Word from Hack: I hope you guy haven't missed me too much. I'm trying to catch up these stories but the plot bunnies keep coming! A new chap will be posted soon for Lion's Creed and 12 Creeds of Xmas.
Onward my merry fellows!
Chapter Title: Altair Ibn-La'Ahad: The First Keeper.
The little entity shivered, it was cold, far too cold.
And lonely.
Very lonely.
Not until the day stranger came and picked it up.
Just what is this "It" you ask?
"It" happened to be a Piece of Eden. A coveted treasure among mortals. A prize often fought over, ending in bloodshed and greed for power. Everything always went wrong when it was in the hands of a human.
Hush fledging. Do not speak ill of them.
"It" also happened to be the Apple of Eden. Alive with unfathomable possibilities, then again only to those who were worthy and could resist its whispers of madness. "It" didn't mean to, not to be faulted. "It" was lost, separated from brothers and sisters, all of them scattered across the world.
They will come soon. Behave little one.
The Assassins were bizarre people. But there was one that was even stranger, this was saying a lot, having been passed from person to person so frequently. He did not succumb to powers the metal ball possessed and this intrigued the Apple.
His name was Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. Eagle of Masyaf and Son of None. A man whose namesake is a constellation in the heavens above.
Altair had been an interesting one from the start. Unaware of his master's plot, until the old cod had dared to use it to kill the assassin. The Apple hadn't liked that, it did not favor Al Mualim; a man of ill will and blind ambition. The Apple let him die, paid no effort to protect him. When Altair broke its forced hold over him the little ball gave a delighted wiggle. Subsequently Malik reunited with Altair. Apple rewarded them with a map of where all of its brothers and sisters were located.
The new Grandmaster learned that Piece of Eden needed to be fed just like any other living thing; Malik was amused at Altair's discovery. Both Syrians took enjoyment in feeding the treasure when it chirped for food.
Apple liked Altair, showed him everything he wanted to know and more. It hadn't meant to enchant him into focusing on it for the majority of his time. That caused Altair to lock himself away with the ball, deaf to the protest of his wife and his companion Malik. It felt sad; the Apple was making them lonely.
Then he died.
And the pain was unexpected.
The Apple loved Altair for all it was worth. He perished alone in his study. Altair had been filled with so much sorrow when Maria had passed first, then the turmoil that came after Malik's death. The Apple became consumed with anger; furious that it's human was like this.
When Altair died, the Apple went to sleep. It had vowed to never leave his side, unless it met his children's children and eventually his descendants. The Apple would protect his line.
Do not despair, my petite bird. Another one comes this way.