The Darkness that engulfed Elinana dimed with the growing light. Shadows danced and swirled like ink in water. A women's cry of pain emanated around her, but she was transfixed in her dreaming state.

The shadows melded to form a smooth round stone room with a woman in labor on a bed with stone foundations. A man stood at then of the bed, giving her words of comfort in a language that was unlike any she had ever heard, but understood every word.

"One more, Eve," the man encouraged. "One more push."

Eve breathed heavily, drenched in sweat. She cringed in pain from a contraction, and pushed.

Elinana couldn't see the child being born, but she saw the man hunch a little when he caught the baby. He and Eve both sighed when the child started to cry, and he brought the blood and mucus covered new born to the reaching arms of Eve only to Elinana's sudden resignation looked almost like an older version of her—save for Eve's brown eyes that started to burn with tears.

"She has your eyes." Adam pointed, who looked startling like Desmond, Ezio, and Altaïr.

"And your lungs." Eve's voice cracked with grief, holding firmly to her new born daughter. "Why, True Father?" she plead in prayer. "Why must so many wish to either harm, or use her?"

"Because she is like us." Adam replied sadly, softly stroking his daughter's head then worked to cut the embolic cord. Eve kissed her head, and reluctantly handed her to Adam.

"Take her, before they come for her Adam."

Adam gingerly took his daughter in his arms looking sadly at Eve then the baby. Turning away to an open basket with blankets, he swaddled the baby then carefully placed her in the basket.

"Adam," Eve weakly called. "Take the cloak."

Adam picked up the basket and carried it to Eve's side, then cupped her face.

"You need it more, being this weak. Only Father knows what Cain I'll do to you!"

"I can handle Cain, he is our son after all."

Adam looked like he was going to argue, but Eve pressed harder.

"We can't risk anyone following you. Arora must not fall into the hands of the Jackabbs, nor the Isu, and definitely not Cain or the abomination Aita. Go, my love!"

Adam bent to kiss his wife, then pulled away with Arora in the basket. He marched to the silver cloak resting on a stone, then quickly flung it over his shoulders and pulled up the hood. He stepped to the exit and glanced back to Eve before touching the center of the eye of Horus. The world suddenly came alive with fluid shadows like the beginning of her dream, but the forms of the world remained.

Elinana followed Adam with the sounds of Eve weeping behind her. She followed him through the nearly maze like stone halls till he stepped into a small stone room with a hole in the ceiling, and a strange motorbike like vehicle, but it had no wheels.

Adam mounted the vehicle and placed the basket before him as the silently humming bike came to life. Instead of guiding the bike to the hallways the three of them shoot into the air, then flew over the land just feet from the ground.

As Elinana followed Adam she looked around to the war withered land. Skeletons of tall trees stood or broke at the base and bowed onto others, the dark rugged ground was lifeless, and the dark sky burned red and orange to the left, whether it was dawn, dusk, or the flames of war; Elinana couldn't tell. Elinana wondered what happened to the land, and what brought on the war that caused this.

Adam continued on for the growing dark clump in the horizon, looking back now and then to be sure no one was following. Elinana looked back too, but only saw flickering shadows of the dead trees and rocky terrain. But something told her that something or someone was behind them, hidden in the darkness like a creeping nightmare waiting to pounce.

The dark clump grew into a tall untouched forest, dark in the ever twilight world of war. Trunks of trees whizzed past in dark brown and green blurs. Suddenly Adam pulled to a halt and dismounted the bike. He placed the basket down, and took some fern branches to hide the bike. Gingerly picking up the basket, he began to run through the forest.

Thin branches reached out to Adam as he ran; like the begging arms and hands of an old hag. For what seemed like a half a mile or so, he came upon a creek and fallowed it with the burning sky to his back.

Elinana no longer felt the twinge of eyes on her back any more, and she started to feel more relaxed in the strange situation. She wondered why she was dreaming this, what will happen to Eve, Arora, Adam, and what Connor and Clipper are doing at the moment.

"Most likely worried about me," she thought. "And hopefully burning the cloak."

Soon the creek met a river that flowed deeper into the forest. Adam knelt down on the shore, and gently placed the basket down, and opened it. Arora opened her eyes and reached up to him as if sensing what he was planning to do. He wrapper her closer in the blanket, and held her close, gently rocking.

