The summer day found Ezio sitting by himself on one of the benches, not far from the Palazzo Ducale. Thinking grimly and staring at the tiles of the street as if it was responsible for the murder of his family, he let out a long, ragged sigh. He was not in the best of moods, but that was not news to anyone. For two weeks already, he was nothing but a moody, pessimistic dark cloud, threatening to strike lightning at anyone who came near him. No one knew why, but the general idea was clear - Eden Cleare had not been in Venice for just as long.

His thoughts were jumbled. Eden was only a part of his frustration and confusion, if a dominant one. The expedition to Cyprus still hasn't returned, though something in his gut was telling him that it was on its way back. And the Templars were too quiet for his liking; no one attempted to take over power in Venice for the last few months, and no one was sent after Ezio or any of his allies. It was unnerving. What was also uncomfortable was the annoying, nagging feeling that something big was about to happen. It couldn't have come at a worse time, as Eden was missing from his side, and he had little to no idea what he was going to do about anything.

"Why so serious?"

He flickered his eyes upwards at Rosa. The woman seemed as cheerful as the sun overhead of them, something slightly uncharacteristic of her.

"It's my birthday." The words sounded more like he was admitting some very unpleasant chore.

"Really? But that's wonderful!"

"Is it?" he humphed. "It's been years since I watched my father and brothers die, and I've spent those years hunting down those responsible. I'm so close to the end now...but still no closer to understanding what any of it was for."

"Ezio, you may not see it, but it's better here now because of the things you've done," she attempted to cheer him up. But it didn't do much to improve his mood. She was right, of course. Agostino was a better Doge to Venice, though comparing him to his brother didn't really mean much. The city resources that were depleted by the Templars' attempts to buy the people's love have been refilled, and the taxes lowered considerably. The thieves were no longer hunted with so much eagerness, due to some sort of agreement between Antonio and the Doge. The merchants had no fear of setting up their stalls anymore, and mercenaries were not sent out to more battles in the streets. Even the courtesans operated with little trouble from the usually abusive guards, for Sister Teodora apparently struck a deal with the doge as well.

Venice was happy. But Ezio didn't care much at that moment. His thoughts were filled with the codex, Rodrigo Borgia, Cyprus, and, of course, Eden.

As if reading his mind, Rosa raised her eyebrow. "No word from her?"

"No."

"She'll come back, you know she can't be too far away from you for too long," she teased, sitting down beside him. He swallowed the retort that things may have changed, feeling the light sting in his heart again. "But, basta! Come now, I have a 'birthday' present for you." She pulled a small book seemingly out of nowhere, demonstrating it to him. "It's a manifest from the day the Galley left."

"Really?" His eyes widened, as he impatiently grabbed for it. "Let me see that!"

She laughed, pulling it out of his reach, pleased to get a reaction out of him. "And guess when it's scheduled to come back? Tomorrow..."

This were the best news Ezio has received since Eden left for Milan. Finally, after a year and half of waiting, the shop was coming home. Which meant...Borgia was in Venice, as well...

In the middle of those thoughts, he realized that when he reached for the manifest, his face came closely to Rosa's. For a moment, a thought flickered in his head - it was much easier with Rosa...

"Ezio!" He heard a familiar voice call him, and he whipped around, coming back to his senses. Leonardo was walking briskly towards them, patting himself on the pockets as if checking if everything was in place.

"Leonardo! When did you get back?"

"Just now. Can you walk with me? It's important," the man looked between the assassin and Rosa quickly. She laughed.

"Go on boys, have fun." With that, she slipped the manifest into Ezio's hand, and walked away in the other direction.

"What is it?" Ezio asked as he fell into step with Leonardo, "I sort of have to be somewhere-"

"This won't take long."

With a small sigh, he asked, "Did Eden get the codex pages to you?"

"She did - this is about them, actually. I was studying them, and I don't know why I never saw it before! But when put together, I realized the markings on the back clarify into words!"

"What?" the assassin was intrigued. He noticed the words before, when Mario was trying to figure out what the hell the vague outlines along the pieces back in Monteriggioni meant. But he never had the time to pay any close attention to them, instead focusing on Altair's musings.

