Clouds started to take away the light of the moon over the tiny bay at the island's western coast. A small shore with forest on the downhill leading down there: this was the pirate's camp, which were filled with clang of metal now. After more than thirty minutes exhausting fight the blonde was still fierce and not tired. His body was full of adrenaline, his senses sharp, his moves guided by innate and practised skills also. He was in a more than decent state for fighting and up until now he had been able to avoid getting injured; but his suspicion from earlier was right. Quantity was indeed on their side, and they definitely were more prepared. The pirates had sent some of their good combatants; Kese was only able to kill two of them and eight other – including the giant – still remained.

The downhill made it more difficult to get a good footing, so they had got down to the pebbly shore quickly. Kese was surrounded in every moment, but he dealt with it quite well, he was able to dodge even combined attacks. He felt like he had more experience than he should, and he knew it was because of what The Apple referred to as the "Bleeding Effect*". And he didn't want to accept another so, so obvious reason...

He stepped away from Hagane's enormous mace when another pirate grabbed him from behind, but he freed himself and impaled him with his sword. He liked his weapon, but it was a little long and not balanced – mistakes not his father but he used to make when forging. He quickly dodged the giant's mace again, when he noticed Hagane was getting slower. But not only him. A few attack and countering later Kese killed another pirate. This one's movements looked almost like a snail's crawling to him. The blonde thought they had got slower intentionally to deceive him. 'I won't fall for this!' he thought, and with a powerful swing he beheaded another one. Most of his remaining opponents flinched at this, but not the giant, he attacked him again. Kese slipped through under the pirate's arm while cutting into his side, then turned and slashed the leather armour on his back. The blonde was about to give him the final blow, when he was interrupted by the other pirates. He was fed up with them. He didn't pay attention to what he was doing; he set his instincts and his mind free.

His muscles were controlled by him and by nothing. His sword clanged the rhythm of death and his body enjoyed dancing to it.

It didn't take him half a minute. When he got back his full consciousness, he was panting. His mask had fallen from his face, only the hood covered his head, adding to his menacing appearance. He didn't know how, but he was holding a knife in his left; beside the sword in his right. Both of these weapons were painted with a sloppy, wicked, dark crimson liquid. This redness stained his clothes in a beautiful and gruesome pattern. And what surrounded him? Sleeping people, dreaming a mute nightmare, covered by the same crimson as blanket.

Then he suddenly heard claps. He raised his head and saw someone in a distance. It was the rat-like man, Nezu, applauding with a strange expression and two of his teeth poking out of his mouth. – What an astonishing performance. – he complimented on an indifferent tone. His voice, his look, his thin body, his attitude... Everything about him reminded Kese of a rat; a smirking, dirty rat which was so irritating he wished to cut it into pieces. He could do that, not? He has his sword – it could be his butcher knife, or rather, his claw as a cat. Catching and chopping this weak rat wouldn't be so hard for a fast and strong cat.

He fixated his gaze upon the pirate; then he cleaned his sword from that ugly redness by swinging it, while stepping closer to him. Nezu noticed his choking killing intent and chuckled at it. – Oh, me next? Slow down!

And in that instant, two very strong arms embraced and bound him, not leaving any room for his upper body to move. The ground disappeared from under his feet; and it didn't come back, not matter how hard he kicked. – Gotcha, blondie! - he heard the deep shouting from right behind his head. It was the giant, Hagane, who had grabbed and restrained him from behind.

- Release me! – Kese growled in a voice not like his, kicking and head-butting the man behind him, but it seemed the pirate didn't even feel his struggle. He just squeezed the blonde so hard he cried out and dropped his weapons.

