Heart Shaped Box

 

It was raining as it had been these last couple of days. Altair stood alone in an empty street within Jerusalem. His clothes were soaked as he saw the building of the Bureau right in front of him and he slowly dragged himself forwards, his arm bleeding and the blood mixing with the water falling from of the sky.

He groaned in pain when he pulled his body upwards, falling through the rooftop and standing in the middle of the court, his head hanging low between his shoulders, one hand clasped over the wound on his arm where an arrow had hit him. It was quiet despite the noise of raindrops falling, hitting the ground and splashing into every direction like they were dancing.

His gaze was locked onto the entrance in front of him and his feet started to move on their own. He stopped underneath the door's frame, Malik standing behind the counter, his face engulfed by a soft golden glow caused by the candles burning.

Raindrops were running over Altair's face, falling down from the tip of his nose. He stood there, breathing, staring and slowly Malik lifted his head from his work as if he had known he'd been there all the time.

He put the feather aside which he had used to draw a new map, slowly walking around the counter to meet Altair.

He looked at his bleeding arm, then back up to meet the man's intense stare. "Hn", he huffed, clicking his tongue. "It seems it's not true then what the novices say for you are bleeding and therefore can be no god... even you have your limits, Altair, admit them."

Altair slowly shook his head, the grip on his arm increasing, causing a new wave of pain to shake his frame. "There are no limits", he told him in a hoarse, arrogant voice. "It just seems my body's a cage."