Deep beneath the hidden forest...
Morning sunlight filtered through the opening above the underground basin, casting shimmering rays across the tranquil lake.
Li Xuan floated helplessly on the water's surface.
Her arms spread awkwardly.
Her legs kicked every so often in panic whenever she felt herself sink even slightly.
"...Mother..."
She let out a pitiful groan.
"How much longer do I have to do this?"
Xuanyuan Yufeng sat cross-legged on a nearby rock with her feet dangling above the water.
Her eyes never left the girl.
"Until you become comfortable with the water."
She answered calmly.
"You're eighteen years old, Xuan'er."
"And you still don't know how to swim."
Li Xuan puffed out her cheeks.
"Kuuu..."
"I've never had the chance..."
She looked miserably at the seemingly endless underground lake.
"I grew up serving inside Heavenly Sword Villa."
"The deepest water I ever entered was a bath..."
Yufeng sighed inwardly.
"...Fair enough."
She couldn't exactly blame the girl.
Still...
If Li Xuan was to become an Assassin...
Fear of water could one day cost her life.
"You'll remain there."
"Learn to float."
"When your body stops panicking..."
"We'll move on to swimming."
Li Xuan groaned dramatically.
"...Yes, Mother..."
She continued floating awkwardly.
Every few moments she tilted too far.
Splashing frantically before regaining balance.
Yufeng quietly watched.
Remaining close enough to save her should she suddenly sink.
Her thoughts, however...
Were elsewhere.
Last night's meditation had yielded far more than she had expected.
She had ventured deeper into Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad's memories.
Not merely watching them...
But living them.
Feeling them.
Thinking as he thought.
She experienced the arrogance of his youth.
The unwavering confidence.
The pride of being Masyaf's youngest Master Assassin.
She relived the disastrous expedition beneath Solomon's Temple.
Altaïr's reckless decisions.
Ignoring orders.
Endangering his brothers.
Bringing disaster back to Masyaf.
She witnessed the Templar assault.
The burning fortress.
The deaths of countless Assassins.
The overwhelming guilt.
Then...
Al Mualim.
The Mentor she had gradually come to admire.
The man who stripped Altaïr of his rank.
Reduced him from Master Assassin...
Back to a mere novice.
Forced him to reclaim every rank he had once possessed.
One target.
One lesson.
One step at a time.
At first...
She had respected Al Mualim.
His teachings.
His wisdom.
His discipline.
Each assassination seemed to transform Altaïr.
He became calmer.
More patient.
More willing to understand his enemies before passing judgment.
Each target revealed another piece of a greater conspiracy.
Each death taught him another lesson.
Yufeng herself had learned alongside him.
Gather information.
Observe.
Understand.
Only then...
Strike.
It perfectly aligned with the Creed.
Then...
The memories reached their final chapters.
Everything she had believed...
Collapsed.
The nine assassinations...
Had never truly been about justice.
They had merely been obstacles.
The nine Templar leaders had each possessed influence necessary for controlling the Holy Land once the mysterious artifact from Solomon's Temple fell into the wrong hands.
Altaïr had unknowingly removed every rival standing between Al Mualim...
And absolute power.
She remembered returning to Masyaf.
The mountain fortress had changed.
The people.
The Assassins.
Even innocent villagers...
They wandered with vacant expressions.
Their eyes lifeless.
Their movements mechanical.
Like puppets.
No.
Like slaves.
There was no laughter.
No conversation.
No choice.
Only obedience.
Altaïr had looked upon them in horror.
This wasn't peace.
This wasn't freedom.
It was absolute control.
He had been forced to draw his Hidden Blade against his own brothers.
Against the very Assassins he had trained beside.
Not because they betrayed him...
But because their minds no longer belonged to themselves.
They were victims.
Controlled by Al Mualim through the golden artifact recovered from Solomon's Temple.
She remembered confronting him.
His calm smile.
His unwavering certainty.
His belief that humanity's greatest flaw...
Was free will.
"Men are weak."
"Remove choice..."
"Remove conflict."
"Then true peace can exist."
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes.
"...No."
She whispered to herself.
"That isn't peace..."
"It is slavery."
She could still picture the artifact perfectly.
A flawless...
Golden sphere.
Its surface covered with intricate markings.
It floated effortlessly.
Projecting brilliant rays of light.
A beautiful object.
One capable of enslaving entire cities.
Her expression slowly became solemn.
"...An Apple of Eden..."
Although she didn't know its true name...
The image had burned itself into her mind.
Could such a relic exist...
Here...
On the Profound Sky Continent?
Her fingers unconsciously tightened.
If an artifact capable of controlling ordinary humans existed...
Could it also dominate cultivators?
Sect Masters?
Sacred Grounds?
Entire kingdoms?
Her thoughts immediately drifted toward one person.
Yun Che.
The mysterious young man whose techniques resembled those of a Master Assassin.
Whose strange knowledge seemed centuries beyond this world.
If anyone knew the truth...
It would be him.
Not far away...
Li Xuan suddenly splashed wildly.
"Mother!"
"I'm sinking!"
Yufeng blinked before immediately stepping onto the surface of the lake.
With one graceful movement...
She reached her daughter and effortlessly lifted her back into a floating position.
"...Relax."
She said gently.
"The water is holding you."
"You only sink because you're fighting it."
Li Xuan looked up at her pitifully.
"...Can we return to jumping off cliffs instead?"
For the first time that morning...
Yufeng smiled.
"...No."
"Today..."
"...you're going to make friends with the water."
Once Li Xuan had finally settled into a steady float, Xuanyuan Yufeng returned to the flat stone overlooking the underground lake.
Her attention drifted inward once again.
She closed her eyes.
The memories resumed where they had ended.
...
Altaïr hurried back to Masyaf.
What greeted him was no longer the proud mountain fortress of the Brotherhood.
The streets were eerily silent.
Men and women wandered aimlessly with vacant expressions.
Assassins stood motionless where they had once trained.
Villagers stared into nothingness.
Not one of them questioned his arrival.
Not one greeted him.
Their minds...
Had already become someone else's.
Only a handful of Assassins remained untouched.
Malik was among them—the man she had once met beneath Solomon's Temple, now overseeing the Assassin hideout.
The rest...
Were puppets.
Even so, that man still chose to help him, despite the fact that it had been Altaïr's own arrogance that cost him his arm.
Altaïr drew his sword.
