Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

Luca shot to action later that night. He donned the new coat that Mina had made for him and wore the Shadow Raven Cloak on top of it.

When that was done, he tore another strip of cloth and used it to cover his face in the same manner as before.

The air was cold tonight, and the city was silent. The only time there was silence in Carinthia was at night. Nobody wanted to be the victim of the stories the Church told.

It had been more than a week since the first time he went out as Burning Man. He had barely possessed a single working spell back then. It was a miracle he had survived so long against so many attacks.

However, Luca would not sell himself short either. All the mages he had seen so far fought with a distinct lack of creativity. From his time in the slums, he had learned to make the best out of the worst possible situations.

That was where he prevailed over them.

On the other hand, it did not mean he thought himself better than anyone. Luca had simply set his sights on people like Haider and Finley. He did not forget the vision.

He shot through the city with thoughts of the two swirling through his mind.

'How will I fight them?'

What Luca did not know was that he was comparing himself to people with years of experience and power, while he himself had only become a mage less than a month ago.

Even if he knew, it would not stop him from making the comparisons.

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on what he was trying to do here.

After getting dropped off by Thomas, he had spent the rest of the day digging into Thalia Cortese. She was an incredibly wealthy woman, perhaps the wealthiest in all of Carinthia.

When searching for her home, he came across a string of properties registered to her name, but none were the ones she actually lived in.

However, they raised an important question:

Why was someone of her wealth and stature in the underground black market in the first place, selling things personally?

He understood that some of them were magical items, but the vast majority were not.

She could have easily sent a proxy to stand in her place and sell for her. Unless there were many agendas.

This brought his mind back to Vito's explanation and his final words. He had mentioned that Thalia kept talking about a plan and Saintess Anastasia's Day.

One of the reasons Luca was going to find her now was to talk about the plan and what she intended to do on the Saintess' festival.

The Festival was held every year to celebrate the life and death of Saintess Anastasia. According to church canon, she sacrificed her life fighting against mages in the Winter War centuries ago.

Her contribution to the Church ranged from scholarly knowledge to converting people to the religion.

It was said that a Thule mage had summoned a massive beast and she had distracred it to let some children escape. The mage imprisoned her, then burned her alive in front of Empire and Church forces.

This led to her name being immortalized in church canon.

It was a significant event that was said to have changed the course of the war, which was why the festival was held every year.

But Luca did not know why it was so important to Thalia's plan.

On the other hand, as Burning Man, he had some idea why Thalia had let it slip in front of Vito and Jonny.

That day, she had been the most eager of all to speak with him. Even Erina, who he now knew was Hush, had composed herself better than Miss Raven. Thalia had developed some kind of infatuation with him.

With those thoughts in mind, he had come up with a plan on the spot. Now it was time to execute it.

Amidst his thoughts, he reached the inner part of the city.

CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.

Armoured footsteps echoed through the streets with practiced coordination. Bronze Knights were concentrated in this area, standing alert at corners and in front of key buildings.

He waited for the patrol to pass before relaxing.

'There are more than usual. There must be a church nearby.'

Luca's body had blended into the darkness. The cloak did its work, but the rest of his attire helped as well.

His goal was a building not far away. A modest mansion, not nearly as large as Baron Wake's or any noble's, but far grander than anything a commoner should own.

The building was a faint white-cream color, five times as big as his current house. It had two stories and a small garden in front, guarded by a tall fence that was not quite a large gate.

It was situated at the end of the street, protected by two guards who emanated no energy. They wore loose leather armour and held spears. They looked seconds away from dozing off.

Luca shot forward. The cloak silenced the sound of the wind, allowing him to cross the street unseen and unheard in the blink of an eye.

He scaled the fence with a swift jump and landed silently on the other side, the guards none the wiser.

The face of the mansion stared back at him. All the lights were off, except for one on the second story at the far right corner, with a balcony attached.

Luca moved in great leaps, a phantom across the garden, leaving nothing but a shadow behind.

He propelled himself onto the balcony and landed on the ledge without faltering. The balcony's window was open, curtains whipping in the wind.

Inside, a large bed was sat at the center of the room. It was empty. A desk set at the opposite end.

Thalia's silhouette was hunched over the desk, there was a bird perched on her shoulder. It was a raven.

Luca watched her for a few seconds, but she did not notice him. Then the bird turned, letting out a loud squawk.

"Who's the-"

"Good evening, Miss Raven."