Disclaimer: I do not own Huntik or Winx Club. I got inspired for this idea from 'Mission Interrupted', but the rest is mine.
Chapter 1:
Zhalia leaned against the wall, bored out of her mind. She looked at Lok and Sophie, who were competing against one another in Sudoku. They had a timer on, and, to make it fair, Sophie had the medium level, and Lok had the master level. However, she could see who was winning. Lok was scribbling down letters with ease, his eyes darting from here and there using the puzzle, while Sophie was scratching her head, biting the end of the pencil while writing letters hesitantly, before erasing it not a moment later.
After about 3 minutes, Lok shouted in triumph, and stopped his timer, proudly showing Sophie his piece of paper. It didn't take a genius to guess what happened. Sophie scowled, and crumpled her piece of paper, before throwing it in the bin. Zhalia bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the argument that was popping up.
"Lok, you cheated! I saw you!"
"That is just low, Sophie. Cheating? Really? I thought that you would've come up with a better excuse than that." Lok scoffed.
"You were cheating. Cherit was giving you the answer!" Sophie insisted.
"He wasn't. And that just proves two things. 1. I am better at you at Sudoku, and 2. I am better than you at making up excuses." Lok stuck his tongue out at her.
"Cherit! Were you giving him the answer?!" Sophie demanded Cherit, giving him her death glare.
Cherit looked disbelieving. "Don't pull me into this, lass. I just watched. Ask Zhalia." Zhalia groaned as all the pair of eyes was turned to her.
"Lok own, fair and square. Cherit stayed a few feet away from him, and you would've heard if he was whispering." As Sophie opened her mouth to argue, Dante walked in, a troubled look on his face.
"Team, we got a new mission. Get the Sidhe Staff of Merlin." Dante announced.
"The what of who?" Lok looked disbelieving. "No way. Archaeologists have been trying to find the staff for centuries. It says that the staff moves around, so you don't know where it is."
"Yes way. And, we have located it to Ireland."
"Ireland?" Lok brightened up, his thoughts immediately drifting to his home.
"Yes." Dante nodded at him, a small smile on his lips.
"YES! Ha, wait until I get my hands on some of Mum's pie!" Lok had a dreamy look on his face. The others laughed, Zhalia joining in, as she shook her head jokingly.
"Hello?" Zhalia flipped open her phone. It was around midnight, and she was currently lying down, trying to get some sleep for the flight the next day.
"Zhalia dear?" A familiar voice sounded from the phone. Zhalia sighed.
"Klaus. What is it?"
"I have recently contacted someone, someone who can help us. You are going to Ireland, no?"
Zhalia nodded, even though he can't see it. "We're leaving tomorrow."
"Good. This person is going to help you retrieve the Sidhe Staff of Merlin. Trust him, but also keep your guard up. So far, he's loyal, the Professor made sure of that, but we don't know if it will wear off. He has been with the Organisation as a secret weapon for a year. He is ah...different from us, so we're not sure if the hypnotism will hold. We presume that he will still remain loyal to us, as he came willingly in the first place."
"Alright, Klaus. What is he like?"
"You will know when you see him."
"Are you sure he can be trusted?"
"I am not sure, but the Professor tells us to. I think he is trustworthy, but, as I said before, keep your guard up. He didn't tell us where he came from, so I am hesitant about him, but he shall be a great ally to the Organisation and our cause."
"What is his name?"
"His name is Helia."
Zhalia rubbed her eyes as daylight came in streams through her windows. She stretched, and quickly got out to dress. She could already hear the others stirring. Checking she had all of her possessions, she grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, into the living room. Dante, and, surprisingly, Lok, who was tripping over his own feet in excitement, joined her not too soon after. Sophie came in last, stuffing something into her backpack.
Heading out in a car, they reached the airport and boarded the plane. After the long trip, they finally reached their intended destination, and walked through the big grass plains, enjoying the tranquility and peace for once. Zhalia laughed as the others did, when Lok started rambling about what he wanted to do-mainly eating. She had never felt so free, free from responsibilities and secrets.
Sandra was surprised at their visit, but welcomed them again with the same eagerness and friendliness as before. They settled in their rooms, where Sandra prepared some tea, before they sat down in the living room, talking about what had happened so far.
"From the legends that we had heard from, Merlin's Sidhe Staff was hidden in an old castle, also known as the moving castle. The legends also speak of how the castle moves, from Albion, now England, to where it is today. Now, Melin's staff is hidden at the place where it used to be his room. You will be able to sense the magic from it. That is an advantage." Sandra told them. They frowned.
"Will the Organisation also find it as easily as us?"
But it was Lok who answered Zhalia's question. "Merlin's magic only calls out to people pure of heart, or have good intentions when they are finding something of his."
"We will be able to sense it when we reach Merlin's room?" Sophie asked, hesitant.
