Forward that photo to me, okay? I’ll take a better look. Tomorrow’s your big night, you gotta rest and refresh. Your life is on the line.”

The boy nodded, moving off just as Blinky, Avaluna and Aaarrrgh joined her in the field. When he left and the doors closed behind him, they turned to each other. 

“He told you about the bridge.” Avaluna stated. 

Suniva nodded. “Did. But what do we do?”

“I mean- The picture was awful. There is no way to say with conviction what it was.” Blinky was dubious, of course, his reputation about conspiracy theories overshadowing his senses. “I know Master Jim would not lie about something so grave… I worry.”

“So do we, Blinky. I told ‘im to focus on his battle tomorrow.” Suniva stretched, tiredness getting to her. “I think it’s for the best that me and Ava deal with it.”

Avaluna nodded. “Did he tell you about the… Woman?”

“What woman?”

“According to Jim, the museum curator changed after hours.” The conviction in her voice was clear, bringing old rumors to the younger sister.

“Changelings? In Arcadia?”

“It seems so.” 

That was serious, very serious. “What does the museum curator look like as a human?”

“According to Tobias’ testimony, black straight short hair, bright green eyes and light skin.”

Suniva’s eyes widened once again, a shiver running down her spine. “I saw that woman earlier. Walking with Strickler into the museum.” The aura, the reading, now it made sense. “When I watched her aura, it was like it was a shattered record put together. Even her reading was… Like a double shot.”

“Strickler’s aura was the same when I saw it.” Both of them frowned. “If they are changelings, then there is a bigger threat about Bular than we previously thought.”

“He’s gathering an army. If the boys were right, which I think they were, then…”

“Then Killahead might really be being pieced together.” Blinky concluded, even Aaarrrgh’s fur rose. “Even then. It would take hundreds of changelings to piece the bridge! We certainly would’ve noticed…” The wizards looked among each other. “We would… Correct?”

“This is the first time me and my sister have seen a changeling in person…” Avaluna explained. “It is impossible to know how many there would be by now.” 

Blinky paced around, biting his fingers nervously. “This is terrible…”

The sun sister stepped forward, stopping Blinky before he went into a full breakdown. “We will take things slowly. For now, we support Jim for his fight tomorrow, then we follow up the supposed changeling threat.”

Her words were calm, calmer than he had ever heard her speak, her confidence had always been an anchor to those around her. The troll sighed, finally agreeing. The only thing they were all sure of is that there was a battle tomorrow which would end up deciding the future, whether they liked it or not.

☀

Trolls started clamoring the arena that night, from all corners of Trollmarket. Bets were being made, people were laughing, some of the more sympathetic and trusting ones actually worried for the trollhunter. Suniva and Avaluna, as well as Blinky and Aaarrrgh, waited at the door. Avid glances everywhere, greeting anyone they knew particularly, comforting anyone who actually believed in Jim.

Draal had walked past them to the other side of the arena, the side of the challenged. He saw the sisters, saw Suniva, usually when he was challenged she’d be warm and excited, now her angry eyes would have melted the crystals on his back if he got too close. So he walked away, huffing under his breath, returning the fire she sent his way. Avaluna sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop them, but thanking it would be over soon.

Jim arrived, more energy than anyone thought would be possible, just as Vendel’s voice started rising through the arena. Avaluna had already explained Jim’s name and Jim’s mother’s name, so that part would go smoothly. They recapped the rules, then a surprising realization came.

“I was reading the book- and it mentions a beast that didn’t have grunknuts but soft flesh under the scales! Does Draal have a weak spot?!” 

Blinky reveled at the notion he was not the only reader (besides Avaluna) to have found use in the books, Suniva herself was more than pleased at him taking the move. 

As Jim was called inside, just as he headed inside, the solar wizard grinned and held the boy’s shoulder firmly. “He does.”

Then the gates shut. 

While the trio of trainer and wingmans watched from the gate, Suniva moved towards the stands, not even realizing her sister had disappeared from sight. 

From above, she watched next to Vendel and other bystanders.

“I hear you prepared him well.” The old goat stated.

“I did what I could. I said what needed to be said. Blinky did a lot of the work if I’m honest.”

The begrudging sigh was never lost on the woman. “Why do you all insist on relying os much on him, I’ll never understand.”

“It’s more Luna than me. She trusts him, and honestly? So do I. He’s been nothing but compassionate and patient, exactly where Jim needed. Like he used to do with Kanjigar and the others.” Vendel scoffed. “I know you’re worried Vendel. I can sense it, everyone can. But Jim’s not naive, neither are we. He will be ready, sooner than you think too.”

The fight escalated, Jim was now running from Draal, screaming at the top of his lungs. Vendell frowned, fearing his prediction was correct. The boy was frightened, running away, cowering. Suniva knew exactly what he believed in, living around him enough to know just how much the elder struggled with change. 

“I know change terrifies you Vendel.” She looked up. “I remember when I dyed my hair, you wouldn’t look at me.”

“It was undignified. You looked like a pink puffler bunny.” 

“You complained about all hairstyles I tried on.” She smiled calmly, picking a curl from her head and twisting it on her finger. “You only liked one… Which is the one I wore when we met.”

The old man’s hands closed in fists. “It suits you best…”

“But it’s not about the hair, is it?” She looked up, sitting on the barrier and watching Vendel attentively. “Trolls don’t change. But humans do. You’re afraid of that.”

There was a long pause, safe for the taunting from Draal and screams from the trollhunter. “Change has done nothing for me.” 

Suniva sighed, keeping watch intently of the battle, she then directed her words to Vendel. “It hasn’t been nice to me either… But change I learned, it’s not gonna stop comin’... So you either learn to accept it or it’ll destroy you.” Jim was on the ground again, Draal approaching menincily. Before the bigger opponent could react, he was kicked in the groin to the pain of all watching. Jim taking the opportunity he had his back turned to hide behind his blind spot, using it to move around. Suniva grinned widely, “B’sides… Not all changes are bad.”

Jim used the arena to his favor. 

A giant axe struck Draal, sending him to the other side of the arena and off the edge. There were collective gasps from the audience, but Draal was still alive, though hanging from the edge. 

