The Summoner and Contractor System

The old man laughed heartily, "Such youthful energy! It's healthy, but please keep it on standby for now. Wouldn't you agree, Astrona?"

"Of course! It's good to see you, Patriarch. And you too, Quint." Astrona greeted the two old men.

Patriarch Nero, ignoring courtesies, placed his handle on Astrona's shoulders, "Haha. No need for formalities. I'm the same Nero as I was back then, y'know?"

Quint nodded in agreement, "Uh-hm. The three of us were quite the trio, weren't we? Despite having aged so much, the three of us could still work together in perfect synergy, don't you think?"

Astrona followed self-depreciatively, "It's been far too long, and I'm afraid my cultivation has halted at Foundation Establishment Stage 7, while the two of you have reached half a step into Core Formation already. My power isn't befitting of our old trio's style."

"Don't give up so easily, once you breakthrough that bottleneck of yours, you'll probably reach the peak of Stage 8. If you wanted, you could even be a Grand Elder at your current stage." Quint refuted.

"Uh-hm. And despite being a stage 7, you give even those in stage 9 a run for their money, y'know?" Nero added.

"I'm fine with the title of Elder, it's less of a burden on my mind. That's how it is for you as well, isn't it Quint?" Astrona shook his head, to which Quint rubbed his nose awkwardly. Astrona continued softly, "No need to worry about me, you two. Now's not the time for this though, is it?"

"Haha! You're right! Today's a joyous occasion - it's the day of Icrin's bloodline awakening! Let us prepare the ceremony!" Patriarch Nero enthusiastically remarked, Icrin's eyes shining in anticipation.

As if summoned from the shadows, the village elders and grand elders arrived. They cordially congratulated Icrin one-by-one before assuming their positions on old, seemingly delicate, marble seating rows. While the seating rows seemed worn, they possessed their own elegance, as if they made up an ancient theatre.

As for the entourage of people who had followed closely behind Ced and Faline, they coordinately aligned themselves while talking quietly among each other, only finding their own seating after the elders and grand elders had taken their positions.

While the seating accompanied a large area, the five life-like statues each had their own surrounding of space, lined up in order. After the five statues was the Ancestral Hall, an archaic hall of beauty and antiquity.

Icrin's heart beat fast and he felt the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach as his anxiety soared. Questions passed through his mind, 'What stage will I awaken? If I only awaken my bloodline to stage 1 or 2, what will everyone think of me? What will mom, dad, and gramps think of me? Will they be disappointed?'

As his line of thinking continued, the feeling only continued to worsen, until he felt as if his weight had drastically increased. He attempted to move, to lift his foot, to raise his hand, but he couldn't! It was as if he were possessed, another being controlling his body, his anxiety forcing him into submission.

That was until Icrin heard the quintet's jesting, a special comfort present in their words regardless of what they spoke.

"Patriarch Nero told us to stay on standby for now, and so I have put off giving you a beating until after the ceremony. Just wait, Icrin." Tsyun gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile, possessing a darkness that made Icrin shiver.

"Icrin, you can't be feeling nervous from just this, right? I need to practice my sword skills later, so don't go getting sick now, got it?" Phu remarked.

"Hoy! What's there to fear about awakening your bloodline? Phu has only managed to awaken his bloodline to stage 2, whereas Shin and I have only awoken stage 1. As for Tsyun and Haz, those monsters managed to reach stage 5." Ichi added.

"There's no point in worrying about something that can't be trained. Leave it to luck, while you use your effort on something that matters - like muscle! Ah! Damn it Haz!" Shin shouted

Haz knocked Shin on the head, "Don't forget, technique stems from far more than bloodline. Your bo staff technique, it possesses an eloquence that can't be mastered with any bloodline, only through hard work."

"Everything is in order, you may begin when you're ready, Icrin. Quint, let's take our seats? Astrona, I assume you'd like to sit with your son and daughter-in-law, the three of us can catch up later on." Patriarch Nero spoke quietly before he and Quint assumed their own positions.

"Icrin, no matter what stage you awaken, strength still has to be trained. While a bloodline will have a big impact, it will only get you so far without effort. As for what type of techniques you may develop from the statues, that is dependent on how you perceive their insights." Astrona spoke earnestly before returning.

Icrin's parents and grandfather smiled calmly as they nodded encouragingly to Icrin, concealing their inevitable worry as to soothe Icrin.

Having mustered up his courage, Icrin took the first step into a new life, followed by the second, and so-on. In a matter of seconds, he had arrived in front of the first statue. It was that of a bird with a small caption reading: 'Bird's Nurturing'.

