Chapter 186 - Painting

Where am I?

Adion sat up with a jolt.

Oh, right. Keshi.

Adion immediately recalled that he had been shown to what appeared to be an abandoned house by Keshi the day before. 

Adion stood up to look out the window.

It’s so dark. It’s probably a few more hours until morning. I must have slept for a long time.

But that’s good. I feel great.

Adion stretched his body and moved to pick up a bottle of water. The house had been really hot, he had slept through the daytime, after all. So he woke up incredibly thirsty.

Might as well get some training done. I can’t knock on that Gold mage’s door in the middle of the night.

Adion planned on talking to the mage about traveling on his senba. Adion really didn’t want to walk to Yeshen, the village Kisha had told him about, if he didn’t have to. A ten-day journey should be possible, but it would be risky. He would be completely spent by the time he arrived if he couldn’t find any shelter on the way. And if he got ambushed by a beast on the way, he wouldn’t even be able to escape with his Will exhausted.

Let’s have some breakfast first. 

Adion had finished the fresh meat already. Even if it was meat from a Silver beast, Adion didn’t want to risk it going bad, so he didn’t bring much of it. 

He still had some dried meat from earlier, though. 

I need to remember to fill up on water and food before I leave. 

Adion finished eating and sat down to meditate. He had a small hope that advancing would be good for his memory recovery. Even if it wasn’t, gaining strength was never wrong. 

A few hours passed, and Adion noticed that it was starting to brighten outside.

That man was up early yesterday, so he should be up by now.

Adion didn’t want Keshi to burst in and chase him away, so he didn’t dare stay longer than necessary. He left his small house and walked up the street the way he remembered from the day before.

Looks like he’s up on the roof today again. 

Adion spotted the Gold mage in the same place and position as the day before.

Adion walked to the man’s house and knocked on the door. After a minute of silence, Adion knocked again.

Can’t he hear me?

“Um, excuse me?” Adion called up to the roof where he knew the man was.

But again, there was no answer.

“Hello?” Adion called out.

“I’m busy,” A slightly annoyed voice came from the roof. 

“Well,” Adion hesitated, “What are you busy with?”

Adion knew it was a strange question, and as expected, there was no answer.

I can’t be dealing with this.

Adion grabbed hold of a pocket of space on the roof and teleported over.

He arrived behind the man and saw that he was painting, of all things.

“You’re a painter?” Adion asked.

“What the?” The man yelled out in surprise and jumped out of his chair to look at Adion. “How did you get there?”

“The door was open,” Adion said with a shrug. He wasn’t very concerned with people finding out about his space powers, it was far too late for that. But he wouldn’t go around bragging about it. At least not until he figured out more of his situation.

“No it’s not,” The man said hesitantly. 

The man appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old. He had grey hair down to his shoulder and his tanned skin was excessively wrinkly. If not for having a decent build with a straight back, Adion would assume he was an old man.

“Painting the landscape in the desert is a little…” Adion said hesitantly as he studied the paintings the man had finished, strewn carelessly around the roof. They were all depicting the empty desert.

“What do you know,” The man said with a displeased grunt, “Is there anything more beautiful than the desert? Besides, if you can’t make a decent painting just because the landscape doesn’t suit your taste, can you even call yourself an artist?”

“I’m not calling myself an artist,” Adion said with a confused expression.

“What do you want!?” The man yelled out impatiently.

“Right, I’m Adion. What’s your name?” Adion asked in a relaxed tone. He was in a great mood. He was well-rested, his memory was working like it should again, and looking at the paintings made him happy for some reason.

“Minru,” The man said sourly.

“I was wondering if you could give me a ride to Gaikin, or at least Yeshen, with your senba? I can pay, of course,” Adion said.

“Not happening,” Minru said, turning his back to Adion and sitting down to paint again. “I’m busy painting.”

What a difficult person.

Adion wasn’t about to give up, though. He just didn’t know how he could convince him.

Adion stepped up behind Minru and watched him paint. He felt strangely at peace as he watched the desert slowly come to life on the canvas. 