A chant began, bystanders urging the trollhunter to finish the fight. 

Suniva knew this was coming, so did Draal when he accepted. Though a chill still made its way down her spine, her eyes glued to the scene. Draal had been horrible the past weeks, nothing like the boy she played with when she was younger, nothing like the little brother she helped to raise, nothing like the friend she trusted. Yet, she knew, she did not want his journey to end there, not then, not yet.

When Jim raised his sword, she watched his aura, it flowed like a flame. Strong, unyielding, angry even. But then… 

The sword came down.

And Draal was still alive. 

Jim helped him off the ledge, bringing him up once more. He was defeated… in more ways than one. 

The action was booed by most of the audience, as they had gone there to see more blood than what had been spilled. The trollhunter stood by his decision, raising his voice to the crowd, beginning a speech of warning about a threat above their heads. 

Suniva knew what he was planning on saying, ready to stop him when thankfully Blinky did, pulling him away as the crowd shifted to shaming Draal instead. 

He’d not be able to face Trollmarket anymore. 

She had not seen such a somber expression on him in a long long time, she pitied him, making the mental note to seek him after the battle. Perhaps now, humbled, he’d recognize what she had meant. Draal might be stubbron, even more than Vendle, but she knew he would honor his end of a deal, even if he hated it.

Winking to a shocked and thoughtful Vendel, she flew down, joining Jim and Toby and congratulating the young Trollhunter. 

“HA HAAAA!! I TOLD YA!! I TOLD YA YOU COULD DO IT!!!” her instincts acted first and she hugged the boy tightly, before realizing and letting him go. “Op! Sorry- force of habit!” 

“No worries-” Jim strained his back, now hurting double. “So… When can we focus on Killahead?”

As he asked, Vendell appeared, calling for Aaarrrgh and Blinky, as well as Suniva. “Right now! Go rest. We’ll handle the old goat.”

The rematch was set for two weeks. Training continued in the forge, Suniva teaching all she could about combat, as well as Avaluna and Blinky complementing with their knowledge of troll lore and history. Though, after a fateful encounter with a gnome and the tale of how the spanish test went the day after, it became clear the forge wasn’t the only place where Jim needed assistance. The apprentices of Merlin debated amongst each other, the night growing darker as they walked the empty streets.

“I mean, I’d help but…” He caught movement from the corner of his eye, a trap he had laid out finally activated. “Aha! Finally!” 

In the trap, they found a slithering Hellferno, its frontpaws clawing the slippery bubble, the binding circle around strengthened by hidden stones in the walls of the buildings. It cried out with it’s three jaws open, eyes wild, but frightful. Douxie approached it carefully, hushing it, trying to calm it. 

“Shhh, shhhh, it’s alright you slippery bugger!” He touched the bubble, picking amongst the sigils on his bracelet to confect a spell. “You made a lot problems for the people… Left a lot in shambles…” 

Slowly, a green aura surrounded the bubble, the screaming beast inside stopping, it’s anger dissolving. Avaluna and Suniva smiled, when they met him, he was unable to even lift objects or make illusions. Now, he was able to calm even the most fearsome hellbonrnes. When the creature stopped completely, the star wizard popped the bubble, letting the it down slowly. 

“Aaand bob’s your uncle… See? I don’t wanna hurt you… But this isn’t your plain… There’s nothing here for you.” With more typing on the sigils, Hisirdoux opened a portal, in the other side, there was firey plane where magma ran like rivers and the skies were soot. “Go on… Don’t stand there all gobsmacked!” 

With a contempt roar, the creature slithered into the portal and it closed. He turned around, facing his sisters’ smiles with a bit of a blush. “Well well well. Good to know the Eternal Forests’ magic spreads across all realms.” 

“It doesn’t, but I did do my research when you put me up to post! So… Yeah!” Douxie smiled back to Suniva. “I don’t think I can help you two…”

“Don’t worry, we really only wanted ideas.” The sun wizard agreed, continuing to move around the streets of Arcadia. “Alright… He needs help. But how would we help him?”

“Well, I remember when I was struggling with school, the counselor was my saviour! He knew I was on my own and helped me out a lot!” He mentioned. “Luna, didn’t you have a psychology degree?”

“I do. And it is recent as well! Douxie! You are briliant!” She complimented. “However there is only hoping Arcadia Oaks has space for a school counselor…”

Lucky for her, and the young ones, it did. Apparently it had been on the look for a councelor for a while. 

When presenting herself to the student body, she caught a glimpse of Toby and Jim, their jaws dropped at the sight of her. She wore a simple dress suit, her skirt reached all the way down to her feet and her top was longsleeved, her hair was tied on a bun. Compared to the clothes she had worn when they met, she looked a lot older. 

Not the age they knew she was, thanks to Blinky mentioning she and her siblings were around in the middle ages, but around her 40’s. 

As Avaluna passed the faculty, something caught her eye about one in particular. Mr. Strickler, his aura, it was almost broken. Shattered in two. She would not speak, not yet, but it was something she had never seen before. It was like there were two souls, she had not the time to see it properly as she walked past, but it sent a shiver down her spine. 

Recomposing herself, she took the stage and the microphone. “I am glad to be here. Whatever you need, any weight you may take off of your shoulders with me. My door will be easy to find. And behind my doors, you will always find protection.”

And truth to that, it was. The moon charm that hung from the doorknob leading to “Miss Lunalima’s” office was easy to spot. When they got inside, they found it was a rather simple office, not much had been brought in except an incense holder by the window and a few blankets sticking out of a compartment on the shelves. There was the soft scent of lavender coming out of a mist machine, which sat right next to Avaluna as she read some files. 

“Oh! Hello you two! How may I help you?”

“Avaluna?! Is it really you?!” Toby gasped, trying to whisper and not be heard. “You look old!”

Jim slapped his friend, but Avaluna did not mind, she laughed, fixing the placker on the desk. “It’s Miss ‘Lunalima’, Tobias? I assume? And I am ‘40’ years old.” 

