Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

Bishop John sat at a table in an empty room.

The table was placed calmly in the center, with another chair opposite it. A Tabula board occupied nearly all of the surface, with nothing else in sight.

John loved Tabula. Aside from running the affairs of the diocese and participating in global Church matters, he dedicated half his life to the game.

THWUNK.

The door swung open from behind him.

"Your Excellency, there's been a–"

"Relax. I am aware," he interrupted, cutting off the young priest.

He moved another tile on the board, this time to the front.

His large, invisible eye was cast above the great city, watching everything unfold in the grandest and even the most minute details.

John had seen it all as the event occurred. He saw the poor beast thrash against its chains in a fury of immense pain. He saw the Duke as he made the announcement.

His watchful eye didn't miss anything that happened in the city or in the stretches of forest beyond it.

But recently, there was one thing he consistently could not see.

The priest stood respectfully to the side. He wore plain white robes, outlined with gold threads. A small, modest Eye of God symbol was embroidered on the back, marking him as one of the Church.

"What do we do, sir? Do we send in the troops the Duke requested?"

John nodded subtly.

"Why yes, of course. It's only good manners. Furthermore, the good Duke once served the Empire and the Church faithfully."

The priest visibly calmed.

"Was something on your mind?" John asked, still staring at the board.

"No, Your Excellency, it's nothing. I was just a little nervous."

John smiled. "Don't be. I don't bite."

There was an awkward silence. It seemed the joke didn't land.

A second later, the priest spoke again.

"How many troops should we send, sire?"

John moved another piece.

"Just the one. Haider. He's still in town, is he not?"

"Yes, he is, but-"

"Send him to take care of the Sky Tyrant."

"Understood." The priest gave a low bow and was about to leave when John stopped him.

"Have you ever played Tabula, young man?" he asked.

"Well yes, but only once or twice."

John moved another piece.

"Do you know what the most dangerous tile is?"

"Is it not the Emperor or the Sub?"

John shook his head. "You are correct in some ways, but it isn't the Sun or Emperor."

His words almost sounded like treason, but to him, and to many scholars on the matter, it was the truth.

The priest, educated as he was, didn't like the answer.

"Might I ask what the most dangerous tile is, then?"

John picked up a piece. It was inscribed with an ink drawing of an open book.

"It's actually this. The Mage, or sometimes called the Sorcerer."

He placed the tile down with a loud clack.

Tabula had two different modes of play. Lesser Tabula and Greater Tabula. Lesser Tabula was played with only six types of tiles:

The Sun, the Emperor, the Priest, the Mage, the Knight, and finally the Peasant.

For Lesser Tabula the goal was simple: capture the Sun at the center of the board. Any piece could capture it.

Greater Tabula was far more complex, but the goal was still the same.

Each game of Greater Tabula consisted of a board made up of dozens upon dozens of grids, with more than a dozen additional tiles included.

Because of that, it was said that only madmen played the Greater Tabula.

Bishop John was one such man.

"See, the Sorcerer is a nearly invincible tile. It's not as unpredictable as, say, the Stranger or the Shadow. But it is capable of something no one else can… Apotheosis.

"If you handle the Sorcerer to the fullest from the start, it has the power to transform into the Sun itself, and the game ends instantly regardless of how many pieces are on the board. Many people forget that, because of how difficult it is to achieve."

The Stars. The Throne. The Emperor. And the Beast.

Those were the opponents' tiles a Mage needed to capture to become the Sun.

John didn't wait for the young priest to reply. He held the tile to his eyes and spoke.

"I can't see this Sorcerer. That's the issue. No matter what I do, he eludes my vision."

"Sir… you're blind, aren't you?" the young man asked, his brows furrowed. To him, John had been speaking nonsense since he came in.

It was true that his eyes had stopped working long ago, but…

"That is not it. I can see everything else, but I can't see this piece. What does it mean?"

Of course, the young priest had no answer.

John sat in silence, then gestured towards the door once more.

"You may go. Don't forget to inform Haider. Please assure the people that it's nothing to be worried about."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

And soon the room was left with nothing but silence once more.

John placed the Sorcerer tile back on the board and stared at the empty chair opposite him.

"Yeah, it's rather ridiculous, isn't it." He laughed, looking at the board.

His gray eyes glimmered, seemingly with the knowledge of the entire world.

On the Tabula board there were pieces all lined up, heading towards the Sun at the center.

"The veiled Sorcerer. The Shadow pulling the strings. The Beast that desires freedom. The blind Priest. The loyal Knights. The Stranger who has yet to reveal themself. And finally… the Stars."

Of all the revelations, this one proved fruitless, as something was veiling the Sorcerer from his Eyes.

John took a deep breath, exhaled, then began withdrawing the tiles from the board into a small pouch.

"Shouldn't ruminate on this any longer, else I'll be taken for a madman."

***

40 chapters! I truly appreciate and thank everyone reading so far. As we go on, I'll do this less and place all my thoughts in the little box and often times they'll be important so make sure you read note below !