Chapter 11: Acceptance

"What the hell just happened?" Delsin couldn't believe this is happening. First was Francis now Ezio. He stared blankly at the spot where Ezio once was, he began to suspect that this could be indeed the Doctor's doing after all. Since Guillermo's main target was Sebastian, he probably made use of this cunning tactic by kidnapping both his friends forcing Sebastian to give himself in exchange for their safety.

He clenched his fists in anger. If that old bastard hurts them, he will made him pay back double. Sebastian just stood there, didn't know what to do; he felt everything were entirely his fault. If he hadn't ask them to go to the underwater museum, all of this won't have happened.

Ren kneeled down, touched the spot where Ezio stood and focused his spiritual energy onto it but he got nothing in response. He couldn't detect any Zanei presence so his Kagemi ability was unable to activate. He resorted in using his camera as the alternative, he focused again but he still got the same aftermath.

It was like Ezio completely vanished into the thin air or doesn't exist.

"Ren you manage to find anything?" Sebastian asked.

Ren shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry. I got nothing. Ezio's gone."

"Not only he's gone. Francis too and so is the door," Delsin points to wall where the metal door once was. "We are trapped."

Ren looked behind to see the corridor still stretches on. Looks like the only choice they got right now was to traverse forward wherever this passage will led them to.

He turns to Delsin with his thumb pointing back, "We might have to go on. We'll think about what we should do next once we get out safely."

"But we can't leave them behind," Delsin was unwilling.

"Ren do have a point," Sebastian said. "It won't do us any good if we keep staying here. Let's get of here first then we'll planned on our next move."

Delsin's downcast eyes signified his distress. He worried for both safety and they don't even have a clue of where they are now. Guessed he had to stick with Ren's and Sebastian's decision for the time being. He went ahead and turns to them.

"Let's go then."

Ezio woke up and found himself resting on a tree, his head was throbbing in pain and his vision blurry. He heavily pushed himself up from sitting to stand position by using the tree as support. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes continuously till the headache and blurriness slowly fades off.

(Where am I? How long was I out?)

Once pain subsided, Ezio looked around to see where he is. His hands fell heavily to his side and tottered backwards the moment his eyes caught sight of a particular wording written on a signboard:

"SALEM CREEK VILLAGE"

"No…" Ezio said. He looked back to his surroundings. The entire place were exactly the same as his dream. Worn-down village built out from the 1800s period and the stone stairway that leads up to the mansion on the hill.

He's back. Back in Francis's homeland. Though Francis stated he was born and raised in Springfield but his real homeland was here, in Salem as that's where his mother Aurora was originated from.

Ezio pinched himself on his cheek to check if he's hallucinating. He could feel a sight pain so he wasn't at all.

He slowly trod towards the stairway and gazed up, he knows that if he followed the specified steps he did in the dream, he will find Francis awaiting for his predestined fate. Ezio didn't want it, he couldn't bring himself to do such unforgiveable act to his best friend.

Since it was unavoidable, Ezio had no choice but to confront it. He walked up the stairs towards the mansion. Just as he reached the top, he spotted a torn note on the ground, he scooped it up and read silently. The note somehow turns out to be an old article talking about a computer space flight simulator featuring first-person visual exploration of an imaginary galaxy.

Majority of the wordings including the headlines were smudged and smeared making it extremely hard to decipher but the more he continues the more he felt he have had read this before. His eyes narrowed, he remembered something and it was beginning to surface slowly though the memories were fuzzy…

Ezio sat with a young teen in a garden, the teen then showed him the very same old article and points to the headline.

"It's kind of stupid right? They used my name to name a simulator."

Ezio reads then patted the boy's head. "Well I think it's cool. After all you're a computer nerd."

The boy giggled in return.

The jolted memories caused Ezio to go blank for second, a strange wind blew by and the article slipped from his hand. He watches as it drifted away with the wind and it was gone.

"Who was that boy? Why did he keeps appearing?" he asked himself. He heard something squeaked, turned his head towards that direction just to see the double doors of the mansion opened slowly, summoning him inside.

He reluctantly steps in, a bright light instantly blinded his sight that Ezio had to cover his eyes. The light fades away and he lowered his hands down. Ezio found himself standing on the cliff. He looked straight ahead and there it was; the tombstones but something was not right. In his dreams there were two now there's three.

He paced his way there and examined. There were names engraved on it; Francis's mother, Aurora father, Nicholas and...

