Cate had created the Original Sin spell, her most powerful incantation, which had transformed her into the being she now was. She had also crafted the spell that allowed her to be reborn as Catherine Danescu. These were works of immense power, with the Original Sin spell standing as the pinnacle of her magical achievements.
Cate also created the spell she now used to transform Galeazzo into her avatar. Before she developed the Rebirth Spell, Cate had conceptualized a way to continue living her life through someone else. This was the Avatar Spell. When she eventually discovered the Rebirth Spell—which offered true renewal—she shelved the idea of the Avatar until now.
With the Avatar Spell, Cate could transform another living being into a copy of herself without killing them. The being would remain physically themselves, but in essence, they would be Cate. She would be in control of everything they did and even thought. The spell took control of the person's soul, allowing Cate to plant a sliver of her own spirit at the center of the target's soul.
This soul sliver was akin to a seed planted in fertile soil, watered with the memories, knowledge, thoughts, and life experiences of the target. The sliver would rapidly grow while consuming the host's soul. By the time the seed grew into a flourishing tree—a new soul—the target's original essence would be gone completely from this world. There was no afterlife for the target, as there was no soul left to pass on.
The new soul was an extension of Cate's soul, existing outside her main body. The target would, therefore, be another Cate. The Avatar and Cate were completely connected, a bond that could never be broken unless both souls were shattered. They shared the same memories, feelings, and thoughts; after all, they were the same person.
With the creation of the avatar, Cate gained all of Galeazzo's memories, thoughts, feelings, and knowledge without any of the side effects usually associated with such a feat. Cate-Galeazzo looked at Ion and the other servants and nodded in understanding. Ion and the servants were connected to the Wandering Palace, which allowed them to recognize Cate no matter how much she changed. They were looking at Galeazzo, but they did not see a man; they saw Cate, their mistress.
The primary Cate walked out of the dark hall with Galeazzo by her side.
"With this, I can get the last of the Keys of Destiny without wasting too much time," Cate and Galeazzo both said at the same time.
Galeazzo had been missing for over a year, and the Staranse clan was incensed. They had sent search parties all over the world. Some unlucky souls were suspected of having a hand in his disappearance and were forced to face the consequences. It was a bad year to be suspicious in the eyes of the Staranse Mage clan.
In a large hall, a skinny figure who looked to have one foot in the grave suddenly jumped to his feet.
"I have finally found him," the figure said. He was covered in a dark cloak and spoke as though he had a frog in his throat.
In this moment, no one cared about his appearance. The people in the hall were filled with excitement as they rushed to ask for Galeazzo's location. The old man, a seer, did not refuse them; after all, they had already paid him handsomely. Having obtained news of Galeazzo's whereabouts, they did not waste any time and marched with all their power.
Seven supreme mages were sent out to retrieve Galeazzo. Following the directions given by the seer, the seven headed to Civita di Bagnoregio, a small town in Italy. They used a helicopter to get there as fast as possible. The ethereal, quiet town was filled with more stone buildings than people. They arrived in the middle of the night, attracting attention from many of the inhabitants.
The mages did not care for the mortals' well-being. One of them cast a sleeping spell over the entire town, ensuring that none of them could disturb the rescue operation.
Bang. A thick wooden door was turned to dust with a single spell. The mages cast several wards to ensure this was not a trap, and when they saw there was but a single life force within the small building, they decided to enter with full force. They were ready to incinerate anyone in their path.
"Meow!"
A black cat made the mistake of crying out at that moment. One of the mages lashed out with his sword, delivering ten fatal blows to the pitiful creature. The carcass was separated into chunks of meat that scattered across the room. In one of the corners sat Galeazzo, naked and tied up tightly.
In another corner, the female vampire twin, Agrafena, was held down by powerful chains that pierced into her flesh. She was also naked and completely helpless. She had lost so much blood that she was on the verge of going feral.
The supreme mages from the Staranse clan hurriedly freed Galeazzo.
"Release her. She needs blood immediately," he said. The supreme mages obeyed as fast as they could.
The moment the chains were removed from her flesh, Agrafena burst out of the room by passing directly through the wall closest to her. She left debris flying in all directions as she zoomed through the small town. The closest human man was very unlucky; Agrafena currently had no restraints. She bit into the man and drained him until he was nothing but skin, bones, and dried flesh.
She did not stop with only one. She went on to drain eight more people before she finally came back to her senses. Even though she was a vampire, she was not the murderous sort. This was not to say that she lived on bunny blood, but she simply abhorred massacres, especially those of the weak and helpless.
She stopped herself and took a deep breath as she remembered everything that had just transpired.