*After the incident that struck the entire Kingdom of Zenith, many rumors began to circulate, but all reports said the same thing.*
"We saw a red flame in the sky."
*And it was especially true that the entire city of Belcraft had witnessed the phenomenon live before being entirely covered by a foggy cloud. Some people had filmed the scene with their cameras at the expense of their lives, and today the question of who this mysterious individual was still fueled televised debates.*
"Who is this mysterious hero covered in flames?" *asked the TV guy*. "Is it a sign? A miracle in these troubled times? Or simply an experiment gone wrong."
*That said, the individual in question was far from realizing all the commotion he had caused. Indeed, young Ezio Cohen had just woken up in a bed inside what seemed to be a manor's room.*
"He's finally waking up." *A girl's voice said*.
"Young lady, keep your calm." *An adult voice said*.
*Ezio opened his eyes and faced two faces he knew well, Stacy and her butler Heraud Hitchcock.*
"What... What... YOU..."
*The young Stacy immediately prostrated herself before him.*
"I am deeply sorry for my behavior towards you. I promise it won't happen again. I didn't think about your feelings; I thought I was doing the right thing. I am really, really sorry."
*Ezio stared at her with a bewildered look.*
"But... But what is she talking about?" *he wondered*.
"You're finally awake; it's about time."
*The voice in his head made him startle internally.*
"What... You... Gizon? Is that really you?"
"I don't recall having a roommate."
"Oh, right."
"But let's move on; it seems they think you're me. It doesn't bode well for my affairs."
"What... But we switched..."
"They don't know that. And their attitude towards you might change if they find out you're you. I advise you to play along."
"Play along. But are you out of your mind?"
"You're an actor, aren't you? Besides, you've always wanted to play my role; now's the time."
*Ezio regained his composure, closed his eyes, and created a mental image of Gizon in his head. In a few seconds, he managed to build a profile, relying on the little information he had about him. Real information, not the one from books.*
"Raise your head." *He said in a deep voice.*
*He got up from the bed, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts. He walked towards the window, crossed his hands behind his back, and stared at the garden outside.*
"Where are we?" *He asked simply*.
"At the Gawain family manor." *Stacy replied*. "You lost consciousness after your battle against the sea dragon, and..."
"Lost consciousness?"
"What madam means." *Hitchcock said*. "Is that you used way too much aura. We found you in Belcraft Bay; your body was entirely solidified."
"If I may, can you explain what that state was?" *Stacy asked as politely as she could*.
*Ezio turned his head, assessing her with his gaze, making her lower her head in fear. However, deep down,*
"What is it? What is she talking about?"
"I have no idea; I've never run out of aura."
"you are the ancestor, help me." *Ezio shouted*.
"you are the actor; invent something."
*Ezio looked back at the garden and simply said*,
"It was nothing alarming. Consider it a forced hibernation to regain strength."
"Hibernation... like a phoenix." *Stacy said admirably*. "To rise from the ashes."
"I see the young lady is smarter than she looks." *He said*.
*Feeling complimented, Stacy couldn't help but smile.*
"Who is aware of my current state?" *He asked*.
"Outside of certain family servants, very few, my lord. Not even the patriarch knows yet." *Hitchcock replied*.
"We made sure that your existence remains as secret as possible. If it became known that you've returned, it would cause riots."
"She's not wrong." *Ezio thought*. "The manor would be invaded by groupies and fanboys who would want nothing but to smell his scent."
"Am I that famous?" *Gizon asked*.
"I would say the second most famous person after the gods."
*Gizon smirked amusedly*.
"Well, that's not too bad."
*Ezio turned around and looked at the other two with the same expression*.
"I feel like I'm being watched." *He said*.
"Watched?" *Hitchcock wondered*. "Ah, of course... the cameras."
"It's very unpleasant." *Ezio added*. "Are there other people in the room?"
"A thousand apologies." *Hitchcock said*. "We will remedy that immediately."
*He made a slight hand gesture, ordering to cut the cameras.*
"Ah... much better now. Now, give me some time; I need to think about all this."
"Of course." *They said.*
*As they left the room, Ezio could finally relax as he wanted.*
"Oh, by all the saints." *He sighed*. "I think I'm going to have a breakdown."
"You did fantastic, kid. It lacked a bit of me, but you're not far off."
"What irony, considering I was told I couldn't play your role because I was too small."
"Don't listen to the haters, kid. Go after your dreams. So, what's a camera?"
"It's technology. Think of it as a magical eye that allows you to observe from a distance."
"Oh... a magical eye, huh. But in that case, why did you want them turned off?"
"Because..." *He went to the cell phone and dialed a number. Where normally the operator would have put him on hold, the call was executed immediately.*
"DAD, MOM, ARE YOU OKAY?" *He yelled*.
"Ezio, is that you?" *His father asked*.
"Are you okay?" *He shouted even louder*.