Ezio's legs gave out and fell on the ground, his eyes still fixated in the tombstones.

"How can this be….Why is his name here?"

"Ezio..."

He looked up and saw Francis looking down at him. "Fr…Francis…how? I don't understand."

Francis kneeled down next to him. "You don't remember do you?"

Ezio shook his head. "Tell me this is a big joke, Francis….please…tell me this isn't real."

Francis got up and walked to the tombstone, quietly placed his hand on it whilst his back facing Ezio, "I didn't want it to be real too but fate is cruel. How I wish I had the power to turn back time to rewrite it but I guessed it's already too late as I'm already…"

He turned back to Ezio, "…as I'm already dead for a year."

Ezio felt his heart skipped, the nightmare was real. He stepped away from Francis with fear and confusion in his eyes. He couldn't remember when he did such act and why he kill him

"But you were with me all this time, travelling together along with Delsin. Went around to different places to search for the pieces of Eden. We were even hunted by the Abstergo because of our abilities and being the last of them... Now you're telling you were dead?!"

"Ezio…you repressed your memories because of me. I am who travels with you all this time till now was only the manifestation of your guilt you feel. The real me was already gone."

Francis who was like a brotherly figure to Ezio, stepped forth and gently cupped Ezio's face in both hands and placed his forehead onto his.

"You need to let go. Let go of your guilt manifestation constructed from your subconscious. The reason why I am able to stay as myself was due to the strong memories of you, the manifestor had for me."

"Francis?"

"Do you remember back at Keanu's funeral? You saw me staring at the grave in these similar scenario, it was this very moment I actually recalled who I am. The ghost of my former self reminded me."

Ezio was shocked, "So you did saw something back then. Why did you lie to me?"

"I'm sorry," Francis apologized. "I didn't want Sebastian and Delsin to know about this. However I shall now reveal the truth to you. It's time for your repressed memory to be released."

Francis proceed to cover Ezio's eyes.

Delsin, Ren and Sebastian came upon a single elevator at the end of the passageway. The three of them exchanged gaze with one another as the location of the lift here seems out of place like it's there all along awaiting for their arrival.

Turning back was pointless since the door's gone and the passageway they were in was a straightforward route with no other options available for them. Now an elevator out of nowhere is waiting for them to get in that they don't even know if they should just closed one eye and proceeded or lingered around here till help comes.

Well…getting help in this unusual place was definitely impossible since it wasn't part of the museum layout. It doesn't even exist in other words, Sebastian, Ren and Delsin were trapped in an alternate dimension.

"So we go in?" Ren asked.

"Like we have got any other choice…" Delsin sighed. He turned towards Sebastian, "You doing alright?"

"Yeah," Sebastian said though he's scared to the core. "I'm doing fine. Let us go."

Sensing he was trying to hide his fear, Delsin offered him his hand. Sebastian looked at him, puzzled.

"You don't have to keep everything to yourself. Didn't I say that I will be here for you?" Delsin reminded Sebastian of what he said back at the basement previously. "I'm not going back on my words. It's a promise."

Sebastian smiled and hold Delsin's hand tightly. "I will remember that. Thank you."

Delsin blushes a little and quickly looked away when he notices Ren was giving both of them an odd stare.

"Don't… get the wrong idea…" Delsin panic.

"I didn't say anything," Ren adjusted his glasses. Sebastian snickered in return.

The three of them entered the lift just to find yet another single button only indicated a 'B3' available for them. With no other buttons to select, Delsin pressed it. The doors closes on them and they silently waited as the sound of the elevator hummed and carries them downward.

The moment Francis instructed Ezio to open his eyes, he immediately felt cold chill behind his back, he looked and saw a ghost version of himself supporting Francis by the arm and waist went through him.

He was stunned for a second before turning back to see the whole event replayed for him. He came to a realization that he's actually watching the past of his repressed memories fragment which traumatized him so much that he just wants to forget it all.

Ezio carefully laid his friend on the field. "Francis!"

Francis was critically wounded. He was coughing out blood, staining his clothes and the field crimson. "Damn Malcom…" Francis said. "I didn't expect he will inflicted this curse on me. I was careless…"

Ezio was terribly disturbed by the deteriorating condition of his friend. "I'll go get help!"

He was about to get up when Francis seized him by his arm, stopping him. "No… no…it's too late. The curse had penetrated too deep. Death is the only way..."

