The warbling crack of a wormhole opening nearby cut him off mid-sentence, but in that moment, it seemed like one of the most beautiful sounds Jim had ever heard. An Akiridion ship came sailing through the vortex, and Zadra’s voice sounded out of the com link on Aja’s belt.

“I apologize for the wait, my queen! The Eli of Pepperjacks misplaced his own serrator and simply refused to use a standard-issue one...”

“Oh, sure, pin it all on the guy from out of town!” A squad of Akiridion gunships came pouring through the wormhole after Zadra, led by a tall, lithe figure on a hoverboard. “Trust me, you’ll be glad I took the time to find mine. Everybody back away from the Titan!” he barked, lifting his serrator. There was a flash of blue light as it transformed into a long and sleek Akiridion sniper cannon. Another flash, accompanied by a peculiar, sizzling pop, and suddenly, the Titan was halted dead in its tracks, blue waves of Akiridion energy crackling up its legs. Skreal let out a snarl of frustration, his Titan groaning and snapping as it struggled against its mysterious bonds. The man on the hoverboard swooped in close to Aja. “That should buy us a little more time, but I don’t know how long it’ll hold. If we’re going to strike, we have to do it now!” He looked over at Steve and lifted the visor of his helmet, revealing a handsomely aged, yet still familiar face. “Hey, Steve! Been a while.”

“ELI?!”

“I told you he is not so little anymore!” Aja laughed. She activated the com link on her belt. “All ships concentrate fire on the Titan! Keep him busy while I take the Trollhunter up. Steve, I need you and Eli to cover us. Jim, come on!”

“Go get ‘em, babe!” Steve cheered, hopping off of Aja’s hoverboard to make room for Jim. The Trollhunter took his place behind Aja, who kicked her hoverboard back into acceleration, circling the Titan as they gained altitude.

“Creepslayerz!” Eli crowed as he and Steve took off after her.

“Bro, where’d you learn how to do all of this?!” Steve marveled over the sound of rushing wind as Eli swooped and weaved in and out of the titan’s reach, pelting it with rapid shots from his serrator.

“Zadra’s been teaching me! And I figured out a few things on my own--Ice chunk coming from the left!”

“Not today, Creeper!” Steve shouted, breaking the ice chunk to pieces with his axe before it could collide with Eli’s hoverboard. “You don’t stand a chance, Evil Ice Guy! Creepslayerz have totally rebranded, and now we’re cooler than ever!” He gave Eli's shoulder a firm squeeze. "...Seriously, bro. It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back, Eli replied, pausing between two rounds of cannon fire to flash him a friendly smile. "Now let's slay this Creep!"

*****

“Kleb!” Krel cursed as Camelot trembled around him. Bellroc had suddenly become far more aggressive with their attacks--almost as though something had been holding them back before. “The shields are starting to wear down--that thing is tougher than I was expecting!”

“Prince Krel, we don’t have many charges left on these cannons!” Stuart yelped over the coms. “It might be time to fall back!”

“We don’t fall back until the others get here!” Krel barked, frantically typing away at his control panel. “If we don’t keep Bellroc occupied, there is no telling how much they will be able to destroy before Jim brings the reinforcements. I stayed on this planet to protect it and I am not leaving until it is safe!” He twisted a few holographic dials. The Castle thrummed and shuddered as the cannons let out another high-power barrage that send Bellroc’s Titan staggering back..

“Hey champ, sorry to spoil your fun, but these finicky ol’ things are starting to overheat!” Ricky reported.

“Diverting power from the shields to the cooling systems,” Krel replied, his voice tight with anxiety. “We can’t let Bellroc get away--no matter what!”

“Mayday! Mayday! Buckle your seatbelts kids, we’ve got incoming!” Lucy’s warning was followed by a horrendous crash, and the sound of Akiridion tech exploding--the Titan had gotten through the shields and taken out the west wall with a single swing of its massive, burning arm.

“No! No, no no!” Krel cried. “Systems failing--come on, just hold it together a little longer!”