There was no hatred in his heart.
Only sorrow.
One after another...
His brothers attacked him under Al Mualim's command.
Forced to fight against their own will.
Each strike felt heavier than the last.
Each body that fell reminded him of the price of blind obedience.
Eventually...
He reached the fortress gardens.
Above him...
Standing calmly upon the balcony...
Was Al Mualim.
The Mentor.
The man Altaïr had once admired above all others.
Without warning...
The golden artifact floated into the air.
Light spread across the garden.
Altaïr suddenly found himself unable to move.
His body froze completely.
Invisible chains restrained every muscle.
Al Mualim looked down upon him.
"So..."
"You've come."
Altaïr struggled against the unseen force.
"...Why?"
"Why have you done this?"
Al Mualim sighed.
"You still seek reasons."
"You still believe truth exists."
The Piece of Eden shone brilliantly.
Nine figures suddenly materialized around Altaïr.
Tamir.
Garnier.
Talal.
Abu'l Nuquod.
William.
Majd Addin.
Sibrand.
Jubair.
Robert de Sablé.
Every target Altaïr had painstakingly hunted...
Now stood before him once again.
Illusions.
Yet...
Perfect in every detail.
Without hesitation...
They attacked.
Nine against one.
Steel clashed across the garden.
Yet Altaïr remained calm.
His body flowed exactly as Yufeng herself had experienced countless times during the memory.
A single step.
A precise deflection.
The Hidden Blade flashed.
One illusion vanished.
Then another.
Then another.
One by one...
The false enemies disappeared until only Altaïr remained standing.
The Piece of Eden glowed again.
Invisible restraints wrapped around him once more.
Then...
Al Mualim smiled.
This time...
Dozens of identical copies of himself appeared throughout the garden.
Every direction held another Mentor.
Every voice echoed simultaneously.
"You cannot know which is real."
"But Altaïr..."
"...did."
Yufeng watched through his eyes.
There...
One figure breathed.
The others merely mimicked life.
Another clash erupted.
Illusion after illusion vanished beneath Altaïr's blade.
Until...
Only the true Al Mualim remained.
Again...
The artifact froze Altaïr where he stood.
This time...
The Mentor finally revealed everything.
He had desired exactly what Robert de Sablé had sought.
The Piece of Eden.
Absolute authority.
Absolute control.
The nine Templars had merely been obstacles.
Altaïr himself...
Had unknowingly removed every rival standing in his Mentor's path.
Altaïr looked at him in disbelief.
"...Then why leave my mind untouched?"
Al Mualim smiled.
"Because..."
"You are Altaïr."
"Your skill..."
"Your instincts..."
"Your will..."
"They cannot be separated."
"Take away your mind..."
"And I lose the Assassin I require."
"I tried."
"I failed."
"You alone..."
"...could always see through the illusion."
Yufeng slowly frowned.
"...See through..."
The memory continued.
Al Mualim raised the Piece of Eden.
"This artifact..."
"...is responsible for every miracle."
"Every legend."
"Every god."
"They are all..."
"...illusions."
Altaïr shook his head.
"So your peace..."
"...is another illusion."
Al Mualim simply smiled.
"And how is that different?"
"Men slaughter each other over invisible gods."
"They obey kings."
"They obey priests."
"They obey scripture."
"They never truly choose."
"I merely offer..."
"...a better illusion."
"One without war."
Altaïr answered quietly.
"At least..."
"...they choose to believe."
Al Mualim laughed.
"No."
"They are taught."
"They are conditioned."
"They obey."
"Choice..."
"...is the greatest illusion of all."
Yufeng felt herself shiver.
She understood his reasoning.
Perfectly.
That...
Was precisely why it terrified her.
A world without war.
Without crime.
Without betrayal.
It sounded beautiful.
Until one realized...
No one would remain themselves.
Without choice...
There could be no virtue.
Without freedom...
There could be no humanity.
Altaïr finally lowered his blade.
"...It still isn't right."
Al Mualim sighed.
"Then..."
"...you've abandoned reason."
"And embraced emotion."
The final duel began.
Steel rang throughout the gardens.
The student against the teacher.
Altaïr attacked relentlessly.
Yet Al Mualim met every strike effortlessly.
Again and again...
The Piece of Eden flashed.
The Mentor vanished.
Appeared elsewhere.
Teleported across the battlefield.
Illusions.
Mirages.
False attacks.
False openings.
Every trick the artifact could produce...
It unleashed.
Yet Altaïr possessed one gift the Apple could never deceive.
His extraordinary perception.
His ability to distinguish truth from illusion.
Step by step...
Strike by strike...
He pierced every deception.
Finally...
His Hidden Blade found its mark.
Al Mualim staggered.
The Piece of Eden slipped from his grasp.
Mortally wounded...
The old Mentor looked toward Altaïr.
"You cannot destroy it."
"It alone..."
"...can bring peace."
Altaïr silently approached the floating artifact.
The golden sphere hovered before him.
He reached out.
His fingers closed around it.
Then...
He stopped.
He couldn't destroy it.
Not because he agreed with Al Mualim.
But because...
Even after witnessing every horror it had caused...
The artifact itself had done nothing.
It possessed no will.
Only power.
Power reflected the heart of its wielder.
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes.
Her breathing had unconsciously become heavier.
"...The Apple..."
She whispered.
"It doesn't create monsters..."
"It merely places limitless authority..."
"...into the hands of one."
Her gaze drifted across the peaceful underground lake where Li Xuan continued learning to float.
If such an artifact truly existed on the Profound Sky Continent...
One ambitious Sacred Ground...
One tyrannical emperor...
One corrupted cultivator...
Could enslave an entire continent.
The thought alone sent a chill through her heart.
Perhaps...
She wasn't the only Assassin reborn into this world.
Perhaps...
The greatest enemy of the Brotherhood...
Had already arrived as well.
The memories did not end with Al Mualim's death.
Yufeng continued to witness Altaïr's life unfold.
She watched as he silently lifted his former Mentor's body.
Although cremation was considered taboo among the Levantine Brotherhood and forbidden by the customs of the land...
Altaïr built a funeral pyre.
Then...
He set it ablaze.
At first, Yufeng questioned his decision.
Only moments later did she understand.
The Piece of Eden specialized in illusion.
Until the body turned to ash...
Altaïr refused to believe Al Mualim had truly died.
He would not allow himself to be deceived one final time.
