Forgotten faces

Chapter 3

As if by magic, she found herself in front of the old abandoned house, the FACELESS card clutched in her hand. Night had fallen, and the shadows seemed deeper than ever. She headed towards the first place indicated on the map: Middlebury Cemetery.The graves were lined up like silent sentinels. Amy felt a presence, something peering at her from the darkness. She approached an ancient tombstone, covered in moss. The name engraved on it was faded, but she knew that's where she had to look.

She dug in the earth, her fingers sinking into the cool of the night. Suddenly she hit something hard. An object wrapped in worn cloth. She dug it up and unfolded it. It was an old mirror, its wooden frame cracked. Amy looked into it, and what she saw chilled her to the core.His own face, but different. His eyes were filled with terror, his mouth open in a silent scream. She felt a wave of fear, an ancestral terror that made her waver. It was the object linked to fear, the one she had to face.FACELESS said that every truth has a price. Amy now knew that this prize was the revelation of her own emotions. She mentally prepared herself, then touched the mirror. Fear invaded her, overwhelmed her.

 She relived moments in her life when she had been afraid: the night she lost her father, the time she was stalked by a criminal. Terror gripped her, but she held on.When the fear finally dissipated, Amy knew she had succeeded. The mirror was now broken into pieces, and she felt lighter, free of an old burden. She put the fragments in her pocket and prepared for the next test.The FACELESS was waiting for him, somewhere in the darkness. And she was ready to do anything to save her brother. Amy walked out of the cemetery, the broken mirror still in her pocket. The moon was high in the sky, lighting up the dark alleys of Middlebury. She headed towards the second location indicated on the map: the old abandoned library.The doors creaked when she pushed them open.

 The interior was dusty, the shelves covered with tattered books. Amy knew she had to look for something related to anger. She searched the shelves, her fingers sliding over the worn bindings.Suddenly, she found an old grimoire, its leather cracked and its pages yellowed. She opened it and read the words written in red ink: "The Wrath of the Ancients." Amy felt a dark energy emanating from the book. This was the object she was looking for.She sat at a table, the grimoire in front of her. She remembered the times when she had felt angry: the arguments with her brother, the injustices she had seen in the city.

 She closed her eyes and let the anger rise within her. She relived those moments, rage boiling through her veins.The grimoire lit up, its pages turning of their own accord. Amy read the incantations, speaking the forbidden words. Anger overwhelmed her, making her tremble. She felt an ancient force flow through her, a power she had never known.When she opened her eyes, the grimoire was empty. The anger had disappeared, giving way to a strange calm. Amy knew she had succeeded. She put the grimoire in her bag and prepared for the final test.The FACELESS was waiting for him, somewhere in the darkness. And she was ready to do anything to save her brother. Amy stood in front of the door of the old abandoned church. The bells had been silent for years, but she could still feel their presence. 

She knew this was where she had to face FACELESS for the last time.She entered, moonlight filtering through the broken stained glass windows. The FACELESS was waiting for him in the choir, its outlines floating in the darkness. "Amy Sullivan," he said in a faceless voice. "You have passed the tests. But you still have one last step."Amy nodded. "I am ready."The FACELESS approached. "To save your brother, you must remember his face. The real face, the one you have forgotten."Amy closed her eyes. She relived the memories of Craig: his smile, his laughing eyes, the moments spent together. But there was something else, something she had buried deep within herself.She opened her eyes.

 "I remember," she said. "His face was different. He had strange markings, eyes without pupils."The FACELESS smiles. "It's him. Your brother has become one of us, a FACELESS. But he can be saved. Give me the mirror, the grimoire and your memories. Only then will he find his true face."Amy took the items out of her bag. The FACELESS took them, merging them into a single entity. "Now look."Amy saw Craig's face form in the darkness. His eyes were filled with recognition. "Amy," he said in a trembling voice.