Ezio dumbstruck by what he said, fell on his knees and gripped Francis's trench coat collar with both hands. "What are you babbling about?! This is no time for this kind of remarks!"

Francis smiled weakly and shook his head. "Malcom had doomed me. It cannot be removed nor will I be saved."

He reached out and touched Ezio on the cheek. "Only you can end my pain."

"There has to be a way to save you from this," Ezio refuses to believe what he's hearing. "You're going to be alright."

Francis coughed blood again but was serious this time. The curse was killing and eating him slowly from the inside, his breathing getting difficult and soon was gasping for air.

"Ezio…please…"

"I can't," Ezio's voice was cracking up. Tears filling his eyes. "Don't make me do this."

Francis with his last ounce of strength gave his friend one final hug, "Whatever happens, I will always be watching over you," he whispered to Ezio's ear. "Do it."

Ezio closes his eyes, triggered his hidden blade and stabbed him by the neck silently. He withdrew the blade and looked at Francis in the eyes for the last final moment. Ezio could see the life in his friend slowly dying out. Francis gave Ezio one final smile before death finally embraced him.

"Thank you," was his last words. He closes his eyes and spoke no more nor will he ever wake up ever again.

Ezio buried Francis along with his parents at the edge of the cliff. He stared at his blood-stained hidden blade and the dirtied mud stains on his hands with downcast eyes, the memory of him killing and burying his own friend etched so deep in his heart and mind. The traumatic emotional stress of killing Francis causes his hair to turn white overnight.

The vision disappeared, leaving Ezio standing there staring at nothingness. Ezio gently loosened his hair tie to let his hair down. As his hair swished across his face, he found that his hair had indeed turned white…

"That's right…it happened a year ago," Ezio said. "Right after the Salem incident, it did happen. You were dying from the curse which Malcom, your own biological grandfather cast on you when you refuses to give up your body as a vessel to him."

He turned towards Francis.

"Malcolm wanted to be young again. In order to transfer his soul to a new body, he needs another Salem Warlord who carries his bloodline and it was you."

Francis placed both hands on Ezio's shoulders. "That's right. That's where my life ends and yours started anew."

"Francis…I…"

"You should return to where you belong now. You have had to return to your real body, your little friend is waiting for you."

"My real body?" Ezio recalls again. "That's right. A few weeks after your death, the Templars found me and bought me back to Abstergo."

The image of the boy came to his mind.

"I befriended him during my captivity then I fell into a coma. It's all coming back to me now, I fully understand why I keep having those visions and nightmare was because…"

He looked up to Francis. "Because you want me to let go of the guilt."

"Ever since my death," Francis explained. "You had been blaming yourself. When you fell into a deep slumber, you unconsciously split your soul into half. Half escaped Abstergo while the other left behind to keep your physical body alive. Another reason why you keeps having those reoccurring nightmares was because your other soul calls for you."

"Francis," Ezio hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Francis hugged him back. "Why are you apologizing? You never done anything wrong."

"But I don't want you to go. I want to stay on like this. Like the good old days, together with Delsin and Sebastian."

Francis returned him a sad look. "I wanted to but I can no longer be with you anymore. I had to return to where I rightfully belong. You will be alright, Ezio. You were never alone."

Francis passes Ezio his treasured pocket watch. "I want you to have my spirit item so you always remember me."

The moment Ezio accepted it, a strong wind blew against him. The wind so strong that Ezio unable to hold on, lost his footing and found himself drifting further and further away from Francis.

"Francis!" he cried out.

"Live on with your life my friend," Francis waved his final goodbye to him. "I'll miss you."

"Farewell…."

In a distant, Ezio could hear a loud beeping sound nearby. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a white ceiling above him. He looked around to find that he was in a med lab surrounded by medical equipment and life support tube and wires inserted into his body. The beeping sound he just heard was actually the heart rate monitor.

He then noticed the boy with his back facing him, sitting nearby doing some programming or coding on a computer.

Ezio made a slight cough that caught his attention. He watches from his bed as the familiar figure got up from his workstation and paced to his bed side, looking down at him.

"E…Ezio?"

Ezio immediately clasped the boy's hand tightly in his and gave a small smirk.

"I'm back…Noctis."

The lift door opens. Delsin, Sebastian and Ren cautiously stepped out. To their surprise, they found themselves in a car park.

"Wait a minute…Isn't this car park basement of the museum?" Delsin said. "Does that mean we're back to the real world?"

