Apocalypse Ascension: Rift Walkers

Kade moved through the dimly lit corridors of the clubhouse, his boots barely audible against the concrete floors. The air smelled faintly of metal and sweat, a testament to the chaos outside and the people crammed into the shelter. He checked every corner, his senses sharp as he made his way to the reinforced steel doors at the front. They loomed large and imposing, riddled with the marks of past battles. Originally designed to hold off police raids and rival gangs, the doors now stood as a fortress against the horrors of the new world.

Satisfied with the front, Kade made his way to the storage areas. He climbed up the walls of adjacent spaces, checking that every back entrance was sealed tight. His fingers brushed the heavy locks as he inspected the seals, and he let out a breath of relief. Everything was secure. The defenses Griggs had put in place to deter law enforcement were now a crucial line of defense against the nightmare outside. The brief moment of calm allowed his thoughts to wander—to Zeke, to the Ascendants, and to his own survival.

His rounds complete, Kade ascended the scaffolding leading to a hidden maintenance room nestled above the storage area. This spot had been his sanctuary once, a place to lie low when things went south. The familiarity of it brought a strange comfort, and as he shut the door behind him, he felt the world's weight lessen, if only for a moment. He lowered himself onto the floor and pulled out the worn leather-bound book Westler had left behind.

Opening the book, Kade skimmed the densely packed pages. Symbols glowed faintly in the dim light, their strange allure pulling him deeper into the text. As he read, the book revealed the nine stages of power that defined Rift Walkers. The descriptions made his pulse quicken.

Riftwalker Ascension Tiers

Tier 1 - Riftborn: Harmonizing the Blood

The first step to ascension begins with the integration of Resonance Energy into the bloodstream. This energy enhances strength, speed, and endurance far beyond human limits, but without control, it remains volatile. Breathing techniques are required to stabilize its chaotic nature, laying the foundation for all future cultivation. A Riftborn at this stage can exert strength multiple times that of an average human, but their endurance is limited.

Tier 2 - Riftforged: Fortifying the Flesh

The Riftwalker's body undergoes a complete transformation, reinforcing muscles, tendons, and ligaments with condensed Resonance Energy. Their strength and durability multiply drastically, making their body a living weapon. At this stage, the user becomes a Vessel, compressing energy within to amplify their physical prowess. Mastery over this process allows them to unleash devastating bursts of power by momentarily overloading their enhanced physiology.

Tier 3 - Resonance Initiate: Engraving the Marrow

Resonance Energy seeps into the bones, reinforcing their structure to become nearly unbreakable. This tier not only enhances endurance and resilience but also begins to sharpen reflexes and reaction speeds to superhuman levels. A Meta-Human's body is now a perfected conduit, allowing them to withstand immense force without breaking. Their skeletal system becomes a powerful core of energy circulation, making them exponentially more difficult to injure. The Resonance fundamentally changes their DNA and begins to refine resonance energy within their bone marrow, creating a much more rich and condensed resonance energy for their disposal. 

Tier 4 - Resonance Lord: Tempering the Core

Resonance Energy begins to circulate within a Riftwalker's body at immense speeds, forming a compressed Resonance Core within their center. This core acts as a reservoir, exponentially increasing energy control and output. With a forged core, they gain the ability to compress and expel energy in controlled bursts, enhancing attacks with high lethality and making their movements vastly more efficient.

Tier 5 - Rift Warden: External Resonance Mastery

At this stage, the Riftwalker's ability to channel energy externally reaches a refined state. Their highly condensed core now fuels every motion, allowing them to amplify power explosively. Energy flow mastery grants near-instantaneous movement, making their speed and reflexes almost imperceptible. Their mastery over external Resonance Energy allows them to soar through space, enabling flight through sheer energy projection.

