System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 108: Chapter 107: Aletheia

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Alaric took another drag from his cigar, composing himself before the ancient warrior. ”You never actually told me your name, misthios.”

Kassandra looked at him, the weariness still evident in her eyes, but the hostility was gone, replaced by a cautious curiosity as she sighed softly.

”Kassandra,” she replied simply. ”And yes, as you said... I am... was... a misthios of Sparta, a lifetime ago.”

Alaric nodded slowly, processing the confirmation. ”Sparta, aye?”

”If my history serves me correctly, Sparta ceased to function as a truly independent city-state... what, around 146 BC when the Romans took over Greece? So... roughly eighteen hundred and fifty-eight years ago?”

Kassandra raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised by his specific knowledge. ”Yes... that is... remarkably accurate. How did you...”

Alaric cut her off gently, pressing his point. ”Which means you have been around for at least that amount of time, likely even more, yes? Am I wrong?”

Kassandra stared at him for a long moment, then rolled her eyes dramatically, though without any real heat. ”That is a truly horrible way of saying I am old, Kenway.”

Alaric held up his hands quickly. ”Ah no, that’s not what I meant!” he backtracked, widening his eyes slightly. ”I meant... well, you’re practically immortal, sustained by the Staff. You have surpassed the normal essence of life and de-”

Kassandra cut him off again, holding up a hand. ”Alright, alright, I understand.”

She shifted slightly on the floor, looking more comfortable now, though still clearly drained. ”Tell me, Alaric Kenway... where are you from? You speak Greek, English... your knowledge seems... eclectic.”

Alaric realized she was deftly changing the subject away from her age and immortality. He sighed inwardly but chuckled outwardly. ”Yeah... I mean, sure. Fair enough.” He took a puff from his cigar. ”I was born in Swansea, Wales. My family moved to Bristol, England, about fourteen years ago.”

Kassandra raised an eyebrow again. ”Wales? England?” She processed the unfamiliar names. ”And how old are you, Alaric Kenway?”

”Nineteen,” Alaric replied honestly.

Kassandra’s eyes widened again, this time in genuine disbelief. She looked him up and down, then let out a short, incredulous laugh, which quickly turned into a grin. ”Nineteen? Nineteen? And you fight like... like that? How does a nineteen-year-old boy become so powerful?”

Alaric’s eye twitched slightly at being called ’boy’ by someone millennia older than him. He shrugged nonchalantly. ”I guess you could say I was just born this way.”

Kassandra raised both eyebrows this time. ”Born this way? So... you are a god? Or perhaps a demigod, like... like some I knew?”

Alaric met her stare silently for a few seconds, taking a slow drag from his cigar as he considered his answer. He looked around at the glowing Isu architecture, the impossible view through the window, then back at the immortal woman before him. ”Sure...”

”Let’s go with that. I mean, my parents are pure humans, as far as I know. But...” he shrugged again, ”...I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t really be killed. I’m... too strong for my own good, sometimes. It even gets...”

His eyes seemed to dull for a fraction of a second as a flicker of that rooftop loneliness passed through him. He forced a casual tone. ”Anyway, do you have more questions for this interview, Kassandra?”

Kassandra raised her eyebrows at his sudden shift but chuckled softly. ”Oh, I have many more questions for you, Alaric Kenway,” she replied, a spark of intrigue replacing some of the weariness in her eyes.

”But before we continue that...” She pushed herself up from the floor as her exhaustion finally went away. She walked over and picked up the Staff of Hermes laying nearby. Holding the glowing artifact firmly, she tapped its butt lightly on the floor.

Alaric raised an eyebrow questioningly.

”Touch it,” Kassandra instructed, holding the Staff out towards him slightly. ”Someone else wishes to speak with you.”

Alaric looked at the Staff, then at Kassandra’s expectant face. He took one last drag from his cigar, then casually flicked the butt away where it vanished into nothingness before hitting the floor.

He stood up from the mattress and walked over to Kassandra, stopping just a couple of feet away from her. He met her gaze, then looked down at the pulsating Staff. She nodded encouragingly.

Taking a breath, Alaric reached out and grasped the smooth, warm shaft of the Staff just above Kassandra’s hand. Instantly, the Isu energy surged, and a shimmering, translucent blue hologram flickered into existence beside them, coalescing into the form of a regal Isu woman.

Alaric smirked, recognizing the figure instantly.

”Nice to meet you, Aletheia...”

---

Silence was heavy in the Isu chamber after Alaric’s greeting. The hologram of Aletheia regarded him with an unreadable expression as her digital eyes were sharp and analytical. Kassandra stood beside him, watching the interaction intently.

A few seconds passed before Aletheia’s synthesized voice broke the silence. ”Who are you, Alaric Jonathan Kenway?”

Alaric simply smiled, removing his hand from the Staff. ”I believe I already introduced myself quite thoroughly to Kassandra here...”

”No,” Aletheia interrupted as her tone was unchanging. ”Your biological markers are consistent with baseline Homo sapiens. You possess the standard neuro-receptor profile we engineered. And yet...” Her holographic eyes seemed to narrow slightly.