"I think we are," Ren looked around. "We are back. That went well and…" He trailed off when a dark corner not far from them caught his attention. An unknown force lures him towards it as he unknowingly wanders away from both Delsin and Sebastian.

Sebastian felt something wasn't right. Though they're back safely, the entire car park was completely empty. There were no vehicles at sight and it was too awfully quiet.

He frowned. "Let's head back to the jeep."

"Yeah good idea," Delsin agreed when he notices Ren wasn't with them. "Hey where's Ren?"

"Ren?"

Both of them searched for him and spotted Ren disappearing behind a corner.

"Ren!" Sebastian called out as they quickly ran towards the direction he walked to. They turned round the corner and stopped to see Ren staring into the dark without moving.

"Ren?" Sebastian reached out and touched him by the shoulder. Ren immediately turned to look at him.

"Did you sense him?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"Francis. I sensed his presence awhile back ago and he's gone again. But there's this overwhelming sadness washed over me." He clutched his chest. "Like he's not coming back anymore."

"Ren…"

"You had the ability to sense it Sebastian, but you suppressed them due to your fear. To be honest, yours surpass mine. You have to accept them if you want to protect your friends and yourself."

"How…how did you know all this?"

"I can read people's feelings the moment they touched me. I'm sorry I didn't meant to read yours."

Right at this moment Sebastian felt a heavy spiritual pressure pressing against his entire body, making him to bend down slightly. He later heard high pitched siren sound ringing in his ears that he groaned in pain and fell on his knees.

"Sebastian!" Delsin quickly helped him up.

Sebastian pressed his head hard. He looked at Ren and recalls what he just said. He took a deep breath and concentrated. He could sense it; an incoming danger approaching. And that danger was coming from behind Ren.

"Look out!" He shouted.

Before Ren could react, shadows shaped like vines suddenly shot up from the ground, entangled him that he let out a yelp. The vines tightened around him and lifted him off the ground.

"Ren!" Delsin got his chain whip, he was about to strike the shadow vines when Sebastian stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Don't! You might end up hurting him."

"But…"

Ren struggled for a few seconds when a hand grasped his right shoulder. He stopped and looked behind.

Sebastian froze in horror.

"You!" He shouted. Delsin scowled.

Guillermo made his appearance.

"Oh my, you sensed me," he said then looked at Ren. "I see you found another friend." Guillermo studied Ren that Ren immediately turned his head away to avoid eye contact. "I have to say this is an astounding finding."

He grinned at Sebastian. "Looks like I have two targets now. Well that will make the game more fun."

Sebastian gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "You leave him alone. He got nothing to do with this. "

"I'm afraid I can't oblige," Guillermo tapped his walking stick. "Letting one who possessed the same power as you though…" he glared at Ren again. "…weak to go will be such a waste. Having two instead of one will increased the success rate."

"No I won't let you!" Sebastian shouted.

Unable to take it anymore, Delsin attacks the doctor. "I had enough of your scheme! Let Ren go now!"

Ezio felt a sharp pain on both eyes that his golden eagle eyes glowed.

(Seb, Delsin, Ren!)

He immediately got into a sitting position and starts pulling off the wires and tubes attached to his body, ignoring the excruciating pain as he tears himself free while gritting his teeth. But he was glad once he was finally out of it, he never liked it anyway. It makes him feel constricted.

However the moment he does that, a red alert alarm ringed out. Filling the entire med lab in its red glow.

A robotic female voice called out, "Red Alert! Red Alert! All Abstergo Med units report to med lab. All Abstergo Med units report to med lab."

Ezio cursed under his breath. Noctis watches in silence as he sluggishly got out from the bed and headed for a nearby locker. Ezio buttoned his white shirt neatly and took out a black trench coat including boots and puts them on.

He then glared at the electronic locked door as he could already hear the sounds of running and stomping footsteps drawing closer to the lab where both of them were confined in.

Ezio gestured Noctis to come to his side. As he looked up to Ezio, he wonders what plan he had in mind.

Ezio looked down to him, "Can you use your Crystal magic to teleport us out of here?"

Noctis blinked. "Eh?"

"We are getting out of here. Don't worry I will assist you, you won't be doing this alone."

"But where were we be going?" Noctis asked.

Ezio looked out to the window. "We are heading to where my friends are. They need me and I'm coming for them."

End of Chapter 11