Florence's skies bled orange and violet as the last rays of the sun vanished behind the bell towers and domes. The Duomo cast a long shadow that split the city like a blade, as if the heavens were warning us: something was coming. Something sharp. Something irreversible.
I stood on the second-floor balcony of the Auditore estate, gazing over the tiled rooftops. Smoke curled from chimneys. A distant lullaby drifted from a neighbor's window. The city was alive. Oblivious. Peaceful, even.
Lies.
Florence was a stage, and we—my family—were the sacrificial actors about to be dragged from the wings and flung under the lights. The people would cheer. Not because we were guilty, but because someone told them we were. Because Uberto Alberti's voice reached further than the truth ever would.
I pulled my hood up, shadows clinging to me like an old friend. My fingers unconsciously brushed the hilt of my hidden blade.
No one knew what I knew. No one could. The fact that I walked among them with centuries of future knowledge, like a ghost wearing a mask… It made every moment feel fragile. The timeline was glass, and each breath I took cracked it further.
[System Notification: Passive Skill Activated – Predator Instincts]
You sense a heightened presence of hostile agents nearby. Proceed with caution.
I froze.
On the rooftop across the street, two guards moved in tandem—same pace, same intervals. I narrowed my eyes. Their armor bore the crest of the Signoria, but their posture was wrong. Too rigid. These weren't routine patrols. They were in place. Watching. Waiting.
I dropped from the balcony silently, the air biting cold as my boots touched the stone path. Silent Step dulled the sound to little more than a whisper. I weaved through the alleys toward the market square, each footstep calculated, each breath steady.
By the time I returned to the estate, the last of the staff had gone. Dismissed early "for their safety." Father's orders. Even now, he tried to shield others from the storm aimed at us. That was his flaw. His strength, but also his weakness.
The villa felt haunted. Not in a supernatural sense—but in the way that homes feel when the people inside already know they won't be here much longer.
I entered his study again.
Giovanni Auditore stood by the window, arms behind his back, watching the flickering lanterns in the distance.
"They're in position," I said quietly.
He didn't turn. "I know."
His voice was calm. Resigned. Not like a man broken—no. Like a man who had accepted death and prepared for it meticulously.
"I saw Uberto earlier," I added. "At the western courtyard. He's moving fast. The arrests will happen before dawn."
Silence.
Finally, he spoke, "We had one more day in the records. They've accelerated the charges."
"They're tightening the noose before the city wakes up," I replied. "Classic move. No crowd. No chance for a rescue. Fewer questions."
"Then we prepare."
He finally turned, looking at me—truly looking at me. Not as a boy. Not even as a son.
But as something else.
A tool. A blade forged in secret. Or maybe... a backup plan.
"You've changed," he said.
"Florence will do that to you."
"No," he said. "Not Florence. Something else."
I met his gaze, heart hammering once—but I said nothing.
Some truths were never meant to be shared. My soul may have once belonged to another world, another timeline, but this life? This family? This blood?
Mine now.
And if destiny wanted to take it away, it would have to cut through me first.
We made our preparations in silence. I gathered documents. Burned others. Father handed me a sealed envelope with the Auditore crest.
"If I don't make it—"
"When," I cut in softly.
A bitter smile curled his lips. "When I don't make it, this must reach Lorenzo. No one else. No servants. No couriers. Not even Ezio."
I took the letter. It felt heavier than it should.
[System Message: Quest Item Obtained – Letter to Lorenzo]
[Quest Updated: Legacy of the Auditore – Part I: Survive the Fall]
I tucked it away. A heartbeat later, I noticed the tremble in his fingers.
Not fear.
Anger.
He hated not being able to protect us. Hated that his plans, his network, his Brotherhood—none of it could stop what was coming.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he murmured.
"No," I agreed. "But it's not over either."
He looked at me with pride and regret tangled together.
"Do what you must," he said. "But don't lose yourself in it."
Too late, I wanted to say.
Instead, I nodded.
Later that night, I stood on the villa rooftop, alone. The wind was sharp. My robes flapped softly in the breeze. I opened my Status Window.
[Character Status]
Name: Dante Auditore
Rank: Initiate
Level: 3 – (1445 / 3000 XP)
Skill Points: 1
Skills:
• Eagle Vision (Lvl.1)
• Hidden Blade Proficiency (Lvl.1)
• Assassin's Focus (Lvl.1)
• Leap Of Faith (Passive)
• Climbing Agility (Passive)
• Predator Instincts (Passive)
• Silent Step (Passive)
Skill Tree Unlocked:
• Altair
• Connor
I navigated to the Altair Tree. A skill glowed faintly.
[Stealth Mastery – Tier I](1 Skill Point)
+10% detection resistance in shadows. Unlocks crouch kills. Further reduces movement noise.
I didn't hesitate.
[Skill Acquired – Stealth Mastery (Tier I)]
[You are now harder to detect in low-light environments. Silent Step has been enhanced.]
Every edge mattered now. Even a second of delay in detection could save a life.
A flicker on the horizon.
Guards moving toward the estate in tighter patrols. Torches were being doused. Routines changing. Streets being cleared in subtle ways only someone paying very close attention would notice.
They weren't preparing for arrests.
They were preparing for executions.
Around midnight, I left the villa and began traversing the rooftops.
I didn't need to. I shouldn't have. But I had to know.
Palazzo della Signoria loomed in the distance—Florence's seat of power. From above, it looked almost peaceful. But I knew better.
[System Notification: Predator Instincts – Tier I: Your intuition detects danger nearby.]
I crouched and activated Eagle Vision.
The world drained of color. Warm golden light radiated from civilians. Cold blue from guards.
But beneath the portico, three figures glowed blood-red.
Hostile targets.
One of them—Uberto Alberti.
"…at dawn," I heard him mutter. "The father and sons. Take them all. Federico may resist—shoot if necessary."
The other replied, "And the younger one?"
Dread curled in my stomach.
"Dante Auditore?" Uberto sneered. "He's not a concern. Barely grown. Just another loose thread. Clip it."
I narrowed my eyes.
Loose thread?
No. I'm the knife that'll cut yours.
I returned to the villa near three in the morning. The halls were quiet. Ezio was still out, probably with Cristina. Federico hadn't returned. I passed Petruccio's empty room and Claudia's, both quiet, both cold. They were already gone with Mother— had sent them ahead to Monteriggioni.
And now? The worst had arrived.
I stood once more at the balcony, the villa bathed in moonlight. The air had weight. The type of stillness you only ever find before something violent.
I spoke to the night.
"You think you've caught us off guard, Uberto. But you've forgotten something important."
I turned, stepping into the shadows.
"I've seen how this story ends. And this time… I'm rewriting it."