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People often don't talk about the aftermath, the silence after the storm. It is one thing Alexios hates more than anything. The agonizing silence afterward, the shock settling in your bones.

The silence made him squirm as he watched Filomena comfort her mentally decaying wife. They only had a couple of hours in the Guildhall before they needed to move again. They were only supposed to grab the important documents and such, making sure the Assassin secrets stay out of Neverseen hands. Inalia was silent. The only people in the streets were corpses and Neverseen scum. They didn't have a name for the attack yet, but the Fall of Inalia has started circulating. So many things fell during that attack.

"Honey, can you go grab some sentimental things? It may help calm us all down when we have to leave again." Filomena whispered to her son, combing a strand of his shaggy hair behind his ear. Alexios nodded, shrugging on his coat.

Filomena kissed his forehead, "Good boy. Make sure to stay away from windows and keep your face covered. Don't leave the building, Angioletto."

He silently walked down the hallways, hugging himself tightly. Sentimental, sentimental. Something that would make his mother happy again!

He meandered into the Grand ballroom. This was his mother's favorite room. She would host balls and soirees, gossiping amongst the socialites and nobles, soaking up their secrets for Assassin gain. Alexios spotted Grandfather Damien's piano sitting on the stage, and he ran over to it. This was the same piano Amalia practices on. Her homework was scatted over the stage, along with her personal books and sheet music. She never finished her math homework, it seemed. A gentle glint of silver caught his eyes.

Her astronomy books.

"It's just a bunch of stupid dots." Alexios scoffed as Amalia flipped through the pages of her new book, squealing in delight even as the festival continued around her.

"And you are a stupid nuisance. Look, you have something in common with the stars." Amalia retorted. Amalia got that gift from Maria during the Autumnal birthday festivals when they were, gods, when was it? Amalia just turned seven, that's right. Alexios never understood her fascination with the twinkling lights.

But she wasn't here now to explain the constellations to him. Alexios tucked some of Amalia's sheet music into the pages of stars and planets, holding it in his arms as he shuffled further through the empty Guildhall towards his Uncle's office. He perused Uncle Allesandro's keepsakes. A couple of scrolls, his collection of artifacts, plenty of correspondents. His desk was lined with photos.

One of Mansi and Amalia at their girls-only sleepover, where the two of them made panettone and smiled wide at the camera, covered in flour. The other was of the Morretti family trip to the woods, where Amalia and Alexios were getting scolded by Maria for getting covered in mud, Allesandro trying, and failing, to hold back his laughter behind her. The tip of Filomena's finger was in the frame, but Allesandro had it on his desk anyway. Another was of all of their friends, gathered in the Renisanca plaza during the Festival of Fools last year; even Alvar and Alden made it that year.

The final one was Grandma Hypatia, Grandpa Damian, Great uncle Claudio, young Maria, and Allesandro smiling at what looked like one of the temples. Alexios picked that one up, staring at his grandparents. He and his sister never got to meet them, did they?

Alexios fingers brushed behind the frame, freezing at feeling a lump. He turned the frame around, pulling out the small scrap of paper sticking out.

Alexios struggled with reading sometimes; he has something Filomena has. Dyslexia or something like that. Letters and numbers jumble around in front of him. Spelling always was a pain in the ass.

He squinted at Allesandro's small handwriting, struggling to put it together.

E... S... D... no, that was a P-

The stomping of boots made him ideally shove the paper back into the picture frame, scrambling underneath the desk in order not to be seen. The Neverseen patrol flashed lights through the boarded windows, scanning as well as they could. Alexios didn't like that he was being hunted; he didn't like the heaviness on his shoulders or the sickness it brought to his stomach. He clutched Amalia's books close, his eyes clamped shut to keep the tears back.

When his eyes opened again, he was in his bedroom, awake and older. Alexios was panting, a hand on his bare chest to feel his heart beating beneath his ribcage. Just to make sure he was still alive. Early morning sun gleamed through the small crack in his curtains. He turned beside him, blinking at the girl also asleep next to him. He had a long night; he wanted a distraction yesterday. He completely forgot about her. Shit, he will have to sneak her out so he doesn't get another scolding from... his mother.