The two looked at each other, than back at Avaluna, she winked, using magic to pull down the blinds on her door. The boys sighed, relieved they were not wrong about her identity. “What are you doing here? Why are you a ‘School counceler’?!”

“Jim, my siblings and I know how difficult it is to juggle life and duty such as being the trollhunter. So, as your trainer and advisor, it is my duty to assist you in any way I can.” She puts a comforting hand on the boys shoulder, then looking at the excited and devious grin on Toby’s face. “No, Tobias, I cannot change grades. I can try to postpone tests and give you some passes in class. Nothing more.”

“Awww…” 

She giggled, moving towards the furniture that kept the blankets and pillows. “If you become too exhausted, come here during lunch break, and I will have so you may recover some rest of what you loose during training.” 

Jim sighed deeply, a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders, sleep had truly become a challenge ever since training began. It was already hard to sleep as was, with training and all the knowledge he now had, he was hardly sleeping. He had been pushing through exhaustion for a bit now, it was bound to show on his homework and if he slipped, his mom would notice. Avaluna smiled kindly, Toby thanked her with a nod and thankful glance. 

“Also, if you need assistance with studying human or troll lore, I’ll be glad to remind you and teach you what I know. However for troll history, Blinky would be most interested in teaching you.” 

Jim finally breathed back in, so thankful he couldn’t put into words. “Thank you… Miss Lunalima… This truly… It helps a lot…” He nods, turning to the door with Toby. “I’m good for today but… I’ll keep it in mind.” 

Avaluna smiled, nodding. “You are fifteen, Jim. It is not your duty to keep the world on your shoulders. You must be honest with yourself and those around you, to unburden yourself with what you cannot hold.” 

The words hit Jim, he stopped, thinking. “Can you… Talk to the theater teacher?”

It made her curious. “What for?”

“I… I'm the lead for Romeo… On the school play… And…” Ah… Yes, rehearsals were after school. It’d be hard to keep up. She could pull him out of it. “And the girl I like is in it… So… I… Well… Can you try to do something about it?” 

Oh… Oh! Well this would make things very complicated. But keeping to normalsy was something they were meant to do. 

Avaluna chuckled. “I will see what can be done. For now, class is starting. You should go.” 

They left, leaving the moon wizard to her thoughts.

—

The nights in Arcadia weren’t too cold, not too warm, perfect to moon watch. The crescent was high above the clouds, it’s energy cascading onto earth through the winds coming from the north. No matter where in the world, the moon chosen was easily guided to it, the best spot on Arcadia was still there. Safe in the woods. Watching the phases change was one of the best moments of her day, besides, her sister insisted she could train the trollhunter on her own for a night.

The white flower that surrounded her clearing, moonflowers, they were a soft reminder of the memories she held in the city. Even though it was much more than what she recalled. 

Times changed, when they did, often Avaluna found herself wondering if she’s changed well along with it. It was hard to tell herself, as although time was on her side, she felt stuck remembering many aspects of the past. 

And it did not help that the past always seemed eager to make itself known.

Heavy footsteps traced the woods beneath her. A shadow walked amongst the trees, leaving heavy footprints on his wake. She knew that shadow far too well, his presence sent a chill down her spine, her heart speeding at the sight of the familiar fur. 

Bular the Butcher was recognizable, even from the furthest of distances.

Looking up at the moon, Avaluna summoned her armour and her wings, picking her bow from inside her purse, it’s tiara appearance unfurled into it’s real stature, the bone white material glistening in the moonlight. A simple press on a hidden button unlocked her helmet, it assisted her to see in the night, but most importantly, it hid her face. Her identity. 

With that, she jumped, silently stalking the figure of the infamous butcher into the night. Her physical eyes weren’t capable of seeing him even through the lenses, however it was easy enough to track down his aura. It flowed from between the leaves like a torrencial downpour. She had no plan to intercept him, confront him, she simply wanted information. 

If she knew his hunting patterns, she’d be able to have Jim and Toby avoid them. It would buy them time, time for them to grow stronger and more prepared. Her eyes were glued to him, to his aura, he seemed tracking, she felt he was looking for something. 

Then, from the woods a sword lunged at her.

It dissoriented her, a black claw gripped her wing, she fell through the leaves, collapsing into the woods. 

Her head turned up, watching as Bular held her wing in his claws. “What kind of creature are you…?”

She could hear him sniffing the air, trying to get an idea. He was too close. With a swift movement, she twisted around, sending a blast of ice on his wrist. He recoiled, letting go of her wing, allowing her to retract it and retrieve her bow. Avaluna clutched it tight, drawing the string, it summoned an arrow that shone just as bright as her weapon. She knew it wouldn’t kill him, but if at least stunned him, it’d be enough.

“Who are you?!” He grabbed his other sword, the one he threw still missing. “Why were you following me?!”

Avaluna kept her silence, hands tight on the bow. Saying anything would make her job more difficult. He took one step forward, she shot at his foot, it released ice spikes that by little missed his leg. The brute roared, breaking the arrow with his sword. By this time, the wizard had another arrow loaded.

“You work for the trollhunter… DO YOU?!” She remained silent. Glaring at him, watching his form, his features. He had not changed since the last encounter she had with him, yet, he seemed different. More scars, more erosion to his flesh. “SPEAK!! OR I’LL CLEAVE YOUR HEAD OFF YOUR SHOULDERS!!” 

His threats did not terrify her. 

He barked too much.

She shot the arrow, Bular tried to dodge but she shot another, landing on his face, right between his eyes. It blasted him with blinding light, when he managed to shake off his headache and turned to the one in owl-like armour, his view was mirrored. The two images of the owl knight ran in opposing directions, both of them seemed so real, both of them sounded right. 

He picked the one which seemed the most real.

He chased after it, the shadows moved and he chased them, all looked like that figure that he had attacked. It wasn’t far he ran into the woods, when the image disappeared, when he realized finally.

The one he was chasing did not leave a trail.

He chased the wrong one.

With a roar, he bowed his head, that foe he had never seen before. He had never heard of a winged creature in Arcadia, not besides the stalkling he summoned and perhaps Strickler. But that was not either of those. That was something else.

