The Ascension Of The Celestial Priest

Lukas released a comfortable morning smile the moment he entered his small abode within the Outer Sectors of The Cathedral, after he arrived a day later from the Outskirts of Golden City. This place has instinctively become a tether for him, a sanctuary where he could actually feel a semblance of safety after he was harpooned off from his old home.

He recollected all that had happened to him ever since he came out of his room; from the moment he received a missive, to exploring the Catacombs underneath the Golden City up to the final moment that still lingered in his mind, full of a certain woody scent and butter beer.

And for the first time ever, Lukas felt like he belonged. Sure he was sent into a body with an identical name to his, under cosmic powers he could never hope to understand but all that mattered was that he was alive. And this world had so much to offer and explore before he eventually finds his way back home.

Finding his belongings safe inside, he laid his staff on the wall before he immediately started organizing them, finding a proper place for each and every one of them, from the lightweight harp he placed on his table to the cooking ware he carefully arranged a little further from the bed. By the time he was finished his properly arranged small cottage shone under the clear morning sun as he dusted himself off proud of the work he had done.

It didn't take long for him to notice a little surprise on his bed as there was a small note, carefully placed right in the middle of it. To his surprise he found the note was left by his dear sister Ariandel, firstly congratulating him for passing his qualification exams and then fulfilling her promise of a surprise if he safely returned home. The said surprise was in the form of a very vague clue, found in some old training halls right here in the cathedral which made Lukas wonder what exactly was waiting for him there.

A little touched, Lukas chuckled to himself before a more serious look settled on his face. First things first, he had a few things to take note off which meant he better sit down and record just so he can get a clearer view of what he wanted to achieve from his upcoming months of training.

Taking a seat near his mid-sized table, he summoned his book of spells from his waist and laid it on top, opening the pages and ready to jot down his thoughts and goals, something he loved to do in his past life when he felt pressure from the dreams he wanted to accomplish.

But something else happened. The moment he cluelessly opened his grimore, a blinding flash of light appeared, effectively stunning him. Panicking, he impulsively summoned the staff into his hands, quickly distancing himself from the book as he prepared himself to hurl a spell at the moment's notice.

After the bright light receded, seeing as there was no immediate threat, Lukas threw a few careful glances onto his grimore, witnessing strange Cyrillic letters manifesting on it's the pages transforming into words Lukas could barely catch given distance.

More than confused, Lukas tentatively tested the waters by poking his staff at his grimore almost expecting the jack in the lantern situation. Seeing no response and feeling a little foolish, he laid his staff within reach, curiosity overtaking his mind as he flipped the once empty pages now filled with what seemed like new spells and cultivation sentiments that he was sure it wasn't his.

Further mired by what he was witnessing, a moment passed before Lukas took a deep breath, detaching from his grimore with a strange expression his face. From what he quickly gathered, the new spells that had magically appeared on his book of spells, came from Divine Cathedral, a place he never would have expected nor imagined. This was made sure after seeing an imprinted emblem beside each major spell such that if Rexsi was present, Lukas wouldn't have been able to defend himself that he didn't have any connection to the Divine Cathedral at all.

Taking a deep breath, countless conjectures run through his mind. Where did the spells come from? And why had they appeared in his grimore? One thing he was sure of was the fact that his previous host had no ties to the divine cathedral and the only time he had first crossed paths with anything remotely of the said cathedral was...the very moment he laid eyes on one of their tomes back at the catacombs. It was there he found he could effortlessly open it causing Rexsi to issue more than a few warnings on keeping such fact hidden.

His eyes shone as he followed that strand of thought down the road. If that was the case then why did he possess such spells in his book? If he correctly remembered, the Tome was empty when he had opened it. Did he miss something at that moment? He wondered. Maybe the spells inside the tome had magically shifted to his grimore the moment its pages were opened. But even then why hadn't he seen any flashy light? If there was such magic at play, why didn't he sense it? But the most important question was, what should he do next?

All these questions boggled Lukas's mind as he aimlessly perused the pages littered with strange symbols, archaic language and few small notes patched in between in which Lukas could only guess that it once belonged to the deceased priest whom tome belonged to.

The more he skimmed over them, the more he was assured of what he was seeing. There was more than few Tier 1 spells, with spells of healing, spells of strength and spells of purification all inked and decorated with the utmost care that Lukas could feel the time and dedication the previous priest had spent in taking care of his own spells.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught his eye; almost every major spell had the word faith and reverence tied it, almost as if the spells themselves paid homage to an entity Lukas couldn't immediately fathom.

Dazed, now hooked by what he was reading, Lukas delved deeper and deeper, his mind intensely focused and all of the misgiving he previously had washing away as he strove to truly understand what he was reading. His roving eyes were immediately led to the last spell, which was decorated with such perfect calligraphy that Lukas instinctively knew that this was the Ultimate spell the deceased priest held dear to his heart. Browsing it, a strange expression once more appeared on his face when he finally got the gist of it.

The Blessed Aria, as the spell was respectively named, wasn't a spell per se but a litany of esoteric praises uttered in faith in return for the ultimate blessing from the worshiped being. With a quick glance the spell promised deeper healing, enhanced clarity of mind and since the holy visage the deceased priest worshipped was an Entity of Spring, the spell could help anyone under the radiance of its light recover their strength and for a period of time they would be protected from harm by a manifested translucent shield that wouldn't impede their movement at all.

This was the kind of spell, the supports mains in his old world would have loved to abuse in game since it was multifaceted, area of effect in nature and the bonus that came from mastering at higher levels magnified its intended effects even more.

It made Lukas's eyes burn with an intense d.e.s.i.r.e. This type of spell was suited for mass battles and he was just about to burrow himself deeper into it before he hit his first snag. This ultimate spell was tailor-made for the deceased priest as it didn't only count on faith and reverence, it also revolved around the holy entity that priest worshiped and Lukas found he couldn't fulfill any of the requirements provided…

Sobered he pulled himself before he stared at the new spells that filled some of the pages in his grimore. Rising from his seat, he then sat on his bed psychically pulling his book along the way. Crossing his legs, he laid the grimore and the mysterious note from his sister side by side and focused his eyes at them long enough to fully comprehend what hi next step should be.

First and foremost he needed information and the only place he could think of was the Hall of Insight. It was there he could finally find out more about the Divine Cathedral and possibly have a clue to what happened to him. By now there was no denying he had inherited some dead man's spells and it was smart he searched for some info that would help make the decision on what to do next.

2ndly, within the same hall, he didn't forget he had to research about runes so he can finally learn if it would be worth his while to master them in the long run. He needed to know its wide known implications, applications and how his future prospect would look if he walked down this path.

Lastly but not least he had to split some of his time to search the clue. The words his sister's used practically said that the one thing he truly needed would be found in a certain hall and that was it. He had no idea what she meant and even then he had to check it out. Something told him the hint was not as simple as it appeared and he might be in for a good surprise when he finally gets his prize in the end.