“Are you just going to stand there all day?” Minru finally had enough after a few minutes of Adion not saying anything.

“What will it take for you to give me a ride?” Adion asked.

“I said it's not happening,” Minru said, “Leave.”

Minru continued to paint, but Adion didn’t leave.

Why is he so grumpy? I guess that is what happens when you paint sand all day long.

“Why don’t you paint the village? It would make for a more lively scene,” Adion suggested.

“Tch!” Minru snorted, “If you want to paint a village in the desert you first have to master painting the desert. How can you paint people without knowing the environment that has shaped them?”

“I don’t know,” Adion said hesitantly, “It just feels like it would be more fun.”

“Well, what do you know? Are you a painter, kid?” Minru questioned.

“I…” Adion hesitated. Am I? It doesn’t feel wrong to say that I am. “Maybe I used to be. A long time ago.”

Minru turned to look at Adion with an incredulous expression. “What in Ganta’s name are you talking about? Are you trying to act all mysterious with me?”

“It’s hard to explain,” Adion said. 

I kind of want to give it a try. 

Adion looked at the paint and empty canvases around him.

“Do you mind if I paint something? I can pay,” Adion asked.

“What’s with the paying all the time? Do I look poor?” Minru asked, “Whatever, just do what you want.”

Adion took that as a yes. Since there wasn’t another chair around, Adion just sat down straight on the clay rooftop. He grabbed a brush and a canvas and started to think.

I can’t just paint the desert after everything I said, right? 

Should I try to paint the village? 

I feel like I want to paint something from my past, though. But can I remember anything clearly enough to remember?

Adion sat silently in thought for a few minutes, trying to figure out a motive.

Whatever, I’ll just do what I feel like. 

Adion grabbed a palette and started mixing colors. He let his instincts guide him as he slowly got a perfect crimson-like red.

This is it.

Adion dipped his brush in the paint and started moving it across the canvas. He found his mind become empty, and his hand almost moved on its own.

Time passed, and without Adion noticing, his surroundings subtly shifted. He found himself sitting in a hot studio, looking out to the street below. 

When he turned to look to his right, he didn’t see Minru. An old elf sat there, painting in silence. His head was completely bald, which looked quite odd on an elf. The elf’s strokes were gentle and purposeful, it seemed almost as if he was casting a spell rather than painting.

“Quahim?” Adion called out.

“Whohim?” Minru asked, confused. 

The scene he had lost himself in disappeared, and he was back on the rooftop with the Sabamin painter. 

What was that? A memory?

“Weird kid,” Minru muttered, “Is that what you painted? Just a red mess.”

Adion looked back to his painting. ‘Red mess’ wasn’t an incorrect comment. There was no shape or structure, just the color red in subtly different shades. 

Adion found himself smiling as he looked at it, though.

“Well, I like it,” Adion said.

“I suppose it has a certain feeling,” Minru admitted reluctantly as he gave the painting a few more glances. 

So this is Sell.

Adion didn’t know how he knew that, but he felt that was the case. 

“How did you do that?” Minru asked. He had walked over to look more closely at Adion’s painting. “It’s all…lovey dovey somehow.”

“I don’t know,” Adion said with a shrug. He hadn’t really painted with any purpose.

“I guess it’s not that bad, after all,” Minru said with a nod, “What was your name again?”

“Adion,” Adion replied.

“Well, I usually paint until a few hours after sunrise. We can talk after I’m finished,” Minru said, getting back in his chair.

“Oh, right,” Adion nodded.

“You shouldn’t waste time, paint something else,” Minru said.

Seems like he’s a bit friendlier. Maybe I can convince him to give me a ride.

Adion didn’t start his next painting right away. He thought about the memory that had briefly surfaced just now.

I used to paint…with someone named Quahim. 

Adion tried to picture the scene in front of him. 

When was this? What did I paint? How did I meet Quahim?

No answers surfaced. There was some sort of veil hiding the details. And when Adion tried to move back or forward in time to find out what had happened before and after, all he stumbled upon was a white void of nothingness.

