Apple of Eden 6

The presumed Sixth Apple is the focal Piece of Eden throughout the Assassin's Creed series. It is never issued a number, unlike the other five Apples described in Subject 16's Glyph puzzles. The Sixth Apple was originally found in the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon's Temple by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Malik A-Sayf in Assassin's Creed. It is a piece of ancient but technologically advanced equipment created by Those Who Came Before to manipulate their workforce, human-kind.

Use: Designed to create illusions and to control human minds, and can be used in conjunction with the Staff (presumably as can other Apples). Also contains knowledge of many technologies used by Those Who Came Before.

Status: Hidden by Ezio Auditore in a First Civilization Vault below the Santa Maria Aracoeli in Rome between 1503 and 1507. Uncovered by Desmond Miles in October 2012.

Known Owners

 * Those Who Came Before (? - ?)
 * Al Mualim (1191)
 * Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (1191 - ?)
 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1488)
 * Checco Orsi (1488)
 * Girolamo Savonarola (1488 - 1498)
 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1498 - December 1499)
 * Mario Auditore (December 1499 - January 1500)
 * Cesare Borgia (January 1500 - 1503)
 * Rodrigo Borgia (1503)
 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1503 - 1507)
 * Desmond Miles (2012 - ?)

History
After escaping the Vatican, Ezio and Mario took to the rooftops and made their way to a high tower overlooking the Tiber River. Once there, Ezio withdrew the Apple of Eden from his cloak and prepared to drop it into the river, however, he hesitated. Acknowledging that destroying such a powerful artifact wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly, Mario offered to keep the Apple safe until Ezio had made up his mind, and the two rode back to their base of operations in the fortress town of Monteriggioni.

During the Siege of Monteriggioni, Mario was killed by Cesare Borgia, who took the Apple for himself. Four years later, Ezio managed to retrieve the Apple from where it had been hidden by Rodrigo Borgia, in St. Peter's Basilica. He used it to demilitarize Cesare's army, and look into the future to locate Cesare in Viana in 1507. Realizing the power of the Apple, Ezio hid the Apple in a First Civilization Vault beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli, in central Rome.

Abilities
In Assassin's Creed, the Apple is used by Al Mualim to coerce the members of the Assassin Order into obeying his will, namely, killing Altaïr. The Apple is also used for neural paralysis, the creation of up to nine hologram doubles, and the partial blindness of any target. At the end of the game, the Apple reveals a map of the world indicating the locations of various Pieces of Eden.

In Assassin's Creed II, Ezio used the Apple in Rome to dispel the effects of the Staff, as well as to create four hologram doubles. While these doubles could not deal damage, they were able distract Rodrigo during their battle. After Rodrigo stole the Apple, he combined it with the Staff of Eden to paralyze Ezio, then to create the key to The Vault, which he claimed held a "god-felling weapon." In the vault, Minerva upgraded the Apple.

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio is able to use the Apple as a weapon. By charging the Apple, a golden perimeter spreads around him, followed by a smaller, white perimeter; though these circles decrease slightly upon release. Enemies within the golden circle of effect will proceed to fight each other, while enemies in the white circle will fall to the ground in agony, which is depicted as a kill-by-insanity. The Apple can also be used in a counter-attack, where briefly activating its effects just as an enemy attacks results in an instant kill.

Using the Apple will drain the player's health, with a greater area of effect draining a greater amount of health; though health will recover faster over time. Whether this is due to overuse of the Apple, or of a desynchronization between Desmond's and Ezio's memories, is unknown.

Trivia

 * The Apple affects and can potentially kill almost anyone, including allies (such as mercenaries and Assassin recruits) and civilians.
 * The Apple was mentioned iconically in many religious writings; most notably as the "fruit of knowledge" in the garden of Eden.