Only after the flames consumed the corpse...
Did he finally lower his guard.
"...Always verify."
Yufeng quietly murmured.
"...Never trust appearances."
Another lesson engraved itself into her mind.
The Brotherhood accepted Altaïr as the new Mentor...
Officially.
Unofficially...
Many did not.
Rumors spread throughout Masyaf.
Some believed Altaïr had murdered Al Mualim out of ambition.
Others refused to believe the old Mentor had betrayed the Creed.
The fortress became divided.
Among those unable to accept the truth...
One name stood above the rest.
Abbas.
A fellow Assassin.
A man who had once trained beside Altaïr.
Unlike Malik...
Who eventually accepted the truth despite everything he had endured...
Abbas allowed hatred against Altair and his family to cloud his judgment.
Eventually...
He attempted to wield the Apple of Eden himself.
The memory lingered upon that moment.
His eyes widened.
His breathing became erratic.
The Apple shone brilliantly.
Then...
His expression slowly twisted.
Not with wisdom.
But obsession.
The artifact had not accepted him.
His mind simply lacked the strength to bear its influence.
Yufeng frowned.
"...So that is why..."
Only Altaïr could truly wield the Apple.
Not because he possessed greater cultivation.
Nor greater physical strength.
But because his mind had been tempered.
Disciplined.
Able to distinguish illusion from truth.
The Apple amplified what already existed within its bearer.
Those with weak convictions...
Were consumed.
Altaïr...
Endured.
Years passed within the memories.
Masyaf slowly recovered.
Altaïr devoted himself to rebuilding the Brotherhood.
Not merely restoring what had been lost...
But improving everything.
For the next few days, Yufeng continued exploring Altaïr's memories.
Not merely the famous events surrounding the nine assassinations and Al Mualim's betrayal.
She went further back.
Much further.
Some memories belonged to a younger Altaïr, before the events that would eventually reshape the Brotherhood.
One particular sequence caught her attention.
Aleppo
The memory opened with Altaïr arriving in a city under siege.
Aleppo.
Smoke filled the sky.
Templar forces were attacking the city, searching for someone under the orders of their Grand Master, Lord Basilisk.
Altaïr found a dying Assassin who warned him of the attack.
The man handed him a sword.
Then Altaïr entered the battle.
Yufeng watched silently as he fought through the streets.
His movements were already impressive.
But this was an earlier Altaïr.
Not yet the legendary Mentor whose memories she had studied.
There was still arrogance in him.
Still recklessness.
Still the young Assassin who believed his skill could solve everything.
Eventually, Altaïr returned to Masyaf.
Al Mualim gave him another mission.
Find the Chalice.
According to the Brotherhood, the Chalice was an artifact capable of uniting the factions of the Crusade and potentially deciding the entire conflict.
But such power was too dangerous.
If the wrong hands obtained it, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Therefore...
It had to be destroyed.
Yufeng frowned.
"Another Piece of Eden?"
She continued watching.
Altaïr traveled to Damascus.
There, his fellow Assassin Rafik told him that the Chalice was supposedly hidden within the Temple of the Sand.
But entering the temple required three keys.
The first was held by a mysterious circus dancer and mystic named Fajera.
Altaïr found her.
Defeated her.
Obtained the first key.
Then came Tyre.
The second key belonged to Roland Napule, the head of a hospital.
The man had become twisted.
Altaïr assassinated him and claimed the second key.
The third key was in Jerusalem.
And it belonged to Lord Basilisk.
Yufeng watched Altaïr infiltrate a party hosted by the king.
He found Basilisk.
Confronted him.
Defeated him.
And took the third key.
But Basilisk escaped.
Then everything became more complicated.
The Templars attacked an Assassin agent named Hazad.
They stole his map to the Temple of the Sand.
Altaïr tracked them to their tower.
There, he confronted their leader.
The man was known simply as the Master.
Altaïr killed him and recovered the map.
Finally...
The Temple.
Altaïr entered.
Yufeng leaned closer.
He opened the chest.
Empty.
"...What?"
Altaïr suddenly found himself facing Basilisk again.
The Templar Grand Master smiled.
Then revealed the truth.
The Chalice wasn't an artifact.
It was a woman.
Her name was Adha.
Yufeng's expression changed.
"A woman?"
She continued watching.
Altaïr pursued Basilisk to Tyre.
After gaining access to the Templar stronghold, he defeated him again.
This time Basilisk surrendered information in exchange for his life.
The Chalice had been taken to Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Templars were preparing to poison Acre's water supply.
Altaïr immediately moved.
He stopped the poisoning.
Then traveled to Jerusalem.
There...
He found Adha.
And recognized her.
She wasn't merely the Chalice.
She was someone Altaïr had known before.
Someone he had feelings for.
Yufeng's expression softened.
"So this wasn't simply a mission."
Adha revealed something far worse.
Harash.
The second-in-command of the Assassin Brotherhood.
He had betrayed them.
The Templars had paid him to help attack the Assassin fortress in Aleppo.
Altaïr returned immediately.
He stopped the attack.
And assassinated Harash.
But while Altaïr was away...
The Templars recaptured Adha.
Yufeng's expression darkened.
She already knew how this would end.
Altaïr pursued Basilisk one final time.
The confrontation took place aboard a ship in Tyre.
This time...
Basilisk died.
But the Templars escaped with Adha aboard another vessel.
Altaïr stood at the shoreline.
Watching the ship disappear beyond the horizon.
Yufeng watched his face.
There was no arrogance now.
No pride.
Only determination.
Altaïr stared toward the distant sea.
He had failed to save her.
But he had not given up.
He vowed to find Adha.
Yufeng slowly exhaled.
"...So even before Al Mualim's betrayal..."
She looked at the fading memory.
"...you were already carrying this burden."
She understood something now.
The Assassin she had seen in later memories wasn't created in a single moment.
Altaïr had been shaped by every failure.
Every assassination.
Every betrayal.
Every person he couldn't save.
Every mistake he had made.
==================
Yufeng remained inside the memories.
She watched Altaïr pursue the Templar ship across the Mediterranean.
Day after day.
Night after night.
He chased the vessel until there was almost no distance left between them.
But he was too late.
When Altaïr finally reached Adha...
She was already dead.
Yufeng watched him kneel beside her lifeless body.
The Assassin who had once moved with absolute confidence suddenly looked utterly broken.
