Thus, the leader of a generation of Assassins died beneath the weapon that once symbolized his organization.
One could say it was a fitting end.
"The desert is his home."
Morin guided the sand, burying the body. Once a person was dead, the feud ended. There was no need to defile a corpse for revenge.
"Is this meant to fulfill some kind of spiritual ritual?" Lucy gestured toward the Hidden Blade on Morin's wrist.
"Yes," Morin said. "After all, Templars should be experts at using Hidden Blades for backstabbing, shouldn't they?"
He smiled and handed it to her.
"An extremely primitive weapon," Lucy said, examining it. "Judging by its structure, it's inherently disadvantaged in direct combat."
"That's true," Morin replied. "It was designed for assassination-concealment and instant lethality. If you're fighting three hundred people head-on, I'd recommend a hand axe."
He paused.
"Though I am curious what kind of beings can use this thing to parry a greatsword..."
Morin thought of certain game scenes, and his lips twitched slightly. With his abilities, it wouldn't be hard. As for those people...
Assassin Masters with bloodline advantages.
That explanation worked well enough.
Just as they were about to leave, Morin suddenly looked up.
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"A clown is jumping around," Morin said with a smile.
In low Earth orbit, an invisible spacecraft was shifting its configuration.
The Isu stood at the command console, his face twisted with malice and lingering fear. He still couldn't understand how Morin had done all of that. In his mind, Morin had to possess Isu blood.
There was no other explanation.
Such was the persistence of self-delusion.
But the truth no longer mattered.
He intended to erase Morin with the ship's weapons.
As for Earth?
Irrelevant.
The systems finished charging.
A pillar of energy erupted from the main cannon.
The advantage of laser weapons was simple.
By the time you saw them, you were already dead.
Before the Isu could even enjoy that certainty, Morin raised his hand and gently pushed toward space.
A massive magnetic field formed on his palm.
Compressed to a single point.
Forced forward.
The contrast between scale and output carried world-shaking force.
"Light has wave-particle duality," Morin said quietly. "So why don't you try your own trick?"
The Isu didn't hear him.
But he saw the result.
The laser never reached Earth.
It stopped.
Then it bent.
And turned back.
The Isu's mind went blank.
His entire body trembled.
He believed in science. More than humans ever could. Isu civilization had mastered interstellar travel. Their understanding of physics dwarfed Earth's.
So why-
Why would light stop?
A black hole?
Then how could it turn around?
The rational framework supporting his world collapsed in an instant.
There was no answer.
And no time to ask.
He was erased within the returning pillar of light.
The ship's defenses never activated.
It exploded silently in orbit, the blast sealed behind an invisible barrier. No sensor. No satellite. No human eye noticed anything at all.
"Done," Morin said, lowering his hand as if finishing a trivial chore.
"Only one?" Lucy asked.
"I doubt it," Morin replied. "Did you sense something?"
"I did," Lucy nodded. "It feels like... the things I can control increased slightly."
Morin studied her for a moment.
"Maybe you're unusually compatible with this world."
He didn't find a clear answer, so he let it go.
"Maybe..." Lucy said. She wasn't certain either. She only knew her awareness was expanding-slowly-but nowhere near the omniscience she once had.
"I just got an idea," Morin said, his eyes lighting up.
...
When Morin appeared again, he was in another world.
His earlier thought had been simple.
Lucy would remain in the Assassin world.
She could develop there, act as a new Templar, and serve as a deterrent against future Isu incursions. Morin couldn't stay in that world forever, and Lucy couldn't keep jumping between worlds with him. Her last transition had nearly killed her, and she hadn't fully recovered.
Since she showed compatibility with that world, staying behind was the safest option.
Recover strength.
Stabilize herself.
And perhaps, along the way, reclaim her emotions.
Morin, meanwhile, returned to the very first world he had ever visited.
The Fast and Furious world.
As for the timing-
A funeral.
Han's funeral.
Han was a strange figure in this world. He died in a ridiculous way, then lived again just as absurdly. Morin hadn't been especially close to him. His real connection had been with Dominic Toretto and Mia.
When Morin first arrived in this world, it was Dom who had extended a hand.
That mattered.
The moment Morin chose was shortly after the beginning of Furious 7.
In this version, Han had been killed by Deckard Shaw, seeking revenge for his brother. Right now, Dom, Brian O'Conner, Tej, Roman, and the others were gathered to see him off.
Morin appeared on a nearby street.
With a snap of his fingers, he changed into a suit.
He summoned the Universal Vehicle, transformed it into a Koenigsegg, and drove over.
Even knowing Han would return later, death was still death-for now.
A flower was appropriate.
...
"They say as long as they live in our hearts, they never die," Dom said, placing flowers before Han's photo. "But he took your life."
His voice was steady.
"So I'm going to take his."
"Sounds like a lot happened while I was gone," a voice said behind him.
"...Morin?"
Dom turned around.
His eyes widened.