“Prince Krel, we have to go!” Stuart insisted. “One more hit like that and this castle will start falling to pieces on our heads!”

“We can’t--!” The left side of the main tower was bashed in, and Krel was sent flying as the Akiridion monitors sputtered and shut down. For a brief moment, his world was reduced to a smear of flashing lights and flying rubble. His core gave a short spasm of terror just before he hit the opposite wall, and then everything went dark.

*****

“We have....l-little time...” Nari labored, struggling to her feet with Douxie’s support, leaning heavily against his side as she continued. “Your friends....I can f-feel their desperation. There is still a battle to be won.”

“Not one that you should be a part of,” Douxie said firmly, squeezing her shoulder. “You’ve been fighting with Bellroc’s magic for hours, not to mention guiding the Titan this far must have taken a great deal of magical energy.”

“Douxie’s right,” Claire agreed. “You need to rest somewhere safe, Nari. We can handle the titans now that they can’t converge and destroy the world.”

“I am touched by your concern, but I am afraid the titans cannot be felled by mortal powers. They can only be defeated by truly ancient magic. You will need my power.”

“No,” Douxie insisted vehemently, his grip on Nari’s shoulder tightening. “Nari, if you go anywhere near the Arcane Order, they’ll take you just like they did before, and then we’ll be back where we started!”

“I never said anything about going near them,” Nari giggled softly. “I do not have access to the full extent of my power in this state. I must return to the Eternal Forest and reunite with Yggdrasil.”

“But the Arcane Order sealed the forest, didn’t they?” Archie asked. “You said you couldn’t get in.”

“I cannot,” Nari affirmed. “...but my Titan can. By resurrecting the Titans, the Order gave me access to the very power that could defeat them. I believe they were not counting on Douxie’s magic being able to reach me. They underestimated the strength of our bond.”

“An amateur’s mistake, and one they’ve made before,” Archie scoffed. “Everyone knows that a wizard with a ward to protect is ten times more dangerous than one without.”

“Alright. So we’ll head for the Eternal Forest,” Douxie said. “Claire, you should join the others and do what you can to stall those Titans. Archie and I need to make sure Nari gets to Yggdrasil safely. I’ll meet back up with you as soon as I can.”

“Got it. See you on the other side, then,” Claire replied with a nod. She opened a shadow portal and vanished.

“...You do know I am now in full control of one of the most powerful magical weapons known to this world?” Nari reminded him playfully, as she summoned the magic sigils that enabled her to control the Titan.

“Humor him, Nari. He’s been an anxious mess ever since you were taken,” Archie informed her.

“I was not an anxious--” Douxie yelped as the Titan lurched, and he staggered for a moment, trying to find his balance. A leafy creeper wrapped gently around his waist.

“The two of you may want to hold on to something,” Nari said lightly, as her megalith swung around to face the way it came. “I intend to go fast.”

*****

“Visibility is even worse up here,” Aja growled through gritted teeth, as she directed her hoverboard through the blinding flurry. Between the flying ice and raging snow, and the Akiridion ships bombarding Skrael’s titan, it was nearly impossible to see farther than a few feet ahead.

“Hopefully that means he can’t see us either,” Jim shouted over the sound of rushing wind. He gripped Aja’s shoulder and pointed with Excalibur. “There! “ There was a flicker of blue light in the midst of the cloud. Aja swung the board around and headed straight for it.

“We may only get one hit,” she warned, switching her serrator from cannon to spear and clutching the shaft tightly. “Make it count!” Skreal loomed into view, the sigils around him whirring and pulsing as he directed his titan to repel the oncoming attacks. His back was to them--they had a clear shot. Aja pulled up and Jim leapt off of the hoverboard, driving Excalibur down--

There was a crack like a breaking iceberg and a pulse of freezing magic. Excalibur bounced back harmlessly before it could make contact with Skreal, and Jim was thrown back with it. He barely managed to catch himself on the Titan by driving the sword into the ice. Skreal whipped around, his eyes burning with furious, cold blue light. He threw a skeletal hand out, and a barrage of icy daggers hurtled towards the struggling Trollhunter. Aja jumped down and shielded him with her serrator, while above them, Eli swooped in, dropping cover fire with his cannon.

