The Huntik team was sitting in the training room, participating remotely in a Huntik Foundation Council meeting.

"There are only two days left until the battle with the Death Spiral" one of the council members said.

"Yesterday, we discussed the division of forces. The organization agreed to help us, the Casterwills. This automatically makes them allies of the Huntik Foundation as well. Sophie, I'm sending you the plan" said Teien.

The leader of the Casterwills clicked a button on her Cypherdex and examined the visualization of the terrain and the people moving on it. The others gathered around to take a look.

"Interesting" Lok commented briefly.

The Secret Library of the Casterwills, Belgium

The team returned to the hidden library of the Casterwills. They needed to find information about the Staff of Destiny. Sophie, accompanied by her friends, was the only one poring over the books.

"It's strange they didn't mention your mom at the meeting" Malia said.

"Maybe they don't know anything" Den suggested.

The Lamberts exchanged glances. Cathy shook her head. "It's our mom and our family matter. We shouldn't involve the others" she stated. She looked at the Lunar and Solar amulets. She wondered how her mother managed to give them to her, as well as write a letter. She hoped she would find out soon.

"She's also a member of the Foundation, so it should be in their interest" Lyssa continued.

"She's not as important to them as she is to us" Lok countered.

"Listen. You won't believe what I just read" Sophie interjected.

Their friends' attention shifted to the girl.

***

The six seekers arranged a sparring session at Lok's suggestion. At that moment, Sophie and Harrison were dueling on the training room floor. The others watched, either sitting or leaning against the windowsill.

During this dynamic fight, Sophie grabbed Fears by the hand and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed on his feet and quickly moved into a counterattack. Both were focused on their moves. Small gaps appeared in each other's defense, but neither exploited them. Eventually, the fight was interrupted due to the previously set time limit. They thanked each other, and Harrison took a seat next to Den.

Next in line was Malia. Reluctantly, she faced her friend. They took their fighting stances, and Lok started their duel. The girls charged at each other. Sophie attacked with a quick series of moves. Lyssa calmly blocked every move. She tried to sweep Casterwill's legs, but Sophie sensed the trick and distanced herself appropriately. Malia launched a counterattack. This time, the roles reversed. Sophie found no opportunity to break the relentless attacks coming her way. At one point, she kicked at her opponent. The medic took a hit to the jaw and winced. The disorientation lasted only a moment.

"Are you okay?" Sophie asked.

"A hit like that doesn't hurt me anymore" she replied, moving back to the offensive.

The fight dragged on as if it would never end. Sophie found an ideal form of defense against her friend's attacks, while the reverse wasn't as effective. Their combat experience differed greatly. Sophie had been trained from a young age, while Lyssa had only been focusing on it for less than two months.

At one point, Lok spoke up. "Five minutes are up."

Sophie sat down next to Lok, and Cathy stepped in to face Malia.

"Show me what you can do" she provoked Lambert.

The fight began similarly to the one with Sophie. Neither girl allowed weak attacks to break them. They got so into it that Cathy cast Boltflare against her friend. Malia dodged the spell and retaliated with Augerfrost that knocked Lambert down.

"Hey, hey! No powers were allowed" Sophie reminded them.

"She started it" Lyssa pointed at the short-haired blonde.

"And you provoked me" she retorted.

Then they both laughed. Malia helped her friend to stand up. Lok stepped in to face his sister. Sophie started the Lamberts' duel. Cathy began uncertainly, kicking towards her brother. Their fight was very calm. With each blow and each dodge, the duel gained dynamism, increasingly resembling a characteristic dance. Every move looked like part of a choreographed fight. At one point, Lok exploited a gap in Cathy's defense. She noticed her mistake and became more cautious, allowing him to take the initiative. She focused on defending, blocking every blow.

"Time's up" Sophie called out.

Cathy looked toward Sophie. Lok used the situation to effectively slice his sister's legs.

