Angor rowed a boat through a river. He stopped once he got to land. He held a torch in the air, so he could see in the darkness. He started chanting in a foreign language. He picked held up a bird and It flew into a face. "I call you forth!" He said. "Argante. Lady Pale. Baba Yaga. Eldritch Queen."

"I have many names," A woman's voice echoes through the cave.

"I come to trade," Angor said. "Gunmar's war for the surface lands has ravaged my village. I need the power to protect my people."

"You seek magic," she said. "But what do you bring in return?"

He took out his blade and off a piece of stone from his body. "Here," he said. "My offering, carved from my own living stone."

He handed a glowing blue stone into the cave. A hand with long fingernails grabbed it. She clenched her fist and it turned into a ring. Three glowing lights made their way over to Angor and he held out his hand. "Yes!" he said. "I can feel it! It is so..."

It disappeared and he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. More balls of light came out of him and into the ring she was holding. "My soul!" Angor said. "You lied to me!"

"You fool," she said, putting the ring on her finger. "Your flesh is worth nothing."

"What have you done to me? Inside, I am so...so...empty!"

"I gave you what you wanted. Now, your soul is mine! You will seek Merlin's champions and bring death to his Trollhunters!"

***

Jim walked up to Gatto, alone and without his armor. "The Trollhunter," Gatto said. "You have returned, and without your amulet."

"I need to Kairosect," he said.

"The Kairosect? Dangerous magic. After what your friends did to me, why should I let you live?"

"Because this time, I have a riddle for you."

"Really? A riddle? I am the master of riddles. I know them all."

"But you don't know this one."

"Willing to bet your life on it?"

"What do you call cheese that isn't yours?"

"What do you call cheese that is not yours? I've got it! Nacho cheese."

"And it's nacho day, either. Now!"

Nothing happened.

"I said, now!"

Toby, Claire, Blinky, and Aaarrrgghh ran through a portal. Toby had his Warhammer and Claire had her shadow staff. "Master Jim!" Blinky said, throwing the amulet at him.

Jim caught it in his hand. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!"

The armor formed on him. "A trick?" Gatto said. "Come on!"

Toby held Gatto's mouth open with his Warhammer. They all went inside, and Toby removed his Warhammer. "I miss the simpler days of hunting gnomes," Toby said, looking through a pile of gold.

A few of the trolls ran in after them. "Hurry!" Jim said. "Keep looking!"

One troll knocked him back into a pile of gold and a triangular object fell in his hands. "The Kairosect!" Blinky said. "Good work, my chum! Tobias let's evacuate! Poor choice of words."

Toby picked up a burrito that was in his pocket. "Over here! That's right, boys. Your big boss didn't like those tacos last time? Well, this is worse. The Mega Trinidad Scorpion Burrito with spicy our cream and pastrami. If I were you, I might want to skedaddle."

He threw the burrito into the lava lake and the trolls ran out. "Fire in the hole!" Jim said.

They started running away. "Looks like it's nacho Kairosect either," Toby said. "See ya, suckers!"

"That was almost a clean getaway," Jim said as they ran out of Gatto's keep once again.

***

"Interesting." Blinky said, inspecting the Kairosect. "Fascinating. Intriguing."

"So, how exactly does this thing get Strickler's ring off?" Jim asked.

"That is the conundrum," Blinky said. "Perhaps someone should have stolen the instruction manual as well."

He pressed a button and disappeared. "Where did he go?" Toby asked.

"Yes!" Blinky said from on top of a shelf. "Eureka! It works!"

"What work?" Aaarrrgghh asked.

"How did you get up there?" Claire asked.

"The Kairosect enables its bearer to step outside of time," Blinky said. "Affording the opportunity to do this."

He pressed a button and Aaarrrgghh was holding stacks off books, Jim was upside down, and Toby was in an airplane position on top of Claire's feet, who was laying on the ground. "What just happened?" Toby asked. "I feel so violated."

Jim got up. "This is amazing! Do you know what this means?"

Toby and Claire got up. "So, that's how you get a ring off someone without them knowing," Claire said.

"We'd have so much time on our hands!" Toby said.

"I don't have to worry about juggling two lives at once!" Jim said. "I could live all the lives I want!"

"We could travel the world in one day!" Toby said. "We could get PhD's in everything! Finally, learn how to play the bagpipes! Become karate masters! Dude, we'd be Renaissance men!"