“Dammit!” Jim spat, wrenching Excalibur out of the titan.

“What went wrong?!” Aja cried, briefly lowering her shield to convert her serrator into a cannon and fire another shot at Skrael--it ricocheted back at her as though repelled by a mirror, and she narrowly avoided being hit by her own shot.

“Shield magic! I should’ve seen that coming!” Jim snarled in frustration.

“We have to pull back--we can’t fight him on top of this thing!” Aja dove off of the Titan, pulling Jim with her, and activated her hoverboard. She was scarcely able to dodge the massive, icy arm that swung at them--she and Jim could feel the prickles of icy wind on their necks, the attack came so close.

“Aja!” Steve shouted as he and Eli pulled up next to them. “What now?!”

“We have to find a way to break through that shield magic!” She headed back down to the ground, where their troops were still trying to take out the legs. Jim felt a knot in his throat as he saw some of the troll warriors had already fallen, their frozen rocky bodies dashed to pieces and swiftly being covered by snow.

“This monster is proving most resilient!” Vex roared as he beat against the titan’s leg with his serrator--he was forced to jump back as ice exploded outwards from the titan’s body, healing damage and repelling attacks. “Only the pink one has managed to do any significant damage!”

“The pink--you mean Nomura?!” Jim exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Toby chimed in, swinging in on his warhammer. “Those crazy swords of hers can cut through this ice like butter!” He pointed towards the other leg--it was covered in deep, sizzling gashes. “But that thing is just too big.”

“Nomura!” Jim shouted. The changeling in question slid over to them, lifting one of her curved blades to block a chunk of ice. “Your scimitars--they’re getting through Skrael’s ice magic!”

“Oh really?” Nomura deadpanned. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“No, I mean--if you can land a hit on Skrael, you might be able to break through his shield!”

“Probably,” Nomura answered. “But he’s not exactly easy to reach.” She gestured to the megalith behind them.

“And he knows we’re aiming for him now,” Aja put in. “If we set foot up there again, he’ll just throw us off.”

“Nomura’s the fastest of all of us,” Jim insisted. “Aja, you and I can distract him, make him think we’re trying to come in for a second hit. Then Nomura can drop in behind him and break his shield before he even knows she’s there.”

“You will only have one shot at this,” Aja warned, turning to Nomura.

“I don’t need more than that,” the Changeling smirked. “You just find a way to get me up there and I’ll handle the rest.”

At that moment, a shadow portal opened beside Jim, and Claire leapt out. Jim felt his heart quaking with relief at the sight of her--she was unhurt, and he could tell by the smile on her face that her mission with Douxie was successful.

“Claire!” he gasped, pulling her in for a brief, one-armed hug. “Just in time!”

“Looking sharp, mi amor,” she quipped, pulling back just enough to admire his new armor. “I like the crown.”

“Thanks. You look nice too,” Jim chuckled breathlessly. “Is Nari okay?”

“Yes,” Claire reported. “She says she can handle the Titans, but she needs a little time. Douxie’s taking her to the Eternal Forest. Once she’s there, it sounds like those big jerks are going down fast. We just need to keep them busy for a little longer.”

“We’ve got a way to do that, but we could really use your help,” Jim replied. Claire gave him a grin and threw out a hand to catch an incoming chunk of ice with a shadow portal.

“That’s exactly what I’m here for.”

Thanks for reading! ✨

To start off, we have the 3 rules of humanity after Aja and Krel are caught washing their hands with orange juice and eating messily at lunch..

-Those three rules being: 

Prepare for change

Embrace your mistakes

When in doubt, play with your phone.

Each of these are shown to be very important as 3below goes on, of course, Aja and Krel misunderstand it at first but the point here is their great enthusiasm. They really are trying their hardest. Aja had taken a bunch of “change” to school and of course Krel tried to hug Mrs.Janeth. Multiple times. At the end, when being confronted, Senor Uhl approaches them about their mistakes and they play with their phones. No, it doesn’t work but eventually we will see how these rules affect Krel..and maybe Aja too.

