June 17th 1511, City of Constantinople, Turkey

A warm night wind blew across the city. Comfortable darkness covered the buildings and the sea somewhere far with peaceful shadows which were closing everything to their embrace and giving people like us a perfect working environment. There are couple of reasons to that as well, but first one which came to my mind was that there are no much people moving here. If there is someone it's either us, thieves or someone who has other bad things in mind – no clever civilian will just randomly wander around in the wee hours.

I had been awake the whole day by now, but it didn't make much difference. Often it happens that you will not get proper sleep in couple of days, which might be bad since if you're tired you're not focused enough. Bad focus is the most common thing to kill you. For now I didn't feel the tiredness, I was too pumped up in awareness and used to this, but if the not-sleeping time will go much further than one and half day I promise you will notice it sooner or later.

Just a tip: Don't ever, ever, ever go sleep in hay piles.

Though they might seem harmless it don't feel nice if suddenly in the middle of a dream someone just crash-lands on you. And no, for once I haven't got any personal experience. Again I did the usual check on my surroundings, but this time something felt different. Like a strange pull on me that warned not to come out and I instantly listened to it.

Jackpot.

Something was ripping my senses as I hid in the random balcony. Carefully I peeked with the safety created by a night and saw a person straight across the large area behind the houses. Normally I would have just ignored the casual wanderers, but this was no casual at all – there was a ghostly golden glow around this man and I instantly knew we had found him. Dropping my Vision I made sure that Istvan was in his position, but this wasn't the time to run in action. Not yet, I couldn't make out what was he doing here because he stood back towards me.

As an ex-assassin I was sure that Vali knew his stuff, he knew how to hide, kill, take advantages and for sure had a lot of experience from our line of job. The number of our murdered friends talked for him. He also knew our ways, equipment and hideouts, so what could be more dangerous than to face someone with skills likely to match yours? Was I scared? No.

Everyone has weak points and I was positive we would find them out and though fighting an assassin would be a different from ordinary guards, he is defeatable. So I waited until he left and disappeared from our sight somewhere the nearest corner. Better start this slow. I jumped off, of my hiding place to the ground and made a quick whistle that gave Istvan a mark that basically said clear, come out now. Man jumped out of the hay carriage and ran beside me.

"Did you see him? That was our target"

"I did. Unfortunately I couldn't…-"

"Oh no, didn't expect you to! Vali is too dangerous for us to confront him in this position since we don't know how good he is. I'm sure sneak attack on this wouldn't have worked" "So now we have to find out what he was doing here?"

"Exactly. At least search the area. He was doing something, but couldn't figure it out back there…and I'm positive he'll be back so be on your guard"

I walked to the direction where I last saw him and spotted a body…a body wearing an assassin outfit. Blood had splattered all the way to his chest and ground. Someone laid him to sit there and left him like a trash and suddenly this scenario felt almost too familiar, I cursed myself for being so ignorant. Of course I kind of realized where this whole thing is from but...never thought of it that way. I haven't thought anything that way for a long time.

This is clearly one of the Master Assassin quests from the Revelations. Vali's name was also familiar, I distantly remembered playing this through and now it seemed I had taken Ezio's place in it as well. Of course I mean if this wouldn't be a real deal and everything for sure isn't going like in the games. Thoughts like these are rare because it's weird how I should now know how exactly things are going on, but I don't somehow recall them effectively and definitely don't think myself as a separate. That's almost why I started this whole thing in the first place, I knew things before they happened, but not anymore at least not so well.

When I first set my foot on Firenze, the only thing I could bash about were how awesome it was that I actually dropped inside my favorite, the most loved fangirling object – but when I spent more and more time in there I realized at some point this wasn't a nice daydream, this wasn't a pink fluffy candy land filled with immortal heroes and self-regenerating health.

If you fail enough even once – you die. There is no possibility to try again. If you get wounded – you'll bleed actual blood like every other living thing. And for the most, there is no guarantee that you will survive even if you would be an important person.

Even smoke bombs may look harmless on the screen you are watching them, easy to ignore and just keep fighting, but would you think so if you were in the middle of the smoke yourself. Could you keep yourself from panicking and performing natural self-protecting moves like heedlessly running on one direction just to get out, covering your eyes and mouth or in the worst case curling on two to be as small as you can. Without training you probably couldn't and we are not even talking about focusing to counter every attempt of murder while being blinded, so these things are not to be underestimated.

I shook my head and ripped myself back to the reality, when sudden memory dropped to my head. "Istvan! We have no time to waste with our dead brother! Take the roofs now!" I snapped and in that exact moment I heard someone laughing and dropping to the ground. Shit! Should have known that earlier.

A man with a light green on his white assassin outfit ran across the street and disappeared behind a first corner. I heard a rush in my head and within a moments there was no one in the park. We began a chase that I hoped would finally end with some kind of results. To be clear I'd have climbed to the rooftops as well, but there was no time anymore otherwise I would lose him and so I took my precious feet under me. And a throwing knives in my hand since I may very well use them.

Soon Vali made me discover that he was fast. Very fast, but I kept up and got him in my sight as I ran forwards acknowledging the presence of my partner somewhere high. Although I could keep things in this position for a moment I knew that if I didn't figure out a way to outrun him or a clever plan in some other way – we won't be successful. I threw the first one, but it flew to the wall behind the target instead of the target. I didn't expect to succeed at a first try either.

Vali just laughed ahead of me again.

"You can't catch me! I thought that I would get your ah, so good Mentor after me, but I guess they sent a baby! Have I killed too much assassins already since there is no one left?" I tightened my pace and made a quick turn by bouncing of a wall, seeing I was slowly reaching him.

