A millennium ago, two men looked at a massive map as several guards line the walls, making sure nothing attacks them.

The first lets out a laugh as his companion moved a small figurine of a horse towards the furthest part of the marked land. "Years upon years of plans and movements have finally paid off."

The second man nodded. "The Order has rooted into the land, Flavius, and nothing can remove it."

Flavius patted his comrade on the back. "You seem optimistic, as you should be." Every outcome had been looked into and thought out. Every opponent had been eliminated. Every border had been shattered. The Order of the Ancients had their prize. "History will write us as uniters. At last... the world need only remain as it is."

The other man pondered. "A domain of such magnitude will need protecting."

Flavius was unconcerned. "That is what Lucius and his armies are for."

The Wolf, as he was known in the Order, nodded but kept his eyes on the map. "We've the land, but the masses are a different matter." Part of him could not help but feel a sliver of fear dig into his skin. The people might rebel, after all. Humans tended to do that when their usual routines were interrupted or altered. This minimal paranoia had felled his mind for some time. "I think... precautions might be in order."

Flavius gave a dismissive wave. "Once I open that forsaken Vault, nobody will ever even think ill of their lives ever again."

The Wolf persisted. He followed Flavius' orders, but he still had his own will and ideas. "True, but you might not succeed in that endeavor. Hence, I already took a liberty."

Flavius clicked his tongue, slightly irritated. "What sort of 'precautions' did you have in mind."

"I have been... inspired by the Relics of Those Who Came Before. And I've been busy experimenting on Danger Beasts. In fact, I've already got two perfected."

Flavius raised an eyebrow. "Do you now?"

The Wolf quickly dissuaded his master's suspicions by speaking the truth. "I intened for him to be a gift to you, for leading the Order to greatness."

Flavius adopted an expression of mild confusion. "Him?"

The Wolf clapped his hands twice, and the main doors of the room opened. In walked in what seemed to be a tall man in his mid- to late twenties. He had two bull-like horns coming out of the sides of his head and dark blue hair. On his chin was stubble that would grow into a soul patch if he left it alone, and on his back was a massive silver mace. Despite all that, Flavius was most unnerved by the whiteness of the man's garb; it reminded him of that irritating Medjay.

The stranger kneeled before them with a blank veneer.

The leader of the Order narrowed his eyes. Who... no, what is he?"

"I call him Susanoo," answered the Wolf before turning his head to address his creation. "Susanoo. This is Flavius, the Lion. He is your Master. You will protect him and do as he says without question."

Susanoo bowed his head even lower. "I am at your beck and call, Master."

Flavius, being a man who loved having power and being obeyed, grinned. "Stand."

Susanoo obeyed without hesitation.

The Lion, wanting to see just how blind his latest subordinate's dedication was, pointed to a guard. "Kill him."

The poor man began to panic. "Wait, wh-" Susanoo moved so quickly, it was as if he was a blur. The moment he reentered the visibility of the naked eye, the guard's neck was broken and his body a heap on the floor.

Flavius could not fight back a laugh. "Oh, I like this new toy."

The Wolf beamed with a sense of honor and accomplishment. "I thought you would."

The Lion snapped his fingers, and Susanoo walked towards him, returning to his side. "You mentioned a second one of these... creations?"

"I did. The other one is currently in the hands of Lucius."

"I cannot help but wonder, what is it called?"

"Incursio."

The leader of the Order nodded. It was a foreboding name. His attention quickly turned to Susanoo. This man, or rather, thing, would make getting to the Vault far easier. Perhaps this time, no children would die. At that, Flavius felt a pang of disappointment. The boy's demise by his hand had put the rest of the Order in line behind him. He shook it off. "Come, Susanoo. We're off on a little journey."

"Yes, Master." Susanoo followed him out.

The Wolf turned back to his map. "Clean up that body," he said to the remaining guards. He heard the rustling behind him, but he paid it no mind as he stared at the representation of the Order's domain, a breadth that had been entrusted to him.

His masters, peers, and servants within the Order of the Ancients knew him as the Wolf.

History, and those who both wrote and read it, would remember him as the First Emperor.

