Clive turned around, and Certainty was seated on the edge of his bed with her legs swinging like a child's.

  "Roses eh.” Certainty flashed him a mischievous smile. “Do I get one as well? Do I, do I? I love roses. They're sweet."

  "What are you doing here, Certainty?"

  How much did she see?

  He had thought himself alone with Diana, sharing intimate stories of lost love. The thought that Certainty had been watching made him feel exposed. His hand moved instinctively to cover the moon sketch on his desk.

  “Don’t be shy now, I always see everything. Can’t hide anything from me, nah uh.” She stared at Clive with those all-knowing eyes. "You've been making friends. How nice."

  The way she drew out the word 'friends' carried implications that deepened Clive's embarrassment.

  “We were just talking.”

  “Sure, Clive, just talking.” Certainty giggled. “Very deep conversations about moons and roses.”

  Clive picked up his sketchpad and began drawing. A rose took shape under his charcoal, materializing with the familiar flash.

  "There." He held it out to her. "A rose for you, too. Happy?"

  Certainty clapped her hands together excitedly, stood up, and then snatched the rose from Clive’s hand. She buried her nose in the petals and inhaled deeply. "Mmm. Almost as real as the one you gave her. Lucky me. You wanna talk about the moon with me as well?"

  "Where have you been?" Clive cleared his throat, grasping for safer ground. "You've been gone for a while."

  "Oh no no no, you're not changing the subject that easily." Certainty wagged a finger at him as her voice rose to a high-pitched mocking tone. “We’re going to talk about the moon, whether you like it or not. Did you know that if you fold paper forty-two times, you can reach it? It’s true. I’ve done it before. The moon is really quite beautiful up close. Much more interesting than drawing it from down here, don't you think?”

  Clive stared at her, dumbfounded. He let out a sigh and turned toward the door. “You can keep the room, I’ll go take a walk.”

  "Alright, alright!" Certainty's laughter followed him. "I'll behave. Come back, Clive." She twirled the rose between her fingers before bouncing back onto the bed. "I've been busy with real divine business. The whole Titan situation caused quite the stir in our realm."

  Clive paused at the door. Titan. The god who had saved his life. Who had saved all their lives from the Warden. Clive had watched helplessly as chains dragged the Earth god back into the ground.

  "What happened to him?" Clive turned back. His earlier embarrassment was gone, replaced by concern. "Is he... the chains..."

  "Oh, you actually care about old Titan? How touching." Certainty's voice carried a hint of jealousy beneath the mockery. "Will you worry about me with such passion one day?"

  "How is he?" Clive's jaw tightened. Every word from her was annoying him, and he had half his mind to leave. But his worry for Titan kept him rooted to the ground.

  "Well, it's not looking particularly good for our dear friend. The covenant rules were quite explicit about gods descending to the mortal realm. And Titan shattered them completely."

  Certainty’s playful demanor flickered, replaced with an almost respectful look on her face. "It was noble, what he did. He knew the consequences when he descended, but he chose his people over his own existence."

  "What's going to happen to him?"

  The mask of childish indifference slipped back into place. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, dear Clive." She twirled the rose again, but the motion seemed forced now. "Consider it a closed chapter. You'll never see him again. I can promise you that much."

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  Clive remained silent, processing the loss of the god that saved him. Certainty spoke of closed chapters as if Titan's fate was just another piece moved off the board. The casualness of it made his jaw tight.

  Goodbye Titan. May you be reunited with your people.

  A heavy silence fell upon them until Certainty broke it with a forced cheer. “Don't sulk so. I brought you gifts. Do you know what time it is?”

  Clive wasn’t in the mood to deal with Certainty but still let out a curt. “What?”

  "Upgrade time!" Ten golden stars materialized around her, spinning slowly in the air like tiny suns. "You've reached ten Certainty points, my dear chosen. No longer just a wandering journeyman."

  Despite his sullen mood, something stirred in Clive's chest. Ten points. One step closer to his goal. The dejection didn't disappear, but it made room for something else—a flicker of anticipation he couldn't quite suppress.