- It's useless. Hagane won't let you go. – Nezu stated and reached for his pouch. – You are way too lively. I think I'll drain a bit out of you before we leave. – he pulled out a scroll, and with his other hand, he pointed to the ground. A moment later Kese hit the ground, face down, and he could move even less than before. The giant kneeled into his back, pinned his arms down, twisting his right so his palm was upward, and pulled up his sleeve. The blonde was forced to look to his left, so he could only feel it when Nezu started to write on his forearm with a thin brush and black ink. He clenched his fist when he felt a blade piercing through his skin and his blood leaking out. He struggled to get free, but Hagane was too strong and too heavy. - Oh, I almost forgot! Thank you for killing that bald bastard, Tori. He was the only reasonable man on the Suzumebachi* and the only thorn in my side. – Nezu opened the scroll and placed it under the blonde's arm. Blood and ink dripped on it and the pirate made a few hand-seals. – Get ready, Hagane. – he said and placed his hands on the scroll's symbols.

In the next moment Kese opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out of his throat. His body tensed in agony and tears gathered in his eyes. He felt like the veins in his right arm were set on fire, burning his muscles and nerves from inside.

- Stubborn. – Nezu hissed and the pain increased for a moment, then dropped a little. – Alright, I've got it. – Kese heard him again and got shocked. He just noticed a mass of energy inside himself; which had been there before, but so obvious that he had never took notice of it. A part of this energy was moving towards his right arm, and then disappeared there. And the blonde realized what was going on.

He didn't want to admit it, but that mass of energy was his chakra. The pirates were in the middle of sucking it right out if him. With this method, they would weaken him in no time. Kese didn't want to be their milking cow, and couldn't afford loosing this battle when he had been so close to its end. He started to fight again, clawing, kicking, twitching, but no use, Hagane was stronger than him. Suddenly, Nezu released him, and the flow of his chakra became normal. Only some significant aching remained in his forearm. Kese was panting and was a little tired, and relieved when the giant got up from him.

- Remarkable. – he heard the rat-like pirate's bored voice. – We filled a five-unit scroll in under a minute. And he's not unconscious yet.

The blonde was about to stand up and return their kindness, but when he pushed himself up on all fours the pain in his right arm renewed and it gave in. He gritted his teeth and finally got up, but Hagane immediately grabbed him from behind.

- No way I let you run! – he yelled at him.

- I won't run away! – the blonde managed to kick him, he even elbowed the giant right in his side where his wound was. Hagane just grunted loudly and repressed the pain; but Kese noticed his grip got a little weaker. Nezu suddenly chuckled.

- Oh, I can make sure you won't get away. – he bent down and picked up the blonde's sword. Kese couldn't do anything: the giant squeezed his chest again, making him yell, while the other pirate trampled on his foot and raised the blade to cut down his leg. But instead of cutting, Nezu dropped the sword and he was the one who cried out next.

An arrow pierced through his shoulder; and almost in the same moment, another arrows hit Hagane's thigh and upper arm. He yelled again and Kese could finally free himself. The blonde grabbed the mace and swept the giant's legs with it, sending him to the ground, and there he hit him again, twice, on his chest. Hagane didn't move anymore, and Kese finally turned to the other pirate. Nezu was busy trying to get the arrow out of his flesh, but when he saw what the blonde had made to the giant, he grabbed the sword and raised it in front of him defensively. But in vain. Kese hit it out of his hands, and after a blow to his chest, the pirate was lying on the pebbly shore, whimpering and swearing.

The blonde stepped to him and looked down, his eyes full of disdain and wrath. He tightened his grip on the mace and struck his enemy on his stomach. Nezu yelled again, his voice dying and he curled up to protect himself, but Kese hit him again. Another cry was heard with the sound of breaking ribs, and before he passed out he was hit once more. The mace was heavy, the blonde's arm hurt; he was panting and shaking in anger. He raised his weapon again, to smash that rat into oblivion, but in all of a sudden, his movement was blocked.

- Kese, stop! – Karcsa shouted at him, holding back his arm. – It's more than enough! Calm down!

The blonde roared, shoved his friend away and dropped the mace. Then he fell to his bottom while gritting his teeth and covering his face with his palm. He needed a minute to calm his breathing.

