//------------------------------//
// Arrival 
// Story: Assassin's Creed: Resurgence 
// by KMIECIKGOD 
//------------------------------//

	It was a barely lit and cold hallway, filled with nothing but hard stones and small torches mounted on the wall. An old and frail man walked, determined to the destination at the end of the miserable hallway, contemplating his long life. He knew it was coming to an end. If there is an afterlife, my only hope is that she will be there. 

Altair walked, troubled by the memories of his life. The first being one of the many things that his previous mentor, Al Mualim, was actually truthful about. 

In much wisdom is much grief. And he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
These words ring in Altair’s mind, but not as much as more painful memories, the ones of his late wife, Maria Thorpe. 
        
Her words echo in Altair’s mind worse than he could imagine, however he was able to block them out. Focused on the most important task, hiding his cargo. 

Altair was delivering the best and worst artifact into the heart of the hidden vault he had built in secret. He reached the end of the hall and entered a giant room with nothing but empty bookcases and cobwebs gathered for years.

This did not bother Altair. He knew this was not just a vault, but also his tomb. He continued on his quest until he reached the open shaft in the wall with a pedestal in it. Altair carefully set the apple on the pedestal and pressed a protruded block. The walls started to close onto the apple until it was no longer in sight. Just a wall with a symbol on it. The same symbol Altair had seen for his entire life.

Finally feeling satisfied, Altair walked away from the hidden door. He began walking, almost limping toward a chair, as he began feeling his strength fading. Altair sat down, he knew his time was ending. As Altair was finally settled, he removed a grey disc, glowing with yellow light. 

The disc glowed more and more brightly as Altair concentrated on the last few minutes that had passed. Eventually his eyes grew dim, and his vision started to fade.

At last my time has come. I am ready for the end. 

It was Altair Ibn-La’Ahad’s last thought in this world, then silence overtook him. However, it was not how he expected it. Altair began to feel an unknown source of heat covering his body. The sensation continued until his whole being was consumed with the warmth. This lasted for a moment until a voice pierced the ambient silence.

“Do not fear, for path you walk is not yet over.”

This caused Altair to snap open his eyes, revealing that he was not where he was originally. The area was nothingness. No structure, no land, no floor, just nothingness. This alone was terrifying for the late assassin. Everything seem to be just white with a hint of blue in the distance. 

Altair began to search the new environment for the origins of the voice, but it proved fruitless. There was simply nothing there. This confused Altair to no end. 

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“So many questions left unanswered.” The voice replied. It had a feminine tone to it this time, suggesting it was a woman. 

“I don’t understand, why am I here?” The assassin questioned. 

Then out of nowhere, a silhouette appeared, taking form until a face emerged. The face that the figure took shook Altair to his very core.

“Maria?  Is that you?” 

“No, I am merely a projection from your mind. This human form was chosen to make it easier for you to understand.”

“Understand what? None of this makes any sense.” Altair replied with the look of confusion on his face.

“You have questioned the existence of the afterlife. More than once you have made it clear of your concerns. This is your answer.” 

Altair stroked his long, grey beard and observed the area around the two. Unimpressed, the assassin gave the ghost a stare. He began walking around, trying to think of what was going on, but his thoughts keep circling around the idea of just listening to her. 

“What is it you mean? Is this heaven that so many have spoke of?” Altair was hoping for the question to be answered clearly, but it wasn’t, much to his dismay.

“This is just a pathway to the life you are about to lead.” The ghost then vanished from sight.

“Wait, I have so many questions!” It was pointless. No answer came. This left Altair even more confused. He had no idea what to do or what to say. A feeling of sadness began to emerge in his heart . Altair hadn’t seen Maria in over twenty nine years. The last time he had seen her was when she died in his arms in the Masyaf courtyard. Now an image of her appears and tells him he is going live another life, only to disappear from him, again.

An intense yellowish light began to slice through the dullness of Altair’s surroundings. Everything except the light began to fade to black. With curiosity and determination, the elder assassin began taking steps toward the source of the glow. Little by little, Altair began to pick up speed until he was at a brisk pace, now that the strength in his legs had returned.

As Altair began to close in on the light, the same sensation that he had felt was present again. The light started to intensify as the assassin came even closer. It wasn’t until he had finally reached the source of the light Altair could actually see what was the center of this. It was a sphere emitting all the light. 

Another Apple? No, this is different. 

Altair grasped the sphere with both hands, only to have what felt like prue power surge through his arms and spread throughout his body. The only thing Altair could feel then was pain. It was excruciating, nothing he had ever felt before. His vision blackened and he lost all control of himself as he collapsed on the ground.

*****************************************************************

Sunlight shined on Altair as he began regaining consciousness. With a minor headache, the confused assassin sat up, unable to recall the events after touching the artifact. Realizing that he was not in the same place as he was, Altair checked himself to make sure that everything was in order. He checked his robes, hood, even his blades. Everything was in order except for one thing. Something he had lost decades ago. His left ring finger was on his hand again. 

Stunned at this revelation, Altair began playing with it, making sure that it wasn’t an illusion. He flicked it, moved it, even poked it with his right wrist blade, it even bled. His finger was returned to him. This alone was even more of a mystery than anything else. The finger itself was taken as a promise of dedication and for a reward after death. A tradition he ended after the death of his mentor.

Altair didn’t ponder it for too long as he was looking around his environment. Dense bushes and thick trees surrounded the area as far as the eye could see. He hadn’t seen something like this before. The whole forest was colorful, and yet he felt unwelcome. The assassin made it a point to leave the area at once. 

Looking at the sun, he decided to head north and hoped for a settlement as he set off. The further Altair traveled, the more dense the forest became. Vines were covering everything, trees were more warped than ever, and the ground was littered with broken branches. 

After much time had passed, Altair finally come to the end of the forest and discovered civilization. He noticed that the town looked much like Masyaf. Simple building for housing. Continuing on the journey, he saw horses in the distance. It wasn’t until he became closer did Altair saw that they were not horses, but colorful ponies. He didn’t think much of it until he spotted something odd. 

A pink pony spotted him and bounced toward him.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I don’t remember seeing you here before, and I always remember everypony that comes through here!”

Shock overtook Altair as he processed what just happened.

Did a pink animal just talk to me? Oh no, where am I?