A Normal Mission

Epilogue

Barbara wept openly when Jim told her.
Her face went from confusion to shock before crumbling into devastation. She flung herself into Jim's arms, sobbing into his shoulder as he numbly patted her back. The shock of it all was heavy in his throat, making him unable to give any words of console. The Trollhunter squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears roll down his cheeks and he took a shaky gulp of air. Some part of him wanted to open his eyes and wake up from this nightmare. Regardless, the reality couldn't be escaped with his mother shuddering in his arms, raked by sobs until her voice was hoarse.

Somewhere beneath the earth, hidden in the rubble, Strickler longed to see his children as his glowing eyes became dim and his body went limp. However, his flesh remained, not sparking like other changelings when they died. Death wasn't his punishment for trying to take the knowledge: entombment was.