Hello everyone! Sorry about the re-upload but I just didn't like some things about this first chapter. There are a few changes so I'd recommend to those who've already read it to re-read it 'cause there are some crucial modifications.

That's pretty all there is to it. I know I haven't been updating actual new chapters since its published date, but I'm planning the whole story on paper so all I'll have to do next is type is down. And I also have 'Venom' to finish but I don't think it should take too much of my time. The next updates shouldn't be too long so keep an eye out.

Enjoy! (once again)

Crickets echoed in the forest as the bright full moon slowly faded away against the paling sky, a new day announcing itself once again.

It had been tough times these last few weeks for the trolls journeying to New Jersey in hopes to find a new home. The days were long and the nights were short and given they could only travel under the cover of darkness, they couldn't move as fast as they'd wished. Every heart longed for a new Heartstone to give them a home, but alas, they were still very far from their destination. Everyone had trusted Merlin to guide them, but unlike this wizard, the trolls weren't powered to live thousands of years and they feared they'd ever make it to this new Troll Market.

And as for Jim, the Trollhunter had taken quite a few blasts off his combat against Gunmar, Angor Rot, and Morgana. He'd been beaten up pretty bad and he needed the Heartstone more than ever. But all those hits and scratches from being thrown whole street-lengths, crushed under a titan troll foot and way more only left Jim a little soared. What was truly eating him was the poison from Angor Rot's blade covered of Creeper Sun's poison that had scratched him enough to draw blood on his cheek. This terrible poison was able to turn any living organism that it touched into stone and as Angor Rot had so well done, it could be imbued into a weapon to dramatically increase is lethality. Unfortunately for him, the venom had entered his system and it would only be a matter of time before he turned into stone like any troll if they'd suffered the same fate. And every single sunrise, the blue stony skin around the wound grew greyer, announcing its process that wouldn't slow down just because they were heroes. No, death didn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints.

Claire wished they were close to their destination, but she knew deep down that Jim might not make it there in time. They would need a miracle if he were to survive turning into stone.

Leaning against a tree while the sun slowly rose, announcing their break-time, Claire watched as her boyfriend checked on his troll friends, making sure they were all okay after a long night's travel like the great leader and protector he was born to be.

''How's it going?'' she asked when he walked up to her, taking her hand in his affectionately.

''Well, you know,'' he said, sighing loudly and overlooking the dense forest ahead of them while the sunrays penetrated through the canopy of the leaves above their heads, giving them shelter against the sun's deadly light. ''Not as good as I wished to be, to be quite fair.''

Claire pictured her life without Jim and she found only emptiness. If Jim didn't survive…

To chase the negativity away, she leaned against her Trollhunter's arm, entwining her fingers with his four ones. She just couldn't bear to lose him, not when they had come so far.

''Claire, will you promise me,'' said Jim, his voice softer than ever as he crouched down to be at his beloved's eye level. ''When I'm gone—''

''No, don't you dare say it, Jim,'' she cut him off, shaking her head sideways in denial of his destiny. After saving troll-kind and defeating two of the most powerful and dangerous creatures living on this planet, he may feel like the greatest part of his job was done, but he was wrong. He had a whole market of trolls looking up to him, counting on him to guide them and protect them. He'd just come too far to leave everyone so early.

''Claire, listen to me,'' continued Jim, hoping he might talk some sense into her.

''There has to be something we can do,'' said Claire, refusing to meet Jim's pleading eyes. She scanned her surroundings, but nothing around her showed the way to the solution. It was still the same exhausted trolls just lying down until sunset. Sniffing with a few tears streaming down her face, she dug into her boyfriend's deep blue eyes. ''I'm not ready to let go. Not yet… There's nothing I wouldn't do to save you.''

''Well there is an option, but it is, let's say, risky,'' stated Merlin, coming to the couple's side unannounced with his arms reached behind his back and every feature relaxed as if it were no big deal. ''I might have been eavesdropping…''

''Why didn't you say anything?'' asked Jim, frowning in confusion for the wizard to have waited so long before revealing his solution to their clearly major problem.

''Well, I was just waiting for you to ask,'' replied the old man, walking right between the two who had parted just in time to allow the wizard to pass. Jim and Claire exchanged a puzzled expression but still going after Merlin, too curious to let it go.