They come home, frustrated because the rules didn’t work out and Krel decides to make a mind reader. The first noticeable thing about this is, as we come in to see him work, we see him vibing for the first time in the series. Krel is simply in his element. He has his music, and his tools and he actually seems like he’s having fun.

Aja even asks if he’s having a very small party. I find it important that although he still views the planet as primitive at this point, the first time we see him truly enjoying himself is not on akiridion-5, but on Earth with music---something that came from Earth. He also is without anybody watching or judging him contributing to his more introverted personality. -He likes having his own down time--he needs his own down time.

Skipping towards after they destroy the planetarium, they sneak out to go find the mystery extraterrestrial (who we later learn is Stuart.) As with most episodes, this is kind of the peak, the message, and the point. Aja goes to look across Arcadia, and see what everyone is thinking. 

-Krel tries to use it, but says he isn’t picking anything up and fails, so instead of trying again he gives up. He simply says that “it’s hopeless.” That was something I thought was significant--that he gave up once he saw that he couldn’t do it, and he was only there for a small amount of time. As soon as he saw it wasn’t working the first time his immediate thought was to say not only that he cannot do it--but that it cannot be done at all, “It’s hopeless” This is before Aja tries, and really he wasn’t planning to give her a chance and I can only assume that this is because to him tech is his thing. It’s the one thing that Aja can’t have.

Then Aja says to let her try. The first thing I noticed about this is that Krel is really nervous and on-edge about his sister using his invention. He didn’t just say “be careful” multiple times but it was almost like he was mildly freaking out.  

Krel, (after she forcibly takes it away): Fine, but we need to increase it slowly.

Aja: Like this?

Krel, (said with annoyance): Not at all like this.

That’s the entire conversation before immediately x’s start to appear maybe one second after the other around his head, giving insight to his thought process as the mind reader is supposed to do. And what I find interesting about this is Aja didn’t even do anything, she was simply looking at him. Those x’s came fast too. By the quickness of how they appeared, it gave me the impression that it was to represent how fast his mind was going just seeing someone who admittedly can be quite reckless with his invention. It was like a small spiral, a chain line, as if he started thinking that Thing A might go wrong, only to realize that Things B, C, D can go wrong too.

Which is where his voice eventually cracks in desperation, as he says, “What? No! You’re gonna break it!” 

Aja still hasn’t even done anything so it was basically Krel just overthinking, overwhelming, and worrying himself in a matter of 10 seconds or so. Of course, Aja tells him to relax, and even as he does shut up for then, he is looking over her shoulder to make sure she isn’t messing anything up as she uses it. What’s great about this is that Aja’s thought process just as easily could have been shown, but instead Krel’s was. Krel is also the one who doesn’t follow his own wants and needs as easily, he doesn’t give in to his emotions like Aja, and he wasn’t the one who had run away his whole life. He also isn’t the one who outright says how he feels. That’s also why the fact that when he told Aja she wasn’t using it right at all is the annoyance in his voice conveys something--that goes on to be how he often expresses himself in front of others when he feels down or upset about something. 

Moving on, Aja uses the glasses, and finds herself overwhelmed with us, the humans, and the way we think, and she and Krel start talking about that.

Aja: “I mean all they think about is themselves and what others think of them. She’s worried about what he thinks about her, and all he’s thinking about is what that other person is thinking about him. Being human is difficult for everyone, it’s even hard for humans.”

Right after she says this, Krel looks down at the mind reader (which she threw to him and he caught on instinct) for a split second, and then just says, “I never thought about it that way. But you must focus, Aja. Listen. Remember why we’re here.”

When he says that he never thought about it that way, it’s likely that he isn’t only thinking about humans, because they’ve only been there for maybe a day or two. They don’t know anybody personally, nobody has annoyed them to that point, even Krel hasn’t said much bad about the planet...yet. It’s more likely he’s thinking about someone close to him, for instance, Aja. Krel doesn’t have as much empathy for others as Aja, so even though yes she was talking about the humans and their struggles, he is probably thinking about someone more relevant to him. How much does Aja struggle being forced into a certain destiny that she knows isn’t right for her?

