Ashe's eyes opened, and his vision returned. The numbers in his mind stabilised and fell into place. The strength he needed came late, so he began to observe his surroundings with his eyes.

The space around the boy changed radically. He was still in a cave but in a much livelier one. Moss grew on the rocky surface; everything turned green. From a height that seemed to stretch to the sky, a waterfall descended. It seemed to disperse in the air and fell on the rocky ground in the form of rain.

Ashe regained his vitality. He raised himself and finished by standing. The hand that had been bleeding and injured was now fully healed. There was no trace of the wound.

Silence reigned in the closed cave. The raindrops and the flowing waterfall made no sound. Everything was too deafening.

The boy began to search, but he didn't know what he was looking for. He soon found something interesting, which could also be terrifying. He found skeletons scattered around; their bones lay on the cold surface. They seemed to be stuck there, and it was obvious that they couldn't find a way out.

Ashe found himself in the same situation. After going around the entire space, which measured around 200 square meters, there was no way out. He saw about a dozen dead people. There was no trace of fragments, either.

Frustrated, he looked for a hidden component of the cave. His observation wasn't bad, and he noticed coloured stones stacked on top of each other on the mossy surface. Their arrangement looked like the work of man, although the stones were not ordinary.

As if fragments or even smaller parts of them were trapped in them. Ashe touched the stones, and they immediately began to make sounds. Each stone made a distinct noise from the other.

'Notes?' Ashe noticed, and after counting the stones, it was confirmed that he was correct. There were 12 notes in total, and they seemed to be asking for a specific piece. The boy first remembered the sounds that led him to the cave.

Their sound stopped as he approached the door, and now he needed to remember. He hadn't studied music as such, but he had a good ear and memory. He listened to each stone, understood its musical data, and arranged them one after another.

12 notes weren't enough to perform the entire composition. He could only make the beginning, and as soon as he arranged them, it was confirmed to him that this was enough.

The stones lit up one after another. They got together to play music. The ground opened up a little and showed Ashe the entrance.

'Down we go,' he thought and slid down. The new platform turned out to be a small room. There were four walls around and nothing to see. Fragments were flying in the centre of the room. They were different; Ashe had never seen anything like them.

'There is so much to learn, and with every discovery, more emerges,' the boy thought.

As he touched the fragments, a question rang out that he heard, saw, and felt at the same time.

"You seek me, yet fear my cost."

The completed sentence needed a name. The answer was obvious to him, but he thought about it, anyway. He didn't know what the cost of a mistake would be.

"My entire existence revolves around it," he thought, and with certainty, he uttered, "Prophecy!"

Meanwhile, the music returned, this time in the small centre of the room. The fragments followed him, this time altered, as if they were torn apart. They brought a new symbol: a scale with two sides.

One side represented humanity, the future, and salvation. The other was an expression of life. Ash didn't know where they were coming from, but as soon as he saw them, thoughts began to clear in his mind.

On top was a metal heart frame. Anatomy wasn't his favourite subject, but recognising it was not a challenge. He had to pick up the heart and tip the scales to one side. 'This place was made for me. Yes, but why? Who made it and what did they need it for?'

Then he took the heart in his hand. He didn't like its cold touch and hurriedly made room for it. 'I am ready to give up my life. I do not know how much of this is my choice, but I know what I owe.' The scales tipped in favour of humanity. The boy chose their future, which again symbolised the successful completion of the task through music.

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This time, the light came on in the small room. Two glasses of water appeared before him. One was loaded with fragments; the other was crystal clear. He was not faced with a choice. They had to be drunk before the doors opened. He had also been given knowledge of the sequence. 'How useful it is to read the fragments so easily.' Humans couldn't decipher them so easily.

Although touching the fragments or hearing them and physically reading them was enough, they could not do it naturally. It took effort even for the Seeers. Ashe himself was a holder of the Prophecy Covenants and enjoyed the privilege. Being the Chosen One hadn't always been a bad thing.

He took a second glass of water, pure liquid, and drank it down. After running out of the water Ezio had given him, he relied on plants for hydration, and it was quite pleasant to gulp.

Ashe didn't know what would happen now, but he had his suspicions. Meanwhile, the number of fragments in his mind changed.

