The Mask of Tezcatlipoca-Chapter Two-Part Two

The town seemed to pulse with an undercurrent of mystery as Tom, Leo, and Zeta stepped further into its embrace. This town was much bigger than their previous one. It had the unmistakable feel of a place where history had seeped into the very stones, where old-world traditions clung tightly even as time marched on.

The streets were lined with small, humble shops with faded signs, a tailor here, a general store there, but the center of attention was the massive stone structure that loomed ahead of them—La Biblioteca de los Mil Mundos.

The library, once a grand edifice of learning, now stood like a forgotten giant, its walls cracked from years of neglect, though its beauty remained undeniable. Intricate stone carvings of celestial bodies and mythical creatures danced along the exterior, and the massive wooden doors, though weathered, still held an air of authority.

A faded inscription above the entrance, barely visible, read: Saber es el destino del alma — "Knowledge is the soul's destiny."

The interior was even more striking. Dust motes hung in the thick, musty air, caught in the golden light filtering through high, narrow windows. Rows upon rows of wooden shelves stretched upward, disappearing into shadows, each one crammed with books and tomes. The sound of their footsteps echoed as they made their way deeper inside.

In the far corner of the library, they found what Zeta had been searching for—a dimly lit alcove marked Mapas y Navegación—Maps and Navigation.

As Zeta poured over the maps, his alien mind already calculating the intricate patterns of Earth’s coordinates, Tom and Leo found themselves drawn deeper into the labyrinth of the library.

The rows of shelves seemed to stretch endlessly, each one more mysterious than the last. Every creak of the floorboards beneath their feet echoed in the silence, amplifying the strange, oppressive atmosphere of the place.

“Look at this,” Leo whispered, nudging Tom as he lowered the knapsack from his shoulder.

At the far end of a dimly lit corridor, a small door stood ajar. A faint light flickered from within, casting long shadows on the floor. Curiosity piqued, they moved toward it, the scent of old wood and musty paper growing thicker with every step.

Pushing the door open, they found themselves in a secret room, far removed from the dusty rows of books and maps. This chamber was different—more like a vault. The air was heavy with an almost otherworldly energy. The dim lighting revealed ancient artifacts arranged meticulously on stone pedestals, their surfaces gleaming faintly beneath the light of delicate lanterns.

“What is this place?” Tom muttered, his voice hushed as he took in the artifacts. Each one seemed to pulse with its own energy, giving the room an eerie, mystical quality.

Leo pointed to a large stone tablet against the wall, covered in strange symbols that neither of them could decipher. The inscriptions twisted and spiraled across the stone’s surface, resembling nothing they had ever seen.

At the far end of the room, a large mural painted across the wall depicted a scene of figures pointing toward the stars, surrounded by glowing glyphs and diagrams that seemed more alien than human.

“They're preparing these for display,” Leo whispered, noticing the cataloging tags near each item. “This looks like a museum of lost civilizations.”

Leo moved toward the mural, tracing the outlines of the glowing glyphs with his fingers. The longer they stood there, the more they could sense a strange hum in the room, as though the artifacts themselves were alive, vibrating with some unknown energy. It was as though the room held not just relics of the past but pieces of an ancient puzzle, waiting to be solved.

“It feels...strange,” Tom muttered. “Like we're seeing things we should not."

"I feel like we're being watched," Leo replied. "We're not alone here."

As they turned a corner, Tom noticed something unusual—a section of the chamber that seemed to be blocked off by a heavy velvet curtain.

Leo, ever the adventurer, ripped open the curtain.

“Hey, you can’t just—” Tom started, but Leo was already ahead, curiosity in his step.

“I just want a look. We’ve come all this way. What’s the harm?”

Inside the blocked-off section, the atmosphere shifted. The air felt cooler, almost damp, and the lighting was dimmer. Display cases held strange and beautiful relics—artifacts from Mexico's rich and bloody history. Aztec statues, pieces of ceremonial clothing, weapons, and golden trinkets sparkled faintly under the low light.

In the center of the room, one display stood out. A glass case encased a jagged, dark mask with gleaming turquoise inlays. It had the appearance of a fierce jaguar, its eyes hollow and menacing, its teeth bared in a permanent snarl.

This was the Mask of Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of night and sorcery. The plaque beneath the display detailed the mask's mysterious origins and its supposed supernatural power to possess its wearer.

"Wow," Leo said softly, his fingers tracing the outline of the case. "This thing is incredible. Imagine what it’s seen… if these stories are even half true."

Tom shuddered. "Yeah, or what it’s done."

But before Tom could voice more of his discomfort, Leo’s eyes gleamed with mischief. Without hesitation, Leo pried open the case.