He gathered Adha into his arms.
No words.
No victory.
No satisfaction from completing a mission.
Only grief.
Yufeng quietly lowered her gaze.
"...So this was the wound."
Adha's death became the turning point of Altaïr's life.
The grief became anger.
The anger became obsession.
And the obsession became revenge.
For the next year and more, Altaïr hunted everyone connected to Adha's death.
Every Crusader.
Every Templar.
Every man who had participated in her murder.
He hunted them relentlessly.
One after another.
Until eventually...
There was no one left.
Every person connected to Adha's death was dead.
Yet when Altaïr finally returned to the Brotherhood...
There was no relief.
No satisfaction.
No peace.
Only emptiness.
Yufeng watched the younger Altaïr sitting alone.
His eyes were hollow.
His hands had killed everyone responsible.
And still...
Adha was dead.
"...Revenge didn't bring her back."
Yufeng understood that feeling.
Not personally.
Not yet.
But she understood the danger.
A person could become so obsessed with making another suffer that they forgot what they were supposed to protect.
Altaïr had begun abandoning the Three Tenets.
The Creed that once restrained his actions became something he increasingly ignored.
His grief had transformed him.
His anger had consumed his judgment.
Eventually...
He was demoted.
The great Assassin who would one day become Mentor had once been a broken young man who couldn't control his own hatred.
Yufeng continued watching.
Then came Maria.
Their relationship was complicated.
Slowly, Altaïr began recovering.
He found someone who could see beyond the Assassin.
Beyond the Mentor.
Beyond the weapon.
For a time...
He found peace.
A family.
A life beyond bloodshed.
But another obsession remained.
The Apple.
The Piece of Eden.
Altaïr studied it for years.
And the more he learned...
The more fascinated he became.
Yufeng watched him experiment with it.
Study its mechanisms.
Test its abilities.
Record everything.
He learned how to use it more efficiently.
How to resist its influence.
How to understand its visions.
How to distinguish illusion from reality.
Eventually, the Apple became almost an extension of his own intellect.
Yufeng's eyes widened.
"So that's how you learned so much..."
The memories continued.
Altaïr's knowledge spread.
He began teaching other Assassins.
Developing new techniques.
Refining the Brotherhood.
Then...
The memories became darker again.
Maria was killed.
Abbas was responsible.
Altaïr's grief returned.
But this time...
He had something he hadn't possessed when Adha died.
Experience.
Wisdom.
And a son.
He refused to allow his son to inherit the same hatred.
Altaïr fled Masyaf with his son.
Yufeng watched the two disappear into the distance.
"...He learned."
The Assassin who had once been consumed by revenge had eventually understood that revenge could destroy everything around him.
Years passed.
Altaïr continued studying the Apple.
His mastery grew.
His inventions grew.
His understanding of the Brotherhood grew.
He created.
He taught.
He fought.
He watched generations of Assassins rise.
Yufeng watched Altaïr return to Masyaf after years of self-imposed exile, living quietly as a merchant.
The old Assassin was still capable of fighting.
Even age had not taken away his skill.
He returned and passed judgment upon Abbas. The Assassins rallied behind Altaïr, while the remaining loyalists of Abbas resisted and were swiftly dealt with.
A hidden gun ended more than one confrontation.
The memory made her let out a quiet laugh.
Still, she came to understand the truth behind Abbas and Altaïr's conflict.
In the end, Altaïr reclaimed the mantle of Mentor and led the Brotherhood once more.
And eventually...
His influence reached another land.
Italy.
The memories showed him training Assassins who would go on to establish a new Brotherhood there.
The foundation of Italian Assassins.
Yufeng watched carefully, noting how Altaïr adapted the Creed to different cultures, different environments, and different enemies.
The Brotherhood was never meant to remain frozen in time.
It evolved.
Later, Mongol forces attacked Masyaf.
Altaïr fought alongside his Brotherhood, wielding the Apple of Eden against the invaders.
The assault was repelled, but Altaïr understood that it was only a matter of time before they returned.
And so he made his final preparations.
The Mongols viewed knowledge as a curse, and sought to destroy its sources wherever they found them.
To preserve what he had learned, Altaïr entrusted his Codex and books from Masyaf libraty to the Italian Assassins, while passing the remaining books to his son.
He ensured that nothing essential would be lost.
Eventually...
He sent his son away.
Alone.
He returned beneath Masyaf.
To the vault.
The Apple was sealed away.
The artifact that had followed him for most of his life was finally placed somewhere no ordinary Assassin could reach.
Altaïr knew the danger.
He had seen what happened when people became obsessed with it.
He had experienced its power.
He had nearly been consumed by it himself.
So he locked it away.
Then...
He sat down.
Yufeng watched in silence.
The old Mentor remained alone in the vault.
No dramatic battle.
No grand enemy.
No final assassination.
Only an old man sitting beside the legacy of his life.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad...
The Assassin who had begun as an arrogant young man.
Who lost Adha.
Who became consumed by revenge.
Who betrayed the principles he once swore to uphold.
Who eventually regained himself.
Who loved.
Who lost again.
Who raised a son.
Who built a Brotherhood.
Who created weapons.
Who studied the Apple.
Who fought enemies across generations.
Who ultimately chose to seal away the greatest artifact he possessed.
And finally...
He died peacefully.
Entombed within his empty library.
====================
Yufeng remained silent for a long time.
The memory faded.
The room around her slowly returned.
She opened her eyes.
"...I watched your entire life."
It suddenly felt heavier than before.
She had originally thought she had inherited the techniques of a legendary Assassin.
But now she understood.
She had inherited something much more complicated.
His failures.
His mistakes.
His wisdom.
His inventions.
His Creed.
His understanding of freedom.
And most importantly...
His ability to change.
"Altaïr..."
She whispered.
"You weren't born a Mentor."
"You became one."
Her fingers tightened around the book.
"Then perhaps..."
She looked toward the room where Li Xuan was sleeping.
"...I can become one too."
Not by copying him.
Not by recreating the Brotherhood exactly as it existed in his world.
But by learning from his life.
Taking what belonged in this world.
Discarding what did not.
And building something new.
A Brotherhood of the Profound Sky Continent.
One that would not blindly worship its founder.
One that would not become another Sacred Ground.
One that would never mistake control for peace.
"...I'll do better."
And for the first time since she had begun exploring Altaïr's memories...
