“I lured the ape into the mansion. Not an easy feat, I can assure you. It required expending a large amount of mana, and there were many occasions where my efforts proved fruitless. I once hosted a hundred different kinds of creatures within my depths. Like my traps and spells, they were lost when I crossed from Eosor to Earth.”

“Well, let’s see how long it takes to build back up to your previous strength. It shouldn’t take too long. After all, you have me with you now.” I gave her a wink. “Now, let’s see about summoning a Dragonling. I doubt a little creature like that could cause too much of a ruckus in your chambers.”

I looked at Kyrine, expecting her to tell me how to summon the Dragonling. Instead, she met my eyes with an expectant gaze. Her mouth was set in a little smile, but it was firmly closed. It seemed she was still testing me, seeing whether I was worthy of the power she’d given me.

I sighed and closed my eyes. My breathing steadied as I accessed my chi and converted it to mana that I allowed to fill my body.

My center had been fundamentally changed after merging with the dungeon. Instead of a single sphere within my center meridian, there were now two. The first sphere was the one I was used to. That sphere was the most fundamental essence of my being. Beside it, and entirely new to my experience, was a much smaller one. Was this the Summoning Sphere Kyrine had referred to?

Fascinated, I tapped into the energy of the smaller sphere, and an array of new sensations ran through my body. First, my extremities tingled as if I was coming into a warm room from being out in the snow. Then a sweet taste touched my tongue, and a scent like burnt caramel filled my nostrils. It was the smell of burning mana fueling the summoning process. A sudden symphony of chimes rang in my ears as I opened my eyes to see a kaleidoscope of colors.

Through this trippy sensory explosion, I saw Kyrine’s smile broaden, so I figured I must have been doing something right.

The barrage of sensory stimulation threatened to overwhelm me, so I focused some more on the second sphere and pushed back the crowd of perceptions until they were under control and I could think clearly. Mana thrummed through me as I brought the Dragonling to my mind, a phantasm of the real thing, and pushed it from my imagination into the secondary sphere inside my center.

The phantasmic Dragonling slowly took shape. First, there was just a haze of mist inside the Summoning Sphere. Then, slowly but steadily, it became a skeletal outline before muscle, sinew, and flesh enveloped the bones. Scales pieced together over the baby dragon’s form, and two emerald-colored, intelligent eyes appeared in the twin sockets.