Achilles floated in the radiant depths of the Sea of Thalassara, eyes closed, consciousness turned inward with introspective focus.
Around him, the stellar waters pulsed with authority that responded to his mere presence, but his attention had withdrawn from external magnificence to examine the weavings of his own existence.
Within him, patterns of power swirled…regulations claimed through force, authorities assimilated through conquest, capabilities stolen from entities that had thought themselves untouchable.
The scope of what he'd accumulated was staggering by any objective measure.
But only one thing truly played the most critical role in making him what he was.
His capability to Assimilate.
Everything else…the power, the transcendence, the ability to rewrite rules…stemmed from that singular foundation.
His Lineage gift, inherited from generations of Adrastia Emperor Kings who had possessed the same fundamental talent.
