For Whom The Bell Tolls (Trollhunters continuation/Evil Jim AU)

18: Days Of Future Past

Jim lingered by the bike rack until the bell rang for the end of class. From his position, he could see Claire and Toby exiting the room, Claire deep in conversation with Aja. Krel on the other hand awkwardly sidled off to his locker, Toby clinging onto Claire and making brief eye contact with the brooding Jim.
Upon seeing this, Jim felt a build-up of rage course through him. The troll within him roared, trying to claw its way to the surface and force Aja away. He had to keep Toby and Aja apart. No matter the cost. He took a moment to consider his options and remembered seeing Krel break away from the group. Perfect, Jim smirked to himself in a cocky way.

He sauntered over the Krel's locker, where the young Akiridion was fiddling with something behind the door.

"So, what brings you to Arcadia then Krel?" Jim adopted a somewhat friendly demeanour, he had no qualms with the kid after all.

Krel's head flew out the locker, his eyes wide with shock, "Wha- when did you show up?! What did you see?! What do you want?!"

"Just making friendly conversation. Noticed you aren't exactly as...sociable...as your sister." Lake shrugged.

"Ay-yi-yi...Aja was always better at making friends than I was. Wait- I don't even know why I'm talking to you? Leave me alone. I said I didn't wanna talk to anyone." Krel's expression changed rapidly from one of sadness to one of anger.

Jim lowered his gaze and grabbed his arm as he went to leave. Krel turned to face Lake to complain but found himself staring deeply into Jim's blue eyes.

"I thought we were just about to go and have a little chat, you said you were happy to spend time with me." Jim's voice was manipulative, his eyes flashing lurid emerald for split second as he stared at Krel.

Krel blinked blankly for a moment and staggered backwards.

"Uhh yeah...we were! Kleb, I'm so sorry for my outburst, I'm really not having a good day." Krel sighed.

Jim hesitated. A mere moment ago, Krel had been dead against the idea of speaking to him, but suddenly changed his mind like it was nothing. I did that?! I think I did that, Jim's head swirled with the potential for this new power. He could use it to make his teachers give him good grades. Use it to make Steve not bully him. Use it to stop Toby and Claire speaking to Aja. But something within him was terrified. This was all new. Healing magic, mind control magic, the ability to see into all other timelines...what next? The power to fly?
His anxiety was soon distracted by hearing a hushed posh voice call a greeting out. His eyes soon fell upon Archie, who was perched atop the school gate. The cat used his head to indicate he wanted the teenager to follow him.

"Are you okay? We were gonna talk?" Krel's voice rang out.

Jim smiled at Krel and quickly muttered,  "Maybe later? Sorry, something came up."

Krel looked downtrodden but waved Jim off and meandered back over to his sister and the crowd that had formed around her. Jim felt annoyed, but clearly if Archie was here, a certain wizard had some (hopefully) good and useful information for him.
He jogged to the gate, slipping out whilst the teachers has their backs turned.

"Archie? What's up?"

"I came to collect you," The familiar hopped down onto Jim's broad shoulders, "Douxie wants to speak with you as a matter of urgency. You don't have any important classes today do you?"

"Nothing I can't catch up on."

"Very well, let's be having you James Lake." Archie mewed into Jim's ear.

They sneaked across town over to the bookstore, where Douxie was sat with his head buried in some ancient looking tome. He looked up and waved Jim over, putting the sign on the door to closed and closing the blinds in the windows.

"This...feels like an interrogation." Jim joked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Douxie didn't speak, he just led Jim into the back of the shop where there was a small makeshift workshop/study area. He threw back a sheet to reveal the two amulets surrounded by piles of paper with notes furiously scrawled all over them.

Douxie flicked through the runes on his bracer and raised a hand, "Tempus iter modus!"

A light zephyr whipped through Jim's hair, followed by ribbons of blue magic swirling around him in ornate patterns. Both amulets began to react to the spell, projecting their histories in front of the two young men and the familiar.

"All of us know how the original Amulet of Daylight was created, its history is clear. I was there, Merlin told you, Archie was there with me. However, your new amulet yields no such story. All I can see is it was forged off-world by non-terrestrial hands and it is linked to Excalibur" The warlock explained in a serious tone, "However, I sense a troubling force from it. Something contained it it and you. I felt it before when we linked, but the troll transformation took over so I couldn't dig any deeper. But both amulets are active now. There's two Trollhunters in Arcadia at the same time and both of you wield unfathomable power."

Jim just blinked in disbelief as he tried to absorb what the wizard was telling him. This was all insane. All of it. But Douxie had a point. He possessed new powers he couldn't really control and Toby was able to wield Daylight without the amulet. It was crazy.

Douxie continued, "But you aren't the Trollhunter anymore. At least in this reality. Toby is and always was meant to be. You're bound to an ancient entity which is granting you...powers...of a kind."

"I...how did you know about them?" Jim shifted awkwardly.

"Wizard senses." The warlock winked and raised his arm again, flicking through the sphere of magic now encapsulating the three of them.

"Wait a fucking minute, you said reality? I've been resetting timelines  Doux, not realities." Lake suddenly snapped.

Douxie shook his head, "That my friend, is where you're all wrong. Sometimes you are resetting timelines, but you've also been crossing over into entirely different dimensions too. Realities where events and people vary from the ones you know, but you are a standout since you have clashing energies. All versions of you exist at once but not separated by the astral plain anymore. You can directly interact with other versions of yourself and they become part of you when you end up in their reality. You have infinite potential. You are one hell of an anomaly, James Lake Junior, and I'm only hoping I can help you."

Something snapped within Jim again. He didn't need Douxie to tell him what to do, he literally had infinite power at his disposal, yet he couldn't give into those demands in his head. Those temptations. Was it him? Was it Dhiren? Whatever it was, he knew soon a day would come when he'd have to decide whether to take that power or not...but now he knew of that, he could easily use it to save Toby...to save them all. A plan began to hatch in the boy's mind...