Alexios felt the chill settle in again, a reminder as to why he needed that sedative last night long after the girl had fallen asleep. Maria was still missing, with no sign of her anywhere in Inalia. The other cities hadn't gotten back to him if she had been sighted in the other cities.

Alexios groaned, knowing it was too early to have another breakdown. He padded out of bed, untangling from the girl. He combed his shaggy hair out of his eyes, poking at the dark circles underneath his eyes in hopes that if he does it enough, they will go away. He hasn't been sleeping well the last couple of days, but unlike Lia, he doesn't mind getting drugged to the high heavens if it means a night's rest. But the dreams have been more vivid when he drugged up.

Alexios racked over his dream, trying to push the memories out of his mind. But he stopped.

"The picture frame." He gasped.

He grabbed a pair of pants draped over his bed frame, shucking them on.

"Alexios?" The girl in his bed muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Alexios kicked his door shut, scrambling down the halls towards his Uncle's office. Amalia didn't take her father's office; no one had touched it in years. Especially Alexios.

"Good morning, sir,"

"Hello sir,"

The Assassins that stayed at the Barracks were persuing the hallways, confused as to why Alexios was zipping through their halls without a shirt. Mansi tried to approach him, holding some paperwork, "Hey, I need you to sign these things since Lia is-"

Alexios zipped past her, finally arriving at the deep birch doors, sliding into the office. The dark green paneled walls had lightened over the years of sun exposure, the woods slightly sun stained as well. Alexios near tripped over the rug and Allesandro's golden telescope when he spotted the picture frame, scooping it up. He turned it every which way but eventually found the small slip of parchment sticking out from the back. He carefully slid it out.

Esposita.

Underneath Adonis's Isle, Allesandro. It should be all the proof you need if my calculations are correct.

May the gods look over you.

Alexios squinted at it again, making sure he was reading everything correctly. The Esposita had something to do with the Adonis's Isle?

"What the hell is your problem?" Mansi snapped, pushing open the office doors. Her eyes saddened when she realized whose office this was.

"Alexios, what are you doing in here?" She asked quietly. Alexios scanned over the note again, leaning up against the desk.

"I had a dream, rather, revisited a memory in my dreams. I remembered something hidden away in my Uncle's desk." Alexios handed Mansi the paper. She blew a strand of her raven hair out of her face as she read it, her eyes scanning it over and over again.

"Seems Allesandro was looking for something to use against the Esposita?" Mansi proposed.

"But why though? Both Maria and Allesandro agreed to stay out of the way of the Esposita for the greater good of the Assassins. That is before my mom beat the crap out of him on sight, of course, but you know what I mean." Alexios countered. Mansi bit her lip, handing Alexios back the note and picking up the picture frame he found it in. She shrugged, scanning over the former Morretti family.

"I mean, it is kind of hard to let the slaughtering of your family go. Maybe he wanted to find something to bring them down."

Alexios was as stiff as a board, shaking his head, "It still doesn't sit right with me."

Mansi jutted out her lip, but she sighed in defeat, "How about this." She snatched the note out of Alexios's hand again, placing her paperwork in its place.

"I'll run this through Maria's software to see if we can identify the handwriting. In the meantime, you can fill out my paperwork to grant me maternal leave when deemed appropriate by my physician." Mansi explained smugly. Alexios sighed, reminding himself to thank Amalia for not making him her right hand. Ruy sometimes had to deal with this, and Alexios can't even imagine how much work Lia has.

"Okay..." Alexios whimpered.

"And then you aren't going to run off to Adonis's Isle to investigate whatever this is." Alexios opened his mouth to complain but saw the spark in Mansi's eye, "You're not going to explore... without me."