"Here," Leonardo began. "They say 'The Prophet... will appear... hen the second piece... is brought to the floating city.'"

Gears whirred inside Ezio's head, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. He heard of the Prophet before, from his uncle, a long time ago... "Prophet...?" What was the rest of that prophecy piece...? Slowly, with little tugs, it began to ring in ears. "Only the prophet may open it...'Two pieces of Eden...'" he muttered lowly under his breath.

"What are you saying?" Leonardo caught onto the words. "Ezio what is this?"

Ezio hesitated for only a moment. "We've known each for a long time, Leonardo. If I can't trust you...there's hardly anyone."

Damn it, why does she always have to run away at the most unfortunate moments?

"My Uncle Mario spoke of it, long ago. A prophecy hidden in the Codex...leading to an ancient vault that holds something..." He suddenly realized that he never found out exactly what was in the Vault. "...very powerful."

Leonardo breathed with excitement. "Grandioso...but, if you took these pages from the Barbarigo, then maybe they know about this Vault too. That's not good." There was a strange, almost false note in Leonardo's voice as he spoke, but Ezio did not focus on that. Realization of the facts finally hit him on the face, the puzzle suddenly became a whole picture.

"Wait! What if that's why they sent the ship to Cyprus? To find this Piece of Eden...and bring it back to Venezia?"

"When the second piece is brought to the floating city..." There was no doubt that Venice classified just as such.

"The Prophet will appear…only the prophet can open the vault...' My God! When my uncle told me about the Codex, I was too young, too brash to imagine it was anything by an old man's fantasy!" Could that time really only be only a few years back? It didn't seem possible for everything to change so fast. But it had. "But now, I see...the killing of Mocenigo…even the plot against the Medici. My father and brothers...tt was all part of his plan. To find the Vault..."

The center piece of everything, the Grandmaster of the Templar order, the one who created the chaos in both Florence and Venice, and god knew how many other cities. The man who it always came back to... "The Spaniard!"

"Rodrigo Borgia," Leonardo nodded. Ezio didn't ask just how the man knew and connected the dots like that, as it was hardly important. Eden likely filled him in, anyway.

"The boat from Cyprus arrives this evening. I plan to be there to meet it."

"Good luck, my friend," Leonardo stopped for a moment to face the assassin. They arrived in front of the Palazzo Ducale without realizing it, and the guards were already eying them with some disapproval, but made no move for them. Suddenly, Leonardo slapped his forehead. "Oh! I almost forgot. Eden gave this to me to give to you." The artist reached into one of his countless pockets, extracting an envelope. Ezio took it from the man almost eagerly, though there was a low clunk in his stomach as his head dropped. The package meant that she was not going to be in Venice for some time still...

"Thank you," he muttered dully to his friend, and Leonardo looked at him sympathetically. "Is she still in Milan?"

"She stayed at my workshop with Adel for a few days, then caused quite a ruckus in the court and had to leave. I'm not sure as to where she is at the moment. She told me that you..." he suddenly cleared his throat, catching himself in the middle of the sentence. Ezio wrinkled his forehead as if from a bad toothache.

"Did she?"

"Yes. I'm curious, though, as to why you did it. Neither of you seem like the type to get married, considering your profession and such." Coming from anyone else, the phrase would have sounded mocking or rude. But Leonardo just glowed sincere curiosity and confusion. Ezio sighed, rubbing his eyelids forcefully.

"I'm an idiot, that's why."

"Well, that's just too self-critical."

"She doesn't seem to think so."

"Ezio, with these Pieces of Eden, the Vault, and Borgia - is it really the best time to start a family?"

Family. The word was almost foreign to Ezio, as his family was destroyed for several years now. Was it possible to even have a proper family in the middle of all of this? He grimaced. "When is a good time, considering they can be ruined at any moment?"

Leonardo caught onto the bitter notes, and finally backed off. "It's not my place. But don't worry too much, I'm sure you two will work things out."

And with that, he turned the corner, leaving Ezio to stare after him. After a moment, he looked back down to the letter in his hand. With a small sigh, he shoved it into his pocket, deciding he didn't want to open it just yet. Instead, he headed for the Arsenal. When that Galley came back, he would be there, prepared and ready to strike.

