hello everyone, this is a fanfic that has been planned for a long time, I hope you enjoy it, I want to clarify that my native language is not English in case you see misspelled words or something like that, enjoy
Everything was finished, with Ahmet and all the other Byzantine Templars dead. All the keys necessary to open Altair's library were now in his possession. The Master Assassin, Ezio Auditore, had finally gained entrance into the library of the legendary Altair ibn La Ahad. A library that nobody had stepped into for more than a century and where only the bones of the latter rested. The journey had not been easy or short, undertaken twice, but he could finally rest in achieving his goal.
"No books, no wisdom, only you" Ezio remarked quietly with respect to the dead, gazing down at the last remains of the Assassin who redefined the Assassin's order. It was one thing to read his codex but another entirely to truly see what remained of the man that lived through the chaotic Middle Ages. He took the last key from the now fragile bones of the legendary assassin after witnessing the man's last memory fragments. Nodding once in respect to the oldest mentor in their order, one who kept tightly to the creed, he acknowledged his existence, "Fratello mio, requiescat in pace, Altair."
It was a surreal moment that he never expected to experience but it was sobering to see what awaited every assassin. Regardless of their lonely road and how much they fought, they would all return to dust. He approached a wall where the apple of Eden rested on a pedestal, luring anyone who laid eyes on it with its shiny metal exterior. He felt a great desire to touch its decorated exterior but he stopped abruptly, controlling himself with iron-clad will. His hand laid outstretched, silently achy to touch the device but he had seen what it could unleash. He would not lose himself in that object or lose loved ones- he learned enough from the other Assassins before him.
"No, you better stay there, I've seen enough for a lifetime" he commented grimly to the burden that object could create in one's life. He was not going to put himself through that or let anyone else fall prey to it.
He was stirred out of his ruminating thoughts when a strong light erupted through the chamber. Numerous symbols of an unknown and likely ancient language scribbled and glowed against the walls. He remembered this phenomena many years ago when meeting the ancient ones and the hero they claimed would be guided by him and his predecessors. Ezio stared at the golden light illuminating the library, which quickly disappeared behind him to ascend his consciousness to another plane.
Something stirred within his mind to do something different this time and he was compelled to call out in vain, "Desmond?"
"Are you addressing me?" a new masculine voice called back through the void, his tone surprised. The feeling was mutual. He didn't expect for his calls to be returned and to be left in another shrouded mystery to solve. For once, he could hear the voice of the mysterious Desmond so loud and clear as if he were standing next to him. Was this what the beings, the ancient ones, were capable of? To cross time and align two different timelines to allow to people born centuries away to communicate? How was it possible?
He knew he would likely only have one chance to speak to this future Assassin, one fated to do great things and prevent cataclysm. No prepared speech would work and he spoke from the heart after decades of being an Assassin, "I had already heard your name Desmond, a long time ago, and now it persists in my mind - like the image of an old dream. I do not know where you are or what means you use to hear me, but I know you are listening to me."
He began to remove the hidden blade gauntlets first before doing the same to his sword, casting it to the ground. Glancing back at the apple of Eden, he ruminated aloud, "I have led the best life that has been possible, but I am drawn like a moth to a distant moon, and here I discover a strange truth that I am a mere conduit for a message that escapes my understanding."
Sweeping his gaze across the silent library, he continued, "Who are we, who made us share our stories like this? Talk through the centuries? Suffering is worth it."
For the first time, he could see the recipient of the message as it transmitted to Desmond. The young man's clothes were strange to Ezio and undoubtedly his own clothes must have been strange for Desmond. He raised his hands to acknowledge that he could see him as well and as if he were standing in front of him, he placed his left hand on Desmond's shoulder to say, "Now, listen . . ."
Ezio stared at the empty library in silence, everything falling into darkness without lighting. He did not know what to do right now but his first decision was to seal the resting place of the Apple of Eden. Nobody of weak mind should wield or even gaze upon such a powerful item. As he approached the Apple, its golden metal began to illuminate brightly, bathing the library in a golden light. Instead of seeing Desmond again, Minerva was the new guest.
