The team, scarred but not broken, follows Siddik into the deepest chamber of the Spiral Castle – a mirrored quarantine room sealed in cold silence. Inside floats a figure in stasis: Rafi, pale but alive.
Everyone stares in silence. Hridoy's lips tremble. Nafisa clutches her chest. Zara presses her hand against the glass.
Back in Siddik's office, tension hangs in the air.
Zara (softly):
"I want to try healing him. His knowledge… his mind could change everything."
Fakhrul:
"And we'll need every advantage. We should bring Rasel and Tayeb back. This fight… it's not just yours or mine anymore. It's our."
Siddik (hesitates):
"They walked away from this war."
Nafisa (firmly):
"But they're still family."
Siddiik (coldly):
"No, I won't risk more lives. I've lost too much already."
Hridoy:
"You once said Spiral means hope. Don't take that away now."
Silence. Siddik looks at each of them – tired, determined.
Siddik:
"Alright. Brother Hridoy, Nafisa – you stay and help Rafiq rebuild the Spiral army. Zara, heal Rafi. Fakhrul Sir and I… we'll bring them home."
Their first stop was a rocky mountain village, where Tayeb lived in exile. The wind howled as they approached his cabin. Tayeb stepped out, expression unreadable. "I told you both, I'm done." Fakhrul crossed his arms. "Done with us, or done hiding?" Tayeb stared him down. "I lost control. I almost killed my own." Siddik stepped forward. "Then redeem yourself. Not for us. For Spiral. For our friendship. For HUNTERS. Tayeb's silence lingered before he gave a slow nod. "One last time."
They moved next to the misty canyons of the East – Rasel's territory. He waited by a cliff, arms folded. "Not interested." Rasel said without waiting.
Fakhrul was ready to argue, but Siddik interrupted. "Was your father Spiral army?"
Rasel's brow twitched. "How do you know about him? Who are you?"
Siddik stepped closer. "Because I am the king of Spiral Island. When your father was our comrade, I was the prince. He was one of our best warriors in Spiral history. Even I once had a hand to hand combat against him." Siddik keeps his one hand on Rasel's shoulder. "You are true Spiral blood. Grok is not only my enemy, but also yours, ours. You're meant for more than hiding. Now the decision is up to you."
Rasel's jaw clenched. He looked away, and then nodded. "Let's finish this."
They start their return journey. Suddenly Rasel asked Siddik, "How did you find us?"
Siddik replied with a smile, "I left the team. Not my friends."
Back at Spiral Island, the team reunites. Laughter and relief return – for a moment.
Siddik visits the lab. Zara stands over Rafi's now open pod. His eyes flutter. His voice, weak but aware.
Rafi: "How bad it is?"
Siddik: "Worse than you think. Recover yourself soon. The war is on the way, no time to rest."
Two days later, Rafi stood on his feet – weak but alive.
Siddik explained everything. Rafi took it in, then smiled weakly. "Then let's make a cure. I need your tech, and obviously Zara's help." Zara and Rafi tried their best. But they failed every time. Almost three days gone, then Siddik finally spoke. "Enough. There is no cure. We end this with war. We'll meet Grok face to face. We burn the virus at its roots."
Rafi:
"He made the zombies from people. If we kill them, it's genocide."
Siddik (shouted):
"I don't care. If we not kill them, the world will never smile again. Without killing, there's no other option we have."
Everyone agrees. The war is now a crusade.
Fakhrul:
"Then we get ready. Grok's coming."
Siddik:
"No. We're not waiting. We march to his home. His palace. And end it there. Prepare yourself."
In the dead of night, deep beneath Spiral castle, Siddik works alone – lit only by a flickering forge and electric sparks. His hands move with precision, wielding dark alloy plates, embedding energy circuits, and shaping a new advanced gauntlet. Then he unveils something stranger:
A dark-saber-type weapon, sleeker and more brutal than before. It hums with a pulsing void-like – unnamed, unfinished, unknown. He locks both into a black titanium case. The box seals with a soundless hiss.
As morning breaks, Hridoy, Zara, and Nafisa enter the lab and spot it.
Nafisa: "What's that, Siddik?"
Hridoy: "Another one of your secrets?"
Siddik (quietly): "A precaution. For what's coming."
He doesn't say more. Nobody pushes it. But the tension lingers.
That evening, in the Spiral Hall, the team gathers.
Siddik steps in with six new battle suits, sharper and more adaptive, forged from a blend of Spiral tech and zombie-resistant nanowave.
Siddik: "This time, you don't just fight. You lead."
He tosses Rasel a reinforced shield-blade, and gives Tayeb a stealth-reactive armor.
Then Rafi walks in, holding two beautiful twin plasma blades. He walks up to Siddik.
Rafi (grinning): "Don't act like I didn't notice the black box. I am joining the HUNTERS. If you want, you can exchange the box with my blades."
Siddik: "I am happy with mine. You are not powerful to handle my staffs Right, Tayeb?"
Everyone laughs for a moment. Then Fakhrul steps forward.
Fakhrul: "HUNTERS… it's time."
Spiral Island glows with banners raised. Thousands of Spiral soldiers line up in formation, armed and armored. Drones fly overhead. Tanks roar alive.
Siddik stands at the front, flanked by Fakhrul, Zara, Rasel, Tayeb, Hridoy, and Rafi. For the first time, they all wear the HUNTERS insignia proudly.
Siddik (cold and sharp): "No more waiting. We burn the infection to its root. We march to Zombie Island."
All: "FOR SPIRAL!"