"Don't try that traitor bullshit on me! You're not worth it, besides only a guilty man is running with that speed!" before you say anything I'm saying that I had to try that! Can't woman have her fun too huh? Sorry couldn't resist, no time to joke. And talking 'bout babies I'm actually older than him! My heart was killing me and probably everything around it, I heard the beats in my ears and it reminded me that there was no time. Soon for my own pleasure I saw my only chance coming in as eyes searched for something to use on and with an exact accuracy threw my throwing knife at a rope above him.

A handful of clean clothes dropped on running Vali as the line broke and even though he swiped them away with a slight surprise it slowed him down a few seconds which gave me the advantage. Before I could even think about my next move I surprisingly had him turned around.

"…And only a fool stops to fight, but not when the enemy is a stupid brash girl!" If I hadn't thrown myself towards the alley I would have had a sharp knife sticking out of my face. Regaining balance I blocked him with a right hidden blade and we shared a series of quick movements.

"Oh? Well, finally you realized your true brain capacity, but I didn't notice you had an identity crisis as well! Go ahead I won't judge: that purple dress would really bring out your good sides!" I winked at him and for a moment I could see this swift confusion mixed with anger in his face, but he cooled it. After that he really got me working on it, sadly this was my first serious fight with anyone and suddenly I found myself being the defensive side. In that moment when our blades hit together I felt his muscle power striking at me with full strength.

Maybe too much of it. I took few blows in and kept my feet moving eyeing every little inch of him. Taking a few smaller steps back I waited for the moment of his strike and when it finally came I spun around and made him hit air. In middle movement I grabbed Vali's wrist, but a little too late: he already knew and swept me off balance.

The good thing was that I managed to take him with me as I felt air punching out of my lungs. The ground is a hell of a hard thing when you hit it the right angle and for a moment my eyes saw only a blurred darkness. The god damn pain, I might as well to get hit by a truck. Moving a muscle were impossible thing in those few seconds when I realized the man's hidden blade was coming right at me.

If the time itself could slow down, I swore this was the moment. A slight movement to the other side and it sunk into the ground, but my cheek felt the cold, sharp sting of the metal. Grinding, I kicked him away from me while I gasped for the air and while still being a little shaken stood up onto my feet.

Where on earth is my man!? No need of backup in here!

And just when I thought that, he jumped down the roof trying to air assassinate our friend, but failed as Vali dodged and got one last scratch of a knife when I stopped him attacking Istvan, and now when the two of us were here blades drawn he stood still and in a blink of an eye thick smoke layered us. I held my breath as much as I could so I wouldn't inhale it and start coughing.

"Finally! They are here! Kill them! Kill them both! You will regret this!" After the yelling the Wallachian man left, I could see that through my eyes. He slipped away like a slimy snake, that much I knew but another problem: We were fast surrounded by a group of Byzantine soldiers with swords and spears drawn and heavy armors clinging. All hail the dead Templars!

And then I also knew, it wouldn't be a problem at all – I were healed from my tough experience which got my brains cursing. Ezio was right to tell me that I was out of shape, literally but we had lost Vali already so nodding to the apprentice we started a fight which could end only with one way. I ducked the spear, took grasp on and disarmed the guy holding it, after punching the spear through him. We swiftly changed our positions and swept couple of guys to the ground. Hidden blade to the throat and I faced next one with a picked sword.

The satisfying crunch that I heard when blades broke the jawbone, when I hit a man's head - turned him around, twisted his arm, heard tendons snap and then finished him with a blow in the gut was enough for to tell me that the real fight for me had begun. No more laying around and even if I shouldn't say this…I got something out of it. Some kind of weird funnyish feeling…my killer instincts loved this kind of fight. Still tried to keep it clean as possible, for me of course. Wouldn't want to ruin my robes.

I jumped to the left and while keeping sure Istvan was doing good, kicked the agile one to the balls making him bend down and struck his neck with my fist – one man down. Made an eye contact with the arriving rifle man and ran towards him while he tried to load his gun, but soon he saw that I was too close already so dagger found his hand. I am so not your father bitch, but you still should join to the dark side like those others!

Bended my back backwards when stiletto sliced at me, used his hitting force against him and took a leap forward slicing the soldier's throat. – Second man down. Finally the last brute charged at me with his axe and he sure got angels falling when I performed the modified hook-and-run. Grabbed his neck with the hook, spun to other side and sunk hidden blade into his back - third man down.

Smooth.

After we were finished with a pile of bodies under our feet, I took a fallen piece of cloth and swiftly wiped my hands, vambraces and blades before throwing it to Istvan and took a worried glance around. Dawn was nearly upon us judging by the lightblueish gleam on the horizon. "You okay?" I asked my partner although I maybe looked more of the one that took a beating. He just nodded and watched the way where the traitor went before calling out his own personal babbling bumbling band of baboons.

"We were so close…I am ashamed to say that I failed capturing him! No one is safe when that man is still alive"

"No need to hit yourself about it now, he's gone. We'll get another chance, though it hurts to think that he might kill another one of us. Let's just fly it's almost morning", I sighed. "Besides I weren't so great either. I'll still have to report back to Ezio about this since our mission seemed to take a rather massive course…" soon I stopped to think and pressed my lips together while wiping my bleeding cheek.

"Maybe too massive. There are things we got to do before Vali strikes again"

"He is a clear thread to our Order" Istvan said grimly and I led him to the nearest wall and started to climb up. I might even know how – was the last thought of mine before we decided to find a tunnel entrance so we could travel at peace. A great worry stroke my mind when I thought all those possible deaths…there should be enough time to minimalize them. I just should warn everyone, but how to get them believe. A completely another story.