[Dante's POV]
The hallway was darker than before—or maybe it just felt that way because of the blood I saw in that memory. As I darted through the shadows, my legs moved on instinct, the silver dagger now secured in a cloth pouch tied to my belt.
My heart still hadn't settled. The memory fragment had shaken me more than I'd expected.
That man…
That Assassin…
He'd been executed with this very blade. And the people who did it? They were working with the Pazzi. With the Templars.
The same people who would one day murder my family in the name of "justice."
No.
Not if I had anything to say about it.
Not this time.
Ding!
[+100 EXP – Pickpocketing]
[Pickpocketing – Level 1 → Level 2]
[+100 Assassin Points]
[Reward Unlocked: ???]
The system notification flashed just as I slipped out of the study and began retracing my route back toward the open window. But I paused. Another part of me—the assassin part—was tempted to linger. To dig deeper. To uncover more secrets.
But the boy in me—the one who knew the risk of being caught—won the argument.
Just as I reached the window, I heard the voices.
"Did you hear that?"
"Upstairs! Someone's in the study!"
Merda.
I didn't wait. I launched myself through the narrow window and gripped the outer ledge. My fingers were already raw from the climb earlier, but adrenaline dulled the pain.
I climbed down swiftly, slipping into the alley below just as the guards burst into the study above.
"Gone? How could he—?!"
I smirked as I melted into the shadows.
Ding!
[Mission Complete: The Fox's Trial]
[+100 AP | +50 EXP – Parkour Proficiency]
[Parkour Proficiency: 95/100]
I'd barely made it around the corner when a figure dropped beside me from the rooftop above.
"La Volpe," I whispered.
He looked down at me with a lopsided grin. "You're full of surprises, ragazzo."
I pulled out the silver dagger from the pouch, still wrapped in cloth, and handed it to him. "As requested."
La Volpe took it, eyebrows rising slightly. "Not a scratch on you either. I'm impressed." He studied me for a long moment, then tucked the dagger into his coat. "You've got instincts. And guts."
He hesitated—just a fraction—and then added more softly, "You remind me of someone I knew. Long ago."
I didn't ask who. I just nodded.
Ding![Reputation Gained: La Volpe's Approval – 1/5]
Gaining influence with key figures may unlock hidden missions, skills, or allies.
Then, another notification blinked open in golden light.
—
[Assassin's System – Hidden Quest Unlocked]
[Title Quest: Legacy of the Auditore]
—Uncover the truth behind the Templar conspiracy before your family is framed.
—Optional: Alter the fate of Giovanni Auditore.
Rewards: Title – [Heir of Shadows], +5000 AP, Skill Unlock, ???
Progress: 1%
—
I stared, blinking at the screen.
Alter the fate… of Giovanni Auditore.
It wasn't just a dream anymore.
This world… this system… it was giving me a chance.
A real chance.
"Come," La Volpe said, already moving across the rooftops. "You've earned a bit of rest—and maybe a story or two."
I followed him without hesitation.
But my mind wasn't at rest.
It was on the path ahead.
Giovanni. Federico. Petruccio.
If I played my cards right…
They wouldn't die.
I wouldn't let history repeat itself.
Not this time.
—
[System Notification]Due to successful Synchronization and completion of the key questline, new features have been unlocked.
🔓 [Skill Tree – Assassin's Path] Available🔓 [Codex Entries – Templar Conspiracy] Unlocked
—
I smiled as we reached the edge of the rooftops and Florence stretched out below us, cloaked in silence and silver moonlight.
The city was changing.
And so was I.
...
[Auditore Estate Rooftop – Florence, Late Night]
I stared out at the familiar spires and tiled rooftops of Florence, bathed in the pale glow of the moon. The wind whispered secrets as it rustled through my hair. From this height, the world looked quiet—peaceful, even.
But I knew better.
Beneath the silence, plots stirred. Templars moved like shadows behind noble masks. And somewhere out there, a dagger had already been metaphorically raised against my family.
I turned to La Volpe, who stood a few paces away, arms crossed as he gazed down at the estate that would, in another life, become a tomb for my blood.
"This is it. You should go back now," he said, his voice quieter than before. Almost… gentle.
I nodded, my eyes lingering on the darkened windows below.
"Volpe…" I paused. "Thank you."
He smirked and ruffled my hair like an older brother. "Don't make it a habit, ragazzo. You're a smart one, but smart people often die first if they forget to look over their shoulder."
A flicker of something passed through his eyes—pain, maybe? Regret?
