The freezing mist that cloaked the Hydra slowly faded, as if being inhaled by a breath unseen.

  The second head opened its maw, revealing a blue glow pulsing deep within, flickering rhythmically like a heartbeat made of frost.

  Veil, still keeping his distance, scanned for an opening.

  “I have to strike one head when the other isn’t watching,” he murmured, voice shaking.

  But before he could make a move, the first head suddenly lifted.

  Veil stepped back, ready to dodge.

  But to his surprise, it didn’t lunge at him.

  No.

  It turned toward the severed head still lying on the ground. Its fangs bared in a low, rumbling growl, jaws parting slowly, vibrating with a disturbing eagerness.

  A thick, chilling breath escaped its teeth, misting the air and making the half-frozen flesh beneath it quiver.

  Then, with a sharp snap, it clamped down on the dead head’s flesh. The skin gave way with a sickening squelch, splattering the floor with a stream of blackish fluid.

  The creature dragged the head upward, lifting it to the level of the second maw.

  That one, without hesitation, leaned in and sank its fangs deep into the rotting mass. With a violent jerk, it tore off a chunk of meat and swallowed it whole.

  The first head dropped what remained.

  Then, methodically, it began shredding the leftover flesh—tearing off strip after strip in a chorus of wet, squelching sounds.

  For several seconds, a chorus of grotesque schlurps echoed through the chamber.

  Both heads, without pause, devoured the lifeless skull like starving beasts.

  Then, in unison, they rose again.

  Their long bodies undulated upward, stretching to their full height.

  And then came the scream.

  A shrill, piercing howl, echoing from both throats.

  High. Sharp. Almost painful to hear.

  Alynia, still sheltered behind the broken column, was panting—her breath growing increasingly ragged. From her position, she had a skewed but wider view of the room—enough to see something Veil, being too close, hadn’t yet noticed.

  Her eyes froze. Her pupils contracted.

  She saw it before he did.

  “Look… at the top of their heads, Little Wolf!” she shouted, panic twisting her voice.

  Veil immediately looked up—and understood.

  The scales atop the skulls, already dangerous, had elongated.

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  Their curves—both inner and outer—were now coated with a thin, almost invisible layer of ice. Subtle… but real. And reinforced by a glowing, unnatural blue light.

  The light beneath the scales began to intensify.

  It pulsed faster. Stronger.

  And the second head slowly turned its gaze toward Veil.

  Beneath its armor, the blue glow fractured—branching upward to the top of the skull.

  There, at the tip of the frozen blades, small orbs began to form.

  Pure. Cold. Lethal.

  A subtle wave—barely perceptible—rippled out into the air.

  The spheres bristled with spikes.

  Then, slowly, they began to spin.

  “Move! Get out of there!” Alynia shouted.

  Veil leapt instantly, diving behind one of the few remaining pillars still standing.

  An instant later, the Hydra let out a cry.

  Then… silence.

  A deep, almost unreal stillness.

  The echo of its scream faded slowly into nothing.

  Crouched behind the pillar, Veil dared a glance.

  A first ripple crossed the chamber, making the ground tremble beneath him.

  Then, a white light radiated from the second head, diffusing slowly through the air.

  Silence returned… but it wasn’t peaceful.

  BOOM.

  A deafening explosion rang out.

  Then another.

  And another.

  The Hydra began firing the spheres one after another, launching them in all directions.

  The blasts came fast—violent, disorienting.

  A dozen detonations erupted across the room, each one ripping the air with such force it felt like space itself was tearing apart.

  The shockwaves made the walls tremble.

  The battle had changed.

  The Hydra wasn’t just trying to kill anymore.

  It was furious—possessed by a raw, primal rage—determined to tear them to pieces.

  Every movement now, every strike, radiated a savage will to annihilate.

  Then… the noise began to fade, leaving only the faint clinking of ice shards rolling across stone.

  A heavy silence settled over the room, broken only by Alynia’s labored breaths as she pulled herself upright, clutching the pillar she had hidden behind.

  The pillar was half-destroyed, riddled with impact marks. The stone had been shattered clean through—torn apart by the sheer force of the attack.

  “Little Wolf? Are you there?” she called, her voice trembling.

  Worry clung to every word.