  She gestured grandly, and the stars burst into brilliant white flame before reforming as crystalline points of radiance. "You've crossed the lands and honed your craft. You are now qualified to call yourself what you truly are. An Artist."

  [RANK ADVANCEMENT] Journeyman → Artist

  [HP +40]

  [MP+40]

  [Power level+40]

  Power flooded through Clive's body. He could feel it racing through his veins in waves of silver and gold.

  "Impressive, isn't it?" Certainty clapped as the stars dissolved into glittering motes that spiraled around the room before fading. "Almost a fifty percent increase. You're becoming quite the force, my Artist."

  “And now for the main event. I give you, your upgrade choices.”

  Three orbs circled her. Certainty reached for the first and crushed it between her palms. When she opened her hands, a wooden palette materialized in the space above her fingers.

  "Professional Color Palette," she declared. "Professional colors for a professional artist. No more scraping by with your basic primaries, Clive. Every hue you could want, warm and cool variants of each. This set here is the difference between a dabbler and a true artist."

  [Color Supplies]

  Professional Color Palette

  - Contains 15 colors + 5 mixing slots

  Primary: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow

  Warm: Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow

  Cool: Pthalo Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Hansa Lemon Yellow

  Monochromes: Titanium White, Ivory Black

  Others: Cobalt Blue, Permanent Rose, Dioxazine Purple, Viridian Green

  - "All Professional artists have one of this."

  The wooden palette drifted to one side, still spinning slowly. Certainty plucked the second orb from its orbit and squeezed until it burst like a soap bubble. Between her palms, a brush took shape. But it was unlike any brush Clive had seen. Two distinct heads sprouted from a single handle.

  "Two-Prong Brush," she announced, twirling the spectral tool between her fingers. "Why settle for one spell when you can cast two? Color a fireball, get twin flames. Paint an ice shield, summon a pair. Every stroke doubles your output."

  The brush rotated in the air, showing how the dual heads were perfectly balanced, neither interfering with the other's movement.

  "Of course, there's a trade-off." Certainty's grin widened. "Each spell carries three-quarters the punch of a single casting. But when you're facing down a pack of dire wolves, two weaker fireballs beat one strong one that might miss entirely."

  She flicked her wrist, and the brush performed a demonstration, painting twin strokes that left faint trails of light in the air.

  [Brushes]

  Two-Prong Brush

  - Cast spell twice at no additional mana cost

  -Each spell has 75% effifacy

  - "Two is better than one"

  The brush drifted off to join the palette up in the air. Certainty snatched the final orb and crushed it. When her hands parted, a sleek black pen materialized.

  "And finally, the G-Pen of Effects," she declared, holding the pen aloft like a conductor's wand. "The darling of every manga artist, the secret weapon of visual storytellers everywhere. This little beauty doesn't just draw—it amplifies."

  The pen spun between her fingers.

  "Cast a lightning bolt? Boring. Cast a lightning bolt with crackling energy lines radiating outward, speed streaks showing its path, and a thunderous CRACK materializing as actual text above the target? Now that's storytelling." She gestured grandly, and ghostly sound effects flickered around them—POW! WHOOSH! SIZZLE!—before dissolving.

  "Need to move faster? Sketch some motion lines and watch your speed double. Want that fireball to really pack a punch? Add impact stars and a BOOM that echoes off the walls. The pen transforms simple spells into cinematic spectacles."

  [Special Items]

  G-Pen of Effects

  - Adds visual effects to any spell cast

  - Effects provide mechanical bonuses (speed lines = +movement, impact stars = +damage, etc.)

  - "Style over substance... but what style!"

  The pen joined its companions, and all three items descended in a slow spiral until they hovered at eye level before Clive.

  "So, Clive. What will it be? Each path leads somewhere different. The methodical craftsman, the pragmatic combatant, or the flashy showman. Which kind of artist will you be?"

  In art, as in magic, the tools you choose shape not just what you create, but who you become.

  —The Legendary Moonlight Artist