She understood why the Creed mattered.
==================
Through the memories, she understood one thing.
The Apple of Eden became less a weapon...
And more a source of knowledge.
Yufeng watched countless nights spent studying beneath candlelight.
Designing.
Experimenting.
Inventing.
The Hidden Blade evolved.
A second Hidden Blade appeared.
No longer would an Assassin sacrifice a finger merely to wield it.
New locking mechanisms.
Safer deployment systems.
More reliable construction.
Then came another invention.
The Hidden Gun.
A compact firearm concealed beneath the Hidden Blade itself.
Perfect for eliminating distant targets without revealing its existence.
Like the one she created.
Poison Blades.
Poison Darts.
Smoke Bombs.
Improved throwing knives.
Even devices that allowed an Assassin to descend safely from impossible heights.
Each invention found its way into a growing collection of writings.
The Codex.
Page after page.
Drawing after drawing.
Philosophy.
Engineering.
Combat.
Medicine.
Stealth.
Leadership.
Everything Altaïr had learned throughout his life.
Yufeng slowly smiled.
Without realizing it...
She had already begun recreating each page.
Her photographic memory faithfully reproduced every diagram.
Every annotation.
Every mechanism.
Every principle.
The Codex was taking shape once more.
Not upon ancient parchment...
But within her own hands.
She looked toward the stack of scrolls she had already completed over the past several days while exploring the memories and training Li Xuan.
Now, those scrolls had been carefully compiled into a single bound manuscript, its pages neatly aligned despite the absence of a rigid cover.
Only the emblem of the Assassins was drawn upon the front, simple yet unmistakable.
"...This..."
She whispered.
"...will become our greatest treasure."
Not a profound manual.
Not a divine cultivation scripture.
But something entirely different.
A guide.
A philosophy.
A way of life as Assassins.
It would teach future Assassins not only how to fight...
But how to think.
How to observe.
How to survive.
How to remain unseen.
Her eyes slowly drifted to ward Li Xuan, who was finally floating comfortably across the underground lake without panicking.
The timid servant girl.
Her very first student.
Perhaps...
The first Initiate of a new Brotherhood of Assassins.
Yufeng's gaze gradually lifted beyond the cavern ceiling.
Toward the distant world above.
She no longer dreamed of becoming the strongest cultivator.
Nor reclaiming her former status within the Sacred Ground.
A far greater ambition had taken root.
One Brotherhood.
Hidden within the shadows.
Its members scattered throughout every kingdom.
Invisible.
Silent.
Each one an elite cultivator.
Monarchs.
Tyrants.
Emperors.
Not ruling kingdoms...
But safeguarding them from the darkness history failed to remember.
Assassins who mastered flight through profound energy.
Who combined cultivation with stealth.
Who could eliminate tyrants before wars ever began.
Who upheld the Creed rather than seeking power.
Yufeng slowly closed the completed Codex.
A faint smile appeared upon her lips.
"...Then..."
"...let this continent witness the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Assassins."
Yufeng gently ran her fingers across the cover of the newly completed Codex.
The Assassin insignia stared back at her.
Simple.
Unassuming.
Yet it represented centuries of accumulated knowledge from another world.
She slowly closed the manuscript.
"...No."
She quietly corrected herself.
"Not exactly."
This would never be Altaïr's Brotherhood.
Nor should it be.
She had inherited his memories...
His skills...
His experience...
But she was not Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad.
She was Xuanyuan Yufeng.
A cultivator of the Profound Sky Continent.
A mother.
And perhaps...
The future Mentor of an entirely new Brotherhood.
She reflected upon the Creed once more.
Stay your blade from the innocent.
She smiled.
That teaching required no change.
It belonged to every righteous assassin, regardless of the world they lived in.
Hide in Plain Sight.
Again...
She agreed.
The Brotherhood could never become a public sect.
The moment the world discovered such an organization...
Every Sacred Ground...
Every powerful sect...
Every empire...
Would either attempt to control them...
Or eradicate them.
The Codex alone was enough to drive countless factions into madness.
Hidden Blades.
Hidden Guns.
Poison Darts.
Smoke Bombs.
Stealth techniques.
Aerial assassinations.
Counter techniques.
Combined with profound cultivation...
Such knowledge would terrify the established powers.
She slowly nodded.
"...The Brotherhood must remain in the shadows."
Unknown.
Unseen.
Its members could walk openly through the marketplace.
Sit beside kings.
Stand within sects.
Serve as guards.
Travel as merchants.
Yet no one...
Would ever know they belonged to the same Order.
Some day...
Perhaps whispers alone would remain.
The Secret Brotherhood.
An organization no one could prove existed.
Only the corpses of tyrants left behind would tell its story.
Then...
Her thoughts drifted toward the final maxim.
Nothing is true.
Everything is permitted.
Yufeng became quiet.
She understood what Altaïr eventually meant.
To question authority.
To seek truth rather than blindly accepting what others declared.
To recognize that rulers...
Religions...
And institutions...
Could all deceive.
Yet...
She gently shook her head.
"...Not here."
This world differed fundamentally from Altaïr's.
His memories spoke of the First Civilization.
Of Pieces of Eden shaping human history.
Of religions born from illusion.
None of that belonged to the world she lived in.
Here...
The heavens truly existed.
The profound way existed.
Divine beasts existed.
The Heavenly Laws governed all cultivation.
She had witnessed too much herself to dismiss them.
"...The Brotherhood..."
She whispered.
"...will adapt."
She would preserve its discipline.
Its philosophy.
Its methods.
Its devotion to protecting the innocent.
But she would not inherit every belief unchanged.
Her Assassins would not reject faith.
Nor mock the heavens.
Instead...
They would acknowledge Heaven...
While still refusing to surrender their own judgment.
Faith...
Would remain a personal choice.
Not a chain.
She picked up a brush.
Opening the first page of the Codex...
She carefully added a new passage beneath the Creed.
Though this Brotherhood inherits the wisdom of those who came before, we walk beneath different heavens. Different worlds and different stars. Seek truth with your own eyes, temper your heart with wisdom, and let faith strengthen your spirit rather than replace your judgment.
She placed the brush down.
There.
Now...
The Codex truly belonged to this world.
Not merely copied from another.
But reborn.
Li Xuan's cheerful voice echoed across the underground lake.
"Mother!"
"I can float without panicking now!"
Yufeng looked up.