Alexios hesitated, "Mansi, you are pregnant. Are you sure this is a good idea? I can just have Nour-"

"Nour is off on a contract in the north right now, won't be back until tomorrow. And please, I am SO tired of people fussing over me. I love Alvar, but now he is a bit overbearing since I'm pregnant with his child, or whatever. I'm only about two months in, anyway. If we don't do anything to crazy besides investigating, I'll be fine!" Mansi argued.

Alexios still shook his head, and Mansi groaned.

"Ughhh, fine! Be boring." She waved around the note as she left the office, turning left down the hallway.

"I'll go get this tested." She sighed.

"Uh, Mansi?"

"What?"

"My mom's workshop is down the right hallway."

Silence for a few fateful moments, then Mansi stalking the other way.

"Right, yeah, I knew that... dang pregnancy brain." She coughed.

Sophie stumbled a bit as she deboarded the ship, everything aching.

"Amalia, did you get any sleep before we left?" Maha asked. Sophie just mumbled a response, pulling her hood further up her head to block out the rays of sun peeking through and blinding her. She and Ruy only had about 30 minutes before she needed to dart back to meet Maha at the inn. But it was quite honestly the best 30 minutes she has had in a while.

"You can't keep doing that, it isn't good for your health-"

"You sound like aunty Maria."

"That is because she is right-" Sophie just moaned in annoyance, slumping her head on Maha's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. Maria... Aunty Maria was fine. She was as tough as nails and her tongue ever sharper. But twangs of panic struggled to remain suppressed.

"Lemme just nap here for, like, two seconds." Sophie begged. Maha scoffed but didn't move, petting Sophie's head as she scanned the docks for Captain Okoye.

They both jumped, however, when a woman loosed a loud laugh behind them.

"That is hilarious! Have a good day, James." Okoye strolled right past the two Vatarians, waving goodbye to her friend. She stopped in her spot, processing their existence before spinning on her heel.

"And who might you lasses be?"

Sophie shook tiredness out of her eyes as she straightened.

"We were sent by your sister, Jade. She said you were in need of our services?" Sophie said, pulling her shoulders back to seem more official.

Okoye didn't look a thing like her sister. Okoye's skin was a dark rich brown, her eyes the deepest sea blue with hints of grey. Her head was completely shaved and was decorated with Avriman tattoos. Jade didn't look a bit Avriman. Adoptive sisters, perhaps?

"Jade sent you? I told her I needed Cyevan Assassins," Okoye looked them up and down, pursing her lips.

Sophie put her hands on her hips, her raggedy cloak fluttering a bit on the warm wind.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no! It's just, well, Cyevan Assassins are majestic and well-decorated warriors, and, you know..." Okoye looked them up and down again. To their tattered cloaks, muddy boots, and their dirty clothes.

"We're undercover, for your information. That is why we look like this."

They also left all of their money back at the Hidden One's base, so they were hella broke. But Okoye didn't need to know that.

"Ah, of course. Walk with me, I will explain."

The small island was honestly overpacked with rowdy pirates. Barrels of rum and crates of stolen rations, they all enjoyed everyone's company and bragged about their most recent raid. Maha and Sophie walked by Okoye as she stepped off the dock and perused through the shoddy camps she set up.

"My name is Captain Okoye. I run the biggest fleet of scallywags, criminals, and bums the Carianan sea has seen." She proudly gestured to her pirates, one of which gave Maha a nasty gap-toothed smile while two other fist-fought behind them over a bottle of rum.

"We aren't the classiest folk," Okoye coughed.

"Why don't you go by Admiral? You do have a fleet, after all."

"Far too official for my taste, love. Captain suits me just fine."

"I've never heard about you. And my spies are normally very well informed." Sophie asked, shaking off the grossness and reminding herself to brush her teeth later.

"That is actually a page we took from your book. We followed the Cyevan's tactics of snuffing out rumors and cleaning up their tracks. Granted, it is harder to do with a massive fleet and untrained fools, but we make do. It keeps the damn Governor off our trails."

