In this world, power is not decided by titles, bloodlines, or ambition.
It is decided by how the world responds.
Most never notice it.
Some feel it.
A very few cause the world itself to hesitate.
Power Scale — The Measure of Existence
Tier 1: Mortal
Ordinary humans and low-level adventurers.
They rely on weapons, skill, and experience.
Mana exists around them, but they cannot sense or use it directly.
Most lives begin and end here.
Tier 2: Awakened
Those who can sense mana.
They can use basic magic or enhance their bodies through training.
Their power requires focus, effort, and rest.
Most adventurers belong to this tier.
Tier 3: Adept
Individuals with strong control over mana.
They can cast advanced spells or defeat high-tier monsters.
Their power responds to intent and discipline.
They are respected.
They are feared.
Tier 4: Ascended
Mana responds instinctively to their emotions.
Their presence alone can affect the environment.
Monsters react unnaturally—some flee, some hesitate, some submit.
They are rare.
They are watched.
Tier 5: Anomaly
Power that does not follow known rules.
Mana amplifies without command.
Effects occur before intent.
These beings should not exist.
Most records of them are incomplete—or erased.
Tier ???: Unknown
Not recorded in any system.
Not bound by logic or scale.
Power is not something they use.
It is something they are.
Characters
Lyren
Status: Unclassified
Race: Unknown
Role: Adventurer
Lyren appears calm, quiet, and ordinary.
Yet mana gathers around him without being summoned.
Monsters hesitate instead of attacking.
The world reacts before he does.
He does not understand his power.
He does not seek strength.
And yet, strength follows him.
Lyren is not rising through the power scale.
The scale is struggling to define him.
Aerin
Tier: Awakened
Race: Human
Role: Adventurer / Companion
Aerin is cautious, emotional, and grounded.
He notices what others ignore:
The silence before monsters strike
The way people react to Lyren
The danger hidden behind calm moments
He stays beside Lyren despite his fear.
Not because he is fearless—
but because he refuses to abandon him.
Monsters
Monsters are not mindless beasts.
They sense mana.
They remember fear.
They learn.
Around Lyren, they behave incorrectly.
Some retreat.
Some observe.
Some grow stronger.
And some seem to be waiting.
The World
The world is not passive.
Ancient systems, forgotten forces, and unseen watchers respond when balance shifts.
Lyren's existence is such a shift.
The echoes have already begun.
Author's Note
This is not a story about gaining power.
It is a story about what happens when power awakens without permission.