16. Beginning of an unknown venture

The tension in the air was palpable as the countdown echoed through the small stadium. All five contestants stood in position, bows raised, their eyes locked on the distant targets. Each target featured seven concentric circles, with the coveted bullseye gleaming in the center. The crowd held its collective breath as the final seconds ticked down. “Three... two... one!” At the signal, five strings dragged in near-perfect unison as arrows sliced through the air like whispers of fate. Most contestants managed to land their arrows within the third circle, drawing polite applause from the crowd. Xavier, ever the golden boy of the competition, grinned smugly as his arrow struck dead center on the bullseye. But then there was Jayden. The moment his arrow hit the target—or rather, what was left of the target—the crowd erupted into murmurs of shock and confusion. Where the bullseye should have been, there was a clean, smoldering hole. The arrow had torn clean through the target, embedded itsel