1497 Firenze
The town square was bustling as people attended to their daily activities. Merchant's were loud and the people were eager to see their wares. A group of monks just passed through the area while the city's Bourgeoisie came and went in a steady flow. A lone man stood still at the center of the plaza as he spoke himself.
“It's been twenty long years. The Doge has not died but Lorenzo has. The people that have replaced him as the leaders as leaders of Firenze are incompetent fools. They hold literally no authority and have zero support from the people of Firenze. It shall be easy fare to overthrow them and insert myself upon the throne.”
He took out a golden sphere from inside his pouch and looked at it with eyes filled with desire.
“Especially with this Apple of Eden in my grasp. With this, not only Firenze, but all of Italia shall be mine!”
Almost all of his cohorts had been slain over the years, and now most of the power that would come with conquering Italia would rest almost entirely on him. The power that he believed would soon be his and a decades worth of fearing for his life had made his mind less than stable. He began to laugh as he couldn't hold in the excitement.
People who stopped and looked at the man thought that he was laughing at the art merchant that was just stabbed right in front of him. They merely avoided him and walked away in disgust. But two men approached him from opposite sides.
“It's over Barbarigo. Your time has come.”
“Assassins! I'm not afraid of you. I hold ultimate power at the tips of my fingers!”
Marco Barbarigo raised up the Apple of Eden and a golden light covered the entire town square. The assassins were not affected by the light but the citizens were. They swarmed the two men with full intent to kill. One of them was able to fend off the mind controlled people with his very large sword. They may have had no control over their bodies, but they were not suicidal. However the seemingly unarmed man did not fare much better as they stabbed him, slashed him, and beat him to a pulp.
Marco Barbarigo laughed maniacally as he watched the scene unfold from what he believed to be a safe distance. But suddenly the beaten man sent the nearest attacker crashing into ground. Using him as a foothold, he leapt over the crowd and stabbed Marco with his hidden blade. Marco could feel his life fading away from his body and his control over the people weakened. Using that chance, the other man bull charged his way through the crowd and set himself beside the dying man.
“Resquiat in pace,” he said as he gave the final blow.
The people were confused as their minds became their own again. But when they saw the three bloody people, they all ran away.
Antonio had been heavily wounded before he could attack Marco.
“It seems my life is at its end as well.” he said and laid himself on the ground.
“So I am to be last one to remain alive. The irony of the oldest outliving the young ones.”
“It is not the time to grieve or be sentimental. Our work is still not finished.”
“I know, Antonio. Resquiat in pace, my friend.”
He closed Antonio's eyes as his body lay motionless. He took off the Hidden Blade on Antonio's wrist and placed it on his.
“I shall slay the final Templar myself with your blade... Giovanni... Ezio...”