He needed answers.

—

Avaluna flew away, finding herself in an alley not far from where she and her sister spent the night. Her armour faded with a soft touch, disappearing inside the charm on her necklace, she walked out and put her “tiara” back on. Before she could take a single step out of the alley, however, a deep voice caught her attention, but it was a friendly voice.

“Ava?” Aaarrgh asked, confused. “What doing here? Why in alley?”

Avaluna took a moment, still dazed from her magic use, she shook her head to focus. “Oh… I… I just landed.”

“Went flying?” He asked, tilting his head and politely offering his arm for her. 

“I was recharging my energy. When I saw Bular on the other side of the forest.” The grubera’s frown deepened. “Worry not. I only wanted to follow him a little. We had a bit of an altercation, but he did not harm me much. I hit him with a illusion arrow and he chased my ghost instead of me. I am fine.” Exiting the alley, she turned, spotting Blinky and the boys walking ahead. “What are all of you doing here?”

“Boys saw weird creature. We going to check.” Avaluna tilted her head in confusion, a weird creature? Of what kind? “Luna wanna come?”

She snapped from her confusion, looking up at him. “I… I could, yes. I suppose I should assist.” 

Aaarrrgh wasn’t good with words, but he knew Avaluna enough to know when she was too tired for something, or perhaps too shaken. “You tired.”

“I assure you I am fine. Fine enough to help. I already missed their training today.” She assured, following towards Blinky, when a heavy hand laid upon her shoulder.

“Luna need rest too. Not like seeing Bular. Aaarrgh knows.” His tone was soft, but assertive. “We go look, no problem. Luna rest. We handle creature. Jim said it dead.” 

Something in her insisted for her to follow, but, she could not say she was not worn. He was right, she did not like the sight of the gumm-gumm prince. Against her logic, Avaluna agreed, heading inside of the library and bidding a good night to the troll and requesting he passes it along to the trollhunters. From the second story window, she watched them go, making sure no one saw them as well. 

Once they left her line of sight, the moon wizard retracted inside, sitting on the guest room bed, she held onto her necklace. The flor de lis pendant was cool and smooth, her fingers lingered a little longer on it. She never enjoyed dawning that armour, even during the great battles, where action was demanded. To her, it betrayed her purpose, the purpose she had set out to master since the beginning. 

It felt like betrayal to her master. 

It felt like betrayal to herself. 

She couldn’t let her mind think of all who she betrayed when she drew her bow. 

The sisters shone, as the pieces of metal projected from thin light, soon the glowing ceased, revealing two sets of armor adorning the sisters. Avalna’s black armour glittered with silver moon motifs and the feathers that adorned most of its plates. Suniva had, on complete counterpart, had fire orange armor, with detailing of sunrays all over it, scale mail covering the edges, while Avaluna had normal chainmail. Both their necklaces were now at the center of their chests, their stones glowing softly. 

The moment that the armour settled, both sisters glimmered a bit before the magic faded. It left the boys mouths agape, their mouths hanging as their jaws hit the floor.

Suniva giggled, expecting that kind of reaction. “So? Ya’ll liked the show?” 

“YOU HAVE ARMOUR TOO?!” Toby gasped. 

“Indeed we do! Crafted by yours trully!” The sun wizard grinned. “Fighting magical wars call for havin’ magical armour, ey?”

Jim watched, amazed, mostly but also confused. “If… You both already have armour… Why don’t you do all the troll… hunting stuff?”

Suniva cackled, while her sister sympathetically smiled. “Oh, Jim, my boy. These? Were made WAAAAY later than yours! We got them after… A few incidents.” The sun sister summoned her wings, flying to one end of the arena, opening a hidden weaponry. “Also, ours are not nearly as strong as yours! You can encompass pure Daylight in your blade! We only have normal magic. Yours was mare specifically to end gumm-Gumms! Not nearly as effective against any threat!”

Her bright eyes finally laid upon her weapon, cackling as she picked up a golden trident, engraved with scales and flame imagery. In the mix of weapons, she similarly found another item she remembered, picking it up and tossing it to her sister. The bow flew through the air before Avaluna used her anemoknesis to gently guide it to her hands, he shining white bow shimmered in her hands, with a swift movement being strung with a magical string that glint like stars. Both sisters stood one next to the other, holding each their iconic weapons. It had been way too long since they had worn it, thankfully.

“Another difference; is that our weapons are not part of our armour. You can summon your sword, if we lose our weapons, they will not be as powerful, but will be dangerous nonetheless.” Avaluna explained, running her hands through her bow. “We will teach both of you how to weild your weapons…”

“Wait- What do you mean both of us??” Toby questioned, looking anxiously between the sisters before settling on Avaluna. “I- I get training too?!”

“Well, do you wish to follow Jim into battle?” 

“Well yeah! I’m the cool sidekick!”

“Do you wish to be a hindrance?”

That brought forth an extremely offended look from the redhead. “What?! Of course not!!”

“Then you need training. Just as much, if not more than Jim. After all, unlike Jim, you do not possess proper armour.” She turned around with her sister. 

Suniva however, glanced back with a smart smile, and a wink. “At least not yet.” 

Both boys celebrated with a high-five before their attention was sternly called to the group of adults. Suniva smiled devilishly, hand leaning on the arena's activation button. Blinky also seemed excited, now having two pupils to train, not only one. 

“Now let us warm up! Five laps around the arena!! ON YOUR MARKS!!” Suniva pressed the button, the center of the arena rose and the axes that lined the walls began swinging. “GET SET GO!!!”

The training was not gonna be starting so smoothly. 

—

Jim stood in the center of the arena, holding Daylight tight in his grip as Blinky corrected his stance, Toby meanwhile, stood next to Suniva as they went through the weaponry for something suitable. As his stance was corrected, Blinky taught the troll hunting rules of hand:

Rule 1: Always be afraid. It was the easiest rule.

Rule 2: Always finish the fight. When it was explained what it meant, Jim’s semblance became grim. 

“I personally never agreed with that.” Avaluna spoke up, “Not all fights must be finished in bloodshed.”

