"The existence of the Unliving sometimes caused meetings that would normally be impossible to happen, like an ancestor meeting a descendant of theirs from a millennium later. Such meetings were usually unexpected, and rare, but most of the time, cherished by both sides of the meeting." - Wexley Siduros, scholar studying the Unliving at the Levain Institute for Higher Learning.
"Oh my, oh my, this is most unexpected!" Mimia said as she held Cal's hand and looked closely at her face. Though they were both half elves, Mimia was a bit shorter, only as tall as Aideen, and far less physically built compared to Cal, though from her face Cal could indeed spot some similarities with her father. "You do look quite a bit like little Cal, inherited his hair too~"
While albinism itself wasn't that uncommon in nature, the sort Cal's father Calais had was actually rather magical in nature, tied to a mutation in life affinity, commonly found amongst elves. Those born with particularly strong talent in life affinity often exhibit albinism, and it carries down to their descendants as long as they still had life affinity in them. One reason Khal-est and Idania both inherited the trait, but not their children.
"This is a bit awkward, since we're meeting for the first time. You're named Cal as well?" Mimia asked with some curiosity in her voice. Aideen just watched them interact while she playfully scratched the chin of the bone wolf - Cal though she heard Aideen call it Haon - while patting the other bone monster's heads with her other hand.
"Father named me Celeysria, yes… Aunt Mimia," said Cal in reply to her aunt's question. "These are Elaina and Sidonie, they're my elder half sister Idania's daughters. And that's Leila, she's my half-brother's granddaughter."
"Little Calais has so many kids?" Mimia said with a slight scoff, like a sister being miffed at her little brother. "That naughty kid rarely sent news home, so we never knew much about him other than what Aideen could tell us. Is he… still alive?"
"Father passed away over fifty years ago, Aunt Mimia," answered Cal solemnly.
"I should have expected as much… that would put him at… just over a thousand then. Being Unliving often makes you forget how fast time passes for others," said Mimia somewhat sadly. "Enough dallying though, come with me. I should introduce you all to grandpa. He'd be so happy to meet you all."
"Grandpa?" Cal asked with some curiosity.
"My grandfather, so your great-grandfather. He lives here as well, and also became an Unliving on his death," explained Mimia. "Come along, I'll introduce you all."
Mimia led the group further into the bone cathedral. Cal and her nieces were quite awed by the many lifelike sculptures and decorations around the cathedral, all made from bone and ivory, as well as murals set in gigantic blocks of clear resin that depicted figures made from bone and ivory in various activities, in such lifelike poses Cal wouldn't have been surprised to see the figures walk out from their diorama.
Before they walked that far in, they ran into another half elven woman, one with jet black hair tied in a long ponytail. She had a lifelike owl made from ivory pieces perched on one shoulder, and a large raven made from blackened bone pieces on her other shoulder.
"We have guests, dear?" The woman asked as she saw Mimia lead the group inside. Then she saw Aideen at the back of the group and smiled widely. "Aunt Aideen! It's been a while!"
"Heya there, Éirynn," said Aideen as she hugged the woman. "Cal, this is Éirynn, my niece. She's also been with Mimia since when they both were still alive."
"Nice to meet you," Cal said, as Éirynn nodded and shook her hand.
"You seen grandpa, Éir?" Mimia asked her long-time spouse. "Cal here is little Calais's kid, and most of the rest are his grandkids or great grandkids so I want to bring her to meet him."
"Grandpa Drietven? He was by the kitchen last I saw him. Let me have Noí look for him," replied Éirynn, as the raven on her shoulder took flight and flew towards the direction she came from.
"He's still there, follow me," she said a minute or so later, as she led them on their way.
They walked a good five minutes - the cathedral was vast - before they reached their destination, and there, Cal saw an old elf, who looked to be in his eighth or ninth century, standing with the raven that Éirynn called Noí perched on his shoulder.
"Grandpa!" Mimia called as she saw the old elf, and went to hug him like a spoiled child.
"What is it, Mimia? And hello, Éirynn," asked the old elf as he hugged Mimia with one hand and waved at Éirynn with his other hand.
"Grandpa! That is Celeysria, she's Calais's daughter. Those beside her are her nieces and grand-niece, and her student as well," introduced Mimia.
"Oh? Truly? Come closer, child, let this old man see you better," said the old elf - Drietven, Mimia said his name was - with a grandfatherly smile on his bearded, wrinkled face. Cal walked closer, as did Elaina, Sidonie, and Leila, and the old elf gently caressed her face with one wrinkled hand. "Yes… you really are my grandson's child, I can see his features in you… it has been so long since he departed from here to find his own way of life…"
"Nice to meet you too… great grandpa," said Cal in return with a slight smile. It was an unexpected surprise that Aideen had known of other, far older family members of hers, but she was… happy to meet them.
They soon had a lively, friendly chat, and when Cal mentioned that the rest of the family was still gathered in Paradise - Vark had went back to Levain for his work, but that was a single gate away, and Khal-Est had stayed to mingle with Unitia and Idania some more when Cal left -, Drietven decided that he should ask for a rare vacation so he could visit them. Mimia and Éirynn agreed with the suggestion, and Aideen volunteered to introduce them since she would be going back with them.
For now, though, Aideen wanted to first introduce Cal to another figure who resided in Ptolodecca. Namely, the Champion of Death.
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"The existence of the Unliving sometimes caused meetings that would normally be impossible to happen, like an ancestor meeting a descendant of theirs from a millennium later. Such meetings were usually unexpected, and rare, but most of the time, cherished by both sides of the meeting." - Wexley Siduros, scholar studying the Unliving at the Levain Institute for Higher Learning.
