Joshua nodded, raising his hand again and conjuring a smaller version of his earlier fireball. This time, it was the size of a baseball, but showed the same layered complexity.

  Clive inspected the rotating sphere of fire. “Why not make it purely of the blue flames. That seems the strongest.”

  "Balance," Joshua replied. "A fireball of pure blue flames would be uncontrollable, and likely fatal to the caster."

  Despite the warning, Clive felt a hint of skepticism. He was not the type to accept limitations without testing them himself. He dipped his brush in blue paint, carefully painting a small sphere in the air.

  [Paint: Blue fireball IV]

  The moment his brush touched the invisible canvas, brilliant blue light erupted from the point of contact. Clive gritted his teeth as he felt his mana being drained at an alarming rate, like a violent siphoning that left him momentarily dizzy.

  [Paint Failed: Insufficient Mana]

  The failure sent a shock of magical feedback through his system. Clive staggered, his vision blurring as residual blue flames flickered dangerously around his paintbrush before finally guttering out.

  "Breathe," Joshua commanded, moving quickly to Clive's side and placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Deep breaths. Let your mana pathways recover."

  Clive leaned against the chamber wall, exhausted. Lucia moved towards Clive, pressing a small vial of mana potion into his hands. Clive accepted the potion gratefully, feeling his magical reserves slowly stabilizing as the liquid worked through his system

  "Now you understand," Joshua said, "Blue flame doesn't just require more mana, it demands more than most casters possess.” He studied Clive's still-pale complexion. "Though I'm curious about your reserves after that attempt."

  The Archmage's eyes began to glow with a subtle golden light, and Clive felt an odd sensation, as if something was gently probing the edges of his consciousness.

  [Joshua Blackfire has used: Mage Sight]

  [Your HP and MP have been revealed]

  "Interesting," Joshua mumbled. "Despite your unique abilities, your raw mana capacity appears to be... well, quite ordinary for someone your age." The golden glow faded from his eyes. "That's not necessarily a weakness—many of history's greatest mages succeeded through efficiency rather than raw power—but it does explain why the blue flames nearly overwhelmed you so quickly."

  Clive absorbed this assessment without defensiveness. In his previous life, he'd learned that honest evaluation of limitations was the first step toward finding creative solutions.

  "So how do you manage to control blue flame at all?" he asked. "Your mana reserves can't be infinite."

  Joshua smiled, conjuring another small composite fireball in his palm. "Experience taught me that brute force is the enemy of precision. Watch closely."

  He gestured toward the crimson outer shell of the rotating fireball. "Red flame forms the containment barrier, providing structure and control. See how it pulses?"

  Clive leaned closer and noticed that the red layer did indeed have a subtle rhythm, like a heartbeat.

  "The red flame acts as a pressure valve," Joshua continued. "When the blue core tries to consume too much mana too quickly, the red layer throttles the flow, forcing the spell to burn at a sustainable rate rather than devouring everything at once."

  The miniature fireball rotated slowly, revealing white flame beneath the red shell. "White flame creates the middle layer, the primary destructive force. This is what melts through armor and burns through magical barriers."

  At the very center, blue flame burnt like a captive star. "And blue flame at the core provides the raw power that feeds the entire structure. It's the engine that drives everything else."

  He held the composite fireball steady, demonstrating how each layer moved harmoniously. "Without the red flame's stability, the white would consume itself chaotically. Without the blue core's power, the white would sputter out in seconds. And without the white layer's mediation, the blue flame would either burn out your magical reserves instantly or explode beyond any hope of control."

  Clive gazed in wonder at the fireball, studying the elegant interplay of forces. Even though there were three distinct layers, they merged and mixed to form a variety of colors. Clive looked down at his palette. In order to replicate this, he would have to mix his colors.

  [Skill Learnt: Mix]

  [Mix: Combine your available colors to create a wider variety of spells.]

  [Current available mixing slots: 2]

  He studied his available colors: Red, Blue, Yellow and White. For the brilliant core, he would need pure blue—no mixing required there. But where the blue core met the white middle layer, he could see hints of pale blue, almost cyan. And where the white met the red outer shell, deep orange flames flickered at the boundaries.

