I am sorry for the delay. I know it has been a while since the last update... this period has been very hard for me. Anyway, things kind of sorted out :) . Please let me know if you enjoy! (Also, my English sounds a bit rusty. It will get better later on, I promise).

We had just left New York when the news of the gas factories' destruction reached me. Then silence for a while. The whole situation didn't matter any longer now: the only thing we needed to focus upon was the war. Needless to say, the British were gradually winning this war, on both Colonial and European fronts. Every French outpost and fort trembled in front of their mortars and cannons, every soldier knew well the cruel faith awaiting him on the battlefield. The only hope we had to change what seemed inevitable was to kill with a precise aim.

"Liam. We are glad to hear you have had a safe journey" the Mentor told me with tired eyes and a hint of a smile.

"Yes..." I looked away from him, feeling my cheeks redden. I had told my mentor more or less what had happened in New York, and even though I had omitted the most embarrassing details, I knew that he understood Anyway, if he was as upset as I was, I never knew since he did such a good job at hiding his feelings.

"Good morning, grandpa" Peter greeted, but was ignored.

"We have news to discuss. Are you sure you want your young assistant to to hear this?" Achilles went on.

"Aye. He's a smart fellow" I replied confidently.

Nonetheless, my master took a few coins from his pocket and handed them to Peter. "Go and get yourself something to play with".

Peter smiled and grabbed the money. In a matter of seconds, he had disappeared down the boreau's stairs and into the street.

"He was sorry disappointed you didn't answer to his letters"

There was no response, and I loathed myself for even bringing this up.

"I am sorry" I added.

There were unspoken words among us. Even though I had more confidence with him than any other Assassin – I would never admit it, but sometimes I considered him more like a father than a Mentor- there were some things which I just wasn't able to tell him. Right then, I longed to tell him how much I missed little Connor I couldn't bring myself to speak the words. I couldn't stand to feel his pain once more, or mine. I couldn't reopen those wounds.

"You will kill the Colonel Monroe" he said plainly after a short while. "We have received intelligence that he is travelling towards Albany. Your mission is to wait for his men to scatter through the area and and then strike. You will need to act fast: he will be well protected".

"Sure he will"

"Shay is with him"

"I imagined as much" I said with little or no emotion.

"The expedition is due in some weeks . You'd better be in situ when they arrive"

"I will". Even though the conversation was coming to an end, none of us had intention to stand up and say goodbye. There was still something pending in the air.

"What about Shay?" I said in the end.

"You mean, shall you kill him if you get the chance"

"I gladly would"

"Don't you think I had thought this could happen when I spared his life?"

"What do you mean?"

"The night of his disappearance I could have killed him in a thousand different ways. I spared his life"

"Why?"

"He's innocent, Liam. He is a traitor and deserved death, but it will not be by your hand: he has suffered enough so far"

A part of me wanted to sight in relief. So I still had a chance to put things back in the right place. "What about Hope?"

"Let her be" the Mentor said, "we will talk no more of this". He wasn't angered, nor sad, not even worried. "One last thing" he added before letting me go, "you will not bring that child with you in this mission. Leave death out of his world... for now"

When I announced Peter that we would be splitting up his reaction was not one of the best ones.

"You will remain here with Achilles, little one"

"But he hardly ever acknowledges me!"

"He will take good care of you, I promise. He's good with children. You'll see"

"Will I train nonetheless'"

"Of course you will. Twice as hard"

This made him smile again and made me feel somewhat calmer. He was going to be safe. Nothing else mattered now.

Albany was a shadow of its former self. Right after I set foot on the harbour, I realised how war had taken its toll not only on the town itself, but on the people. What once where friendly, loud and rather active citizens were now barricaded in their own houses, terrified of getting out even to get food. Their attitude was justified by the ferocious and tense atmosphere the British had set. The soldiers' aim was that of keeping order and to prepare everything for the incoming battle... at the expense of those poor souls.

As I strolled silently among the empty streets disguised as a pastor, I also noticed how well organised our enemies were-. Besides the copious amount of gunpowder and provisions they had, there was something more... something the French were missing. They were determined to keep the land. They fought for their king.

I spent about one week between hiding in a deserted hut and occasionally analysing the area. Sometimes I caught sight of my target, but he was always too well protected to be even approached. The people seemed to trust him. When they saw him around, they took confidence and some even dared to play some music in the main square. The Colonel smiled at them with benevolence and sometimes even stopped for a chat. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the target. Behind his benevolent expression hid the cunning of a Templar.

When I think back and I recall that day, I realise that for me the real battle began when I heard Kasegowase's piercing voice reaching my ears. He was standing on the top of the fort, musket in hand, screaming: "Traitor!"