Sandra nodded, as did Lok. "Merlin's room has the most magic inside it, besides the King's room, and his son, the Prince. It may confuse you a bit, but you will be able to tell is it." They nodded once again, and stood up, ready to leave on moment's notice.
It was at night, when the clouds blocked the moon that they decided to leave. After they walked for hours, they finally found the castle, sitting on the ground; it's tall shape making them uncomfortable. "Well, here goes nothing." Lok started to walk in, and, shrugging, the rest of the team followed him. Zhalia kept her senses sharp, listening for any signs of the agent that Klaus had mentioned. She was like a hunter, her senses sharper than most, but she couldn't hear any sign or see any sign of him.
They walked around in what felt like circles, trying to sense where the magic was strongest. When they got to what was obviously the Throne Room, the magic started to call out to them, leading them in a single direction. Just then, there was a shout, and Suits came flooding in the tunnels, surrounding them easily. Rassimov appeared in the middle, clearly leading the Suits. "Ah. Dante Vale. How nice to see you."
"Rassimov. What a surprise." Dante kept his cool. The Four gathered together in a small circle, ready for an attack, and to attack, any time as long as Dante gave the signal. The Suits took their time, thinking that they would win. Then, Dante gave it. "Now."
"Freelancer! Lindorm!" The two titans appeared out of Lok's amulets.
"Sabriel!" The elegant titan was poised, ready to battle.
"Caliban!" The fierce warrior already had his sword out.
"King Basilisk! Gareon!" Zhalia held out two shining amulets. The suits immediately sprung into action, summoning their titans and firing spells to throw their enemies off-guard. The team also acted, but Zhalia waited until she was lost in the chaos, before turning to the tiny titan. "Gareon. See if you can find the agent that Klaus and the Professor sent." The titan nodded, before vanishing and scurried away.
Zhalia fought valiantly, shooting suits out of the way and returning their titans back into their amulets, but her mind was still cloudy, wondering about the staff. At that moment, amid the chaos, a cool hand covered her mouth and dragged her away. She tried to struggle, but to no avail. The man was strong. She found herself in an empty hallway, Gareon on someone's shoulder. The agent was staring intently at her, his hand around Merlin's staff. She had to admit, she was impressed. No one had ever close to her without her at least knowing about it.
"You're the one Klaus talked about? Helia?" She demanded, looking him over. He had long dark blue hair that was tied in a sort of loose ponytail, and was wearing the common suit that the others wore.
"Yes. And you're Zhalia Moon?"
She nodded, holding her hand out for the staff. Her mind was whirling, thinking about it. She needed to give it to the Organisation, but why had the man taken it instead of just going away? Thinking about it, she also wanted to give it to the Huntik Foundation. She mentally shook her head. What was wrong with her? Why would she betray her adoptive father? Why did she want to give it to the Organisation?
"Are you going to give it to the Foundation?" This question too her by surprise.
"Why is it of any importance to you?" She snapped back.
He lowered his voice, as if afraid that anyone would overhear. "Look, I know that you want to give it to the Foundation, and-"
"Are you questioning my loyalties?" Zhalia asked. She herself was. She didn't know whether to give it to Klaus, or hand it over to the Huntik Foundation.
"Maybe. Are you?" For some reason, the tone that he used made her tell the truth. Zhalia looked at him. His dark eyes were earnest and trustworthy, and unlike Klaus'. While Klaus forced you to do things with his gaze, this man let her have a choice.
She sighed, deciding to trust the man for now. "Maybe."
The man's gaze was unnerving her. "Fine. Choose what you want." to her surprise, she saw another staff being taken out. The man also held on to it. "These two staffs are identical, the reading of the power inside it, and every single detail. However, the fake one," He gestured to the one that he had recently took out, "Cannot work. It, to what I could find out, will thankfully not be used, until the Professor also finds Excalibur, King Arthur's sword. Likewise for the Foundation."
"What-?" Zhalia was astounded. This man knew more than she and Klaus did. Klaus told her everything. And if he didn't tell her something, then he didn't know it. This man was either very trustworthy, or he knew how to hide himself very well but he was a spy. One like her, but, instead, he infiltrated the Organisation.
"Look, this is your choice. You can take the real one, and hide it, or I can take it back. The fake one is for if you take the real one. If you take the fake one, it could hopefully put the Huntik Foundation off our trail for a few months. I will bring the fake one to the Professor and Klaus. Now. Choose." Zhalia hesitated. Should she betray the trust of the man who raised her? Or should she betray the one she now nearly called family? She bit her lip, deciding what to do.
"Zhalia. You have to hurry. It won't take long until the others notice that you are missing and come running for you. Hurry up."
AN: I liked the idea of a crossover between these two, because there aren't a lot of these. I posted this today because I was bored.
