"It is often amusing to see new nations rise, then fall apart, often within a few generations. People stood united when they had a common cause, or better yet a common enemy to rally against, but once those were gone or diminished, and peace took hold? Then people start to entertain other thoughts they would not have had before the peace, thoughts that often lead to disunity and separation. Because of this, so-called golden ages rarely last long, for it was in times of plenty that such divisive thoughts forment the most." - Emir ibn Khalif Elam El-Ehr, beloved ruler of the Assadun Emirate, circa 72 VA.

Palace of bones, Tohrmutgent, Ptolodecca, fourthday of the third week of the sixth month, year 37 VA.

"Do you think grandpa and father will be fine?" Aideen asked as her staff met Diarnuid'd axe just below where the blade connected to the shaft, pulled, and shifted the trajectory of his blow off to the side, while the other end of her staff swung towards his knee with the same movement. "It worries me that there have still been riots back home… It's been over two years now!"

"Uncle Caelleach's influence was stronger than we had thought, I guess," replied Diarmuid as he untangled his axe from his sister's staff and took a short leap back to avoid her counterstrike. They had taken to sparring with each other in their free time often as of late, and Diarmuid was surprised again by just how much his little sister had grown.

The same little sister who was once the laziest when it came to self defense classes now gave him a run for his money, and regularly beat him silly instead. "Many amongst the rural populace still held more… radical hatred to all undead, whereas those in La Fiachna were mostly descended or knew some of grandfather's inner circle, and thus knew of mother's aid during the revolution back then."

"It just saddens me so, to see our people fight each other just over this," continued Aideen as she pursued and thrust her staff at her brother's chest. Both of them used real weapons in their spar, which was a much less risky idea when one considered how Aideen had so far proven nearly impervious to physical damage ever since she rose as an Unliving. On the other hand, any injury she gives to her brother, she can just fix with ease in moments. "Gallowsweihg would have descended into open rebellion, if Antemeia had not attacked at the time."

"Having a common enemy and lord Brenegan's showing off helped calm that one down, yeah," Diarmuid admitted as he pushed his sister's thrust to the side and caught the staff under his armpit. Gallowsweihg was a fort town built near the border with Antemeia, which had almost descended into rebellion a year and a half ago, but calmed down and peacefully reintegrated after they turned away a probing attack from Antemeia together with the main army. That Brenegan had joined the expedition and helped eradicate the Antemeian army in a bombastic manner helped as well. "Brother Faerghus also did well in the negotiations that happened afterwards."

"I just wished they'd have us informed of such news sooner," Aideen said as she twisted her staff and separated it into three sections joined by chains, and assailed her brother with the other end. Earlier this morning they had received a letter from Vitalica, which unlike the usual well wishes and small talk, actually also included a summary of the political situation of the past two and a half years since their departure. "I still can't believe Aunt Megarea was the traitor in the council…"

"I have heard stories that some people became dependent on their masters before- ouch!" Said Diarnuid as the metal staff struck him on his side hard enough to crack a rib or two. Aideen had held it by the middle staff and swung it like a flail, which gave the blow a lot of force behind it. He had now let go of her trapped staff and withdrew a couple steps to gain distance, while his sister spun her three-sectioned staff around expertly. "As I was saying, Aunt Megarea might be one such person. They had not caught her yet either, so for all we know she might have run to Junora by now."

"That is a possibility," admitted Aideen as she waited and invited her brother to go into the attack. She had remembered the councilwoman as a grim-faced, but kind elder from when she was young, so her betrayal felt personal to her. Doubly so since that betrayal technically resulted in her death - and her subsequent rise into what she has become. "If I ever see her again, I only wish to ask her myself why she did it."

"Who knows?" Diarmuid said while he shrugged. He had done a couple feints but his sister refused to bite into those, so he was racking his brain on how to get past those whirling staves. His magic was also rendered useless, as unlike regular undead, which he could eradicate as long as he poured in more magic than what the controller had in their subject, or living people, against whom death magic was very effective, Aideen just ignored it entirely. He finally had an idea and threw a black mist of concentrated death magic at her face to block her sight while he moved in. "At least seeing you so lively now helps alleviate the guilt I feel over my failure to keep you safe back then."

"There was nothing to be forgiven, brother," replied Aideen as she dispersed the mist with her own magic, infused through her staff. By then Diarmuid's axe had closed in, so she did something he didn't expect instead, and threw herself onto the incoming axe. The blade bit deep into the left side of her chest, bisected a lung, before it got jammed between her chest bone and two of her ribs. Her left hand grasped the handle and prevented Diarmuid from pulling the weapon out, while her right gripped her staff by one end and swung it like a three-sectioned flail at him. "You have done your best, please stop blaming yourself for it."

"I still- Argh! Fucking Dogshit!" Disrmuid cursed as the staves landed, the middle section slammed over his shoulder with enough force to crack his collar bone, and the impact just propelled the third section harder. The tip of the third section landed hard on the middle of his back, and he lost feeling below his waist as he crumpled to the floor under the blow. "Shit, that hurt! You win, sister, fix me up please!"

"Okay~" agreed Aideen playfully. Their spars always ended with one of them literally crippled and unable to fight anymore, usually Diarmuid. It looked like overly cruel training to some, but their grandpa believed in harsh training for best results, and considering their improvements over the past couple years, Aideen and Diarmuid agreed with him. Their mother had grown under their grandpa's care and naturally agreed with him as well, though father might have been horrified by the sight. "Hold still now, spines are always a bit tricky to fix right."

Carefully, Aideen guided her magic to her brother's body, and tended the broken bones with gentleness. She placed extra attention at his spine, and concentrated as she reconnected the broken pathways that resulted from her strike. Many life affinity healers were left powerless by spinal injuries, with most victims unable to walk properly again even after healing. She found early on however, that her affinity was far more effective at fixing those damages. "How do you feel now?"

"Good as new, thanks," said Diarmuid as he wriggled his toes to show her. "The way your healing changed with the affinity really is something… also, can you get to fixing that already? It's disturbing to look at."

"Oh right, almost forgot that," Aideen said as she slowly pulled out Diarmuid's axe from her chest. Trickles of blood flowed out of the wound, while some more stained the axe, but she had not even winced at the pain it caused. What pain cuts and blades caused paled in comparison to the pain of bones broken into tiny pieces, after all. Within moments the wound had closed up, the blood going back inside her body and left even Diarmuid's axe clean and shining.

She did have to cover her chest with a hand for modesty though, as the cut had sliced through her left breast, and now that it was healed, left it quite exposed since she couldn't repair her torn tunic as well.