The timid girl had drifted confidently across the water, a proud smile spreading across her face.
Yufeng smiled in return.
"Very good, Xuan'er."
"Tomorrow..."
"We begin swimming."
"And after that..."
She looked down once more at the Codex resting in her lap.
"...We'll begin learning what it truly means..."
"...to become an Assassin."
Over the following hours, Yufeng carefully reviewed every page she had painstakingly recreated.
Some she copied without changing a single stroke.
Others...
She quietly crossed out.
One page contained an intricate map unlike anything she had ever seen.
Jerusalem.
Acre.
Damascus.
Cyprus.
Dozens of coastlines and kingdoms completely foreign to the Profound Sky Continent.
She studied it for a long while before gently shaking her head.
"...Beautiful..."
"...but meaningless here."
With a fresh brush, she drew a thin line through the page before writing in the margin.
Historical Reference — Not Applicable to the Profound Sky Continent.
She would preserve it only as part of Altaïr's history.
Nothing more.
The next few pages described influential men and women from Altaïr's era.
Templars.
Assassin Mentors.
Political leaders.
Then...
A small portrait caught her attention.
A woman.
Beautiful.
Confident.
Wearing clothing unlike anything found on this continent.
Upon her cloak...
She recognized the cross of the Templars.
Yufeng tilted her head.
"...A woman?"
She searched Altaïr's memories.
Fragments surfaced.
Not enough to understand everything.
Only that she had once occupied an important place in his life.
Whether ally...
Enemy...
Or something in between...
Yufeng did not know.
Nor did she wish to.
She gently closed that page.
"These..."
"...are your memories."
"They need not become mine."
With another stroke of her brush, she marked the page.
Personal Record of Mentor Altaïr — Reserved for Historical Archive.
It would remain in the Codex...
But separate from the teachings of the Brotherhood.
The next section concerned poisons.
Yufeng frowned almost immediately.
Half the herbs listed simply did not exist.
Others possessed completely different medicinal properties in this world.
She sighed softly.
"...As expected."
"You cannot transplant another world's knowledge unchanged."
Without hesitation...
She opened a second manuscript beside the Codex.
Its title was simple.
Supplementary Research — Profound Sky Continent Adaptation
She began writing.
The poison recipes became comparisons instead of instructions.
Unknown herb.
Replace.
Unavailable fungus.
Research equivalent.
Animal venom unavailable.
Search profound beast substitute.
Soon...
Entire pages filled with observations.
Some toxins could instead be refined from poisonous profound herbs.
Others might become vastly more potent if mixed with profound energy.
The berserk poison described by Altaïr fascinated her most.
Its purpose had never been to kill.
It turned enemies against one another.
She tapped the brush against her chin.
"...Interesting."
"...Perhaps..."
"...a profound poison could instead agitate one's profound veins."
Rather than driving ordinary men into madness...
It might send cultivators into temporary qi deviation.
Clouding judgment.
Destroying teamwork.
Forcing powerful enemies to attack friend and foe alike.
Her eyes brightened.
"No..."
"...Even better."
She quickly wrote another note.
Experiment with profound herbs possessing chaotic yin and fire attributes.
Objective: Induce temporary instability of profound energy without immediate lethality.
Another page.
Hidden Blade techniques.
She paused again.
Altaïr's methods relied entirely upon physical precision.
This world offered something greater.
Profound Energy.
She immediately began adding her own annotations.
Silent Step — circulate profound energy only through the soles to eliminate sound.
Shadow Cloak — suppress profound aura before assassination.
Feather Descent — combine profound control with the Leap of Faith to land without disturbance.
Wing Synchronization — coordinate flight with assassination angles impossible for ordinary cultivators.
One note after another appeared.
The Codex slowly transformed.
It was no longer merely Altaïr's work.
Nor entirely Yufeng's.
It became a fusion of two worlds.
One built upon experience.
The other upon cultivation.
By the time she finally laid the brush aside...
Nearly a third of the original Codex bore additional notes written in her own hand.
Some passages remained untouched.
Others had been expanded.
Several had been rewritten entirely.
She smiled with quiet satisfaction.
"Knowledge..."
"...must evolve."
"If the Brotherhood is to survive here..."
"...then the Codex must grow with it."
Her fingers rested upon the cover once more.
This would never become a relic worshipped without question.
Each Mentor after her...
Would continue adding to it.
Correcting mistakes.
Recording discoveries.
Evolving methods and ways of the Brotherhood.
Passing new techniques to the next generation.
Just as Altaïr had improved upon those before him...
So too would the Brotherhood continue adapting beneath the heavens of the Profound Sky Continent.
A living Codex.
One that would never truly be finished.
Yufeng looked over the two manuscripts resting side by side upon the stone table.
One was thick.
The other considerably thinner.
She picked up the thinner volume first.
Its pages contained maps of distant lands.
Portraits of people she would never meet.
Letters exchanged between Altaïr and those of his era.
Fragments of his personal reflections.
Political observations.
His opinions regarding kingdoms and religions from a world long beyond her reach.
She quietly closed it.
"This..."
"...belongs to Altaïr."
"It is history."
"Not doctrine."
With deliberate care, she wrote upon the cover.
Historical Records of Mentor Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad
A reference for future Mentors.
Nothing more.
She would preserve it.
Not because future Assassins needed to know those kingdoms...
But because it was part of the Brotherhood's origins.
History should never be erased.
Only understood.
Then...
She reached for the larger manuscript.
The Codex.
Unlike the historical record...
This book would define the Brotherhood itself.
No unnecessary philosophy.
No discussions of civilizations from another world.
No political opinions.
No personal attachments.
No maps that could never be reached.
No debates over religions foreign to this land.
Only what every Assassin truly needed.
She opened the first page.
At its center stood the insignia of the Brotherhood.
Beneath it...
Three lines.
The foundation upon which every future Assassin would stand.
Stay your blade from the innocent.
Hide in Plain Sight.
Never compromise the Brotherhood.
Nothing else.
She intentionally omitted Altaïr's arguments concerning the First Civilization.
Their influence over mankind.
Their interpretation of faith.
Those belonged to another world.
Not this one.
Here...
The heavens existed.
God existed.
The Brotherhood had no reason to deny them.
Nor would it ever tell its members what they must believe.
An Assassin's faith remained his own.
His loyalty belonged only to the Creed.
Yufeng turned the next page.