  Clive began experimenting on his palette. First, he mixed white with a touch of blue, creating a luminous sky blue that seemed to shimmer with contained energy. This would be perfect for the transition zone between core and middle layer.

  Next, he blended red, yellow and white together, watching as they combined into a rich orange. This matched the crackling interface where the white destructive layer met the red containment shell.

  Now he had five colors to work with: pure blue for the core, his new pale blue for the inner transition, pure white for the middle layer, deep orange for the outer transition, and red for the containment shell.

  Clive raised his brush, dipped it in blue paint, and began painting. The blue paint shimmered with energy as he worked, building up the intensity through careful layering. He switched to his pale blue mixture, painting the transition zone around the blue core. But as he reached for pure white paint for the middle layer, he noticed his blue core flickering. The paint was starting to fade at the edges, the magical energy dissipating faster than he add to it.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He rushed to apply the white middle layer, his brushstrokes becoming hurried. The orange highlights went on in desperate slashes, but before he could even begin the crucial outer containment layer, the entire spell collapsed. The partially formed fireball sputtered and vanished into wisps of colored smoke.

  [Paint failed: Spell complexity exceeded casting time]

  Nearly ten minutes had passed just to reach that incomplete stage. The overwhelming complexity of coordinating multiple mixed colors made the spell impractical for combat. A bitter realization struck him—perhaps if he had chosen the quick-stroke brush from Certainty's upgrades, this spell might be feasible.

  "Are you alright?" Joshua asked, noting Clive's frustrated expression.

  Clive wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded grimly. "Let me try a different approach."

  This time, he simplified drastically, skipping the intricate layering and transition zones. Instead, he mixed yellow and red directly on his palette, creating a rich amber that captured some essence of the composite flame without the complexity.

  [Paint: Amber Fireball II]

  [MP Cost: 10]

  The fireball that manifested was lacking compared to Joshua’s. Yet as Clive studied his amber flame, he felt a spark of satisfaction. The mixed pigment had produced something notably superior to his previous attempts. Where his simple red fireball had been the size of a tennis ball, this amber version swelled to nearly the dimensions of a basketball, its golden-orange flames crackling with enhanced intensity.

  The color itself was richer too—not the flat, monotone red of his earlier work, but a dynamic amber that shifted between deep orange and brilliant yellow as it rotated in the air. Though it lacked the sophisticated three-layer structure of Joshua's demonstration, it represented progress. His first successful color mixing had yielded tangible results.

  As Clive studied his creation, he felt a deeper understanding of fire's nature, as if the successful mixing had unlocked new insights about flame itself.

  [Trait Acquired: Pyrographer - Artist of Flame]

  [Your understanding of fire's true nature deepens your artistic expression. Flame-based spells now channel with greater intensity (+15% damage, burn 10% longer) ]

  [MP + 5]

  [Power Level + 5]

  But the enhanced power came at a cost. The spell had consumed noticeably more mana than his simple red fireballs, leaving him with a hollow sensation in his chest—the familiar ache of depleted magical reserves.

  [Mana reserves low]

  "Promising," Joshua observed. "This is superior to your first fireball. While it doesn't quite match traditional high-level spells, I would classify this as a solid second-tier manifestation.”

  Clive felt a surge of pride at the classification. Second-tier—that put his pictomancy on par with what most combat mages could achieve.

  "Show him your creation abilities," Lucia suggested from beside him.

  "Creation?" The Archmage's eyebrow shot up, his casual demeanor instantly sharpening into focused attention.

  Clive retrieved his sketchbook, flipping to a page of a dagger.

  [Draw: Steel Dagger (High Quality)]

  A flash of light and the drawing materialized into solid steel.

  Joshua's casual demeanor evaporated instantly. His eyes widened, then narrowed as he leaned forward to examine the weapon.

  "May I?" he asked, though his firm tone suggested it wasn't really a request.

  Clive handed over the dagger. Joshua turned it over in his hand, holding it up to the light to examine the steel's composition.

  "This isn't transmutation," he murmured. "Transmutation converts existing matter from one form to another. This..." He tapped the blade against a stone table, producing a clear, resonant ring. "This is ex nihilo creation. You've converted pure ether directly into matter."

  The implications seemed to hit him all at once. He set the dagger down on the table, and when he looked up at Clive, there was something dangerous in his gaze.

