The Vault, Germany – 30 July 1944

Jan and Elisabeth reached the entrance to the Vault. Two Assassins stood on guard. They acknowledged each other as Jan and Elisabeth made their way down into the Vault itself, descending down the long, dimly lit steps.

When they reached the hall, they had to make sure their eyes were not deceiving them. The spacious hall, which had been occupied by some three dozen Assassins, was now almost full to the brim with them. Many of them wounded. Jan and Elisabeth made their way through the people. Some were wearing bloodstained Assassin robes. Others had on civilian clothing, with bandages covering their arms or the side of their heads. Jan couldn't help but think that he was going through a war hospital filled with wounded soldiers brought back from the frontlines.

They asked a passing Assassin they knew where Lutz was and were told that he was in his room. The two Assassins left the hustle and bustle of the main hall for one of the side corridors, which was now no longer empty but rather lined with crates filled with weapons and ammunition. They made their way to Lutz's room, where a wooden door had been installed. Elisabeth was about to knock on the door when they heard people speaking inside, and so Jan and Elisabeth waited outside.

It wasn't long before the door opened and several Assassins they didn't know – all haggard with stains of dried blood – came out of the room. When they had left, they saw Lutz standing behind his desk. Upon seeing them, he smiled and told them to come in. Jan and Elisabeth went in, closing the door behind them.

"Thank goodness, you two are okay," he said with a sigh of relief. "I was worried the Templars had got to you."

"Sorry for the late return," she said. "We went to Berlin, tried to do what we could there. Did any of them make it here?"

"Some of them went to Essen, but unfortunately we lost the Essen hideout."

This shocked both Jan and Elisabeth. The ancient sanctuary of the German Brotherhood had fallen.

"The attempted assassination of Hitler really hit a nerve with them," Lutz said as he settled into his chair. "I'm afraid doing that was a mistake. We lost so much, but we gained nothing. We're actually in a worse position than we were in before."

"But I'm glad that many brothers and sisters seem to have made their way here," Elisabeth said, vaguely pointing towards the main hall.

"Yes, we can be thankful of that at least."

"We also have more bad news," Elisabeth continued after a short pause.

"I don't think things could get any worse than they are right now, save for complete, utter defeat, but go on," Lutz said, smirking.

"Turns out Rudolf was a traitor all along."

"What do you mean?"

"He was a Templar."

Lutz's mouth opened, leaving it slightly agape.

"What? I took him for an old fool, a coward, but not a traitor."

"Turns out he had been a Templar for all his life. He was a rat from the beginning."

"You said 'was'. What happened?"

"Jan killed him."

They both looked to Jan, as if for confirmation. He merely nodded.

"Good," Lutz said. "The fact that he was with us for so long is yet another testament to the utter incompetence of the Council. Imagine if they had stayed in the leadership of the Brotherhood. But how did you learn of this? What happened?"

Elisabeth looked at Jan, but he said nothing and simply nodded to her.

"We found out that they were going to Jan's house, where his mother was. Rudolf was there, leading the soldiers who had captured her. Rudolf confessed when we were captured for a moment, telling us everything. The tables turned, and Jan killed him."

"Wait, what about your mother, Jan?"

Elisabeth and Lutz looked at Jan, waiting for his answer. Jan answered by shaking his head. Lutz looked down in response, then after a few moments went around his desk and headed straight for Jan. He held Jan's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Jan."

Jan nodded. And then talking to both Jan and Elisabeth, he continued.

"You two have earned a much-needed rest. Go wash up, there's a river nearby. Then grab one of the beds. There are no Templars tonight, nor tomorrow in fact. You've gone through so much in the past few days."

Elisabeth nodded, but Jan spoke up.

"If you don't mind, Lutz, I'll rest just today. The fight isn't over. And I have to do my part in it."

Lutz looked at Jan without responding for some time, but then put one hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"Alright, Jan. I understand. Get some rest today. Tomorrow, we'll continue."

Jan and Elisabeth then left Lutz's study. They went to the nearby river to wash up all the dirt and blood that had accumulated in the past few days. Afterwards, they went back into the Vault. Elisabeth found a bed first, but Jan saw no empty beds in that room, so he went to another room. He found one, deeper in the Vault, and sat down on the bed. It was a small room, with only four beds, two on each side. The three other beds were occupied by wounded Assassins, and there was a dim light on the ceiling.

Jan sat there, motionless, for who knows how long. The same thoughts that had plagued him the past few days were circling around in his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All at once, the thoughts ceased. His mind was empty. And he took out the envelope from his pocket, took out the letter inside it, and began to read.