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---Pennsbury Manor, Pennsylvania---
The dining room of the main house at Pennsbury Manor was full of life. The long mahogany table was crowded with people, a rare gathering of the entire extended household. The air was filled with conversations and the clinking of silverware against porcelain.
William Penn Sr., looking a healthy fifty years old despite his true age of seventy, sat at the head of the table. His wife, Hannah, was beside him, and his children... Springett, Letitia, and William Jr.... were engaged in conversation further down. It wasn't often they all gathered like this; usually, they kept to their own homes and lives.
The Kenway family... Leonard, Eleanor, Bernard, and Linette... were there, their faces relaxed and content. Beside them sat the core allies: Reuben and Thulani, Flavia and her father, Matteo Auditore.
Kassandra was seated near the Kenway matriarchs, listening with a small, amused smile as Linette recounted a story. And at the far end, Jonathan Hugh, the butler, sat quietly, having finally given up protesting that he should be serving rather than dining with the family. He had learned over the past few months that the Kenways considered him one of their own, a fact that still felt strange but was not unwelcome.
They were all here because William Penn Jr. had news. He had been traveling, acting as his father's envoy, gauging the political mood in the neighboring colonies.
He wiped his mouth with a linen napkin and cleared his throat, capturing everyone's attention. "Father," he began, his voice clear and confident, "I've managed to gather key figures from Brunswick all the way to Wilmington."
"Oh?" Penn Sr. turned his full attention to his son, a pleased look on his face. "That was quick. And what of Greensboro and Raleigh?"
"Them too," Penn Jr. confirmed with a nod. "They were eager to cut ropes with the English Crown the moment I showed them proof of the King's corruption. Father, your name holds great weight in these colonies. Many said the lion has finally shown its claws."
"Lion king?" Penn Sr. raised an eyebrow, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. He couldn't help but think of the platinum-blonde young man who had pushed him, encouraged him, to take this path.
'Thank you, Alaric,' he thought silently. 'You opened my eyes.'
"It is a great title," Kassandra commented from her end of the table, her voice carrying easily. Her compliment only made the Quaker leader blush a little more.
"Ah, yes-yes," Penn Sr. mumbled, uncharacteristically flustered. He quickly changed the subject, turning to Matteo. "And what about you, Reuben? Maestro? Have you managed to secure contact with the Assassins in this country?"
Matteo nodded slowly, his expression was heavy. "Yes," he replied, his voice a low rasp. "But we have only managed to contact one. In Boston."
The mood in the room shifted slightly at the news. One contact, in a land so vast, felt like a very small start. Penn was about to offer some words of encouragement, to say not to worry, when a brilliant, silent flash of light erupted in the center of the room.
"Huh?"
"Wha-"
Everyone spun in their seats, their eyes widening in shock. Standing there, as if he had materialized from thin air, was Alaric. He looked weary, his crimson coat slightly rumpled, but he was back.
"'Laric!"
"Son!"
"Kid!"
A chorus of relieved and joyous cries filled the room. But their joy was cut short as they saw who he was carrying in his arms.
"Caroline!"
The name was a collective gasp. Elizabeth and Aveline leaped from their seats, their faces paling dramatically, rushing forward.
"Hold on a moment!" Alaric's voice was calm but firm, stopping them in their tracks. "She needs rest. She's not exactly alright for now."
Everyone froze, their worry intensifying. William Penn Sr. was already on his feet, his mind racing. "Sebastian!" he called out, his voice sharp. "Prepare a room for young Caroline! The quietest one we have!"
"Yes, master!" came the immediate reply from the butler, who had appeared in the doorway, his own face a mask of concern.
Alaric nodded his thanks and started walking, carrying Caroline's limp form as if she weighed nothing. The entire group followed silently, a somber procession moving through the grand manor.
They ascended the main staircase, their footsteps echoing in the sudden, heavy silence. Elizabeth and Aveline walked just behind Alaric, their hands clasped together, their hearts pounding with every step.
They reached a quiet bedroom at the end of a long hall. Alaric gently laid Caroline down on the large, soft bed. He turned, his gaze sweeping over the worried faces crowded in the doorway. He managed a warm, reassuring smile, though they could all see the deep exhaustion in his eyes.
"Aside from Sire Penn, the Kenway family, Reuben, Thulani, and the Auditores," he asked gently, "please give us some space."
His request was soft, but it carried an undeniable weight. Elizabeth and Aveline hesitated, their eyes filled with tears, but they respected his wishes, allowing Jonathan to quietly guide them back down the hall.
Once the room was less crowded, Kassandra, who had been silent until now, walked to Alaric's side. "Agápi mou," she murmured, her voice filled with concern. "What happened? Was she..."
