Chapter 7
Ascension paths
IAM settled back into his creaky chair, counting the 22 bronze coins he had left before carefully tucking them away in his worn pouch. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for The Cursed and Blessed Speech.
He flipped open the book.
The first page stared back at him, the ink faded but still legible.
To first walk on a path of ascension, one must first understand what a path of ascension truly is.
A path of ascension is the understanding a person uses to define their image of the world — a framework through which they grow and develop their core to reach across realms.
Each individual's chosen concepts and elements will always be unique, no matter how subtle the differences. The more unique your path, the more versatile and powerful it becomes.
But before even attempting to walk down a path, one must first build the path itself.
To build a path, you need what is called a core.
IAM's eyes narrowed as he read carefully.
A core is located in the brain, present in every being in this world. However, it cannot truly be called a core without what is known as mana — or essence.
Mana is the life force that activates your skills and powers — the very essence of your path.
Mana is everywhere, embedded in nearly everything around you.
To activate your core, you must store mana within it.
As your understanding grows, so too does the amount of mana your core can hold.
IAM paused, heart quickening.
How do I store mana?
To store mana, you must first draw it in, guide it to your core, and hold it there.
The challenge lies in the fact that while you breathe in mana, you naturally exhale it back out.
To truly absorb mana, you require what is called avien.
Avien is a long tube connected directly to your brain and to one of your pores. You can only have one. To form an avien, you need to forcefully absorb mana through all your pores—an extremely painful process—and roughly guide it to flow through to your brain. This temporarily stored mana is then used to naturally form an avien, which connects to one singular pore or pore-like opening (the bigger, the better). The recommended is one of your nostrils, but it can be any other of your choice. It is only possible for a human being to form one avien.
Before any attempt to gain understanding, it is recommended to first form an avien to guide mana to your core and store it.
The average time to form an avien is two weeks.
IAM sat back in his chair, mind racing from the weight of this new knowledge. He put the book down on his old, creaky desk and slowly stood up.
How hard could it possibly be? he thought. After all, I must be the main character of this world. I should have some talent... right?
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, trying to feel the mana in the air. He imagined drawing in the formless energy, focusing on every breath.
...
...
...
Suddenly, a searing pain exploded through his pores.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
His whole body convulsed, sweat pouring down his face as if his skin were on fire. The agony was unbearable—like his very pores were being ripped open from the inside out.