Every chapter had been reorganized.
Not by chronology...
But by purpose.
=========================
The Creed
The responsibilities of an Assassin.
The meaning behind each Tenet.
The obligations toward civilians.
Conduct between fellow Assassins.
=========================
Equipment
Hidden Blade construction.
Dual Hidden Blade improvements.
Maintenance.
Replacement mechanisms.
Concealed weapons.
Smoke bombs.
Throwing knives.
Poison Blade.
Poison Darts.
Hidden Gun.
========================
Every blueprint Altaïr had perfected.
Alongside her own improvements using refined metals and profound engineering.
=========================
Techniques
Silent movement.
Counter assassination.
Leap of Faith.
Air assassination.
Chain assassination.
Mounted assassination.
Sword counters.
Hidden Blade counters.
Escape techniques.
Methods of infiltration.
Observation drills.
====================
Every movement carefully explained.
Then...
Pages written entirely in her own hand.
====================
Profound Integration
Suppressing profound aura.
Circulating profound energy through the feet for silent movement.
Using profound movement arts without exposing one's presence.
Mid-air direction changes during flight.
Hidden Blade enhancement using profound energy.
Concealing profound fluctuations before striking.
Synchronizing wings with assassination angles.
Every technique had been rewritten specifically for cultivators.
====================
Medicine and Toxins
Altaïr's poisons had become inspiration rather than instruction.
Every unavailable herb replaced.
Every extinct ingredient substituted.
Profound herbs.
Profound beast venom.
Spirit flowers.
Yin toxins.
Yang destabilizers.
Berserk poison redesigned to disrupt profound energy rather than merely cloud judgment.
Healing salves.
Antidotes.
Emergency field medicine.
Every formula had been adapted to this continent.
===========================
Training
Physical conditioning.
Balance.
Swimming.
Wall climbing.
Observation.
Meditation.
Emotional discipline.
Mental resistance against illusion.
Aura suppression.
Silent flight.
=====================
Nothing about cultivation levels.
Yet.
Only mastery.
Only discipline.
She would use Li Xuan's training as foundation to integrate cultivation levels.
Yufeng slowly smiled.
"...This..."
"...is what the Brotherhood truly needs."
Not overwhelming power.
Not divine scriptures.
Not secret cultivation manuals.
The Codex would never promise instant strength.
It was merely...
A guide.
A collection of wisdom gathered across generations.
One Mentor adding to another's work.
One generation improving upon the last.
If a future Mentor discovered a better poison...
The Codex would change.
If a Hidden Blade could be improved...
The Codex would change.
If profound techniques evolved...
The Codex would evolve alongside them.
It would remain forever unfinished.
Because perfection...
Could never truly be reached.
She carefully closed the manuscript.
Unlike sect manuals that remained hidden within vaults...
This book was never meant to be worshipped.
Nor memorized word for word.
It existed so every Mentor after her could leave the Brotherhood stronger than they had found it.
Yufeng rested one hand atop the cover.
"A Brotherhood that refuses to change..."
"...will eventually perish."
"But one that remembers its Creed..."
"...while embracing new knowledge..."
"...will endure for generations."
Across the underground lake, Li Xuan had finally begun swimming from one side to the other.
Clumsy.
Slow.
Yet improving with every stroke.
Yufeng watched her with quiet satisfaction.
The Codex had found its first student.
And someday...
Long after both she and Li Xuan were gone...
Another Mentor would open its pages...
Read their writings...
Add discoveries of their own...
And quietly return the manuscript to the shadows.
As it was always meant to be.
==============
Just as Yufeng was about to close the Codex...
One final page caught her attention.
Unlike the others...
It contained no blueprint.
No measurements.
No forging instructions.
Only Altaïr's own journal entry.
The Armor of Altair.
She quietly read it.
After becoming Mentor, Altaïr had used the Apple of Eden to study the properties of a metal unknown to his world. From that discovery, he forged a suit of armor unlike any other.
Armor that could not be broken.
Not merely resistant...
But virtually indestructible.
According to his own writings, after completing the armor, Altaïr had personally destroyed every blueprint describing its construction.
Not because he feared losing it.
But because he feared someone else finding it.
Friend or enemy.
Neither should possess such power.
Yufeng slowly frowned.
"...How cautious."
She admired that decision.
Knowledge was meant to protect.
Not tempt.
Yet...
As she continued exploring Altaïr's memories...
She discovered something unexpected.
Although the written blueprints had been destroyed...
The memories remained.
She watched Altaïr personally forge every individual plate.
As a Throne Level cultivator...
She observed the temperature of the furnace.
The sequence of hammer strikes.
The folding of the mysterious alloy.
The method by which the metal accepted extraordinary resilience.
Even though the written instructions had vanished...
His own memories had preserved them perfectly.
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes.
"...So that's how..."
She now understood.
Not the appearance.
Altaïr's armor had been designed for a man of another era.
That held little interest to her.
What fascinated her...
Was the metal itself.
Its internal structure.
Its layering.
Its method of forging.
Its balance between flexibility and durability.
She quickly took another blank scroll.
Rather than sketching Altaïr's armor...
She began drawing an entirely different design.
Slimmer.
More elegant.
Better suited to a woman's physique.
Lighter across the shoulders.
Reinforced around vital organs.
Compatible with Hidden Blades concealed beneath the forearms.
Flexible enough for aerial movement and assassination.
She smiled faintly.
"...A design of my own."
Then...
Another design appeared beside it.
Smaller.
Made for Li Xuan.
Not yet as advanced.
But following the same principles.
Protection without sacrificing agility.
An Assassin should never become a walking fortress.
Speed remained their greatest defense.
The armor merely ensured they survived the strike they failed to avoid.
She continued writing.
If Altaïr's mysterious alloy could withstand tremendous force...
Then profound metallurgy might improve it even further.
This world possessed metals Altaïr had never imagined.
Profound Steel.
Star Iron.
Heavenly Meteor Ore.
Countless spiritual alloys enriched by profound energy.
If those materials replaced the original components...
Would the armor become even stronger?
Could it withstand attacks from Monarch Realm cultivators?
Perhaps...
Even those beyond?
Her brush moved faster.
Next...
The Sword of Altaïr.
Again...
No written blueprint remained.
Yet she had already witnessed every step through his memories.
Its balance.
Its edge.
Its forging.
The unusual alloy hidden within the blade.
Beside it...