It depicted a large bird flying into the sky, and upon touching it with his hand, his eyes closed as various scenes flashed through his mind. And he saw the bird, the very same one in the statue, gliding across the sky gracefully.

Icrin followed the bird's gaze, but couldn't understand. It was just the sky above it, so what?

There had to be more to it though, right? There had to be! And so, he whistled a small tune to the bird. The bird chirped as it flew to the land, its body growing in size as it nudged Icrin to hop onto it. Off into the sky, filled with white clouds of fluff and the whistling of wind, the duo ventured.

They looked down, and Icrin held the same gaze as the bird - he smirked as if he held absolute freedom from the surface - from the earth. Yet when he followed the bird's gaze up, he realized it wasn't looking into the same sky, but the heavens! And between the sky and heavens - was imprisonment!

As he continued to stare off into the sky, the white clouds in the sky transitioned to a dark grey, from which chains manifested. The chains shot down, surrounding him and the bird as they formed a prison. It was as if there was a barrier, within the grey clouds, restricting him from going any further than the sky.

Icrin's mind echoed with the bird's insight, 'Living with freedom above the earth, but imprisonment below the heavens. Is freedom an illusion or reality in our world? Are we truly in control of our own destiny?'

He felt his young blood boiling, as he erupted with a power that was beyond even the heavens. He released a cry and the bird, empowered by his resolute attitude, followed in synergy.

Icrin screamed out, "If destiny was predetermined... if I lived life on someone else's schedule... what would be the point? These chains used against me... this imprisonment inflicted upon me, I'll just take them for myself! Spectral Chains - Spectral Imprisonment!"

Together, the two synchronized their power and wills, forcefully releasing the prison around them before manipulating the chains to constrict around the grey clouds in a counterattack. Under the chains' pressure, the barrier in the heavens collapsed, ceasing to exist.

Icrin marveled in delight as he and the bird ventured off into the heavens, having long lost track of the time, before the bird finally descended back onto the earth.

The bird prompted Icrin closer before pecking his forehead gently, signifying the completion of his Krose bloodline's first stage awakening, as it once again ascended into the heavens, turning to give one last call to Icrin.

Gradually, Icrin's dark blue eyes opened, appearing a little lighter than previously alongside a newfound confidence. And so, he continued onto the next statue.

His attention void of everyone watching the ceremony, he neared the second statue, the fox statue. It was captioned as: 'Fox's Teachings'. The fox's face seemed to be smiling, yet frowning. It seemed to be filled with vigor, yet empty like a withered plant. The statue was so inconsistent - it was paradoxical - and yet Icrin could only continue on as he placed his hand onto it.

His eyes closed to reality and opened to a world of illusion. It was an empty grassy plain, and the only life around consisted of vegetation and one animal, a fox, an exceptionally old one at that.

"So? What am I supposed to do now?" Icrin questioned as the fox approached smugly, stopping ten feet from his position. The fox, it seemed as if it were challenging him to a duel?

In response, Icrin stood tall and readied his fists before his mind pulsed with the insight of a cunning fox, 'Perception and delusion. Are realities always true? Are illusions always false? Based on what evidence can we turn to these conclusions? Maybe it's your perception that deludes you into thinking along a certain path while ignoring all paths that differ from your own.'

"Perception and delusion? Realities and illusions? I've been nicknamed as a Trickster in my home. And a true Trickster doesn't worry about such complicated ideas! I will strive to make reality and illusion what I d.e.s.i.r.e! I will be in command of true and false! And my delusions will drive my perception to broader depths! That is the path of the Trickster!" Icrin winked, prepared to rush forward as soon as the battle commenced.

However, the fox backed down as if to say Icrin had won. Where was the battle? Was this one of philosophy and not action?

Icrin hadn't the chance to express disappointment as all the roots of the vegetation around him started pulsing like veins, followed by a loud reverberation of a heartbeat.

The trees, bushes, all of the plants in the forest rose together as the roots pulled free from the earth, forming the massive figure of a giant made of lush vegetation. Its head was made up of an old tree trunk, though its face was covered by a canopy of leaves.

Standing out the most however, was a large, shimmering silver gem instilled within its c.h.e.s.t. It was the source of the heartbeat - its vitality.

A bewildering sight to behold, Icrin froze in shock, his mouth agape. The old fox sent a simple transmission to his mind for the first time, 'Vultisori, Prodigium Silvis. The Beast of the Woods.'

Icrin looked towards the fox inquisitively, receiving a simple nod that said to follow his footsteps and work together as a duo.

