Defiance of the Fall

Zac scratched his head with frustration while glaring at the treasure houses locked behind impenetrable barriers. Thankfully, it wasn't like he was completely out of options. The safest was to wait for his toad companion to reach Zecia. Esmeralda would only be somewhere around his level when she arrived, but she was the incarnation of an A-grade thief. If anyone could find a weakness and sneak inside, it was her.

The problem was, he had no idea when she'd arrive. Esmeralda was planning on entering the trial by hitching a ride, so she had no intention of collecting seals. By the sound of it, she planned on arriving at the last moment, meaning the Ensolus Ruins would remain locked away for years. Could he really wait that long? He had one more solution, though, one that could be enacted within a month or two. He'd have to put aside the time to have that drink with Average after he'd returned.

Zac took one last look at the majestic temples before entering the perpetual storm surrounding the Ensolus Ruins. Fierce gales lashed at him as he made his way through, to the point Zac opted to take out [Love's Bond] and use the chains to latch onto the ground. The winds had grown significantly stronger since the transformation, a change Zac welcomed.

Before, essentially anyone could pass through and enter the ruins. Now, you at least needed the cultivation of Peak E-grade or ample preparations to safely pass through. By the time the ambient energy stopped increasing, it might rebuff everyone beneath Hegemony. Perhaps they could make the storm even stronger to create a natural barrier protecting their secrets.

Zac emerged from the other side soon after, finding the group of Valkyries waiting for him.

"My lord," Tamira bowed.

Zac nodded with a smile, though he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart upon seeing the unfamiliar faces behind her. Tamira was one of the twelve original Valkyries remaining. Of the other sixty-eight, half had passed away. Most fell in combat during the integration and the war, while a few fell during off-world training in the interim. The rest had chosen to give up their identity, though it rarely was willingly.

Ultimately, only nine of the original Valkyries were cultivators, and the options for real mortals couldn't be compared to Zac's. Most of the original Valkyries found themselves increasingly unable to keep up with the Valkyries' cultivation despite enjoying the best resources in the Atwood Empire. Ultimately, materials can only take you so far when talent is lacking.

Rather than becoming a weakness during critical missions, they opted to enter the Atwood Army as normal soldiers. This was the ending for most mortals who'd stood out during the integration. Another regrettable example was Ling Tian, the heroic warrior who'd continuously risked his life fighting the Undead Incursion.

Despite Zac providing him with a steady stream of resources, he was still stuck in the earlier stages of Middle E-grade. Reportedly, Ling Tian spent most of his time in a sickbed after forcing open nodes, just like the Mortal Monarch whose biography Zac got from Thea.

Zac's progress through E-grade had felt arduous, but it was worth remembering mortals generally needed centuries to reach Peak E-grade. Of course, only a vanishingly small portion even got that far. Forcing open nodes during late E-grade, especially, was like playing Russian Roulette. And even should you reach the end, your Daos would be hopelessly behind even the worst of cultivators unless you encountered a series of lucky opportunities.

The Multiverse simply wasn't equal, even if the System had somewhat bridged the gap between mortals and cultivators.

"How's the situation here?" Zac asked.

"Roughly half an hour ago, we felt extremely powerful spatial fluctuations, along with another force. It's hard to explain. It reminds me of the Church of the Everlasting Dao but far grander," Tamira frowned. "We have reports it was noticed all the way in Silverwood Crest. The storm has grown fiercer, too, and it seems to be absorbing energy."

Zac inwardly grimaced. The Silverwoods were halfway across the continent, meaning millions had noticed the transformation.

"It's under control. For now, seal the ruins. Let no one but the most trusted enter," Zac said.

"We'll handle it," Tamira said. "Do you need us to accompany you back to Earth?"

"No, I have a mission for your team," Zac said. "Have someone fetch our strongest camouflage arrays. As soon as security has been tightened, try to hide the new buildings inside the ruins."

Tamira's brows rose. "New buildings? Which district?"

"You won't be able to miss them," Zac said helplessly. "Be careful. Their shields are fully operational. Keep a wide berth and immediately retreat if you notice anything odd. And if the big thing in the middle is too big to obscure, surround it with Mist Arrays or something."

"We'll be careful," Tamira assured, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Zac's entered his cultivation cave twenty minutes later with a frown on his face. He'd spent the last minutes talking with his contacts from various forces, sending out feelers about Vilari while thanking them for assisting him with the Endemire Sage and Everfast Monarch. Unfortunately, no one had answers or ideas, and could only promise they'd keep their ears to the ground.

