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BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 53
The tension in Aletra had been building for weeks. Samuel could feel it in the air, thick and suffocating, like the city itself was holding its breath. His rebellion had been gaining momentum, stirring up fear and uncertainty in the state’s leadership. Samuel’s plan was working, but as with every move he made, there were risks—risks he had learned to live with.What he hadn’t anticipated was that one of his own allies would be the one to deliver the blow. It came swiftly, in the dead of night, like a dagger to the heart.Samuel had always trusted Aaron. The man had been a loyal companion, one of the few people Samuel could count on. Together, they had built the resistance from the ground up, fighting against an oppressive government that had no regard for the people. Samuel had shared his darkest secrets with Aaron, confided in him when the weight of the world became too much. He had believed in him, trusted him as much as anyone could.But that trust was shattered in an instant.It h
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 54
Samuel sat alone in the dimly lit room, his fingers tracing the worn edges of a map spread across the table, his mind was a maze of conflicting thoughts. The rebellion had come so far, and yet it felt like everything was crumbling, piece by piece. Was it all worth it? He had sacrificed so much—his time, his energy, his relationships—and yet, in the end, what had they achieved? The state had grown stronger, and the people who once followed him now looked to him with doubt and fear in their eyes.His reflection was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Samuel didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Joey had been a constant presence in his life for years, a loyal ally despite the chaos that surrounded them. But now, the younger man’s silence was a weight Samuel couldn’t ignore.“Samuel,” Joey’s voice broke the stillness, low and unsure. “Are you okay?”Samuel didn’t answer immediately. He could feel the weight of Joey’s gaze, the expectation in the air, but he wasn’t sure how to resp
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 55
Samuel stared at the money Joey had placed on the table. A stack of red and blue bills lay neatly, as if they had just been withdrawn from the bank. However, something within him sensed an oddity.Suddenly, a fleeting vision flashed through his mind. Fragments of memories from who knows where seemed to tell him something. This money was no ordinary cash. He recognized the packaging pattern and the faint scent emanating from it—a mix of expensive perfume and tobacco smoke. Something he could only associate with one name: Sharon.Samuel furrowed his brows and took a deep breath before looking at Joey, who was still standing before him with a questioning expression."This is from Sharon," he stated, his voice flat but filled with certainty.Joey blinked, looking surprised. "Sharon? You mean, that Sharon?"Samuel nodded slowly. "A high-profile criminal. The shadow queen we've never been able to touch."Joey exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "How can you be so sure?"Samuel
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 56
Samuel first noticed the visions three nights ago. They started as fleeting images—shadows curling at the edges of his consciousness, whispers in languages he didn’t recognize, and a throne wreathed in flickering blue flames. But last night, they became impossible to ignore. He had woken up drenched in sweat, heart hammering in his chest, his arm burning as if seared by an invisible fire. When he pulled up his sleeve, a sigil glowed on his forearm, intricate and pulsating with an eerie golden light.Sarah was the first to see it.Her face paled. She took a step back, gripping the edge of the table as if the sight had physically weakened her. "Oh, God," she whispered."What?" Samuel demanded, his voice hoarse. "You know what this is?"Sarah swallowed hard, her fingers trembling. "I was hoping this would never happen." She looked into his eyes, guilt and fear warring in her expression. "Samuel, there’s something I never told you about your
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 57
The hum of the private jet was the only sound that accompanied Samuel as he stared out of the window, watching the endless blue of the ocean below. The sunlight reflected off the water’s surface, making it appear like liquid glass. It was beautiful—too beautiful for what lay ahead. Samuel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his thoughts racing.His old master’s final words echoed in his mind: “Your true purpose lies in the ocean’s depths.”What could that possibly mean? He had been trained for years in secret, preparing for something big, but nothing had ever felt this urgent. XX Island. The name alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t just an island—it was a place steeped in mystery, with whispers of its ancient power and artifacts that could alter the very fabric of time. And now, Samuel was bound for it, with only fragmented clues to guide him.Beside him, Sarah sat quietly, her gaze fixed on the horizon. He hadn’t heard a word from her since they boarded the pla
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 58
The cave trembled around us, dust raining from the ceiling as the ground beneath our feet quaked. The pedestal where the journal had rested began to crack, thin fractures crawling across its surface like veins of some ancient, dying beast.I gripped the book tighter, my breath coming fast. “What the hell is happening?”Sarah stood frozen, her eyes darting around the chamber. She took a step back, her voice barely above a whisper. “We triggered something… but I don’t know what.”I turned to her sharply. “You knew this place would react, didn’t you? You knew something like this could happen.”She flinched at the accusation but didn’t deny it.“You’ve been keeping secrets this entire time,” I snapped, anger flaring in my chest. “Enough. Tell me what’s really going on.”Sarah clenched her fists, her hesitation tangible. The flickering torchlight cast