Vultisori looked down at the duo like they were mere ants, his hands formed from vines swinging towards the two in hopes of entangling them like a spider to its prey. The vines neared the fox, only to miss by the smallest of thresholds. The monstrous creature considered it a fluke, only for the same outcome to present itself five-times over.

In the meantime, Icrin payed close observation to each step. He looked for the smallest magnitude of change possible, finally taking notice of a slight intensity in between the fox's changing of stances.

Suddenly, the fox opened its mouth revealing rows of sharp teeth. Vultisori redirected its vines to grasp the fox's mouth, only for the fox's face to suddenly duplicate. The face grasped amidst the vines vanished, while the other clenched its teeth over one its vines, tearing through it ravenously.

"GRAHH!" Vultisori cried out in pain, attempting to throw the fox off of itself in vain.

Taking advantage of the situation, Icrin rapidly neared the beast's c.h.e.s.t. There-in was the silver gemstone, seemingly the core of the beast. Yet, with closer distance came the cost of remaining hidden.

"GRAGHH!"Vultisori screeched out in enragement as the tiny ant approached its vital area, numerous vines, thistled weeds, and thorned roots acting like spares pierced towards his body.

Wide-eyed and under strenuous pressure, Icrin's body moved on its own while duplicating the parts of his body before they were spared through one after the other.

"This style of combat... trick the enemy into thinking they managed to injure you, or trick the enemy into blocking a fake attack. This technique, it's an Illusion Style."

The beast looked on in surprise, had it not managed to injure the ant with its rapid succession of attacks? Shaking its head, it readied itself to launch another volley of attacks before the fox crudely reminded it that the battle was a two on one.

Together the fox rapidly tore through vine after vine, and Icrin evaded each attack with slight adjustments to his footing before calling out, "Spectral Chains: Spectral Imprisonment," tying the beast's arms together as chains rapidly manifested.

Without its arms, the beast lost much of its control against the two. It swung its long legs, made up of trees, in an attempt of pushing out time for a battle of attrition only to be quickly overpowered in vain efforts. Out of energy and having lost its will, it trenched onto the ground and watched as Icrin's hand neared the silver gemstone in its c.h.e.s.t helplessly.

The canopy of leaves covering its slowly fall apart, floating seamlessly to the ground. Of its two eyes, one socket held a cyan-blue iris that had somehow managed to still survive, despite its heavily wilted state. It's other socket was hallowed out with traces of sap leaking out from within. There were shrooms growing around its nose, and its mouth weathered by the passing of time.

Icrin's hand paused as he looked at the "beast," known as Vultisori, before giving a gentle smile - the same ones his parents and grandfather had always given him when they forgave his mischievousness.

The fox and Vultisori, the beast of the woods, were bewildered. Though, the duo quickly came to an understanding and made peace with each other, and it was approaching the time to say their goodbyes. The fox looked proud, as if he had raised a proper disciple.

As for Vultisori, he seemed to have been deliberating carefully on something. And seeing it was time for Icrin to depart, he quickly made up his mind. It controlled one of its vines to carefully pluck the cyan-blue iris from its eye, when sap instantly started leaking from that eye socket as well. Ignoring the sap, it handed the cyan-blue iris to Icrin carefully, with a gentle smile forming on its withered face.

"For me?" Icrin asked anxiously as he looked at its injured eye, while the fox started up in concern.

Vultisori creaked its wooden smile before croaking in an aged voice, "Pro-tec-tion".

"It's beautiful, Vultisori." Icrin smiled brightly as he received the flower with utmost prudence.

The iris slowly transitioned forms from that of a flower to a cyan-blue sparkling orb, before entering into his body, and planting itself deeply within his soul like some sort of seed.

And before Icrin could say anymore, his eyes snapped open to the bright sun overhead, alongside a hot stream of tears.

The sensation felt real, everything felt so real! And the flower, he couldn't feel it after it had entered his body, but he earnestly believed it was still there, protectively hidden somewhere deep within him.

Empowered by this newfound revelation, he wiped the tears from his now-lighter blue colored eyes before moving onto the next statue, the serpent statue, titled: 'Serpent's Rebirth'.

The statue resembled a serpent that was exquisitely coiled, possessing an air of royalty and even that of a deity. There was a clashing significance between the auras of good and evil, creating a wicked flare of controversy for the eyes of observers.

"Let's see the next one, huh?" Icrin mumbled under his breath as his hands reached out, eyes closed, before opening to another location.