'Shay is here!' the thought echoed through my mind, erasing any trace of doubt. No, I wouldn't kill him, I decided instantly. I was going to eliminate the Colonel, the very same man who had shepherded him into that foreign creed, and then I would guide him back to reason, just as I had always done. It almost sounded easy. But nothing has ever been.

So I hid, waiting for my target to come near enough to me, and then strike. It would have been too risky to approach him face to face with so many soldiers standing right around him, not to talk about the high chances I had to be spotted by Shay. Eventually, I finally caught a glimpse of his frock coat coming near my hiding place and immediately jumped up, weapon in hand, ready for new blood.

The Colonel was a cunning man. He didn't run, but pointed his flintlock at me. "You don't stand a chance, Assassin!" he screamed.

"Really?" I laughed, rolling on the ground when the shot resonated and taking advantage of the noise to fire my weapon just above the Colonel's ankle. The man screamed in pain. Even though his thick boots had somehow lessened the damage, he was still weakened and possibly incapacitated to run. In a matter of seconds I was up again and I grabbed him by the collar. Just as I was about to cut his throat neatly and put an end to it all, a scream pierced the air. There was something familiar about it, a high pitch of combativeness rather than fear that made me turn my head back and made me loosen my grip.

Kasegowase. For a moment I stood in the middle of the battlefield, motionless, my eyes fixed on my friend's bleeding neck.

'There will be no mercy' I realised then. Dead. Kasegowase, my friend, my working partner, was dead. All by Shay's hand.

A shot fired a short distance away reminded me why I was there. It reminded me who I was, and made me focus again on the battlefield. In the meanwhile, Monroe had taken advantage of my distress to flee and was now running as fast as he could, hoping to make it somewhere safe.

'Silly man. You can't be safe with an Assassin around'. I immediately began to give chase, and notwithstanding the fact that there were countless soldiers on their way to protect my target, I was much faster and stronger than any of them. Furthermore, Monroe was badly wounded so that he left bloody footprints on his way to a hypothetical shelter. In the end, the Colonel ran out of luck and he was forced to take shelter into a small house to take a breath. It took me a moment to eliminate the guards standing to protect him. Then, before following him inside, in order to prevent n eventual escape, I took my flint in hand and provided to produce a few sparkles. In a matter of seconds the whole place was beginning to lighten up.

"We meet at last, Assassin" the Colonel greeted me as I entered the cottage. He tried to walk backwards, but there was no escape for him now.

"The pleasure is all mine" I replied, and then I quickly jerked my elbow and threw a knife right towards his throat.

The blade cut through the fabric and slicked to his clavicle as the man uttered a cry of pain.

"This is the end of the track, is it not?"
"...no!"
The next scream was suffocated by another blow. This time I hit hard on his nose, and the horrifying noise of breaking bone was soon overtaken by another scream of pain.

"You have converted Shay to this fool's cause. Why?" I screamed

"Because it is the right thing. And he is excellent at killing... he has vowed to kill you all. Even you... and Hope. Especially this... girl. He won't stop until he's done"

I couldn't believe my ears. "You liar! Shay would never harm her!" I exclaimed, plunging my blade right into his chest.

The sky had turned red. There were lumps of ash and dust in the air, and the sun seemed to set slowlier than usual. The battle was over. The French had lost.

From above the roof I had climbed on, I watched as the corpses of defeated soldiers were carefully removed by the survivors of their faction. Even Kasegowase's was among them. I had sword our Mentor that I'd have it returned to the Manor so that he could have the proper honours. Right now, however, the only thing I wanted was to let tears out. I told myself that it was because of the ashes, but I knew well that this wasn't true. I just wanted to escape. I wanted to go sail back home and discover that it had all been just a dream. A nightmare.

Suddenly, a voice caught my attention.

"Aye. He has died with dignity and served the Father of Understanding with faith."

"So have you, Shay. I am sorry for him. He had great expectations from you, you know, and this ring proves that. You know what it means, right? He wants you to take his place"

The ring. I couldn't believe that. So Shay was going to become a Templar Knight.

Under my angry eyes I saw Jack Weeks walking in my direction and then disappearing among a crowd of British officers. Shay didn't join him. He stood just a few feet below me, looking at the ring in his hand with a thoughtful expression. For a moment, below those foreign robes I recognised the vulnerable expression of the drunk orphan I had rescued less than a decade before. Deep within, I knew he was the same Shay I had known and loved as a brother.

Suddenly, he raised his head and his eyes met mine. Without fully acknowledge it, I felt my face wrinkle in a raging grin, as to say: ' I know what you have done'. Still, none of us managed to look away. Even from that distance, I recognised his lips speaking my name in a whisper and his eyes fill with mixed emotions: surprise, fear, hatred, longing... Everything stood still and silent for one long moment. Then, I turned my back at him and jumped down.

It was only much later on, when my ship had hoisted anchor, that I realised I could have killed, that I could have revenged Kasegowase, but didn't.