It struck. The impact was wet and final. The arrow pierced straight into the lion head's left eye.
The beast screamed.
The sound tore through the forest, layered and monstrous, pain echoing from every throat at once. The lion head reared back, blood pouring down its mane. The massive body staggered, crashing into trees.
The ground shook violently. Harry did not lower the bow. He watched as the beast thrashed, clawing at its own face, roaring in fury and agony. The lion head shook wildly, its eye ruined, the arrow embedded deep.
The beast stumbled, then dropped to one knee. The other heads shrieked, snarled, hissed. The snake head writhed violently. The human head screamed curses. The elephant head trumpeted in rage.
Everyone's breath ceased. No one moved. No one blinked. The beast lay slumped where it had fallen, its massive body half-collapsed, blood soaking into the forest floor. The arrow still jutted from the lion head's ruined eye. Leaves drifted down slowly, settling on its back.
Seconds stretched. Then the ground trembled. The beast shuddered, claws digging into the earth. Its body rolled, muscles bulging, and with a violent surge it forced itself upright. Blood ran down its face, steaming.
"You did this to me," it growled. The sound was deeper now. Thicker. Rage packed into every syllable. Its remaining right eye burned with fury as it fixed on the boys. "I will kill you all."
Fear broke through the group. Some crawled backward on their hands, boots scraping dirt. One boy whimpered. Another dropped his weapon entirely, fingers numb.
"Did we go for the wrong head once again?" Max asked, his voice hoarse.
Cole swallowed hard. "I guess we are all dead."
But Harry didn't flinch. He didn't step back. His left eye still glowed and fixed on ths beast with anger. The beast no longer looked at Max. Or Cole. Or any of the others. Its focus narrowed, sharp and singular.
On Harry.
With a roar, it charged. The ground shook as it sprinted, trees cracking as its body slammed through branches. Horns lowered. Claws tore trenches into the earth.
"Harry run!" someone screamed.
Harry didn't. He reached back calmly, fingers closing around another arrow. No rush. No panic. He placed it on the string, feeling the familiar hum beneath his skin.
The beast was close now. Too close. Everyone ceased their breath. Harry drew his arrow. The bowstring creaked under the strain. The world narrowed until there was nothing but the lion head. The remaining eye. Burning. Wild.
He released it. The arrow struck dead center. It punched straight into the lion head's right eye. The beast screamed. The sound shattered the air, raw and endless. It stumbled, momentum carrying it forward before its legs buckled. It crashed hard into the ground, rolling, smashing through undergrowth.
Then it went still. The forest held its breath. The boys stared. Slowly, cautiously, smiles broke across bruised faces. Some laughed weakly. Others sagged against trees, legs giving out.
For a few minutes, everyone exhaled sharply, believing it was over. Then the beast moved. It pushed itself upright again.
This time its movements were wrong. Jerky. Blind. Both eyes ruined, it swung its massive body wildly, attacking without aim or direction. Horns sliced through empty air. Tails whipped trees to splinters. Claws raked at nothing.
"Why is it not dead?" Larry shouted, backing away. Harry's voice cut through the chaos. "Because the arrow was meant to blind it, not kill it."
He dropped the bow. Steel rang as he drew his sword. The beast charged blindly, smashing toward sound, toward movement. Harry turned and ran, boots thundering the earth, breath steady despite the chaos behind him.
He led it straight toward a thick tree. At the last second, Harry planted a foot against the trunk, ran up the bark, then pushed off hard.
His body arced through the air. He turned mid-jump, sword raised high, muscles screaming. Then he brought it down.
The blade bit deep into the lion head's neck. Bone cracked. Flesh split. The head tore free and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The beast staggered. "Now!" Harry shouted. The boys surged forward. Fear gave way to fury.
Blades flashed. Arrows flew at close range. They attacked together, shouting, striking, hacking. One head fell. Then another. The snake head writhed and snapped before being severed. The dog head howled once, then went silent.
The beast thrashed wildly, weakening with each blow. At last, the final head dropped. The massive body collapsed.
It did not rise again. Silence poured back into the forest, thick and heavy. One by one, the boys slumped to the ground, weapons slipping from numb hands. Chests heaved. Blood dripped. Sweat burned eyes.
Harry stood apart. His glowing eye refused to fade. He turned suddenly and lunged toward Larry.
Hands closed around Larry's neck, slamming him against a tree. Bark dug into Larry's back as his feet left the ground. "You can insult me all you want," Harry said, his voice low and dangerous. "But one direct insult to my father will cost you your life."
Larry clawed at Harry's wrist, choking. "I. I am sorry," he forced out. "I only said that to make you angry."
Harry stared at him, jaw tight, breath heavy. Then he exhaled sharply. Slowly, he released him. Larry dropped to the ground, coughing, gasping, alive.
Harry stepped back. The green glow in his eye finally dimmed. The forest remained silent.
A Green Land student named Aaron did not join the others in their quiet celebration. While the rest of them slumped around the fallen beast, nursing bruises and staring at the corpse as if it might rise again, Aaron moved with purpose. He was lean, sharp-eyed, and unsettlingly calm. Without asking permission, he bent and gripped the severed snake head by its mane.
The weight dragged grooves in the soil as he pulled it away. Max noticed first. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice rough.
Aaron did not look back. He dragged the head to a clearing and began arranging stones in a circle. His hands moved quickly, practiced. "I am trying to revive Collins and Sammy."
A few boys laughed nervously. One shook his head. Another muttered, "They are gone. We have to move on."
Aaron ignored them.
He turned back to the carcass and hacked free the snake head. Its fangs still glistened with venom. He carried it to the fire ring and fed it into the flames. The head blackened, curled, then crumbled. A sharp, bitter smell filled the air.
The fire burned low. Aaron waited. When the head had turned fully to ash, he scraped the gray powder into his palm and walked to where Collins and Sammy lay motionless on the ground. Their skin had gone dull, lips tinged blue, bodies cold and slack.
Aaron knelt. He smeared the ashes across their chests. Across their throats. Then he pressed some onto their lips, forcing their mouths open.
The watching boys shifted uneasily. "They are gone," someone whispered again, this time softer, like saying it might make it less frightening.
Aaron reached into a small pouch tied at his waist and crushed a dark green herb between his fingers. Thick juice dripped out. He dabbed it onto Collins' lips. Then Sammy's.
Harry watched from a distance. He sat apart from the others, back against a tree, arms resting on his knees. The glow was gone from his eye, but his head still throbbed. The weight of the day pressed down on him slowly, like a hand tightening around his chest.
This wasn't training anymore. This wasn't a test. The forest was not impressed by bravery or titles. It only waited to drink their blood. The mission was a death sentence.
The boys built more fires as night crept in. Flames flickered, shadows dancing across bruised faces. No one spoke loudly. Even laughter felt wrong here.