[0.58% - 8.80%]

The difference was only 0.2%, but his rate wasn't the only one that changed. The fragments he collected, no matter how insignificant, also increased the total amount. This meant that no one had ever seen the fragments he received.

Only the Chosen One could pass this test. Ashe was the only one who could hear the melody. Finding this place was difficult, but not impossible. The brave ones who tried to pass it and collect the prophecies all lost their lives in vain.

He was happy with his triumphant victory when he felt dizzy. His body lost stability, and he fell asleep with a familiar feeling.

He left his body, flew into the darkness, and returned to the vast space once more. The place was irreplaceable, even though there was nothing to change. The voices that were supposed to come from the gods were late. As if they were not expecting his arrival and were not ready to meet him.

He had to wait a few moments. The darkness and its infinity weren't boring. And yet, a voice echoed, reflecting the harshness and thunder. "Interesting. Quite unusual, too. I'm so glad I came first." He said, and the world around the boy shifted.

The clouds dissipated, replaced, and dispersed the darkness. Their expression was also dark, without lightning or any light.

'He brought me to his realm.' Ashe understood and tried to search for God. He could hear his voice, see his silhouette, maybe even shadow.

"You are in my house, but you still can't peek at me." He gets the answer, and the boy stops searching. God continues to speak. "I am glad you passed the ordeal so quickly."

"Was it yours, the gods' arrangement?" Ashe asks, thinking that he is right.

"No, it wasn't created by us. Others built it, but according to our knowledge." A serious voice was lost among the clouds. "You will receive your first actual ability from the fragments. How well you master it will depend on you. Although we all know your results."

"Do those numbers show the time left before the Fracture? Can it be avoided or changed?" the boy asked, wanting with all his being to protect the planet from a cosmic attack.

"If the prophecy says so, then it will happen. There is nothing beyond it, and this is the only truth in the world." God didn't seem bothered by his questions. On the contrary, he was happy to explain to Ashe.

"And what is it, anyway? Where did it come from? Is it a living organism? Why is it broken? Is it like the gods, or how do you know that it is always right?" It was doubtful why everyone trusted the prophecy so strongly. Could it be that it was never wrong, but what would happen if it made a mistake?

"This is yours to discover. There is much we don't know. Know that it is on your side, a part of you, and it chose you." One could feel a trace of longing in his voice.

Ashe fell silent. Verbalising thoughts in the mind was always hard.

"I have a question for you myself," the god said. "Why do you demand yourself to be the leader of this world? Don't get me wrong, you will be the strongest one according to the prophecy, but it doesn't mean you have to be the ruler of the human race. What do you gain from it? Is it because all your life you believed that one day you will lead them? Or is it something else?" the god asked, but his questions were hard to answer.

Ashe fell into thoughts. He scratched his imaginary head. 'Why indeed?' He even asked himself but couldn't find the answer he was looking for. He knew what he wanted and what was his purpose, but why he thought that way was a mystery to him.

Legitimate leaders must lead because they are the only ones who can lead. But was it correct for Ashe? He didn't know that. He was destined to be the strongest one, but could someone like him get the crown? Does being the strongest give you the right to rule? He was full of doubt and couldn't provide answers.

Then the thunderous voice was heard again, as he said goodbye with satisfaction. "It's time for you to leave. You receive a gift from me, but only because prophecy told me to." Even a mortal noticed the difference in the voice. "You are too easy to find; under my protection, no one will recognise you from your past life. Your traces have disappeared. You can rest assured that no one will find you."

Ashe was delighted. This blessing from God would solve many of his problems. He no longer had to worry about being caught every minute or being tracked down in the city. He wouldn't have to change the location constantly. "Thanks, I needed this." He exclaimed in admiration.

"Know that if you drink the water given by the fragments, you will return to the realm of the gods. I will be waiting for our next meeting. So long!" the voice declared. One couldn't tell what he was thinking about Ashe's silence.

As soon as he heard what was said, the boy felt a surge of stability. It pulled him toward his body and made him leave the realm of the gods. Back in his own body, Ashe adjusted to his new feelings.

He reflected on the conversation and looked at the room. 'It's time to receive my first covenant ability.'