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 59
The crash of falling rocks echoed behind them as Samuel and Sarah emerged onto the rocky shore, their breaths ragged and uneven. The cave had collapsed completely, leaving behind nothing but dust and the faint tremors still reverberating through the earth. The ocean roared against the jagged cliffs, its waves crashing in a relentless, violent rhythm, as if mirroring the chaos unfolding before them.Samuel steadied himself, hands braced against his knees, his pulse hammering in his ears. He turned sharply toward Sarah, his voice laced with frustration.“What the hell just happened?”Sarah’s face was pale, her usually sharp gaze unfocused as she stared at the spot where the cave entrance had once stood. Slowly, she shook her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. The island has never reacted like this before.”Samuel exhaled sharply, his frustration mounting. He could still feel the weight of the journal tucked in his bag, as if the secrets within were burn
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 60
The weight of the island’s demand pressed down on him, suffocating, inescapable. His hands trembled at his sides as he turned to Sarah, hoping for another answer—any answer—that didn’t end in blood.“There has to be another way,” he said, his voice tight with desperation. “Something we’re missing. A loophole.”Sarah’s eyes darkened with concern. She wanted to tell him there was another way, but she couldn’t lie to him—not now. “If there was, I would have told you already,” she admitted. “But this has always been the island’s way.”The elder woman remained silent, watching him with an unreadable expression. She had seen this moment before, countless times throughout history—when the heir was forced to face the impossible. And she knew that in the end, the island always got what it wanted.Samuel swallowed hard. His fingers brushed against the worn leather of the journal still tucked inside his bag. He had hoped the answers were in its pages, but all it had given him were more questions
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The aftermath of William Brook’s fall left an eerie silence in the grand hall. Smoke curled from the scorched remnants of his body, his power having disintegrated beneath Samuel’s attack. But despite the victory, the tension in the air remained thick, as though the battle had only scratched the surface of something much bigger.Evelyn stepped beside Samuel, her expression unreadable. “You look like you’re expecting another ghost to jump out of the shadows.”Samuel didn’t respond immediately. His senses were on high alert, his instincts telling him this wasn’t over. The Brook family wouldn’t take William’s downfall lightly. If anything, they’d retaliate with fury.“We need to move,” Samuel said, voice firm. “Now.”Evelyn smirked but followed as he strode out of the ruined hall. The moment they stepped into the corridor, the weight of their situation settled. The estate, once a stronghold of wealth and power, now felt like a battlefield.As they walked, Evelyn broke the silence. “So, wh
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Samuel stood at the center, his eyes dark with unreadable emotions, while the Brook family loomed over the negotiation table like vultures circling a fresh kill.“I don’t think you understand the weight of what you’re asking, Mr. Brook,” Samuel said, voice calm but edged with steel.Across from him, William Brook smirked, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of his chair. “Oh, I understand perfectly,” he mused. “What I don’t understand is why you’re hesitating. A merger between our companies would be beneficial for both sides. And yet, you seem... resistant.”Samuel’s jaw tightened. This wasn’t just a business deal. The Brook family had been subtly moving against him for months, and now, they were making their power play. He wasn’t going to let them win.“I have no interest in merging with a family that has done everything in its power to sabotage mine,” Samuel said coldly.“You wound me,” William chuckled, leaning back. “This isn’t about the past, Samuel. It’s about the f
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Vincent, still clutching his gun, scanned the perimeter of the room before finally lowering it. "We should be safe here for now."Evelyn rubbed her temples, her fingers trembling. "For now? That's not exactly reassuring. Those echoes... that wasn’t normal. Not even for this."Thorne stood near the doorway, his gaze distant. "It was an aftershock. The Devourer may be bound, but its influence lingers. The echoes were proof of that."Sophia crossed her arms. "Great. So what do we do? Just sit here and wait for another nightmare to show up?""No," Thorne said simply. "We need to sever the last ties."Samuel looked up. "Ties? You mean, there’s still something linking this place to the Devourer?"Thorne nodded. "The remnants of its presence don’t just vanish. The echoes were drawn to us because we disrupted something ancient. If we don’t finish what we started, this will happen again. And next time, we might not be able to outrun it."A heavy silence settled over the room.Vincent finally s
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The group moved quickly through the desolate landscape, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them. The air still held the remnants of the Devourer’s presence, thick and suffocating. Samuel kept a firm grip on Mercer’s arm, making sure he stayed steady.Mercer, though exhausted, still managed to crack a weak smile. “You planning to hold onto me forever?”Samuel scoffed but didn’t let go. “You can barely stand.”Mercer sighed but didn’t argue. His body was covered in bruises, his clothes tattered, and his skin was still marked with faint traces of the dark tendrils that had bound him to the Devourer.Vincent led the way, his gun still drawn, eyes sharp and scanning the area for any threats. Evelyn walked beside him, her hands trembling slightly, though she tried to hide it. Sophia was a few steps ahead of Samuel and Mercer, her grip still tight on the dagger, ready for anything.Thorne, as always, was eerily calm, his presence steady. “We need to move faster,” he said.
