Strickler counted the many boxes that filled the room in the museum. He checked them off one by one on his clipboard. Everything needed to be perfect. If so much as half a piece was missing, it would be disastrous. He heard a low growl and a large creature shuffling behind him. He did not need to turn around to know who it was. Bular had been growing more and more restless the closer the rebuilding of the bridge came and Strickler would not admit it but he was fearful that Bular's bloodlust would be taken out on him or one of his fellow changelings before Gunmar could return. He was the chosen guardian of Alexandra. He could not afford to be Bular's late night snack. He breathed deeply calming himself as he continued to check off on his sheet.

"We build it here?" Bular questioned in exasperation getting in Walt's face. "Right under their noses? Are you a fool?"

Walt checked off an item in annoyance before turning and saying in a honey sweet voice,

"Haven't you ever heard that the best hiding place is in plain sigh-"

He couldn't finish the thought because of Bular's claws being suddenly wrapped around his throat. Walt choked and gagged as his windpipe strained under the pressure. No...not now. There was so much to be done. Bular truly was growing impatient.

"Don't patronize me...impure." Bular hissed in his face squeezing tighter.

"We want the same thing, Bular. I know you don't like waiting, but it has taken time for the changelings to acquire the remaining pieces." Walter pleaded as he struggled with the claw around his throat.

With an irritated roar Bular shoved Strickler to the side. Anger burned inside Strickler's chest as he adjusted his collar and his eyes glowed red. Someday, he and his changeling brethren would be respected. He just had to be patient as Bular threw him around like a dog with his chew toy.

Bular grunted loudly as he ripped the top off one of the boxes and pulled out a bridge piece.

"My father has waited centuries. The Age of Gunmar is at hand."

Strickler remained silent watching Bular from the backround.

"Your charge, she is healthy?" Bular demanded from where he stood not turning around.

Walt blinked in surprise, Bular rarely took an interest in the affairs of changelings including his guardianship of Alexandra.

"Yes, she is quite healthy. Stronger than most youth her age I would wager." Walt conceded watching Bular carefully.

"As would be expected." Bular nodded continuing to wander in front of him and inspect the boxes.

Walt wondered what brought this conversation.

"Where will she be when my father comes to the surface lands?" Bular questioned.

Walt swallowed before saying,

"I was hoping to have Otto guard her at the apartment when that happens. So that she is out of the way and safe as we take control of the surface lands and then when we need her to bring her out after the initial battle."

"She is not yet of age is she?" Bular grunted turning to look at him.

"No." Walter answered. "But soon."

"Nomura said it is her sixteenth year." Bular mentioned as he walked slowly toward Strickler. "You know what this means."

Strickler nodded before growling,

"Of course I do. There are no magical artifacts in the house save for my changeling key which is disguised as a pen. My office serves as my meeting place with the Janus order and the apartment remains completely ordinary. There is no chance for her to come into contact with a magical relic anytime soon."

"Good. All must be revealed to her at the proper moment for her to useful to our cause. It would be a shame if something were to go wrong...a waste of a valuable resource wouldn't you say?" Bular smirked watching Strickler for any weakness.

Strickler regarded Bular with cool indifference.

"We have taken every precaution to keep Alexandra from discovering what she is until the proper moment. There is no need to be concerned with it, your father and the Pale lady will not be disappointed."

It was finally the weekend. Nomura was going to show me the joys of pottery and being a curator.

"Can't wait." I muttered sarcastically to myself as I pulled my hair into a high pony tail.

As I packed my gym clothes, I ran over the plan in my head. Ask Nomura if I can use the restroom and use time to search for bridge. As I shoved my clothes in my gym bag, I paused. Why did I care so much about this? Nomura was being kind enough to let me see what she does for a living, and I'm going to be taking advantage of her so I can look for a bridge. Part of me berated my selfishness while another burned with curiosity to know what this bridge thing was all about. I headed out of my room and into the kitchen to grab an apple. My dad sat at the table with his morning cup of coffee and his newspaper.

"Alright, dad. I'm heading to the museum to see Nomura. I'll be back tonight after training, ok?" I said as I laced my sneakers.

"Be safe. Text me when you get there." My father said turning to look at me.

"Alright. I will. Love you!" I shouted as I ran out the door.

I jogged to the museum and smiled as I took in the warm California weather. It was nice but there were times when I missed seasons. Although today I was grateful as the good weather meant I made it to the museum in decent time.

As I sprinted up the steps, I texted my father that I had arrived. I tried the doors and they were surprisingly unlocked, so I let myself in. The museum was dark and my footsteps echoed around me in an unsettling fashion. I gazed around before calling,

"Nomura?"

It echoed around me but there was no response.

I quickly shot her a text letting her know I was here before walking down the hall. The shadows bounced off the walls and the chinese dragon statues towered over me on both sides. It made me uneasy. As I continued to walk, I pulled up the camera app on my phone.

"Let's make sure you're working good for me today."

