Mona entered into the office, finding Eric Faulkner working at his desk attentively. A few candles were lit in the room, a pleasant odor filling the area with the scent of Scorched Sunshines. The windows were slightly ajar, allowing the cool air of the night to enter within.

Mona stood in front of Eric, his thoughts returning to the temporary spatial ring which held the 1000 year Wisdom Mushroom. Eric looked back to Mona, setting his tools aside as he waited for Mona to speak.

"I wasn't able to get everything, Eric. Beyond the medicinal pills and scrolls, I was only able to get this Mushroom." Mona pulled out the box of pills, as well as the other items from his satchel pocket. Looking at the spatial ring, he handed it to Eric as he waited for a reply.

Infusing his Aura into the ring, the small 1000 year Wisdom Mushroom came into view, its blue hues glowing. The ring promptly began to crack into pieces, swiftly becoming nothing but dust. Placing the mushroom on the table, Eric looked back to Mona with approval. He revealed a spherical container, placing the mushroom within.

"It's alright if you didn't get the pills and the armor from the Auction House in Alduin." Eric spoke calmly to Mona, explaining it wasn't much of an issue.

"Besides, I had actually meant to get these for you. I had given Athon a gift when he become my aide, and thought it great to do the same. These items are all yours, including anything left from the pouch of Madrags, alright?" Eric nodded, waiting for Mona to reply.

"Thank you, but I'm not sure if I need any of this. Especially the 1000 year old Wisdom Mushroom. I don't know if I have any talent in Mental energy at all." Mona looked to the cultivation treasure giving off the complex smell. For him, a person whose talents in Aura were not yet fully explored, to use a resource for another form of strength would be a waste.

Mona was still grappling with the internal bleeding being caused by his steady growth as an Aura Mortal. He had still not found a cause of the ever increasing damage his body was sustaining, and feared that at one point he could face fatal injuries by training in Aura. If he was to attempt growing stronger through Mental energy, he didn't know how it would affect his current state. If it worsened his condition, that was akin to drinking poison to have an early death, or worse.

"No worries. I'm sure you can find something to do with it. I have no use for it, nor does Athon. In fact, I doubt you can find anyone in the manor who could actually benefit from this treasure. Keep it, you never know who could gain greatly from the Wisdom Mushroom." Eric chuckled before responding. He disliked the idea of safekeeping such a item. He didn't like having treasures, especially those which he couldn't use.

Mona gave up and slowly placed the items inside of his satchel. The Mushroom he showed great care to, placing it in a special compartment in the side. Although he couldn't use it now, if he ever was able to master Designs and become a Creator, the small fungus could prove very useful one day.

Watching as Mona was placing the items inside, Eric noticed Mona's new tools for painting inside. Eric could clearly tell that those brushes and canvasses were of a higher quality.

Noticing Eric's gaze, Mona followed it to his items in his satchel, beginning to explain.

"I forgot to say. I brought better tools for Painting, including a set of watercolor paints. I used money I earned from selling a painting of mine to buy them." Mona spoke freely. He didn't think Eric would use this information against him, and didn't hide the truth.

Eric's eyes grew focused as he heard Mona's words. "You sold a painting?"

"Yes. I sold one at the auction through elder Rivollo Adante in Alduin at the CFU."

A bit of shock filled Eric's mind. "The Continental Financial Union? You managed to strike up a friendship with an elder?"

"It seemed so. He really liked my paintings Of Arts and Lucid Night, and managed to not only sell one at the auction, but sent the other to the Artisan's Gala Hall, where it was accepted."

"The...Gala Hall?" Eric couldn't believe his words. He knew that Mona was a skilled Painter, but he didn't think Mona had this much skill in making friendships. A single trip to a relatively close city had earned Mona ties to two renowned organizations in the Madrag Continent. Eric had underestimated Mona indeed.

Eric turned to Mona, his curiosity rising. "Can you tell me just what happened in Alduin then?"

