The Invite

Chapter 8

I woke up suddenly.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

I sat upright and rubbed my eyes.

The room was dark, illuminated only by pale moonlight.

Then I froze.

The window.

It was supposed to be on my right.

Now it was on my left.

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The window remained exactly where it was.

"What the hell?"

I turned my head.

The door that had always been on the left side of the room was now sitting in the middle of the far-right wall.

I stared.

The door stared back.

At least that's what it felt like.

"Nope."

I threw off my blanket.

"Nope. Nope. Nope."

This castle was officially insane.

I climbed out of bed and walked to the door.

When I opened it, I expected the usual hallway.

Instead, I found a long corridor stretching endlessly into darkness.

Rows of doors lined the walls.

Windows appeared where there had never been windows before.

The entire place looked completely different.

"Wonderful."

I folded my arms.

"The castle is rearranging itself now."

Nobody answered.

Curiosity won.

Again.

I stepped forward and opened one of the doors.

Immediately, cool air rushed against my face.

My eyes widened.

A massive garden stretched before me.

Waterfalls cascaded from crystal cliffs.

Silver flowers glowed beneath the moonlight.

The stars above seemed closer than they should have been.

"Oh my God."

I stepped outside.

"This place is beautiful."

"You're still awake?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I spun around.

The Third Master sat casually beneath a tree.

One leg crossed over the other.

Looking annoyingly handsome.

"What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I'm hungry."

"Oh."

He tossed a small bag toward me.

I caught it.

Snacks.

I immediately forgave him.

Partially.

I sat down.

The Third Master watched me as I ate.

And watched.

And watched.

And watched.

Finally, I sighed.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Because I like looking at you."

I nearly choked on my snack.

"That's concerning."

He laughed.

"You're impossible."

"No."

I pointed a finger at him.

"You are impossible."

"How?"

"You keep talking about feelings."

"So?"

"Feelings don't pay rent."

He stared.

I stared back.

The silence lasted five seconds.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Finally, he groaned.

"Why is everything about money with you?"

I sat up straighter.

"Because money is important."

He rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously."

I pointed dramatically.

"My landlord is probably looking for me."

The Third Master looked confused.

"My boss wants me to finish paperwork."

Still confused.

"I was about to get promoted."

Now he looked interested.

"Promoted?"

"Yes."

"To what?"

"A higher salary."

"How much?"

I smiled proudly.

"A million."

His eyes widened.

"You're obsessed."

"I am responsible."

The Third Master laughed quietly.

For a moment, the garden felt peaceful.

Comfortable.

Almost normal.

Almost.

Then I remembered something.

"Who is the First Master?"

His smile disappeared.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"You'll know eventually."

"I hate that answer."

"I know."

I sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Tell me something else."

The Third Master leaned back.

Then he began speaking.

"Once upon a time, there were three boys."

I immediately pointed at him.

"It's you."

He ignored me.

"They had no names."

"It's you."

"Each was known only by their eyes."

"It's definitely you."

The Third Master finally laughed.

"Fine. It's us."

"Thank you."

"Our mother was Queen."

I nodded.

"Powerful?"

"Extremely."

"Beautiful?"

"Very."

"Nice?"

His expression softened.

"The kindest person I've ever known."

I stopped joking.

For some reason, I could hear it in his voice.

He missed her.

"She raised us alone."

"What happened to your father?"

The Third Master's eyes darkened.

"He left."

"Oh."

"He chose someone else."

"Double oh."

The garden became quiet.

Only the sound of water filled the air.

"Our mother cried often."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"I didn't understand back then."

He stared at the moon.

"But now I do."

"What happened?"

"The kingdom rejected us."

My stomach twisted.

"Why?"

"They believed we didn't belong."

I looked at him carefully.

For the first time, I wasn't seeing a Master.

I was seeing a boy who lost his family.

"Then the witch came."

I immediately sat up.

"The scar witch?"

He nodded.

"Our mother sacrificed herself protecting us."

Silence.

Complete silence.

The Third Master's voice grew quieter.

"Before she died, she used to sing."

I froze.

A strange feeling passed through me.

Like déjà vu.

Like remembering something I'd never experienced.

Then he spoke the words.

Slowly.