Alaric cut her off with a chuckle. ”And yet, I’m this strong? This knowledgeable? Able to bypass your defenses?”

Silence again.

Alaric leaned back slightly, folding his arms. ”Don’t you think your civilization was, perhaps, a touch arrogant? Assuming you knew everything about the potential of the beings you uplifted?”

Aletheia took a few moments, seemingly analyzing both Alaric’s appearance and statement.

”Arrogance was indeed a failing of many Isu,” she conceded, surprisingly frank. ”But what are you implying?”

”Just because a human has these ’Neuro-receptors’ you implanted in our ancestors’ DNA, designed to make us susceptible to the Pieces of Eden and perhaps limit our potential,” Alaric said, his smile fading slightly, ”you think none of us could ever evolve beyond that? Become as strong, or even as smart, as you?”

”Based on millennia of observation and data,” Aletheia responded logically, ”it was deemed highly improbable. Especially concerning the higher cognitive functions, the capacity for abstract reasoning and complex technological understanding on our level. We believed humans, as designed, were incapable of reaching our level of intelligence independently.”

”Fair enough,” Alaric conceded with a nod. ”But how would you look at me then? Given... well, everything.”

”I perceive you as an outlier,” Aletheia stated, her voice still neutral. ”An anomaly. You possess the neuro-receptors of a human, yes, but your exhibited strength, agility, perception, and apparent knowledge... they do not conform to any known human parameters, hybrids or otherwise.”

Alaric shrugged. ”Well... maybe I’m just that then. An outlier.”

”However,” Aletheia pressed on, ignoring his acceptance, ”that classification does not answer the fundamental question of what you are, nor does it explain your purpose for being here, invading this facility.”

”Purpose?” Alaric repeated lightly. ”I’m just sightseeing, really. You could call me an explorer of sorts. This place...” he gestured around the vast chamber, ”is quite the sight.”

Kassandra scoffed softly beside him. ”Sightseeing? By punching your way through the entrance? Yeah, right...”

Alaric just chuckled, ignoring her skepticism.

Aletheia’s hologram seemed to focus more intently on him. ”How much do you truly know, Alaric Jonathan Kenway?”

Alaric shook his head. ”Just call me Alaric, please. Hearing my full name constantly from an ancient super-being is... weird. Besides,” he added with a playful smirk, ”you might get addicted to saying my name.”

Aletheia remained impassive for several seconds. ”My kind does not possess the capacity for emotional attachment based on frivolous inclination.”

Alaric scoffed openly this time. ”Right... just like you weren’t emotionally attached to, say, avenging your son’s unjust punishment and death at the hands of Odin?”

Aletheia’s holographic form flickered violently for a moment, her eyes widening in digital shock. Kassandra raised a questioning eyebrow, looking between the hologram and Alaric.

”H-How do you...” Aletheia stammered, her synthesized voice losing its composure for the first time.

”How do I know this stuff?” Alaric cut her off smoothly. ”Well... let’s just say I got hold of a certain golden Apple back in Rome recently. It... told me things.”

Aletheia’s form stabilized, but her digital eyes were wide with alarm and disbelief. ”An Apple? In Rome? How is this possible? Why did I not know of this? And Juno... what happened to Juno? What did you do with the Apple?”

Alaric paused, considering his next words carefully.

’Well... I can’t exactly say I sold it to my interdimensional game system, can I?’ he thought wryly. He decided on a partial truth, mixed with a necessary lie. ”Let’s just say Juno and I had a... disagreement,” he replied casually. ”As for the Apple... I kind of... destroyed it.”

Aletheia’s hologram flared again, this time radiating palpable fury. ”WHAT!? DESTROYED IT!? WHY WOULD YOU DESTROY SUCH A PRECIOUS, POWERFUL ARTIFACT!?”

”Why?” Alaric met her furious digital gaze calmly, and shrugged. ”Because I’d rather have Juno impaired and trapped in the Grand Temple where she belongs, rather than scheming her way out using a certain someone from the future.” He paused, letting that sink in before adding, ”Plus... the Apple isn’t needed to save the world from the next solar flare. I have... another way to prevent its radiation from harming Earth’s atmosphere.”

Aletheia seemed momentarily stunned into silence by his claims. Kassandra looked utterly bewildered at their conversation as this were all news to her.

Finally, Aletheia spoke, her voice tight with suspicion and confusion. ”You... you know of the Second Disaster? You know of Juno’s imprisonment? You claim you can avert the catastrophe? How? How do you know these things?”

”And that, Aletheia,” Alaric just smirked, reaching into his pocket and pulled out his cigar pack, ”is a question for another time.”

He calmly removed his hand from the Staff of Hermes, breaking the direct connection. He selected a cigar, put it between his lips, and lit it with his finger, taking a long, satisfying drag while Kassandra just stared at him, her expression had a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and perhaps grudging respect.

Alaric noticed her stare and turned his head towards her, exhaling a plume of smoke.

”...What?”

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