Overview
Summoners (also known as Exorcists in the Western Hemisphere) can summon natural elements, beast familiars, and even celestial beings using magic circles. To conjure a magic circle, they must be well-practiced in regulating their Qi—their life energy—and opening their chakra nodes. Depending on the user's affinity, they can conjure one of three magic circles. The Tai Yang magic circle draws power from the Sun (light magic), the Tai Yin magic circle draws power from the Moon (dark magic), and the YinYang magic circle is the most balanced and can only be conjured by the most adept users. The YinYang magic circle draws power from both the sun and moon simultaneously. This magic was created by humans of the Eastern Hemisphere and is used only by humans to combat the ever-growing numbers of demons, ghouls, and hungry ghosts. Light and dark magic do not signify good and bad magic, but rather balance.
Summoners' core personalities are essential to determining which specific magic abilities they can use and how they can personalize the magic they have an affinity for. Within their respective magic circle elements—whether Tai Yang Magic Circle, Tai Yin Magic Circle, or YinYang Magic Circle—novice summoners typically can achieve one open chakra node and only on rare occasions can open two chakra nodes, but not without great cost of Qi depletion. Intermediate summoners can open two chakra nodes and only on rare occasions three chakra nodes, but not without great cost of Qi depletion. Advanced summoner practitioners can open three chakra nodes with ease and only on rare occasions four chakra nodes, but not without great cost of Qi depletion. The most adept summoners and masters of the craft, who have achieved true enlightenment, can open all seven chakra nodes. All seven chakra nodes must be open, allowing users to conjure any of the seven elements at will. All summoner practitioners run the risk of Qi depletion and must be aware of how much of their life force is being spent.
Tai Yang Magic
Source: Sun
Components: Qi, Chakra, Magic Circle
Tai Yang Elements
Qian/Heaven/Spiritual Connection: May conjure celestial beings and beasts. Can communicate and traverse all Six Realms. May create holy/sacred barriers. May acquire comprehensive healing abilities. Holy/sacred barriers can be used to exorcise/cleanse evil. Very few summoners have achieved the Qian chakra pathway. Only two or three summoners every generation have been recorded throughout history who have opened only the Qian pathway without having to master the other seven pathways first.
Dui/Lake/Crown: May conjure celestial beings and beasts. May communicate and traverse between the mortal and spirit realms. Acutely aware of spirit energy. May create holy/sacred barriers. May acquire limited healing abilities. Holy/sacred barriers can be used to exorcise/cleanse evil.
Li/Fire/Third Eye: May conjure the elements of fire and lightning. May be able to see spirit energies and auras. May have strong psychic abilities like telepathy, precognition, and psychometry. Blue flame fires can be used to exorcise/cleanse evil.
Zhen/Thunder/Heart: May be able to harness sound as a weapon and may have the ability to influence others' emotions, such as enabling empathy. May be able to detect and recognize illnesses and ailments in any mortal creature's body by listening to the heartbeat alone. There are no abilities to exorcise/cleanse evil in the Zhen element.
Tai Yin Magic
Source: Moon
Components: Qi, Chakra, Magic Circle
Tai Yin Elements
Kun/Earth/Root: May conjure mortal beast familiars. May communicate with all mortal life, whether plants, animals, or humans. May manipulate plants, the earth's soil, and minerals. May be able to pinpoint the location of any living or non-living objects that are physically in contact with the earth, including buildings, cars, etc., through meditation and becoming attuned with the earth. There are no abilities to exorcise/cleanse evil in the Kun element.
Gen/Mountain/Sacral: May enhance one's own physical strength and that of others. May be able to manipulate the earth's soil and minerals. May be able to pinpoint the location of any living or non-living objects that are physically in contact with the earth, including buildings, cars, etc., through meditation and becoming attuned with the earth. There are no abilities to exorcise/cleanse evil in the Gen element.
Kan/Water/Solar Plexus: May conjure the element of water and also manipulate any form that contains water. May be able to achieve limited healing abilities through the manipulation of water. May be able to use holy/sacred water to exorcise/cleanse evil.
