Bab 28: 28. Chapter Da Firenze
Note: Recap back to YSH Chapter 2 of the interaction between Omen and Mike in case you have forgotten.
Mike's POV
"Skkkk.... World, I'm meeting Professor Dumbledore there to discuss about the substance."
There was a long pause from Omen's end. I frowned because senses were telling that something was wrong.
"... Omen, did something happen?"
I briefly sensed confusion from her. But that was quickly masked over.
"Nope, just spaced out for a moment there. Well, see you after this. Good luck!"
"This is a bit late but good luck."
I replied back while feeling a bit bewildered.
What happened?
I recalled back my conversation with her on the phone. So far, nothing was amiss apart from the sudden static.
The static.
I slammed the table with my fist while standing up, jolting the stuff on it. Horror seized my frantic thoughts. There is only one person apart from Ravenna and me who have this ability.
Damon Windsor.
He was the only one among the two loyal followers of Dark Shadow who was capable of using time manipulation magic. Fortunately, I was familiar with the workings of it because Ravenna taught me during the time she was sleeping under her statue.
"I should have known!"
I growled as I snatched up my cloak from my seat. I needed to go to the YSH World. But Dice, which had predicted my next set of actions from my turbulent emotions, had stood in front of my door. He was blocking my way to the teleportation room.
I glared at it.
"Do you believe that I will break you apart? If you don't want that, then move!"
He fixated his gaze on me unflinchingly despite my threat.
"Master, you have things to do. Even though Miss is in danger, we cannot stop everything or all will be for naught."
Dice was right. If I put down everything and went after her, we won't achieve much because I can't defeat him. Damon was still too powerful for me. Me going there is the equivalent of a suicide. The fate of everything lies on us.
But... if I don't go, Omen might die. I couldn't do anything about Kagura's death but this time, I could…
I clenched my fists in frustration. I threw my cloak on the ground and turned around with a huff. I really wanted to break up the things in my room because until now, I still did not have the strength to protect my people... It was always not enough.
"She... will be fine with the egg with her." I reassured myself loudly while grabbing the back of the chair. I squeezed it until my knuckles turned white. "She will... come back with the letter…. Let's go… Dice."
My robot observed me for a moment before nodding softly. He picked up the fallen cloak on the ground and flew after me.
~~~~~
I activated the Guardian ring that was on the pointer finger of my right hand. It was a disguised interface that shows the personal information the Library has for every individual Guardian. The ring was a standardised simple silver band with a bead size leaf-shaped emerald in the middle.
A screen pops up in my vision with the reward message cheerfully greeting me like an old friend.
[Congratulations, Micheal Johnathan Evans for completing the task!
As a reward, we are exclusively disclosing this reward for you and only you! :D (Also, because this is a gift that the Creator has specially prepared for you.)
Therefore, to collect your gift, you must head into the World of Assassin Creed and collect from the great inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Do you accept this gift?
(Yes)/ (No)]
The Leonardo Da Vinci in the Assassin Creed World lives in Florence, France and was a close friend and ally of Ezio Auditore.
Now, Dice and I have come to 1478 Florence and were heading towards his workshop.
Leo was actually one of the Library's friends. He had offered to make some of our weapons and even repair them so long as he could do a bit of research and tinkering on them. The Creator agreed and that become a lifelong partnership between the Creator and him.
Only 3rd rank Guardians have the opportunity to meet him and the others who helped repair our weapons because we often have an influx of Guardians meeting them. That would obviously overwhelm them. For the other rank Guardians, we have our own blacksmiths to maintain and do some preliminary upgrades to their weapons but ultimately, many prefers the characters in the other Worlds to do it because their upgrades always bring a certain amount of surprise and unexpectedness.
I had met Leo several times before the Library was attacked to service my bow and he wasn't that bad.
Yet, he never mentioned about a gift from the Creator. Not even a hint of it.
What was so special about the gift that he never mentioned it?
…
Or did he forget about it?
It was possible but I wouldn't know the truth until I see him in person.
As I navigated my way through the throngs of people, I sighted him talking to a young man who was helping his mother carry boxes of paintings. The place was at the Palazzo Auditore. It seemed like the young man and the mother were Ezio and Maria Auditore.
"Leo!"
He turned his head and spotted me. Then, he gave me the wildest grin he had.
"Micheal!" He gave me a brotherly pat on the back when I reached him. "It's good to see you again."
"It's been a long time, Leo."
"Care to introduce your friend, Leonardo?" The mother of the young man kindly smiled.
"Yes, this is Micheal Evans. A friend from an association that I helped occasionally."
He then faced me while introducing the duo.
