Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Empress Borough
"This…I didn't expect." Abel remarked casually, though the tension in his posture betrayed his calm tone.
He looked at the armored figure that had seemingly teleported before him the moment he stepped into the Containment Room.
It didn't walk like a man.
It moved low to the ground as naturally as a beast would. The heavy scent of iron clung to it, old blood caked in the crevices of its armor. On its back was a curved greatsword, its blade undulated and dark with dry blood.
A second weapon, a clawed gauntlet, perfect for rending through flesh and bone alike adorned its left hand. Its helm jutted forward like a muzzle, the elongated visor narrowing into a snout.
The creature sniffed at him, taking long inhales as it circled around him. Without speaking, and with only the scraping of armoured limbs breaking the silence, it prowled like a beast.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the beast stopped. It knelt before him, head bowed in submission.
"Bloodhound Knight…" The name slipped out Abel's lips along with a sigh of relief.
For a moment, he wasn't sure if the Loyalty perk for summons was working. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.
He put his focus back on the summon that was an enemy from Elden Ring, a game from his past life.
A relentless and agile killer, known for its unorthodox movement and brutality. In the game lore, Bloodhound Knights are hunters and unmatched trackers.
They're more beast than man, not speaking and being loyal to one master throughout their whole life.
The Summoner Jump had allowed a free Basic Summons—either an animal as strong as 3–5 wolves, a series of minor creatures with various utility functions, or a single large summon that could match the first two options combined.
Abel didn't remember choosing anything, so it seemed that Jump-chan—or his Other self—had taken matters into their own hands, selecting the last option.
"And I have to say, I'm not disappointed." His lips curled upwards as he looked at the Bloodhound Knight.
If its strength was anything like in the game—its speed certainly was—then it could easily take on any Sequence 9 Beyonder. Even defeating a Sequence 8 wouldn't be impossible, especially if they belonged to non-combat Pathways like Spectator, Reader, Secret Supplicant, Sleepless, Marauder, and the like.
Hunter, Assassin, Warrior, and perhaps Criminal Sequences might pose a challenge, but only as a nuisance at best.
There was no comparison between someone who had just become a Hunter—with no understanding of what it meant to be one, no grasp of Acting Principles—and a Bloodhound Knight trained from a young age for the sole purpose of tracking and hunting.
"And what if you were given a Hunter Potion?" Abel asked.
The knight raised its head to look at him. It didn't speak, but thanks to Polyglot, Abel could understand it—and it could understand him.
"Oh?" The human-beast seemed excited at the prospect, as if… "You have knowledge of Beyonders, Sequences, and Pathways?" Abel asked, intrigued.
The armoured knight nodded, the glowing eyes behind its visor locking onto his own.
The Monster instantly understood, "So you know everything that I know about Beyonders…even Sequence 0?"
Another nod.
A glint appeared in Abel's eyes as he stared at the Bloodhound Knight, "Do you have a name?"
The beast in human form met his eyes once more.
"Volk…" The white-haired young noble echoed his name, nodding slowly, "A fitting name for a hunter." The knight said nothing, only lowering his head in acknowledgment.
"Then, Volk, my Bloodhound Knight, what do you say about becoming my Red Priest?"
Volk stiffened, and then its head snapped back to Abel's face. His beast-like instincts flared as he met the gaze of his master.
Abel smiled faintly, his tone was casual, but his eyes were unshakeably resolute. His Presence screamed certainty and radiated absolute confidence, as if it were only natural for Volk to rise, to tear through the layers of Sequences, and sit on the throne of Gods.
Volk's chest rose and fell as the beast within him surged, thrilled by the challenge, the promise, the sheer audacity of the command.
Indeed, command.
Although Abel questioned him, Volk was well aware that he didn't truly have the choice to decline—and truthfully, he wouldn't have, even if he did.
His Master's will was his will.
And this will was one he very much liked.
"It's good that you're excited," Abel said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "But it'll take some time for me to find the Hunter formula and gather the ingredients."
That last part was spoken more to himself than to Volk.
But even the formula and ingredients weren't the only requirements.