The operation was crucial - the best of the Brotherhood had gathered in Venice that day, half of them coming from Tuscany, the other already seated within it. Mario and Bartolomeo were on the ground, near the gondola cages, while La Volpe and Antonio were outside, blending with the crowds. The ladies, Paola and Teodora, were far too subtle for a mission like this that would likely end in bloodshed and fighting. Their areas of expertise were on a different level altogether. So for now, they simply stayed out of sight, ears to ground and gleaning any information they could from their unaware clients.After all, a team was only as good as their intel. And bad intel could get you killed in the space of a heartbeat.

I, on the other hand, was just itching to get into the action, despite the fact that my hand still hurt slightly.

I took up my post on one of the guard watchtowers overlooking the Arsenal as we waited. From that spot I could see everything happening in the fortress, as well as the incoming ships on the horizon. The atmosphere was tense - I could feel the others' impatience and eagerness. Mario kept jerking his head upwards to me, waiting for the signal that the Black Galley was coming in. The wait was almost unbearable; we knew that we had to act fast, before Borgia got his hands on the Apple and made off to Rome again.

The sun began to set, lazily lounging on the horizon, and the waves calmly splashed along the canals. Down bellow, people ran their errands, unaware that the entire Brotherhood of Assassins, as well as the Templar Order was holding their breath in anticipation. Unknowing that the outcome of today would decide a great many things. The idea was almost laughable to me. There we were, waiting impatiently for one of the oldest artifacts to come into Port. There was I, perched on the turret, straining my eyes in wait of the Black Galley. Somewhere, there was Rodrigo Borgia, likely sitting in some comfortable armchair, and sipping wine, completely sure of his upcoming victory...and not one of the normal citizens of the city felt the crackling tension in the air.

Perhaps it was better this way?

I was in the tower for at least an hour, somehow keeping myself from freezing to my spot. And just when I began to worry that something had gone wrong, I finally spotted the black ship in the distance. I let out a silent thanks to god, and held out the large, white feather over the edge, letting it fall down. The snow whiteness of it was outlined by the dark color of the walls, easily spotted but hardly suspicious. Immediatelym the tension in the air seemed to thicken further, nearly chocking.

It was time.

As I was overlooking the location, I suddenly noticed a blink of white on one of the rooftops. I recognized Ezio with a dropping feeling in my stomach, sitting on one of the high roofs in waiting. So Rosa gave him the manifest, after all...just as well, I knew that Mario was looking forward to see how his nephew improved. I can't say I was all that excited about the awkward silence and perhaps the yelling that would come when we were finally forced together, though.

But my job was done. The black ship was heading straight towards the massive gates of the Arsenal, no doubt carrying the artifact that both sides struggled so hard to keep from one another. Which meant that my help would be needed down below. I tore myself away from the teeth of the wall, faced towards Venice, and leaped down into the haystack down below me.

The ship came into port, and was immediately surrounded by guards with red crests. Borgia's men, Ezio thought to himself, lip curling with distaste, Why am I not surprised? As the crew was unpacking, another man came down onto the dock carrying a small, plain, worn crate that wouldn't draw any sort of attention to it. The disguise would have likely fooled anyone else, as this was supposedly a trading ship that transported clutter no one cared about. But Ezio's intuition was hard to get around. He was certain that the Piece of Eden was in that box.

The man handed it to another, who wore a plain uniform as to not draw attention, and calmly returned to the other crew. But the soldier set off with the crate towards the Arsenal gates.

As Ezio was preparing to follow, though, he caught sight of someone observing the activity from the shadows of the nearby buildings. With a shock, he recognized the man, and the name was out of his mouth before he could really get a good look.

"Uncle Mario?"

He didn't have time to greet or ask his uncle anything, as another moment and he'd lose the carrier out of his sight. He wasn't even sure if it was really his Uncle. Besides, if it was, how did he get into Venice, and why at that precise moment? And if he was there, then maybe Eden was somewhere around, as well...?

He shook his head as he followed the Borgia transporter at a safe distance. He needed to focus - he knew from experience that distraction was never a good thing on missions. Everything could wait until later. Following that crate, however, was the most important thing.

