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Sometimes we assume we have learned everything we can. That life has nothing more to offer us. What more suffering can there be, beyond what we have experienced in the past and we still live every day? This question is asked mainly by those who have not the faintest idea about what pain is like. People who live sheltered in their own crystal worlds. But not I. People like me know that whatever happens, there is still more to come.

New York was 'shiny' that day. This is the word my new associate used to describe it while gazing at the sea from the harbour. The waves reflected the sun's rays, creating rather pleasant light tricks on the surrounding space. Such splendid view was welcomed by the inhabitants of the city, and especially, summer was. However, there seemed to be as little light as ever, especially considering the epidemics which had decimated the populace and left half the buildings empty. Therefore, life was anything but brilliant that year.

Unless, of course, you are a ten-year-old rascal who has just found a reason to live life again. This was the case of my new assistant, Peter. Unlikely as this might seem, it was the only human being whose presence I could stand after discovering that Shay was probably still alive.

I had found the little thing a few months before in a filthy corner of New York. Noticing his pale complexion and his generally poor health, I had not hesitated to have him visited by a doctor. With the passing of time, I understood that I needed him as much as he needed me, so we had officially become business partners.

"So where are we going, Liam?" he asked once more as I began to make my way through the market, "don't tell me it's time to go home already"
"It's not. It is time to do some climbing, young man"

"Are we meeting Aunt Hope?"

I stifled a laugh. Hope hated to be called that way. Truth be told, she was rather clumsy around children. I suspected that was because she longed for a more normal kind of life. It was not our case.

"Yes. We are going to visit Hope"

I helped Peter up the roofs and then we began our run. I always wanted to have him in front of my eyes so that in case of need I could reach him in just one leap. However, his physical skills were rather advanced, so that I almost never had to help him.

In the last months Hope had given me rather big amount of concern. Since Shay's departure she had grown gradually quieter and way too reserved, locking herself up in her manor with books and parchments, hardly speaking to anyone. Yet, I knew her well, and so did our Mentor. We both understood that there was something she was planning. Finally, after weeks imploring her not to act on her own and let us help her, she spoke. She had been researching on gasses with a prominent scientist, Priestly. The man had claimed to have found the ultimate solution to the populace's problems: a way to cure any infection by sterilising air. After the scientist's departure earlier that year she had carried on the experiments on her own. Now she claimed to have achieved good results: she was near to the recipe of that gaseous medicine.

I was sceptical about this whole gas thing. Le Chasseur, too, had always been on my side, proclaiming that nothing good could come out of it. He and Hope had parted on very bad terms, and we suspected that he must have contacted some criminal gang to sabotage our plans. Before he was killed, Le Chasseur must have fomented a powerful enemy against us, that was sure. Suddenly, our factories were being attacked, our reserves decimated and our storehouses looted. This enemy must also have been well acquainted with Assassin ways.

I did not want to jump to conclusion, but the idea that it was Shay hammered in my mind. Hope had further increased my suspicions with her last missive, which was also my reason for this trip to New York.

Now, I focused on the road ahead of me. I signalled Peter to follow me and we both jumped down into the semi-deserted street.

"Now. While I speak with Hope, do me a favour. Hide in the bushes around here and see if someone tries to sneak in" I asked him.

"All right. I will" he said patiently as I waved him goodbye.

There were but a few guards in Hope's manor that day. I found her outside, in the garden. She was wearing a pair of rough gloves and her hair was kept away from her face by a ribbon.

"Gardening?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. All my flowers have died" she said with an apparently emotionless voice.

"I am sorry about that. You've always been so careful about them"

"You are not here to talk about flowers, I believe?"

"You are right. I have received your letter" I said in the end.

"What do you say about that?" she asked, without bothering to look at me.

"I think it is finally the case we speak about him, Hope. If there is a chance he is still alive" my voice was becoming harsh. I did not want to look severe, but the topic hurt me and I wanted to get over with it. Quickly, too.

"He is. I saw him"

"You saw him?!" I exclaimed with a start. God, she seemed so calm. "What the hell are you talking about?" I raised my voice more. Then, seeing that this was having no effect on her, I knocked the watering can she was holding off her hand.

"I did. I saw Shay" she resumed without a hint of expression.