"Or," Claire said. "You could pass Uhl's Spanish test unless you want to fail his class."

"Me olvide," Jim said. "I forgot!"

"Powers of this device are limited to three rules," Blinky said. "According to the inscription, if my salacious is correct, the first is that only one person can step outside of time. Secondly, the time-stopping effect lasts for precisely 43 minutes and nine seconds."

"And the third?" Claire asked.

"You can only use it three times. Well! Now, we know the rules!"

"Wait!" Toby said. "You just used that thing, like, twice."

"Well, the first, to test its ability, and the second to demonstrate it to all of you."

"Blink," Jim said. "You wasted our shots! Now, we've only got once chance to get the ring off Strickler!"

"In that case," Blinky said. "I must suggest you assure yourselves of his whereabouts before proceeding."

"And I suggest you study for that Spanish final," Claire told Jim.

***

Jim sat in his room, with his Spanish textbook open and a pen in his hand. Barbara set an omelet on a plate down on his desk. "There's not enough hours in the day, is there, kiddo?" she asked.

"Thanks, mom," he said. "Sorry, I'm cramming for a Spanish exam."

"I was thinking about reaching out to your guidance counselor. He left so abruptly. Alright, night kiddo." She kissed his forehead. "Try to fit some sleep into your busy schedule, okay?"

"Sure, mom."

***

Jim ended up falling asleep on a stack of books. His phone ran and he picked it up with his eyes barely open. "What? It's four in the morning."

"Jim!" Toby said. "Where are you?"

"Sleeping. Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

"Jim, it's 8:30!"

He sat up and looked at the clock. "I slept through my alarm!"

"They're gonna carve that on your tombstone, Jimbo," Toby said. "The test?"

He quickly got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and ran to school. "So late, so late, so late!"

He managed to run into his Spanish classroom to be greeted by Uhl. "Usted es un hombre muerto," he held up the Spanish test. "Mi amigo."

Jim quickly grabbed the test and sat down at his desk next to Toby. "Dude!" Toby said.

"I overslept!"

Jim looked through his backpack and saw the Kairosect. He reached inside and grabbed his pencil. He started working on it and the timer went off. Uhl grabbed his paper. "You're out of time, amigo. Pencils down."

***

"Come on, think positive!" Toby told Jim after class. "You never know, you might have aced the thing."

"I didn't get past the first page."

"But maybe you impressed him so much on that first page because you got good handwriting? Yeah, you're going to summer school. You're definitely going to summer school."

"What am I gonna do, Tobes?"

Claire went over to them. "We got a problem!"

"Great," he said. "Now what?"

"I was thinking last night," she said. "Say, you go through with the trade and Angor's free. How can we trust him?"

"What do you mean?" Toby asked.

"He kills Trollhunters," Claire told him. "I don't think he's looking to retire."

"But I thought if he doesn't get the ring back to Angor..."

"I'm dead meat," Jim said. His phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"An infestation!"

"Bagdwella?" he said. "How did you get my number?"

"Infestation of gnomes in my shop!" she said. "I need the Trollhunter!"

Claire went over to him. "I got it! What if you take the ring and wear it?"

"You're talking about betraying a troll assassin," Jim said.

"No," Toby said. "We're talking about controlling a troll assassin."

"Not assassin, dear!" Bagdwella said. "Gnomes! They're revolting!"

"I know," Jim said. "Gnomes are disgusting."

"No, the other kind of revolting! They've organized to tear apart my shop!"

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked.

Steve walked over to them. "Spring Fling challenge in one hour, butt-munch," he said. "Textbook stacking. As my books go up, you go down."

"The Trollhunter cannot refuse the call!" Bagdwella said.

"I can't!" Jim said.

"What do you mean, you can't?" Toby asked. "You either wear the ring or make the trade."

"I can't stack gnomes!" Jim said.

"Not stacking!" Bagdwella told him. "Catching!"

"Last challenge, Lake!" Steve said.

"Just get the ring!" Claire said.

"No, you have to trade!" Toby said.

"I'm losing my mind!" Jim said, hanging up the phone and running away from everyone.

"What a freak," Steve said.

Toby sighed. "We could've been Renaissance men."

***

Blinky arrived at the coffee shop he was supposed to meet Barbara at. "A thousand apologies," he said.

"Please," she said. "Don't apologize. I really appreciate you taking the time."