The man with the crate broke into a run a few times, and circled around buildings, making Ezio worry that he had been discovered. But soon, he waved it off. It was simply a precaution. He persisted, following the man straight up until he entered a small courtyard with a solid stone wall surrounding him. Glancing up, Ezio saw it was heavily guarded by archers on the rooftops, and a few sergeants of the City Guard at street level. He bid his time. And soon, the man was joined by a Borgia captain.

The assassin pressed himself into the wall close to them, listening closely.

"The Master awaits. Repackage it with care, now!" As the sergeant said so, he left, leaving the carrier to do as told. They were doubling their security, but it was too late - Ezio knew exactly who to target. He slipped into the courtyard behind the man as he finished repackaging the artifact, and pressed his hand roughly to his mouth, his hidden blade extending into his throat. The assassin barely had one minute to drag the body out of sight and don his outer uniform. Then he turned to the box.

This is the Piece that everyone is so eager to get. This is what all of it was for? His curiosity got the better of him. Before shouldering the box, he carefully opened it, glancing inside. But unfortunately, the sergeant came back at exactly that moment, making the lid snap shut again.

"Get a move on! And look lively, this is probably the most important thing you'll do in your life! There can be no mistakes! Capisci?

"Yessir!" Ezio mimicked the guard, shouldering the box. He would play along for now. They, unknowingly, would lead them straight to their Master. He took his place in the center of his escort, and allowed them to shepherd him through the streets.

A few times, he risked glances around, and upwards, his Uncle still in the back of his mind. Once he attempted to feel through his surroundings with Eagle Vision, but found nothing. Be it Mario or Eden, they both knew how to hide themselves properly. But soon, the only thought he had was Why were there. So. Many. People. With such loose hold on their stupid boxes?

I observed Ezio's movements below with his escort, unsure of where it was all going.

"What is he doing? He has the Apple!" I whispered to La Volpe, who I got to know shortly before the mission began. In respect to his Venetian counterpart, the man was more...practical, definitely less direct, and preferred to continue robbing merchant houses to sitting behind a desk or running a palazzo. Not to mention his violet eyes were really awesome.

"He's playing it smart," he muttered in return, his eyes following the group. "Rodrigo Borgia is in Venice, and he knows how to hide. Unless he thinks it's safe, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"We have some experience with haystacks," I noted, but silently agreed with him as we continued to travel over the rooftops quietly. So Ezio wouldn't notice me, as I knew he had a particularly fine attachment to me, I cleared my mind of emotion and intention. That was what his intuition based on. And when there was nothing, like the random citizens, he could not sense me as an ally or otherwise. Keeping cover at the moment was crucial, even a twitch of his head could give either us or him away.

The group of guards he'd concealed himself within traveled through the city for a long time, trailing in the alleys and streets. But we made sure to keep them in sight. Mario would be coming straight from L'Arsenale, following the exact same Eagle Vision that Ezio had, Antonio was running a ways off over the rooftops, and Bartolomeo...well, the man had his ways, though really, I had no idea how the hell he managed to disappear like that. Our forces were gathered and ready. All that was left was the opponent...

The group surrounding Ezio stopped in the middle of a courtyard, and the sergeant knocked four times on the door sharply, and took a step back. After a few moments, I saw a familiar figure in a dark cloak slither out of the doorway. Everything was executed nearly perfectly, though I think they didn't give us enough credit if they thought that it was enough to lose us.

At the sight of Rodrigo, my eyes narrowed with predatory excitement. I was ready to attack right then and there, but Volpe once again held me back. I looked around at him, raising my eyebrows.

"Let's see what the little Eagle has learned," his mouth twitched into a smile. I blinked, but nodded, looking back to the courtyard. I had complete confidence in Ezio, but I really would have rather avoided unnecessary tests such as these.

Finally, his escort stopped walking. Ezio let out a quiet breath of relief. But then his heart thumped up to his throat - his vision was mostly obscured by the sergeant, but he still caught sight of the black and red robes of Rodrigo Borgia.

"Do you really have it? You were not followed?"