"Oh my, oh my, this is most unexpected!" Mimia said as she held Cal's hand and looked closely at her face. Though they were both half elves, Mimia was a bit shorter, only as tall as Aideen, and far less physically built compared to Cal, though from her face Cal could indeed spot some similarities with her father. "You do look quite a bit like little Cal, inherited his hair too~"
While albinism itself wasn't that uncommon in nature, the sort Cal's father Calais had was actually rather magical in nature, tied to a mutation in life affinity, commonly found amongst elves. Those born with particularly strong talent in life affinity often exhibit albinism, and it carries down to their descendants as long as they still had life affinity in them. One reason Khal-est and Idania both inherited the trait, but not their children.
"This is a bit awkward, since we're meeting for the first time. You're named Cal as well?" Mimia asked with some curiosity in her voice. Aideen just watched them interact while she playfully scratched the chin of the bone wolf - Cal though she heard Aideen call it Haon - while patting the other bone monster's heads with her other hand.
"Father named me Celeysria, yes… Aunt Mimia," said Cal in reply to her aunt's question. "These are Elaina and Sidonie, they're my elder half sister Idania's daughters. And that's Leila, she's my half-brother's granddaughter."
"Little Calais has so many kids?" Mimia said with a slight scoff, like a sister being miffed at her little brother. "That naughty kid rarely sent news home, so we never knew much about him other than what Aideen could tell us. Is he… still alive?"
"Father passed away over fifty years ago, Aunt Mimia," answered Cal solemnly.
"I should have expected as much… that would put him at… just over a thousand then. Being Unliving often makes you forget how fast time passes for others," said Mimia somewhat sadly. "Enough dallying though, come with me. I should introduce you all to grandpa. He'd be so happy to meet you all."
"Grandpa?" Cal asked with some curiosity.
"My grandfather, so your great-grandfather. He lives here as well, and also became an Unliving on his death," explained Mimia. "Come along, I'll introduce you all."
Mimia led the group further into the bone cathedral. Cal and her nieces were quite awed by the many lifelike sculptures and decorations around the cathedral, all made from bone and ivory, as well as murals set in gigantic blocks of clear resin that depicted figures made from bone and ivory in various activities, in such lifelike poses Cal wouldn't have been surprised to see the figures walk out from their diorama.
Before they walked that far in, they ran into another half elven woman, one with jet black hair tied in a long ponytail. She had a lifelike owl made from ivory pieces perched on one shoulder, and a large raven made from blackened bone pieces on her other shoulder.
"We have guests, dear?" The woman asked as she saw Mimia lead the group inside. Then she saw Aideen at the back of the group and smiled widely. "Aunt Aideen! It's been a while!"
"Heya there, Éirynn," said Aideen as she hugged the woman. "Cal, this is Éirynn, my niece. She's also been with Mimia since when they both were still alive."
"Nice to meet you," Cal said, as Éirynn nodded and shook her hand.
"You seen grandpa, Éir?" Mimia asked her long-time spouse. "Cal here is little Calais's kid, and most of the rest are his grandkids or great grandkids so I want to bring her to meet him."
"Grandpa Drietven? He was by the kitchen last I saw him. Let me have Noí look for him," replied Éirynn, as the raven on her shoulder took flight and flew towards the direction she came from.
"He's still there, follow me," she said a minute or so later, as she led them on their way.
They walked a good five minutes - the cathedral was vast - before they reached their destination, and there, Cal saw an old elf, who looked to be in his eighth or ninth century, standing with the raven that Éirynn called Noí perched on his shoulder.
"Grandpa!" Mimia called as she saw the old elf, and went to hug him like a spoiled child.
"What is it, Mimia? And hello, Éirynn," asked the old elf as he hugged Mimia with one hand and waved at Éirynn with his other hand.
"Grandpa! That is Celeysria, she's Calais's daughter. Those beside her are her nieces and grand-niece, and her student as well," introduced Mimia.
"Oh? Truly? Come closer, child, let this old man see you better," said the old elf - Drietven, Mimia said his name was - with a grandfatherly smile on his bearded, wrinkled face. Cal walked closer, as did Elaina, Sidonie, and Leila, and the old elf gently caressed her face with one wrinkled hand. "Yes… you really are my grandson's child, I can see his features in you… it has been so long since he departed from here to find his own way of life…"
"Nice to meet you too… great grandpa," said Cal in return with a slight smile. It was an unexpected surprise that Aideen had known of other, far older family members of hers, but she was… happy to meet them.
They soon had a lively, friendly chat, and when Cal mentioned that the rest of the family was still gathered in Paradise - Vark had went back to Levain for his work, but that was a single gate away, and Khal-Est had stayed to mingle with Unitia and Idania some more when Cal left -, Drietven decided that he should ask for a rare vacation so he could visit them. Mimia and Éirynn agreed with the suggestion, and Aideen volunteered to introduce them since she would be going back with them.
For now, though, Aideen wanted to first introduce Cal to another figure who resided in Ptolodecca. Namely, the Champion of Death.
Avitue If you enjoy this story, please consider leaving a rating or review to help it gain more exposure, thank you! Or help support the author by leaving a tip!
Read ahead on my Patreon! For 5$ a month patrons will gain early access of up to 25 chapters ahead, or for 10$ a month, gain early access of up to 55 (10% bonus) chapters ahead!
Or you can subscribe to both my stories and get a 10% discount on the price!
Join the Discord for silly stuff and chat with us!