It was a desert, a sand storm blowing and preventing the eye from looking off into the distance. Covering his mouth, nose, and eyes, Icrin managed to make out a shadow of a building of grandeur amidst the blurriness.

"A palace?" He questioned.

Why was there a palace in the middle of nowhere, or at least what felt like nowhere? Where were the people? Perhaps there was a king inside? Or perhaps, it was a kingdom long forgotten or abandoned?

Regardless, the sand storm called for him to find shelter, and so he approached with quick steps. Ultimately, arriving at an unprotected gate, a slight opening in between.

He squeezed through as he ventured through the courtyard, still exposed to the harsh desert environment. In his vision, he saw what seemed to be the entrance to the palace, and so he hustled with hastened steps, escaping from the harshness of the outside.

Entering inside was a magnificent violet colored carpet with red stitching on the ends, leading from the entrance up an old stone staircase, and down a long hallway decorated with paintings that had long aged beyond visual representation.

The windows were crafted from colored glasses, using varied colors to create eloquent patterns befitting royalty and nobility.

The hallway held various doors, each connecting to rooms that were so clean and organized, not a speck of dust could be seen, 'There has to be someone here,' Icrin thought to himself.

Reaching the end of the hallway, a door adorning a golden and silver colored crest of that of a serpent revealed itself. Unlike the other doors that were placed on the left and right sides of the hall, this door went straight. In fact, even the handles were of gold, designed to look like that of a serpent.

Icrin reached his hand towards the handle as a suffocating aura descended upon him. It felt as if a snake were constricting itself around his hand, his arm slowly succ.u.mbing to the sensation as his veins pulsed, and like poison traveling into his bloodstream, his entire body felt numb.

The pulsing sensation once again rang within his mind as he listened to the insight of a serpent experiencing its rebirth, 'The serpent sheds its skin, while we shed our naive and narrow perception of reality. There are times when one must accept an illusion in order to destroy it, and the same goes for reality. Only by accepting a reality can you resolve yourself to go against it.'

"After what happened with Vultisori, I can say one thing for certain: this isn't an illusion entirely. At the least, there have been elements of both illusion and reality within. Whatever, that doesn't matter. Whether real or fake, life and death are to be treated the same." Icrin muttered before stretching his hand towards the door handle arduously.

The pressure continued to weigh on taxingly, yet Icrin's heart only beat stronger in hopes of succeeding. As he pushed on, he stirred the lightning in his body to dissipate the intruding aura, channeling it throughout his body and along his arm, ultimately grasping the handle and opening the door as his figure dripped with sweat.

What greeted him was an elegant stand, atop which lay a small black crown with a silver gem embedded within. And behind the stand was a royal throne of purple and red, alongside a golden frame. The arms of the chair were carved like thorned branches and coiled around the chair was a serpent, deeply purplish black in color with glittering silver eyes.

The serpent's ghastly voice followed hauntingly, "Is the concept of life and death really to be treated the same in an illusion? Death in an illusion may lead to your freedom in reality, no? Death isn't always to be considered an escape, sometimes it is an acceptance, don't you think?"

Icrin's spine stood straight as he shivered, a cold sweat coming forth, "I'm not sure who you are, but why should I have to rely on the idea of dying to break an illusion? To accept a reality and go against it... I might be able to use death in an illusion, but I can't rely on dying for reality, can I?"

"Accepting an illusion and killing an illusion. Though you are right, while death may be the way out of an illusion, it won't help you in reality. But in reality, can't you synthesize death?" Its ghastly voice questioned aggressively.

"Synthesize death? I don't understand what you're trying to tell me." Icrin rubbed his temple.

"Child, can't you think broadly? If you're going to justify an illusion as a reality, then why can't you falsify a reality as an illusion?!" The serpent continued, "Acceptance exists in various ways, one can perceive it as 'taking' rather than 'acknowledging' for example."

Its gaze pierced Icrin as it spat out venomously. "Take control of the illusions that bind you and synthesize, artificially create, bend them to your own will! If you can't take control of illusions, how will you manage to take control of your reality?"

"I think I understand now...." Icrin mumbled.

"Think? You think you understand now?! Dammit?! You better understand, I've already given you enough advice in consideration of Vultisori. Now, go outside and show me you understand! Only then can you accept the crown and seat yourself upon this throne." The serpent hissed.

"Alright! Alright! But what should I do to show you?" Icrin asked timidly.

"Banish the sandstorm that plagues this palace. And while you're at it, summon the clouds and bring forth the rain like the true Rain King, the Sungo."

