I focused on my core and held the paint brush. What would be the best for my new friend? I didn’t have much to go off besides the yellow butterfly-clip. But Janie seemed to love that.

Pulling on my core, I grabbed the silver stream of mana. I sent it from my core, to my hand, to the brush, and up the bristles. I dipped them in the yellow paint without opening my eyes. In that zone, paint was my world. Like being able to see and feel through it.

However, merely painting a yellow butterfly wouldn’t be enough, I realized. What was a simple drawing of a yellow butterfly if it wouldn’t come to life?

I focused even further on my core. There had been an alluring orange, full of life. That dragon allowed me to maintain my life, allowed me further existence with a family I treasured, and allowed me to meet his very daughter—who he gave life to. That life culminated, forming an image in my core of vibrant, orange existence. The life that he shared with me, I would share as a gift to his daughter. It was like an epiphany when it hit me.

A steady stream of orange joined my silver and flowed with my movements on the canvas. I opened my eyes and started on the wings. I coated them in yellow with specs of black. The insect began forming slowly, while Janie watched on. Though, she was gasping then, I wondered what it would be like when the real show started.

The butterfly drawing finished, looking somewhat similar to her hair clip. It wouldn’t win an award. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely looked like a butterfly. The work had been a drain, and I slumped forward.

“You okay, Enala?” Janie asked.

“I am fine. It almost depleted my mana.” I hadn’t expected drawing a bug to be a huge strain. Nonetheless, I continued the show.

The last bit of my mana flowed out of me—the last safe amount. It pushed into the drawing on the canvas.

The butterfly flapped it’s wings. Once. Twice. Thrice. It lifted into the air like a true monarch from its paper cocoon.

Janie gaped when it landed on her finger. She watched it tenderly without touching it. Janie quashed my fear of her squishing it with her clumsy strength.

“Little Princess,” Yumi said. She walked over and hugged me. “This is amazing!”

“From now on, Janie will always have a butterfly friend.”

“Always!?” Janie yelled.

It was more than a simple hologram this time, I’d really created painted life. I was not sure if the insect was truly alive in the breathing and eating sense, but I had animated a painting. The only regretful thing was Mother hadn’t been there watching.

I shook my head and focused on Janie’s bright smile. I grinned back at her. I wanted to try more, but I knew that I’d quickly deplete what little mana I had left.

“Janie, can you use magic?” I asked.

“I can use a tiny amount.”

“Good, can you put mana into the butterfly? I want to see if you can control it.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. She scrunched her eyebrows together. I could faintly sense the change when she started. Her core was more of a cross between orange and red. As she tried moving the mana through her body, I wondered what caused the colors to be different. Was her soul red and was mine silver?

“Yumi, can you see what color her core is?”

“Only faintly, Little Princess. The fact you can is astounding,” she said. “Most mages would have to train much longer to achieve this.”

We looked over at Janie who still focused. She was having a hard time compressing the mana in her body to a small stream. No doubt, if she launched the unstable magic into the butterfly it would dissipate. I didn’t think the butterfly would be able to handle it.

However, after a bit, the red mana became a steady stream and moved up her arm. Janie’s eyebrows were knitted even further in concentration. At first it was like a singular drop, but then more drops connected her arm to the butterfly.

“Amazing! The black specs turned red!” I watched in awe as the small black specs turned to red. The butterfly became more vibrant. What was yellow and black was now yellow and red. “Can you control it now?”

Janie closed her eyes and pointed to a rose bush. The insect flew over and landed as if it were the most natural thing.

Yumi clapped. “This is splendid. There are so many implications…”

“Implications?” I asked.

“Just think about it, Little Princess. Imagine how easy it would be to record something from a distance. Have you tried seeing through the painted creature?”

“Oh! You are a genius!” I closed my eyes. “Wait, how would I even do that?”

“There should still be a connection to you since it is your spell,” Yumi said. “It reminds me of summoners or tamers?”

“Like those paint golems?”

“Yes, Little Princess, like those paint golems.”

“Paint golems?” Janie asked.

“I saw them at the paint store. You know, they have a whole workshop where there are a million golems!?”

“Really!?”

“Really!”

Realizing I was out of mana, I looked at Yumi. “Can I have some blood?”

She nodded and summoned a chalice from her inventory space.

I took the chalice and vowed to learn her spell. I wondered if I could use it to transport my paintings. Maybe if I was in a bind, I could always sell magic paintings? Shaking those thoughts free from my active mind, I closed my eyes again and focused on the thin connection with me and the painted butterfly.

I channeled magic into my eyes like a string attached from my eyes to the butterfly’s. When I opened them, I saw it. I was looking through the insect eyes at a rose.