"Do not fear my dear one," Adam's voice cracked with grief. "I believe that you find a kind, loving family, far from this cursed war. And that you will be brave; braver then a thousand men."

Elinana's heart ached for Adam, Eve, and for the child. And she would be crying if she wasn't physically restrained by the dream. She watched him place Arora in the basket, then kissed her forehead as she started to cry. He placed the woven lid back on, then picked up the basket and walked into the river till the water reached his hips. Tears swelled in his eyes as he listened to his daughter's wails. Looking up to the sky, he prayed with tears running down his face.

"True Father, pleas guide her to a place where she will be safe, free, and loved." His voice cracked again, and he bowed his head to the basket. "I love you Arora, and so does your mother."

He let the current take the basket from his hands as Arora continued to cry. And watched it float away as he fought every urge to take her back in his arms and run away with her. But he didn't, he merely watched the river carry her to the unknown future.

Tears finally swelled Elinana's own eyes as the shadows danced like ink and water, and she sobbed for her ancestors as the wordless voices of Connor and Clipper dragged her from the dark realm of dreams.

"…the cloak is not—!" Connor growled as Elinana turned lazily to him on Clipper, griping tightly to his shirt and coat. He and Clipper both had herd her sob, and looked to her as a tears ran from her eyes.

"Guys, what are you two doing?" she asked as Connor rose off of Clipper, and quickly knelt by her side.

"Be still Elinana, you pasted out because of the cloak." He nearly growled at the last word with his warm hand on her shoulder.

"Yea but—," she began but saw Clipper grip a ling stick and pike it into the fire that danced over the silver cloak. Connor followed her gaze, then felt him tense in his gentle grip that left when he rose and darted to Clipper as he lifted the cloak from the fire. Connor slapped the stick from Clipper's grip then attempted to grip him, but Clipper swatted his hand away and threw a punch for Connor's head. Connor ducked and rammed his shoulder into Clipper's stomach, both grunting as they hit with ground.

"Stop!" Elinana yelled, and rose to dart to their two struggling bodies. "Stop it!" she demanded and tried to pry Clipper off of Connor only to get an elbow to the face. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground with blood flowing from the sore spot from her jaw and cheek, with Connor calling her name. Shaking her head and touching her throbbing jaw, she tried to rise but Connor's warm firm grip held her in place.

"Don't try to rise." He said softly, but she rose just the same and glared at both men in turn.

"What the heck is up with you two?" she growled, then spat blood from the gash inside her mouth. "You're Brothers, for God's sake!"

"Elin," Clipper looked at her like a wounded dog. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"It's that damned cloak," Connor cursed for the first time around Elinana, even Clipper looked at him with astonishment. "Anything made by the Ones-that-came-before, are bound to get inside a man's head."

"Yes but, you and Elin didn't go mad like I did." Clipper pointed.

"That's because we're—it's because we're different." Elinana hesitated, bending her legs before her as she rubbed her tender jaw. "Arora was my ancestor—the secret daughter of Adam and Eve. And Connor is most likely a descendant of either Abel, Cain, or Seth."

Both men looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you know that?" Clipper asked.

"Because the cloak showed me Arora's birth, and how Adam fled with her to a river so that Cain, an Ant fellow, and two gropes wouldn't get her. Apparently they all wanted something from the infant, or kill her."

"What about Connor?" Clipper asked.

"Hunch, educated guess; take your pick." Elinana replied spiting another ball of blood and saliva.

"Here," Clipper fumbled around in his coat pockets, then pulled out his flask. "Drink, I'll help."

Elinana took it, and reluctantly took a swig only to spit out half and choke on the rest.

"Cazzo!" she cursed in Italian to the burning pain in her mouth and jaw. "Not helping!" she growled then went to get her blankets from her saddle.

"I'm sorry Elin." Clipper apologized again.

"I'll be fine in the morning." she replied quickly with some sharpness as she lied the blanket down, then grabbed her water container to clean her mouth. Meanwhile Connor looked down at the cloak, then picked it up to examine it.

"It's undamaged." Connor murmured.

"What?" Clipper asked with astonishment. "But you threw it in the fire!"

Connor stared at it, than activated his hidden blades in attempt to cut it, but the metallic like fibers held strong.

