"Having people to share joys and sorrows with helps with both of them. Happy times feel even better when shared and propagated with others, while having other people to help shoulder the sorrowful times makes it feel lighter on the heart." - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

Winter proved to be an interesting time, as Cal spent the rest of the season while she guided and looked over her three students as they trained their bodies to function despite injuries that normally should prevent that. None of the three had quit, and even Giselle, who was only participating gingerly at first, soon took to the training with determination and had kept up with the rest.

It was three months of what must have been excruciating pain and torment for the three teenagers, yet they practiced without a complaint, while Cal and Ying Xiao sometimes offered tips that helped them handle injuries they weren't yet familiar with. Cal had many tips to share when it came to dealing with interfering mana or anti-magic enchantments, which she freely shared with her students.

Come spring, Cal prepared for the next leg of her trip, to the Lichdom of Ptolodecca, which dominated the southern half of central Ur-Teros. She had a larger entourage for the trip, as Aideen and Kino tagged along as well, as Aideen had some people she wanted to introduce Cal to there, while Kino just felt like tagging along.

Her nieces both came along again, as did Ying Xiao as she had planned. One unplanned addition was Leila, however, as the girl had graduated from her course early, having pretty much learned far more than the rest of her classmates during her time learning under Cal and in Paradise, and had asked to be allowed to join them. Since Vark had given his permission, Cal let her join their group.

All seven of them walked through the portal to Tohrmutgent in Ptolodecca with Aideen in the lead, as she was more familiar with the city. She told Cal that she had lived there early on in her long life, and had many friends there, some of whom she insisted that Cal should meet.

When they walked through the gate, everyone in the group - other than Aideen and Kino - flinched when they saw the spear-wielding skeletal death knights that lined the walls of the room, although they relaxed their guard when they saw the undead remain docile in their presence.

Two individuals in hooded black robes came to greet them, and they seemed to recognize Aideen on sight, as they bowed deeply before her and bid their group welcome, letting Cal and the rest pass without even the most cursory of inspections, which made Cal somewhat wonder just how influential Aideen actually was.

Aideen led them through the city - the gate was housed in a heavily guarded building by the city center - on a leisurely walk as she played tour guide to the rest, as for everyone other than her and Kino it was their first time visiting the city.

The first thing that got Cal's attention was how skeleton soldiers were present and on guard on literally every intersection of the city, often with little children playing around or on them. Aideen explained that they were there to help keep crime nonexistent in the city, and Cal could definitely see how having a guard that needed no rest on literally every single intersection would help with that, if a bit constricting.

Another thing that caught her attention was how clean the streets in the city are. For a city of over tens of thousands of people like this, she had expected some trash and dirt on the road - not even Al-Shan was this spotlessly clean - instead of roads so clean they look like they were never used.

Cal soon saw the reason why the streets were so clean when a roving group of skeletons with brooms and other cleaning implements passed by the other side of the street and cleaned it. She asked Aideen about it and was given the reply that many such skeleton crews worked perpetually around the hour to keep the city clean.

The destination that Aideen let them to, was the Palace of Bones, also known to be the greatest cathedral in worship of Tohrmut, the Deity of Death, and where the Bone Lord, suspected to be the only lich in existence, resided.

Cal - along with her nieces and Ying Xiao - was awed by the visage of the grand cathedral, a truly massive building, larger than the castles and palaces of many emperors and kings, constructed out of a granite base, with a vast multitude of decorations and sections made entirely out of pristine white bones and ivory.

There were several smaller chapels to the side of the grand cathedral itself, where worshippers go to pay their respects to the deity most of the time, as the main cathedral itself was only used on special occasions.

Aideen led them straight to the main cathedral, where the door opened itself as she approached. Cal was alarmed when a large hand made of white bones grabbed Aideen soon after she entered and lifted her up, but relaxed when she heard the Unliving woman's laughter from inside.

She too walked in, and saw a sight that nearly made her gasp. Aideen was being hugged by a four meter tall undead monstrosity, which had the shape of a being of flesh and blood, despite its entire body being constructed out of cleverly assembled bones. The twelve-armed being hugged Aideen close to it with its four larger, triple jointed arms with more humanlike hands, while its six heads - four of which resembled puppies while the other two resembled kittens of all things - rubbed themselves fondly on Aideen's body or licked her with a bony faux tongue.

It dawned to Cal that the undead construct acted much like a pet seeing its owner after a long time.

"Oh, Auntie Aideen? Nice of you to visit," said a woman who came over soon after they entered. The young woman looked like a half elf, with long, flowing silvery hair, and was seated atop another undead construct that looked almost alive, one in the form of what looked to be a winged wolf, easily two meters tall at the shoulder and also entirely made out of cleverly assembled bones.

"Oh, Mimia! Good timing!" Aideen said as she greeted the newcomer. "Put me down please, Trí?"

The undead construct with the puppy and kitten-like heads listened to Aideen, and placed her down gently while it gave a sound that sounded like both a whine and a purr. Aideen walked over to the bone wolf and nuzzled its muzzle while she scratched its chin with her other hand, while the construct rubbed its head on her with fond familiarity as well.

"Who are our guests this time, auntie?" Asked Mimia as she dismounted from the bone wolf. "I know Kino, but the rest are new to me."

"Oh right. Mimia, meet Cal, and the rest are her nieces and students," Aideen said as an introduction for Cal. "They're Calais' descendants."

"Cal, meet Mimia," Aideen continued as Mimia gave a surprised look at her last words. "She would be your aunt by blood. Your father's elder sister."