Ashen Ascension: The Divided Flame-Chapter 68: Human Stages To Progress

Ivor looked at Nara’s outstretched hand. For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted over the course of his life. He had survived by observation, by distance, by silence. He had never entered into a formal agreement with anyone. This was unfamiliar territory.

This was new.

But Nara had already delivered what he promised—skills and information. There had been no deception so far.

After a short pause, Ivor raised his hand and clasped Nara’s firmly.

Nara’s shoulders eased almost instantly, and a visible relief spread across his face as a small smile appeared.

Nara, however, felt the partnership was a solid deal. He’d keep his cool and do whatever it took to keep Ivor on his side. Finding Ivor in the Scar felt like a huge opportunity. Nara cleared his throat as if to reset the moment into something ordinary.

"How old are you?" Nara asked.

"Twelve," Ivor replied. There were still two months before his birthday, but it was close enough.

Nara blinked, the surprise plain on his face. "Really? You’re older than me." He gave a short, almost disbelieving laugh. "I thought you were ten, maybe."

Ivor didn’t respond to that. He knew how he looked. Life in the Shrouded District didn’t leave much room for growth.

"How old are you?" he asked instead.

"I turned eleven not long ago," Nara said. "Most of the kids here are between ten and twelve. You’re probably one of the oldest in this layer."

That caught Ivor off guard, though he kept his expression steady. If many of them were younger yet better trained, then the gap between them wasn’t just talent, it was time. Time he hadn’t had.

"When do they usually awaken?" Ivor asked after a moment.

Nara straightened slightly as he began to explain.

"There’s what people call the typical range," he said, "and then there’s the prodigy range. It’s not as neat as the people like to present it, but it gives you a rough idea."

He glanced at Ivor to make sure he was following.

"The Awakening stage begins at zero attuned nodes. Most people awaken somewhere between ten and eighteen. Earlier than that is uncommon. Those who awaken between eight and twelve are usually labeled prodigies. It’s not rare exactly, but it’s not the majority either."

Ivor absorbed the numbers quietly.

"To reach Initiate, you need twenty-four attuned nodes. Most people get there between fourteen and twenty, assuming steady progress. The ones who move faster, those same prodigy types, tend to reach it around twelve to sixteen."

Nara let the explanation settle before adding, more casually, "So by that measure, you fall into the prodigy bracket. Not comfortably in the middle of it, but still within it."

Ivor nodded. He did not have any opinion on age; he just wanted to be strong.

Nara took a small breath and added something that sounded like it mattered to him personally.

"I awakened when I was ten and a half," he said. "But I couldn’t practice properly after that. Family complications."

He didn’t explain, and Ivor didn’t ask. Nara’s complications were probably the same ones that kept him from using his family’s money openly.

Nara continued, as if he wanted Ivor to understand how far the ceiling really went.

"In the Core District, there are kids who awaken at eight and nine," he said. "And the scary ones become Initiate within a year."

Nara noticed the intensity in Ivor’s gaze and nodded slightly before continuing.

"You should understand the ranking system properly," he said. "Humans recognize five formal stages. Right now, we’re only awakened. That just means our cores are active and our nodes exist. It doesn’t place us in the first stage yet."

He drew a short line in the dirt with the tip of his shoe as he spoke.

"The stages are defined by attuned mana nodes."

He marked five points along the line.

"Initiate - 24 nodes.

Adept - 48 nodes

Forger - 72 nodes

Paragon - 96 nodes

Ascendant - 108 nodes"

He let the last number hang a moment longer.

"Ascendants aren’t just strong," Nara said, his tone turning more serious. "They are the strongest force in our world. Every major domain is ruled by one, or by a family that answers to one. Unions exist because they allow it."

He glanced toward the distant mountains before continuing. "When truly dangerous Scars appear, the kind that can spill corruption into entire regions, it’s Ascendants who step in. They’re the ones who protect Phelios from threats the rest of us can’t even approach. Power decides rule in this world, and at the top of that power stand the Ascendants."

Nara shifted the conversation back to something more practical. "Reaching the required number of nodes isn’t enough to move up. That’s just the foundation. Each stage has additional requirements. People like to simplify it into crystal grinding, but progression isn’t that crude."

Ivor absorbed that carefully, then asked, "Are there any Initiates inside this Scar?"

"No," Nara replied without hesitation. "This layer is restricted to those below Initiate. The moment someone reaches twenty-four attuned nodes, they can’t enter this place again. Every Scar has limits like this."

That meant the ceiling here was defined. No one inside should have crossed the first stage.

"What are the other requirements?" Ivor asked. "To become Initiate."

Nara didn’t hesitate. "There are three in total. Remember them clearly."

He raised a finger.

"First - twenty-four attuned nodes. That’s the structural minimum."

A second finger. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Second - your core’s base mana density must reach three times the density you had at the moment of awakening. Not temporary compression. Stable, natural density."

A third finger.

"Third - you must upgrade one skill by committing additional nodes to it. Not changing it into something else. Just evolving it."

Ivor’s gaze sharpened slightly. "Upgrade."

"Yes," Nara said. "It proves you understand how to build on an existing framework instead of chasing raw power."

Ivor compared the information to his current state.

He had one attuned mana node and ten attuned soul nodes. The biggest challenge would be slowly meeting the mana density needed, especially with low-quality crystals. He didn’t understand the skill upgrade requirement since he didn’t have a properly locked skill yet.

"There’s another thing you should know," he said. "Ryker has an elder brother."

Ivor immediately focused. It wasn’t anger or fear, but the sharp, natural focus of recognizing a threat.

"How strong," Ivor asked.

"Close to becoming an Initiate," Nara said. "Not there yet, but close enough to be dangerous. If Ryker’s group reports what happened, he might come after you. Or after me. Revenge is cheap in this world, and families allow it when it keeps their kids sharp."

Ivor didn’t show it, but his beast instinct reacted to it.

"You are behind the best," Nara said. "You should become Initiate in the next two year."

Ivor was worried about the two-year deadline. It was a short time to start with nothing and no teacher. But he had big advantages: the Ember Seed, Soul Sense, and the entire beast system to use.

He considered the one-year goal and how everything in this world seemed linked to time. He originally planned to stay in the Scar for a year for safety, but with his new skills, leaving so soon felt too risky. More time in the Scar wouldn’t hurt if he stayed in control. He preferred the Scar to the world above because it was honest: strength was openly everything, and he could gain more of it there.

He didn’t say it. He just kept it to himself. Then a new, urgent question came up.

"What about beasts?" Ivor said after a moment. "Do they follow the same stages?"

Nara nodded.

"Yes, they do. Their stages and progress mirrors ours. Same node counts. Same thresholds. Twenty-four, forty-eight, seventy-two, ninety-six, one hundred and eight. The framework is identical."