The voice hadn't changed one bit. Raspy, commanding, arrogant. Ezio's fingers clenched on the box he carried, itching to end the bastardo's wretched life. So close…he was so close…

"Everything went perfectly. We have followed your orders exactly as specified. The mission to Cyprus was more difficult that expected. There were-"

Ezio took that exact moment to act. The box slipped up to his forearms as he extended both of his hidden blades into the sergeant's back. The man let out a heavy grunt, clutched at his chest and fell, revealing the assassin to Rodrigo.

"Ezio. It's been some time." There didn't seem to be any sort of surprise on the man's face. He'd hardly make it this far if he didn't expect the boy to show up. The two remaining guards that flanked them drew out their weapons, charging at the unwelcome guest. Ezio dropped the box, slipping from underneath their swords, and extended his blades into both of their throats, not bothering to even flinch.

Now, he was left alone with the man that was responsible for his family's death.

"Rodrigo," Ezio said with barely contained rage, "So, where is he?"

"Hmm? Who?"

"Your Prophet! Doesn't look like anybody showed up!" he threw his arms up, gesturing to the courtyard around them, mocking. "How many people died for this? For what's in this box? And look! There is nobody here!"

If he was expecting anything, it was not the man's response. He chuckled, one of those contained, mocking laughs, as if he was talking to a little child. "You claim not to be a believer. And yet, here you are...don't you see him?" Borgia asked, and Ezio's eyes widened slightly under the helmet. "The Prophet is already here...I am the Prophet!" The glint of madness in the man's eyes almost made Ezio recoil as he drew his sword and shifted into a threatening stance. "Now give me the Apple, boy!"

After years of working up to this moment, after everyone that was killed, after every guard and every target Ezio slain in revenge - Borgia was expecting him to just hand over the artifact that could potentially destroy the minds of innocent people and make them into mindless slaves?

Who did this figglio di puttana think he was? Like hell, as though Ezio would be stupid enough to do that.

"Come and take it from me," he growled, shoving the box aside with his foot. His own blade sliding out of its sheath, it was just in time to block the incoming attack and quickstep away. Borgia, despite his apparent age, was quick and powerful - Ezio could barely strike his own blows, countering the other's attacks as much as he could. His entire body was tensed, waiting to deliver that final blow, end it all there and now. But the Spaniard never gave him a chance.

Bastardo!

"Is this all you have? Where's the rest of your people?" he taunted. Ezio furrowed his eyebrows further, doing a mental count. Eden, for all the Templars knew, was dead. The only other assassin he could think of was Mario, but that was only one man...

"What people?"

That brought a look of surprise on Borgia's face. "You really have no idea, do you? Guards!" he snarled.

The call was heard by his men that patrolled around the courtyard, who surprisingly didn't come running at the first hint of a battle. But given the direct order, they ran to them, weapons drawn. Rodrigo didn't back away, either. A chill ran down Ezio's spine as he began to worry slightly.

But before even one of them could raise their blades, a throwing knife came out of nowhere, falling one of the guards. From somewhere there as well, Mario Auditore stepped out.

"Uncle?" Ezio asked with shock, nearly missing a strike, and dodging at the last moment.

The man chuckled loudly. "Don't worry, nipote, you are not alone!"

As he charged into battle, Ezio, who was still in slight shock, was knocked off his feet by blow. As he was preparing to retaliate, a shadow appeared behind the guard's shoulder, driving a dagger between his shoulder blades.

"Volpe? What are you doing here?" The young assassin was becoming more and more confused.

The Fox pulled Ezio up to his feet quickly. "I could very well ask you the same thing!"

An arrow whistled past them, but it was not an unfriendly one for once, as if made another of Borgia's men fall to the ground. La Volpe ran off, while two more men showed up beside Ezio.

"Save your questions, brother! Don't let Borgia leave with that box!" Antonio shouted quickly as Bartolomeo began to swing Bianca with the very threatening cry of "Avanti!"

What is going on here?

"Evening, boys. Sorry to put a damper on your day."

The voice was followed by two short screams, and female laughter that sent a violent shock through Ezio.

Eden.

As Ezio was staring in shock, the battle unfolded. The unexpected allies that came to his rescue looked as if they were having the time of their lives, laughing, trading comments with each other, and taunting the enemy. Rodrigo, on the other hand, was born humorless, shouting some nonsense about what was written, and how they couldn't stop him.

