Defiance of the Fall

The two sets of Epic options were quite straightforward . The first duo , Arcadia’s Champion and Desolation’s Warden , were straight upgrades of his current classes . They would add more of the same , their attribute distribution almost identical to Edge of Arcadia and Fetters of Desolation . Picking this choice would likely provide the smoothest transition , and he would be able to hit the ground running .

Primeval Edge and Predestination’s Judge moved his classes toward his path without fully stepping onto it . Its attribute distribution better aligned with his Daos and the set of Arcane classes . It was the best of both worlds , adapted to his style without locking him in like an Arcane class .

Three options , all with their own advantages , and none with any direct flaws like many of his options last time . No matter what he picked , he would be well equipped for the upcoming war and the trial inside the Left Imperial Palace . Yet for Zac , it wasn’t a difficult choice—he’d decided the second he saw the classes .

He was going with the Arcane classes .

A surge of energy filled Zac’s body as he provided the Nexus Node with his answer , this one provided by the cosmos itself rather than through the forceful extraction of the surrounding spirituality . Mysterious runes sank into the channels he’d arduously crafted while waves of change rippled through his pathways . Fractals expanded and grew more exquisite , where ten patterns became one hundred to accommodate greater energies and deeper Daos .

The transformation of his core and pathways were soon mirrored on the Duplicity Core , confirming Zac’s suspicion it was waiting for his class choice to finish the transformation . It formed a resonance with the evolving core , and Zac gasped as he finally sensed a weak connection to his Cosmic Core . It was a bottomless ocean of pure power , right there for the taking .

The sky rumbled as Zac’s aura burst forth , like a star was born on the ruins of his manor . Every breath was a death and rebirth as his hard work culminated in a loop of empowerment . His drained cells were filled with life-giving streams of sturdy energy as his Cosmic Core integrated with his body . The growing waves of power coursing through his pathways were a tidal wave pushing him forward . There wasn’t much for Zac to do at this point but let himself be washed over by the truths he’d seized from the Heavens . He let his mind drift while keeping an eye on the process .

He’d been so focused on this unsurmountable roadblock for so long , and he could finally put it behind him and look to the future . The face of his sister appeared in his mind’s eye , and Kenzie was quickly joined by the people waiting for him back on Earth . Hegemony was only a means to an end . It was the key to achieving his goals . Who knew what kind of situation waited for him on the outside?

The war . Ultom and the Left Imperial Palace . Saving his sister . Each came with mortal danger that would push him to his limits .

He was finally ready .

Zac will return in Defiance of the Fall BOOK THIRTEEN!