Xun/Wind/Throat: May be able to harness their voices and words as weapons. May be able to manipulate the element of wind. May be able to use mantras/incantations to exorcise/cleanse evil.
YinYang Magic
Source: Sun and Moon
Components: Qi, Chakra, Magic Circle
YinYang Elements
Qian/Heaven/Spiritual Connection: May conjure celestial beings and beasts. Can communicate and traverse all Six Realms. May ascend to become an Immortal of the Six Realms.
All seven chakra nodes must be open, allowing users to conjure any of the seven elements at will.
Limitations
Users with affinity for Tai Yang (Light magic) will be strongest when the sun is visible, which will boost users' summon attacks with little use of Qi.
Users with affinity for Tai Yin (Dark magic) will be strongest when the moon is visible, which will boost users' summoned attacks with little use of Qi.
Users must use a significant amount of their own Qi (life force energy) to conjure their magic circles and summons when their natural power sources are not visible.
Costs
The following are potential consequences of overuse:
Qi Depletion
Fatigue
Weak breath
Poor appetite
Sweats
Nausea
Heaviness
Foggy mind
Organ failure
Shattered mind
Death
HistoryThe Age of Harmony
In the primordial ages, when the cosmos was young and the boundaries between the Six Realms were as thin as morning mist, harmony prevailed across all planes of existence. The Divine Realm watched over creation with benevolent eyes, while the Immortal Realm served as a bridge between the heavenly and mortal worlds. The Human Realm flourished under this cosmic balance, with mortals living in peace, unaware of the darker realms that existed beyond their perception.The Demon Realm was not yet a place of chaos—its inhabitants were wild and untamed, but they followed the natural order. The Demonic Mo Realm slumbered in dormancy, its malevolent energies contained by ancient seals. Even the Ghost Realm operated in perfect harmony, with souls passing peacefully through the cycle of reincarnation under the watchful guidance of the Ten Kings of Hell.
The Great SunderingThis golden age came to an abrupt end during what mortals would later call the Great Sundering. A catastrophic event—some say it was the fall of a corrupt immortal, others claim it was the result of forbidden experiments in the Divine Realm—shattered the delicate balance between the realms. The barriers that had kept the darker energies contained began to weaken, and malevolent forces from the Demonic Mo Realm started seeping into the other planes.The corruption spread like wildfire. Demonic Mo began possessing weak-willed demons, transforming them into instruments of chaos. Hungry ghosts, once peaceful souls awaiting reincarnation, became ravenous spirits that devoured the life force of mortals. The very fabric of reality began to tear as these corrupted beings invaded the Human Realm in ever-increasing numbers.
The Desperate HoursThe Human Realm descended into darkness. Mortals, with no knowledge of cultivation or divine arts, were helpless against the supernatural invasion. Entire cities fell to hordes of ghouls, while the demonic mo whispered madness into the ears of kings and emperors. The few immortals who descended to help were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of corrupted beings.It was during this darkest hour that a group of seven human sages, led by the legendary Master Zhang Tianming, made a desperate pilgrimage to the border between the Human and Immortal Realms. They sought an audience with the Jade Emperor's court, pleading for divine intervention to save their people.
The Celestial CovenantThe petition reached the ears of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, who was moved by the mortals' plight. However, the laws of the cosmos forbade direct intervention by divine beings in mortal affairs. Instead, she proposed a solution that would require great sacrifice: the creation of a new form of magic that would allow humans to channel the power of the celestial realms themselves.The seven sages agreed to undergo the Ritual of Celestial Binding, a dangerous process that would forever link their life force to the cosmic energies of the sun and moon. Master Zhang Tianming volunteered to undergo the most perilous transformation, accepting the burden of channeling both solar and lunar energies simultaneously—a process that would later be known as the YinYang path.
