Summoning

Summoning is a recurring concept in the Tales series of calling forth powerful, often elemental, beings known as Spirits, notably appearing in the Aselia timeline of games. A person who is capable of summoning Spirits is known as a Summoner.

Tales of Phantasia
Summoning was introduced in Tales of Phantasia as being the art used to call forth Spirits, which even humans are capable of doing by forming pacts with Spirits using jeweled rings. Claus F. Lester is a famous teacher of magic in Euclid who researches summoning alongside his assistant, Milard Rune. When Cress Albane and Mint Adenade venture 100 years in the past of their timeline, Claus's current timeline, they enlist his aid in defeating the Demon King Dhaos. Throughout their journey, the group forms pacts with multiple Spirits, which Claus is able to summon in battle using the pact rings.

Tales of Eternia
Tales of Eternia conceptualizes summoning through the Craymel Cage system, which involves entrapping Craymels, the game's substitute for Spirits, and calling upon them through Craymel Artes that only a Craymel Mage can use. Craymels enter the Craymel Cage through a device known as a "Parasol", which the Craymel Mages Meredy and Keele Zeibel use to gather the Greater Craymels of the worlds of Inferia and Celestia.

Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia, which takes place in the distant past of Tales of Phantasia, also employs the concept of summoning in a similar fashion to its predecessor. When the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were still combined, around 2,000 years prior to the events of the story, Mithos Yggdrasill formed pacts with Spirits, alongside his companions, to end the Kharlan War. Mithos's pact with Origin enabled him to use the Eternal Sword and rip the planet in two, likewise separating the Spirits. By the events of the story, Sylvarant has lost the art of summoning, and it is somewhat of a rarity in Tethe'alla. Sheena Fujibayashi is a summoner whose failed attempt at forming a pact with the Spirit Volt twelve years prior to the events of the story continues to haunt her, making it difficult for her to being forming pacts with Volt and other Spirits. Despite this, she prevails and manages to form pacts with Spirits from both worlds.