Carefully.

As though they were sacred.

"Goodbye.

This world has been three houses we never slept in.

We walked without friends.

I am the one who cleanses me of my father's sins."

My chest tightened.

For a brief second...

Something felt familiar.

Then it disappeared.

I blinked.

Looked at him.

Then asked:

"So all this..."

He frowned.

"Yes?"

"Will it pay my rent?"

The Third Master nearly threw a flower at me.

😭

"You're unbelievable."

"It's a serious question."

"My mother died."

"Tragic."

"Our kingdom rejected us."

"Very tragic."

"We lost everything."

"Extremely tragic."

"Zilla."

"Yes?"

"It won't pay your rent."

"Then we're back to the original problem."

The Third Master laughed despite himself.

Then shook his head.

"I've never met anyone like you."

"Most people say that."

The night grew colder.

The waterfalls shimmered beneath the moonlight.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Eventually, I stood.

"I'm tired."

The Third Master rose as well.

His expression suddenly serious.

Different.

Almost unreadable.

"Zilla."

"What?"

He stepped closer.

Close enough that I could see the faint glow hidden beneath the scars on his neck.

Close enough that I could see the loneliness behind his eyes.

"One day," he said softly, "you'll understand why you're here."

I sighed.

"And one day you'll understand why I want to go home."

For a moment, he smiled.

A real smile.

Not the teasing one.

Not the arrogant one.

A genuine one.

The Third Master watched her stand.

"Leaving already?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I was enjoying the conversation."

"I wasn't."

He laughed.

Of course he did.

Zilla turned to leave.

Suddenly, a hand caught her wrist.

She froze.

Slowly, she looked down at his hand.

Then back at him.

"The last person who grabbed me without permission lost a coffee."

"I highly doubt that."

"The coffee survived. His dignity didn't."

The Third Master smirked.

Dangerous.

Annoyingly handsome.

And entirely too confident.

For a moment his eyes seemed to glow beneath the moonlight.

Something ancient stirred behind them.

Something hungry.

Zilla immediately didn't like that look.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"You're staring again."

"You make it difficult not to."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

His smile widened.

Before she could react, he stepped closer.

Far too close.

The air around them changed.

The waterfalls seemed quieter.

The night felt heavier.

For a brief second, his gaze dropped to the necklace resting against her chest.

Then to her face.

Then back again.

"What?" Zilla demanded.

"You smell different."

She blinked.

"What kind of statement is that?"

"The truth."

"You're weird."

"That's also true."

He chuckled.

Zilla folded her arms.

"Well, whatever supernatural crisis you're having, I hope it fixes itself because I'm going back to bed."

She turned again.

His hand tightened slightly around her wrist.

"Zilla."

"What now?"

For a moment he looked strangely serious.

Almost conflicted.

Then he released her.

The strange look vanished.

"Nothing."

"Good."

She took three steps.

Then paused.

Turned.

And pointed directly at him.

"If this mysterious behavior somehow leads to more family secrets, destiny, prophecies, or unpaid emotional trauma..."

The Third Master sighed.

"...I'm billing you."

"What?"

"You heard me."

He laughed.

A genuine laugh this time.

The kind that made him look less like a terrifying immortal and more like a normal person.

Almost.

Zilla narrowed her eyes.

"Also."

"What?"

"Will any of this pay my rent?"

The Third Master stared.

The silence lasted ten full seconds.

Then he buried his face in his hands.

"Goodnight, Zilla."

"That's what I thought."

She turned and walked away.

As she disappeared into the castle, the Third Master watched her go.

Then quietly touched one of the glowing scars on his arm.

The mark had faded.

Only slightly.

But it had faded.

For the first time in ten thousand years.

And that terrified him more than any witch ever could

The strange hallway had returned.

The doors were where they shouldn't be.

The windows were where they couldn't possibly exist.

Yet somehow...

I was getting used to it.

As I reached my room, something caught my attention.

My necklace.

It glowed.

Just once.

A faint purple light.

Then it went dark.

I stared at it.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Very carefully.

Then I whispered:

"What are you trying to tell me?"

The necklace didn't answer.

Unfortunately.

Because unlike everyone else in this castle...

It might actually tell me the truth.