"Damn," Elinana murmured after watching him try to cut it. "I should've known it won't be that easy to be rid of an artifact of Eden."

"You said Adam used it to escape with Arora, how?" Connor inquired.

"He put it on, then touched the center of the clasp." Elinana explained. Connor then placed the cloak over his shoulders, and clicked the claps in place.

"Connor wait—!" she protested, but he interrupted her, knowing what she was about to say.

"I will be fine, Elinana. We have to know what it does, and if it even still works."

Elinana wanted to argue more, but he pulled up the hood and touched the center of the eye before she could, and he vanished before her eyes.

"Connor?" she asked to the air.

"Elinana," the air replied with Connor's voice.

"Sweet baby Jesus!" Clipper exclaimed, just as awed as Elinana.

"My pardon?" Connor asked.

"You're invisible." Elinana stated, and took a step forward with an arm out to feel for him, then his warm hand wrapped around it.

"Are you feeling any effects?" she asked.

"No, but…" Connor began, then stopped.

"But what?"

"The world, the cloak is messing with my vision. My Sense is half activated, and the shadows are moving like smoke."

"Can you still see yourself?" she asked, her worry steadily growing for his wellbeing.

"Yes."

"Good, touch the center of the eye again."

He did as she said, and he appeared instantly before her. She breathed a sigh of relief, and held tighter to his hand. But then they let go, and he removed the cloak as he marched back to the box.

"This—this is incredible!" Clipper exclaimed. "Just imagine the things we could do with something like this!"

"Yes, Brother," Connor replied as he folded the cloak then placed it in the box. "That is why I'll hid it away where no one will find it, or be harmed by it."

"But!" Clipper tried to argue, but Connor gave him a warning glance then rose.

"It is late, and it was a long day, and it's a day's ride to Boston. So I sagest that you both get some rest. Then you Clipper, will take my place as watch two hours past midnight, understood?"

Clipper nodded, then Connor turned to Elinana.

"I—" she began but Connor held up a hand.

"Rest Elinana, and do not worry about me."

"That's exactly why I do, Connor." Her words slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes grew softer.

"Rest, I will not be far."

Elinana sighed, but complied and lied under the ancient ash curled up with her jaw and ankle sore. But the long day pulled her into a deep dreamless sleep almost instantly.

"Birds," Elinana said as she walked beside Hercules and Connor. Her ankle no longer was sore, and the inside of her cheek stooped bleeding. But her jaw still gently throbbed, and Clipper had pointed out the forming bruise. And Connor wasn't worse for wear to her relief.

"Fly," Connor said.

"Vary," Clipper said, ending a round of Finish my Sentence, retuning back to Elinana.

"Low,"

"When,"

"They,"

"Eat,"

"Pinecones." Connor finished the sentence, and Elinana looked at him while holding back a chuckle.

"What bird eats pinecones?" she asked with a smirk.

"You said we could say any word we wished." He replied.

"Yea, I know." She smiled then began another round. "Cats,"

"Climb,"

"Trees,"

"And," Elinana said, then noticed the turn of Hercules's ear, and the growl in his throat. He only does this when he sensed a predator; either human or animal. But Elinana could tell that it was human, the trouble was warning the others without alerting the enemy. She glanced at Connor, who was looking at her, and his firm gaze told her that he sensed danger too.

"Get," Clipper said, also sensing danger, but still played the game.

"Stuck," Connor said, feeling danger so near it felt as though a heavy weight was on him. Suddenly a volley of gun fire thundered, and echoed over the trees to the mountains. Bullets whizzed for Connor and Elinana, but the force around the Shard of Eden—that he always whore on him—deflected harmlessly away from them and the horses. Clipper wasn't so lucky; the volley stroke his horse, and the beast reared in surprise and pain, only to fall on Clipper's lower half.

Connor's black mare bolted with a whinny as six men from the Mine came running from the trees. Connor drew his tomahawk and pistol, and shot one of the men running for Clipper who struggled to free himself from the dead horse. Elinana stood by him and drew her knife and activated her hidden blade as a man with a musket and gleaning bayonet aimed for her. Connor quickly darted for the man and pushed the musket away before hacking at the man's chest with his tomahawk.