"You have fulfilled your role, Ezio Auditore" Minerva commented at seeing the bewildered man, her face stoic in her delivery.
"The message has already been delivered, I hope you can now answer my questions, Minerva" the assassin replied firmly, given the many years that this being had been intertwined in his life with the Apple. His life had been cast from a careless teenager into a gifted Assassin, who had traveled numerous places to uphold the goals and ideals of the Assassins. After everything he had experienced, he wanted to know what it was all for and whether it truly made a difference.
"I can't do that, you are not the one to whom the information is directed" she answered calmly, which made Ezio almost angry as it did the first time.
"So, what are you coming for?" he asked coldly of the projection at seeing that she refused to grant the same kindness upon him.
"I come to reward you for having been the means to carry the message to Desmond" Minerva answered easily with a respectful nod to uphold her end of the bargain.
His experiences in life taught him that money and power would get him nowhere. Knowledge, on the other hand, carried its weight in survival. He knew nothing about this woman and pointed out bluntly, "What could you give me? I have no ambitions for anything, my life is already done."
"What I can offer you is another opportunity" she proposed simply to determine whether he was willing to accept her olive branch. Alone, she could not complete her mission and needed the man's help for the future. Tucking her arms neatly behind her back, she asked, "Do you accept it?"
"Chance? What chance?" the assassin questioned suspiciously, unaware to what opportunity would draw his interest. He was in the middle of an abandoned fortress after having relinquished his role of Assassin to enter retirement. He had a woman who returned his affection and he refused to lose her like he'd lost Cristina so very long ago.
Minerva's offer was unnerving when she claimed easily with a faint smile, "I can transport your memories and current subconscious to the past. To your youth before your family is betrayed . . . if you wish you can prevent that from happening."
What she was proposing sounded absolutely impossible but he would give anything to change the outcome of his family tragedy. His mother retreated into herself for many years in her grief, leaving him and Claudia to find safe and stable housing for their broken family. The loss of his father and brothers was still a painful memory that he refused to dig out of his heart after this many years. Only he and Claudia remained now from their large family and he aimed to protect his little sister until death.
The weight of such a decision or the possibility of it was surreal. His brow furrowed in suspicion and he questioned, "Will I have to repeat everything? Fight the Templars again?"
Ezio was not going to lie that he was already tired of fighting and ready for retirement. His bones did not bounce off scrapes like they used to and age was now catching up to him. Minerva understood his skepticism but her people were capable of great things, remarking softly, "If you wish to do it, the message is already given and I am granting you this opportunity to live in peace."
Minerva pointed to the Apple in its private chamber, the golden light painfully bright between their close space, and she offered quietly, "If you accept my offering, touch the Apple."
With that said, Minerva disappeared to bathe the room in dim lighting once more. The Apple of Eden began to glow softly as if waiting for him to agree to the offer. Ezio was not sure whether to do it or not, debating to press the button on the wall to seal that thing away for centuries rather than to touch it.
"You should accept, Ezio."
He turned around to see Sofia standing by one of the rear bookshelves, her form hidden within the darkness. She had been waiting by the open doorway as a lookout until she began to hear voices inside the library. Curious and worried about him, she had treaded inside to find him.
"Sofia" he murmured with concern to how much she overheard after trying to keep her safe from his secret life. How did he not hear her footsteps behind him? Was this also part of Minerva's plan? Just when he assumed he was escaping her and the Order, a twist developed.
"You should accept, it would be the best for you" she repeated to show there was no mistake in what she heard.
"Are you sure?" Ezio questioned skeptically, still doubtful that his curiosity to see his family alive once more could not backfire. Despite the pain and tragedy in his life, Sofia was the first good thing to occur in recent years.
Despite how much she cared for him, Sofia was not a selfish person. She saw his dedication and being able to save many lives outweighed both of theirs. Her brow furrowed to contain her emotions but her voice wavered as she urged, "You have told me everything that has happened in your life and now, you have been given an opportunity to save many lives. One opportunity. Neither of us know how it will be but isn't it worth trying?"