I turned and took a picture of the statue closest to me. The flash blinded me as it lit up the statue and the room around me as it snapped a photo. I blinked and quickly turned the flash off, remembering the signs that banned flash photography. I sighed as I checked for a text from Nomura and continued walking down the hall. Nothing. I was about to call her when a strange growl echoed off the walls around me and I froze. I turned to see one of the statues moving...the one I had just taken a photo of in fact. The logical side of my brain told me that I was being paranoid and that it was a trick of the shadows around me, the louder side of my brain told me to run for it. Without another second of hesitation, I bolted for the nearest exit. As I rushed through the doors, I bumped into something.

"Oooof!" I grunted as I ran full force into it and fell back onto the ground.

"What the-you're not supposed to be in here? Who are you?" A voice reprimanded.

I looked up to see a very disgruntled security guard.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was looking for Miss Nomura. She told me I could shadow her today. She's a friend of mine and I've been looking for her. Have you seen her?"

"I'm really supposed to believe that? After you've just broken into here?"

My jaw dropped.

"Broke in? Buddy, all I did was walk through the front doors. I promise, breaking in was not my intention. If you could just get a hold of Miss Nomura she can explain everything."

"Right, I'm really supposed to believe tha-"

"There you are, Alex." Nomura's voice sounded from behind the man.

The security guard turned to look at Nomura before squinting at me then back at her.

"You've been expecting this kid, Miss Nomura?" The guard questioned.

"Yes, she's going to shadow me. I'm sure this won't be a problem?" Nomura stated cordially although there was a frosty glint in her eyes.

I got to my feet and brushed the dust off my clothing.

"No, not at all. Just making sure everything was alright. Sorry about that miss." The security guard said tipping the brim of his hat at me before going into the hall filled with statues.

I was about to warn him not to go in there because of what I'd seen when I decided to just shut my mouth, knowing I'd sound mental.

I turned to look at Nomura but she was already walking the other direction and I ran to keep up.

We entered a small room in the corner of the museum.

She shoved a face mask and a pair of plastic gloves into my arms.

"Put these on. Some of these artifacts are thousands of years old. I don't need you ruining them."

I rolled my eyes. Classic Nomura, all about being warm and fuzzy. I put the mask and gloves on before walking over to where she stood.

"Let's start with renaissance era pottery. Feel free to take notes." She said before diving into a long and extraordinarily boring lecture about pottery. To her credit, she was very knowledgeable on the subject but the desire to look for the bridge was nagging.

"Am I ever going to see any of these pieces you keep talking about?" I complained.

"Play your cards right and you might." She said dismissively.

"Ok, well before we go further into this enlightening conversation, may I use the restroom?"

"I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not but you've behaved well so far. Go, ten minutes. Any longer and I'm coming to get you." Nomura growled giving me the stink eye.

"Ten minutes! Got it! I'll be back in a jiffy." I said as I ran from the room.

I gasped in a breath as I pulled the mask off and threw my gloves away. Ok...If I was a museum where would I put a bridge? I set my timer for ten minutes, and ran all along the top floor and saw nothing. The bottom floor was alot of the same. I was confused. I walked along the bottom floor searching for any sign of a bridge. That's when I paused. I had never heard of a museum having a bridge exhibit. They wouldn't just have a full bridge would they? Pieces maybe? This search just got so much harder. I face palmed myself. It would be in storage if anything. I just wasted eight minutes running around the museum looking like a lunatic, for what? A bridge.

"I should just go back to Nomura." I sighed as I went to lean against a wall to catch my breath...except it wasn't a wall. It was just a white sheet. I fell through it with a gasp and was able to catch myself before falling on my face. In front of me lay, stacks of boxes and scaffolding. Was this...

"Jackpot." I murmured as I started to walk through. I pulled out my phone and headed towards the stack of boxes as I read the shipping label.

"Berlin...that's where Otto is. Otto doesn't work in a museum though...Otto works...well, who knows what Otto does." I muttered as I snapped a picture of it. Otto was a fairly mysterious guy. I remembered staying with him for a couple weeks when I was little and being determined that he was a secret agent because he has a coat like inspector gadget. I looked to my left and saw a box with the lid partially torn off. I felt drawn to it and knelt down beside it. I glanced inside and took a photo. It was a strange looking block. It was made of old stone and had dark blue lines on the side of it. I wanted to touch it...I felt drawn to touch it...I reached towards it and felt a strange tingling up my arm and through my spine as I nearly made contact when suddenly my phone vibrated violently in my hand. My eyes widened, oh no. Nomura was gonna kill me.

I sprinted out of there and back into the room where Nomura waited leaning casually against the wall.

"You're thirty seconds late."

"You were counting?" I questioned breathlessly in disbelief.

"Obviously, you weren't keeping track of it." Nomura rebuked before she walked closer. "Where were you?"

"Ummm-what do you mean?" I asked feeling my palms begin to sweat.

"I mean, where did you go when I gave you permission to use the restroom?" She interrogated as she circled around me. I swear, she relishes in my discomfort.

"You think I don't know? You lied so you could do something else. You clearly don't care about pottery so where were you?"

She leaned in closer.

"I won't ask again."

My shoulders slumped as I thought of a convenient lie.