Tier 6 - Rift Dominator: Dimensional Awareness

The mind expands, no longer bound by a singular reality. A Riftwalker at this level begins to perceive Rift Energy fluctuations and dimensional shifts, granting supernatural intuition in battle. Their mental fortitude grows exponentially, allowing them to read and react to attacks at an almost precognitive level. Their mastery of energy manipulation becomes so precise that they can now instinctively adjust their resonance flow in combat.

Tier 7 - Rift Monarch: Chosen by the Heavens

A Monarch of the Rift has achieved a level of control once thought impossible. They gain the ability to manipulate rifts themselves, creating small tears in space to phase through attacks or traverse distances instantaneously. Their mastery over energy manipulation is unparalleled by earlier tiers, allowing them to shape the battlefield at will.

Tier 8 - Rift Sovereign: One with the Resonance

At this stage, the Riftwalker's body and energy achieve near-perfect synchronization. Their ability to draw energy from the Rift itself makes them a nearly endless well of power. Their control over internal and external Resonance Energy reaches its apex, allowing for absolute dominion over their surroundings.

Tier 9 - Ascendant: Resonance God

The ultimate evolution of a Riftwalker. An Ascendant no longer abides by the limitations of physical existence. They can reshape entire worlds, manipulate the Rift on a cosmic scale, and wield Resonance Energy in any form they desire. Their ability to traverse dimensions is effortless, making them akin to gods. An Ascendant's presence alone warps reality, making them beings of legend feared across all worlds.

Kade leaned back, his mind reeling. He had only reached the first tier Riftborn—Harmonizing the Blood—but the journey ahead was staggering. The text explained that advancing required rigorous physical training, controlled absorption of Resonance Energy, and the deliberate circulation of energy throughout every cell of the body. Muscles, bones, cartilage—every part had to be fortified through painstaking effort.

Turning the page, Kade came across the descriptions of the mutant tiers. His pulse quickened as he read about the monsters warped by Resonance Energy, their power levels divided into nine tiers.

The Mutant Tiers: Evolution Through Resonance Energy

(Each tier increases in power, developing materials that Riftwalkers can harvest for growth, weaponry, and survival.)

Tier 1 - Wretch

Overview: The lowest form of resonance mutation. Their bodies are twisted, grotesque, and unstable, acting on primal instincts with erratic movements. While individually weak, they are dangerous in swarms.

Core: Dull and weak in luminosity, but stable. A starting point for Riftwalkers, fueling early evolution.

Notable Material: Resonant Blood – Their corrupted blood carries trace amounts of raw resonance, useful in primitive alchemical mixtures or crude energy refinement.

Tier 2 - RendclawsOverview: More refined mutations with stronger musculature and natural weapons. They develop bladed limbs, claws, or crystalline spikes, partially fused with Riftsteel. Their presence draws lesser mutants under their influence, not through intelligence, but sheer dominance of energy.

Core: Deeper hue and increased weight, unstable but rich in energy. A vital resource for Riftwalkers nearing the limits of Tier 1.

Notable Material: Riftsteel Claws & Spines – Natural Riftsteel deposits growing from their bodies, valuable for crafting weapons and armor.

Tier 3 - Aberrants

Overview: These creatures break free from pure instinct, displaying predatory intelligence and unique adaptations—such as hardened exoskeletons, toxic secretions, or regenerative abilities. Their forms vary wildly depending on the base organism and their method of mutation.

Core: Vibrant, pulsing with inner light. Its dense energy can accelerate evolution but risks instability for weak Riftwalkers.

Notable Material: Resonance-Enriched Bone – Their reinforced skeletal structure is infused with high-density resonance, making it ideal for forging high-tier weapons or reinforcing armor.

Tier 4 - Ravagers

Overview: These apex-level mutants are massive and brutal, often with thick armor plating formed from Riftsteel deposits. Some develop destructive abilities, such as shockwaves or extreme resistance to physical damage.

Core: Deeply saturated, almost heavy in presence. Its raw energy is potent but must be carefully processed.

Notable Material: Resonant Marrow – Their bones contain condensed Resonance Fluid, which can be extracted and refined into enhancements for Riftwalker energy pathways.

