"Mr. Strange and the Vanishing Castle.."

The scene cuts.

To a dark room.

A chair.

A boy tied up.

And a girl — smiling with something far more dangerous than joy.

Robin screamed, squirming. "P-please... please let me go!"

Prizey slowly circled him. "Bedroom, huh? That's what you said, right? Let's celebrate, then."

She picked up a heated straightener, walked to him, and pressed it against his skin.

His scream shook the walls.

And Prizey? She smiled.

For every girl he had used.

Every heart he had broken.

Every life he had played with.

She didn't kill him.

No. That would've been mercy.

She destroyed the confidence in his voice.

She burned the evil from his skin.

She shattered his illusion of power — until even his own shadow would flinch at him.

The next morning.

Prizey walked out of the shadows into the sun. For the first time in a long time, she smiled.

Not because she was Happy, but she was now sn independent and strong Wolfie girl.

A soft silence after a raging storm... but the fire within still burns.

Three days after the revenge…

The house was quiet, but inside her chest, a storm still whispered.

Prizey stood in the hallway, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she faced her mother.

"I don't want to stay in this college anymore," she said firmly.

Her mother turned from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "What happened, sweetheart? Did someone hurt you? Are you being bullied again?"

Prizey shook her head, her voice calm. "No, Mom. Nothing happened. I just… I'm done with this place. I want to transfer."

Her mother raised a brow, concerned. "But why, love? You were just starting to settle in."

"Because I don't belong here anymore," Prizey whispered, trying to mask the crack in her voice. "And Max called. He said the environment at his college is better — the academics, the people… everything. Plus, Aliyah's coming with me. We'll stay in a hostel. Or maybe even at Max's place. You can call Aunt Sandra and tell her we're coming to Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles?" Her mother's voice trembled slightly. "But, sweetheart—"

"Please, Mom," Prizey pleaded, her emerald eyes suddenly soft, almost childlike again. "Let me go. Please… I need this."

There was a pause. A mother's silence that held a thousand unspoken thoughts. Then a nod.

"Okay," her mom said softly, pulling her into a hug. "Just… take care of yourself, alright?"

"I will," Prizey whispered. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, my moonchild."

Scene shifts. Present day.

(Flashback ends…)...

Prizey blinked, her thoughts drifting like feathers in the air. She was sitting with Aliyah on the rooftop, both of them wrapped in warm hoodies, hair messy from the wind.

"And that," Aliyah said, "is how I met Max."

Prizey laughed under her breath. "And that's how I was a complete idiot."

Aliyah nudged her. "A duffer, yes. But if you hadn't been, I wouldn't be sitting beside the fiercest version of you. I'd still have the soft, broken Dazy instead of the bold Prizey."

Prizey smiled faintly, her lips barely curving, but her eyes glowing. "Maybe… you're right."

Aliyah looked at her thoughtfully. "So… have you really never fallen in love since?"

Prizey's expression turned cold again. She stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans.

"Love?" she scoffed. "That's nonsense. A beautifully packaged lie. A waste of time. I've learned — the only person who truly matters is me."

Aliyah sighed with a smirk. "There she is. Our queen of cold logic."

"And I wear my crown alone."

The stars were hidden tonight.

A silvery fog settled over the forest edges as the world dipped into a velvet hush, but inside the room, voices still danced like restless wind.

Aliyah leaned back on the couch, her voice hushed but curious.

"So… any updates about this Xavier guy? I mean, it can't just be a coincidence. First the dream reader, now Master Shifu — they all knew his name. Everyone except you, the girl who literally dreams of him."

Prizey swallowed hard. "No," she said quickly. "I don't know who Xavier is."

But even as the words left her lips, his face came flooding into her mind — that boy from the dream, standing by the old tree, his blue eyes haunting, his voice echoing in the darkness.

Was that him? Could that have been Xavier…?

Aliyah waved a hand in front of her. "And here we go. My overthinking queen is back in her fantasy dimension."

Prizey blinked. "Huh? Oh. No, it's nothing. Just thinking." She stood up and stretched. "Anyway, I should probably get going. It's getting late."

"Yeah, good night, sweetie.

But sleep wasn't in the cards.

 Prizey quietly gathered what she needed — a torchlight, her phone, a few chocolates, a hand cutter, and a knife. She slipped into her jacket, her expression unreadable.

If no one is going to tell me who Xavier is… I'll find out myself.

Without a word, she stepped out into the cold night, the moonlight flickering across her emerald eyes as she walked toward the dense forest — straight toward the sealed-off area. The place no one was allowed to go.