Under the starry night, Mona began to retell of the day's occurrences. He recalled his entrance into Alduin, his purchase of items from the odd medicine lady and Salazar. Mona didn't tell Eric of Salazar's familial problems, thinking Eric didn't need to know that information.

He went into great detail describing what occurred in Alduin Plaza, and how the envoy Siana framed him as a criminal, taken to be charged for crimes by a CFU member. His words were heavy on Eric's expression as he explained what occurred in the Arena as well. Both of them finally began to laugh as Mona described how he had outbid the envoy, the woman storming out of the Alduin branch in fury.

"So you're telling me that the envoy of Siana, not only failed in suppressing you time and time again, but also bet so harshly she was unable to get the Wisdom Mushroom?" Eric looked at Mona, smiling in regret he wasn't able to witness the scene.

"She forced me to give up on the Aura Pills and the armor, but I was able to trick her into buying my painting, Lucid Night, for 190000 Madrags. That's why when she wanted to purchase the Mushroom, I was able to gain it instead." Mona thought back, remembering how he was able to see Siana grit her teeth and dash out of the Arena. It was quite a memory he had made.

"Wait, so you sold your painting for 190000 Madrags to the House of Wessor by conning the envoy?" Eric was simply amazed at this. Athon told me that painting was beautiful, but because it was Warrior ranked it would sell for at best 70000 Madrags. 190000 Madrags is quite a sum indeed.

Mona returned nothing but a smile. In a single day he was able to make 190000 Madrags from a single one of his paintings. The reason for the disparity between the cost of Paintings and the cost of their materials was due to how only skilled Painters could make Paintings that met the standards of quality organizations such as the Artisan's Gala Hall proclaimed as proper.

Anything less was a wasted canvas, and anything more was the work of a genius. Mona knew that with his new sets of tools and materials, making similar paintings would become easier, but one on the level of Lucid Night or Of Arts was but a possibility. However, he still couldn't help but grin when he thought of how much he earned just hours before.

Eric began to think, his tone becoming serious.

"Mona, I'm glad that you were able to do this, but I have to remind you to be cautious around the Merister Royal Family and the House of Wessor. Either of those groups of nobles are not friendly with the House of Faulkner, and what you have done, if it wasn't for your title as my attendant and those other participants in the auction, could have earned you your death."

Eric sighed. "The three factions of Alberdos are supported by each of our three families, and there are innumerable feuds among us. Your status is still not strong enough to stand alone in Alberdos, Mona. Nor is your cultivation enough to fight the hidden forces of their families."

"Next time the situation occurs, I urge you to be careful around envoys, nobles, and other individuals of those two families. One false move could very well end with your death, and I may not even find out if it happened."

Mona nodded, understanding Eric's point of view. His actions were indeed a bit too much. One bad reaction could have resulted in his demise then and there. If the envoy Siana was to act, Mona wasn't sure he could endure her multiple strikes forever. Their gap in Aura cultivation, respect in Alberdos, and skill in Techniques and Arts were too far apart. It would be best to avoid a direct confrontation at this time.

"Given your Painting skills, I've decided. From henceforth you are my personal Painter, and I will cover your expenses." Eric smiled as he looked at Mona with kindness.

"All I ask is you to complete various Painting tasks here and there. You'd be surprised by how often a Painter is needed. For example, the local Scorched Sunshine Festival..." Eric began to explain of a Morosbian tradition in great detail.

"And let us not forget of the Grand Harvest..."

"As you can see, being a Painter would be quite useful for us." Eric looked to Mona, beaming.

Mona awkwardly smiled back, thinking about what he just heard. Morosbo seemed to have a special holiday every week. If he was painting every week for the locals, what time would he have to cultivate his Aura? To memorize those Designs of the Bubble? To earn commissions on Paintings? Chances were a few minutes before he had to paint once more.

Mona didn't refuse however. He couldn't refuse. As Eric's aide, he had to comply with Eric's desires, even if Eric wanted him to Paint every rooftop in Morosbo with Scorched Sunshines he would have to. Although Eric didn't seem like someone who would force him to complete such a task, Mona didn't want to test the threshold. Besides Eric had treated him and his friends quite well since Darkthorn; he didn't have a reason to decline Eric's request.

