Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

"Good evening, Miss Raven."

His deep voice echoed through her chambers. A powerful gust of wind burst in through the window, whipping his cloak around and causing the Light Crystals to flicker.

The room turned dark for a split second, and when they came on again, Thalia saw the Burning Man just a few inches away from her.

She jumped in her chair.

"S-sir B-burning Man! I didn't expect you here."

Luca remained quiet, taking stock of the room as far as she went. It was rather modest in comparison to nobles like Erina's room, but by commoner standards it was as lavish as lavish could get.

It was spacious and well-decorated, with a thick embroidered rug at the center. There was a separate door at the end, leading to what seemed like a bathroom. Thalia's reading desk was littered with ink-smudged paper and open tomes.

His eyes lingered on the strange raven perched on her shoulder. It stared at him warily as well. Luca recognized it as the creature that followed him through the shadows. The aura was the same.

'I wonder if it's made of the same thing used to make the cloak?'

It wasn't a far-fetched idea, as it had displayed the same abilities as his cloak. The only reason he even noticed was because of the Legacy energy informing him.

His thoughts remained on that for a while before he moved on.

Then finally, Luca focused on Thalia. She was dressed scantily, to say the least.

Thalia wore a knee-length purple nightdress that appeared transparent under the light. Her dark underwear was plainly visible to him from the angle, and so was the rest of her smooth skin.

Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and a pair of glasses sat on her eyes, making her look quite scholarly at the moment.

She realized quickly that his eyes were on her and bit her lips. At that, Luca decided to focus on what he came here for.

"We have much to discuss, Thalia Cortese. There was hardly enough time for a call-ahead."

"Right. Yes, of course! What would you like to know, sire?"

Luca took a step back, admiring her room once more. There were paintings on the wall. Most were of beautiful landscapes and oceans. There were many things relating to the sea and the ocean, which he couldn't help but relate to the Sea God potion that Vito consumed.

Aside from that, there was one that stood out, a portrait of Thalia herself.

"I came across some of your servants earlier in the day. They were rather interesting fellows. Said some rather interesting things."

"Vito and Jonny. I gave them a task to fulfill. Unfortunately, their mouths couldn't stay closed when they encountered you. The boy escaped. He saw you as well. Do you want me to—"

Luca cut her off, unhurriedly shaking his head.

"No. Leave him. I am aware of what he saw and what he didn't. The situation will be fine. I just want you to tell me one thing."

"What's that, sir? You may ask me anything you wish."

She reached to the floor in a low bow, causing the inner folds of her dress to be exposed even further.

"Why did you want the boy gone? That is the task they were meant to perform, right?"

"This…" Thalia's voice trembled and choked up a little.

"I'm listening."

"He purchased two magical Artifacts from me, and I suspected something was off about him, so I sent Jinx here to go after him. The boy was being chased by those two men you met that day, and he seemed rather harmless for the most part. Then…"

She paused.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Her tears fell to the ground, sinking into the rug. She still hadn't stopped kneeling and bowing, but her whole body was trembling.

The scene was shocking even to Luca. Vito and Jonny hadn't moved him because they were just crazed after living on only liquor for their whole lives. Thalia was different. She looked like she hardly had any control over her actions at this point.

"What did you see?"

"Just as they were about to snap him in half, something came to his rescue. At first it appeared like a bright light, then it darkened and darkened until I could see nothing but pitch blackness. I tried to recall my sense out of Jinx's body, but it was as if I was stuck there."

FWOOSH! BANG!

The doors to the balcony slammed against the hinges loudly in the wind.

"Dozens of invisible chains dragged me from limb to limb, tearing me in half over and over again until I could feel none of my own limbs. I was unraveled in every sense of the being. Made and unmade all in the same instant.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, a face appeared in the void. Its eyes were made of stars. And then it spoke to me."

BANG.

The balcony doors slammed against the wall once more.

Luca frowned. Most of what she said sounded like the ravings of a madwoman, but he knew better than to dismiss it. In this world of magic, ravings were the last thing that should be ignored.

"What did it say?" he asked again calmly.

Thalia looked up finally. A red trail of blood leaked out of all her orifices. Her eyes, nose, and ears were stained with the same dark red blood.

"Agiel."

CRACK!

A light crystal in the corner shattered loudly into a thousand pieces. Its light remained briefly, then fizzled out into nothingness.

Luca frowned. This scene was very familiar to him. He leaned forward slightly, grabbing the woman's cheeks and wiping the blood to the side with his gloved hands.

"And what did you feel in that moment?"

She stared up at him with a mixture of adoration and fury.

"I wanted that boy gone forever. If he doesn't die, I will never feel at peace again."