Many, many years later, Grand Master Torres read the reports of those who had survived to write them. "Damn the Partas. Damn them all!" He tapped his fingers on a desk. The Observatory was somewhere. It had to be. No stone could be left unturned. But those forsaken Danger Beast hunters were keeping his men away from their considerably large turf. "At least one of them is Hidden, I just know it."

He had the manpower and weaponry to wipe them out, but that was most certainly arouse suspicion from the Emperor and General Ishak. That was attention he rather would not have.

"Uh, sir?" spoke a meek voice. The Grand Master's eyes drifted to the source. The speaker was a boy, young and wide-eyed. He had come from nothing, but Torres had taken pity on him and given him both a job as his cup bearer, as well as a future position in the Order.

"Yes, Birch?" Torres, unlike most of his peers, was a man of patience and courtesy.

"Well, the clan hunts Danger Beasts, right?"

"Yes." Was the boy going somewhere with this?

"Well, what if... they bit off more than they could chew?"

Torres, now intrigued, turned in his chair to face Birch fully. "Yes?"

"What if somebody got a really fast horse and acted as bait to a herd of them, and led it to wherever the clan is?"

A young man, loyal to the Templars, nervously walked down a dimly lit hall. He hated giving bad news to the Grand Masters, yet the duty seemingly always fell to him. His footsteps were quicker than his usual pace. Perhaps he wanted this ordeal over with. Part of him was afraid they would take their anger out on him. Shoot the messenger, as they say.

Finally, he came to a massive door, and pushed it open. Inside was a round table currently occupied by three men.

Robert looked up at the sound of the doors opening. "Ah, Birch. Come in."

Birch approached the table, but did not sit. The seats were resevered only for the highest of authorities within the Order. "Grand Masters. I've... some unfortunate news.

Starrick sighed as his lieutenant, Lucy, passed him a cup of warm tea. "Well, let's hear it."

Birch gulped, mentally preparing for them to unleash on him. "Master Seika... is dead."

A thick silence filled the room.

Germain inhaled deeply, and sighed. "Merde."

Robert grimaced. "There goes our foothold in the north..." He slammed his fists on the tabletop. "Those Partas bastards! Even when there is only one left, they still are a thorn in our side!"

Starrick, ever the calm type, took a sip of his drink. "You told him to tread carefully, and instead he wanted his name to be known. This is hardly unexpected."

Robert growled. "That damn General... she's ruining it!"

Starrick gave a placating gesture. "Only part of it. No matter how this war ends, order will be restored, and everything will go back to how it should be. I'm positive an opportunity to dispose of her will be presented to us. And if not, surely the Hidden Ones are already planning to dispose of such a chaotic individual."

"Oh, I'm startin' tah love this place, Ez!" Edward's words were slurred. Hunting Danger Beasts had proven to be extremely profitable. Drachmae overflowed from their numerous pockets, and the pirate spent a fair share of his on alcohol. A large bottle occupied his right hand. "This... this place better nah have any public drunk laws! I don't feel like fighting."

"Because you can barely stand up?" Ezio asked flatly with a grin. The booze of this town paled in comparison to the wines from his home. His whistle did not need to be wet. He tried to guide his comrade back to their hotel room, but a small crowd blocked their path. "What's going on?"

A passerby answered him. "Gang brawl. Personally, my money's on the Rooks."

"Eh?" Ezio raised his heels, making himself a little taller to see above the heads of the rest of the spectators. About three meters in front of him was a clearing occupied by Blighters. He then saw a man in a top hat step forward and raise his fist in the air, wrapped around which was a green ribbon.

"This is now Rook turf!" He shouted as several of what had to be his own gang followed.

Ezio surmised that he had to be the head of the Rooks. His interest captured, he opted to watch the imminent fight unfold.

It quickly became evident that both sides were out to kill. For a moment, his thoughts turned to the fight he and Vieri had on the Ponte Vecchio. He shook his head and refocused on the brawl currently happening. It seemed either gang could come out victorious. Ezio considered stepping in, but was reluctant. However, that went away when he saw something. The Rook leader shoved his wrist into a Blighter's neck, which then oozed blood like a fountain. To most, it would seem the Rook had struck him incredibly hard, but Ezio spotted the blood-stained steel disappear behind the leader's fingers.