"As your first task, I think you should make me a portrait." Eric agreed with this regret.

"A portrait?" Mona gave a complex expression to Eric.

"Yes a portrait. Wait here." Eric began to pull his chair towards one side of the room. He placed it at an angle near one of the columns of the room, sitting inside.

"Don't worry about the quality. I'm sure it's going to be fine." Eric began to fix his posture, keeping his own body still.

Mona pulled out his collapsible easel, beginning to set up his work space. Pulling out his watercolor paints, Mona took off their lids one by one. The colors vaguely reflected his figure when he dipped a thick brush inside.

The lighting of the candles will make this a bit difficult. Mona looked at Eric, his hand holding the brush quite close to his canvas.

"Is this position perfect?" Eric asked, looking at Mona for an answer.

Mona nodded his head. "It's fine." He slowly resumed to make Eric's general figure, as well as the chair. The outline was clearly much more better than before.

The difference between my brushes is so great. Mona didn't think the quality would vary by such an extent. He stared closely at his outline, noticing the paint left on the canvas. He didn't know what it would be like when he began to use higher ranked tools and paints for creating art.

"It's a bit odd, actually. Sitting here to be painted. It feels a bit vain, don't you think?" Eric spoke, his eyes watching as Mona made one stroke after another.

"Eric, you wanted this." Mona replied, using a different brush to begin making out more details of Eric's body. At the moment Mona was painting Eric's legs and his shoes.

"I know I wanted this. It just feels extra. Like buying showy garments just for one day. Or spending wealth for extravagant meals. When will I need this painting anyway?"

"You won't. However, someone would have made one regardless. The difference is I am painting and not a stranger."

Eric began to laugh. "It seems so."

A period of silence filled the room while Mona painted. He had to be sure to counteract the lighting of the room. In other words, he had to make sure what he was painting would still look accurate if it was placed outside. The scent of the candles filled his nose as he made minor adjustments to and fro.

"My father, he has different opinions about wealth." Eric muttered quietly, his eyes thinking of a different time. Reminiscing of the past, it seemed as if Eric was nothing but a statue, his body still as he relived memories in his mind.

"He thinks wealth is power, and to use it is to express that power. He believes it is better to enjoy life, and that entails using fortune on food, on games, on musicians, on women..."

"But to me this is wasteful. No good comes from spending money excessively, or without reason. He doesn't use it to cultivate, he simply uses it to drown in pleasure."

"So different we are, father and son." Eric looked to the floor, then back to Mona for a response.

"Perhaps wealth is wasted on vanity, but life is short and is worth enjoyment. And as for whether it is excessive it depends." Mona replaced his brush for one with a finer point.

"Not everyone is the same. No two men share everything in common. What one may consider excessive may be conservative to another, and vice versa. These things are common throughout all of existence. Or at least that is what the sages say."

Mona used the tip of his finest brush to paint Eric's face. Although he couldn't paint all of his features, the most prominent ones were visible on the canvas.

"No Mona, you don't understand. What you said is true, but my differences with my father are greater than wealth. How we see living, how we see time, even how we think life should be led are different."

"This is not what ails me, however. What ails me is how suspicious he is." Eric broke his pose, looking to Mona painting on the canvas. He took a deep breath before settling back in place.

"Suspicious?" Mona replied. He changed his color of light brown for a dark blue, mixing black and blue to maintain a specific consistency. Wiping a trace of sweat from his brow, he continued on painting the background of the portrait.

"Indeed. My mother, she passed away tens of years ago. My father was with her when she died."

"He was crying in their bedroom chamber, holding her in his arms. The servants found them together, his tears splashing across his face. She was buried the next day. They said her death was from being sick."

"The problem is I can't remember anything from when my mother passed away." Eric's voice contained a hint of sorrow and grief. He didn't know why, but unlike other children he didn't mourn for his mother at her death. Only when he became older did he fully understand, the grief pouring soon after. As for why he didn't mourn, it was quite a mystery.