Before I could ask, he stepped back toward the shadows, his silhouette becoming one with the rooftop's edge.
"I'll be watching, Auditore," he said, then vanished like a ghost into the night.
Ding!
[Reputation Gained: La Volpe's Approval – 2/5]
You've earned his respect. He will remember this.
I watched the spot where he disappeared for a moment, then took a deep breath and made my descent.
It didn't take long to slip through a side entrance and back into the estate. The guards were fewer this late at night, and the few still patrolling didn't question a young boy padding silently through the corridors.
System Notification — New Entry Unlocked:
🔓 [Codex – Templar Conspiracy: The First Blood]
"In 1459, the Pazzi family began conspiring in secret with rogue nobles and foreign agents to destabilize Medici control over Florence. Their methods ranged from forgery to execution of Brotherhood agents. One such case involved a captured Assassin executed in the Pazzi-controlled estate, his dagger later recovered by an unknown individual..."
—
1459.
Now it is 1467.
The wooden floor creaked softly beneath my feet as I tiptoed back into my room, careful not to wake anyone. The moonlight filtered through the arched window, casting long shadows across the room. I shut the door quietly behind me and leaned against it for a moment, letting the tension finally drain from my limbs.
I had survived the Fox's Trial.
And more than that…
I had found the first thread of the noose the Templars were tying around Florence.
Ding!
[Skill Tree – Assassin's Path]You have unlocked the foundation of an Assassin's growth. Choose your specialization wisely.
I sat on the edge of the bed, wiping sweat and dust from my brow as the holographic skill tree unfolded before me. It was unlike anything the system had shown before—elegant lines connected various nodes, forming three distinct branches:
—
🗡️ Shadowblade (Stealth & Combat)
Silent Takedown (Passive) – Move quietly and eliminate enemies without detection.
Blade Mastery – Increases damage with hidden blades and daggers.
Shadow Cloak (Active) – Temporarily blend into shadows to evade detection.
🧠 Mind of the Mentor (Strategy & Leadership)
Tactical Insight (Passive) – Reveals weak points in patrol routes and defenses.
Charisma – Improves interactions and influence with key figures.
Battlefield Command (Active) – Boosts nearby allies' effectiveness.
🦅 Eyes of the Eagle (Surveillance & Parkour)
Enhanced Eagle Vision – Detect enemies and points of interest through walls.
Urban Acrobatics – Boosts parkour speed and reduces fall damage.
Perch Mastery – Gain bonuses from rooftop positioning.
—
I stared at the options. Each one called to a different part of me. But I already knew which path mattered most right now.
Shadowblade.
If I wanted to protect my family—truly protect them—I needed to strike before the Templars ever reached our door. I needed to become a ghost in the night, a dagger in the dark.
Selected Path: Shadowblade
Unlocking First Skill…
[Silent Takedown – Level 1 (0/100)] Acquired
Move swiftly and eliminate unaware enemies without alerting others.
A chill ran through me—not fear, but purpose.
This wasn't a game anymore. It was war. A secret war, fought not with armies, but with shadows and steel.
The moon had shifted slightly by the time I pulled the silver dagger from its cloth pouch again. I held it in both hands now, reverent. It felt… heavier than before. As if it carried not just blood, but memory.
A whisper in the back of my mind stirred.
A promise.
"Then let this be a warning to your Brotherhood."
I wouldn't forget that voice.
And I wouldn't forgive the hands that wielded this blade.
[Codex Entry Updated: Legacy of the Auditore – Progress 2%]
Suddenly, another message shimmered before me:
—
🔔 [Side Quest Unlocked: Ghosts of the Brotherhood]
Investigate rumours of a hidden Assassin refuge in the ruins beneath Santa Maria Novella.Objective: Locate the entrance and search for Brotherhood artifacts.
Rewards: Codex Page, AP, ???
Hint: Not all ghosts are dead.
—
I narrowed my eyes.
Another breadcrumb.
Another path to power… and answers.
I stood and walked to the window, staring down at the courtyard below. Father's shadow moved near the stable, speaking to one of our riders. Likely nothing unusual—but the sight of him alive, whole, unaware of what was coming…
It hit me all over again.
Giovanni Auditore was a good man. Loyal, fearless, just.
But history would not be kind to him.
Unless I rewrote it.
I clutched the window frame tighter.
I have time. I have knowledge. And now, I have the system.
But I'd need more. Allies. Information. Power.
And before anything else…
I'd need to walk the path of the Assassin.
No matter how dark it got.