"And this lovely lady here is Madonna Maria Auditore and her son, Ezio Auditore."
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. "
I flashed them a quick but polite smile. My mood from the Library was clearly putting a damper on my expression. Sensing my reluctance to speak, the pair of mother and son gave a nod of greeting.
"Now that the paintings are dropped off, Madonna Maria, I will be off." He turned towards Ezio. "It was nice to meet you, Ezio. I hope our paths cross again."
"Anch'io. (Me too)"
We waved the Auditore family goodbye. Leonardo then guided me back to his workshop.
"I see you made a friend."
"It's always good to have more friends than enemies, Micheal." He patted himself off the dust. "So, what do you need me for?"
"I believe there's a gift left for me. Ravenna probably left it to you for safekeeping."
Leo widened his eyes before slapping his right hand to his forehead.
"Ah! With all these ideas and works, I had forgotten to pass it to you. It's right at my workshop."
I couldn't believe that he had really forgotten about it. But he was always busy and he had countless things to do. So, it was not a wonder he would forget something.
"Do you know what it is?"
"I will tell you when I pass it to you."
He winked at me. I gave a wry smile in return.
"How's the Library?"
"About that, I will tell when you pass me the gift."
I chuckled at him when we were nearing his workshop.
"Alright, alright. Here you go."
He laughed heartily when he passed me a palm-sized box that was sitting haphazardly on a mountain-like pile of artworks and sketches of ideas of his inventions on his work desk.
When I opened the box with much anticipation, a pocket watch met my eyes.
I recognised it immediately.
It was the one hanging from the hand of Ravenna's statue but disappeared along with her after the attack. The cover of the watch was elaborately carved with the images of fire and water harmoniously blended together like the symbol Ying and Yang. As I clicked it opened from the box, the clock face has its numbers written in the faded black Roman numerals. The minute hand was ticking. I flipped it closed and stared at the carved image again.
I had not expected her to give me her most cherished possession. Often, during the sleepless nights I had because of my awakening memories, she would tell me about her watch. How she obtained it as a token of love from her lover, how it meant that love can be endless in the face of time and how it became an asset to her to manipulate time when she became the first Guardian.
"It reminds you of your Creator, Ravenna, isn't it?"
I nodded in agreement.
"This... is hers, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is."
He took a step forward while his hand gestured for me to pass it to him. Carefully, I placed it on his palm. His eager eyes twinkled as he began to show the mechanisms of it.
"Watch carefully."
Leo pressed the top button firmly. There was a fluctuation in the air and then... it felt like nothing happened. He grinned cheekily.
"Look outside, Micheal."
The throngs of people who were like a rushing river in the streets were frozen in place. The hollers from the nearby marketplace have dimmed down. Even the flies in the air were frozen mid-flight and I could move them away.
"They are not exactly frozen in time. But they are slowed down so much that they are moving very slowly."
He pressed the button again and everyone resumed their usual activities. No one had noticed they were stopped in time.
"To us, they are frozen in time... or just moving very slowly. To them, we will look like we had suddenly disappeared on the spot and reappeared on another spot."
"Amazing." I mumbled.
"This pocket watch is a splendid invention from Ravenna. I can find no flaws in it but I replaced some of the parts so that it will run smoothly for you. Here you go, Micheal."
"When did she pass this to you?" I inquired while taking the watch back from Leo.
"Not too long ago,"
"What?!"
"But you won't catch her now." He grabbed my arm when he saw me trying to take off. "No use trying to catch that mademoiselle. She is faster than any of us when she wants to."
"But she is dead! The Library has fallen, Leo, and she was killed by Astorath."
He rose an eyebrow.
"Seems pretty fine to me."
He walked back to his work desk to pick up some of his art works that were strewn all over the floor. He stopped before running towards me with a look of incredulity.
"Did I hear it right? The Library has fallen?"
"Yes."
Leonardo Da Vinci, the great inventor and painter, had to take two steps back before he collapsed onto a waiting chair. He wiped his brows. His face, shock by the sudden alarming news I had brought to him, had turned pale.
"Mon dieu! (My goodness!) Tell me what happened."
I grabbed a seat before settled myself. I recounted the details of how the Library had fallen; from the moment in time when Omen and I realised the Library was attacked and to the moment when she witnessed Astorath taking Ravenna's life in the Library. Leonardo slumped back in his chair, his mind whirling from the information. He had a daze look.
"But she was right here in the living flesh passing me her watch!"
I knitted my eyebrows together. I thought hard about it.
"Maybe… she used the pocket watch to come back here."
"Then that would mean..."
"She is not dead. And the question is..."
Leo looked at me with a confused look.
"… Where did she go after she gave you her pocket watch?"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone