The mission was explained very clearly, but Cate still felt it didn't warrant her attention. Over the past few years, she has showcased her capabilities and power. After what she had achieved, she thought she didn't need to be the one to deal with such a simple mission, which was merely to investigate what happened to a human town. Even though the mission was related to the Mage Born, someone she could consider her friend at this point, Cate had joined the Avalon Society with a clear objective in mind: she wanted the Keys of Chaos. This was the sole reason she had joined this organization.
She wanted the keys so they could open up her path to power—enough power to rival gods. Enough power for her revenge to no longer be a fantasy but a reality. Even though this would be a dark reality, Cate was sure she would be pleased with her enemies begging for mercy that would never come.
As they flew towards the human city, Cate thought about this issue and where she had gone wrong. She did not know why she had been sent on this mission. Even if she were to consider that she had been given this mission because the Mage Born, who was connected to it, was on her team, the matter still did not make sense.
The team was once more assembled on the Huma Bird. After going on several missions seated on the back of this great bird, Cate and her team had taken to calling her Farah, which meant happiness. Cate gave her this name because the great bird always seemed happy, no matter the situation. The team had been on several missions with Farah, but no matter the situation, this bird never showed any desperation or despair, even when things were so bad it seemed that hell had come to earth.
The Huma Bird was fast and could move through the human world undetected, even by man's technologies. The portal to enter the Immortal Realm was in a small town in America called Bodie. They flew out of the portal on Farah's back and quickly began moving over a mountain range, then a valley of some sort. There were few people and nothing much to look at, but Cate was still fascinated by everything she saw. They flew over coastal ranges before reaching a great human city.
"Where is this?" Cate found herself asking. She usually avoided asking questions that might prompt others to think about her origins, but this time, she asked before she could consider the consequences of her words. Mary, who had her head on Cate's shoulder, turned and looked at her with many questions going through her mind. Cate remembered that she should not have asked such a question, but it was too late. Just when Cate was about to offer some kind of explanation, Mary smiled brightly.
"This is San Francisco. A great city built by the humans. It is part of a country called the United States of America," Mary began explaining everything. The two looked over the sides of Farah and saw the city below. The town sat on dozens of steep, rolling hills that descended to the ocean. There was a long, rusty-colored bridge that could not be missed, and some parts of the city were covered in fog. The town was neatly organized with densely packed houses and modern buildings that pierced the sky. The streets were filled with cars and train-looking vehicles. Cate had seen a few human cities so far, but this one was quite unique. It gave her a feeling of home. She could not explain why she felt this way, but she did.
Farah quickly flew over the city. They flew over the Northern Pacific Ocean for a very long time. It was wide open water as far as the eye could see. There were a few boats on the ocean, and every once in a while, they came across a magnificent ship moving over the water. When Cate first saw such a ship, with its large size and fast speed, she was further amazed by how far humans had come. They had given up faith for science, and at first glance, it served them well. The ocean was vast, but the Huma Bird was faster. In a matter of minutes, they left the sea and reached land once more.
This time, they came across a city on an island. Mary introduced the place without Cate having to ask. This was Sapporo, a city in Japan. It had rigid streets, and each building was carefully planned. As they flew over the city, snow was falling, creating a beautiful scene. The team moved over this city, and Mary explained everything. After another hour, they reached their destination. They could have reached this place in a few minutes, but Farah flew more slowly when she realized Cate wanted to see the human world.
The mission the team had been assigned was in the Philippines. It was in a small city called Baguio. This was the city that had been devastated by the magic power released by the Mage Born during his awakening. He had not done this intentionally, but the fact remained that his actions had led to the deaths of over 2000 people.
The moment they reached above the city, the Mage Born felt as though everything he had done was coming back to the surface—the people he had killed and the families he had wiped out. He felt a wave of fear and guilt. He closed his eyes and did not open them until they reached their final destination. At the edge of the city, the Avalon Society had a small outpost, and there were people already waiting for them. The town had been rebuilt for the most part, but the scars from the destruction were not so easily removed.
They landed in an old mansion, and Farah flew back to the sky, from where she would wait for them. Farah could stay in the sky indefinitely. She only ever touched the ground when taking on passengers, and even then, she barely touched the ground for a second. In the mansion, a group of people waited for them. They were all supernaturals, part of the Avalon Society.
"Welcome to our humble abode. I am Tala. I serve as the Outpost Master for this region. As you can see, we have a few people here, but we will do our best to be of help," the middle-aged woman said. Cate had seen many people in her long life, but few with an aura as calm as this woman's.
"I am Cate. I am the team leader. These are my people, Mary, Jordan Albrecht, and Walsh," Cate said. Cate had only recently learned her friend's name, but she was no longer willing to use the title he had been given by the world. Calling him the Mage Born somehow seemed wrong. This was all that Cate cared about, and so she had begun calling him by his real name.
Walsh was not used to this change. At first, Walsh had thought it would feel wrong to hear his name again, but whenever Cate called him, he thought this was how things should have been from the start. He did not feel any guilt at using the name his parents had given him. This was how he had thought for the longest time after what he had done. After his family was wiped out by his awakening, he felt that he no longer deserved to use this name. The only person the Mage Born allowed to call him by his real name was Cate, and Albrecht had learned this the hard way.
Just before they set off for the mission, Albrecht called the Mage Born by his real name, and that was the last thing he said before he saw a sword cutting off his left hand. Albrecht let out a shrill scream, and just as he was about to retaliate, Cate blindsided him with another blow: a powerful spell that knocked him out. Albrecht had grown back his hand easily, but it was clear that he was still pissed. Cate could sense the hostility boiling over in Albrecht, but she did not care much about the issue. As long as the vampire understood his place in the team, Cate was okay with being hated. After that, it was made clear that not just anyone could call the Mage Born by his real name.
The team settled into the mansion before meeting with Tala to discuss the mission. Cate wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.