It had been a few days since Medusa gained new life as the young girl, Cate. None of the servants in the Wandering Palace found anything suspicious about her, and if they did, they did not share these suspicions with her. She learned that she was the absolute ruler of this mysterious palace. All the people in the palace obeyed her every wish and command. The palace had everything she could ever need. Food was seemingly limitless, and so was everything else considered essential for life. All she had to do was think about what she wanted, and the palace would provide. One night, she dreamt about her old clothes before everything went to shit, and in the morning, she found them in her wardrobe. She understood from these events that the palace had a consciousness of its own. One could even say that it was alive.
The leader of the servants was an old butler who looked as though the shadow of death haunted him. He always wore his black uniform, and when paired with his thin, tall physique and sunken eyes, he looked like a walking corpse. The former Cate had feared this man greatly, and she always ran whenever they met. The older man was called Ion. He did not have a last name as far as Cate could tell. Ion was shaken when he met Cate for the first time in days, and the young girl did not run away. In the past, Ion had made sure to avoid the young girl whenever possible, but always remained present just in case she needed him. Right now, he looked at the young girl, and she looked back with her deep blue eyes. She did not flinch, and he could not see any of the fear that had previously been present in her beautiful eyes.
Cate bowed slightly towards Ion, and this was when the older man remembered his manners. This young girl was his master, and yet he had been looking at her so blatantly. He did not speak, knowing his voice was even more terrifying than his appearance.
"I need you to answer a few questions for me," Cate said in a manner befitting a well-educated young lady. She then walked away. Ion did not need to hear anything else to understand that he was supposed to follow after her. He walked behind her while making sure not to step in her shadow. The palace halls were dark, and barely any sunlight entered the place. Currently, the palace sits atop an isolated mountain, surrounded by a large forest. It was a beautiful scenery that had become Cate's favourite place. On the second day after her rebirth, she spent hours watching this forest. She walked through the endless halls until she reached a balcony that gave her the best view of the outside world.
There was a simple metallic table and comfortable chairs on the balcony. She gracefully sat down before looking out at the forest. Ion stood to the side and waited for her to speak.
"How did my parents die?" This was her first question after sitting in silence for over ten minutes.
Ion was very old and had seen and experienced many things, but he was startled by the conversation the young girl had decided to bring up. The two of them had not spoken about this issue since the time he told her about their deaths. He remained silent as he examined the young lady for the hundredth time today.
"Do I need to repeat the question?"
Ion was further shocked by this question, but he controlled himself and answered. "The Avalon Society murdered them."
He was not sure whether he should discuss this matter with such a young girl, but he had no choice, since she was the master and wanted to learn about it. Cate/Medusa looked through her memories, but she did not remember such an organisation. When Ion saw her confusion, he explained further.
"The Avalon Society is the organisation responsible for regulating all supernatural beings. Their members are all powerful sorcerers, mages, witches, and many other creatures. They establish magical law and enforce it across the world. They are directly under the High King of Old."
Ion left out many things, but this was enough for Cate to understand the situation. She knew about the High King of Old and understood that the so-called Avalon Society was a new organisation he had established in recent years. After understanding why her parents had died in this life, she had only a single question left on her mind.
"Why were they killed?"
Ion had been expecting this question. He had hoped not to go into detail about this issue, but Cate insisted.
"The former master and mistress tried to use the Wandering Palace to open the Vault of Souls."
The moment Cate heard about the Vault of Souls, memories from the past rushed into her mind. She knew a lot about the vault, and in the past, she had even tried to open it, hoping to use it to achieve immortality and power that would have made her no weaker than any god. From her speculations, getting the Vault of Souls would have made her stronger than any god. She would have become unstoppable. She would have gotten her revenge with ease. All her enemies would have bowed before her and waited for their deaths. Unfortunately, the gods and other forces learned of her ambitions, and she was stopped before she even knew the most important thing about the vault.
As she remembered what had happened in the past, her aura changed utterly, and in that moment, even someone like Ion, who had bathed in blood and made the hearts of all his foes tremble, suddenly found himself shivering from the sudden coldness. In the past, Cate had learned all she could about the vault, but there was something that was still a mystery. She spent a lot of time trying to figure out the mystery, and during that time, her enemies discovered what she was planning. She had been forced to give up on this plan, and soon after, her head was lopped off. She had not thought about the vault in centuries. For her to hear about it just after being reborn almost seemed like fate.
"Even the heavens hope for the death of the gods," she said in a sinister manner that did not match her current appearance. This, coupled with her cute, childish voice, made Ion look at her as though he was witnessing the birth of some fiend from Hades.