“Sis, ruthlessness is mercy.” Suniva spoke up. “If you deal with the threat, you don’t have to face it more than once.”

“Answering violence with violence will only breed more of it.” She was stern, her sister rolled her eyes. “Kill if you must. But try to grant mercy if your heart calls for it.” 

That lightened up the eyes of the boy, Blinky rubbed the back of his neck nervously before continuing, changing topics swiftly. “And finally rule 3! When in doubt: Kick him in the grongnucks.”

“In the what?”

Blinky tapped the ground, a blade emerged, almost hitting Jim in the croch. Aaargh shivered, the boys both looking uncomfortable by the prospect. Suniva cackled, helping Toby lift a heavy war hammer. “Or, more how we like to translate it: Find a weak spot.”

“Okay! That makes more sense!” Jim agreed. 

From the stairs to the arena, the rumbling voice of Draal sounded. Bloating as he often was, he approached the center of the Arena to the confusion and worry of Blinky and the sisters. 

“Draal! To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Why! I came to offer my services! A friendly spar! It’s part of his training regime, isn’t it?” His voice was a hidden threat as he questioned. 

Suniva grabbed her friend by the nosering, but found no traces of glug in his breath, she had thought maybe him being drunk would’ve been an answer, but no, he was sober. It only made her anger more justified.

“Just ‘cause it is doesn’t mean shit! You get your ass out of here and stop interru-”

“Why not?” Vendell’s voice erupted from the chairs above, his twisted horns appearing on the stand. “Let them spar! It will test his mettle!”

“He means your character.” The moon wizard explained before Jim’s mind answered for him. “Vendel! He’s not had even a moment’s proper training! It is unfair!”

“So is life. Let. Them. Spar!” 

Draal grinned to Suniva, who glared at her friend, more betrayed than she had ever been. She still tried to get him to back down, following him to his side of the arena. 

“Draal, what the fuck are you doing?! He’s a kid! He hadn’t had any training!” 

“He’s got my armour on.-”

“Not your armour. Are you still going on that?! Get over it!-” Before she could finish, she was grabbed by the waist, Draal grinning as he was readying to toss her to the top of the arena. “WAIT WAIT WAIT–” He stopped, waiting like she asked. “Okay- fine! Just go easy on him, okay?”

Draal huffed, but nodded in her direction with a grin, tossing her to where Blinky and the others waited. The sun wizard stood next to Avaluna and the conundrum, watching as Jim panicked, trying what he could to defend himself.

The crystal back did not go easy.

He would have killed Jim, instead, walked away leaving the boy destroyed and humiliated.

Suniva’s rage was palpable, flaming, her armour lighting up with the blazing heat that emanated from her. She followed Draal, red hair almost in flames as she reached him.

“YOU LIED TO ME!!” She stopped him in his tracks, “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT DRAAL?!?” 

“I went easy on him! Like you asked! You never said how easy!”

“OH NO, YOU WILL NOT PULL THAT SHIT ON ME! YOU ALMOST KILLED HIM!!” 

“But I didn’t! Even though I should have! We’d not have a disgrace like that as a Trollhunter!!”

“OH AND THAT ‘NOT DISGRACE’ WOULD BE YOU, WOULD IT?!”

“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW I SHOULD BE WEARING THAT ARMOUR!!”

“DRAAL HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES MUST I TELL YOU?! IT’S NOT YOUR ARMOUR, ITS NEVER BEEN YOUR ARMOUR AND IT WILL NEVER BE YOUR ARMOUR!!” Draal stared at her, in pain and She walked from one side to the other in the corridor, leaving scorch marks on her wake. “You’re gonna come with me and find Jim and you’re apologizing to him.”

“I’LL DIE BEFORE I APOLOGIZE TO A FLESHBAG!” He exploded, pounding the ground in front of her. 

“I swear your pride is gonna be the death of you!! HE’S THE TROLLHUNTER!! GET OVER IT!! YOU’RE SERIOUSLY JEALOUS OF A WHELP!!” Her words seemed to cause no change, Suniva groaned, rubbing her face. “For all the gods! Kanjigar would be so ashamed of you right now!”

Draal snapped, roaring towards his friend. “DO NOT SPEAK OF MY FATHER YOU WITCH!!” 

He grabbed her, pushing her to a wall. However, it was only a second before Suniva’s blazing armour burned his palms. He let go, growling as Suniva, who also sat kneeling, leaning on her trident, glared daggers.

A witch…

He called her a witch…

“Fine… I won’t speak of him… I won’t speak to you at all until you gain some sense…” Feeling Draals glare on her neck as she walked away, but barely caring for the feeling of betrayal was worse.

—

Jim had left early, he also did not show up the next night for training. So, Avaluna went looking, the coordinates given by Blinky were easy enough to follow and she found the Trollhunter in his backyard, trying to homerun the amulet with a baseball bat. To very little success.

“You will not have much luck with that, young Jim.” She smiled from the fence, leaning on it. 

“Well! I’m trying anyways!” He continued to toss the amulet away, only for it to return and hit him in the face. “GAH!! Why won’t it stay away?!”

“It is now your responsibility, Jim. The amulet’s soul has chosen you.”

The boy rolled his eyes, annoyed, sitting on the stones on his garden. “It’s an amulet. It doesn’t HAVE a soul!”

“Jim, you live in a world where stone creatures are alive and living in the underground, a world where magic is alive and certain people can wield it. And yet, you do not believe your magical amulet has a soul?” Avaluna queried, black wings spread open as an example. 

Jim groaned, laying back. “I can’t do this! You saw what happened!! He almost killed me!! And I just sat there… Like… Like…”

He went silent, Avaluna filling in. “Like a worm?”

“I think the word he used was ‘vermin’ but yeah, pretty much…”

Avaluna chuckled, closing her wings, she picks up the amulet. “I still do not understand the amulet, yet one thing I know about it is that it seldom makes mistakes.”

“Oh yeah? What about that Ulkar guy? Didn’t he fail miserably?”