There was also a Mission—written in the BookofShadows—that had to be completed before his summons could advance through the Sequences and fully integrate into this world's power system.
Mission: Rise, My Summons
Objectives:
Summon one of the Seven Lights
Learn about Native Summoner's
Contract a Messenger from the Spirit World
Make a connection with a Sanguine
Reward: Empowered Summons - When you summon a creature, you are able to integrate other powers into the summon to empower the summoned creature. For example, if you had access to a spell that would grant the target increased physical strength, you can incorporate that effect into your summon to grant them improved physical strength. If you then learned how to make a potion capable of inducing regeneration, you could incorporate that into the summon to grant them regeneration or the ability to produce a healing substance that induces a weaker form of the effect. You can incorporate multiple such effects at once, but each one added uses up any resources that would normally be drawn from you to use them or some of your physical, mental, or magical stamina.
Compared to the mission that required him to join the Tarot Club, this one had more objectives. But given how this perk was a game changer—allowing his summons to potentially reach godhood—it was understandable.
"Should I ask Dominique to make potions?" Abel muttered to himself. Having advanced past the Apothecary stage, his sister could now make over a dozen types of potions.
Potions that enhanced speed and strength, stopped bleeding, or regenerated spirituality. If Abel gave one of those to Volk and permanently infused that ability into him, it would allow the summon to fight above his Sequence level with ease in the future.
"It's just that 'resources' is rather ambiguous." Logically, once the summon consumes the potion, the effects should become its own ability, complete with its own pool of spirituality.
It wouldn't make sense for him to lose spirituality each time his summon used a Beyonder ability.
"This isn't something I can deduce right now." Abel shook his head. There was no need to overthink it—the results would reveal themselves when the time came.
Instead, he put his focus on the Mission objectives.
The Seven Lights…
There were seven entities that originated from the Spirit World, beings said to have existed since the days when gods still walked the land. Each was believed to contain limitless knowledge in a specific domain.
The Red Light, Aiur Moria, represented Authority and Will, with His domain being creatures. It was said that for knowledge about Spirit World beings or locations, He was the ideal entity to pray to.
The Orange Light, Hilarion, represented Knowledge and Science, with His domain being Alchemy. In Abel's opinion, He would be the perfect teacher for Beyonders on the Mother—Planter and Earth—Pathways, whose powers revolved around life, plants, and healing.
The Yellow Light, Venithan, represented Reason and Adaptation, with His domain being Astromancy. For Savant Pathway Beyonders, He was the ideal source of insight—though Hilarion could also apply, given the science-oriented nature of that Pathway.
The Green Light, Serapis, represented Beauty and Harmony, His domain being the Arts.
The Blue Light, Kuthumi, represented Love and Wisdom, His domain being Cogitation.
The Indigo Light, Iesus… Jesus… Considering this was Earth, the Latin form of Jesus shouldn't be surprising. Still, it did make Abel wonder if the Jesus of this world was actually the Indigo Light. Iesus represented Ideals and Dedication, with His domain being Prayers…
"My theory of Him being Jesus just went up a notch," Abel said with mild amusement.
Lastly, the Violet Light, Saint Germain, represented Attending and Surpassing, His domain being Ritualistic Magic.
In mysticism, these Seven were commonly invoked during rituals, especially by Beyonders seeking specific knowledge or aid. Because of that, many called Them "Master" or "Teacher."
As for why Beyonders offered prayers to Them without the usual fear or hesitation common with other hidden existences, the reason lay in Their symbolism and representation. At Their core, each of the Seven represented Guidance—a light pointing the way—making Them intrinsically benevolent beings.
Given the nature of the second objective—learning about native summoners, likely referring to a Beyonder Sequence that granted summoning abilities—Abel reasoned that summoning Orange Light Hilarion, who represented knowledge, would be the ideal move. That way, he could complete two objectives at once.
The next goal was to contract a Messenger. Abel wasn't worried about this one—in fact, it seemed the easiest of them all. With Summon Magnet, he was all but guaranteed to summon a creature willing to form a contract. And as someone Mystery-Touched—corrupted by Mysteries, the Spirit World Dominator—Abel had a strong suspicion his chances were even higher than usual.
