Setting Out to Paint the World

“If I’d known this would bring so much trouble, I should’ve grabbed another handful of sunflower seeds earlier.” Goddess Forsaker, Chronicler of the Old Realm, Friend of Dragon Maidens, Abyssal Morality Monitor, Lord of Ink in the Final Prison, Director of the World-Painting Institute: Le Guan. Staring blankly at the crumpled discarded sketches by the corner of his desk, Le Guan picked up an old paintbrush he’d dug out of the ground and unexpectedly figured out how to use it. Its bristles could slice through the boundaries between the present world and all other realms; the paper recorded the truths of every world and could even bring life to the page. But this “world-painting” power had been wrapped in a dangerous sweet coating from the very beginning. To uncover the clues hidden within, he took up his brush and stepped into the worlds on his paper: toppling forbidden divine authority in a theocracy, sketching runes to turn the tide in the realm of the Old Gods, and painting trails of light to ward off darkness on magical battlefields... As he traveled between worlds, the tentacles of the Sacred Domain’s Central Court, the whispers of unknown creatures, the emblems of the Mage Towers, and the furious cries of world-devouring monsters all gradually appeared on his paper. Would he let every world collapse into ash beneath the ink, or use his strokes to uphold the light of survival? This was never a choice. It was his duty. From the worlds on his paper, Le Guan chose the fiercest path. With his brush as a blade, he was ready to paint a way out for every world.