When Jim got the third stone from his mother, he stood, staring at it for a moment, before he showed it to Vendel. Angor had given him the second, but now…

“The third stone…” Vendel shook his head. “Come, Trollhunter, we have little time. You will have to cut the stone yourself.”

Jim nodded and looked at the others, before he followed Vendel into the workshop.

“Do you think I have a chance?” he asked the ancient troll as he carefully followed the facets of the gem.

“We all have a chance,” Vendel said. “But with your new friends… yours are better than most.”

“Yeah,” Jim said. He paused. “But what happens if we kill Gunnmar? What does the Trollhunter do?”

“Were you not thinking of pushing those duties off on Angor Rot?”

“I… I don’t know.” Jim shook his head. “I mean, the whole fighting to the death thing, but the Amulet choose me.”

“Yes. It chose you.” Vendel tilted his head. “And there are no lack of trolls who are as good—better than you are—when it comes to fighting. Draal the Deadly, for example. And yet, you are no Unkar the Unfortunate.” Vendel chuckled. “So, perhaps the Amulet did not choose you solely to fight… Now, we have little time. Cut along that facet there…”

When Jim came out, he held the Amulet. Looking at the gathered group, he held it up.

“For the Doom of Gunmar, Eclipse is Mine to Command!” he called out. The armor swirled around him, but this armor was dark, shot through with reddish highlights. The sword had also changed, giving him a darker, more ominous look.

“Are we ready?” Captain America asked.

Jim nodded. Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner were working with the fetch, held securely in its housing. Tony gave Captain America a thumbs-up.

“Good,” Tony said. “Sensors on the other side show that nobody is near the bridge. Evidently, Gunmar wants us to walk to him. Claire, you can keep your fix on the fetch, so you don’t have to wait for the Bridge.”

“Right.” Captain America looked around. “Remember, we’re walking into his territory. He’s run this place for centuries and that means he knows everything about it. He’s going to try to trap us, either before or after we get to him. Don’t hold back, and focus on the mission. Once we get Enrique back, we can deal with Gunmar.” He glanced down at Claire. “Once you get your brother, don’t wait for any of us. Portal back to the fetch, portal through it, and stand by if we need an evac from you instead of just moving back to the bridge. Watch out for his sword—according to legends, he needs time to use its power, but I wouldn’t put it past him to have concealed its full powers.” He looked at those who were staying behind. “Remember, there may be action on this side of the bridge.”

Toby gulped and gripped his hammer, as Arrrggghhh and Blinky stood by him. Thor smiled and nodded to Captain America. “And we will keep this side safe.”

“Mama, Papi…” Claire softly said. “I’m going to get him back. I’ll bring Enrique back.”

“I know,” Javier said. “And make certain to bring yourself back.”

“I will—” Claire’s voice cut off as her parents hugged her.

Jim looked over at Barbara. “Mom…”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes, with Enrique,” Barbara said. “Jim… I love you…and I’ve never been prouder.”

Jim didn’t trust himself to say anything, just nodded. He joined Claire, standing between Captain America and Iron Man. Claire touched the stud on her armor, the helmet forming over her head, while Iron Man closed his own helmet. Next to him, Dr. Banner stood at ease, as if there was nothing scary about wandering into troll hell.

Given who lived in his head, Jim could see why. He walked forward, pressing the amulet into the bridge keystone. Moments later, the bridge started to glow, a portal opening in it.

Jim took a deep breath, looking at Captain America.

Captain America looked back at him and nodded. “Everyone comes back,” he said.

Right. Everyone.

And with that, the five strode into the Darklands. A few seconds later, the bridge shivered, and then stopped glowing, the amulet of daylight falling into Blinky’s hands.

“And now, we wait,” Blinky said.