  "The power of creation... Come with me, Clive. Now."

  The urgency in his tone brooked no argument. Joshua strode toward a section of the chamber wall that dissolved at his approach, revealing a narrow corridor Clive hadn't noticed before. They walked in tense silence until they reached a smaller, more intimate chamber.

  The moment the door sealed behind them, Joshua's entire demeanor transformed. His warm smile had vanished, replaced with a frown. Gone was the friendly academic; in his place stood someone far more dangerous.

  "The Arcanum has existed for seven centuries," Joshua began. "We've seen empires rise and fall, witnessed the ebb and flow of magical knowledge, catalogued every known form of arcane expression. But creation magic... There is only one source for creation magic."

  He walked up, stopped directly in front of Clive, his gaze piercing. "Tell me, Clive Weston. Who do you serve?"

  "What do you mean?" Clive kept his voice steady, though his heart was racing.

  Joshua's lips curved into a cold smile. "That's the correct answer—feign ignorance, remain silent. But we both know the truth." His hands began to glow with gathering magical energy. " Mortals manipulate, transform, channel—but we do not create. Only the Gods can invoke the power of true creation. And that makes you a Chosen."

  The temperature in the room spiked dramatically. With a gesture from Joshua, a ring of intense flames erupted from the floor, surrounding Clive in a circle of fire. The heat was immediate and oppressive, forcing sweat to bead on his forehead.

  "So I ask again," Joshua's glare was intense. "Who do you serve? What divine agenda do you carry? Which God has marked you as their instrument?"

  Clive felt the flames pressing closer. But he remained calm, meeting the Archmage's gaze steadily.

  "Nobody important," he said firmly. "I have no intention of getting involved in any business of the church or divine politics. I only wish to pursue my art and help people when I can."

  Joshua studied him for a long moment, searching his face for any hint of deception. The flames held their position, neither advancing nor retreating.

  "Is that so..." The Archmage's expression slowly softened. Gradually, the ring of fire began to lower, though it didn't disappear entirely. "You speak with either remarkable conviction or exceptional training in deception."

  "I speak only the truth," Clive replied, his voice steady despite the lingering heat.

  Joshua was quiet for a long moment, studying Clive’s face before his expression shifted to a subtle smile. “You and I are alike in a way.”

  Clive remained silent, unsure where this was going.

  "Do you know how the Archmage of the Arcanum is selected?"

  Clive shook his head. ”Perhaps he is nominated by a council of his peers.”

  Joshua's gaze drifted to the phoenix emblem emblazoned on the chamber wall. "The phoenix is a divine beast that has blessed the Arcanum for centuries. Throughout the ages, many kingdoms have tried to tear down our institution, to banish us from existence entirely. Yet no matter how thoroughly they believed they had destroyed us, the Phoenix has always ensured our rebirth from the ashes.”

  He paused. “Do you understand what I am saying, Clive?”

  Clive frowned, piecing together the implication. "You mean..."

  "The Archmage is not selected by his peers," Joshua confirmed quietly. "He is chosen... by the Phoenix."

  Clive's eyes widened in shock. "But I thought the Saintess was the only Chosen in Marblehaven."

  "The Church would prefer that narrative," Joshua said with a bitter smile. "But divine power doesn't conform to mortal politics." He gestured toward the phoenix symbol. "The Phoenix is ancient, powerful, but crucially, it exists outside the established pantheon. Unlike the God of Light, it seeks no dominion over the masses. "

  Joshua's flames finally extinguished completely as he continued. "As long as we don't deify the Phoenix—as long as we keep its true nature secret—the Church tolerates our existence. It's a careful charade that has preserved the Arcanum's independence for centuries."

  He moved closer. "So you see, my dear Clive, we are kindred spirits in a way. Neither of us wishes to be pawns in the grand celestial war between the God of Light and the Demon King. We simply want to pursue our arts and knowledge in peace."

  “So I would advise you. It matters not which god you serve as long as you remain quiet about the true nature of your abilities. As everybody knows, Marblehaven can only have one chosen. To declare otherwise would be to incur the wrath of the Saintess.”

  "Every god claims dominion over creation, yet none of them have ever held a brush."

  —The Legendary Moonlight Artist

  Feel free to check out my if you can't wait