The Dagger of Altaïr.
Simple.
Elegant.
Deadly.
She smiled.
"...These..."
"...can become the Brotherhood's treasures."
Not divine weapons.
Not treasures meant to dominate the world.
But heirlooms.
Weapons passed from Mentor to Mentor.
Then...
Her thoughts shifted toward her own Hidden Blades.
If that same alloy strengthened swords...
Why not the Hidden Blade itself?
Why not throwing knives?
Why not the concealed mechanisms?
The possibilities seemed endless.
She slowly placed the brush down.
Then...
Reality returned.
"...Materials."
She softly sighed.
"...I have none."
No proper forge.
No master smith's tools.
No spiritual furnace.
No profound metals.
Nothing required to recreate what she had learned.
All of it...
Still remained within Heavenly Sword Villa.
She looked toward the distant mountains beyond the hidden basin.
The place she had escaped.
The place she had sworn never to return.
A complicated smile appeared upon her lips.
"...Looks like..."
"...I really do have to go back."
Not as the broken Villa Mistress.
Nor as Ling Yuefeng's wife.
But as Xuanyuan Yufeng.
Mentor of a Brotherhood yet to be born.
This time...
She would not return to reclaim her former life.
She would return...
To gather the resources needed to build a new one.
"Ah, Mother..."
Li Xuan looked up from the vegetables she had just finished washing.
"What would you like to eat today?"
"I'll cook whatever you want."
Yufeng couldn't help but smile.
Only a few weeks ago...
This girl had been her servant.
Now...
She was worrying whether her mother would have a proper meal.
"Anything is fine, Xuan'er."
She answered gently.
"But..."
Li Xuan blinked.
"But...?"
Yufeng's expression grew more serious.
"I need to return to Heavenly Sword Villa."
The bowl slipped slightly in Li Xuan's hands.
"...Mother..."
She immediately stood.
"You..."
Seeing the panic beginning to form on the girl's face, Yufeng gently rested a hand upon her shoulder.
"No."
"It's not what you're thinking."
"I have no intention of returning as Xuanyuan Yufeng, the Villa Mistress."
"I am returning as an Assassin."
Li Xuan slowly calmed herself.
"...Then why?"
Yufeng walked toward the table where the Codex rested.
"There are things that belong to me."
"My personal wealth."
"The Sacred Ground granted me resources throughout the years."
"Spirit stones, currency, and stored wealth."
"Rare cultivation resources and spiritual herbs."
"They remain inside the villa."
She gently tapped the newly written page concerning Altaïr's armor.
"I finally understand how to forge armor unlike anything this continent has seen."
"I can improve the alloy using profound metals hidden in the villa given by the sacred ground."
"Design it specifically for cultivators."
"Armor for myself."
"And..."
She smiled softly.
"...armor for my daughter."
Li Xuan's eyes widened.
"For... me?"
"Of course."
"You think I would only protect myself?"
The young girl lowered her head, unable to hide her smile.
"But..."
Yufeng continued.
"I cannot create any of it without proper materials."
"The Hidden Blades."
"The armor."
"New weapons."
"Everything begins with a forge."
"And unfortunately..."
"A portable forge remains inside Heavenly Sword Villa. I remember my father sent it to me should I have interest in forging swords."
Li Xuan hesitated before asking quietly,
"...You mean..."
"...we're stealing from them?"
Yufeng raised an eyebrow.
"Stealing?"
She gave a small laugh.
"That is rather harsh."
"The wealth belongs to me."
"The forge belongs to me."
"The materials were entrusted by my sacred ground to the villa through me."
"Well, it is mine after all. The villa just receiving them through me."
"I am merely reclaiming what is already mine."
Li Xuan considered those words before slowly nodding.
"...I understand."
Silence settled between them.
Then...
Li Xuan stepped forward.
"Mother."
"Please..."
"...be careful."
"I won't stop you."
"I know you can take care of yourself."
"But..."
She bit her lip.
"...please come home."
"I don't want to be alone again."
Yufeng's heart softened.
She wrapped both arms around the girl.
Pulling her close.
"I know."
"I won't leave my precious daughter by herself."
Li Xuan buried her face against Yufeng's shoulder.
The warmth she had longed for throughout her life...
She finally had.
Yufeng gently stroked her hair.
"Cook your best meal."
"When I return..."
"We'll eat together."
Li Xuan nodded repeatedly.
"...Please come home soon."
"I will."
Yufeng slowly released the embrace.
She walked toward the stone table.
With a wave of her hand...
The Brotherhood Codex disappeared into her spatial ring.
Next followed Altaïr's Historical Records.
Neither could be left behind.
They represented the future of the Brotherhood.
Then...
She opened a wooden chest.
Inside rested her modified Assassin cloak.
The white robes had been subtly altered to suit this world.
Lighter fabrics.
Hidden pockets.
She fastened the cloak around herself.
Next...
Her twin Hidden Blades.
Each pivoted smoothly into place beneath her forearms.
A quiet metallic click echoed through the room.
Then came the concealed gun attachment.
Throwing knives.
Smoke bombs.
Everything settled into its proper place.
She pulled the hood over her ebony hair.
Xuanyuan Yufeng disappeared.
The Assassin remained.
She walked toward the cave entrance before pausing.
"This won't be a reckless assault."
"I'll observe first."
"Learn their routines."
"The guards."
"The patrols."
"The treasury."
"The armory."
"The workshops."
"Once I know everything..."
A faint smile appeared beneath the hood.
"I'll simply walk in..."
"...and leave before anyone realizes I was ever there."
No confrontation.
No unnecessary killing.
Just as the Creed demanded.
She would infiltrate Heavenly Sword Villa...
Reclaim her property...
And depart beneath the noses of Ling Yuefeng...
Ling Tiannan...
And every elder guarding the Sacred Ground.
One final time...
She turned back.
Li Xuan was still standing in the doorway.
Watching.
Waiting.
Yufeng walked back without a word and embraced her once more.
A little tighter this time.
"I'll be home before your dinner grows cold."
"...Promise?"
"...I promise."
Only then did she step away.
Profound energy gathered beneath her feet.
With a silent burst...
Her figure shot into the sky.
The white cloak vanished into the clouds.
Her destination...
Heavenly Sword Villa.
Not as its disgraced mistress.
But as the unseen shadow that would slip through its defenses...
And leave with everything that was rightfully hers.