ACD/Chapter I

Chapter I - Escape
-- 3 March 1513 --

Walking down a dark hallway only slightly illuminated by arcing thunder and lightning from the storm outside, an eight-year-old Italian boy roamed about his family's villa in the Roman countryside, the tan-skinned little boy peeked into his parents' bedroom, seeing they were fast asleep, he slowly closed the door and continued down the hall to a room at the far end, tip-toeing, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. When he reached the door and turned the knob he heard it creak and quickly looked behind him to see if anyone had heard; no one did.

Quickly the boy slipped into the room and closed the door as quietly as he could, and lit one of the candles in the room. Illuminating the room with little light as the boy did not want to alert his parents he could still see the room was filled with books and tomes from across the world; mesmerized by the number of books in such a small room, the young boy moved a sliding ladder and slid it over to him, climbing onto it he reached for the first book he saw, "Inferno" it said on the spine, but something shined in corner of his eye and he grabbed that instead and climbed down. He examined it and only found the name Ezio and a symbol looking similar to a vertical pointing arrowhead on the cover. The boy smiled excitedly as he sat at the desk and opened the tome, and began reading.

March 1511

"Claudia, my dearest sister. I have been in Acre a week now, safe and in high spirits, but prepared for the worst.

The men and women who have fed and sheltered me here also give me warning that the road to Masyaf is overrun by mercenaries and bandits not native to this land. What this could mean, I dread to guess.

When I first set out from Roma ten months ago, I did so with a single purpose. To discover what our father did not. In a letter written the year before my birth he makes mention of a library hidden beneath the stones of Masyaf castle. A sanctum full of invaluable wisdom.

So what will I find when I arrive there? Who will greet me? A host of eager Templars, as I feel most strongly? Or nothing but the whistling of a cold and lonely wind?

Masyaf has not been home to the Assassins for almost three hundred years now. ''Can we still claim it for our own? Are we welcome there?''

''I am weary of this fight, Claudia. Not because I am tired, but because our struggle seems to move in one direction only. Towards chaos.''

Today I have more questions than answers. This is why I have come so far. To find clarity. To find the wisdom left behind by the great Altaïr, so that I may better understand the purpose of our fight. And my place in it.

Should anything happen to me Claudia, should my skills fail me, or my ambition lead me astray, do not seek retribution or revenge in my memory, but fight to continue the search for truth, so that all may benefit.

My story is one of many thousands, and the world will not suffer if it ends too soon."

By time the boy finished the first section he realized it wasn't just a tome but a series of letters written to his mother.

"Zio (Uncle)." He said quietly.

Suddenly the door's knob jiggled slightly and the door opened, a woman in a nightgown looking barely a day over forty walked in with an elderly gray-haired man on her arm.

"My son, what are you doing in here?" The man asked.

The boy hesitated but soon found the words to speak; he spoke in a calm and intelligent manner. "I was looking for Alighieri's Inferno.”

The woman raised an eyebrow and walked over to the ladder and grabbed a book off the shelf. "You mean this?"

The boy gave a soft sigh as his mother dropped the book on the desk. "Sì, mamma. (Yes, mother.)"

The boy closed the tome and stood from the desk, he pulled the carpet up from the middle of the room and tossed it aside revealing a small hatch; he looked at his parents who had a surprised expression, then dropped to his knees and removed the hatch.

Beneath it was a set of dark gray robes complete with a red sash, brown leather vambraces and boots, as well as a shoulder spaulder.

The boy looked at his parents again who were both now smiling. "Voglio combattere. Per essere un... (I want to fight. To be an...) assassin."

The man's mouth grew into a wide grin. "Sì. (Yes.) It's time." He looked at his wife, then back at his son, "Come Emilio. Riposa ora, ne avrete bisogno.(Rest now, you will need it.)"

The boy, Emilio placed the hatch back on top of the hidden robes and threw the carpet back down and followed his parents out of the room, whispering "Buona notte, zio. (Good night, uncle.)" As he closed the door.

-- 11 January 1525 - China --

Cloaked in a dark gray robe, a lone man crouched atop the church's tower a full fifty meters above the streets of Beijing, his shoulder length black hair flowing in the cold winter breeze.

The man looked down as he heard someone call him from a nearby rooftop a mere three meters below him; it was a Chinese woman wearing a black robe with red lining the inside of her hood.

"Emilio, come down." The woman called.

Emilio smiled as he stood, he closed his eyes as he heard the caw of an eagle flying by and leapt from the edge of the pillar. Gravity helped the acceleration of his descent, Emilio smiled as he landed in a flower bush.

The woman grimaced as she watched and followed suit, then focused her fierce eyes on Volare as he climbed out of the bushes. "You done fooling around now?"

"Aw, come on, Shao."

"Zhùkǒu... (Quiet...)" She snapped, "Sometimes it is hard to believe you are Mentor's nephew."

Emilio pulled up his beaked hood, covering his long black hair. "He was young once and I suspect we both have my grandfather's blood." Emilio laughed.

Shao Jun rolled her and beckoned for him to follow her. "Come, the apprentices will want to meet you."

"Apprentices?"

"Yes. After the death of the last Emperor, a new one, Jiajing, rose to power with Templar assistance and hunted down our brothers and sisters tirelessly. Not many remain, so I had little choice... I recruited those that would stand and fight with us."

"Aprire la strada. (Lead the way.)"

Shao Jun smiled at him and turned to scale the building behind her. Emilio stared at her ass as she climbed but looked away when she turned her head, "Come on!" She said.

Emilio began scaling the side of the building; he used his hookblade to pull himself with long strides across the building's exterior, passing Shao Jun he flashed a smile and pulled himself onto the roof.

"I understand why you came to Uncle Ezio now.”

"Why?"

"Because you knew we Italians are superior to you Chinamen, eh?"

Emilio bent down and grabbed Jun's hands when she tried to pull herself up. "It would honor us both if you would stop talking now."

"Perché? (Why?)" He questioned.

Emilio turned when Jun pointed to a Templar with his back turned to them. He turned his head back to Jun with a smile.

"You want him, or should I?"

"You're the guest in this country, consider him a gift."

"Will do." Emilio turned and headed for the red and gray armored Templar, but jerked back when Jun grabbed his arm. "Wha&mdash;What are you doing?"

"I apologize, but I must give you this."