- Man, I don't mind if you stick to protecting us by killing them, but at least don't do it like... a berserker, or rather a... fuck, I can't find the best word for it. – Karcsa has been glancing around at the bloody corpses and got distracted by them. He couldn't believe his eyes again. He had to fight down another urge to vomit. He looked at his friend and noticed the red and bloody skin on his forearm. – Are you injured? – the blonde didn't move. – What have they done? – still no answer. – Say somethi-

- It's not about what they've done... – he whispered in a pale voice. He slowly raised both of his hands in front of him and showed them to Karcsa while still looking at them. - ... but what I have done, or rather, how. – he glanced at Nezu's and Hagane's body, and the fierce blows of the mace flashed into his mind. His face looked more like of a loser, not a winner. – What came over me? Why wasn't I able to control myself?!

They both glanced around again; still hoping what they saw wasn't real.

- I understand what you feel. – Karcsa said after a little silence. – But let's dwell upon this later. We have work to do. – he stepped to Kese and offered his hand. The blonde nodded, took it and stood up. He hesitated for a moment, but took a deep breath and spoke.

- Thanks for saving me.

Karcsa blinked at him. – Oh, that... You have to know I nearly killed you.

- ... What?!

- I aimed at their heads. But I started to shake when I realized I would take their life if I release the string. So you should be glad I missed you. – he looked into Kese's widened eyes seriously for a few minutes, then smiled and patted his shoulder. – C'mon, Kese, don't tell me you believed that.

The blonde took a deep breath again, remembering what cruel joke Emese played on him last year. - I can't decide whether to slap or head-butt you now. Maybe both, just to be sure.

Karcsa chuckled. – Good to see you in your usual shape. – he patted him again and turned sideways. – So, what should we do now? Ah, let me think.

Kese sighed and crossed his arms, but then pain pierced into his right forearm, making him hiss and take a closer look at it. His skin looked burnt and had several tiny cuts around a bigger one; but he didn't remember the pirates using fire to drain out his chakra. Suddenly a light bulb flashed in his mind. 'My chakra caused this when it was forced out of me!'

- It's impossible... – Karcsa sighed. – At least for the two of us to dig enough grave for them. And a mass grave right on our island would be so... eh.

'It feels right you want to give them proper burial, even though some of them don't deserve it...' Kese thought, a bleak smile appearing on his lips. 'In addition you are still here, voluntarily helping me without any question.' - Thanks.

- For what again?

Kese chuckled at his response and changed the topic. – I think it would be better if we didn't involve anyone else.

- I agree. So, how do we do it?

The blonde stroked his shaved chin with his right hand, but he had to change arm for this movement. His thoughts were driven off. - How did they know I had chakra? – he whispered.

- Easy, they saw you using it. But you better concentrate on our problem.

- When did I use it?

Karcsa sighed. – At the docks today. That wind, remember?

- ...No way! – Kese gaped and looked at his forearm again. 'You were right again, Karcsa. But last time I used it I almost died...' he remembered what pain he had felt after trying to perform a simple transformation technique**. 'How come I could use it? And doesn't it require hand-seals to unleash? I didn't use any-...' Something flashed into his mind: a little memory from last year, which had been tossed away into his subconscious. 'I was on the rooftop of our house, and the pirates wanted to burn down the village. I was thinking about what to do with them. I wanted to stop them, but I wished I wouldn't be alone and that I could create more of myself. And then, my hands moved to form a seal on their own and my scar started to ache.' he remembered, his eyes closed. 'I didn't understand it then, and it seems I have even forgot about it... Did I want to do a jutsu subconsciously? And if yes, could it have something to do with creating more of me? To create clones? The Bunshin no jutsu* Emiko's spoken about requires different hand-seals, and it creates clones without substance; so we wouldn't have any use of them now. But what if this jutsu my body's wanted to perform is different?... Well, I can give it a try. What could I lose?' he moved his hands in front of him and blinked a few. 'Uhm, what was the hand-seal again?'

Karcsa lifted an eyebrow at his posture, and Kese noticed it. – I think I better not ask what's on your mind now.

'I was just thinking about something', he wanted to say, but somehow Tas' words came to his mind. "Do not think, boy." '...Maybe this is the problem' he thought. 'I want to do something which I don't even know consciously... But my body knows it. It's something either I got to know thanks to the Bleeding Effect, or something I myself knew before I got here... I don't need to think about it. My body will.'

