Huntik: The Fate Of Destiny

13. Confession

Malia, after bidding farewell to Teien Casterwill, headed to the adequate location. After walking through the labyrinth of streets, she finally stood before one of the skyscrapers. She entered the appropriate number on the intercom, and after a moment, the door opened for her. Malia reached the proper door and knocked. A middle-aged man opened the door. They looked at each other for a moment.

"Uncle Erik?!" at that moment, she realized who this mysterious person was. "You were right, Teien." she thought.

"Malia? My dear child, I didn't expect to see you here. My, how you've grown!" man embraced a teenager and invited her to his flat.

"I didn't expect to see you again either, especially under these circumstances." she said as they walked towards the living room.

"Fate wanted us to meet again." he laughed.

"More like lady Teien, not fate." she joked.

Man chuckled. Erik sat in an armchair, motioning for his niece to sit on the brown sofa.

"How's Klara doing? I haven't heard her for so long." he asked.

"Mom is still in the psychiatric hospital." girl muttered.

"It's been five years already." he sighed. "I feel so sorry for you, child."

"No worries, uncle." she shook her head. "I've gotten used to it. Getting to the point, Teien said you might be able to tell me more than she could."

Girl repeated Eladriel's words about "not being a Casterwill, but being connected to them in a certain way".

"I thought your parents have told you about it." he said surprised.

"What do you mean uncle?" she asked confused.

"Alright, then I'll tell you. When your parents got married, they decided to change their last name from Nordwill to Lyssa because they were expecting you. They didn't want you to get hurt."

"Get hurt? What are you talking about?" she asked intrigued.

"Adam and Klara were afraid that the Spiral might soon start hunting us, the Nordwills. So, they wanted to camouflage themselves before the enemy made a move on our family. Besides, they weren't wrong - when the Spiral couldn't hunt down of any Casterwills anymore, their target changed to us."

"Aren't you afraid for your life? They may look for you too." Malia stated.

"I'm just a nobody, living among millions of people in New York. Your father, on the other hand, decided to become a doctor. After a few years of successful career, he inadvertently drew the attention of evil seekers."

"That would explain why mom never let me go for sleepovers at friends' houses. She was just afraid for me." she muttered.

"Adam would probably scold me for telling you this, but as a member of the Nordwill family, you have the right to know our history and roots."

Erik explained to his niece the secret that had been kept from her. The Nordwill family was the second clan of seekers, whose existence was owed to one of Lord Casterwill's friends - Alustin Nordwill. He was an outstanding medical Seeker who acquired the ability to heal titans' wounds. Rumor had it that only the Nordwills were able to prevent them from being sent to Huntik world. There was also a legend about the first Nordwill, who supposedly sacrificed the lives of his children to extend Lord Casterwill's life by several decades.

"Sacrificing the lives of our ancestors to extend Lord Casterwill's life sounds like some kind of fantasy" teenager said, twirling a strand of her hair, which today was unusually not braided.