“Leo! What the hell are you doing?”

But Leo, too intrigued to listen, slipped the mask over his face.

The change was immediate. Leo’s body tensed as if an electric current had passed through him. His head jerked back, and when his eyes snapped open again, they were different—darker, as if shadows had taken up permanent residence in them.

"Leo?" Tom asked cautiously, stepping back.

A slow, eerie smile spread across Leo's face, but it wasn't the smile of his friend. It was a twisted, predatory grin. His posture shifted—no longer loose and casual but rigid, exuding a cold, unsettling authority. He took a step forward, his gaze locking onto Tom with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine.

"Leo?" Tom repeated, more urgently this time.

But the figure before him wasn't quite Leo anymore. The mask had taken hold, and it wasn’t letting go.

But unbeknownst to them, another figure had been tracking their every move—La Reina. She watched the chaos unfold with calculating eyes.

Her fingers twitched as she reached for her cigarette holder, lighting it with a practiced flick. The faint glow of the cigarette illuminated her sharp features, the curls of smoke curling around her like the coils of a serpent. She was patient, letting the events play out below her like an orchestrated symphony.

Her mission was simple: capture the alien. She smirked, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. This distraction would help her to do just that without these boys getting in her way.

Leo—if it could still be called Leo—moved with an unnatural grace, his eyes flashing with something ancient and dark.

"Tom," he hissed, his voice low and gravelly, "you have no idea what power lies within this mask. I can see everything. I can feel everything." His lips formed a twisted smile as the entity within the mask resumed control, "I am free! No longer restrained. I am confined no more. My thirst will be sated when I bring chaos to this world. Darkness shall soon follow. I find that good."

Tom backed away, his heart pounding in his chest. He needed to get help, but Zeta was still deep in his work, and Tom wasn't sure he could handle this on his own. Panic began to set in as Leo advanced on him, his footsteps slow and deliberate, like a predator playing with its prey.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind them, "¡Ay caray!" It was a woman’s voice, firm yet curious, switching between Spanish and English in the blink of an eye. "What is the meaning of this?"

Tom turned to see a librarian—young, perhaps in her late twenties, with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun and a stack of books balanced on her hip. Her nametag read Adriana.

"This area is restricted," she spoke, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of Leo wearing the jaguar mask.

Leo tilted his head, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "To be unincumbered after so long. Niña tonta, you wouldn’t understand."

Adriana’s face paled as she realized what the mask was, "That mask—it's dangerous. It's cursed. You don’t know what you’re doing!"

Leo's dark chuckle sent shivers down Tom’s spine. "Oh, I know exactly what I’m doing."

Without warning, Leo lunged at Adriana, grabbing her wrist with a strength that was far beyond his normal capability.

Tom reacted on instinct, tackling Leo to the ground in a desperate attempt to stop him. But Leo—or whatever had taken over him—was much stronger. He threw Tom off with ease, his eyes glowing with dark energy as he fled the room.

Lights began to flicker ominously halting Tom. There was a weird electricity in the room. His hair standing up in end.

“Tezcatlipoca’s spirit has fully taken over.”

“We have to stop him,” Tom muttered between breaths, his eyes darting around for any sign of Leo. “If that mask keeps controlling him, he’ll hurt someone. Or worse.”

La Reina stood poised in the dim light of the library, her dark eyes locked onto Zeta’s almond shaped gaze, her lips curling into a knowing smile.

The cacophony of chaos Leo and Tom had unleashed in the adjacent hall filtered through the air, but she remained eerily calm.

She had waited for this moment, watched and bided her time, and now here she was—face to face with her target. She stepped forward, her heels clicking lightly against the library floor, her movements slow and deliberate as if savoring the moment.

Zeta stared back, silent as always, though his expression conveyed more than words ever could. He had seen her coming, felt her dark presence shadowing him from afar. Now, standing before her, he projected calmness on the surface, but his mind was racing. La Reina tilted her head, studying him closely, her eyes narrowing.

“Maravillado! Such an exquisite prize,” she said, her voice smooth and silky. “But how does one communicate with you?"

Zeta’s dark eyes flickered, a faint shimmer crossing their irises. They looked upon La Reina with curiosity of the human mindset.

Zeta's eyes darted to the map on the desk, the latitudinal and longitudinal lines still glowing faintly from where he had been deciphering the coordinates. They needed more time to understand plan a route to the location.

La Reina’s smile faded slightly, sensing his thoughts even without a link. "Terco! I wouldn’t try anything rash. My men are more than capable of taking you down."