"So that's why you are planting your flowers again, right? You are in love. How sweet"

This got her, and pretty badly. She abruptly turned her head towards me, and raised her voice: "What do you expect me to do, Liam? You have just stopped to mourn him; did you expect me to come along and cheerfully say that he is alive? How many times do I have to tell you that this is work? It is work, Liam. Nothing more than that. There is no space for anything else"

Her face had turned hectic red. She was getting angry, so angry that a guard approached with a worried expression. However, she did not give him the chance to come near us: she raised her hand and he walked back rigidly.

"I am sick of your insinuating. And I am sick and tired of the distress going on around here. These last recruits you have sent me are complete idiots. I told Achilles as much"

"There is little he can do about it"
"There is little about he can do about anything these days, besides getting furious about any trifle. The Brotherhood is going astray" she sighed, and I looked at her with more confidence than I felt.

"It will pass"

"Let's pray it will"

For a long moment, none of us spoke. We looked at the sky, where the sun kept on shining regardless our suffering down on the Earth. Finally, a whistle interrupted our train of thoughts.

It was a rather awkward whistle. I could have recognised it anywhere.

"Peter!" I exclaimed, rushing towards the gates.

"I can't believe you carry that boy around, Liam!" Hope commented. I did not have the chance to answer, as in a heartbeat I was already outside the gates, my hidden blades ready to taste blood yet again...

"He's gone to the left!" Peter exclaimed, pointing his finger excitedly towards in that direction.

Without much thinking I followed his direction, but I immediately understood that it was too late.

"Are you not going to catch him?" he asked as he saw that I had stopped running. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"No, I'm afraid he has hidden already. Hope's men will see to that. Have you seen the man alright?"

"I have. He was wearing a black coat and a thing like a flintlock on his shoulders, but much longer! And his hair was dark and long and..."

"Hey, wait. That's a lot of description for someone who was just running around" I said with a laugh

"He wasn't just 'running around!'" he exclaimed irritated, "he has been staring at the walls ever since you got in. He came out of that bush over here"

I tried not to shudder at the thought of that. A thing like a flintlock, only much longer... How many people were in possession of such a gear in all of New York?

"Come. You have been good. Let's hear this whole description you have made..."

"The boy's better than I thought" said Hope as Peter walked out of her study.

"He is"

"Are you training him to become an Assassin?"

"I... When I took him with me, I was sure that I would. But now, I am having my doubts. I want him to decide with his own head, Hope... Only, I know this is the right path"

"Mh" she commented without too much conviction. As always, being around Peter had made her nervous. She gulped down something that looked like liquor.

"So, do we have any more doubts, now?" she asked as I helped myself from the same bottle, "The portrait the kid has made is Shay. It is Shay, Liam"
"I know" I replied simply.

"Great"
"So where have you met him? You've gone messing around again in the gypsy's quarters?"

"I was at the market. And he was there"

"You? At the market?" she ignored my sarcastic comment and carried on.

"I had heard voices. My men spoke about a man similar to him hanging around here, but I did not believe them. Then I started to look around. He has been around here. He has tried to make contact with me thrice already so far, but I have ignored him.

"Ignored him? Why?"

Deep inside, I knew. Deep inside, I need no further explanation.

"I saw him holding Mrs Finnegan's basket, that's why. She must have been the one who has taken care of him"

I did not speak. For a moment, I let the news sink in. Even though I had already imagined that something like this was possible, the confirmation of my hypothesis felt... painful. But it was not the same kind of pain I had felt seeing Shay throwing himself off the cliff. No, because he was not the same man who woke me up at night with his muffled moans when he had a bad dream. This Shay was a Templar.

"I can't believe how this is turning out to be. We'll have to kill him, won't we?"

"I don't know what it is going to happen. Hardly no one does"

"What about the gasses?"

"He's been destroying the reserves, if this is what you want to know. He was also the one to kill Le Chasseur"

"How can you be so sure?"

"The description matches perfectly"
Notwithstanding the situation, I let out a hint of a laugh. "The Mentor has spotted you perfectly among the crowd. You are an excellent Assassin. He was not wrong to have such high expectations on you"

"Sometimes I wish he hadn't" she replied coldly. Even though something seemed to be wrong with this specific topic, I did not dwell on it.

"There is no time to think about my gasses, now. He will strike, and he knows exactly with whom he is dealing with. We need to be ready".

I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment if you did, I appreciate that!