Divine Apostasy Books 1-11 – A.F. Kay Free Audiobook

Written by A.F. Kay
Read by Travis Baldree
Format: Mixed
Bitrate: Mixed
Unabridged

Book 1 – Shade’s First Rule
Today, Ruwen would finally die for the first time.

Ruwen believes this Ascendancy will herald his rebirth as a powerful Mage. Instead, a spiteful Priest, driven by vengeance, condemns him to a Class deemed worthless. This cruel twist shatters Ruwen’s dreams of vindicating his parents, who disappeared shrouded in scandal and disgrace.

In the rubble of Ruwen’s shattered expectations, a glimmer of hope emerges when his goddess reveals the shocking secret of a mysterious Class. A hidden path that can propel him to a destiny far greater than he ever imagined. But with this divine selection comes peril. Assassins, dispatched by hostile deities, relentlessly pursue him, determined to thwart his potential before it can grow.

Unwittingly, Ruwen finds himself at the epicenter of a celestial conflict, a millennia-old war waged between the gods themselves. Survival hinges on attaining level five, unlocking new spells and abilities crucial for disguising his identity and securing a small degree of safety. To achieve this, he must venture into the Black Pyramid, a dungeon so dangerous even the gods fear it.

Ruwen quickly discovers that his lack of combat skills, a consequence of his misplaced expectations of becoming a Mage, places him at a grave disadvantage. In this brutal environment, he must summon the strength to adapt and learn, transforming his shattered dreams into the foundation of his survival.

As Ruwen battles through challenges and quests, he discovers a destiny that impacts more than his own life. The fate of his new friends, his missing parents, and the world hinges on him successfully rising above his circumstances and embracing this unexpected path.

Book 2 – The Second Betrayal
Reaching level five has allowed Ruwen to stay hidden from the gods and their minions. He just needs to survive the new Ascendant orientation, and he can finally look for his parents.

But a secret discovered during orientation rocks Ruwen’s understanding and forces him to face the power of his Cultivation. He finds answers in the Black Pyramid, along with dozens of new questions.

With new knowledge, Ruwen works even harder to gain the Skills and Abilities to battle those who wish him harm. But a betrayal shatters his world, endangering him and his friends.

Even if Ruwen survives the aftermath, he may never recover from the terrible truths that are revealed.

Because the only thing worse than being betrayed is being betrayed twice.

Book 3 – Uru’s Third Temple
Ruwen’s life is inside out, literally. Trapped in the Spirit Realm by a hostile god’s magic, Ruwen’s spells, abilities, and skills no longer work. Worse, his secret Cultivation ability is now blindingly evident.

A critical clue, given to Ruwen during the betrayal, makes him question the motives behind the treachery and offers a path home. But the Spirit Realm is dangerous, and with no other options, Ruwen must embrace his Cultivation, learn to harness his power, and create his Core. Failure will leave him defenseless and guarantee an eternity of pain and suffering.

And as Ruwen struggles to find a way forward, he is stunned to discover plans that span over ten thousand years. Secrets involving his missing parents, the gods, and himself.

To face what’s coming, Ruwen must risk everything for the skills to survive.

Book 4 – The Fourth Secret
With the third temple restored, Ruwen must now prevent an imminent invasion of the southern border.

But Ruwen’s new city is in shambles. If he doesn’t quickly fortify the walls and revive an army capable of stopping his enemies, he has no chance of surviving the coming onslaught.

Running out of time and facing a lack of resources, Ruwen is forced to bargain for allies and take an unwanted new class. He fears the dire situation makes these preparations pointless, and his failure will doom the entire country.

As the war begins, he learns a devastating lesson: Uru isn’t the only god peering into the future, and his grim circumstances turn hopeless.

Overshadowing everything is the fourth secret, and the dreadful fact it reveals makes Ruwen consider forsaking his destiny.

Because with a future this bleak, dying now might be his best option.

Book 5 – Legion’s Fifth Vault
Ruwen and his friends have five days to spring a comrade from the world’s most secure prison, Legion’s Vault, located in the city of a god that wants him dead. Permanently dead.