But Adion didn’t give up. He pictured the scene in front of him, and decided to push away the blurry cloud that hid the painting in front of him. He tested putting a tree there, but it didn’t feel right. He tried a mountain, a river, the sky. He tried imagining what colors were involved. 

Gradually, ever so slightly, guided by a vague feeling of what seemed right or wrong, the painting cleared up in front of him. 

A street. The street outside of the studio…what was the name of the studio?

Adion felt that it was right there. He tried with all his might to grab it.

It’s He-something. Gah! How frustrating. 

Whatever, what city was I in? 

Adion wished he had a map. If he saw it, he felt like he would recognize it. 

Anyway, I’m getting distracted. 

Adion imagined himself in the painting studio again. The painting in front of him was no longer hidden from view. As he looked around, he targeted the cloudy, blurry areas around him, using the same strategy. 

Slowly, the studio came to life in front of him, with every detail clear. But he wasn’t happy with just that, he imagined the temperature in the room, adjusting it to what he could feel was right. He thought about his mood at that moment: Was he happy, relaxed, or tired?

Soon, the scene was just as real as anything he could remember from the past few days.

Amazing!

Adion opened his eyes, ecstatic. But he soon furrowed his brows, he felt incredibly tired. 

This is…My Will? Does this exhaust my Will somehow?

Adion didn’t see in what way recalling memories could tire out his Will, but he wasn’t too bothered by it. He had finally found a way to remember again. It was a long and arduous process, and he only had a single moment in time to show for it. But it was progress.

I can finally see a way forward! No matter how long it takes, I will eventually remember everything. 

Maybe when I have a few more of these scenes clear, I can start connecting them. Opening up the scenes between, like solving a puzzle.

Adion didn’t waste any time. He put the painting away and changed it to a new clear canvas. He washed his brush and started mixing colors again.

But how did I end up in that state? I don’t think I did anything special.

Adion decided not to force it, he mixed colors until he found a shade he was happy with. But this time, he didn’t lose himself in his painting. The brush was hovering over the canvas and demanded Adion to make a decision. 

I guess I’ll just paint the Sand Badger I fought. It matches the color. 

Adion focused this time as he painted. He outlined the beast as it had looked when he faced it in the cave, its paw raised and ready to attack. 

At first, nothing unusual happened. Adion just painted the beast as accurately as he could. But slowly, he felt himself getting sucked into the painting. He could vividly remember every detail. And he wasn’t happy with just the visual aspect. He wanted to convey the feeling of his warm and slightly dehydrated body finally feeling the cool air of an underground cave. He wanted to express the danger the beast posed, as well as his confidence in defeating it. 

Adion mixed colors, and added layer after layer. He put his fingers on the painting to get it just the way he wanted. When he felt he couldn’t get the shadows right, he felt himself Will it into existence, and they appeared on the canvas.

“Haaah,” Adion breathed out. Once he finally felt done, he was completely exhausted. He hadn’t felt anything while painting, but now he could clearly feel just how exhausted his Will was. 

Adion looked up to the sky and saw that it was well past noon already, and the sun was excruciatingly hot. 

Damn, I’m thirsty. 

“Amazing,” A low murmur came from behind him. 

Adion turned around to see Minru squatting just behind him, staring intently on the painting. 

“You’re quite interesting, kid,” Minru said, shifting his eyes to Adion.

“Thanks?” Adion said.

“Let’s go,” Minru said, standing up, “If you don’t get something to drink, you’re going to pass out.”

Adion knew it was true, so he stood up to follow Minru inside. 

As he took a few steps, his vision turned black for a moment before turning back to normal.

I need to be careful in the future. A few more minutes lost in that sensation, and it could have been serious.

What happened just then?

Adion turned back to look at his painting. He almost felt himself get sucked into it. It was as if he was back in the cave, ready to strike down the ferocious beast. 

Not bad. 

Even if it didn’t help me remember anything, I kind of like this feeling. 

I should ask Minru if he can sell me some painting material.