Cate was always searching for ways to increase her power to a higher level. Knowing that all she had to do was digest the gains from Set and she would reach her peak as a supreme sorcerer, Cate chose to first put everything to the side and absorb all the understanding bestowed upon her by the god. She sent a message to Ion, and that was all she needed to get for as long as she wanted.
Ion sent a message to Avalon, requesting more time away from the society. This action would derail some of the progress Cate had made in infiltrating the organisation, but she had always known that gaining the trust of Avalon was a long-term endeavour. It could end up costing her hundreds of years before she learned where they stored their keys.
For now, it was more beneficial to take the chance presented to her and increase her power. Cate stayed in her private rooms and meditated upon the nature of magic and its origins. With each passing second, her understanding of magic increased, and this meant that her power over magic grew as well.
Time marched on and the world changed. All through 2006, Cate stayed in seclusion. The humans grew their technology as usual. They developed motion control gaming, Amazon Web Services and the "cloud", Blu-ray discs and many other things that propelled human power towards the tipping point.
Cate did not care much about this, but she understood that she could not afford not to keep an eye on the humans. This was why she had ordered the Wandering Palace to collect information from all over the human world. With the power of the Wandering Palace, it managed to infect almost all information systems in the world, gathering and sorting everything for Cate to go through later.
Cate stayed in seclusion until the end of 2007. She came out having reached the peak of the Supreme Magician realm. She was ready to break through to the legendary sorcerer realm, but this was not as easy as it sounded... There was a chance that she could end up stuck at this step for hundreds of years. Still, Cate was confident that she was now the most powerful Supreme Magician in the world.
This was a level of power that placed her among some of the most powerful beings in the world. She could not do as she pleased, but she at least had some degree of freedom. "I am tired of this place. I want to leave." Catherine Staranse said. She had been locked up in this place for years now. It would be weird if she was still interested in staying in this place.
Cate looked at the young woman. She had behaved herself throughout all her time in this place. It could be said that she had been a model prisoner. Cate had used her identity to infiltrate Avalon Society, and this identity was still needed. Cate was not ready to let this woman out into the world. If she were to return to her family or if Avalon discovered that there were two people going around with the same name, there would be a world of trouble.
"You will leave only after I am done with what I am doing." This was Cate's answer. Catherine was less than enthused by this answer, but there was nothing she could do. "Now, tell me everything you know about your family." Cate demanded. Catherine stayed silent for a few seconds before she sighed out loud in defeat. She then poured out everything she knew about the Staranse Mage clan. It was the same information she told Cate when she was first captured.
When she was done, the two women sat there in silence for a few minutes. Catherine continued eating her breakfast. "From now on, you will be allowed a few hours outside the place on a daily basis. Ion will be your escort, and if you ever try anything stupid, I have already ordered him to kill you on the spot." Ion, who was standing behind Cate, bowed deeply as though accepting the order for a second time.
Catherine was very happy with this easement. She felt that this was only just the beginning, and soon she would be allowed to go and come as she pleased. "Cate only has to be assured of my loyalty, and I will be free. I must get her to believe that I have love for my family. Even if she were to let me go right now, I would not go to them." Gathering thoughts.
After getting the information she wanted, Cate paid a visit to the dungeon. Soon, screams filled the place. Cate came out after completely eliminating the hunger that had begun to creep in. She was not sure about how long she would be with the strange clan, and so she had to prepare for everything. Cate had just eaten fifteen vampires for a single meal, but she still had hundreds in the dungeons.
With a single thought, Cate got the Wandering Palace to begin moving towards London. "Before going for the strange, I must first see her. I need to see her." It took only a few seconds for the palace to reach above London. Cate had already packed everything she needed for this visit to her girlfriend. "Hopefully, she has forgiven me by now."
Cate left the palace and entered a black car that was already waiting for her. The year was 2007, and London was filled with Indie Sleaze energy. Cate saw many people wearing skinny jeans standing outside pubs while brandishing BlackBerrys. Red double-decker buses moved through the streets, and the city was defined by Oyster cards. Sleek new glass skyscrapers defined the skyline. The air was electric with analogue being overcome by a digital future.
The only reason Cate did not feel out of place was because she had made sure to connect her mind to the Wandering Palace, and this allowed her to collect all the information about human advancements for the years she had been in seclusion. This had taken her less than a few minutes, but it now paid off big time. Cate had her eyes filled with wonder at everything she saw. She could not believe the rapid change that had taken place in just these few years.