He closed his eyes again, waited and let his hands move on their own. 'I've got it!' he thought when he felt a very, very familiar feeling in his body as his chakra got in move. A moment later he nearly jumped out of his skin when Karcsa yelled a raw, uncensored and more obscene version of "what the fuck". Kese opened his eyes and stepped back a few. White-hooded, blood-stained young men were around him, who happened to look exactly the same, and did the exact same thing as him; a few of them adding gaping or a little swearword to it, or just simply standing there dumbfounded. Then in all of a sudden, one of these men laughed out. – Holy shit, I did it!

- I think we're ready. – Kese stated as he and Karcsa turned to the rumbling sea. In front of them were the pirates' boats, filled with them; a few of them were still knocked out, but most of them dead. And there were eight other men who had put them there, and who looked the same as the blonde.

- So... – Karcsa spoke. – Your clones will row back with them, or what?

- They will, for most of the distance. I don't want the other pirates to see them.

- That's why you left some of them alive! They'll do the rest.

- Exactly. – then Kese turned to his clones. – Bring them back and dissolve at my signal before you reach the ship.

- What if they wake up before that? – a clone asked, pointing at one of the unconscious pirate.

- Just knock them out again.

- And what will be the signal?

- I'll make Karcsa whistle. He can do it very loudly. Now, get ready. – the blonde ordered and before his friend could make a comment about his plans, one clone raised his hand.

- Um, how do we dissolve?

The other clones stopped pushing and pulling the two boats into the water and looked at this one along with the original. They blinked at each other for a few moments, until Karcsa's laughter broke their awkward silence. Kese coughed. – Just rely on your instincts, like when I created you. – the clones nodded and returned to their work, but a certain person's laughter didn't want to cease. – What's so funny? – Kese grunted at his friend.

- Oh, man, this whole situation. You've just asked and answered yourself!

The blonde blinked again then crossed his arms. – You weren't this cheerful a few minutes ago when I performed the jutsu.

- I was just surprised...

- You mean, frightened as shit?

- Shut up!

In a minute, the boats with the pirates and the clones were on water, slowly getting away from the shore. Kese watched them until they disappeared behind some rocks, then with Karcsa he ran back to the place he had first observed his enemies. When they went by the blacksmith's house, the blonde created two more clones and sent them back to the pebbly shore with some "cleaning accessories" (like a spade, buckets, etc.), to eliminate every single trace of the fight.

When the two reached the highest point of the bay's coast, Kese took the spyglass and searched for the tiny boats on the surface. They weren't as close as he expected. 'Maybe they're getting tired', he thought about the clones and decided. – It's time. – he turned to Karcsa, but he spoke first.

- It's too early. They are still far from us, and they wouldn't hear it.

- The water would carry the sound of your whistle to them...

- But would carry it to the ship as well; it's close enough for that. Besides, the rumbling is too loud. Kese, we must find another way.

- Hm... What about fire?

- Too obvious.

The blonde crossed his arms and was thinking how he could send a message to his clones when suddenly he felt very exhausted. He didn't notice but he fell to his knees and was panting heavily. Karcsa was right next to him and helped him up. – What the crab happened?

- I don't know... – the blonde answered and images flashed into his mind. He was on one of the pirates' boats, rowing with the other clones, when one of them moaned in pain and turned into a cloud of smoke. The other clones immediately turned there and he saw a man with a dagger in his hand. He was badly injured and could barely breathe, but smirked and two of his front teeth poked out of his mouth. It was the pirate he thought he killed, Nezu. "I won't die so easily" he heard him hissing and he threw the dagger into the nearest clone. It too turned into smoke, and along with it the other ones disappeared as well.

Kese watched this scene from other different perspectives too, until he realized three things. One: he had somehow received his clones' memories. Two: his clones dissolved thanks to injuries and exhausting. Three: that rat was still alive. He scowled and gritted his teeth as his anger and disgust returned to his body and mind.

- Hey, what's wrong? – Karcsa asked him.