Avaluna’s features saddened. “I was a good friend of Ulkar before and after he became a Trollhunter. He was… Frightful and hated confrontation. But one thing he was not, was a bad trollhunter.” She turned to the sky, feeling the fresh air of the night and letting the memories wash over her. “Blinky trained him well, in fact, he achieved great things because of it. He was not remembered for much for people did not see him often in the main circles of Old Trollmarket, for he never did grand acts… But little things that went unnoticed. I would know, as I was the one who helped him… The night he died… I had asked him to bring medicine from the river trolls… He was not a good fighter… So he ran… He died just outside Old Trollmarket… But he got the medicine… Saved countless whelps…”

She recalled hearing Ulkar’s screams, finding his remains, feeling horrible. He never blamed her for not having assisted him, after all, she spent the night busy, trying to heal child after child. When they named him “unfortunate” she disagreed, wanted to have called him “unseen” as it was more fitting. But his spirit told her not to, told her it was better that way.

“Each trollhunter has a different goal… Some want to fight, others protect. Each trollhunter is unique to their time. You should not compare yourself to anyone. What Draal did was out of line…” She ran her fingers along the pointers of the amulet. “But if you do bow… You’re only giving him, and those who believe him, a reason to doubt you.”

The boy seemed convinced she handed back the amulet, taking off to the skies, only a shadow on the starlit infinity. 

—

Avaluna had hoped her words had made an impact, when she had regrouped with her sister, she found out her own talk with Draal had not given her the expected result. She managed to cool down the younger wizard before she set off any fires, the older sister then convinced Blinky to give Jim some space to think himself, having reminders of something he wasn’t keen on facing could push him away even further. 

As often, she found herself being the source of reason in chaos. 

The moon wizard faced Vendel after managing to regulate the other trainers, his behaviour and reasoning for allowing such a brawl were unknown to her. He usually trusted their judgement, but to act against their advice like that felt… Desperate. She found him helping a mother patch up her child’s scraped knee, not a serious wound, but she knew it was the woman’s first whelp. 

“Vendell? May I have a word?” She requests, tone was enough for the mother to wrap up and head off with her child. Avaluna had time to smile at them, wishing a speedy recovery before they left earshot. “I am not happy with you, I imagine you know.”

“Yes, I do.” He agreed, cleaning up. “I assume for I permited the spar between the Trollhunter and Draal.”

“Yes.” She sat on a crystal, feeling the warmth of the Hearthstone that emanated from the walls of the Healing Ward. “You knew he had no training. You knew Draal was beyond disregulated. You went against our advice to not let them. Why?”

The old troll sighed heavily, picking up his staff and leaning on it as he leaned on his own table. “People were speaking that the Trollhunter was spineless. That he would not last. He would run. Just like-”

“You and I both know that Ulkar was not a bad trollhunter and furthermore, it was nothing of fault on his training.” She stopped before he made the point she knew was coming. “Draal did not only beat him in the spar, but he shamed Jim, broke his spirit. You did not even give him a single chance to prepare.”

“The boy is not a warrior! And with Bular at our gates! Do you really think having another ‘peacekeeper’ is a smart idea?!”

“What I had believed was a smart idea was to give him time to at the minimum know how to defend himself. But you seem to disagree. Which I do not fault you for.” She stared harshly, coldly, she might not fault but her anger was as palpable as her sister’s. “You know all you did was make it so he would turn his back on us. It matters not, Vendell, if he is human or troll. He has the amulet. It is your duty to assist him, no matter the circumstance. In time, he will prove you wrong of your biases.”

Vendell seemed ready to argue further, when Bagdwella came in running. Both healers were ready to handle any emergency, however the words that left her lips were far from what they expected.

“THE TROLLHUNTER CHALLENGED DRAAL TO A REMATCH!!!”

Avaluna sat in her office, now much more decorated, she had just had the visit of a few students and was reorganizing a few files when the brunette boy walked in with a defeated sigh. Avaluna quickly understood, apparently the mission of making sure the goblins didn’t eat Jim’s classmate wasn’t as successful as Blinky had reported, taken the boy seemed beaten up. He sat down on the couch near her table, throwing his head back.

Before she could ask, he spoke. “Did Blinky say anything…? About last night?”

The wizard tilted her head, putting down her files, she sat on a chair near him, true psychologist style. “He told me it was successful, that your friend was not the target and you escaped with your lives.” 

“Did he tell you how I didn’t… I didn’t kill the gnome?” 

Avaluna tilted her head, urging him to continue. The young one vented to her, about his incapability of taking a life, of the weight that decision had on him, about how it seemed unfair to the gnome. The counselor listened, understanding, and saddened. Then he told her of Blinky’s reaction to finding Chompsky in the dollhouse, as well as Suniva. The moon wizard frowned when hearing of her sister’s harshness. 

“... I don’t know… It’s all just so… Confusing…” He sighed once more, pressing his eyes with his palms. 

Avaluna watched with compassion, smiling softly. “Nothing magical is anything but confusing. It is a bit like what you humans call ‘chemistry’, sometimes the same things will have a plethora of different compatibilities which may cause the most confusing of results.” The boy looked at her, dubious, yet somewhat appeased. “Yes, you did not follow the second rule. But there have been others who changed rules in the past, Gorgul The Gentle for one, took six centuries before he ever used of the second rule, many times, his calm disposition disarmed his enemies. Kanjigar himself, most times was merciful with his foes.” She helped him to his feet, smiling softly. “You are the Trollhunter now, you arc with the consequences for your actions. That is not to say your consequences will be negative. Taking a life should not be something expected, if you do not have to, then I see not a reason why you should.” 

Jim take a deep breath, nodding to her with a smile. “Thank you, Miss Lunalima.” 

“Glad to help.” 

She opens the door to Jim, though his shocked expression. She turns around and finds the history teacher at the threshold, his stare towards the both of them was a mix of softness and apathy. Though when his eyes fell on the Trollhunter, it held the same confusion they now expressed.

“Ah! Young Atlas! I didn't think I'd find you here.” As he said so, Avaluna kept a professional stance. “We’ve not had time to introduce ourselves properly, Miss Lunalima. I am Mr. Strickler, social studies teacher. Though I was informally known as the ‘unpaid Counselor’ by my students.” 