"If Mysteries is the King, Spirit World creatures are His citizens, and the Seven Lights are like Princes…" Abel murmured thoughtfully. "Then if Mystery-Touched does what I think it does… I'm like the Prime Minister."
Unfortunately, he could only wait to see what his Special Traits actually did in practice, as he hadn't received any instinctive understanding of them—unlike his Beyonder abilities and existing perks. There was no sense of activation either, which suggested they might be passive in nature.
It seemed his Other Self didn't want to hand him everything on a silver platter, and he would have to work for it.
"Make a connection with a Sanguine…" This was easily the hardest objective of the Mission.
Dominique and Veronica, unfortunately, didn't qualify. Even if they were more or less the same—one born naturally, the other artificially—they weren't Sanguine, at least not by how the Sanguine defined it.
Abel could understand their pride. According to Dominique, Sanguine were naturally born at Sequence 7 of the Moon Pathway. From birth, they possessed all the abilities of the Apothecary, Beast Tamer, and Vampire Sequences.
But from Sequence 6 onward, they still had to consume potions like any other Beyonder.
Most people might have felt envy, but not Abel. With his own unique gifts, he had little reason to.
Still… a Sanguine.
Suddenly, Abel remembered a certain red-eyed priest who had been helping out at the Harvest Church over the last few weeks.
"Emlyn White, if I remember." A chuckle slipped from his lips as he recalled the Sanguine's predicament.
Father Utravsky had only given him a Psychological Cue to volunteer at the church for an hour each day, but the naive and self-important Sanguine had somehow convinced himself that he'd slowly become a true believer of the Earth Mother.
And now… he was a believer of the Earth Mother.
Like him, Dominique had found the situation amusing—perhaps even more so than Abel himself—especially given how the Sanguine looked down on her for being an "artificial vampire."
Shaking his head with a smile, the Monster looked down at the pendant around his neck. A baby surrounded by the symbols of wheat, flowers, and spring water.
The Sacred Emblem of the Earth Mother Church.
Even if Abel wasn't as devout as other members of his family, he still wore the pendant. It had been a gift from his mother.
Now, however, it served an even better purpose.
The Vault, his personal inventory, could be linked to a trinket or item for convenience, and Abel had chosen to anchor it to the pendant.
Abel's eyes flicked toward Volk, who remained silently kneeling before him. "Keep your guard up. I'm going to summon a creature. If it's hostile, be prepared."
At his words, the Bloodhound Knight's posture shifted.
From kneeling, he lowered his upper body into a beast-like crouch, his right hand gripping the hilt of his Bloodhound Fang.
Abel gave a small nod of approval before reaching into the Vault. From it, he retrieved a vial of ink from his Contract Kit, along with a scroll of paper inscribed with prepared terms and conditions.
He'd already drafted a messenger contract before entering the Containment Room—now, all that was left was to summon the creature and hope it agreed to the terms.
Some of the details of the contract was as follows:
Duration
This contract shall remain valid until:
One party is permanently destroyed
The contract is nullified by mutual agreement
Services Rendered by the Messenger
The Messenger agrees to:
Deliver messages and items.
Respond to summoning rituals performed by the Summoner or his designated proxy.
Guard the Summoner's secrets and refuse coercion or extraction.
Participate in minor rituals, scouting, and brief combat if necessary.
Not harm the Summoner or the person receiving the message or item.
The paper and ink he used had been specially prepared, their binding effect was reinforced, even stronger than that of a typical Contractor-type Summoner. The ContainmentRoom further enhanced the process, making blind summons not just possible, but significantly safer.
As for how summoning a Spirit World creature worked—fortunately, Abel had the knowledge. Knowledge he suspected even Dominique lacked.
That was the benefit of FolkloricInterest.
It granted him information that was not wholly unknown—which meant that truly hidden things, like the nature of Sequence 0, were still beyond its reach and had to be deduced or discovered manually.
But something like the Acting Method? That was included in his understanding.
He had reasoned that while low-sequence Beyonders may be unaware of it, the Acting Method was hinted, if not widely enough known among mid-sequence Beyonders —Sequences 7, 6, and 5—that Folkloric Interest could include it.