"So, why did you need to hire us in the first place?"

"I'm getting there, lassie, keep ya pants on." Okoye turned around the bend of a hill, following the wooden path down a few steps. Okoye turned to the top of the hill, where a much more decorated camp remained. Sophie stopped as she recognized the tents, the fabrics, the colors. And then finally, the warriors in the camp.

"Spartans." She whispered in amazement.

Their armor was both practical and ethereal, bronze and steel dusted black in the grooves to somehow reflect both the sun and smother it. Their Corinthian helmets were carved to reveal their piercing steely eyes, red or blue feathers indicating status; others are simplistic headpieces meant to instill fear. Their double-sided spears could slice through a Scylla as if they were paper; their swords could kill a Neverseen captain with just the glint of the sun. Their muscles could intimidate Horoas and Medirasas alike- the stories go on!

"Maha... Spartans. Spartans are right there!"

"Y-Yes, that is what Jade told us-"

"Look at their muscles!"

"You have muscles too, Amalia. That is how muscles work."

"Do you really think their war cries rattle the gods?"

"Are these the kind of tales you Inalians tell your children to go sleep?"

"Yes, along with stories of the Iron Bull hiding in our woods who will cut off your toes if you don't finish your vegetables."

"Inalians are so, uh, interesting- do you mind if you stop shaking me now?" Sophie hadn't even realized she was shaking Maha's shoulder in her excitement. Okoye came up next to them and scoffed.

"Ugh, yeah, those would be the warriors of my partner. The pretty Spartan warriors with their pretty General." Okoye pointed to one of the Spartans, a tall, muscular woman with her helm tucked beneath her foot as she surveyed her men's training. Her skin was a sun-kissed tan, a warrior's muscular stature help fill out her intimidating persona. She wore a mix between Grecian and Egypitnat armors, wearing a Grecian bronze cuirass but an Egypitnat battle wrap for a bottom. Why both? Grecian battle wraps are better armored for heavy combat and meshed a bit better with the cuirass. The General had a hood up, barking orders at her men as she paced. Sophie could see a peak of a tattoo along the General's leg but didn't get the chance to read it.

"That would be the Lioness of the Crossroads. She is the one who found old Spartan training manifests ages ago. Has been training her men the exact same way as your ancestors once did." Okoye tried to wave to the Lioness when they made eye contact, but the Spartan General looked away.

"I wouldn't bother her. She will run you through with a spear before making small talk about the weather."

Okoye gestured for them, and they followed again, Maha dragging Sophie away from the soldiers. They finally made it to Okoye's tent, the flaps open and allowing cool air to kiss away the hot sun. She rounded a map on a rickety table, "I'm sure my sister already gave you the basics?"

"You are having trouble with mutated Mirthless as of late?"

"That is putting it lightly," Okoye poured herself three fingers of rye, jingling the cup as if they wanted some.

"N-No thanks. It is, like, 11 am, after all." Maha awkwardly coughed. Okoye shrugged but began to pace, "It all started when one of those damn stuffy nobles had jipped us out of a deal. He learned that pissing us off was a bad idea, so he holed up in Bembe. That place had only two things only a few months ago, crime and good booze. Now, it also has Neverseen." Maha and Sophie stiffened.

"When some of my men went in there to drag the two-faced lier from his cushioned halls, they were extremely surprised to see mutated monsters lining the walls of his estate. They got out of there as fast as they could, but the monsters had their scents." Okoye was clearly getting upset as she pressed on, "The damn things somehow got into the water, don't ask me how. Followed my men all the way back to my mother ship waiting for them. Killed all of them except for one, which we managed to haul on just in time. They have been targeting us ever since. But these aren't normal Mirthless, they are humanoid. But they are stronger, faster, smarter, and more ruthless than any man or Mirthless we have faced. You apparently faced one of these beasts yourself?" Sophie clenched her fists. Her name was Cynna Firenze, not some wild beast.

"Yes, I did," Sophie said through gritted teeth.