"Hey Jimbo" Toby greeted

"To.. to.. tobes?" Jim was met with pure shock as he stared at a blood-covered Toby, "this has to be an illusion. It can't be real!" Jim closed his eyes and wiped them, and when he opened them... Toby was gone. "I... I knew it. It can't be Toby. I'm just tired from the fight that's all."

'what's wrong my king?'

'oh Alx please tell me there was nothing here in the room just now?'

'nothing my king, it was only you'

'good because I thought I saw..'

"You saw who?" Another familiar voice whispered from behind Jim and he jolted away from his desk behind him

As Jim turned around, he saw Claire this time. Jim felt relieved "Oh it's just you Claire"

"Yeah, so what's wrong?" Claire asked as she sat on Jim's desk looking at him

'my king...'

"Oh, it's nothing... Wait... How did you get in my house? And didn't Alx just say..." Jim's face went pale from fear, but he couldn't scream

"Oh Jim, what's wrong? Are you scared to see me? Scared to look at me? To look at your past you so happily ran away from? You left us. We thought you'd erase that timeline and build a better one, but no..." Claire got off the desk and his photo of him and Toby fell over and cracked while she walked towards a stunted Jim who was pinned against a wall, "you changed nothing" she got next to Jim's ears and whispered, "you'll destroy us all again"

Jim closed his eyes, "No, please, this isn't real." As Jim forced his eyes open again, he was... In his bed again and it was morning

'was that a dream?'

'was what a dream my king?'

'last night? All that... Did something happen after I went to bed?'

'nothing my king' Alx assured Jim

But Jim was so sure that something had happened that night, but if Alx said nothing happened then it must have only been a nightmare. Jim got up and walked out of the room, and on his desk lay a cracked photo of him and Toby...

At school, Jim was yawning like crazy

"Didn't get enough sleep?"

Jim almost jumped out of his seat as he heard Claire's voice in his ear

"Oh sorry didn't mean to scare you" Claire apologized as Jim held his chest to calm his heart

"It's fine... I was just lost in thought is all"

"You've been thinking a lot lately, is something wrong?"

"No just trying to plan some... Things" Jim laughed nervously

"Ok, but don't overthink yourself"

"I will try not to. Thanks"

Claire turned to her other friends and Jim gave a sad look at her

Class started and school went by mostly without anything out of the ordinary except for Steve and Eli who were not so silently trying to follow Jim, but Jim did want to stop they're fun little spy games they were playing.

Jim had his covert operation he had to do. He knew the location of the first prism, but first, he needed a little 'liability' he could use against Angor to get what he needed.

The ring with Angor's soul was a great bargaining chip he could use, but first, he had to 'acquire' it from the last person he saw it with last time... Strickler.

As night came by Jim heard his mother pull out of the drive to go work a shift at the hospital. Toby had called Jim to also invite him to a mission with Draal and Blinky, but Jim had to decline and said he felt sick. Jim got on his new fixed bike and booked it to the first possible location he could find Strickler at, the school. Jim had no need to transform, yet, so he just rode to school in human form and got evaded the security guards of the school. As Jim came near Strickler's office window, he saw the light was on, and the blinds were slightly drawn down. Jim peaked in and saw Strickler sitting and talking to another person. Upon further look, Jim noticed that it was not just one person, but two, and they were not people; it was two changelings from the Jenus Order.

"So Stricklander, you which to leave the order?"

"Yes, and I'm willing to leave you be and won't interfere in anything you wish to do, as long as it doesn't interfere with me and my people "

"Your people? We are your people!"

"Not anymore. And I would appreciate it if no harm came to them whatsoever, or you will never be able to complete your precious bridge "

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a deal. So do you take it or leave it?"

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, "we'll think about it." The two people stood up and walked out of the office, and after a few seconds, Strickler got up and opened his briefcase. In this case, he removed a picture, one that Jim could recognize instantly. It was a picture his mother, strickler, and him, he had taken a few days back. "I'll soon be free, then we can start something real," Strickler smiled as he looked at the picture and placed it back in the suitcase. He took out a few things from his desk and then he walked out of the door with the case. Jim took the opportunity to try and open the window as soon as the light went out. Luckily for Jim, Stickler forgot to lock his window. Jim opened the window and quickly climbed in. He inspected the desk and found nothing, but just as he was about to give up, he saw that Strickler had forgotten his pen. Jim quickly picked it up and looked for the keyhole on the bookshelf. Jim opened the secret lab of Strickler and found that most of his things were packed in a box. Strickler really was planning on quitting the Jenus Order, and it made Jim feel kind of happy for him.

Jim looked around for the ring but couldn't find it, but then his phone started to ring, but just then the security guard came by and heard the ringing. So Jim quickly closed the secret lab and dived through the window, just before the guard came in.