Icrin pouted in agreement before returning to the outside. As the serpent hissed, the sandstorm was still as strong as before. Thinking back to the serpent's words, he felt a wave of heat and dryness assault him.

"Accept that I'm in an illusion... take it for myself. How am I supposed to take control of it? What am I supposed to even control? Is there some sort of core? A location in which the illusion is operated from? Considering that I entered this 'illusion' with the placement of my hand on the statue, then maybe the illusion starts from my hand?" Icrin spoke to himself.

"Hnng! Do something, do something! Hng! Come on already! Here, I'll gather lightning in my palm, so work, please!" Icrin cried out desperately.

Meditation - failed. Focusing all of his concentration on his palm - failed. Gathering lightning into his palm - failed.

"Alright. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus everything!" Icrin clapped his hands together, drawing the lightning through his body.

It was then, he noticed, ever-so-slightly, the remnant of an aura within his body. It was the aura that, like a snake, had constricted itself around his arm before entering into his bloodstream.

"The aura I fought against earlier? Wait a second! To accept illusions and synthesize death... was I supposed to accept this aura? To allow the poison into my body and take it for myself?" Icrin smiled, "Heh. Wait for my return, you devilish serpent!"

Icrin gathered the lightning in his body to stir the aura, only for it to flee hurriedly, exiting his body. It distanced itself, revealing itself to be an illusionary form of the serpent.

"Alright, little guy, I'm not here to hurt you." Icrin whispered softly, making cl.i.c.k.i.n.g sounds as to call the aura towards him.

The illusionary serpent neared him, opening its mouth, and revealing a pair of white fangs. Icrin couldn't help but yelp as he saw a purple liquid on the fangs, its poison.

"Haha... well, I guess this is all or nothing, huh? Go on, bite me, you snake!" Icrin yelled out childishly, while the serpent lunged forward, coiling around his arm once again, while lightly biting into his arm.

Like a fast moving venom, the aura efficiently traveled throughout Icrin's body. Despite his best to maintain a calm, he couldn't help but tremble nervously.

As the aura finished making l.a.p.s throughout Icrin's body, he was suddenly hit by an epiphany. It was as if he was the creator of this 'realm,' and the sandstorm around the palace was an extension of his own body.

Icrin reached his palm out, before closing it into a fist - and the sandstorm vanished! Taking control of an illusion and resisting an illusion... while in the similar categories, they were entirely different in scale.

"Become the Rain King? The Sungo, as the serpent phrased it? Very well!" Icrin shouted childishly as he reached his arms into the sky. Storm clouds above, bringing with it the beauty of rain dancing in the sky despite previously being a droughted land.

As if possessed by an unknown madness, Icrin continued to experiment. The sun set, as the moon rose. And soon, snowflakes gently fell from the sky. The desert land was coated in frost, before suddenly melting away.

Once again, Icrin experimented as he changed the ground from sand to grass, and lush vegetation grew with crops ready for harvest. He had become the king, not of the palace, but of the laws that govern the world itself.

"You little runt! Quit playing around!" A ghastly voice hissed into Icrin's mind.

Icrin started off for the palace entry before he was struck with a thought, "HAH! GATE! OPEN!"

A red door opened, to which he entered in delight. Within mere seconds, he found himself in the royal chamber.

"Hiss. Teleportation, quite fancy, huh? Well, you have succeeded to become the king. You may take the crown child."

Icrin nodded as he lifted the black crown carefully from the stand, aligning the silver gem's position with properly on his head. Icrin then turned to the throne.

"Runt- or should I say King? What is the consummate technique have you come up with?" The serpent asked.

"I'm not sure what to call it... but it's the ability to fix someone's memory, to clarify the difference between fact and reality."

"Why not call it the Mark of Sapience? And I'll give you some advice, child. If you can fix someone's memory, then you can distort someone's memory, confusing fact and fantasy. Why not call that the Mark of Paramnesia? It's simply reverse calculation, you know?"

"Uh-hm! Thank you for your guidance!"

"Now, take your seat upon the throne. And good luck, child."

"Un. Thank you!" Icrin spoke as he seated himself upon the throne, while the silver gem embedded within the crown flashed for a brief second before creating an illusion of its own.

Icrin now wore a silver robe, embroiled with numerous sigils, and the crown atop his head signaled he was a true king. The ability to control the world laws, would he one day master that?

The silver gem flashed once again, and Icrin found himself in front of the serpent statue.

"Two more statues... the wolf and the bear. And lastly is the Ancestral Hall. How far will I go?" He asked with even paler blue eyes than before.