The Assassin's Crown

Part 13

2022, August 5th

Aerlic followed Joe out of the room, breaking down as soon as he was out of sight. It cripled him to see someone so dear to him, forget his every action. He was a ghost in his lover's eyes.

"Aerlic, I'm so sorry." the younger man embraces the elder. "It has gotten worse, but you still need to pack for the trip, you might want to try to play nice, and start as his friend again?"

"Pretend to not care, let him become used to me again?"Aerlic looked up at Joe, grabbing him tighter in their hug.

"You have to try, at least till he remembers." Joe rubs his head and sits against the wall next to him. "I'm scared for the day i forget you two, or for when i die before you." he rubs his wrinkled hands together.

"I wish I could grow old like you Joe, to be able to grow old and let him rest with his memories of me." he holds out his necklace, new wires and wraps were placed around the crystals. "I fixed it. I fixed it for him."

"Shall i show you something?" the old man reaches into his pocket and pulls forth a locket. It was silver and rusted with age, but the date showed clear, 1945. "Sireno told me after he gave me this, his heart would never fall to another. He told me to keep it safe if I ever met you." he opens the locket, placed inside on a blanket of delicacy was a photo, mid 18 hundreds, and one of the last times Aerlic ever saw Sireno happy with him.

"He gave you this in 1945?" Aerlic held it as if it would disappear, like the memories of himself had.

"The year I started here, it was my job to remind him about you." the old man smiles weakly, "he cried so much after he remembered things, has he forgotten before?"

"Yes, that entire year. 1835. He lost all memories of me, so to commemorate our 'friendship' he had us try this new technology, a photograph." Aerlic smiled, laying his head against the wall. "Seconds after the flash hit his eyes, he remembered, the fear and pain came rushing into his eyes all over again, it killed me to see him fall apart." small water droplets hit the floor as they rolled down the olders face.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, and now when he gets his memories back again he may hate you still?"

"I fear that the past two months are as good as gone, yes." Aerlic leans against Joe's shoulder. "We need to make this work, and find this dam fucking cure." his voice becomes one of intent and anger. He was going to kill anyone to get that cure at this point.

"Plan, separate test 478, in action." a scruffy and gurgled voice called to the air, hands caressing the king's bedroom window.