After a moment, it finally clicked in Ezio's brain, and he couldn't help a small smile as he charged right back into battle.

"Look, my friends! Our Ezio has become quite a guerriero!"

"Bartolomeo, start counting! I'm already on three!"

"Bring it, signorina!"

"A cuccia, tu! You mess with the Fox, you get the sword!"

"What fun! We should do this more often!"

"Isn't this magnificent, Ezio? All of us smashing these Templar heads together!"

"Pff, you men. So crude."

"You're the one cutting them to pieces!"

"Impressive, nipote! You've improved since the last time we fought together!"

All of them were almost effortlessly cutting down the enemy, until only one man opposed- Borgia. He was surrounded, unable to even lift his defenses long enough to strike. But he was getting fatigued, his movements slowly becoming more sluggish.

"Go on, Ezio! Finish it!" Mario finally called, and all of them, as if on cue, stepped away.

Rodrigo was panting hard, worn and tired. Ezio smiled almost maliciously, and raised his blade. "This is for my father, you-"

But the move was foiled by the swift kick in the abdomen that knocked the assassin off his feet again. As he tried to regain the sense of which way was up and down again, the man turned and ran. Meanwhile, more people joined them in the courtyard.

"Paola?" Ezio nearly gasped. He remembered the woman from so long ago, the one that selflessly offered shelter to his family when they were betrayed, and at their most vulnerable. The one that helped him survive his very first assassination. She had not changed much in the last few years, he realized as she smiled down on him, and helped him to his feet.

"He's gone. But we have what we came for," She reassured him, but he shook his head.

"No! I need to go after him!"

"Do you really, now?" Sister Teodora, the nun that ran the brothel in Venice, spoke softly. She appeared behind him as if out of thin air. "Or are you here for another reason, my son?"

"Teodora? What-? What are you all doing here?" he finally asked, combing through the faces of his allies.

"Perhaps the same thing you are, Ezio," an almost amused voice said as he stepped out from behind the familiar faces. The man that spoke was wholly unfamiliar to Ezio. He was quite certain he has never seen him in his entire life, but he didn't bother asking how he knew him. "Hoping to see the Prophet appear?"

This Prophet again. Ezio was beginning to grow irritated. "I came here to kill the Spaniard! I couldn't care less about your prophet. He never showed up!"

"Don't yell so much, Ezio. You'll get wrinkles," Eden smiled as she pulled down her dark hood from her head.

His breath caught in his throat for one moment, but then he stared at the stranger again, who said, "No? But you did show up."

"What-?"

"A prophet's arrival was foretold... And, unbeknown to us, here you are. Perhaps all along, you were the one we sought."

"Cosa- Who are you?"

"Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. I am an Assassin, trained in the ancient ways to safeguard mankind's evolution. Just like you. And each one of us here."

"You are all assassins-? Paola? Volpe?" He took a hesitant step back. What was this-?

"It's true, nipote. We have all been guiding you, for years, teaching you the skills you would need to join our ranks. I think it's time."

"We have our prize, but there is much to be done. Come meet us here, at sunset." Antonio handed him a map of Venice that had one point circled. With smiles and goodbyes, the entire group moved away, all but dissolving into the shadows, leaving just as fast as they came.

Only Eden stayed behind.

"Is that why you went to Milan?" he asked quietly, still trying to wrap his head around everything. She nodded, pulling off the glove on her left hand, and demonstrating the angry red mark on her ring finger. He blinked- he seen similar marking on his Uncle's hand, as well as Antonio's. And now, thinking back, Paola's as well. He was rendered speechless; for two weeks, he believed that she went to Milan as a convenient chance to get away from him, when really, she was doing something completely unrelated. He thought back to what Leonardo said about her causing a ruckus.

"Sorry about that," she looked genuinely guilty, "I didn't mean to leave you hanging."

"Eden!" Mario called. Her head turned slightly in the direction of the voice. "Come along, we have much to do. There will be time for you to talk later."

"I have to go. Don't forget - sunset." She smiled with the corner of her lips, and turned away, running after the rest of the Assassins. For a moment, he was tempted to stop her, but thought better of it. They had to talk, but it could wait until after he was no longer confused over this new found information, nor frustrated over the fact that Rodrigo got away.