"I'm sorry, Nomura. I'm having a hard time keeping track of all these different kinds of potteries and where they are from and what not. I guess I just don't love pottery as much as you. I felt bad for wasting your time so I went upstairs to the renaissance exhibit to see if they had any pottery on display. I wanted to impress you with some pottery knowledge but I couldn't find anything. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I'm sorry for wandering off and wasting your time. I didn't mean to."

She regarded me for a moment and said,

"That's alright. I knew you weren't really paying attention to the pottery lesson anyways, though I appreciate your attempt to find out more even if it was behind my back."

"So...you're not mad at me?"

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself. I didn't appreciate you gallivanting around the museum without my permission, but I suppose you'll get the hint in sparring tonight."

I grimaced. I was going to be sore tonight.

"Pottery isn't all I work with you know. Sometimes, we get beauties such as these." Nomura reached into a box and pulled out an old, traditional Japanese katana.

"AWESOME!" I exclaimed walking closer.

Nomura puffed with pride upon hearing the excitement in my voice.

"Indeed, this sword in particularly is from the Kamakurra period."

After Nomura showed me some of the more exciting things she deals with, she kicked my butt in training that night. I groaned as I rotated my shoulder. She had gotten me in an arm lock and for a moment I thought she was going to break it as atonement for my sins against her and her holy museum. I opened the door to the apartment and dropped my bag on the ground before collapsing on the couch face first. My father was in the kitchen cooking.

"How was training today?" He asked in amusement.

I just groaned into the cushion.

"That well, huh?"

"I think my arm is out of commission for a while." I said as I sat up wincing as I held it.

"Let me see." My father stated as he sat beside me and looked at it. He moved it a certain way and tears came to my eyes and I gasped in pain. My fathers eyes filled with concern.

"It's a sprain. A bad one, but a sprain no less. You should be fine in a couple weeks if you limit your movement."

"Try telling Nomura that." I said as my father got up and made a arm brace for me.

"I'll tell Nomura to go light on your training for the next couple weeks." He said as he finished tying it behind my neck.

"There. That should hold for a bit. Now come eat some dinner and tell me about your day."

As I ate the pasta my father had made I recounted the day to him. I became especially animated when talking about the swords Nomura had shown me.

"So I'm assuming the weapons were more interesting to you then the pottery?" My father asked innocently.

"You think? They were so cool. Though, I personally think the katanas would be easier to wield then the european broadswords. They look so heavy. You'd practically have to be a muscle builder to wield it effectively."

"Not to mention armor." My father added.

"Yeah, though having a sword and armor would be so cool. Does Nomura know how to fight with a sword?"

"What makes you ask that?" My father questioned sipping some of his wine.

"She just took so much more pride in the katanas than the broadswords. The way she held them was so natural. I mean, sure that could be the fact that she's from Japan and that it's her culture and all but still. It wouldn't shock me if she can."

"You'd be correct."

My eyes widened.

"What?! Really?!"

"Yes, though she actually prefers two khopeshs."

I bit my lip in thought for a minute before asking,

"Dad? Do you know how to use a sword?"

He smiled before nodding,

"Yes, I am efficient with a European broadsword."

"Holy guacamole. I knew you could fence but you can wield a sword?! Like, a big one? That's so freaking cool!"

My father seemed to preen at my praise and told me more about swords and dueling.

"Could you-I know it's impractical..." I started.

My father gazed at me his eyes shining with interest.

"Go on."

"Could you teach me how to use a sword? I think it'd be so cool...plus with my arm being injured maybe you could teach me the rules and such before actually going into it."

"You're interested in the strategy of it as well?" He questioned getting up to search through his book case.

"Yeah, absolutely. To be honest, my favorite parts about your class is the strategies of the wars. I almost feel as though battles are fought and won long before the armies ever meet."

He took out a book and came over and ruffled my hair.

"That's my girl."

He went to the couch and motioned for me to follow.

I sat beside him.

"I believe this would be a good thing for you to read." He stated setting the book in hands.

"Sun Tzu: The Art of War." I read aloud.

"It's not the original version, it's been written in more basic terms for students to understand it but I haven't used it in a while and it's yours if you so wish."

"Yes. Thank you. It's wonderful." I said appreciatively.

"Read this for a few weeks as your training is on hold. I want you to read chapters one through five. I'll have questions for you afterwards and we'll see about training you in swordplay."

"I'll go get started!" I exclaimed before rushing to my room.

After an hour of reading, I took a break. I played a mindless game on my phone before going to my photo album and analyzing the pictures I took of what very well could be the bridge I'd heard about. I zoomed in on the label. Berlin, Germany. Otto Scaarbach. So Otto was involved in this, but how? And Why? I jotted my findings in my diary.

I then looked at the picture of the stone I'd found in the box. It seemed to call to me even through the photo. Why, I was unsure. Then I flipped back to the photo I'd taken of the statues. I went to delete it when I noticed something strange about it. I zoomed in and my heart leapt into my throat. Barely noticeable beside top of the statue lay two red eyes. The mouth was pulled back in a snarl and it had devilish horns. I walked away from my phone and paced my room before eventually observing it again. It was blurry from movement but it was there. It couldn't just be a trick of the light and the statue...could it? What had I just caught on camera?