All attention was on Connor as he fought like a bear, and Elinana tried to look for a window of opportunity as she stood forgotten. It was then that she saw a man aim for Connor who had his back to him as he fought the two others. Her heart pounded like a drum, draining out all other sounds. Darting forward, she was on him in a heartbeat. She pushed away the musket before it fired off to hit a tree, then she drove her hidden blade between his ribs into his kidney. The world faded away from Elinana and the man as she lowered him down with her hand touching his cheek and temple.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"Sorry?" laughed the man, then spat blood. "You're a pansy, bitch."

His hand then quickly griped her throat with his last ounce of strength. "Rot in hell…" he rasped with his last breath, then died with his hand falling from her.

Elinana gazed down at if gruff face, frozen like an ice figure, and feeling every bit as cold. No sound reached her, and neither a hurricane nor a blizzard would wake her from the spell of motionless shock. But suddenly she was jolted back to the world by a firm shake from warm strong hands, and she whipped her head to Connor who was level with her.

"Elinana?" He said her name softly with concern. She started to tremble in his hands as she looked back at the man, and it was then that she felt a warm dampness on her hand.

"Elin, say something!" Clipper pleaded as she head up her right hand that was covered with deep crimson blood that also covered the still activated blade. Seeing her own hand like this was like looking at a hand of a monster, and she chocked on a sob.

"Oh God," she murmured in a quivering prayer, breathing heavily on the verge of sobbing, and being sick. "What've I done?"

"Elin he was just a thug." Clipper tried to console, but she only looked up at him with shock and anger.

"He still was a person, Clipper," she replied shakily. "Still a human, he had a life…and I just ended it!" she looked down at her hands, then started to push away from Connor.

"Elinana," he said her name again as he wrapped his arms around her, refusing to let her go. "Be still, stop fighting me."

Connor held her close, not knowing what else to do other than not letting her go for fear of losing her completely. She struggled for a good bit to get away from him, but then she gave up and sagged against his chest, then sobbed into his shoulder. He said some soft comforting words in his native language as Clipper limped to fetch Connor's black mare. Elinana didn't understand most of it, save one word: "Ori:te'." Meaning dove.

Clipper soon returned with the mare, and Connor slowly rose with Elinana leaning on him.

"Take my horse Brother," Connor stated as he slowly walked to Hercules's side. "She and I will ride together."

Clipper nodded then retrieved his belongings of the dead horse, then mounted the mare. Connor helped Elinana mount the sandy, golden stallion—which wasn't hard since she was almost figurine like in her broken soul state. Then the three assassins continued on for Boston with gray rain clouds slowly advancing.

Connor held her closes, though she no longer wept for the death of her innocence. She returned to her frozen state, and gazed down at her hands with the voices of her loved ones swirling around and around in her mind. Elinana lost sense of time, but the thing that always seemed to pull her back to the world—a least for a moment, then she would fall back into herself—was Connor's arm around her waist, and his chest behind her that radiated warmth that kept her from completely turning to ice.

After an hour the gray clouds finally reached them, and rain gently started to tap in their heads and shoulders. Connor dismounted to Elinana's still alarm to suddenly be broken away from his warmth. He guide Hercules to a great old willow with a small trickling creek running through its roots, and over dark rocks. Connor helped her dismount, and made her sit on a root against the tree to see how Clipper was.

"Don't worry about me Brother," Clipper informed as he limped to a rock. "My legs are just shaken and sore from being pinned under a horse. It's you and Elin that are in worse shape."

"I hope the others are faring better then use." Connor stated, and Clipper nodded.

"It'll all turnout fine Brother."

"I do not know how to help her." Connor finally stated in a low tone, only for Clipper to hear.

"Just keep doing what you have been doing for her. That's only thing I can say." Clipper glanced at Elinana, and Connor followed his gaze to see her hugging Hercules's neck with her still blood stained hand fisted in his mane.

Connor slowly approached her, and worked to loosen her hold on the horse, then guided her to the creek. Where he took her dry, blood covered hand and placed it in the cold water. She stared down at the water that looked like flowing silk, soothing the cold dark rocks. And she wished that she could cut out her heart, and place it in the water to cleanse it till it gleamed like the stones.

"I failed them." She murmured as he rubbed her hand, slowly rubbing away the crimson.

"Failed who?" he asked, turning his gaze to her bowed face.

"My parents, Maria, Altaïr; they wanted me to rem-remain pure. But I couldn't."