Their only way into the city is competing in the yearly Step Championship. Nothing says low profile like combat in front of a hundred thousand spectators.

If remaining anonymous and breaking into a legendary prison didn’t already spell disaster, an old acquaintance appears. One who knows Ruwen’s name and face and can destroy all their plans.

Entering the fifth level of Legion’s Vault seems difficult, but leaving might prove impossible.

Because the path home has a cost and will condemn one of them to certain death.

Book 6 – The Sixth Rune
Ruwen survived Legion’s Fifth Vault with devastating consequences. His escape flung him far from home, severing his connection to Uru. Even his Void Band, with its link to the Black Pyramid, no longer works. Isolated, with no obvious path back, he must learn new skills or die here.

For the first time, Ruwen can access his Core without worrying about discovery, and the work started in the Spirit Realm creating spells can finally continue. But that alone will not be enough, and he carefully explores the power of the mysterious Architect Role passed to him by the Goddess Uru.

The solitude also provides Ruwen time to perfect his Bamboo Viper Steps and investigate the hidden layers the forms contain. Pushing himself physically, mentally, and spiritually momentarily lets him forget his grim existence.

But as the seclusion persists, Overlord, the mental construct given life by the trap Rami triggered at Malth’s Library, continues to evolve, altering Ruwen’s mind, and causing Ruwen to doubt his sanity.

Underlying the isolation, loneliness, and harsh conditions lives the fear that one mistake will result in permanent death.

But if Ruwen doesn’t overcome that fear, and push himself to his limits, he will never leave this place. And the consequences to himself, his friends, and the Universe will be nothing short of catastrophic.

Book 7 – Shadow’s Seventh Step
Ruwen wants nothing more than to relax in the Third Secret and recover from the terrible damage to his core. Escaping the ambush in the Infernal Realm had come at a steep cost—one that means no Spirit use until he heals.

Unfortunately, rest is one more thing that needs to wait, because the Bamboo Viper Master’s trial started days ago, and not participating results in the purging of his Step knowledge. Not something he wants to risk.

Joining the trial holds extra danger for Ruwen because fighting the Infernal God forced him to use forbidden Shadow Clan knowledge, breaking an oath, and the Founders will certainly punish him. But he’s spent the last eighteen months intensely training for the worst, so the peril doesn’t frighten him.

What does make Ruwen pause is the chaos back home, because attending the Master’s trial will delay his return. But the Steps hold no more secrets from him, and finishing the testing quickly will be trivial. His homecoming will barely notice the delay.

Entering the Master’s trial, Ruwen learns there are seven secrets, not six, and his assumptions quickly fall apart. The Founders deliver additional troubles, as the consequences of his broken oath spread further than he thought possible.

Ruwen’s seemingly straightforward trial may prove a trap, and instead of leaving a Master of the Bamboo Viper Step Clan, he may fail to unravel the mystery of the seventh step and spend eternity in the shadow’s darkness. Even if he survives it, the terrible judgment of the Founders awaits, and amid all this uncertainty an ancient relic delivers a misfortunate prophecy that if left unheeded, declares death will surely find him.

Book 8 – The Eighth Harmony
Ruwen returns home to discover a civil war he unintentionally ignited eighteen months prior. Still haunted by the events on Savage Island, he resolves to rise above the specter of his past mistakes and seeks the counsel of loyal friends to avert a looming descent into tyranny.

Confronting the rebellion’s leader, a mysterious Bard, Ruwen learns of a hidden depth to the universe, a secret entwined within the harmony that whispered to Ruwen during his Master’s Trial but he failed to comprehend.

As Ruwen plunges into the mysteries of this cosmic symphony, the civil war’s nefarious purpose unfolds: a trap shaped by godly hands to destroy him.

Ruwen’s survival hinges on unlocking harmony’s profound secrets, healing his damaged Core, and taking the first step to Divinity. Should he fail, the catastrophic consequences extend beyond his death, threatening to obliterate everything he loves.

