[As you wish] his uncle replied telepathically, as always.

[Show me the list.]

And Somnion handed over the old reseach paper.

[We need the organic incredients first, I’m sure you remember them.]

The demon opened his uncle’s cabined and leaned in.

They had collected many of these items specifically for this one spell, but he also had had several incredients in his shelf already, as many were not that uncommon.

The elder demon translated the paper, listing the needed incredients and their amounts to be sure Somnion wouldn’t make a mistake. It was important for these to be correct.

Somnion gathered everything into a bowl.

Some items were common, such as sage.

And mushrooms from the nearest forest. Somnion dropped them all diligently into the bowl.

Others were poisons. Nion had even brewed some of them himself in preparation for this one spell. This was an area he was not familiar in, but his uncle had given him assistance.

[Good.]

Somnion put the bowl away temporarily, letting the soup sizzle and pop due to the poisons and various incredients mixing.

[Now the chest.]

The chest was East Asian and rare, although not particularly old. The maker had died a few decades ago and only left behind a few of these, and not many of them were imbued with the right kinds of magic.

[You need to place these in yourself.] the elder demon spoke as he turned to the cabinet.

These items had taken them all around the world, some even off-world.

Among them such items as a love letter from a cursed man from the seventeenth century, a shell from the deepest ocean, the urn of Isis… the list went on.

[The ring now.]

Somnion slid his fingers into his pocket. This had been the last item to be acquired and he had looked for it himself.

This was a particularly difficult acquisition and the owner would miss it. The ring itself wasn’t anything too special…

…but the feelings imbued in it were strong. Her feelings for the man who had given it to her made it glow in a unique way, and such items were not commonly found.

Khepre skimmed through the paper to make sure they hadn’t missed anything, [And last, we’ll add the water.]

The young demon looked at his uncle, a slight worry visiting his eyes: “But that water… we can work this without it. You know there isn’t any more of it.”

The water from the Spring of Ish-Dall, Khepre’s home city, now closed to everyone but a select few. First they would need to travel back to their world unnoticed by the Clan, then sneak into the closed off city, get the water and get out without being seen. A task that was not easy. Somnion wasn’t sure if it was even possible

[Just a few drops will do.] This was a special occasion for Somnion.

Khepre pulled out the cork, tilted the bottle and let a few drops fall on the items in the chest. [This will strengthen the spell.]

[And now for the most important incredients.]

Somnion knew what they were. He had gone through this a hundred times because there was no room for mistakes. from this point on.

The spell was not draining, but it did require preparation and finesse.

[The substance.]

Somnion’s horn. It wasn’t a hard to get item, nor rare. It would grow back, but it was the core of the spell.

Wearing uneven horns, Somnion placed the piece inside the chest.

[And the bond.]

Somnion reached for the otherworldly dagger in Khepre’s cabinet.

His blood would form the bond between him and his creation.

Creating something was always difficult and many things could go wrong. But Khepre had assured him that his blood was strong enough and all the incredients were correct.

Silently, Khepre handed his nephew the spell Somnion had crafted based on ancient texts.

The spell was his own, words nobody had ever spoken before.

[Now, show me what you can do,] there was something cheeky in the demon’s voice as he sat down to observe on his metal chair and crossed his legs.

Khepre’s eyes on him made Somnion even more nervous. Many of the items they were using were one of a kind; there were no second chances. His hand trembled slightly under his uncle’s gaze.

Somnion began channeling his powers into the orb as he spoke out foreign words, hoping his pronunciation was correct.

Khepre’s calm eyes looked on. He was sure Nion could pull this off, he had inherited his talents from his mother’s side of the family.

As Somnion finished, the paper caught flame and vanished. At the same time, the insides of the chest began to smoke.

The demon accidentally inhaled some of the smoke pouring out of the chest and coughed.

Something inside the chest cracked and hissed.

As the smoke cleared, Somnion lifted his arm and commanded: “Arise, Nayendra.”

Khepre smiled. His nephew had come a long way. He now had confidence in what he did.

What would come out of the chest? He thought curiously. A demon, fae or a failure?

Slowly Nion lifted the lid, unsure of what to expect.

It was pearl coloured, just like his horns.

But was it alive? Somnion held his breath.

The creature lifted it’s head slowly and blinked.

“Look… I did it.”

He had created a familiar for himself.

“Nayendra… you have a black nose…” he observed. Had the spell failed on some level?

Nion observed the little dragon as ishereached towards her parent and master: “Look, she’s wingless but lively.”

[Perhaps, she will grow them as you get stronger.]

The creature was bonded to Somnion and his development would reflect on her as well. If he were to perish, so would she. If he gained tremendous power, she would grow accordingly.