"Seriously?" she glared at her brother.

"I hope you won't lose like that to the Death Spiral's people" Lok extended a hand to his sister.

Cathy shook her head.

"Don't be surprised if she defeats you one day" Sophie said to her boyfriend.

"That's enough. Time to rest" the team leader announced.

***

Sophie and Lok went for a walk around the area. They needed to clear their heads outside and spend some time together, which was rare with their lives as seekers. They also didn't want to disturb their friends doing homework.

"I don't know why, but I'm very worried. We have to face the Spiral again. I couldn't believe they could summon the Nullifiers in that time. For two damn years. Why didn't any of the Casterwills keep an eye on it?" Sophie said.

"Maybe the others didn't know the Spiral Mark was still active. Remember, whatever happens, I'll be with you. You have nothing to worry about" Lambert looked into her green eyes.

They both stopped. She smiled and felt warmth in her heart. She placed her hand on her chest.

"Thanks. Since we've been a team, so much has happened in my life. I've learned so many things about my family. I found my brother, who I thought died in a fire. I avenged my parents. I became the leader of the Casterwills. It seems so unreal, but it's all true."

Since Sophie had been in a relationship with Lok, she felt she had someone to live for again.

"It's the same for me. If you hadn't broken that vase in my room, I'd probably be sitting in a lecture right now. I wouldn't be thinking about what happened to my father, I wouldn't be following his tracks. I wouldn't have any idea about seekers and titans. I'd be living like a normal person" he said.

Over the years they had spent together, their lives had changed drastically in ways neither had expected.

"Out of all this, I'm glad I met you." she said.

"Me too." Lok agreed.

They laughed. Together, they had experienced many adventures, both small and large. He had become a part of her life, and she his. The sun was slowly setting. The couple decided to wander aimlessly through the city, wanting to enjoy each other's company for as long as possible.

"I don't think I've ever asked you this, but how did you end up in Venice?" Sophie broke the silence.

"I wanted to change something in my life. My mom and Cathy suggested I try living on my own in Venice. They both hoped I'd grow up and take more responsibility for myself. I often got scolded for waking up very late."

"And that hasn't changed" she interrupted, amused.

"When I first came to Venice, I knew my life would change. But I didn't expect it to change that much. And what about you?" Lok finished.

"LeBlanche suggested we move to Venice. I had studied Italian back in school in France, so the language wasn't a big problem. Besides, Italy seemed like a very interesting country to live in. Plus, the Huntik Foundation headquarters is here, and its members could protect me if needed. LeBlanche couldn't watch over me 24/7."

"And that's why you came to Italy?"

"It was supposed to be quieter than Paris. The Spiral people constantly lurked around my family home. I wanted LeBlanche to worry less about me. He feared for my life every day. Hence the decision."

Cathy placed a tray of cake on the counter. Den, drawn by the smell, appeared almost immediately next to his friend.

"I see you're always first when it comes to food" she said.

"What can I do? Your cooking is amazing" he replied.

"Damn it, Den!" Malia approached, with Harrison following behind.

Fears and Cathy looked at their friends.

"I was explaining something to you, and you just walked off" she complained.

"Give him a break, shrimpy. Do you know how many times I've heard him talk about apple pie in his sleep?" Harrison defended him.

Cathy chuckled softly. Malia blushed and glared at Harrison.

"Did you call me "shrimpy"? Be careful, or I'll start calling you a "giant"!" she jabbed him in the ribs with a corner of her book.

It was true, Lyssa was shorter than Fears, but the difference wasn't drastic; just about five centimeters. Den took advantage of the opportunity and crippled her arms from behind. Harrison began to tickle her. The girl was laughing so hard she couldn't speak.

"Hey, hey! Let her go!" Cathy requested.

The boys ignored her.

"Den, no seconds for you if you don't stop!" she threatened.

The older Fears immediately let go, and Harrison followed his brother. Malia instantly hid behind her friend.

