Cate explained as best she could and asked for forgiveness on multiple occasions, but she was not given an answer even once throughout this entire endeavor. After a week of groveling, Cate decided that only time would tell what became of their relationship.
On this day, Cate decided to finally go ahead with what brought her back home after so many years. Together with Ion, the two went to the Wandering Vault. This was the most secure place in the Wandering Palace. The Wandering had never been compromised from the moment it was created hundreds of years ago.
Even when Avalon invaded the Wandering Palace, they were able to get their hands on the Keys of Chaos only because at that time, the keys had been removed from the vault to be used in a spell to track the rest of the keys.
Cate entered the vault alone. She was the only one who could enter the Wandering Vault since she was the master of the palace. This was the only way to enter the place. If anyone other than the master of the Wandering Palace tried to enter the Wandering Vault, they would face a fate worse than death. Hell would be the least of their problems.
Cate did not face any trouble entering the vault. Ion stopped at the entrance and waited with his back bent and hands clasped with respect. The fact that Cate had managed to enter the vault once again proved her identity, and this was something that Ion, as the caretaker of the Danescu clan, always had to look out for.
For one to enter this vault, they needed more than simple blood. They truly needed to be who they claimed to be. Even possessing the Mast of the Wandering Palace would be seen through by the magic of the vault. There was no passing through this door unless one was truly the master of the palace.
The golden doors shut behind Cate, and with the sound, she found herself in an entirely new world. In this place, there was nothing but endless darkness. She could see nothing no matter what she did. She was all alone with darkness as her only companion.
Cate did not panic. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the magic flowing in her body. Soon, images of the treasures kept in this vault passed through her mind, one at a time. Each item was clearly described with its uses, origins, and how much of it was left. There were magical herbs, powerful magical treasures from legend, mage coins filled the place, and many other things.
Cate pushed all this out of her mind and focused on what she wanted. The moment she returned to the Wandering Palace, she had stored the strange eye she had stolen from Avalon and the key of chaos in this place. Cate had come to pick up the key.
Once she pictured the key in her mind, it was presented to her. She reached out for it, and in the next moment, the key appeared in her hands. It was in a black box covered in magical runes that were linked to the palace. Cate opened the box, and after confirming that this was what she wanted, she thought about leaving the Wandering Vault, and in the next moment, she appeared next to Ion, who had been waiting for her outside the vault.
Ion bowed even deeper after seeing that Cate had come out of the vault without any issue. The two walked deeper into the Wandering Palace. Each person they passed bowed deeply and greeted Cate in a formal and respectful manner, befitting someone who had the power of life and death over everyone in this place.
After passing through more than one hundred magical security checks, they finally reached the core of the Wandering Palace. This was the hall where Cate had carried out the ceremony to become the master of the place. It was still the same, unchanging place that had existed for centuries.
In the center of the hall, Cate channeled her magic into the floor, and after about ten minutes of continuously channeling her power while chanting in a language long forgotten by the world, Cate felt her connection to the palace being amplified, and soon, she could sense the space beneath the floor. She used her black dagger to cut a small opening in her left palm, allowing her blood to fall onto the floor.
Each drop sounded like the collapse of a mountain. The entire palace was trembling by this point. Soon, the floor opened up, exposing a dark pond beneath. The liquid was not water but something that had nothing to do with life. This was the heart of the Wandering Palace.
Cate continued chanting until the Key of Destiny that was the core component of the palace rose out of the black liquid and floated before Cate, who stood on top of this dark pond as though it was just another floor. Ion stood in a corner and watched everything in silence. For the first time in decades, this undead being felt some joy. He understood what it would mean for the Wandering Palace to be powered by not one but two of the Keys of Chaos.
Cate opened the black box and brought out the key of destiny that she had stolen from Avalon. The moment this key appeared, the key that had come out of the dark pond shivered as though with excitement. Of the Twelve Keys of Chaos, there were four keys of Destiny, and these two keys were part of the four.
The two keys had a powerful connection and Cate did not need to do anything after bringing out the new key. It flew out of the box, and the two keys collided like two atoms smashing into each other. There was a powerful blinding light that filled the hall and even reached every corner of the palace. Everyone was wondering about what was going on, but they did not have the right to ask. When the light disappeared a few seconds later, the two keys had become one.