"I wasn't an infant, and could remember much of our old home back in Merister. But there is this part of my memory missing, as if something was removed."

"I don't know how one erases memories, but I know it has to be my father. If there was something to hide, he had much to do so. Ever since then, he has been watching me closely, surveying my every move and action."

"When I realized this, I slowly grew more and more distant from him. He seemed less as my father, and more as someone who may have killed my mother. I couldn't stand much of his presence, and the idea of him actually causing her to die only grew in my mind."

"Eventually I had enough, and moved away from him. But he didn't stop watching me from a distance through various servants, always tracking my every move."

"I don't know if I can prove he killed her, but right now it seems so possible. He barely mentioned her when I still lived with him, and had hidden all portraits of her from the estate. I can only vaguely remember her smile when I was young."

Mona set aside his paintbrush into the cup of water nearby. Looking at the portrait, Mona thought it was exceptionally well. Not only did he capture Eric's noble air, he hadn't made any mistakes from beginning to completion.

These Warrior ranked Painting tools are too excellent. Mona couldn't help but inwardly remark. His skill in oil painting was far greater than in watercolor. Would he be able to make Saint ranked Paintings easily?

Throughout this whole time Mona was listening to Eric's words. He had understood the gist of it all: Eric's mother passed away when he was young, he is missing his memories from then, and his father he fears is the cause of it all. Although what Eric said was understandable, he understood acting on assumptions was a terrible choice.

"Eric, I think you shouldn't act without reason. If you falsely accuse your father of murder, your remaining relationship with him will fall apart."

"It's best you look for clues first of why she died before asking him for the truth. If your father isn't a murderer at all, then like you he is heartbroken as well. Imagine how he would feel if his own son blamed his wife's death on him."

"Hence, be cautious as you look for information. Chances are someone, perhaps not your father, knows the truth behind your mother's passing." Mona stepped back from the painting, placing the lids back on his paint jars.

Was someone else targeting Mother? Eric simply didn't know. The incident had occurred at least one decade ago, and anyone that was present in the estate had either passed away or came into his mother's bedroom after hearing his father's wailing of tears and sorrow. He knew this from investigating the matter before.

The Faulkner family does have several enemies. If any one of those groups wanted to strike the House of Faulkner, than his mother could very well have been the victim. Eric felt a tinge of anger as he thought of this grim possibility.

"If she didn't die from illness, but because of someone else..." Eric muttered this quietly under his breath. His hands grew into tight fists as he imagined his mother dying from a silent assault on her life.

"Mona, you're right. I should take some time looking into it further." Eric took a deep breath and calmed down. Afterwards he stood up and stopped beside Mona, looking at the portrait.

"Perfect." Eric said a single word, looking at the picture on the canvas. The aura the painting gave off was similar to his, a noble with a trace of intelligence mixed within. Eric wasn't sure if he could find a Painter better than the one near him.

Mona returned with a smile before carefully giving Eric the portrait. Shortly after he packed up his tools and paint jars into his satchel before bidding Eric goodbye. Walking down the several flights of stairs, Mona appeared outside before subconsciously looking at the moon.

The moon was in the center of the sky, getting closer to becoming a half moon. His right hand slowly reached for the back of his left hand, touching where his Lunar Tattoo appeared time and time again. An epiphany quickly reached Mona's mind.

When I was in the Lion Creation, my Aura cultivation soared. What if thanks to my Lunar Tattoo I am guaranteed growth in Aura thanks to being under a full moon? Mona had no way to test his idea. The moon was several days away from becoming a full moon, slowly arcing across the night sky.

Mona made his way back to his private quarters, his steps echoing in the courtyard. Finding the familiar residence, he hastened his steps before opening his room. Locking it from inside using a minor Creation he had received, Mona walked on onto the patio, a small smile on his face.

Although Mona was a bit exhausted mentally from his day, he wanted to see if possibly he could enter enlightenment through painting with Warrior ranked tools.

