Curtis Samman had been a normal person in a normal world at one point. Oh, the mundane bullshit had been going on but the government watching you browse the internet seemed silly now. me your aid!” With that final exclamation he pricked the end of his finger with a quartz needle, allowing a single drop of blood to well up and cover the sliver before he flicked it into the circle.

For a second he waited nervously, watching for any sign of change. The sign was rather obvious when it came: The bloodied needle he had flicked onto the ground began to pull at the wound 

Curtis reflected that a couple years ago he certainly wouldn't have been standing in the woods taking drugs and stabbing himself while chanting a magic spell that he had cobbled together from an internet forum. Curtis still liked to think of himself as normal and rational but in a world gone mad, what was normal and rational? It had to involve a little crazy right?

Well, either way, he was here now, his blood felt like it was on fire and the chant was almost done so nothing for it but to keep going. ”-Spirits of the World I pray, come to my circle and lend he had made in his finger, an odd light draining from his minor injury that pulled the fire from his blood and kept going. It seemed to worm into his very soul until he was weak at the knees before cutting off, the now glowing blood dissolving into a white mist that swirled and swept around before coalescing into a butterfly-winged figure about ten inches tall.

“HAH! IT WORKED!” Curtis couldn’t help but shout at the appearance of the diminutive woman.

“What…is this?” The tiny lady asked as she stared downwards. A flit of motion brought her to head height with Curtis. “You, human, you summoned me like this?” 

Curtis nodded, then stilled as the lingering feeling of icy voids in his blood made him quite nauseous actually. “I am Curtis Samman and I seek your wisdom and possibly a contract. May I have your name, noble fairy?”

Some unidentifiable expression flashed across her face before she began twirling the ringlets in her hair in thought. “I shall allow you to call me Alma,” she said, “Obviously that is not my True Name, but it should suffice for now. What wisdom did you wish of me though?”

“What do you know of this world?” Curtis asked carefully.

Alma flew up to the edge of the circle in a sparkle of powder from her wings, taking a deep sniff of the air. “Very little. This certainly isn’t Underhill or a forest I recognize,” she said, tugging at her hair, “In fact, the mana around here is both extremely weak and dangerously chaotic. Is there a rift to the Primordial open around here?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“You can feel that huh?” Curtis mused. “It feels like that because we were a desolate world until last year.”

“Ah, someone has begun the challenge for the World Throne. Some invading power I assume?” Alma asked curiously.

“Technically he says he’s on his own. When he came through the portal he blew it up and killed the rest of the vanguard party, at least according to what he says,” Curtis explained.

Alma nodded, “You can probably trust that. A world with an empty throne is a tempting target for cultivators below a certain level. And you want to compete against him for the throne.”

“No,” Curtis denied, shaking his head. “I’m not really one for ruling. I wouldn’t know what to do if I were put in charge. I’m not even sure I can participate. I have a decent amount of qi for an unawakened but I lack a spirit root.” 

Alma stilled, the rather shocking news. “Really? How could you have summoned me without an Inner Eye? And why?”

“For the how, I took a bunch of supplements to flood my blood with a ton of qi and then bled into the circle,” Curtis said, showing her his finger. “As to the why…people and governments are desperate. With the challenge deadline coming in ninety-nine years and the qi flowing into the world and mutating things into monsters, anyone with a hint of talent is being pushed to train and use that talent in the hopes of a miracle. And while I might not be able to cultivate, my nieces and nephews all seem to have the talent for it.”

“You are worried about them?” Alma inquired gently.

“It’s-” Curtis began, “I know it’s going to be hard times. If I can get them a head start with materials and maybe connections, hopefully they can survive and thrive.”

Alma nodded and smiled sadly. “How though? No matter how willing you are, your lack of an Inner Eye is crippling.”

“That’s where I’m hoping you will come in,” Curtis said, looking squarely into her eyes. “Literally. You are more a spirit than flesh, right? Your body is a magical copy of your true self that holds a wisp of your consciousness inside, right?”

“That’s not quite right, but close enough without getting into a much, much deeper conversation than I want to,” Alma said.

“Well,” Curtis hesitated and took a deep breath, then plunged in. “I had this idea. My qi pool is fine for a mortal so I have qi. I just don't have a way to manipulate and refine it. In order for you to retain your abilities, you have to be able to manipulate qi. I'm hoping that if I summon you directly into my dantian, you will be able to cultivate my qi for me.”

Alma's expression showed pure shock at the very idea. “Madness! That isn’t apotheosis, that’s possession as evil spirits do!”

“I was thinking more along the lines of a living weapon,” Curtis mumbled, “But essentially, yes. That’s why I used such an open ended chant and didn’t try to increase the power of my circle. I just want those that are willing to help.”

Alma stared at him with a blank face for a long minute, before sighing heavily. “Then I suppose I’m your fairy.” She smiled gently at him, laughing as his face took a boyish cast and he pumped a fist in celebration. Curtis rapidly sobered though with what she said next. “What styles of dancing do you know?”

"...crud."