A game, or real life? (Ezio x reader)

The end of our journey

A/N: Happy New Year, everyone!!! 

It's with a heavy heart that I declare this fanfic to be almost over. Only 4, 5 chapters left. It was a great project, but unfortunately, even the best things must come to an end. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Everything hurt. I could barely move, I was hungry, I was thirsty...where was I? Had I not died? Probably not, I thought as I began to regain control over my body. How numb everything felt still. My toes, my feet, then my legs...my fingers, my hands, then my arms... yes, everything was still there. I was still here. But how? How could I have possibly survived from that wound?

I was lying on something, I could tell. I could feel a solid surface beneath me, yet I wasn't cold. I tried moving, but it was all so excruciating... I tried to crack my eyes open then. I was in a dimly lit room, with what appeared to be a wooden ceiling above my head. The only source of light came from the corner of my eye, and slowly looking over, I noticed an unmoving form resting against a wooden desk. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I looked back up at the ceiling. Where was I? I continued to look around, doing my best to move only my head, but even that was agonizing to do as it felt like it weighted a ton. The poor candle could barely illuminate this part of the room, but I could still see someone resting by my side. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough light for me to determine who it was exactly. So, I decided to give up and close my eyes. I took this time to relive those last moments in Sofia's bookshop, the revelation, the warmth of Yusuf's body in my arms, and before I knew it, I was in a deep thought.

Who was I? Who was I really? All my life, I've asked myself that very same question, but...now more than ever, it felt impossible to give it an answer. All my life, I thought I was (y/n) Auditore, the proud wife of Ezio Auditore, Master Assassin, Grandmaster for a few years, daughter of Templars, daughter...of lies. But now...who was I truly? Was I Maria Thorpe? And if so, then who was (y/n)? I thought I had been forging my own path by accepting Minerva's quest, but was I truly? Or was I just reliving the past? All those memories, all those visions, colliding with the life I wanted to build with Ezio. Memories of Altaïr, memories of the wonderful life we lived... Why was he always so persistent in showing me the truth? Was it to make my life a perpetual conflict? Was it because he wanted me to remember him? Remember the life I was stripped away from through the brutality of a stab wound? Remember the pain, the betrayal, the need for revenge I felt during those last few days I had left? What if I had never wanted to learn this truth? What if I had just wanted to live my life peacefully? Would Altaïr still have plagued my thoughts and dreams? Or had I no choice on the matter?

Now, more than ever, I didn't know who I was. Had my life been a lie? Who brought be back? Why did I get a second chance in life? Was it Minerva's doing? Hell, was it God? I still remember Altaïr's words in his last Codex page as he wondered what came after death. "I know that the elements of my body will return to the Earth. But what of my consciousness? My identity? That is to say – what of ME? I suspect it will end. That there is no next world. Nor a return to this one. It will simply be done. Forever." Was I the grand exception then? A soul without time? A reincarnation? Only God knew what I was exactly.

I heard the light creaking of a door, somewhere. Light poured into the room, and even though I had my eyes closed, the sudden change of light hurt my eyes. A burst of wind swooped in, bringing the salty smell of sea and the sound of waves hitting something. Was I on a boat...? The door closed again, successfully muffling those telltale sounds. Quiet steps...trained so. I heard a light ruffling of fabric, and all of a sudden, I felt a presence sitting by my side. I decided to crack my eyes open.