"Jeez. Thanks. You're a lifesaver. They almost made me laugh to death" she said.

"Let's have a break" Cathy announced.

They sat in the living room, eating cake. Except for Harrison.

"Wow. This is even better than last time" Den commented.

"I'm glad you like it" Cathy replied with a slight blush. She loved it when he complimented her cooking.

"It's tomorrow. Hard to believe" Lambert said with a sigh.

"Time flew by. Way too fast" Malia agreed.

Lyssa placed her empty plate on the kitchen counter and headed upstairs. Seeing his brother still staring at the stairs, Den nudged him in the arm, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Go. There won't be a better chance" the older brother said.

After a moment, Den and Cathy were alone.

"Are you playing matchmaker?" she asked, amused.

"I'm just helping my brother" he rolled his eyes.

Cathy laughed.

"What's so funny?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing" she shook her head. "It's sweet that you want to help your brother."

Lambert girl was surprised that Den hadn't discouraged Harrison from girls, especially after what she had done to him. Internally, she felt better after they finally talked it out. And him? He had come to terms with the fact that the age difference would have looked at least weird.

Harrison entered the room without knocking. Lyssa looked at him suspiciously.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

***

"Why did you want to talk?" she asked. The first thing that came to her mind was the fact that she had been absent for the past few days.

"Since we're leaving tomorrow for the most serious mission... I wanted to tell you something important."

"You know, I... I think I do too" she replied after a moment of thought.

"Let's say it on the count of three."

She agreed. They counted to three and said together, "I like you." Both of them looked at each other in shock. Harrison took her hand. It was warm but trembling for some reason. They clasped their hands tightly.

"What's wrong? Are you nervous?" he asked, worried.

She nodded. "You have no idea. I'm afraid the worst will happen. I've had misgivings about tomorrow for the past few days."

"We won't let that happen. We'll definitely defeat them for forever."

"I promise to avenge what Soril did to my father" she said with a breaking voice. She looked at their clasped hands. "We've trained a long time. You've improved a lot. You'll kick his butt" he said, touching the tip of her nose with his finger.

"If my sparring partner says so, then I guess I will" she replied, looking at him.

"Anyway... since we like each other... um... do you want to go out with me?" he asked, scratching his head.

She sighed and looked away. "We'll talk about this later" she replied and kissed him on the cheek. "That's a thank you. For everything you've done for me" she smiled and started walking up the stairs to the house.

Fears stood stunned. He touched the cheek where she had kissed him. The girl he liked reciprocated his feelings. But why didn't she give a clear answer? This question lingered in his mind.

"So? What did he want?" Cathy asked as Lyssa crossed the threshold of their shared room.

"Turns out he likes me too" she replied.

"See? I told you all along that it wasn't one-sided! So, are you together now?"

"Not yet. I want to tell him after we get rid of the Spiral from the face of the Earth."

"Why keep him in suspense?"

"I subconsciously gave him an answer, but... tomorrow is an important day. We should go to sleep." Malia wanted to say "yes". But in her opinion, the day before the longest night of the year wasn't the right time for romance. The world needed saving. For her, as a member of the Nordwill family, getting rid of the Death Spiral was more important. It was a priority that couldn't be postponed.

"I don't understand why she didn't just say 'yes, I want to be with you.' It's not that hard to say" Harrison said to his brother.

"That's just how girls are. Cathy kept me in suspense for quite a while too" Den replied.

"Your situation was different" he waved his hand. "She openly admitted she likes me. I should have done it sooner" he said, lying down on the bed.

"Or later" added the older Fears.

Shauna and Wind stood before the Betrayer's throne. The woman raised her hands and cast a suspicious spell, causing the two cauldrons between them to release violet beams of energy upward.

"The last hours of the old world. And soon after, a new world will be born, dedicated to the Death Spiral!" declared the leader, looking upward.