Cate and her team had worked for many years now without taking a single break. This time around, Cate suddenly asked for some free time. Thabo wasn't the only one shocked by this. He had expected that Cate would be too busy trying to get promoted as usual, but this was not the case.
After confirming that she was still in charge of her team even with Tala joining, Cate wanted to take some time off. The following day, Cate left the Immortal Realm with Mary in tow.
Cate and Mary had been dating for years now, and things were getting pretty serious. It was time for Cate to decide whether Mary was a risk she was willing to take. This would be the second time Cate would be giving her heart to someone else. The first time ended in a disaster that still haunted every decision she made to this day.
"I love her, but I must decide. I cannot fall once again; for this time, I may fail to come back from the darkness." Cate thought. She looked at Mary, who was holding onto her left hand while talking about a human show called Dark Angel. Cate had begun watching these kinds of human shows on television due to Mary's influence, but she had yet to watch this particular show.
The two entered the administration palace, and there, they were given a token that would allow them to leave the Immortal realm without any trouble. After getting the tokens, Cate and Mary moved down the mountain. At the Transportation Bureau, the two presented their tokens.
"Will you be walking out of Avalon, or will you be using the Grand Teleportation Platform?" the attendant asked.
These were the two ways by which one could leave the Immortal realm. If one chose to leave on their own by walking to the boundary, they would have to cross the Edgeless Forest, and this could take years depending on how powerful the person was.
For Cate, crossing the Edgeless Forest had become very simple after her eyes evolved to see the flow of magic in the world. The illusions of this forest could no longer bind her sight.
The second option was to use the Grand Teleportation Formation. This was the only means by which one could directly teleport in and out of the Immortal Realm. The entire process would take less than a minute. Since this was faster and more convenient, most people would choose to teleport, but the platform could not be used for free. For each use, one had to pay a Mage Coin to the Avalon Society. This was the case even for members of the society such as Cate and Mary.
There was a third way to leave the society, but this was not applicable right now. One could use a magical beast that could fly over the Edgeless Forest and leave the Immortal Realm. This was how Cate and her team had been going on missions all this time, but right now, they were not going on a mission, and so they could not use a magical beast belonging to the society.
"We can wal..."
"It's okay. We can just use the platform." Mary was about to suggest that they cross the forest when Cate suddenly decided to take the platform.
Mary was surprised by this. A single Mage Coin was something that was too expensive for most people. Cate and her team had worked for years now, and the total amount they had been paid by the society was about five mage coins, if not less.
Cate brought out a mage coin and handed it to the shaken attendant. Even though she had asked them about using the platform, she had not expected Cate to accept.
"We should not waste time. Besides, I would never make you walk."
Cate and Mary were taken into a large hall that had a stone platform at the center. The platform was covered with all kinds of runes. This was space magic. Cate did not know much about this magic, and so she didn't try to understand the runes.
They stepped onto the platform, and in the next moment, the platform glowed with a brilliance that covered the hall. The two women were engulfed by the light, and they soon merged into it.
Cate and Mary both appeared in the small town outside the entrance to the Immortal realm. Mary was still getting her mind around how Cate could afford to use a mage coin so casually when she saw three black cars waiting for them. The cars looked like those used by royalty.
The small town was abuzz with news of what was happening in this place. Some people had already gathered to check out the cars. When the drivers of the cars saw Cate appear, they bowed deeply.
"Let's go." Mary did not know what was going on. The door was opened, and the two women entered the car. Soon, they were leaving the small town.
"You do not need to worry that the humans of this town have seen us appear out of nothing and drive away in these cars. The society set up powerful magics that will make these people forget all about us the moment we leave the town. This is one of the defenses set in place to protect the Immortal realm." Cate said.
Mary was once again surprised by this. If what Cate was saying was to be believed, this meant that the society would hide the existence of these defensive spells. They would not just tell anyone about them, and yet Cate somehow knew about them.
"Do not be too surprised. I told you that I have a magic ability that allows me to see the flow of magic. I can see through spells and things like that. In short, a spell can not be hidden from my eyes."
The two women drove away, and soon, they were seated in a luxurious private jet, leaving the Americas.
"I think it is time that I explain a few things. I have been keeping a lot of secrets, and I am sorry. I can only hope for your understanding." Cate said after taking a sip of wine.