  A pale mist still clung to the ground, born of frost and dust churned up by the blasts.

  “I’m fine,” Veil replied.

  He emerged from behind a column, shaking his head slightly, his eyes scanning the chamber.

  But they didn’t have time to feel relieved.

  A sudden gust swept through the room, lifting the mist into a swirling vortex.

  The frozen floor was revealed—now cratered and torn in a dozen places.

  This wasn’t over.

  Without warning, the Hydra’s first head locked onto Veil—and lunged.

  It shot toward him, the scales on its maw gleaming under the flickering torchlight.

  As it descended, its neck lowered and the blade-like ridges atop its head smashed into the pillar in front of him.

  The column exploded on impact, shattering cleanly—chunks of stone flying in all directions.

  Veil tried to dodge, but the flying debris caught him mid-step, knocking him off balance. He crashed onto the frozen floor, the air knocked from his lungs.

  Meanwhile, the second head had begun charging a small, compact sphere of water in its gaping jaws—pulsing with mana, glowing faintly with concentrated energy.

  Alynia, seeing the scene unfold, stepped out from behind the pillar, determined to help. She tried to run toward Veil.

  But she had barely taken two steps when the first head—still low to the ground—swung around in a brutal arc.

  A savage sweep aimed directly at her.

  She instinctively leapt back, but her foot landed in one of the craters left by the earlier blasts. Her ankle twisted, her balance failed.

  Her hands caught the fall—but her wounded arm buckled under the impact.

  She collapsed onto her back, pain shooting through her limbs, tears welling in her eyes.

  Panting, her thoughts muddled, something suddenly caught her attention.

  A detail—up high.

  She lifted her head, struggling to sit up, and looked toward the top of the chamber.

  There, carved into the wall... the mural of the Hydra.

  But something about it struck her now—something she hadn’t noticed before.

  The first head embodied brute force—devouring all in its path.

  The second wielded magic—attacking from a distance.

  So… why three?

  “Why three?” she whispered. “What does the third head mean?”

  In front of her, the Hydra only had two heads.

  But in the mural… the creature had three.

  And beneath the leg of the man being devoured—right on the Hydra’s body—there was a tiny glowing blue dot. A detail she had completely missed before. Small. Almost invisible.

  Alynia squinted, trying to make sense of it.

  “What does it mean?” she murmured softly.

  But she had no time to think further.

  Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her—one beneath her thighs, the other bracing her lower back.

  Veil swept her up and ran.

  The second head had fired its sphere right where she had been moments before. Lost in the mural, she hadn’t even seen the attack coming.

  Veil set her down farther away, safely behind cover, his eyes wide with alarm.

  “You have to stay alert,” he said, panic lacing his voice.

  He turned immediately back toward the Hydra.

  The first head was already lifting again.

  “I called your name several times, Alynia! You didn’t hear me… Why?” he snapped, breathing hard.

  He didn’t wait for an answer.

  Alynia remained seated, staring at his back.

  “I’m sorry…” she whispered.

  But he didn’t hear her. His mind—and his eyes—were already fixed on the Hydra.

  The creature stared him down, unblinking. Its breath, now ragged and guttural, filled the chamber with a deep, oppressive rumble.

  Alynia tried to stand. The fall had reawakened every buried pain in her body.

  Slowly, she pushed herself up, her arms trembling as she leaned on the broken pillar for support.

  Her eyes lifted again toward the mural. But from where she stood, her view was too narrow. She needed a different angle—something that would let her grasp the full meaning of the symbols carved into the stone.

  She stepped back, limping slightly, and made her way toward the entrance of the chamber, hoping to get a clearer view.

  “Keep it busy—just a little longer!” she shouted.

  Her voice echoed through the room. Veil raised a hand in reply, signaling that he’d heard her.

  “I’m trying to figure out how to beat it. This mural… maybe it’s hiding the answer,” she muttered under her breath.

  She moved slowly, her eyes fixed on the vaulted ceiling, scanning every detail so that nothing would escape her.

  “That crystal on its heads… maybe it’s just a decoy,” she whispered to herself.

  She was sure of it now—there was something she hadn’t seen. Something crucial.

  It felt as if the mural was waiting for someone to uncover its secret.