Tier 5 - Wraith Lord

Overview: No longer just powerful beasts, Resonant Lords have a commanding aura, causing lesser mutants to follow them instinctively. Their mastery over their mutations allows for controlled energy discharges, making them highly unpredictable in combat. They command legions of lower-tier resonance mutants to do their bidding.

Core: Brilliant, flickering with internal movement. A rich source of energy, dangerous if absorbed without preparation.

Notable Material: Core-Weave Flesh – Their body is natural treasure capable, making it valuable for creating many varieties of complex concoctions due to being densely enriched with resonance energy

Tier 6 - Abyssal Fiends

Overview: These mutants possess environmental influence, subtly warping their surroundings. Whether through heat, cold, gravity distortions, or even localized reality-warping of their own domain, they alter battlefields to their advantage.

Core: Radiates resonance in waves. Extremely potent but overwhelming to Riftwalkers below Tier 5.

Notable Material: Resonant Crystal Veins – Crystallized Resonance deposits formed along their bodies, enhancing energy flow for Riftwalker weapons and armor.

Tier 7 - Dimensional Titans

Overview: Massive, reality-warping entities that exist partially outside of time and space. They distort gravity, weaken dimensional stability, and seem to perceive beyond standard reality.

Core: Dimensional echoes ripple from it. Containing it is difficult, and absorbing it is nearly impossible without extreme preparation.

Notable Material: Void-Touched Essence – Their very being exists between dimensions, allowing for the refinement of enhancements related to Rift travel, energy stabilization, and sensory expansion.

Tier 8 - Catastrophe Leviathans

Overview: Beings that rival Ascendants, teetering between existence and something beyond. Their presence alone reshapes landscapes, distorts time, and unleashes cataclysmic destruction

Core: Barely seems real, flickering between states of being. A Riftwalker who absorbs one would need to be close to ascension.

Notable Material: Resonant Heartstone – A core solidified by dimensional compression, enhancing stamina, durability, and energy absorption capabilities to near-immortal levels.

Tier 9 - Unknown (Ascendant Fiends?)

Overview: No Riftwalker has survived an encounter with one. They are either failed Ascendants, beings that have fully transcended, or something entirely outside comprehension.

Core: Unknown.

Notable Material: ???

The ninth tier was unknown, but Kade didnt even want to imagine what anything past tier 2 was...Kade's breath looked back to the description of Tier 2 monsters. The beast he had killed earlier fit perfectly. Tier 2 mutants, called Rendclaws, were engorged with Resonance Energy to the point where it solidified into metallic crystal growths called Riftsteel. These crystals were highly durable and carried traces of stored energy. Kade now understood why the creature's back had been studded with jagged, metallic formations. These monsters evolved by consuming Resonance Energy and life force, their warped forms a result of their inability to process the energy fully.

His thoughts drifted back to the crystals he had pried from the creature's back. Riftsteel. He would need to ask Griggs if his forge could shape it into something useful.

The book's detailed explanations deepened Kade's understanding of his situation but left him with more questions than answers. The science—or what passed for science—behind cultivation was as fascinating as it was mysterious. He thought of Julia, of the survivors, and of the growing need for allies who could help him decipher these complexities.

As the night wore on, Kade decided to test what he had learned. He focused on his breathing, visualizing the energy circulating through his body. Each inhale pulled Resonance Energy into his core, and each exhale pushed it outward, spreading it to his limbs. His muscles burned as he pushed himself through a series of exercises: push-ups, pull-ups, squats. The strain was intense, but he could feel the energy strengthening his body, weaving into his very cells.

Finally, drenched in sweat and trembling from exertion, Kade leaned back against the wall. The journey ahead was daunting, but for the first time, he felt like he had a path—a way to grow stronger, to survive, and to fight back.

Before drifting to sleep, one thought lingered in his mind: The Ascendants may have taken Zeke, but this world isn't theirs, even if they had power beyond his imagination, he had a path now