There are three things every child is taught before their Blooming:
The soul is a garden.
The sigil is its bloom.
And the summon is its fruit.
That's what they say in Thorncradle. That's what they write in the Wanebound Scrolls. That's what the Seedwatchers whisper to trembling children as they lead them barefoot into the summoning circles, praying their bodies flash with light and meaning.
But what they never say is what happens when the garden doesn't bloom
They don't explain the silence.
Or the hunger.
Or the Hollow.
SIGILS
Sigils are born, not given. Each person carries a unique soul-vein deep in their chest, invisible until the moment of awakening.
When awakened, a sigil appears—etched into flesh like molten ink. It glows when summoned. It burns when threatened. It defines not just one's magic, but one's identity.
No two sigils are the same.
Some appear as spirals. Others, runes. Some breathe like lungs. Others crackle like flame.
The pattern determines the summon.
SUMMONS
The summon is a physical manifestation of the soul. It emerges during the Blooming—usually an animalistic form with elemental alignment.
Summons:
Reflect the user's core emotion and fate
Fight, protect, or evolve depending on the summoner's choices
Disappear when dismissed—except for the rare few who remain
Most people believe summons are temporary partners. Tools.
They are wrong.
A summon is a mirror of who you are, not who you wish to be.
FORMS AND EVOLUTION
Summons evolve through exposure, emotion, and trauma. The system of evolution is called:
The Veinbound Path
Each summon has multiple stages of growth:
Seed Form — The raw, newborn state. Weak. Simple. Often underestimated.
Bloomed Form — First major growth. Sign of soul acceptance.
Wyrd Form — When the summon begins to mutate, change, or question its summoner.
Crown Form — The fusion of summon and will. Rare. Feared. Often divine.
Boundless Form — [Classified. Forbidden. Hollow-tier.]
Between each stage lie mini-evolutions—called Vein Tiers—where the summon's abilities sharpen and change, gradually taking on more human traits.
Full humanoid form is only achieved in Crown Form.
VEINBIND
At the Wyrd or Crown stage, some summoners achieve Veinbind—a full fusion of body and summon.
In Veinbind:
The summoner inherits part of the summon's form, instincts, or abilities
Sigils glow across the skin like living veins
The summoner and summon think, act, and react as one
The cost is high—and not always reversible
THE HOLLOW WITHIN
Rare individuals are born without visible sigils. These are called Voidbuds, or worse—Hollowborn.
But there is a secret:
Some of them are not empty.
Some are full of something else.
Inside them exists a space beyond time—a Hollow Within. A world wrapped in silence, accessible only by introspection, trauma, or spiritual awakening.
This space evolves.
It begins as a void.
It can become a throne.
Within it, the summoner may:
Complete Hollow Quests
Gain Hollow Points
Build, modify, or evolve the space into a living dominion
The more developed the Hollow Within, the more physically and spiritually powerful the summoner becomes.
HOLLOW POINTS & INNER SPACE SYSTEM
Points are earned by:
Defeating enemies
Devouring monsters
Completing Hollow Quests
Sacrificing something emotionally meaningful
They can be spent to unlock:
Memory Pools
Ability Enhancements
Sigil Modifications
Spirit Looms (custom ability creation)
The Throne Core (advanced)
When all systems are maxed, the summoner may consolidate—rebuilding the inner space from a higher starting tier, unlocking new paths.
THE DEVOURING PATH
Some Hollowborn gain the ability to consume sigils, corrupted creatures, or fallen summons.
This gives Hollow Points, but causes:
Pain
Physical mutation
Emotional damage
Deep guilt
Devouring isn't easy.
It doesn't feel good.
And for one summoner—it will become necessary.
There is no interface.
No floating menus.
No one telling you the cost.
In this world, your power comes from what you endure, not what you press.
And for one forgotten boy in the town of Drossmere, a summon has just awakened.
He's two feet tall.
He wears a mask.
And he calls his summoner:
"My lord."