Zeta felt the vibrations of the library, the ancient knowledge and secrets housed within its walls. The air around them shimmered slightly as they tapped into the power within the library, their body seemingly growing lighter, their presence less solid.

La Reina’s eyes widened slightly as she realized what was happening.

Leo raced through the narrow aisles of the library, his chest heaving, his breath ragged. The hallways felt like a maze of shadows, every corner hiding a new threat to prevent their freedom. The mask had completely taken hold now, its influence overwhelming his thoughts, twisting his desires. Panic was rising in him, mixed with a deep, primal rage—rage at Tom, at the world, at everything that dared to defy his will.

His footsteps echoed in the cavernous space as he darted past towering shelves lined with ancient tomes. His eyes, wild and glinting with the energy of the mask, flickered across the library. Books whispered as he passed, like ghosts stirring in the silence.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a figure—an unsuspecting patron, a middle-aged man with round glasses and a tweed jacket, flipping through an old book at a nearby reading table. The man had heard the commotion but had chosen to ignore it, burying himself deeper into the pages of his book. He was alone, unguarded.

Leo slowed his steps, his expression shifting. A dark hunger bloomed in his chest, fueled by the mask’s malevolent influence. He felt an intense urge to feed. To devour. To gnaw at life after so long. And the man...the man was just there.

Without a second thought, Leo strode toward him, his movements predatory, silent. The man didn’t even notice Leo’s approach until it was too late. He glanced up, startled, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“Can I—" the man began, but before he could finish, Leo reached out, his hand latching onto the man’s shoulder with a crushing grip.

The library patron froze, his body rigid under Leo’s touch. His eyes widened, his lips parting as if to cry out, but no sound escaped. A chill rippled through the air, and the man’s breath hitched as a wave of something dark and terrifying washed over him. Leo’s hand, though seemingly still, pulsed with an invisible force, the mask’s energy channeling through his fingers like a venomous current.

The man’s face twisted in horror, and his body convulsed as the life was drained from him. His once-healthy skin grew pale, his cheeks hollowing out, his hair losing its luster as though the very essence of his being was being siphoned away. His eyes, filled with terror, locked onto Leo’s, pleading, searching for some shred of mercy.

But there was none.

Leo’s eyes were glazed over, lost to the mask’s power. He didn’t see the man as a person anymore, only as a vessel, a means to an end. The more he drained, the more his frustration ebbed, replaced by a twisted sense of satisfaction. The mask had turned him into something monstrous, something that needed to consume.

The patron’s body withered, shrinking in on itself as his vitality was leeched away. His limbs grew gaunt, skin stretching over bone like parchment, his clothes hanging limply as though they no longer fit his frail frame. He let out a pitiful, wheezing gasp, his eyes rolling back into his skull as his life force was stripped away completely.

Within moments, the man was nothing but a husk, slumped in his chair, his features frozen in a grotesque mask of death. His once-vibrant presence had been reduced to a hollow shell, drained of everything that made him human.

Leo stumbled back, panting heavily, his hand trembling as the last remnants of the man’s energy coursed through him. He stared down at the lifeless figure, something flickering in his eyes. Guilt? Regret? It was hard to say. The mask’s influence clouded everything, distorting his thoughts, his emotions.

Footsteps echoed in the distance—Tom and Adriana were still searching for him. The sound jolted him out of his trance, and with one last glance at the withered corpse, Leo turned and ran again, deeper into the labyrinth of the library.

Tom skidded to a halt as he and Adriana rounded the corner, the sight before them stopping him cold. The library patron—a man who, moments earlier, had been alive, simply reading a book—was now slumped in his chair, his body twisted in a grotesque fashion. It looked as though the life had been sucked out of him, leaving nothing behind but a shriveled husk.

Tom felt his stomach churn. He stared, wide-eyed, trying to process what he was seeing. His heart thudded in his chest as cold realization crept over him. "No... no way," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. “Leo couldn’t have done this. This... this isn’t him.”

Adriana stepped forward, her expression grim but calm. She examined the body for a brief moment, then placed a hand on Tom’s shoulder. "This isn’t Leo’s doing," she said firmly, her voice steady but compassionate. "This is the mask. It has its claws deep in him now. The entity who did this isn’t your friend."

Tom’s face paled, his mind racing. The empty shell of a man, drained of life, was the result of something dark and unnatural. Tom’s voice cracked, a tremor of fear slipping through. “But... but what if I can’t bring him back? What if this thing’s changed him forever?”

Adriana shook her head, her grip on his shoulder tightening as she locked eyes with him. “Escúchame, Tom. The mask is twisting him, but Leo is still in there. He’s trapped. We need to save him."