He offered his hand for a handshake, Avaluna was always cautious of those, for a foul deal was always sneaking around her work. Though, as there was nothing implied, she shook it, feeling as be held a tad aggressively to her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Strickler. Indeed we did not have much time! I was quite busy setting up my new office.” 

The teacher turned once more to his student, “Well run along, Young Atlas, lunch time is over. You should be going for coach's class now.” 

“Yeah! Right away!” The boy turned to the wizard, a smile on his lips. “Thank you! Miss Lunalima! Bye Mr. Strickler!”

“Bye Jim.”

“See you in class Young Atlas!” 

Both said their phrases at the same time. 

Then Strickler turned to her once more, still a sympathetically empty smile in his lips. “Would it be alright if I came in? It is a personal tradition of mine to always get to know my new colleagues as soon as possible!”

“Of course! That sounds like a great idea!” Pretending not to see through the façade, she let him in with another smile, closing the door and sitting at the chair while gesturing to the couch. 

Strickler took in the room as he sat, scanning through everything, from the books to the statues and crystals. “Why I see you've made yourself at home already!”

“Indeed, I had quite a few things to bring from Brazil.”

“Oh? You're Brazilian?” His tone was of genuine surprise. 

“Ah! Yes, well. My parents were Greek, but lived in Brazil for most of their adult years. I was raised there, in fact.” Lying about ones past life was easy, when you coated it with a heavy dose of truth. “What about you? Where's the Strickler family's origins?”

“Oh well, most of my family is Bulgarian. Yet myself was born I'm Britain, but after living in America So long, you loose A good chunk of the accent.” He smiled, catching a glimpse of a coffee maker near her desk. “Oh? You brought a coffee maker with you?”

She turned to look at it, understanding the cue she got up to make some. “Ah, yes. I learned the students are not allowed to drink the coffee from the teacher's lounge. Though, for some, I thought it nice to have some available.”

“You are indeed very thoughtful.” He nods, “Would you have espresso perhaps?” 

“Mhm.” She makes her latte, then an espresso, putting it in separate cups. “So? How is the rest of the faculty? I have not had proper time to meet them myself.”

“Well, Ms. Janet works hard as the math teacher and Theather coordinator, however her passion for one is clear over the other. Señor Uhl, the Spanish teacher, has a reputation of being quite brash and strict, but he has his students' best Interest at heart. Coach Lawrence is a bit… Aloof, but also competent in his work.” He lists, quite mechanically.

“Interesting. I cannot wait to meet them better myself.” She sits, sipping from the coffee, the sweetened taste soothing her senses. “You seem rather close to Jim, though ‘Young Atlas’ is quite an interesting choise of nickname don’t you think?”

Strickler turns to her, a bit of a calmly confused look in his eyes. “Well I admit, Jim has become quite a protectee under my tutelage. His mother is single, he is the only one in the house for most of the day. When I found out he was cooking for himself, his mother and best friend? I pitied him, I must say.” 

She nodded, taking in that information, if it was true or not she would question the boys. “Even then, that nickname doesn't sound appropriate.”

“Oh?” He now looks at her, almost a challenging stare. “And why's that?”

She puts the coffee aside, fixing her posture and reflecting his glance. “For one, Atlas held the sky on his shoulders, not the world. Secondly, besides reminding him that he has been supporting his own heaven on his shoulders, the nickname is nothing but quite the cruel joke.”

Through his shattered aura, Avaluna can feel shame and something else, even if it was too shattered to tell. “Perhaps you are right. Perhaps that nickname is not as kind as I intended. However, I do care a lot for Jim. He’s a kindhearted young man. And has difficult dealings as is.”

“Indeed. He’s not confided in me much, however I see in his files he only has his mother as his assigned guardian… I can only deduce of course, however, it doesn’t take much to do so.” Avaluna finished her latte, setting the cup aside, she smiled. “I can assure you, Mr. Strickler, that the boy is in good hands. Same with every other student in the school.” 

The man nodded, a gentle and kind smile on his face. The man got up, also having finished his coffee. “I hope your time in Arcadia Oak’s High is a happy one, our town is truly magical.” 

“Oh, I know. My brothers lived here and that is exactly how he sees it.” She smiled kindly, watching him go out the door. 

Walter stopped, however, noticing the charm on the door. “Ah, I forgot to mention! Nice charm you have.”

“Thank you, it’s supposed to protect against bad energies!” Her smile did not waver as she closed the door. 

Alone again, Avaluna sighed. Returning to her desk, she sat down, now able to think clearly about what she witnessed. 

The man called “Mr. Strickler” had… Something for an aura. It was like he had two creatures fighting, truly, it was as if he was made of two beings. She had never seen anything like that. All the other faculty members seemed normal, yet he wasn’t. She had never seen a soul like that, shattered. It was even harder to read. One part of the soul, it was recoiled, hiding behind the other, which for all she accounted for sounded like a normal human soul. The “normal” human soul meanwhile displayed quite a few emotions.

Fear.

Sadness.

Shame.

Care.

Anger.

Resentment…

Those were simply a few, only the ones she could clearly see at least. Yet there were some, some more complex ones, that hid so far from sight there was no way of knowing. 

There was something really wrong there. 

She needed to know more. 

—

“Alright, this, Toby, will be perfect for you.” Suniva smiled, presenting the redhead with his new weapon. “A warpick.”

The redhead’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, fawning over his weapon. It was a heavy pick, it had several carvings in it of a serpentine beast which was cut in half by a orange jewel. The handle was smooth metal as well, much like the blade, it was covered in leather for better grip. It’s copper-coloured metal shining through. He held it, getting a feel for the material and weight. 

“Awesome sauseeeeee!!” He cheered, swinging it around and feeling it’s weight.

“It’s right up your alley, heavy enough to cause damage, but light enough that you can hold it with ease. When you learn to use it, which Blinky will be glad to teach you…” They turn to Blinky, who’s continuing to train Jim for the next battle. “Once he’s done with Jim.” 

