𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐞𝐧 | 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 |

12 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐨

It's still dark out when we arrive at the Colosseum, the chilly night air freezing every bone within them, I'm not affected seeing as I lived on a snowy and cold mountain for the first half of my life, but the others are covering up with their clothing as much as they can.

We get close to the edge of where the ground used to be, everyone admiring the ancient grounds. Stillman incites the group to find the Apple immediately.

"Whoa what about us? You might actually need a historian down there." Hastings arguments, prompting everyone to turn and look at each other.

"Shaun's right. That tunnel should lead under Capitoline Hill. I'll help them find another entrance. Be careful, Desmond. Deimos, go with him, you might need each other." Stillman walks off and I look at Desmond, nodding his way to let him know that I'm with him.

They go their own path and we leap off towards a support beam, jumping and climbing skillfully towards a way inside the Colosseum.

Time Skip

We arrive to what appears to be a chamber of some kind, bearing various assassin logos around, showing Desmond what to do. A hidden door opens behind a statue, prompting both of us to go to it.

Desmond starts to push it, but finds it particularly heavy, the young man's face getting red from the force.

"Hold on, I got it." I bring him to the side and push with force, little effort from my side to open it.

We enter a dark room, my vision all fading to black. I refuse to let us continue at a loss, so I concentrate enough to make my dim markings glow brighter, lighting the place enough to see what's in front of us. He marvels at my trick and I take his reaction in, never having seen anyone compliment much less find this amusing.

We stop in our tracks as we come face to face with the figure of a woman I once knew.

'We commit this space the epilogue of our ending. Let it be found by he who is deemed worthy. Let it guide him. Let it shape his path forward. Let it save the world we leave behind.'

Desmond runs his hands through the hologram, this one disappearing in thin air. Again, the sense of nostalgia clouds me.

"Who are you? Did you knew her, Deimos?." He turns to me, eyes filled with slight worry and wonder.

"A friend, and who is to be your guide as well." I answer vaguely, not willing to answer such closed off questions.

We continue opening several hidden doors, her white clothed figure appearing every once in a while. We got all the way to an opening in the roof, which seems to be an opening to our destination. Stillman task to Desmond over his earpiece, he forwards the message that the others have traced him, giving that they are close.

We climb up the opening and come up on the inside of the Capitoline building, the polished bronzed and marble details making the place shine brightly in the vast warm glow of the moonlight sweeping from the windows.

A loud knock comes from the doors of the church, prompting Desmond to go open them while I get rid of the excessive glow, not wanting to stun the others.

He opens the door and Hastings waltzes in, the two girls following him.

"Took you long enough." I shake my head at his tone, Desmond glaring at him.

"What is this place?." Hastings answers Desmond's question, the man letting us know of his profound knowledge.

"Santa Maria Aracoeli. See those columns along the aisles? They're lifted from Roman ruins. Now supposedly, this church was built on top of the ancient Temple of Juno." My skin prickles at her name, the times I spent with her being nothing but tedious.

"Juno? Is that the woman we saw down there?." Desmond and, consequently, everyone else turn to me as Desmond's voice fades in the building.

I swallow hard and nod, walking off on my own.

"Yes. Don't start making questions, Desmond. She'll answer them as you go." He sighs and walks behind me, the others quietly following along.

Time Skip

It takes Desmond a while, but he is able to activate a glowing pedestal that springs out from the ground, scaring everyone but me. I roll my eyes at the tactic.

Of course she would do this type of shit when the world is in peril. Make the man waste precious time by having him climb the most ridiculous crevices only for this shit to appear. How classic of you, Juno.

"Hello. That wasn't in the blueprints. Whatever this is, it doesn't do anything. It's a dead end." Hastings gets closer to the pedestal and analyzes it while Desmond parkours down to the ground.

He gets close as soon as he touches the ground and inspects it, he glances at me and I nod, affirming that he's got the situation under control.

"I'm not so sure." He takes a deep breath and hovers his hand over the top, the floor illuminating and coming to life, bringing us under ground.

They all stumble, trying to keep their balance, all except for Hastings, who clings unto the pedestal as if his life depends on it. He turns his head to look at me, his mouth forming an O and eyebrows furrowing.

"How in the the world of bollocks are you so still!?." Incredulity in his scream. I shrug and place my wrists on the hilt of my sword, enjoying the spectacle.

"I'm used to it." He sighs and shakes his head, the ride stopping at the bottom.

I grab him by the bicep and pull him up, helping him get in an upright position. He nods in gratefulness as he fixes his shirt and glares daggers at Desmond.

"Yeah, if you want to kill us mate, you're going have to try a little harder than that." I ignore them and start walking off, staring at the two huge statues of Juno that guard the entrance.

"Πάντα μια άπληστη σκύλα." I shake my head as I speak, the others looking at me in confusion. [Always a greedy bitch.]

"Now for that password. If Shaun's right, that is." Desmond walks over to the doors while the historian groans in annoyance.

"I'm always right." He bites back, I follow Desmond closely.

They all stare at the door, him and Crane trying to figure the mechanism.

"Do you think it speaks English?." Crane turns to me at Desmond's question, being obvious that if this was not my primary language, it couldn't have been theirs either.

"Εβδομήντα δύο." The markings in the door begin to glow a soft blue as soon as I say the password deciphered by Hastings, opening in the process. [Seventy two.]

"Of course it had to be Greek." Hastings remarks from beside me as we all walk through the long hall, the temple coming to life.

Desmond walks off and climbs the various obstacles Juno placed in the way, quickly arriving back towards our position having triggered a set of steps up to the center of the room, where the Apple awaits.

"So where are the temples?." Hastings ask while maintaining distance from the sphere.

"You want me to ask it?." Desmond bites, becoming nervous of the situation.

"Or think it or something." Stillman butts in the conversation after ages in silence.

The artifact starts glowing, showing odd looking symbols, including the new symbol of the Templars.

"I know that symbol. That's a Phrygian Cap. It stands for freedom.. and that's a Masonic eye. Those two come together in only one place..." I take notice how Desmond ignores Hastings and goes straight from the Apple, making me sigh.

It's a necessary sacrifice.

Yes. But at what cost?.