As the two of them flew towards the temple, Ali asked Tian a burning question of his.

“Who created the summoner realm? This place seems massive and incredible at the same time!”

The air serpent replied that the realm was created separately from the system but no one knew who the creator was. He, like all the other summonees, learned from the stories passed down by those who existed before them. When the teenager mentioned that he didn’t see any other creature as he flew, the air serpent explained that creatures like him used to live in a different realm, separate from the real realm and the summoner realms. They were only sent to a summoner realm when they were matched up with a summoner.

“I didn’t realize how complex summoning was. I thought it was just summoning a creature to do battle and that was it.”

“That is what makes powerful summoners so dangerous,” said Tian with seriousness. “When a summoner masters everything about summoning abilities, they are monsters in their own rights. It all begins with their summonee possessing a name and the summoner unlocking augmentations at the summoner temple.”

Augmentations? I don’t even know what that means.

The duo soon flew vertically until they reached the top of the tallest pillar formation. Ali’s mouth dropped open when he took in the sight of the temple. The magnificent building was beyond anything he has ever seen. The tower-like structure had multiple stories made entirely of stone. The dome had a point that aimed straight for the sky and, atop that point, was an air serpent statue. Each story possessed windows too small for him to fit in so he would have to enter through the main entrance. When he landed at the entrance, the size of the building overwhelmed him as observing from above failed to exhibit its grandeur.

“Let’s go inside,” said Tian.

The air serpent’s words snapped Ali out of his trance. The two of them entered the entrance but it soon became obvious something wasn’t right.

“What’s with these walls cutting me off from the rest of the temple?”

Except for a small altar, the rest of the floor was sealed off by stone walls. Ali only had to touch the walls to know he couldn’t possibly make them budge.

“Normally, you have access to everything.”

“Normally, you have to achieve level 50, right?”

The reality dawned on both of them. Despite unlocking the summoner realm far sooner than others would, there were still safeguards in the temple that would prevent a low level summoner like Ali from becoming too powerful too quickly. There were no shortcuts he could take to become stronger.

“Seems like I wasted my time here then,” said Ali with a sigh.

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“Check the altar at least,” said Tian. “It’s not sealed off so it might still offer something.”

The teenager reluctantly walked over to it. He knelt down and touched the altar. When nothing happened, he stood up and turned around.

“Wait, Ali.”

Ali turned to see three orbs above the altar. The orbs were all clear with markings on them.

“I wish I could read,” muttered Ali.

Tian offered to translate what was written on the orbs. He started with the first one.

“A turbulent whirlwind makes the air serpent more evasive in battle.”

He moved to the second orb.

“The blessing of the winds promises swift recovery from harm.”

Tian then moved to the last orb.

“Greater soaring ability ensures a devastating dive at one’s foe.”

When Tian finished translating the markings, Ali went into deep thought. The orbs, at least from his interpretations, were focused on defense, survival and strength. He pondered what might be the best option but he shook his head.

“Tian, which orb would you pick?”

Until he met the air serpent, he had to make decisions all alone because he had no one he could trust. If he and Tian had to work together to survive in the cruel world, then they should build up trust in one another, especially if the choice affected the air serpent.

Maybe this is the first trial we face together?

The air serpent was delighted to have the choice. Ali sat down as his summonee flew between the three orbs, unable to decide on what to pick. Eventually, Tian flew before Ali.

“I can’t decide! They all seem amazing! Maybe you can help me decide!”

Ali thought for a few minutes before he spoke.

“When you faced Belen’s monkey, why did you lose?”

“That primate had more HP than me. We both inflicted damage but my HP reached 0 first.”

“Faster HP regen won’t help because the battle finishes too quickly. Until you get more HP, extra HP regen won't help you.”

“And that leaves more defense or more strength.” The air serpent rested on Ali’s shoulder to ponder between the two. “And defense makes more sense.”

“Why?”

“In that battle, we ultimately lost because I was beaten and you faced Belen and the primate. When you face two foes, the odds will always be stacked against you. If I lasted longer, then that might buy you enough time to win the duel.”

Ali knew that he lacked the tools and experience to beat Belen but he chose not to share that with Tian. Instead, he chose to go with what his air serpent had in mind.

“If you pick defense, you will serve as my shield then! I will count on you to deal with secondary threats so I can focus on the main foe.”

Tian flew over to pick the first orb. Upon contact, the air serpent glowed brighter and brighter until Ali had to shield his eyes.

“Tian, are you okay?” shouted the teenager.

When he got no response, Ali started running where Tian was but, even running for several minutes, he didn’t come in contact with the air serpent, walls or the altar.

What is going on?

<

Alarm has gone off! Please wake up!

Alarm has gone off! Please wake up!

>

Ali sat up on his bed, slowly getting his bearing of the real realm.