The Nine Phoenix Monarch sat cross-legged upon a boulder, her hands weaving seal after seal as streams of light danced around her fingertips.

Moments later, those radiant threads intertwined, forming a palm-sized multicolored phoenix that looked alive, its eyes bright and movements graceful.

The tiny phoenix circled above the Nine Phoenix Monarch’s head, its wings fluttering gently, scattering specks of glowing light.

She raised her head slightly, meeting the phoenix’s gaze. Her lips moved as she chanted an obscure incantation, then extended a slender finger and drew out a drop of her blood and essence, pressing it lightly against the phoenix.

The instant her fingertip touched, the drop of blood sank into the phoenix’s body. The phoenix stiffened, then abruptly folded its wings and turned into a streak of brilliant...