The guard scanned the area and locked the window with Jim just below it, hiding.

Toby sent Jim a text

'Sorry Jimbo for bothering you whole your sick, but we really need manpower here!'

Jim quickly jumped on his bike and rode to the museum where Toby said they were going. Jim could only imagine what trouble Toby got into. Maybe he ran into Namora, the Liberian changeling, or even Bular himself...

Jim came skidding behind the museum and quickly transformed and found an entry point into the museum. Jim jumped through a window just to see his best friend be held at blade point by a tall pink troll and Draal and Arggg was fighting three gum-gums. Blinky was knocked out.

Jim wasted no time a quickly grabbed a shield from one of the exhibits and threw it at the changeling

"Who threw that?!" She grunted and as she was hit away with the shield

Toby was released from her grip as she was hit, Toby quickly drew his sword again and assumed a battle stance

"Guardian?" Toby asked, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I... Ugh... I'm here on a mission of my own and saw you in trouble"

"Thanks for helping me" Toby thanked him and got ready for an attack

"Guardian. So you're the one that Bular keeps talking about? I heard your a thorn in his flesh. And I will personally pluck you out!" She said as she stormed towards Jim and Toby.

Toby rolled out of the way while Jim evaded the slashes coming from her. She was always a good fighter, even in the old timeline, but this was a new timeline, and Jim was faster and more experienced now. Jim evaded all her advances and quickly grabbed her one wrist and flung her away through another door. Before she could recover, Toby came down with daylight, but she managed to roll out of the way as Toby crashed down. However, Jim had anticipated her movement, and as she rolled, Jim tackled her to the ground. She managed to kick Jim off her and, just in time, to block Toby's blade and kick him away.

"You pests..." Just then, a gum-gums came flying right into her, knocking her over.

"That's the last one" Draal came in carrying a semi-conscious Blinky.

"Now we deal with the pink lady" Arggg smashed his hands together

"We still need to find out where's the bridge they were building here" Toby pointed his blade a Namora

"What bridge?"

"Don't play, dumb, the Killahead bridge!" Draal snapped as he growled at Namora

"I don't know what you're talking about sweetheart" Namora tried to back up but hit against a wall with everyone surrounding her

"We can question her a trollmarket, knock her out, " Draal said

"With pleasure" Arggg got ready to punch, but just then blade landed between everyone

"You won't have her just yet!" A voice echoed as in the hall.

"Who's there?" Toby asked. Jim looked at the sword and upon closer inspection, he realized it was...

"No! Everyone take cover!" Jim yelled out

Everyone was still a little confused when suddenly a dozen of shards started to shoot out of the shadows and Jim pulled the blade from the ground between them. It was Bular's blade, and the shards were from Arthur. Everyone ran for cover as soon as the shards started to fly.

"I see you're still alive, boy. That's good because I did promise to kill you myself didn't I"

"Yeah I'm still kicking and soon I'll be kicking your butt" Jim rushed towards the place the voice came from but as he entered another room he was met with silence and no one there, then the door shut behind him

"Don't worry; I believe Bular and his companion can handle your little friends." Arthur emerged from the shadow. "I wanted to 'incapacitate' you again like we did yesterday" Arthur chuckled

"Me incapacitated? As far as I can see, I'm perfectly good as of now"

"I'd beg to differ. I've been watching you during your fight with that thing outside. You were moving slower, more like your... In pain"

Jim grinded his teeth in anger

"But don't worry I won't kill you. At least not today, but soon very soon, I'll be given the right to kill you"

" Haha, look at who's a good little doggie for his Masters"

"I'm no mutt!" Arthur angrily grunted through his mask

"Oh did I hit a nerve?"

"We will see who's the dog after I slice your arms off. I might not get to kill you yet but maiming was not off the table"

Jim could not see Arthur's face but he could practically feel a sinister grin coming off of him

Arthur shot out a few shadow mephits as he kept into the air. Jim sliced two mephits just before he rolled away out of Arthur's strike. Jim punched the remaining mephits and picked up the desk and threw it in Arthur's face. Arthur sliced the desk, but just then Jim came in slicing with Bular's blade, and Arthur managed to avoid all the slices. Arthur was right about Jim moving slower due to pain but that didn't stop Jim.

Just before Jim could slash another attack Arthur kicked Jim into the wall.

Jim quickly rolled into a fighting position but Arthur was gone, he blended into the shadows

"Hiding are we? That's very warrior-like, would you say, Arthur? Just like trying to kill a young little teenager"

Just then, a blade popped out of the wall's shadow and nearly missed Jim's face. Arthur came out swinging Excalibur, and Jim kept blocking and evading.

The two blades clashed and the two warriors stared each other in the face as pure hate emanated from both their eyes of their masks...

To be continued

Next chapter TBA