Still, he goes on to tell Aja that she has to focus, and remember why they are there--likely the same thing he has been telling himself because while Aja did end up crying and expressing herself at the end of episode 2, Krel hasn’t yet at all really which is something he needs to do. What also might contribute is the fact that Krel, who actually participates in royal activities, has probably heard the line “Smile and wave” (no matter what) more times or has been faced with simply dealing with his sister’s absence multiple times. He is used to bottling up emotions, it’s been taught to him.

After Aja successfully uses the mind reader, Krel goes on to say, “It worked for you? I mean, I’m glad it worked.”

In a way, this line is kind of sad. Tech was Krel’s “thing” for lack of a better word. It was his skill that he had, that Aja wouldn’t be good at, it was his comfort. Once again going back to how we already saw the way their parents acted towards him vs. her. Aja had already been told that she was going to be good at her destiny, she had something going for her. By her being good at tech, it’s in a way taking away the one thing Krel is good at. I did notice this is also kind of how it went with Krel giving Aja the coronation tool. He had that, now he doesn’t. He had tech, now he doesn’t. Of course he still is much, much more superior but now she has tainted his ownership a bit.

Once they notice the extraterrestrial language among them (Stuart), they of course notice him saying their names, and Krel says, “That can’t possibly be good. It must be one of Morando’s agents.”

I really only pointed this out to acknowledge how he immediately jumped to conclusions, the worst conclusion possible actually. Of course with everything going on it’s definitely justified, but the difference when Aja replies is she says, “Only one way to find out.”  

Aja doesn’t say that it definitely is, but she for sure is mindful that it might be. Krel, on the other hand, immediately, not thinks---but knows, it’s bad news. He says “it can’t possibly”. Not only that, it’s the worst--the people who are actually after them. Out of all the galaxies, all the planets, Krel thinks that this one alien they spot is automatically one of the 7, maybe 8 bounty hunters specifically after him. He decided that in 5 seconds too. It’s just once again, Krel quickly--very quickly-- falling into this negative thinking pattern of “something bad is going to happen” like with Aja and the mind reader. 

Jump to where Steve punches Krel for calling him an idiot and an alien. (Poor sweet, sweet, socially clueless child.) Obviously Krel gets punched, he bleeds, and says, “I’m--I’m leaking fluid, what is this? I must be dying. Is this the end?”

Well, first of all, OH NO! NO, KREL! It’s gonna be alright! You’re okay!  

Second of all, Krel said that with true terror, he was serious. This is the third time in this episode that Krel’s quick and negative thinking pattern was represented, only this time was where it was most serious I’d say. Chances are, he felt mostly fine other than a small headache, it was the sight of the blood that set him off, from “leaking fluid” to “dying.” I wouldn’t say he was joking either being that this actually is his first time seeing blood, or at least the first time it just, came out of his nose. It was like a spiral, he was leaking fluid--he didn’t know what it was--he must be dying now, no ifs, ands, or buts. 

Last thing: Aja did indeed break Krel’s mind reader while chasing after Stuart, which he was kind upset about. Poor child.

In conclusion, Krel tends to overwhelm and worry himself when he thinks, ⅔ of those times, he thought it might as well be death because of the simplest clues. A single language? One of Morando’s bounty hunters. He leaks fluid? He’s dying. I’d also like to point out that somewhere in the episode, Vex did point out that they don’t know all of Earth’s languages. What if it simply happened to be any other language but English? Aja did also cry--she leaked fluid which was a known thing at this point. Why is this particular fluid automatically death? He’s not only pessimistic, but this attitude can cause him to panic. Krel was also happiest in his own setting--as he worked on tech alone with music in the background. I’m sure that pops up more as we go, but that was his happiest in this episode. Last but not least, he seems to be frustrated by Aja doing his job, and being good at his skill. It was almost like she was invading him.