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The second eye blinked open, followed by a third, then a fourth. The Devourer’s presence spread, a suffocating force pressing down on Samuel’s chest. The symbols on the ground pulsed in response, flickering like a heartbeat.Sophia’s grip tightened on the dagger she held, ready to intervene if things went wrong. Vincent and Marcus stood at the edge of the ritual circle, their eyes locked on Samuel, prepared for anything.The Devourer’s voice slithered through the air. “You… are tethered to the one we hold.”Samuel swallowed hard. “Yes.”The entity’s gaze burned through him, its presence creeping into the depths of his mind, sifting through his memories, his emotions, his very essence. A wave of nausea rolled through him as the connection strengthened.“You offer yourself?”Samuel’s fingers curled into fists. “I do.”Evelyn’s chanting shifted, the cadence growing sharper, more forceful. The mimic ritual had to remain convincing, and that meant making the Devourer believe it was getting
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The weight of Thorne’s words settled over them like a suffocating fog. A willing sacrifice.Samuel’s fingers curled into fists as he stared at the page in front of him. The ancient symbols meant nothing to him, but the implications were clear. To sever the Devourer’s connection to its feeding ground, someone had to die.“That’s not an option,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “There has to be another way.”Thorne leaned back in his chair, watching them with a measured gaze. “If there was, I would tell you. But Devourers are ancient creatures, bound by deep-rooted laws of existence. To break their hold, something of equal value must be given in return.”Vincent scoffed. “So you’re saying the only way to save Mercer is for one of us to die? Not happening.”Thorne sighed. “I understand your reluctance. But this is not a simple monster you can kill with bullets or fire. Devourers are entities of hunger and power. If you go in unprepared, you won’t just lose Mercer—you’ll all become part of
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Marcus kept one hand on the wheel while his other gripped his phone tightly. “We need to move fast,” he muttered. “The Brook family won’t just sit back and let us find Mercer first.”Samuel exhaled slowly. “Then we beat them to it. Whatever’s up there in that village, it’s dangerous. But Mercer is still alive. I can feel it.”Vincent scoffed from the backseat. “Feel it? Or just hoping?”Samuel ignored him. He wasn’t about to explain the gnawing pull in his chest, the unshakable certainty that Mercer was still out there, barely clinging to life.Sophia shifted uncomfortably beside him. “That thing in the village… It wasn’t human, was it?”Evelyn, who had been silent the entire drive, finally spoke. “No. It wasn’t.” Her voice was unusually quiet. “I’ve read about things like this before, but seeing it in person is something else.”Marcus frowned. “Read about it? What was it?”Evelyn hesitated before answering. “There are stories of ancient beings bound to certain places, creatures that
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The wind howled through the ruins, carrying an eerie whisper that sent a chill down Samuel’s spine. The inhuman eye within the darkness remained fixed on them, unblinking, filled with a hunger that made the air itself tremble.Sophia gripped Samuel’s arm, her breath shallow. “Samuel… what is that?”Vincent stepped forward, drawing his gun. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”Marcus cursed under his breath. “We need to get out of here. Now.”The trembling man on the ground clutched at Samuel’s sleeve. “You can’t fight it,” he rasped. “You can only run.”Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the shifting darkness. “No. We don’t run. We face it.”As if responding to her defiance, the shadows coiled like living tendrils, stretching toward them. Samuel barely had time to pull Sophia back before the darkness lashed out, striking the ground where she had just been standing. The impact left a deep crack in the earth, radiating an unnatural heat.“That’s not normal,” Vincent muttered.The villagers had
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The moment they stepped onto the tarmac, a biting cold wind greeted them, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something older, almost metallic, like the air before a storm.Samuel adjusted the collar of his coat, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain. He wasn’t the only one on edge. Sophia wrapped her arms around herself, glancing toward Marcus."Are you sure your contact knows where Mercer is?" she asked, her voice hushed.Marcus checked his phone, his fingers typing rapidly. “He says Mercer was last seen near a village deep in the mountains. But it won’t be easy to reach. The roads are dangerous, and the locals avoid that area.”Vincent scoffed. “Of course they do. Let me guess—ghost stories? Cursed land?”Evelyn, standing slightly apart from the group, tilted her head. “It’s not just stories,” she murmured. “There are things in these mountains older than any of us.”Vincent rolled his eyes. “Great. More cryptic warnings. Love that.”Marcus ignored him and motione