Enlightenment wasn't always an increase in rank. It could also be an increase in quality. The last time Mona painted, he made Of Arts, a piece of an art that was good enough to be at the Saint rank. Mona now wanted to be able to paint Saint ranked paintings without having to be in enlightenment. This required him to get used to the feeling of painting at the Saint rank.

Nothing under the heavens was made without a reason. Be it Fighting Arts, Painting, or any other Art that was made to walk the world of cultivation, everything had its potential advantages. Every time Mona painted, he could feel a slight resonance with his Lunar Tattoo. Whatever the mark was, it was surely nothing simple.

Mona set up his easel, placing a medium sized canvas on its ledge. He took a moment to assess his completed paintings before going back to hang them in his room. The number of paintings he had completed were growing, and it made sense for Mona to sell the ones he could part with. After all, he could recreate the paintings later if he desired, and at a higher quality as well.

Opening the jar of black paint, Mona skillfully dipped his brush inside, using the tip to carefully outline a vague shape on the canvas. The smile on his face slowly widened, his Lunar Tattoo once again giving off a strange yet calming sensation that coursed throughout his body.

Today, I shall paint the Alberdos Mountains. Three pieces, together as a whole representing their might and desolation at great heights. Mona thought back to his numerous carriage rides, seeing those mountains in the distance. The heaviness that emanated from those distant peaks, the darkness of the clouds that hovered above them, he planned to recreate it all.

As Mona was making the entire landscape in three pieces, he had kept two blank canvasses nearby for when he was ready. The painting on his first canvas grew increasingly close to the Alberdos Mountains. Following the general shape of the mountains where those lofty clouds that hung high in the sky.

Mona continued forward, painting several clouds to overlook the peaks. The smile on his face only grew as he added details to the mountains, with cracks and boulders strewn where he had seen. He easily changed colors once he had to recreate trees, using the finest brush to avoid oversimplifying their shape.

While painting, Mona did not feel a sense of enlightenment dawn on him at all. Although his body was not yet exhausted thanks in part to the Lunar Tattoo, his painting was relatively equal to those he had made before. However, the smile that once crossed Mona's face was replaced by frown as he looked at his partially finished piece.

"It feels the same as before, but now, now it feels very incorrect." Mona placed the canvas aside. Although he had worked a great deal on it, Mona was aiming to make a set of pieces that not only showed the grandeur of the Alberdos Mountains, but also gave him confidence he had painted at his best.

When he looked at his mountain and clouds, it felt like he was intentionally erring in some manner. He wasn't sure how, but he wasn't willing to continue it further. With the new canvas in place, Mona circulated his Aura once throughout his body, calming his heart and mind. He picked up his paintbrush, repeating the steps of before but moved much more slowly.

Once he was about to finish the outline of the mountain, Mona felt a sensation enter him as he realized something important. The Alberdan Mountains were formidable and daunting, and when painting before he didn't take this into account. Although this didn't seem to change much about the painting, Mona could only say this was the proper way to do it.

Thinking back to the way those mountains felt from miles away, the sensation he felt pulsed in his heart as he painted. This time Mona felt much more confident in the painting as he slowly drew the rest of the mountain.

If Mona had a teacher in the Painting Arts, he would understand what he just felt. Like all Arts, those who painted would undergo several bottlenecks on the way to the peak. As Painting was rarely done, geniuses were as few as those capable of teaching the Art of Painting to others. What Mona felt was the bottleneck between Warrior ranked Painters and Saint ranked Painters, a bottleneck that normal Aura cultivators faced much later.

There were several forms of strength, and four took supreme. Aura energy was a manifestation of the body's strength, and strengthened the cultivator for combat. Mental energy represented the strength of the mind, giving the cultivator an advantage in insight and understanding. What Mona learned was how to use the mysterious third form of strength and apply it with Arts.

With his renewed resolve, Mona's mind was calm yet his heart experienced the oppressing feeling of the Alberdan Mountains. His painting was slowly completed with each step, each stroke carrying this heaviness within. He lost himself in his painting, his entire being entranced with each movement of the brush. Mona was one step closer to becoming a Saint ranked Painter.