Book 9 – Tarot’s Ninth Harbinger
In the wake of a cosmic upheaval, Ruwen emerges as an angelic being, his newfound Divinity granting him not just wings but a destiny intertwined with the fate of the universe.

After surviving a vicious onslaught by six deities, Ruwen inadvertently unleashes the System, a force constrained since the dawn of the universe. Now unshackled, the System alters the cosmic order, creating rifts leading to fragments of destroyed universes. These rifts, brimming with strange artifacts and untold powers, present a tantalizing yet perilous opportunity for those brave enough to explore them.

Amidst this chaos, the Harbinger quest emerges—a role laden with immense power, destined for only one. This is unwelcome news for Ruwen, who already carries the burden of restoring Spirit to the universe. The rifts provide a path for other deities to rapidly augment their powers, threatening the delicate equilibrium and placing Ruwen’s plans in jeopardy.

Torn between universe-threatening tasks and personal desires, Ruwen grapples with the consequences of his choices. One friend lies unconscious, critically injured by Ruwen’s actions, while another mysteriously disappears from the battlefield, clutching the sword that pierced her body.

Among these critical priorities, Ruwen must lead. To survive seemingly unending conflict, the country requires sweeping changes, including guilds, multi-classing, and a merit system. Ambitious town-building projects are set to reshape the country’s cities into defendable fortresses.

When the inevitable attack arrives, Ruwen’s decision to spring an obvious trap in order to save a friend leads to catastrophic consequences, threatening his friends, his allies, and potentially hurtling the universe toward ultimate destruction.

Book 10 – The Tenth Muse
Just days after an astonishing ascent to Grandmaster Alchemist, Ruwen finds himself embroiled in a contest of mythical proportions. Invited by the enigmatic Nine Muses, Ruwen and a cohort of alchemists from the Black Pyramid journey to a mysterious location where the boundaries between the Shadow Realm and the Material Realm dangerously blur.

As the competition unfolds, Ruwen suspects that the Muses’ quests harbor darker undertones. With each task designed to delve deeper into the forbidden, Ruwen fears the Muses have unearthed a secret in the Shadow Realm—one that threatens to unravel the very fabric of the universe.

Guiding his friends and fellow alchemists, Ruwen must navigate through this treacherous contest while honing skills long neglected. As the true nature of the Muses’ pact with the shadows emerges, Ruwen faces a race against time to unravel the mysteries of the Shadow Realm and prevent a cataclysm that could annihilate all he holds dear.

In “The Tenth Muse,” secret alliances are revealed, ancient secrets are unearthed, and the barrier between realms blurs. In the flickering shadows of otherworldly pacts Ruwen must outwit the Muses and save the universe, or risk becoming the final note in their perilous symphony.

Book 11 – Zealot’s Eleventh Crusade
In the depths of the Destruction Realm, Ruin Val’dor rises from the ashes of his former life, bound to a destiny of chaos and power. Once Ruwen Starfield, he now wields the legacy of a noble bloodline—a path that leads straight into the heart of the Realm’s deepest secrets. Desperate to reclaim his humanity, Ruin must unravel the mysteries of his transformation and find a way back to who he once was.

But the Destruction Realm has its own plans. As Ruin battles to master the powers thrust upon him, an ancient enemy manipulates the very fabric of magic, threatening to shatter the universe. To stop them, Ruin must navigate the Destruction Realm towers, unlock forgotten paths, and unite forces he barely understands—all while holding onto the hope that his humanity can still be restored.

As time runs out and enemies converge, Ruin faces the ultimate question: will his desire to reclaim his human form cost him the universe he’s sworn to protect? Or will he embrace his new identity to confront a destiny, and enemies, far greater than himself.

Book 11 of the Divine Apostasy series, Zealot’s Eleventh Crusade examines the complex relationships between loyalty, identity, and the relentless pursuit of balance. The stakes have never been higher, and the cost of failure is not just Ruin’s life—but the collapse of existence itself.