Still, the fact that their father had told Dominique about it—rather than the Church—proved how tightly guarded the information was. It wasn't common knowledge, not officially. But enough individuals knew about it for FolkloricInterest to pick it up.
Anyway, he digressed.
Summoning a Spirit World creature was, in many ways, cliché, just as any modern person might expect when thinking of the occult.
A candle and an incantation.
However, in this world, such things carried true weight, grounded in symbolism that granted them mystic resonance.
Only one candle was needed. That candle symbolised oneself, representing the decision to act independently, without invoking a god or higher entity. The summoner relied solely on their own spirituality.
The incantation, too, was special. It couldn't be spoken in common languages like Loenese, Feysac, or Intisian. Instead, it required one of the many mystical tongues:
Ancient Hermes, a language inspired by Dragons and Elves
Jotun, the language of Giants.
Dragonese, the language of Dragons.
Elvish, the language of Elves.
Rising from his crouched position, Abel retrieved a cloth from his Vault, wiping the ink from his stained fingers as he inspected his work.
A Summoning Circle.
It wasn't actually required to summon a Spirit World creature. Abel doubted such a thing existed within the formal requirements of the ritual itself, as it was based on what he had gleaned from his perk SummoningBasics.
But it served as an extra countermeasure, layered protection, and in this world, symbolism was power.
The summoning circle did three things:
Anchored the summon in the world.
Focused the Containment Room's energy inward.
And acted as a beacon, guiding the creature from its realm.
The circular shape was no accident. Circles represented unity, eternity, and most importantly, containment. Specific offerings and focal items could be placed around it to entice certain entities—those drawn to particular substances or scents. Chalk, salt, blood—these weren't just ingredients; they strengthened the symbolism.
Unfortunately, Abel had none of those items on hand.
But he did have something better.
His ContractKit came with ink made from genie blood, a rare and potent material. The symbolic weight of genie blood amplified both the binding force of the circle and its attraction, making it easier to call forth the kind of creature he desired.
This was due to a Genie's symbolism, representing Wishes and Binding. Concepts that resonated deeply with the core of summoning. A wish was, after all, a request given form, much like a summon. And binding… Well, that was the essence of the contract.
Genies, in folklore across cultures, were creatures caught between servitude and power. They were mighty beings forced into servitude by oaths, containers, and clever words, exactly the kind of entity that fit perfectly into the metaphysical framework of summoning.
Abel took one last glance at the geometric circle. Once he saw nothing out of place, he stretched his hand to the candle, lighting it by letting his spirituality collide like a match.
"I!"
He started with ancient Hermes.
"I summon in my name:"
He switched to normal Hermes.
"The spirit roaming in the higher plane, the friendly creature that accepts submission, an existence that can freely traverse planes."
As Abel finished chanting, he suddenly felt multiple gazes lock onto his form via his SixthSense perk. He focused on his perception perk, Insight, and reality seemed to suddenly peel away.
He suddenly saw a world where colours bled together, where time seemed chaotic—flowing forward, in reverse, and standing still all at once. There was no sky or ground.
Distance didn't seem to exist, as the figures Abel now saw seemed to be getting closer yet further away.
Seven Lights blinked high above, and Abel felt Them looking at him.
Not wanting Them to descend, Abel used AnchoredReality to thicken the barriers between the normal world and the Spirit World. This way, only creatures of a certain strength could enter the Containment Room.
The Seven Lights above seemed to realise what he had done. The next moment, They shifted Their gaze away.
Abel then looked at the dozens of bizarre creatures drifting through the chaotic folds of the Spirit World toward him.
One resembled a skeletal bird with paper-thin wings made of smoke.
Another floated upside-down, a long, limbless body wrapped in chains that writhed like living things. Each chain held a different symbol, some glowing faintly, others weeping ink.
A third looked like a stitched-together mass of children's toys, with porcelain eyes, wooden limbs, a cloth mouth stretched into a permanent smile.
Further off, he saw a tall gothic castle. Standing at the entrance, staring right at him, was a woman—or what would have been a woman if she wasn't headless. In her hands were four identical heads with blonde hair and red eyes.