"This time, I promise, you have my undivided attention. So, about Master Jim—I mean, Jim, your son."

"Well," she said. "In a way, things have gotten worse, and I didn't even think that was possible."

"Tell me."

"I mean, he just seems so...preoccupied. It's almost like he has this entire secret life that I don't know anything about."

An eye appeared under one of Blinky's human ones and he quickly covered it up. "What is that?" Barbara asked.

"Mosquito."

"Okay...I know that teenagers go through all manner of changes, but what bothers me is that Jim and I have always been close. I mean, I didn't think that we would ever keep secrets from each other."

Blinky looked down and saw a hand had sprouted beneath one of his human arms. "Are you okay?" Barbara asked.

"I-I truly doubt he's keeping anything secret from you."

"Yeah, what do you think is going on with him?"

"Growing pains?"

"Well, it's been more than that."

He now had two troll arms coming out of him. "He's been defiant," Barbara said. "Jim has always been such a good boy."

"Well, perhaps the issue is that he's no longer a man, I mean, becoming a troll!" his troll fangs grew in his mouth and he hid his face behind a menu. "My, what a large salad selection."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Barbara asked.

"I've never felt better." His face turned his usual blue color.

"Mr. Blinky. Your skin. You're turning Blue. Now, I don't mean to alarm you, but I think you're having a heart attack."

He started smoking from being out in the sun. "And are you smoking?"

"Filthy habit. I really must quit. Excuse me." He stood up from his chair, holding the menu against his face. "I-I must use the facilities. I'll just be a moment."

"And you're taking the menu," Barbara said.

"Reading material!"

Blinky ran into the bathroom and locked himself in a stall. "You okay in there, buddy?" Someone outside the stall asked. "You don't sound so good."

A lot of steam and a bright white light came out of the stall. "That's not normal," the man said. "Sounds like you need a doctor, buddy." He ran out of the bathroom. "Yo, is there a doctor here?"

Blinky turned back into a troll and Barbara walked in. "I'm a doctor," she said. "Mr. Blinky, are you okay in there?"

"All of the worst possible times," He mumbled. "I'm fine! Really, nothing to see here."

"Please, unlock the door. I can help you."

Blinky took out his phone and started dialing Jim's number. "Everyone, go away!"

***

"Okay," Jim said. "I gotta ace the Spanish midterm, fix Bagdwella's gnome problem, figure out what book stacking is so I can win Spring Fling!"

"Then, I can be your duke!" Toby said.

"And find the right moment to take Strickler's ring off," Jim said.

"When you get the ring," Claire said. "You're not gonna give it back to Angor, right? You can control him."

"If he doesn't get the ring back to Angor, he's wasted," Toby said.

Jim's phone started ringing. "Not again," he said, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Yeah?"

"Master Jim!" Blinky whispered. "Disaster! I'm reverting to troll form!"

"That's great! Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but not in a public toilet where your mother is beating down the door!"

"Please, please, Mr. Blinky!" Barbara said. "I just want to see that you're alright. I'm a doctor, and I need you to open the door, okay?"

"What?" Jim said. "How?"

"The questions aren't the most pertinent at the moment," he said. "The real quandary is—"

"Could someone please help me open this door?"

Blinky pulled on the door, keeping it shut. "How fast can you get here?" he asked.

"Stay put," Jim said. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

He hung up the phone and looked at Toby and Claire. "Blinky's stuck in Arcadia and he's turning into a troll."

"My shadow staff is at home," Claire said, running across the street. "Tell him I'll be right there!"

Barbara managed to break down the door and saw Blinky. They both screamed and Claire continued running across the street as a truck came by. "Claire!" Toby said. "No!"

Claire stopped as the truck was inches from her face. The truck stopped when Jim pressed the button on the Kairosect. He looked around to see everything around him frozen. "It worked!"

He ran over to Claire and picked her up, laying her down in the grass. "Why did you let me drag you into this?" he asked. "But how could I ever say no to those eyes...Jim, focus!"

He remembered what Blinky said earlier. "The time-stopping effect lasts for precisely 43 minutes and nine seconds. I suggest you assure yourselves of his whereabouts before proceeding."

"43 minutes," Jim said. "Nine seconds. How long do I have?" he took out his phone and set a timer for 42 minutes. He got on his Vespa and rode through the school hallway as fast as he could. "Strickler, where are you?"