"Elinana,"

"I was raised a Christion; I was taught to not kill, to not steal, and not bear false witness against my neighbor. I was raised to love, forgive, and to be kind. But in the span of lass then a year I've stolen, I've lied, I've drank, and now I did the greatest wrong against my God. Against everything I've been taught! I should have just stepped in the line of fire!" she wept, and Connor tightly held her hand till it nearly hurt her.

"Don't talk like that!" Connor replied, and cupped her cheek to make to look at him. "What you're feeling is what sets you aside from men like the one you killed. If you had stepped in his line of fire, then and only then would you have disappointed your family. I know it hurts, and as much I do not want you to drown in sorrow; this pain is what will keep that kind, and forgiving heart of yours." Connor wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember…" he paused for her to recite the creed.

"Nothing is true." She murmured with a tight voice from crying.

"Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember…"

"It isn't that simple Ratonhnhaké:ton, I can't just let go of what I've been raised to think and do!" she wept, and he gently pulled her close once again, and was at a loss at what else to do for her again. So he let her cry her fill.

After a bit, her sobs subsided, and he finished washing the blood from her hand, then guided her back to Hercules. They continued on for Boston with a stone like Elinana. But this time she was numb to Connor's warmth, and only acknowledge the chill of the rain that crept into her marrow.

Twilight slowly advanced behind the gray blue clouds that hanged overhead. No more rain fell, but there was a slight chill in the air, and Connor didn't like how still, and cold Elinana was despite him placing her blanket around her. He guided the way to the cover of trees that would keep any more rain off of them during the night. Elinana sat silently as Connor and Clipper made a fire, and took out some food to warm by the fire. Connor walked around the fire to her side and offered her toast and cooked hare.

"Here Elinana." he offered, but she turned away.

"I'm not hungry." She murmured.

"You are cold, damp, and in shock. You need to eat." Connor pressed, but she ignored him. He placed the plate next to her and went to sit next to Clipper so to give her, her space. But even when they finished she remained where she was; gazing into the growing shadows of the trees.

"You two get some—"

"No," Elinana interrupted Connor. "I'll take first watch."

"Elina—" Connor begin to argue, but she turned her gaze at him. "Elinana you need rest."

"So do you. I'll wake you at midnight of you wish, but I'm not tired so don't try."

Connor didn't know what to make of her anger. Sadness certainly, but for her to turn around and be angry confused him. Elinana rose and marched to Hercules, not giving Connor time to quickly mull over her mood swings. He sighed, and looked over at Clipper who shrugged and gestured for him to go to sleep.

With Connor and Clipper laying some yards away from Elinana, she cuddled close to Hercules and gazed out into the night with the voices of her loved ones swirling once more in her mind. But she didn't want to remember them, she wanted to be alone with Hercules in the quiet chorus of the night. She then started to sing quietly to herself, not knowing that Connor was awake.

"Words like violence

Break the silence

Come crashing in

Into my little world

Painful to me

Pierce right through me

Can't you understand

Oh my little girl

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

Is here in my arms

Words are very unnecessary

They can only do harm

Vows are spoken

To be broken

Feelings are intense

Words are trivial

Pleasures remain

So does the pain

Words are meaningless

And forgettable

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

Is here in my arms

Words are very unnecessary

They can only do harm…"

Soon after ending the song sleep crept over Elinana, and Connor rose and silently walked to her side. He carefully pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, and sat near her to take up the rest of the watch. The clouds finally flowed away to let the stars shimmer, and the light of the moon glowed through the trees. Connor looked up past the leaves, and branches to the white glowing white orb; hoping that he can find a way to heal Elinana, and that he hadn't lost any Brothers.

Well, I finally did it; I made her kill. Originally in my rough idea she never killed, but that idea didn't fly. Yea, fare warning she's going to be slightly depressed for a bit, then later she'll try a bad copping method. But now she is getting on the road to being an official Assassin, she just needs a little time, and effort. The song at the end is Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode.

As a school update; things are going better, and I'm getting the swing of things! And call me strange, I had actually missed the challenge of school, so yea I'm starting to enjoy college! Now the only problem I have now is trying to make friends, and learn how to drive well in towns.

Any-who, take care, and either at the end of the month or around the beginning of March I'll have the next chapter up! (This is an estimate, not a solid date but that's life!)