The Shadow's Bane

The Last Sunrise

Jim's POV:

Toothless was back! I couldn't be happier for Hiccup as I flew with him on Toothless over Berk and down to what I soon recognised as the docks where all their ships were standing afloat.

I remember my life before I first found the amulet with Toby in the canals. If none of that had ever happened, I could have had a normal future with Claire, train to be a master chef or even an actor considering our performance of Romeo and Juliet.

But that life is gone now. Merlin had been right. It had been gone the moment I had picked that amulet up.

"I thought you said I had a choice," I remembered him saying just as we flew over Berk's cliff to their docking station.

"Not a choice whether to fight, but how to fight," Merlin had said.

"Jim?" Hiccup asked me as Toothless began descending to the gangway. I blinked myself out of my reverie just as we landed.

"Yeah. Sorry. I was just... caught up in a thought," I said.

"The sun is about to rise," he resumed. "I thought maybe you might want to see it from here where you won't be able to get burnt."

At his words, I turned behind me to see that he was right. As there in the distance, slowly began the sun's ascent. Something I thought I would never see again ever since I had my last chance of being human a month ago.

I will admit, my eyes did tear up a bit from being in the dark for so long. But because I had changed only recently, it didn't take long to adjust. "Wow!" I said. Just then Claire jumped off Stormfly and took my hand in hers next to me. "What I can possibly call the Last Sunrise. I never thought..."

"Are you ready, Jim?" She asked me. "Hey. The Mark is gone!" She added to my surprise.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Jim. But because I'm a girl and we girls know better, I must say, while that Mark didn't look too bad on you, I'm glad to have you back still."

Then from in front of us, an annoyed but sarcastic voice said, "I definitely liked the more flying part." If there was anything about Toby, he would never change. Which I think he knows too. "Because I'm not a fan of Claire's portals. Sorry, but not sorry."

"Okay. I think it's time to go," I said.

"Yeah. Me too. Not that I don't like Berk. But I also miss Arcadia and Darci," Toby added. Which was when I turned back to Hiccup.

"I guess this is goodbye again," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Goodbye... for now?" Hiccup asked.

Then with one last smile, I took my hand off his shoulder just as Claire prepared a portal behind us. "I'm not usually good with this," I said. "I must say it's like leaving my mom and Toby all over again."

"But if you ever need anything or any help at all, you know who to call," Hiccup said, trying his best to lighten up the mood which I appreciated.

"Same goes for you, Hiccup," I said.

Then we went through the portal without looking back.

🔵🔴🔵

I must say that I think I knew what we were all thinking once we came out the portal on the other side back in Arcadia because none of us talked as we walked from the bridge to my house while the sun hadn't come up yet.

Having learned my lesson this time, I came along with Toby and Claire. And when we reached my house I didn't even have to touch the doorknob when it opened just like that to reveal my mom standing there before us. Almost as if she had seen us coming up to the house which she probably had.

"Jim?" She asked.

I smiled. "Hey mom," I said. "I'm home."

She didn't hesitate to wrap me up in a hug after that. Knowing her, no matter what I would always be her son.

Then we let go and followed her into the garage where Merlin, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! had now made their designated places.

"Oh is that Maces and Talons?" Toby asked excitedly when he saw them playing it to pass time.

"And Metal Face returns," Merlin said before noticing me.

"Just like our Trollhunter." Behind us, we turned to see Strickler in his troll form come walking up to us next to my mom. Smiling and pleased.

"I will always return," I said. Then, "The Darkness is gone. Hiccup is back in Berk. We can finally be at peace for once..."

It was Blinky's nervous laugh that made my words falter. "Oh, don't you know, Master Jim? Nothing is ever over for our Trollhunter."

Then before AAARRRGGHH!!! could throw the dice he said in his deep voice, "Hunters."

"Indeed," Merlin agreed.

"I just have one question," I said, turning to Merlin. "Why the big gap in time between Hiccup and I? I mean, if I didn't know any better then I would say that Berk looks nothing like Arcadia."

But Merlin only smiled. Something that I hadn't seen him do for a while. 
"All to keep you and Hiccup safe, James. To prevent you two from crossing into each others lives, you both needed to be placed not only in a different town, but a different period of time as well. That, plus you both had your own stories to take place before you could ever find each other. Your ages are another error caused by this time gap. I'm not exactly sure how or why. I just know that it is," he explained. "Do you understand, Jim?"

"I think so," I said. Still not really sure about what he meant by our ages.

"Jim?" My mom asked. "What is it, hon?"

"Nothing," I said, forcing a smile even though what I said was true. Nothing was wrong. In fact, if anything, I hadn't felt this good in a long time. "Sorry. There's just something I must do before we leave to go back to Trollmarket."

Then before anyone could stop me I walked out the garage and made my way upstairs where I stopped before my bedroom door. Everything still in place when I took a glance inside. Nothing had changed. There was my bed, waiting for me to sit on it with my desk and window next to it. The window that I had sneaked out of all those times back when my mom was still oblivious to who I was.

I smiled. Then walked passed my bedroom to the bathroom where the last time I had been in here was when I had made the choice to become the troll that I am today. This time, I walked inside and only stopped till I came to the mirror above the sink.

I looked into it. Only slightly dissapointed to see a troll staring back at me and not... me. "Not troll," I said. Staring at myself as I spoke. "Trollhunter. I am the Trollhunter and this is me. Right here. Right now."

Then before I could leave, if I didn't know any better, then I would have said that something red flickered in my eyes for a second in my reflection. Making me turn back in fright. "What the...?" I asked. Because then my eyes were red which made me worry because that could only mean one thing. What was going on?

"Oh James," my reflection suddenly said, giving me the fright of my life and make my supposed to be blue eyes widen. "Yes, you may have killed me. But that silly sword won't get rid of me forever. You more than anyone should know that by now. I'm inside you. And always be. I am what has kept you alive ever since the Deep," my reflection said. I didn't know what to do. I was at a loss for words, if anything.

And as if things couldn't get any worse, his face suddenly cracked into that evil grin again, which sent chills up my spine.

"Better luck next time, Trollhunter," it said.

To Be Continued In
The Hero's Curse