Chapter 3: Shadows of the Creed
The birthday candles had barely cooled when Alex retreated to his room in the Stark-Wayne estate, the echoes of Alfred's well-wishes and Pepper's laughter fading down the hall. His parents' video call had ended with promises of a real celebration soon, but Alex's mind was elsewhere—locked on the glowing interface that had hijacked his midnight. The Multiverse Life Simulator. A cheat code in a world already stacked with superheroes and villains. He sat on his bed, staring at the menu hovering in his vision like a holographic overlay from one of Tony's prototypes.
[Simulation Menu]
[Available Worlds: Random Selection [Based on Host Knowledge]
[Option 1: Movie - Star Wars (Jedi Path) - Cost: 3 Credits]
[Option 2: Anime - Naruto (Shinobi Life) - Cost: 5 Credits]
[Option 3: Cartoon - Avatar: The Last Airbender (Bender Training) - Cost: 3 Credits]
[Option 4: Game - Assassin's Creed (Templar Hunter) - Cost: 1 Credit]
He had only 1 credit from the annual allocation, so the choice was obvious. Star Wars tempted him with lightsabers and the Force, Naruto with chakra and ninjutsu, Avatar with elemental bending—but they were out of reach for now. Assassin'sCreed, though? Stealth, history, parkour. It fit his world—skulking through shadows like Bruce might one day do as Batman. Low risk, high utility. He mentally selected Option 4.
[Simulation Initiated: Assassin's Creed - Templar Hunter - Level 1]
[Credit Deducted: 1]
[Entering World... ]
The estate dissolved in a swirl of pixels and echoes, replaced by the sun-baked streets of Renaissance Italy. Alex blinked, his 14-year-old body now clad in simple robes, standing in the bustling piazza of Florence. The air smelled of bread and horse manure, vendors hawking wares in accented Italian. But this wasn't a vacation; the system's voice echoed in his mind: You are an apprentice Assassin, tasked with hunting Templar agents. Survive, learn, and disrupt their plans. Failure means reset—death in sim, but lessons carry over.
Alex's heart pounded. He knew the game's lore—Ezio Auditore's path, the hidden blades, the eternal war between Assassins and Templars. But living it? His first steps felt clumsy, his senses overwhelmed by the crowd's press. A mentor figure, grizzled and hooded, appeared from the shadows, pulling him into an alley. "You have the blood of eagles, boy. Time to train."
The simulation compressed time, days blurring into montages. Alex started with basics: free-running across rooftops, his muscles aching as he leaped from beam to beam, learning to roll on landings to avoid sprains. He practiced blending into crowds, picking pockets for coins without drawing eyes—skills that sharpened his awareness of body language and subtle cues. Sensitivity training came next: hours in dim rooms, blindfolded, identifying sounds and scents. A footfall on cobblestone, the whisper of a drawn dagger, the faint metallic tang of blood. "Feel the world," his mentor barked. "The Templars hide in plain sight."
Combat was brutal. Wooden swords first, then hidden blades—retractable daggers that snapped from wrist bracers. Alex learned parries and counters, but his strikes were novice, lacking the fluidity of masters. Assassination drills: shadowing targets in markets, striking from above with an air assassination or from hay bales below. He botched his first real mission, a low-level Templar courier; his approach was too noisy, alerting guards. A sword to the gut ended it—pain flared, simulated but visceral, his vision fading to black.
[Simulation Death: Cause - Combat Failure]
[Mental Strain Applied: Mild Headache (Temporary)]
Alex gasped, back in his room, sweat-soaked and disoriented. The clock showed only minutes had passed in real time. His head throbbed faintly, a reminder that failure wasn't free. But the interface updated:
[Simulation Complete: Assassin's Creed - Templar Hunter - Level 1]
[Rewards: Basic Assassination Knowledge (Stealth Approaches, Vital Strikes), Increased Sensory Sensitivity (Heightened Awareness of Sounds/Smells/Movements), Parkour Fundamentals (Improved Agility and Balance)]
The knowledge settled like instinct. Alex flexed his fingers, imagining a hidden blade. He could already picture applying this—sneaking past estate security, spotting lies in SHIELD agents' postures, or evading hypothetical threats like Hydra operatives. Not overpowered, no eagle vision or superhuman leaps, just honed edges to his natural talents. Enough to survive, maybe thrive.
But credits were zero now. He needed more—contact with heroes or villains. Tony's next visit? Or perhaps shadowing Bruce's return. The world outside waited, and with it, chaos Alex was only starting to glimpse.