A sign outside read:

"DANGER. WILD TERRITORY. TRESPASSERS WILL NOT RETURN."

She took a deep breath and stepped beyond it.

The jungle was suffocating. Thick vines, tangled roots, and the constant rustle of predators in the shadows. Every step she took echoed in the silence, but Prizey didn't slow down.

She couldn't.

Hours passed, or maybe minutes — time was strange here. But then she saw it.

A villa. No, a beast of a structure — tall as a mountain, standing in defiance of nature. The walls were a mix of rotting brown, faded black, and streaks of eerie blue symbols. The air turned colder. Heavier.

"Who builds something like this out here…?" Prizey whispered. "Is it abandoned? Or worse… occupied?"

Her breath caught in her throat.

"What happens if I go inside?"

"What secrets does it hold?"

She placed a trembling foot on the stone stairway.

But before she could take another step — wham.

A shadow moved faster than her thoughts.

Something slammed against her head.

The torch dropped. Her body collapsed.

And the jungle fell silent again.

Prizey lay unconscious in the heart of the jungle, the moonlight slicing through the trees like silver blades. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I...? I was... in the villa... wasn't I?"

Before she could process more, a voice spoke behind her, calm and teasing.

"Villa? What villa?" said a tall, pale-skinned boy wearing a white mask. His ocean-blue eyes shimmered in the dark.

Prizey spun around. "You?! You're the guy from before..."

He crouched beside her, smirking. With a gentleness that didn't match his eerie presence, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Nice seeing you again, sweetheart," he said.

Prizey slapped his hand away and stood up. "Did you bring me here?!"

"Maybe you were just so attached to me that you wandered here all by yourself?" he teased.

Her eyes narrowed. "That... that castle—is that your home?!"

He grinned. "Why? Homes are only for humans? Not wolves?"

She blinked. "Wait, what did you just say? Wolves?! You're not... human?"

"Does it matter?" he said nonchalantly.

"What if you're a vampire?!"

He chuckled. "Seriously? Vampires? Fictional, sweetheart. Try again."

"Werewolves!" she challenged.

He started coughing dramatically.

"What, now you're allergic to the word?" she snapped.

He muttered to himself, *"If only you knew who stood before you, Prizey..."

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Before he could answer, she slapped him hard across the face.

"Why did you attack me earlier? What is this place? WHO ARE YOU?!"

His eyes flashed. For a moment, the air around them thickened as if something ancient and dangerous stirred inside him. But he breathed deeply, calming himself.

"Be thankful I'm in a good mood, or things would've gone... differently."

"What's that supposed to mean?! You can't touch me—wait, what's your name?!"

Before he could respond, a voice echoed from the trees.

"Prizey? Prizey, where are you?!"

She turned to look, and when she turned back... he was gone.

He vanished. Just like that.

That smirk, those blue eyes... he's the one from my dreams. Could he be... Xavier?

A hand touched her shoulder. She gasped.

"Prizey! What are you doing here alone?" John asked.

Aliyah rushed over, half-laughing, half-scolding. "Seriously? Another solo walk?"

Prizey tried to explain. "I... I'm sorry. I was just..."

Before she could finish, Rozy hugged her tightly. "We were so worried! Do you realize this is a banned zone?!"

Max frowned. "I know you're excited about this project, but Prizey—your life matters. Don't take such risks."

Even Sonia, usually indifferent, chimed in. "You're reckless. But we care."

Prizey exhaled. "Listen to me—there's a castle. A real one. Ancient. In the forest. I saw it! If we document it, we'll win this competition for sure."

"Castle?!" Aliyah gawked.

Sonia rolled her eyes. "Are you joking?"

"No! I swear! Come with me. I'll show you."

John finally nodded. "Alright. Let's just check it out. It's almost dawn anyway."

She led them... but when they arrived, nothing. The space where the massive castle once loomed was now empty.

"Where's your mysterious castle now?" Sonia mocked.

"But it was right here! I saw it! It was huge, reaching the sky!" Prizey insisted.

Aliyah gently took her hand. "Maybe it was just a dream, Prizey. You didn't sleep last night—hallucinations happen."

John added, "Please, Prizey. Let's head back. You need rest."

She bit her lip, heart thudding. I know what I saw... she thought. But aloud, she whispered, "Maybe... maybe you're right. Let's go."

As the group walked back, Prizey turned for one last look.

There, in the distance, the castle shimmered back into sight. And in front of it, the masked boy stood—his ocean-blue eyes locked onto hers. He smiled... and winked.

You're no human, she thought, narrowing her eyes. And I will find out your truth, Mr. Strange.

She smiled back, equally mysterious and deadly.

To be continued...