That was when he made his choice. He grabbed Edward's scotch bottle and smashed it on the brick wall behind him.

"Hey!" Edward slurred. "You know how much that cost me?"

"Just buy another! And don't move." Ezio shoved his way through the crowd with his free arm,

"Go get 'em, Ez!" Edward's mood swung like a club. He turned to a woman who looked vaguely familiar to him, but he was too cockeyed to identify her. "Th-that's muh buddy, Ez."

"How old is he?" The woman demanded.

"He... he is... uuuhhh... I dunno!" He laughed.

Ezio eventually made it to the fight, and swung the sharpened glass across the neck of a Blighter, taking him out of the fight. He then shoved the bottle into the face of another foe, and let go of it, resorting to his fist and whatever weapon he could pick up from fallen friends or foes. Either those or the inherited steel from his father.

The head Rook briefly looked over and saw his new comrade bring out two Blighters' end with what could only be Hidden Blades. "What's this then?"

On and on the brawl went. Soon, the Blighters were losing more numbers than the Rooks. By the time only half of them were still standing, they all dropped their weapons put their hands up. Ezio was unsure of what to do. He had never had an opponent give up before.

The man in the top hat, accompanied by a beautiful woman who bore a striking resemblance to him, climbed on top of a carriage. "Attention, all of you! We are Evie and Jacob Frye! And you all work for us now!"

The remaining Blighters had resigned expressions as the took off their red clothes and were handed green replacements. The only one who had partaken in the slaughter and was not wearing the colors of the winning side was Ezio.

The woman named Evie walked over to him with Jacob in tow. "You wear the garb of... us."

Ezio, never one to shy away from an attractive specimen, gave a smile. "Salve. Nothing is true."

"And everything is permitted," she finished. "So... you are indeed one of us."

Jacob spoke up. "Nice fighting back there." He looked at Ezio's cape for a moment.

"I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"What are you doing out here?" asked Evie.

"Business."

The crowd finally began to disperse, allowing a still intoxicated Edward to have a clear path to them.

"Hey, Ez! That was awesome!"

Evie glanced at the pirate for a moment. "So your name is Ez?"

"Actually it's Ezio. Ezio Auditore."

Evie's eyes narrowed in thought. "Auditore... as in Mario Auditore?"

"Si. He's my uncle."

Jacob looked confused. "Who's that?"

"I'll tell you later," Evie replied, exasperated.

"Whu-what are we gonna do now?" Edward asked. "Gonna... gonna bust more skull? Y'know, I got a couple of those made of crystal back on muh ship."

Ezio put a hand on his friend's shoulder and began leading him back to the hotel. "No. Right now, you're going to sleep this off."

Edward put up no fight. Within a minute of lying down on the mattress, he was out like a candle. Ezio made sure to put him in a position to make sure he would not choke should he vomit. Walking outside, the Florentine came across Jacob once more.

The gang leader offered him a folded cloth. "Here, Audi. A sign of brotherhood, comradry, and friendship."

Ezio unraveled it, finding it to be a new cape, green with what looked like a bird of prey carrying a knight chess piece in its talons.

"The symbol of the Rooks," Jacob explained. "You have that on, and my guys will always come running if you ask 'em too."

Ezio was touched. Most of his friends had been left behind in Firenze. Now he had new ones to fill the hole. Antonio, Rosa, Edward, and now Jacob. He undid the clasps on his shoulder and removed his current cape, wedging it between his legs before making its spot occupied with Jacob's gift. "Grazie, amico. Thank you, friend."

Jacob smirked and gave Ezio a friendly punch before going off to do whatever he was about to do. Ezio returned to his room and put the solid black cape amongst his other packed belongings. He could never get rid of it; it had been his father's during his own career as an assassin. Making his way outside once more, he pulled out the map Antonio had drawn up for him, marking the lairs of the Followers of Romulus. With the setting sun illuminating the parchment, all it showed was that the dwelling was not too far north. "Avrei dovuto chiedergli di aggiungere ulteriori dettagli..."

He rolled up the map, put it within his robes, and made his way into the wilderness, unaware that a certain General was following him.