The First Summoning CircleWorking in concert with celestial craftsmen and immortal scholars, the seven sages developed the fundamental principles of summoning magic. They discovered that by regulating their Qi and opening specific chakra nodes, they could create magical circles that would draw power directly from the celestial bodies.The first successful summoning occurred at dawn on the fifth day of the fifth month, when Master Zhang drew upon both the rising sun and the setting moon to create a shimmering circle of golden and silver light. From this circle emerged a magnificent celestial crane, its wings blazing with holy fire, which swept through a horde of hungry ghosts and purified them instantly.
The Three Paths Established
Through years of experimentation and refinement, the seven sages established the three fundamental paths of summoning magic:
The Tai Yang Path: Drawing power from the sun, this path connected summoners to the Divine and Immortal Realms. Master Li Mingyang became its first grandmaster, specializing in summoning celestial beings and creating holy barriers. His disciples learned to open the Qian, Dui, Li, and Zhen chakras, each corresponding to different aspects of solar power.
The Tai Yin Path: Channeling lunar energy, this path connected summoners to the earthly and natural forces. Master Wang Yueling pioneered this discipline, teaching her followers to communicate with beast familiars and manipulate the elements of earth, water, and wind. The Kun, Gen, Kan, and Xun chakras became the foundation of this school.
The YinYang Path: The most difficult and dangerous path, mastered only by Zhang Tianming himself. This path required the opening of all seven chakras simultaneously, allowing the summoner to draw upon both solar and lunar energies. Such practitioners could commune with beings from all Six Realms and potentially achieve immortality themselves.
The Great Purification
Armed with these new abilities, the human summoners began their campaign against the forces of darkness. They established the Order of the Celestial Circle, a secretive organization dedicated to training new summoners and coordinating the defense of the Human Realm.The war was long and brutal. Many summoners paid the ultimate price, their life force completely depleted from overuse of their abilities. But slowly, methodically, they began to push back the tide of corruption. Holy barriers were erected around major cities, celestial guardians were summoned to patrol the countryside, and the most skilled practitioners ventured into the other realms to seal the sources of corruption at their origin.
The Sealing of the Realms
The climax of the Great Purification came when Master Zhang Tianming, now ancient and bearing the wisdom of decades of cultivation, led a final assault on the Demonic Mo Realm itself. Using the combined power of all seven chakras, he created a massive YinYang summoning circle that spanned an entire mountain range. From this circle, he summoned an army of celestial beings led by the Four Heavenly Kings themselves.The battle raged for seven days and seven nights. In the end, Zhang Tianming sacrificed his mortal form, using his life force to create permanent barriers between the realms. The Devil Realm was sealed, its inhabitants trapped and unable to directly influence the other planes. The corruption was contained, though not entirely eliminated.
The Modern Era
Today, the summoning arts continue to be practiced by the descendants of the original seven sages. The knowledge is carefully guarded and passed down through secretive bloodlines and hidden monasteries. Most mortals remain unaware of the supernatural threats that still occasionally seep through the weakened barriers between worlds.The summoners of the modern era, known as Exorcists in the western lands, maintain their eternal vigil. They know that the seals created by Zhang Tianming will not last forever, and that one day, the forces of darkness may rise again. Until that day comes, they train in the ancient arts, learning to regulate their Qi, open their chakras, and call upon the power of the celestial realms to protect humanity from the evils that lurk beyond the veil of reality.The magic circles still shine with the same golden and silver light that first appeared on that fateful dawn centuries ago, and the spirits of the Seven Sages are said to watch over every summoner who dares to walk the path they created—a path born from desperate necessity, forged in celestial fire, and maintained by the ultimate sacrifice of those who came before.
The Eternal Cycle
As Master Zhang Tianming once wrote in his final testament: "The balance between light and darkness, sun and moon, life and death, is the eternal truth of existence. We who walk the path of summoning are not conquerors of evil, but guardians of balance. For in the end, we are all part of the same cosmic dance, and our role is to ensure that the music never stops."And so the summoners continue their sacred duty, knowing that their magic—born from the very fabric of the Six Realms themselves—represents humanity's eternal covenant with the forces of light, and their solemn promise to stand guard against the darkness that forever seeks to return.