"Yeah," Alaric confirmed with a heavy sigh, his gaze fixed on Caroline's still form.
The others in the room exchanged confused glances. "Was she what?" Bernard finally asked.
Alaric looked at them, his expression grim. "Remember when I told you that the Apple of Eden can corrupt a person's mind?"
A wave of understanding and horror washed over them.
"Oh!"
"I see..."
Kassandra sighed, shaking her head sadly. "She's so beautiful," she whispered, looking at Caroline's pale, peaceful face. "Like a maiden in a garden of pink roses."
"You got that right," Bernard said, his voice thick with a sadness of his own. "What happened, kid? Did she become a vegetable?"
"Vegetable?" Leonard shot his brother a sharp glare. "Don't say such things! That's your daughter-in-law!"
"I don't know," Alaric admitted, shaking his head as he looked down at Caroline.
"Oh no!" Linette's composure finally broke. She sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face. "Poor Caroline..."
Eleanor rushed to her side, comforting her sister-in-law even as her own tears began to fall. The sight was heartbreaking. Thulani, Reuben, Matteo, and Flavia all looked away, a shared sense of grief and helplessness settling over them.
"...I think... I can do something about it," Alaric murmured, his voice was so quiet it was almost lost in the sound of quiet sobs. But everyone heard him. 'If it's possible...'
Every head snapped towards him, their eyes wide with a mixture of hope and disbelief. Alaric looked at Kassandra, a silent question in his eyes.
"Aletheia," he said, his voice a little stronger now. "You're one to calculate things. How is this woman?"
Kassandra paused, her gaze unfocusing for a moment as she consulted the Isu consciousness. "Aletheia says that judging from her scans... her body's overly fatigued, but that should not be enough for her to be in this bizarre state." She looked at Alaric, her expression grim. "She says the Apple must have corrupted her badly."
William Penn, who had remained a silent, thoughtful observer until now, nodded slowly. He had seen the impossible; he was ready to believe again.
"Well," Alaric said, his gaze sweeping over the room, meeting the eyes of each person there. "The reason I specifically asked all of you to stay is because... how I de-aged Penn, I'll do it to Caroline. And I want you to see this gift of mine... to show you guys what I can truly do."
"Huh?" The word was a collective, confused whisper from everyone except Penn.
Alaric walked to Caroline's bedside and sat down on the edge of the mattress. He gently placed his palm on her forehead. Everyone leaned forward, their breath held, expecting some kind of mystical green light, some quiet, shamanistic ritual.
What happened next was a nightmare.
"AAAAAAAAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A scream, raw and filled with an agony that seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality, ripped from Caroline's throat. Her body arched violently on the bed, her limbs convulsing.
"Huh!?"
"What in the..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"'Laric, what in the name of the heavens are you doing!?" Bernard roared, taking a step forward before Leonard grabbed his arm, holding him back.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
The shrieking continued, a relentless, horrifying sound that seemed to go on for an eternity. The room was filled with a palpable tension, a mixture of terror and a desperate, clinging hope.
Alaric remained seated, his hand pressed firmly to Caroline's forehead, his own face pale, beads of sweat forming on his brow. His jaw was clenched, his eyes shut tight in concentration. This was clearly taking an immense toll on him.
The agonizing screams continued for what felt like hours but was likely closer to thirty minutes. Finally, with one last, shuddering cry, Caroline's body went limp, her convulsions ceasing.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Alaric snatched his hand back as if burned, gasping for breath, his own body trembling from the exertion.
'Damn... I'm out of chakra,' he thought, a wave of dizziness washing over him. He looked down at Caroline. Her body was drenched in sweat, but her breathing, though shallow, was even. Peaceful.
"I did it," Alaric whispered, a weak but triumphant grin spreading across his exhausted face. "I fucking did it!"
'It was hard, but I was able to reverse all the mental pain that Caroline went through, then reverse it to the point when she was yet to be controlled by the apple.' Alaric's grin widened slightly. 'It was risky, since the highest and most difficult application of my fuinjutsu is for reversing and accelerating time for a specific thing. Good thing it was a success.'
He looked up at his mother and aunt, who were staring, their faces streaked with tears, their expressions a mixture of horror and awe. "Would it be alright if both of you could change her clothes?"
"Y-Yeah?" Eleanor stammered, nodding numbly.
Alaric smiled, then turned his weary gaze to Kassandra. "Can we talk, agápi mou?"
Kassandra, who had watched the entire ordeal with a stoic but deeply concerned expression, nodded immediately. "Y-Yes, of course..."
As Alaric stood, swaying slightly, one thought echoed in the minds of everyone who had witnessed the impossible, terrifying, and miraculous event.
'What the hell is Alaric?'
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