- Give me the bow. – he hissed while raising the telescope to his eyes. He had to see it for himself; he had to make sure.

His friend was about to hand it over to him when he frowned. - Why?

- Just give it to me. – he hissed again, trying to restrain his emotions, putting away the spyglass. But his response made Karcsa step back. He glanced at the sea, where he suspected the boat was, and at his friend again.

- No. - he whispered, slowly shaking his head. – Unless you give me a proper reason.

His friend had a hard time controlling his breathing. – That bastard is alive.

Karcsa eyed him for a few second. – Kese... It was far enough kill for tonight. -this calm and stern response stunned and confused the blonde. – Don't you agree?

The blonde's eyes were scanning his friend's face, then the sea. He tensed his jaw. – But...

- There's no but.

- But he killed Botond!

Karcsa fell in silence for a moment, then spoke again. – Botond is none of your business.

- They stole my chakra!

- You have the scroll, damn it! And you've already injured them. Don't make excuses to satisfy your bloodlust!

These words hit Kese very hard, but also cleared his mind and calmed him down. – It's... not bloodlust. He deserves to die. – he said, but what he meant was "I want him dead".

- Call it what you want. – Karcsa replied. - And if someone deserves to die it doesn't mean it has to be you who help him to the other side at any cost. In the end, everyone gets what he deserves.

- I don't agree.

- You don't have to. – Kese looked at the pirates' ship; his muscles tensed, his fists clenched. – And you don't have to kill. Nobody forces you.

The blonde gritted his teeth for a few moments; but he saw the reason behind Karcsa's words and yielded to them. So he just nodded exhaustedly and collected his stuff, ready to go home, when he stopped. – What if they come back? We should stay here and-

- Kese, considering the gift you've just sent them, I'm pretty sure they don't want to come back. – Karcsa nearly chuckled at this, but he remained serious.

- At least, not tonight. – his friend added quietly and released his breath. 'But if you ever come back, I'll be ready to cut you down, Nezu.'

* - Suzumebachi is the pirate's ship, it means hornet or wasp.

- Bunshin no jutsu – Clone Technique

** If you don't remember this, see last chapter of Sequence 1.

~~ Note for those who are not familiar with the world of Assassin's Creed (with note for everyone after it)~~

Bleeding Effect: "The Bleeding Effect refers to a disorder wherein the genetic memories of one's ancestors begin to blend with the sufferer's own, real-time memories, often leading to difficulties in distinguishing between the two. In severe cases, this eventually resulted in mental breakdown." But thanks to it, one can "gain the combat and freerunning abilities of his ancestors, as well as the ability to use Eagle Vision." (Source: Assassin's Creed Wikia )

"Eagle Vision is a dormant sixth sense that humans possess, as a result of being created by the First Civilization. Though each human holds the potential to utilize it, bloodlines of those whose distant ancestors have interbred with their creators display a greater concentration of the necessary genes, and thus are more likely to exhibit Eagle Vision. When an individual masters Eagle Vision, the ability can evolve to the more advanced Eagle Sense. This stage heightens all the senses of its user, allowing them to detect the heartbeat of a target in the area, or even foresee a target's path. Those who possess the gift of Eagle Sense are able to instinctively sense how people and objects relate to them, which manifests as a coloured glow, much like an aura: red indicates enemies or spilled blood, blue indicates allies, white indicates sources of information or hiding spots, and gold indicates targets or objects of interest." (Source: Assassin's Creed Wikia )

~~To Everyone~~

Remember when Kese checked the water surface, examined the pirate's ship, or when he got in and out of the mountain's cave labyrinth? Yes, he used Eagle Vision. He has been suffering from Bleeding Effect since he got to the island (visions and dreams, etc.), and it got stronger in early Sequence 3, but was cured almost completely by The Apple and the linen cloth (which is The Shroud of Eden). But thanks to the Bleeding Effect, he got not only his ancestor's memories but their skills and abilities, too. And in his case, he can use Eagle Vision to examine (mostly people-related) objects (and paths) too.

Thanks for reading!