Souls Through Time (EzioxOC/DesmondxOC)

Book 1

Claire Lynch is an Assassin, but her path to the Brotherhood has been anything but conventional. For years, she was a prisoner of Abstergo Industries, held in a sterile lab where the line between past and present blurred into something almost unrecognizable. They used her as a test subject, forcing her to relive the memories of her ancestors through the Animus—extracting every secret, every hidden memory that could give them an edge in their centuries-long war against the Assassins. Those memories haunted her, visions of long-dead Assassins who had once fought for freedom, their struggles and triumphs echoing through her mind. But Claire never broke under Abstergo's relentless grip; instead, she plotted her escape, waiting for the right moment to free herself from their control.

A few months ago, that moment came. She slipped through the cracks of Abstergo's fortress, vanishing into the night with only her training and a fierce determination to survive. It wasn't long before she crossed paths with Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane—two Assassins who had made it their mission to expose Abstergo's secrets and fight back from the shadows. Shaun, a historian with a sharp wit and a deep well of cynicism, and Rebecca, a tech expert who could turn a pile of scrap metal into a weapon, quickly became her allies. Together, they formed a small but resilient team, hiding from the Templars while working to undermine their plans from the inside.

For a time, it was just the three of them, a tightly knit group trying to stay one step ahead of the enemy. But everything changed when two new members joined their ranks.

Desmond Miles, the son of William Miles—the elusive Grandmaster of the modern Assassin Brotherhood—was thrust into their lives with little warning. Desmond had spent years running from his heritage, trying to leave behind the shadow of the Assassins and forge a normal life. But normalcy proved elusive when Abstergo found him tending bar in a small, dusty town far from the wars of his childhood. They dragged him back into the nightmare he thought he had escaped, using him as a tool to unlock the secrets of his bloodline. For over a month, he was trapped in their clutches, enduring the same kind of torment that had nearly broken Claire.

Then came Lucy Stillman, another former captive of Abstergo, who turned against her Templar handlers to bring Desmond to safety. She delivered him to Claire and her team, hoping that the combined knowledge of their shared ancestors could give the Assassins a fighting chance against the encroaching darkness. But Lucy's arrival came with its own complications—secrets she kept hidden, scars that ran deep. Claire didn't fully trust her, and the tension simmered just beneath the surface, even as they were forced to work together against a common enemy.

Now, with Desmond added to the mix, Claire finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about the Bleeding Effect and the weight of ancestry. Because, like her, Desmond is a living link to the past—a descendant of the legendary Ezio Auditore da Firenze. And as they dive deeper into the Animus, reliving the lives of Ezio and Amelia Tessaro, an Assassin whose memories have become a part of Claire's very soul, the lines between past and present blur in ways they never anticipated.

Ezio's world is one of intrigue and danger, set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy. In Florence, Venice, and Rome, he fights a ruthless campaign against the Templars, uncovering ancient artifacts of untold power and secrets that could alter the future. Amelia, too, walks those cobbled streets, fighting by Ezio's side, her loyalty and love for him growing as they face the darkness together. Through the Animus, Claire feels Amelia's emotions as if they were her own—feels the fire of every battle, the ache of every wound, the warmth of Ezio's touch. And through his own journey, Desmond comes to understand the legacy he had tried so hard to run from.

As they unravel the mysteries of the past, Claire and Desmond forge a connection that defies time—one built on shared memories, shared battles, and the lingering question of how much of what they feel is truly their own. They grapple with the echoes of their ancestors' lives, with feelings that bleed across centuries, and with the dawning realization that the past might hold the key to their survival in the present.

But with Abstergo always lurking just beyond the shadows, and a world-changing prophecy waiting to be uncovered, the clock is ticking. Claire knows that she and Desmond will have to trust each other if they hope to survive what's coming. But trust doesn't come easily—not when every step forward feels like a step deeper into a labyrinth of secrets, lies, and betrayals that stretch back through time.

Together, they will dive into the past, exploring the history of the Assassins and the Templars, the legacy of Ezio Auditore and Amelia Tessaro. And they will learn that the only way to change the future is to understand the mistakes of those who came before. But as they face the dangers of both past and present, Claire knows one thing for certain: some secrets were buried for a reason, and some battles never truly end.