Forgotten faces

Chapter 1

Amy followed the map to a dark alley, where the shadows seemed to come to life. Murmurs hung in the air, unintelligible words that seemed to come from nowhere. She found herself in front of a worm-eaten wooden door, decorated with a strange symbol. She hesitated for a moment, then pushed it.It was dark inside, but Amy wasn't alone.

 a faceless figure stared at her, glowing with an evil glow. The FACELESS was there, lurking in the darkness. He fed on human emotions, reveling in fear and despair and inflicting hallucinations on anyone he wanted.Amy knew she had crossed a line. She had entered a world where the rules were different, where faces were forgotten and souls were in danger. His brother was somewhere here, prisoner of this elusive creature now we had to free him and save him from this hell.She clenched her fists. She wouldn't back down.

 For Craig, for all of humanity, she would face FACELESS. For in the darkness, forgotten faces bided their time. Amy stood in front of the FACELESS, her heart racing. The frightening faceless creature peered at her, seeking to pierce her soul. She felt like time had frozen, that the air had become thicker. There were only these two. The silence was oppressive."Who are you ?"

 Amy asked in a trembling voice. "Why did you take my brother?" she retorted.The FACELESS did not respond. It just floated in the darkness, its outlines indistinct. Amy remembered the legends she had heard as a child. It was said that FACELESS was born from an ancient curse, that it was linked to human emotions. But why had he chosen Craig?Middlebury, Vermont 1738The few settlers who had just immigrated to Vermont pushed back the Native American people who were there at the time; young Arnold Greenwich has just turned twenty-one.January 1740,War breaks out in Vermont, a bloody war called the War of Succession.

 The American army sent there was composed of three infantry troops who were constantly at the front and were confronted with traditional Native American weapons consisting of darts containing homemade poison. The majority of men over twenty-five were transferred to the front except Arnold who was still only twenty.Arnold Greenwich, , stood on the edge of the precipice. War raged in his country, with Americans facing off against Native Americans in a bitter struggle for land and freedom. Cannons thundered, cries of pain and rage rose in the stale air.One day, while Arnold was patrolling near the river, he saw a Native American warrior fighting with superhuman strength. His movements were fluid, almost supernatural. He defeated enemy soldiers with no apparent effort, as if blessed by the gods. "Wait!" he shouted. "There's something strange about him. I want to know who he really is."The officers looked at him with suspicion, but they agreed to grant him a reprieve. Arnold spent hours questioning the warrior. His name was Takoda, which meant "friend of all" in his language. But it wasn't her name that intrigued Arnold, it was her face.

Takoda wore a carved wooden mask, covering his entire face. No human features were visible, only two slits for eyes and a closed mouth. Arnold was perplexed. Why would such a powerful warrior hide his face?Takoda ends up revealing his secret to him. He was the last descendant of an ancient line of warriors, the "Faceless". Their power came from a pact with the spirits of nature. In exchange for their face, they gained unimaginable strength. But there was a price to pay: they had to remain hidden forever, condemned to wander without an identity. Arnold was fascinated and horrified.

 He had before him a being who had sacrificed his humanity to protect his people. He decided to release Takoda, let him return to the woods and continue his fight against the Americans. But before leaving, Takoda made him a promise."One day, Arnold Greenwich, you will need me. When that day comes, seek the mask of the Faceless. It will reveal the truth to you."Arnold, intrigued and fascinated, decided to capture this mysterious warrior. With the help of his comrades, they overpowered him and brought him back to camp. American officers wanted to execute him immediately, considering him a dangerous enemy. But Arnold, curious and compassionate, objected. Arnold didn't understand everything, but he knew that this encounter would change his life forever. 

As he watched Takoda disappear into the forest, he vowed to uncover the mystery of the mask and unlock the secret of the Faceless.And so began a quest that would take him far beyond the battlefields, into a world where magic and reality mixed, where masks hid more than faces, and where the truth was more dangerous than war itself.Back to present time.Amy remembered the words on the card: "In the darkness, forgotten faces bide their time." What meaning could this have? And why did FACELESS need human emotions?Amy decided to take a risk. She reached out towards the FACELESS, as if to touch it. "I want to know," she said. "I want to know the truth about you, about my brother."Suddenly, the FACELESS began to move and move at an unimaginable speed. Its contours became clearer, more defined. Amy felt a strange energy invade her. Images flashed before his eyes: faces, memories, emotions. She saw her brother, panicked, trapped in a swirl of shadows.

"Your brother is special," the FACELESS whispered. "He carries within him an ancient light, a key to our world. We need him to survive." Amy shivered. "And what do you want from me?"The FACELESS smiles, a faceless smile. "You, Amy Sullivan, are our last hope. Only you can break the curse that binds us. But be careful, every truth has a price."Amy stared at the FACELESS, her mind in turmoil. She had always been a woman of logic, but now she found herself on the threshold of the unknown. "What is this price?" she asked, her voice firmer this time.The FACELESS approached, its outlines floating in the air like wisps of smoke. "To break the curse, you will have to sacrifice a part of yourself," he said. "A powerful emotion, a precious memory. It will be painful, but necessary."Amy thinks. She had already lost her brother, and now she had to risk even more. But she couldn't back down. "Okay," she said. "I'll do whatever it takes."The FACELESS nodded. "So listen carefully, Amy Sullivan. To free your brother, you will need to find three ancient objects scattered around the city.

 Each of them is linked to an emotion: fear, sadness and anger.Amy felt her heart speed up. "After that ?""Then you must bring them here, to this sacred place," said the FACELESS. "There, you will have to relive these emotions, let them overwhelm you. Only then will the curse be broken."Amy knew it would be difficult. But she was ready. She had faced the shadows before, and she would not back down now. "Where are these objects?" she asked.The FACELESS handed him another card, older, more worn. "Look for them in the darkest places in the city," he said. "And remember: every truth has a price."Amy took the card, her mind racing. She had a brother to save, a curse to break.

 And she was ready for anything.Amy stared at the FACELESS, her heart racing. His faceless eyes peered into her, seeking to pierce her soul. She felt like time had frozen, that the air had become thicker. The silence was oppressive."Who are you ?" Amy asked in a trembling voice. "Why did you take my brother?"In the dark alleys of Middlebury, Amy Sullivan felt her heart pounding. The FACELESS, this faceless creature, stood before her. Its outlines, once fuzzy and indistinct, were now sharp and defined. A strange energy emanated from him, invading the space around them.

Images flashed before his eyes, like a fast-moving movie. Faces, memories, emotions... And among them, she saw her brother, Craig. He was panicked, trapped in a swirl of shadows. His look was pleading, as if calling for help."Your brother is special," the FACELESS whispered. His voice was like an icy wind, blowing through the deserted streets. "He carries within him an ancient light, a key to our world. We need him to survive."Amy shivered. She felt a dull fear rising within her, but she refused to let it take over. "And what do you want from me?" she asked, her trembling voice betraying her anxiety.The FACELESS smiles, a faceless smile, as terrifying as it is intriguing. "You, Amy Sullivan, are our last hope. Only you can break the curse that binds us. But be careful, every truth has a price."And with that, the FACELESS disappeared, leaving Amy alone in the darkness. She stood there, motionless, her heart racing. She knew that she had just embarked on an adventure from which she might not emerge unscathed. But she was ready to do anything to find her brother.And as she stood there in the darkness, a thought crossed her mind: What if Craig wasn't the only one who disappeared? What if other people had been taken by FACELESS? What if... she was next?With this terrifying thought, Amy set off, determined to face what awaited her. She didn't yet know how much her life would change...