How was he even supposed to look for Vilari? The bell seemed able to come and go as it pleased. Worse, such a powerful treasure would attract the attention of Monarchs from both camps. He'd seen how eager the Everfast Monarch was after learning of its power. After all, even Hegemons were helpless before its influence. Despite his contributions, the Alliance would be more interested in controlling the weapon than saving its passenger.

The only clue he had to go on was his conversation with Vilari before they separated. She'd believed the bell was related to the Crown of Despair inheritance, or rather the Mentalist who set it up. Should he force his way into the trial to speak with Vilari's master? Or was that sending himself to an early grave? Ralz Calzood was still alive, and she might be the reason why Vilari was taken.

Even if only a wisp of her soul was left with Brazla, it belonged to a Peak C-grade Mentalist. Zac knew his odds of survival were almost nil if Ralz wanted to kill him inside her realm.

It might be possible to talk with her without entering her inheritance realm. He'd discuss it with Brazla, but he could only put out one fire at a time. Zac cleared his head as he took out the emblem he kept stored in a sealed part of his Cultivation Cave. Looking at it now, Zac saw some similarities between it and the Sindris token he left in the tower.

The situation aboard the ancient vessel had stabilized, but the Sindris Clan was clearly operating in the area. They could pop up at any moment, and Zac frankly wasn't confident the Everfast Monarch could protect them. Technocrats weren't playing by the System's rules. They may have snuck Autarchs into Zecia, for all he knew.

It was about time he had another talk with his mother.

Zac infused his will into the token. Nothing happened, except his spirituality being expelled. Zac snorted with annoyance. It almost felt like Leandra had screened his call, but he wouldn't give up just because of that. He kept infusing his will with increasing determination until there finally was a change.

"How disappointing. Only a few months have passed, yet you've already reached a dead end?"

Leandra's projection looked the same as before, her eyes blank and emotionless as she looked at Zac up and down. Zac couldn't glean anything about Kenzie's situation from her appearance, though he could tell Leandra was real rather than an AI.

"That's not it," Zac said.

"Have you called me just to flaunt your evolved bloodline?" Leandra said with a shake of her head. "There is a great cost to connecting across such vast distances, not to mention the dangers of exposure."

"Can you let me talk? Do you think I'd contact you if I didn't have to? If anything, my problem is probably of your making," Zac growled as he produced a replica Sindris sigil he'd carved while taking with his contacts. "These people have popped up in the Zecia sector and seem interested in me. I need answers."

Leandra said nothing for a while as her projection stared at the token. A small furrow had appeared on her face. She was worried, but Zac held no illusions her fears were for his safety. An unwelcome and seemingly unexpected variable had appeared, which threatened her undertaking.

"Have they discovered you?"

"Yes, they got a front-row seat to my breakthrough."

"Careless. The eyes of the world are on your sector right now," Leandra said. "You should have understood your origin isn't simple. One wrong step will lead to disaster. Remember your mission. Your sister will be struck down by the System if you die or get captured."

"You don't need to remind me," Zac said. "And it's not like I had any option. The situation here is out of control. I did what I had to do to survive. I need you to tell me who these people are and whether they're friends or foes."

"Friend or foe…" Leandra slowly said. "It's impossible to say. I doubt even they know."

"At least you're not making it as cryptic as possible," Zac said with a roll of his eyes.

"Fate's hold…" Leandra muttered as her gaze grew distant. The silence stretched for twenty seconds until she sighed. "Remaining ignorant and free from influence in these times might do more harm than good. It's time you understood your origins."

Zac's heart shuddered. He'd been prepared to threaten Leandra with his assignment if she didn't come clean. Now, that seemed unnecessary. He didn't say or show anything on his face, afraid of doing something that could change her mind. He silently waited while Leandra arranged her thoughts.

"I'm sure you've pieced some things together already. You're my son, but you're also not. You carry the biological inheritance of the Kayar-Elu, but that's less than a third of your genetic makeup. It's mostly a mix of two lineages, one of which is the owners of that token. The Fallen. The Sindris Clan.

"Humanity and The Technocracy share a common origin; an ancient empire called the Selvari. We fought against the Limitless Empire, desperately trying to thwart their mad ambitions. The Kayar-Elu is a prime lineage of the Selvari, as were the Sindris Clan."

'The Fallen? They "were" a prime lineage?'

Leandra kept talking about the Sindris Clan in the past tense despite them being alive and well. Zac had a dozen questions at the tip of his tongue, but he kept his mouth shut as Leandra continued.

"The Selvari fought long and hard, resisting the Limitless Empire for millions of years. Countless sons and daughters laid down their lives to protect our homelands while our researchers worked themselves to the bone in attempts to build stronger defenses against the onslaught. And yet, we were losing.

