"Time, which devours your kings and levels your empires, is but a fleeting shadow to Me. Yet even in the vastness of My memory, the absence of a true heart from your people has been felt." the woman said. Cate did not raise her head. She stayed in place with her leigh form oozing faith. She did not say a single word since she felt that she was not worthy enough to speak to her god without express permission.
The woman who had been seated on the throne stood up. Her eyes glowed with a sinister red light that then illuminated the hall, bathing it in light and something more mysterious. As she stood up, her body produced creaking sounds, showing that she had not moved in a long time.
"If I am not mistaken, this is the mortal realm on Eden, or what most of you call Earth." The woman moved around the hall, looking at the place covered in dust and decay. Hundreds of years had passed since anyone cleaned this place. The woman was clearly unhappy about this. She then stood in place and looked into the distance. It was as though her eyes could pierce through the walls and reach to all corners of this world.
"The inhabitants of this sphere cast aside Our hands the moment they mistook the discovery of laws for the mastery of creation. In their vanity, they believed that by deciphering the wonders of the world, they had outgrown the need for the Architects who shepherded them through the howling void of their infancy. I perceive now that their arrogance held a grain of truth: they have indeed flourished, and a semblance of prosperity blankets the land. Yet, there are two faces to every coin.
This fragile progression cannot endure, regardless of the mortal ingenuity or the fleeting courage they summon to pierce the veil of the unknown. The hour approaches when these creatures of clay shall realize that the hunger of the spirit cannot be sated by the bread of the earth. When their development withers and stagnates, they shall turn their tear-streaked faces back toward the Divine. I see the tremors of this return even now, though it may take centuries, or millennia for the cycle to complete. I am certain of this destiny, for I have watched this same tide rise and fall across a myriad of realms and countless worlds. It is the inevitable path of all who breathe.
Since this truth is written in the stars, I must ask: why do you alone anchor your faith in Me? Why have you severed the ties of your brethren to embrace a God who has remained a silent ghost to this world for seven hundred years?"
Cate did not even think about the matter before she answered. "I came to realize that you are all I need. You are the only true god." The young woman was stunned by these words. She could see the faith coming from Cate, and so she was not too surprised, but this was still unexpected.
This woman was, of course, not Set himself. She was his oracle. He had created her and left her in this place hundreds of years ago. Since he took so long without returning, the young oracle became an old woman and began falling apart, but even death did not dare touch one who holds the essence of a god. The oracle, who was now under the control of her god, sat back onto her throne and looked at Cate for a few minutes.
"Since you have come to see me, your god, you must have a prayer within your heart. You must have an offering to honor my name." Cate brought a small black box out of her storage ring. The box was covered by countless runes and seals. Even Set was shaken by what could be in this box that it warranted such a level of power. Set tried seeing through the box and failed. The box seemed to be especially warded against the divine.
Cate made quick work of the runes and opened the small box. The oracle/Set jumped out of her throne and had the box in her hands at the same time. In the box, there was a single eye. It glowed with goldly power and gave off a feeling of eternity. This was Osiris's eye. The eye that Cate had stolen on her first mission with Avalon.
"How did you get your hands on this?" the oracle questioned. She was still calm, but there was a note of fear in her voice. She put away the eye, in essence accepting the offering. Cate told Set about her missions with Avalon.
Set was left in silence for a few minutes. He could not believe that the pyramid he had built using his power was discovered so easily. It was impossible unless there was divine intervention. He began thinking about which one could be out to get him. There were countless gods who would relish in his death at the hands of Osiris.
"Since it has come to this, I will use this woman to clean up this mess." Set thought to himself. "What is your prayer?" Cate thought for a second before answering directly. Before a god, one had to be careful about what they said. This meant that the fewer words one used, the better.
"I am searching for the Three Keys of Destiny. I would like some help in my endeavor." The moment Set heard about the Keys of Destiny, he/she shook her head at the ignorance of this world. "What do you hope to achieve from collecting these keys?"
"I want to use these three keys to change my destiny." There was a glimmer of relief in Set's eyes when Cate gave this answer instead of wanting to go after the Vault of Souls. If she had said anything about the vault, Set was ready to kill her on the spot. The vault was something that no god wanted to see opened.
As for the matter of Cate changing her destiny, Set was not interested in that. He saw no issue since this did not infringe on his benefits. Set also believed Cate's answer because she was his believer. If she had lied to him or even thought about doing so, he would have sensed it immediately and struck her down.
He had not sensed any deception from her, and so Set saw no issue in allowing his oracle to divine for Cate the location of the keys she wanted on the condition that after Cate used the keys to change her destiny, the keys had to be handed over to Set as an offering.