John had spent his entire life avoiding the spotlight.


    Now?


    Now he was the center of it.


    Cain wanted something.


    Eli’s father had been involved in something bigger.


    And the Mask? It was real.


    John had no choice anymore.


    If he didn’t find it first, Cain would.


    And something deep in his gut told him—he couldn’t let that happen.


    <hr>


    The Search Begins


    John didn’t go back to Eli right away.


    He needed a plan.


    Cain had the resources. The manpower. The reach.


    John had nothing.


    Except for one advantage.


    Cain didn’t know how much John knew.


    That meant he had time. Not much, but enough to move first.


    So he started where all secrets began.


    In the shadows.


    <hr>


    Following the Trail


    Dr. Elias Ren had worked for Cain. That was fact.


    He had vanished two years ago. Another fact.


    But before that?


    Before that, he had been looking for something.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    John needed to know where that search had taken him.


    Which meant one thing.


    It was time to go deeper.


    <hr>


    The Underground Library


    Not all knowledge was digital.


    Some things were too dangerous to leave behind as data.


    Which was why people like Vera existed.


    Vera was an information broker—not the kind that sold secrets, but the kind that hoarded them.


    If Ren’s research had left a trail, Vera would know.


    The only problem?


    She didn’t work for free.


    <hr>


    The Price of Knowledge


    Vera’s hideout was buried beneath an old bookstore—a vault of forgotten information.


    John found her exactly where he expected.


    Behind a massive wooden desk, surrounded by stacks of handwritten ledgers and dusty books.


    She didn’t look up as he entered.


    "John," she murmured. "Didn’t think you’d be back."


    John leaned against the doorway. "I need a name."


    Vera smirked. "You always do."


    John slid a single slip of paper onto her desk.


    She glanced at it.


    Then—she went still.


    For the first time, she looked up, meeting his gaze fully.


    "You’re in the wrong game, kid."


    John exhaled. "Too late for that."


    Vera studied him.


    Then, slowly, she reached for a book.


    A single, leather-bound notebook.


    She flipped it open.


    And pointed to a name.


    John leaned closer.


    And his blood ran cold.


    Because written there, in faded ink—


    Was his own name.


    <hr>


    The Impossible Record


    John’s heart pounded.


    He didn’t understand.


    This wasn’t a government file.


    It wasn’t a black-market record.


    It was older. Deeper.


    Like something written before John had even mattered.


    "Explain," he said, voice tight.


    Vera exhaled.


    "Elias Ren wasn’t just looking for the Mask," she said. "He was looking for the one who could wear it."


    John felt his breath hitch.


    He shook his head.


    "That’s not possible," he muttered.


    Vera didn’t blink.


    "And yet," she murmured, "here you are."


    <hr>


    The Truth Sinks In


    John stepped back.


    He needed air. Needed to think.


    This wasn’t just about Cain anymore.


    Ren had been searching for something. And somehow, that search had led to John.


    But why?


    What made him different?


    John’s hands curled into fists.


    It didn’t matter.


    What mattered was what came next.


    He turned to Vera.


    "Where do I find the next piece?"


    Vera hesitated.


    Then—she closed the book.


    And said the last thing John expected.


    "You already have."


    <hr>


    End of Chapter 9 - Part 1