"During the height of the war, a grievously wounded man appeared before the Technocracy Council. Despite his state, he emitted a terrifying aura that eclipsed even our forefathers. They had never seen anything like it. Except for one person. The Limitless Emperor. It seemed impossible, but the man actually stood before the council and introduced himself as such.

"The council was ready to lay down their lives to strike down their enemy, even if it meant tearing apart the fabric of reality. However, the Emperor said he came in peace. He claimed he wasn't the one who'd ruled over the Empire for the past eons. A man named Laondio Evrodok had usurped the throne and banished the original Emperor's identity from the rivers of time and fate."

Raging waves coursed through Zac's heart from having multiple answers answered at once. He had to force down his racing thoughts to not miss anything as Leandra pressed on.

"The ancestors wouldn't believe such a fanciful story at face value, but some of his words were quickly proven. His identity was truly taboo, impossible to remember or store. To this day, we don't know his name."

"After much deliberation, the forefathers let the deposed Emperor stay with the Selvari. The Sindris Clan was chosen to guard him. Eventually, he gained the epithet 'Void Emperor,' being the Emperor of nothing. It was also impossible to give him an actual name since it, too, would be erased.

"The Void Emperor joining our ranks was the beginning of the end. At first, everything went well. His power was undeniable, and the intelligence he provided led to significant victories that gave the Selvari the breathing room needed to finalize life-saving projects. The deposed Emperor was also the one who first exposed Laondio's plans for building the System.

"After confirming it was true, the ancestors knew they faced an existential threat that couldn't be avoided or ignored. They had to risk everything for the sake of the universe. They also built great arks to protect the common populace and keep the flame of hope alive in case something went wrong.

"The ancestors were running out of time, but a plan was finally drawn up. The Selvari ancestors, the direct inheritors of the Technocrat Codex, were ready to sacrifice themselves to stop the Emperor's experiment. The Void Emperor led them to the depths of his old Empire, using secret backdoors he'd left for himself. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

"Then, disaster struck. At a critical juncture, the Void Emperor betrayed us. It led to the demise of most forefathers, including the Matriarch of the Kayar-Elu," Leandra said, her frosty expression veritably oozing with hatred. "The System was born soon after; you should know the rest by now. Our only solace is that the founders didn't go down without a fight. The usurper was grievously wounded. Neither he nor the Void Emperor were seen after that cataclysmic battle over the Era's direction.

"Most likely, they became fuel for the System's awakening, like the rest of the Empire's upper echelon. After all, we can see that the Void Emperor's unique constitution has become an integral part of the System's growth algorithm."

A pent-up breath escaped Zac's lips. The exact details of that ancient past might have been lost, but what Leandra said lined up with Karz's observations during his latest bloodline vision. Reality already bent to Laondio's will when they were Hegemons. He might really have been able to banish an identity when he reached the peak of his power.

And it wasn't like Zac never considered Leandra's explanation of Karz's final end. At first, Zac thought Karz was the Limitless Emperor because of his bloodline. That theory had taken a serious hit when the Void Priestess said his name was Laondio Evrodok. Since then, he'd brainstormed various answers, one being the one Leandra now presented.

The Kayar-Elu didn't want Karz's bloodline to use the Limitless Emperor's authority as a backdoor. They wanted the Void Emperor bloodline because it was the bloodline of the System itself. It simply made sense. Zac remembered the desire the System exhibited any time he offered a Glimpse of Chaos. Wasn't it the same as the endless hunger of Karz's bloodline?

"The Selvari almost collapsed with the System's birth," Leandra continued. "We had just lost our greatest minds and leaders, and the providence of the Heavens was being robbed. The only option left was to hide in the seams of reality, waiting for a day when we could return. The Void Emperor became the greatest sinner, and the Sindris Family got a share of the blame."

Zac was about to ask why, but Leandra raised her hand to let her finish.

"The Sindris Clan was chosen for two reasons. For one, they were one of the three strongest clans of the Selvari, and their homeworld was our strongest fortress. Secondly, they inherited a technology that rendered them almost unkillable. If the Void Emperor suddenly launched an attack, they'd survive long enough to call for help.

"The Sindris Founder was one of only three founders to survive, and his state was much better than the others. One died during the dark ages, and the other burned her soul to help erect Sanctuary."

"Speculation of betrayal soon flourished as we toiled in the darkness. It wasn't just blind scapegoating. The Void Emperor stayed with the Sindris Family for five hundred thousand years before everything went wrong, even marrying one of the Sindris Patriarch's daughters."

"Wait—" Zac said, his eyes widening with realization.

"Yes, your biological father is from the Sindris Clan and a direct descendant of the Void Emperor."