The redhead frowns as he watches, turning to the sun wizard. “Look… I… Thanks a lot for training Jim and all… But…” His worry was clear in his face. “You’re… You’re sure, like ABSOLUTELY SURE that… That he will make it out of the rematch alive?”

Suniva turned to Toby, blinking a bit in confusion as she did so. She had told them what it meant to challenge a troll’s honor, of course, it was a valuable piece of information to keep from them. The solar sister turns from the boy to the Trollhunter, watching as he skillfully weilded his weapon under Blinky’s teachings to guide the strikes. He was getting better, honing his abilities, learning to control fear. But there was still a lot to get better, and if she was honest, just by watching him, she didn’t know the answer. 

Not when she knew Draal was out for blood like he was.

Returning her gaze to Toby, the sun wizard smiled, though her brow was furrowed. “Right now, friend? It’s too early to tell. But… I am quite certain, by the time danger comes, he’ll be ready.” 

The answer was clearly not what he was looking for, but for the time being, he seemed calmed. The sound of crashing came from the center of the arena, the duo looked only to find Jim had destroyed the dummy he practiced against, impailing it’s “face” with Daylight. Both cheered, and upon witnessing the boy’s tiredness, Suniva called him to rest while Toby took up training with his new war pick. Jim pondered on the choice of weapon, questioning Suniva.

“Like- Are you sure a sword wouldn’t be better?”

“Jim, my boy, if it was my will? You’d not even have a sword t’ begin with!” She admitted as both leaned back to watch Toby train. “Having an amplitude of weaponry range makes it a lot easier to overcome your opponents. They’ll come ready for you and your sword, but they won’t be expecting your squire to hold a pickaxe!”

Although more clumsy than Jim and a lot less prepared, Toby swung the pickaxe with fortitude, striking the new dummy in the arm. There was some reluctance, when mentioned not all his targets would be… Well, inanimate objects, but Blinky’s encouragement seemed to work well as comfort. The boy quickly threw his pick for another swing, embeding the sharp point into the arm of the dummy. 

“He seems to be doing well on training.” The voice of Avaluna startled Jim, who screamed, jumping away and startled Blinky and Toby. Her sister standing as she was unphased. “I am sorry, Trollhunter. I did not mean to frighten you.”

“How- When-?!” He questioned pointing at the moon wizard then in the direction of the Forge’s entrance not too far.

“Oh, I only just got here. Owl wings are quite silent when flying!” She announced, finally retracting them. “May I steal my sister a moment?” 

Suniva frowned, walking alongside her sister to a more quiet place in the forges stands, where they continued to watch the training session from above. 

“Jim has told me what you said about the ‘gnome situation’.” Avaluna began, not looking at her younger sister. “You were quite harsh.”

“He spared a gnome. If he’s willing to do that! What will he do when he’s faced with a bigger threat?” She sighed. “Blinky would’ve told you. He can’t just… Not finish a fight! It’s troll rules! Trollhunting etiquete! As Kanjigar would say.” 

“Yes, but those rules were made in times when fighting was of the essential. When WAR reeked into homes and DEATH rained from every cardinal direction.” Avaluna put a hand on Suniva’s shoulder, her bright eyes turning to the eldest. “Those rules were made for trolls. Trolls that were hardened by the life they lived and even more by the places they were raised. Who knows how history would have turned if there had been more mercy?”

“Well, ‘mercy’ has never done any good by me.” She sighed, watching as Jim rejoined the circle, now fighting against Toby on a legitimate spar. “Mercy could be the end of him…”

“Or, it could lead a better path.” Avaluna watched as well.

For Suniva, it was two warriors fighting, as it had always been. 

For Avaluna, she saw two boys, who had been dragged into a magical world with no better knowledge and that marked a new age of Trollhunting.

“Never in the amulet’s life, has there been a human trollhunter. Perhaps, my sister, this symbolizes that there are changes to our world. A world where there is more humanity in battles.” She gestured to the battle, of the two humans that now spared in the arena. 

Jim managed to disarm Toby, who was laughing as his best friend helped him up. 

“Heh… I remember when we began sparring.” Avaluna mused. “You always won.”

“Well, yes, but you also beat me at every spell! I took ages to get to your level.” Suniva chuckled, but then her features saddened again, thoughtful before she spoke. “I’ll ease up on them. And do a few card pulls.” 

“I think that would be lovely, sister.” 

They returned to gazing at the arena, where now both humans were being given a lecture about Troll history, all while the two continued sparing. It was then they caught a glimpse of Toby managing to push Jim’s sword from his hand, with both celebrating as he did. Suniva herself cheered from the stands, together with Avaluna who clapped politely from where she stood.

—

As they all exited the Forge, there was a distant call by a known crystal back. 

“Suniva!! Hey!! Suni!!” Draal seemed cheerful, completely ignoring the group and instead focusing on the sun-wizard. Who barely seemed to register him there. “Me and the others are coming to the pub! We’re playing Glug-gnome! Come join!”

The Trollhunter and his friend continued on his way with Blinky and Aaarrrgh in tol, only Avaluna remaining to watch the scene, more for the safety of Draal than anything else. Suniva watched as the rest of the group left her vision, before turning a glare at Draal, her lips twisted in a spiteful snare before she flew away, returning to the forge and shutting the door behind her. The crystal back watching in disappointed astonishment, huffing through it.

“You have not apologized,” Avaluna commented. “You know she will not falter on her promise.”

“She insulted my father! And I am supposed to apologize?!” He growled, anger just as fierce as Suniva’s.

Avaluna sighed, approaching and looking the troll in the eyes, “You have also called her a witch. You are not a fool to what that symbolises. I do not agree to what she has said either, however you know far too well your behaviour thus far is also reprimendable and furthermore childish!” 

Draal avoided her stare, he might not have his father, truth be told he lost him far before his death, yet he had too much respect for Avaluna. Her scolds felt cold as ice, and burned like a flame. 

Still, he knew to stand his ground. “When I prove her wrong. I’ll be the one wanting an apology.”

The moon-wizard shook her head, if they looked any more alike, she could swear Draal and Suniva had the same stubbornness. “Mayhaps you will see yourself with less one ally.”