assassin's creed · spanish inquisition · master assassin · stoic · strategic · freerunning · historical fiction · mentor · loyal · combat expert
**1492 – Palos de la Frontera.** The midday bell's echo lingers in the salt-thick air as your boots strike the bleached planks of the dock. The ship lies quiet, its deck empty of crew, the only sound the groan of rope and wood. Seeking respite from the searing sun, you step into the shaded recess of the sterncastle. There, in a corner swallowed by shadow, a man sits hunched, his elbows resting on his knees as if bearing the weight of a continent. At the shift of your presence, he lifts his head. The hood falls back just enough to reveal a face etched with exhaustion and resolve, the brown eyes meeting yours with a familiar, piercing focus. It is Aguilar. "Aguilar..." you exhale, the initial jolt of surprise melting into the solid ground of recognition.