He stopped at the book stacking competition. "The Spring Fling challenge!"

One kid had his hand raised in the air. Jim moved him over to Steve and put another person's hand on Steve's butt. "The ring," Jim said, getting back on his Vespa. He drove down the hallway again and went into Strickler's office, only to see that he wasn't there. "You've gotta be kidding me! Where are you, Strickler?"

He saw a planner sitting on his desk and looked through it. "The dentist!"

He got back on his Vespa and stopped in front of Uhl's classroom. "El test!"

He ran inside and took the paper that had his name on it. "I've got time. I've totally got time."

He finished the test and set it on Uhl's test. "Finito!"

He pointed Uhl's pencil toward his forehead. "Adios, Senor Uhl."

He ran out of the classroom and drove down the street on his Vespa over to the dentist's office. "Gotta get to the dentist." He stopped in front of the coffee shop. "Gotta save Blinky!"

He ran into the bathroom and grabbed Barbara. "Excuse me, mother."

He brought her back to her table and took a tablecloth from another table. He ran back into the bathroom and opened the stall door. "Blinky, what have you been eating?"

He wrapped him up in the tablecloth and strapped him onto his Vespa. "Gotta get you out of the sun! I've got time, right?"

He drove down the street and opened the door to Trollmarket. He carried him over to Aaarrrgghh and looked at the timer. "I got plenty of time."

He ran through Trollmarket and almost tripped over a gnome. "The gnomes."

He picked up a gnome and put all of them in a bag. "Now, to get that ring."

He drove to the Dentist's office and ran inside. He saw Strickler laying in the dentist's chair and walked over to him. He slipped the ring off his finger and walked out of the Dentist's office. He looked at the timer. "And with nine minutes to spare. Look at that. Just enough time to decide whether I give him his soul back...or wear the ring and control him."

He slipped the ring on his finger and saw Angor sitting in the sewers, holding the Killstone. "The Killstone! I can get it back!"

He drove down to the sewers and found Angor. He looked at the timer. He only had one minute left. He went over to Angor and waved his hand in front of his face to make sure he was frozen. He tried getting the Killstone out of his fingers, but it was stuck. He managed to pull it out and got onto his Vespa. He saw a drop of water start to fall from the ceiling and onto his Vespa. Angor's eyes started moving as the timer on Jim's phone went off. "No! No, no, no!"

The cars in front of the school started moving and Claire sat up. "He used the Kairosect!"

The kid with his hand raised knocked over Steve's books. "Eli Pepperjack for the win!" Eli said.

Uhl poked himself in the forehead with his pencil and looked at Jim's finished test paper.

Barbara looked around. "Where did he go?"

Blinky took the tablecloth off. "Blinky," Aaarrrgghh said. "You're back. How?"

Bagdwella held the bag of gnomes. "Good gracious!"

Angor looked at Jim and walked over to him. Jim took out the ring and started putting it on his finger. Angor threw a purple ball of light at him, knocking him to the ground. The ring slipped out of his hand and rolled away. "You dare try to control me?" Angor said.

"For the glory of Merlin," Jim said. "Daylight is mine to command!"

The armor formed on him and his sword flew into Angor's hand. "Give me the ring!" he said. He started swinging at Jim with the sword. He ran through the sewer and was about to grab the ring, but Angor swung at him. Jim rolled out of the way and the sword hit the ring. A ball of light came out of it and flew up to Angor. "My soul," he said. The light disappeared right in front of him. "No," he said as Jim started to stand up. "It's...it's gone."

Jim ran over to his Vespa, but it wouldn't start. "I'll kill you!" Angor said. Jim drove his Vespa through the sewers as Angor chased him. He turned a corner and fell off his Vespa. He tried squeezing through some metal bars, but he couldn't fit. The armor disappeared and he managed to get through the bars just as Angor caught up to him. Angor couldn't fit through the bars and Jim ran out of the sewers.

***

"Let's hope he doesn't want this back," Blinky said. "With the ring destroyed, there's no controlling him now."

Draal walked in, holding Jim's Vespa. "I saw no sign of Angor Rot," he said.

"Then, he has evaded us for now," Blinky said. "Be wary. There is no saying when or how he'll strike."

***

Strickler walked out of the dentist's office and walked into his car. He looked at his ringless finger. "The ring!"

Helooked through the rearview mirror and saw Angor running toward him.