Ezio sighed with regret under his breath, approaching the redhead to brush his right palm across her cheek. For the first time, they had a chance to create a life together away from danger. Instead, he was pondering about reliving his entire life from the moment it was catapulted into fearful insanity. Living a nomadic lifestyle in the past decade, he admitted his worst fear, "If I do, I'm afraid I won't find you again."
He had already lost Cristina and that painful void had yet to be filled . . . until he met Sofia. She twisted his heart into joy and worry, being the first person to truly understand him in a very long time. Sofia flashed him a confident smile to hold back her own reservation about allowing him to relive a dangerous life. Their first meeting and continuous pull to one another would either yield success or failure. If they were meant to be together, fate was on their side. Nodding to him, she reassured, "You will, it is destiny that we met, Ezio. Even though I won't know who you are in this new plan, I trust that you will know who I am."
Her smile broadened, striking his heart with confidence to take that leap, and she asserted, "I can wait those years because I know we will find our way back to one another. But, now you can make a change to live happily."
They both shared a passionate kiss, as if it were the last time, but they knew that this would not be the end of their story. They would meet again in time, perhaps with a better present than the one that currently united them. Sofia released with a watery smile, nodding softly to let him carry on with his decision, "Arrivederci, amore mio."
"It's not a goodbye, Sofia . .. more of a see you soon" he reassured her with a smile, instilling that hope in himself to see her once more. If she believed that he could create a better tomorrow, he would do his best to see it through. With that in mind, he approached the Apple and placed his hand over the top. Immediately, the item glowed painfully bright to bathe him a golden light and felt a strong pressure emanate from it into his own body.
The golden light burst into a white haze that soon turned his vision black.
The blackout left him with no memory of what occurred, apart from touching the Apple and the room disappearing into a black mass. His mind was dispersed with everything that happened, throwing him into a confused state, and he opened his eyes to a tiled roof. It was not the stone roof of Masyaf's library but the roof of a house like those in Florence.
"Am I back?" Ezio pondered in a hushed whisper of disbelief, realizing he was laying on a soft bed rather than the stone floor. Raising his head off the soft pillow, he froze when he saw someone sleeping next to him.
Cristina Vespucio.
She lay there like a wistful dream beside him as she slept peacefully, no fear or disappointment in her eyes. She was breathing, alive, and safe . . . which meant that Minerva's offer worked. He was in shock that he remembered very little of her facial features as time faded her memories but seeing her brought them back instantly. He refrained from brushing a lock of hair behind her ear to avoid waking her and falling back in love with the first woman of his life. Simply seeing her like this was enough.
That, and he came to realize what time it was by the darkness bathing the room.
"S***" he cursed, quickly slipping out of bed to get dressed in lean clothing that he barely remembered as his. For the first time, his body didn't ache nor did he feel stiffness in his bones as he dressed quickly before slipping out of the window. Jumping from the balcony of the Vespucio house, he quickly left the place to save Cristina from any problems in the future if her father caught him at that time.
Ezio ran across the rooftops aimlessly, aware that he should go home now to see his family that was undoubtedly still alive. The lights of the city from his youth burned brightly, reminding him of the peaceful times of his youth. Could he really prevent the pain that would soon befall his family? He had a lot to think about – where in time that he was, the state of his family, what he could do to stop the arrest of his father and brothers, and how to avoid not ruining the good parts of his future.
Leaning against the exterior of a watchtower, he sighed softly under his breath and pondered softly in a younger voice, "I really have gone back to the past. Even with my knowledge about the future, I don't know where I should start. If I murder Uberto, my father and my brothers would live but if I do, I could never start my fight against the Templars."
I will have to save them at the time of the attack, Ezio thought as he looked at the landscape of Florence before jumping off the building with a leap of faith. He had a lot to do right now but he was also afraid of facing his former enemies once again. Although he had knowledge of the future, he would not know if new changes would keep everything the same as when he lived it for the first time.
Well I hope you liked this chapter, and again I want to apologize but my English is not my mother tongue so I'm sorry if there were some mistakes with several words, even so I hope you enjoyed it see you next time