"Wow, calm down, kid. Your mother and I are fine. In fact, we've been at Novo-Shire Airport for a week."
"A week?"
"Yes, ever since the recent monster attack, all flights to Zenith have been canceled."
"You're still on Veridia?"
Ndt: the neighboring new continent
"Well, yes, my boy. Where else should we be? By the way, you haven't answered any of our calls during this week; your mother and I were worried sick."
"Tell him I love him." *She yelled in the background*.
"Anyway, did you hear? Or are you on mute?"
*Ezio released a huge sigh of relief, leaned against the wall to let out some tears.*
"I... I'm fine. No need to come back; Phenicia hasn't been affected."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes. I'm, let's say, confined between four narrow walls."
"You're at the Seguras'? That reassures me. We've almost finished building sheltersfor the refugees. Just a little more, and we should be there in two months."
"Oh, take all the time you need. Let me enjoy my youth."
"That works, champ."
*He hung up the phone and wiped his face.*
"Phew, it feels good to know they're safe."
"You really love your parents, don't you?" *Gizon asked*.
"And yours?"
*He had some flashes from the time he was adopted.*
"The Olsens are the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Olsen and not Barrett, huh? You'll have to tell me about them."
"I thought my story was well-documented. *He said mockingly*.
"Are you kidding? In one night, you've proven 50% of the historical community wrong."
*In the days that followed, Ezio took advantage of his time at the manor to recover and regain strength. Everyone was taking care of him like a little prince, and to be honest... he loved it.*
"This is a remote control." *Stacy explained*.
"Oh my God, I feel like an idiot." *He thought*.
"With this, you can control the screens and choose programs."
"Ahem... Okay?"
*And it didn't stop there.*
"The toilet."
"The shower."
"The bathtub."
"This is a car..."
*Ezio felt like he was losing more and more IQ points listening to her.*
"Damn, if this continues, I'm going to lose it all."
"This girl explains things like i'm an idiot; I always know how to use them. Well, I have to pretend not to know so that she doesn't catch on to the deception." *He said, bored*. "I'm fed up; I want to go home..."
"Well, in your place, that's exactly what I would have done. What's stopping you?"
"I know, but I need a justification. Like,..."
*Ezio stood up as if he had just had an epiphany.*
"Damn, I should have thought of that before."
*The young teen rushed into the main hall, where he found young Stacy and her butler, as well as some of their guards, in front of a television screen. On the screen were different people, including a woman dressed in a very chic evening gown with a leather coat over her shoulders, a young man with deep dark eyes dressed in a complete golden suit, and a blond man in a cobalt blue suit. They stood, all three, in front of graves in a cemetery.*
"What's going on?" *Ezio asked*.
"Ah, you're here, Lord Gizon." *A guard said*. "The TV is broadcasting live the funeral of the victims of the Valentine's Day crisis."
"At least, not a massacre, but we avoided a catastrophe thanks to your intervention. The potential number of victims was estimated at over 30k."
"That much?" *Ezio said surprised*. "What is the current toll?"
"As of the latest news, 113 dead and 1300 injured. A real miracle."
*Ezio displayed a satisfied smile, then noticed that Stacy had her eyes fixed on the TV screen with a beautiful expression.*
"What's wrong with her?"
"Ah, Suzuki Sama is still as beautiful." *She said*.
*She turned around and saw Ezio, making her jump, and she regained her composure.*
"Ahem, Lord Gizon. Allow me to explain. The three you see on the screen are among the strongest psykers and national heroes."
"Oh really?" *Gizon thought*.
"Yes. The handsome guy in the golden suit is Azhir Kurafat. He comes from abroad, but he's a true god when he fights. The grumpy-looking guy there is Caius Gawain."
"Gawain... Your father?"
"What... NO. Caius is my half-brother, of course. Ahem, sorry. And finally, the girl there is Suzuki No Kazeshima. She's beautiful, intelligent, elegant, smiling; she acts in movies and gives interviews. She appears on TV shows, and she..."
"Stop before you run out of adjectives." *Ezio said*. "And I already know all that; I've had a crush on her since the 6th grade." *He thought inwardly*.
"You fall for someone easily, huh?" *Gizon told him*.
"Did you see how sexy she is?"
"The important thing is the heart, kid."
"I don't have X-ray vision to see her heart. And I'm not a surgeon."
"Tch, irrecoverable." *He thought*.
"By the way, why did you come here?" *Stacy asked*. "Usually, you stay alone in your corner."
*Ezio put on his most serious face and simply told them*.
"I've decided that I have to leave you."
*Stacy widened her eyes, surprised, and her face became sad. But before she could speak, Hitchcock intervened.*
"In that case, I'd like you to grant me a duel, please. If I win..."
"I stop you right there. There's no 'if.' I win, and I'm out of here."
"You seem a bit too arrogant, if I may say so."
"And you're not confident enough." *Ezio said with a smirk*.
"You're talking about this *Gizon laughed*.
*To be continued...*