Tom swallowed hard, his eyes flicking back to the grotesque remains in the chair. His thoughts were in a whirl. Leo—the Leo he knew—was kind, gentle even. The mask had warped him into something unrecognizable.

Adriana’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. "We need to get that mask off him, and we need to do it soon. This thing is getting stronger by the minute. If we don’t stop it, it will take Leo completely."

Tom clenched his fists, feeling a surge of determination replace the fear that had gripped him moments earlier. Adriana was right. Leo was still in there, somewhere, and if there was any chance of saving him, Tom wasn't going to give up. Not now. Not after everything they'd been through.

He took a deep breath, nodded, and met Adriana's gaze. "Let's find him," he said, his voice firm. "We need to stop this before it goes any further."

With one last glance at the lifeless husk, Tom steeled himself. Leo wasn't lost. Not yet. And he would do whatever it took to bring him back.

The library was eerily quiet, save for the thunderous footsteps of Leo, whose body was under the control of the ancient mask of Tezcatlipoca. His eyes glowed with a primal energy, and his movements were sharp, deliberate.

He had to escape these upstart peasants. The audacity! They thought they could contain him. No more!

Behind him, Tom and Adriana raced down the long, dimly lit corridors, their hearts pounding in their chests. They suddenly stopped. A crash echoed through the halls.

They turned a corner just in time to see Leo slam another security guard against the wall with inhuman strength. The man crumpled to the floor, unconscious, as Leo continued his rampage, knocking over shelves and scattering books like a whirlwind of fury in a bid to escape the library's confines.

“Leo, stop!” Tom yelled, his voice echoing in the vast chamber.

But Leo's lips twisted into a cruel smile, and he turned toward them, his eyes glowing with malice, “You cannot stop me, Tom,” the voice that emerged from Leo’s mouth wasn’t his own, but that of the ancient god. “This vessel is mine now.”

Before Tom could react, Leo charged toward them, his movements impossibly fast. Adriana grabbed Tom’s arm and yanked him out of the way just in time, sending them both crashing into a nearby table.

Leo rose to his feet and lunged at Tom again, this time knocking him to the ground. Tom struggled to push him off, but Leo’s strength was overwhelming. The mask’s influence had turned him into a force of nature, and Tom could feel the darkness closing in around him.

Adriana grabbed a nearby chair and swung it at Leo, the impact sending him staggering back for a moment. It was enough to give Tom a chance to scramble to his feet, but the reprieve was short-lived. Leo recovered quickly, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Adriana.

"You think you can stop me?" the voice of Tezcatlipoca taunted. "Foolish mortales."

Leo stood at the edge of the library aisle, his body quivering, the jaguar mask of Tezcatlipoca glowing fiercely on his face. Each step he took was weighed down by the ancient power coursing through him. The malevolent god within him clawed at his soul, trying to consume him entirely.

His hands, balled into fists, moved with mechanical brutality as he advanced toward Tom and Adriana. Every ounce of humanity in Leo seemed lost to the dark, violent force that now controlled him.

La Reina's men flooded the room. They lunged toward Zeta, but it was too late. Their form flickered, a faint glow radiating from their skin as they bent light and space around them, making themselves intangible. The first guard’s grasp closed around nothing but air. Zeta slipped through them, moving like a ghost between the shelves, his form phasing in and out as he navigated the chaos with ease.

"¡Demonios!" La Reina hissed, her perfectly composed facade cracking for the first time.

Her men stumbled forward, trying to catch Zeta, but he was already slipping through their fingers, disappearing deeper into the maze of books and artifacts.

La Reina’s mind worked quickly, assessing her options. She couldn’t let him get away. Not when she was so close. She reached down to her belt, her fingers brushing the smooth surface of a long thin, wooden blowgun.

Her lips twisted into a predatory grin as she pulled it free, the weapon glinting in the low light.

Zeta reappeared near the far end of the room, their form briefly solidifying as they calculated their next move. But La Reina had already anticipated it. With practiced precision, she raised the blowgun to her lips, puckered up and blew into it.

The dart flew through the air with a soft hiss, faster than Zeta could react. It struck them squarely in the shoulder, delivering a fast-acting sedative designed to incapacitate even a being like them. Zeta’s body jerked, their dark eyes widening in surprise as the substance coursed through their veins.

For a moment, they tried to resist, their alien physiology fighting against the sedative's effects. They stumbled, their legs weakening beneath him, but they refused to go down easily. Their form flickered again, but the drug was already taking hold, dulling their senses and slowing their movements.