As he looked at her, Abel felt a sense of weight to her existence—as if she mattered. As if she were a person of significance, or a key actor in a greater play.
This feeling…He brows furrowed in confusion before realisation flickered in his eyes.
"Fate-Touched?" Was this the effect of the Special Trait?
The Monster didn't have long to think, as suddenly, the Spirit World creatures that had been converging toward him—except the headless woman—all froze and then dispersed as a figure materialised in their midst.
She wore a dark blue dress that seemed to be dotted with star-like patterns. Her dark hair fell past her back, seeming real yet illusory at the same time. Her face was equally illusory, cloaked in shadow—only her gold eyes were visible.
In what seemed like a single step, she appeared before him, halting just outside the reinforced barrier.
"A Secret Sorcerer?" The woman muttered to herself in Ancient Feysac, the common language of the Fourth Epoch. "No, it's not Exile…And you can see into the Spirit World…?"
"I'm a Monster." Abel helpfully answered, before asking, "Are you willing to be my messenger?" He was hoping she agreed.
For her to speak the language that was the root of all modern tongues—Loenese, Intisian, Highlander, Feysac, Lenburg—meant one of three things: she had lived since the Fourth Epoch, had a teacher who had, or had a teacher whose teacher had.
In other words, she was a wellspring of information.
"I'm willing."she said with a steady nod, staring at him intensely.
Lady, if you stare at an Intisian while saying such words, they're bound to misunderstand. Abel inwardly chuckled as he returned the area to normal, taking one last glance at the headless blonde woman before weakening Insight.
After multiple brushes with Outer Deities, the perception perk had grown stronger, letting him see deeper into reality. But since he didn't want to always see the Spirit World, he toned it down to view only the material world.
"A different dimension?"The Spirit World…woman's voice caught Abel's attention, and he saw her gaze locked onto Volk who was standing in front of him tensely.
The white-haired nobleman walked to her with the contract paper in hand, answering vaguely, "Something like that."
The woman didn't pry, and just looked between him and the Bloodhound Knight, "You…Do you know you're corrupted?"
Abel paused, surprised she noticed, but then smiled calmly. "I'm aware. It won't affect me, or you," he assured her.
She stared at him again, then took the contract paper from him, scanned it, and handed it back. "I'll help you and send your messages. In return, if you come across a Mid-Sequence or Sequence 4 Door Pathway Beyonder characteristic, I want it. Also, any information you have on the Tamara Family."
Abel paused. A Demigod characteristic? What did she think he was, a walking treasure vault?
Still, she said if he encountered one. It didn't hurt to keep an eye open.
He was far more intrigued by her mention of the Tamara Family. From what little he knew, they were one of the Five Great Families that had supported the Blood Emperor and the founding of the Tudor Empire back in the Fourth Epoch.
That was the extent of what FolkloricInterest had given him.
"I agree." Abel said after a beat of consideration. He signed his full name at the bottom of the contract and passed it to the woman to do the same.
Celestine Tamara.
After he read her name, the contract dissolved into red motes of light, but Abel could still feel it, he could still summon it if needed.
"Thank you for accepting the contract. I'll summon you when I need to send a message." He gave her a grateful smile, watching as she faded back into the Spirit World.
After she disappeared, Abel couldn't help but question, "Why did it look like she was hesitant to leave?"
He didn't dwell on it for long. Turning to Volk, he said, "I'm going to need you to stay here. I'll call your Name when I need help."
The Bloodhound Knight didn't argue, lowering his head in silent acknowledgement.
"I'll see you then." Abel turned on his wheels and made his way to the door. When he opened it, his bedroom came into view.
Stepping out, he closed the door behind him. Then opened it again.
This time, it revealed a toilet.
That was the magic of the Containment Room.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the 3.9k words chapter. Also, finally, we got to what this story is about: Summons!
I did say it was going to be a slow one, but even i wasn't expecting it to take this long. The Messenger part took a while to figure out, I had to do some wiki diving before I came across something interesting.
Let's just say, High-Sequence Beyonder's don't die easily.