And also, there was a sense of something almost like betrayal. In all the years, not one of them revealed to him that the Order lived on, that he was not the only one. Not even Eden let him know that he was not alone in it.

But then Ezio realized…what would have changed, had he known?

The fire crackled, devouring the wood and heating the metal, the light contrasting with the falling darkness outside of the tower. Venice was beautiful as ever, peaceful and quiet, as it had been for more than a year now.

Mario stood with his hands clenched behind his back in front of the fire. The others stood lining the wall, Eden in between Volpe and Teodora, watching silently. Her ceremony was not that long ago, and the event was a lot easier to watch as a witness, rather than the initiate. When Ezio tried to catch her eye, she met it easily, and offered comfort with a small smile and a wink. He realized that she was politely pretending that the incident didn't happen. At the very least, then, he was happy they were back to normal. Even if it would only last until they were alone again.

Mario began to speak, winding a phrase in Arabic that Ezio knew very loosely the meaning of. "These are the words spoken by our ancestors that lay at the heart of our Creed."

Niccolo began a slow pace. "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."

"Nothing is true," Ezio bowed his head slightly.

"Where other men a limited, by either morality or law, remember..."

"Everything is permitted."

"We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins."

"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." All around him, his brothers and sisters chanted once, as if in agreement.

"It is time, Ezio," Mario called as there was a small hiss from the fire, signaling that the metal was red. Ezio took a step forward. "In the modern age, we are not so literal as our ancestors. But our seal is no less permanent." Unwillingly, Ezio thought back to when Leonardo threatened to cut off his ring finger to suit the blade, and had struggle slightly to keep a frown off his face. "Are you ready to join us?"

He didn't even hesitate. "I am."

Antonio lifted the hot seal from the fire. "This only hurts for a little while, brother. Like so many other things." Ezio took a short breath, and held out his hand. The pain poured through his mind like hot oil, but he clenched his teeth against it, hissing slightly. But soon it cooled, and on his finger was left the Assassin seal, permanently embedded into his skin.

"Benvenuto, Ezio. You are one of us now." Niccolo briefly congratulated him. "Now, come! We have much to do." They continued to say that, though Ezio had very little idea of what their plans were. But for now, he decided to just go with the flow.

He watched as everyone present climbed onto the ledge of the tower, and executed the familiar Leap of Faith that his brother once taught him. After the last of them disappeared, Eden took a step to it, but Ezio grabbed for her elbow just in time.

"What are you-"

"We have to talk," Ezio dropped. "We still have a minute."

"How about instead I push you off the tower? That will take even less." She was smiling for some reason.

"Can you be serious for one moment?"

"I am serious. Ezio, they are waiting," she nodded to the ground below.

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" he snapped, growing more and more irritated with her attitude. She was acting as if nothing special happened in the past few weeks.

"Because Mario told me not to. I don't get why he didn't just tell you everything in the beginning, but what's done is done. You're officially one of us now." She reached up to kiss his lips briefly, knowing that that was enough to make him forget what the hell he was just talking about. "I'm proud of you." She smiled as she slid her hand out of his. Pulling down her hood, she perched onto the ledge before throwing her arms out in the dive. His breath caught, watching her as she reveled in the wind for a moment before falling to the ground after the others. Ezio hesitated for one moment, letting her reach the bottom, before following suit.

That woman will drive me insane.

The Apple was nothing like what I was expecting. If anything, I thought it would either be a golden statue or an actual apple. Hell, even an apple core with a note from Borgia about how we suck would be more likely than what I was seeing.

It was round and completely smooth. A golden color that did not shine like regular gold did, but had a glowing pattern enveloping it, all coming to a circle on the side. Like some sort of science fiction technology. Reminded me slightly of the Death Star in Star Wars, as well, but that's besides the point.

"Absolutely fascinating," Leonardo continued to mutter as he looked at the object from all sides. I took the spot opposite of him, curious as hell as to what that thing was and how it worked.

"It's like something from a very distant future," I agreed.

"The material it's made of shouldn't logically even exist...and yet I think it's some sort of ancient device."