La Reina stalked forward, her heels clicking ominously against the floor. She watched as Zeta staggered, their body swaying as they fought against the inevitable. Her men moved to flank them, but she waved them off.

Tom, battered and bruised, struggled to rise from the floor. His eyes locked on Leo, and his heart sank at the sight of his friend transformed into something monstrous. But he knew that deep inside that tortured body, Leo was still there, fighting to break free. Tom had never been more certain that the only way to reach him wasn’t with fists, but with something more powerful.

"Leo!" Tom called, his voice tight with emotion. "I know you're in there! You have to fight it—fight him! Don’t let that thing take you away from us."

The mask’s golden eyes flared with rage, and a guttural growl emanated from Leo’s throat. The god within him laughed darkly, speaking through Leo’s lips. "Your friend is lost, mortale. He belongs to me now."

Tom ignored the words, forcing himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his ribs. His entire focus was on Leo. He took a hesitant step forward, closing the distance between them, his gaze never wavering. He saw something flicker in Leo’s eyes—something human, something real. He had to try.

“Leo,” Tom said softly, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and hope. “You’re not lost. I know you’re still in there. Remember who you are. Remember us.”

The jaguar mask shimmered, the dark power of Tezcatlipoca pulsating around them, but something shifted in Leo. His movements faltered, and his body stiffened. The human side of Leo, the part that was growing attached to Tom, was fighting to reclaim control. His breath came in sharp, uneven gasps as the internal struggle began to tear at him.

Tom stepped closer, now mere inches away, his hand gently reaching out to touch Leo’s arm. "Leonides! You can fight it. Come back to me."

Leo's eyes flickered again, and this time, Tom saw a tear slip from beneath the mask, trailing down his cheek. For a brief moment, Leo’s lips trembled, as if he were trying to speak, to break through the god’s control. But the mask’s power was too strong—it held Leo in its iron grip, refusing to let go.

Tom, his heart pounding with desperation, did the only thing he could think of. He took Leo’s face in his hands, and without hesitation, he leaned in, pressing his lips against Leo’s in a kiss that was both fierce and tender. Time seemed to freeze around them, and for that moment, it was just them—Tom and Leo, no gods, no powers, no violence. Just them.

The effect was immediate.

Leo’s body jerked, and the jaguar mask flared with a blinding light. The power of Tezcatlipoca howled in fury as Leo’s mind surged back to life, fueled by the raw emotion of the kiss. The connection between them was undeniable, and for the first time since the mask had taken hold, Leo felt something stronger than the god’s influence—love.

With a roar, Leo grabbed the mask with both hands, his muscles trembling as he fought against the ancient force. The mask pulsed and resisted, but Leo's will was overpowering it. Slowly, inch by inch, he began to peel the mask away from his face, his eyes squeezed shut in pain and determination.

Tom stayed close, clutching Leo’s hand, whispering encouragement. "You can do this, Leo. You’re stronger than him. You’re stronger than any of this."

With one final, desperate effort, Leo tore the jaguar mask free from his face, letting it clatter to the floor with a hollow, metallic thud. The energy surrounding them flickered and died, leaving Leo gasping for breath, his body trembling from exhaustion. He collapsed into Tom’s arms, his chest heaving, but the wildness in his eyes had faded. He was back.

Tom and Leo stumbled into the dimly lit room at the far end of the library, their hearts still racing from the ordeal. They managed to lose themselves in the shelving to escape before authorities wanted to question them. There was a dead body that needed an explanation.

Their focus now turned to Zeta’s workstation. Papers were strewn across the table, and amidst the chaos, the map lay open, glowing faintly under the flickering overhead light.

Tom knelt down, his hands hovering over the map, eyes scanning the intricate lines of longitude and latitude that had been scrawled across the parchment.

"Zeta did it," Tom muttered under his breath, his fingers tracing the newly marked coordinates.

Leo, still shaken from the influence of the mask but now free, stood at his side, glancing over the map. His mind was still foggy, but the relief of being in control again gave him focus. “That’s it, isn’t it? Zeta’s pickup point...”

Tom nodded slowly, a sense of awe mixed with dread rising within him. The coordinates were unmistakable, leading them to a small, isolated spot in the heart of Switzerland. He had expected the location to be somewhere closer, perhaps even in the town, but this... this was different.

“Why Switzerland?” Leo asked, his voice a little shaky, but curiosity overcoming the lingering effects of the mask.

Tom shrugged. “It’s remote, away from prying eyes, I guess. High altitudes, fewer people... it makes sense.” He stared at the coordinates again, feeling the weight of what lay ahead. “This is where they’ll come for them.” Tom sighed, "Now all we need is Zeta. Where the hell are they?"

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