''If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, your plan is the worst idea to ever come to your mind, old man,'' said Blinky, reaching the man's side with a threatening finger pointing up to his face which Merlin lowered carelessly while continuing with his thoughts.

''Well at least I have an idea,'' said Merlin, looking down at Blinky challengingly. ''Unless you have a better one, please, go ahead and tell us. I'm intrigued.''

''Can someone please fill us in? If there's a slight possibility we can save my half-boyfriend, I'd like to hear it,'' interrupted Claire, placing herself between the two. When the troll and wizard had their attention on her, she turned to Merlin, curious of this idea of his. ''We've just defeated two of the evilest of this world. What worst can beat this much terror?''

Blinky and Merlin exchanged a look and the troll finally groaned in defeat, indicating to the wizard that he could go on.

''In order to save our beloved Trollhunter from slowly turning into stone and eventually dying as you are well aware,'' said Merlin, pulling out a piece of paper from his back and presenting it to both Claire and Jim. ''we need the ingredients from this list; the cure to Creeper Sun.''

''But we have all of those ingredients, what are we waiting for?'' asked Claire after checking every note written down.

''Alas, it wasn't written down, but the Heartstone is the last and most important ingredient for this cure and as you may know, it has been destroyed in Troll Market,'' informed Merlin, holding his hands behind his back. ''The closest one to us at this present moment is found at our destination. And as you already know, James will not survive the trip unless he is cured soon.''

Jim dropped his gaze to the ground sadly and Claire placed a gentle hand on his wounded cheek in support.

''So,'' went Claire, trailing her eyes back to the wizard hopelessly. ''what are we gonna do?''

Merlin looked down at her wisely, sighing before glancing to Blinky who stood arms crossed a short distance away, disapproving entirely of this plan. ''I believe we can get a fragment of Heartstone when it was found all around the world,'' he explained, but Claire seemed confused to those words.

''Wait, what are you saying?'' asked Jim, frowning at the old man.

''I'm saying our only option to save James Lake Jr. is to go back in the past when the Heartstone was intact,'' said Merlin, explaining furthermore to the youngsters. ''Our current situation leaves us with no other possibilities to save him. I believe this is our best shot.''

''So you wanna travel back in time before the Eternal Night episode? Wouldn't that change the course of history?'' wondered Claire, trying to find the dangerous catches of this plan.

''I cannot time-travel,'' corrected Merlin, standing straight as he explained. ''But what I can do is make a portal to go so far back in time, the world becomes another dimension. By doing so, our story doesn't change and you have a chance to save James before it is too late.''

Claire turned to Jim who stood behind her and looked up into his eyes. There were no words needed to know what he'd decided. And even if he didn't agree, she'd cross that portal. She refused to stand still and just wait till Jim's hour came and be powerless to the situation. They were doing this, risky or not.

''Okay,'' said Claire, looking up to the most powerful wizard known on Earth. ''Let's do it.''

''Master Jim, Dear Claire, please don't,'' pleaded Blinky, resting a four-fingered hand on the girl's shoulder and another four on the Trollhunter's Daylight armor. ''I couldn't bear losing two Trollhunters.''

''We'll be fine,'' she reassured him, walking up closer to the older troll. ''Besides, if we do nothing, Jim won't have a chance. By doing this, he does.''

''Then so be it,'' said the wizard, nodding firmly. ''I'll wait for you when you're ready.'' And with that, we turned around and headed where there weren't any troll, formulating his spells to create this magical portal.

Jim and Claire stood close to each other, wondering if this was indeed the right initiative to take to change the course of the future for where it aimed right now was not an option. They just hoped taking this risk won't worsen it either.

''Are you sure you wanna do this?'' asked Jim, searching in her big brown eyes for her true answer. ''I can go on my own if you're not up for it, you know.''

''No way,'' denied Claire, cocking her eyebrow confidently. ''Where you go, I go. We're in this together, Jim.''

Jim smiled warmly at his beloved and took her hand, placing it on his graying skin. He closed his eyes at the softness of her skin against his discoloring one, hoping it would give back the life that was fading from him.

''You're gonna be okay, Jim,'' said Claire, reaching a hand behind his head, feeling his hair between her delicate fingers. Even though he was part-troll, his dark brown almost black hair was as soft as it had been before his transformation. Leaning on, she pressed her forehead against his; shutting her eyes and hoping everything would turn out alright.

For Jim's sake.