"But how...?" Niccolo questioned, surprising Eden. Usually, the politician was the one coming up with the complex answers.

"The codex makes a reference to it," Mario finally spoke up. He was standing slightly away from the table, along with the Niccolo, though I couldn't decide if it was out of fear or just letting Leonardo examine it. I didn't care much either way, but the globe drew my eyes to it persistently, making me want to figure out how the hell it worked. It was a strange feeling, being near it, as if it was attempting to probe my mind. And I think everyone around felt the same. "It calls it a piece of Eden," Mario continued, his voice snapping my mind back to present, and away from the apparent piece.

"The Spaniard called it the Apple," Ezio thoughtfully said.

"As in, the Apple from the tree of knowledge?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow curiously. I let out a quiet, skeptical snort. "The one Eve gave to Adam?"

"I doubt that's the actual story behind it," I noted. "I think that the Templars just gave it that name to make it a religious object."

"It would be an excellent tactic to convince the masses of its supposed powers," Machiavelli nodded in agreement, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Control is what they seek, after all.

"Quite possible, but that doesn't matter," Leonardo replied. "I'm sorry, but I can explain this. No more than I can explain why the Earth goes around the sun."

"You mean, the sun around the Earth?" Mario corrected him, and then glanced at me questioningly. I just shrugged, containing my smile. Meanwhile, Leonardo decided to finally move in for a closer inspection. But as soon as he touched the globe, it exploded with dizzying, golden light. Blinded, I could do nothing but jerk away, instinctually covering my eyes with my hands. A low, almost primal hum filled my ears, deafening me to everything else.

When I opened my eyes again, whether a few seconds or hours has passed, I could not tell. Time seemed stop, though I was frozen to my spot, looking around with awe. Shimmering, golden projections of words, codes, designs, sketches, symbols…they all crowded the room as if ghosts. Leonardo and Ezio seemed to be just as amazed, while Mario rubbed his eyes feverishly, still blinded, Niccolo shook his head, as though trying get back to his senses. Airplanes, tanks, scripture, computer code, DNA sequences - all of it was flashing through the air, almost too quickly to see.

"Holograms?" I mumbled, "How the hell-"

"Eden, what is this?" Leonardo asked me.

"Projections...these…these are things that shouldn't exist yet!" I stammered with awe, "It wasn't even thought of for hundreds of years…how did this stuff get…inside the Apple...?" I shifted my eyes to the artifact as Ezio reached out without caution and took it, closing a hand over it. Immediately, the projections stopped, and it became dark again. Well, save along the seams of it, which glowed with dim, golden light. There were no buttons on it, nothing that would give away how it worked. But I had a fairly good idea from the Codex pages. "Altair was right," I breathed, "It's like a catalog."

"This is an extremely dangerous toy," Leonardo said, eyes wide with wonder. "If it falls into the wrong hands..."

"Hopefully, then, ours are the right hands," Ezio replied, holding it out to me. I found myself drawn in, my hand moving almost before I could even think about it (thankfully, it didn't go off again.). The metal was strangely warm, I realized, shifting my eyebrows together in concentration. Almost as if it was…alive. I wasn't sure if it was truly magical or perhaps simply a very clever device, but it was true what Leonardo had said- it was definitely not of this world.

Noticing that everyone present was watching us and the Apple, I took a hesitant step away. As Ezio took it for safe keeping, though, for some reason, I felt reluctance. My curiosity was not satisfied - if this was one of the pieces that sent me back in time, then I craved to find out what else it could do. Or, who it could bring here...

"Ezio, you will need to keep the artifact safe," Niccolo quickly instructed, "No doubt Borgia will attempt to recapture it from us."

"What would you suggest?"

"The town of Forli is a well defended fortress with turrets. It is run by one of our allies, Caterina Sforza."

I twitched slightly, my hands suddenly gripping the edges of the table a little too hard. "I'll come with you," I spoke fast, interrupting whatever Ezio opened his mouth to say. He glanced at me with some confusion, and then an amused gleam in his eyes. Leonardo seemed to have concealed a laugh, already shifting through several books on his shelves in search of something. Machiavelli nodded.

"So be it. Make way in a few days, but make sure to do so quietly."