Four years after the calamity and three before you start writing your memoirs, you leave your home in Ul’dah in pursuit of arcanistry. In doing so, you leave behind your mother Anah, a devoted paladin sworn to the Sultana. For a while, you thought you would be one too, but…It didn’t work out that way.

You also leave behind your childhood friend, Mizu, an Au Ra thaumaturge who carefully treads the line between ‘excited to learn new things’ and ‘obsessed with the explosive power she wields.’ For as long as you’ve known one another, you’ve had each others’ backs, but you need to press forward instead of lingering on a path that wasn’t a good fit for you. Before you leave, you have Grilled Dodo together at The Quicksand.

She wishes you the best and encourages you to come back home if things don’t work out (in her own special way.) You appreciate the sentiment, and agree to do as such, but you’re eager to finally have the opportunity to make something of yourself instead of weighing everyone around you down. With nothing more than two holy spells at your disposal and a meager sum of gil, you travel from Vesper Bay to the great city-state of Limsa Lominsa.

You feel desperately ill while traveling by boat, as you’ve only voyaged once or twice in your entire life, and feel much more comfortable traveling by cart. The entire time you’re sailing, you stress over whether or not your vessel will be raided by the pirates that strangle Vylbrand’s seas, but as usual you were worried for nothing.

Your other older half-brother, Anah’a, left Ul’dah in the same manner around two years prior, though mostly because of incessant arguments he had with your shared mother. Though he and your mom don’t talk as much anymore, he still writes frequently to you about his experiences as an elite investigator for the guild.

Of course, being a family with the names Anah, Anah’a, and S’anah’to, things can get a bit confusing-- especially when, per Seeker nomenclature, those who are close to you drop the ‘S’ at the start of your name, meaning three members of your family will perk up in attention if someone says ‘Anah.’

To remedy this, you were nicknamed ‘Little S’ by Anah’a, which later devolved into “Shrimp,” a name you are still called to this day despite being taller than him and barely a year younger. He, meanwhile, evolved from ‘Big A’ to ‘Ace,’ an alias which he uses as a rogue. He says it’s to help conceal his identity, but you think it’s just because it sounds cool.

The air is dense and humid, and the city is bustling with much more noise than you’re accustomed to. You keep your hand firmly wrapped around your gil pouch the entire time you’re in public, and head straight toward the Arcanist’s guild. As you travel, you pass by a dancing troupe surrounded by a large crowd clapping and cheering for the performance. Tempting as it is to sneak a peek, you steel your resolve and push past the distraction.

The sun bakes the long piers which you must navigate through to reach the Arcanist’s guild. You were never a huge fan of the oceans, vast and terrifying as they are, but Limsa managed to give it a uniquely homey feel.

Admittedly, you get a bit lost, but eventually manage to stumble your way to your destination. To your surprise, the place is crowded with people who are desperately trying to get document approval and inspections. A man at the front of the line is shouting about how important it is that his shipment comes in today, and the dock workers are visibly exhausted.

Luckily, the guild’s receptionist is free, and so you approach her instead. She welcomes you to the guild and you thank her, giving her a sealed envelope with The Sultana’s official seal on it. You were hesitant to even present this letter as you didn’t want your accomplishments as an Arcanist to be anything but your own, and the receptionist’s face lighting up upon seeing the seal only reaffirmed this.

You were tempted to say ‘I’m sorry-- that wasn’t meant for you,’ or something along those lines, but you weren’t able to come up with a good enough lie before she carefully opened it. Within the envelope was a ringing endorsement from the Sultana of Ul’dah, remarking on your skills as a mage and how you nearly made the cut to be a Paladin.

Your mother was very insistent on getting you such a letter, and Nanamo was happy to oblige due to their close friendship as a high-ranking member of her guard. The guild receptionist skims over the letter and her eyes grow wider with each sentence, causing you to get more flustered by how ridiculous it was that your mother thought this would be anything but completely unnecessary.

Once she is finished reading it, she gets up and delivers it to Thubyrgeim, the acting guildmaster. She takes only one quick look at the letter before letting out a gentle ‘ah!’, gesturing for you to approach her, which you do.

“S’anah’to, I presume?” She asked with a gentle and sophisticated voice-- much more so than anyone you had encountered both in Limsa and on the trip over to it. You nod and she gives a warm smile. “Excellent! Word of your planned voyage reached us a few days ago, and I have been ecstatic for your transfer. Your academic background may present a unique opportunity for our guild to investigate the arcane geometries of the magic Paladins wield.”

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You receive your first grimoire-- a delicately crafted tome with a smooth, blue hardcover. On its cover is the crest of Ul’dah, contained within the shield used to represent Paladins as a whole. If the grimoire wasn’t so beautiful, you would be tempted to ask for a less regal one-- one that better suits your novice status, but you certainly don’t want to seem ungrateful.

The book is heavy, but nowhere near the weight of a sword and shield. You thank her and quickly begin to flip through the first few pages to observe the arcane geometries inscribed on each page, only to realize that most of the grimoire is empty. At first disappointing, but when you realize that it means you will be responsible for its contents, you get enamored thinking of the possibilities which lay before you.

“I am Thubyrgeim Guldweitzwyn, the acting guild master while the true guild master is out.” You exchange a handshake, and successfully resist the urge to restate your name. “With this grimoire in hand, we will be able to determine your aptitude for arcanistry.” She reaches for a book on the shelf behind her and flips through a few pages. “In Lower La Noscea, there are three species of pest which I would have you eradicate-- three each.” She turns the book to you and shows you detailed illustrations of each beast. “Wharf rats, little ladybugs, and aureliae.

“If you’d like, there are training dummies just downstairs which you may practice on. When you feel sufficiently ready, leave the city through the Tempest Gate, and you will find them in abundance.” She closes the book and places it back on the shelf from which she obtained it. “Since you already have great combat experience, I do not foresee these opponents causing you much difficulty at all. Once you clear this preliminary trial, you’ll be welcomed as an official member of the Arcanist’s guild.”

You thank her and take up the offer to practice downstairs. The spiral staircase which leads down to the basement is dimly lit and much longer than you expected, but eventually paves open to a small arena-esque area. At its center are a handful of training dummies, and the room is empty beyond a Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun woman with shoulder-length purple hair petting an emerald rat creature made of light.

Though you had never seen one, you speculate that this is a Carbuncle, animal-like summons which most arcanists use as travel companions to aid them in battle. When she sees you enter the room, she smiles and waves hello, and you reciprocate in kind. You approach the training dummy in the center and open to the first spell-- Ruin.

You turn partially away from the training dummy so it would be…hypothetically easier to dodge incoming attacks. In your right arm you secure your grimoire, and begin the familiar process of casting. You draw upon your own aether and attempt to channel it through the grimoire, rather than through a blade.

As your aether flows through the enchanted ink, the pages emit a vibrant golden glow. After a few seconds to allow the spell to build up in strength, you slid your free hand across the page to direct the spell towards the dummy, landing the attack straight on its center. When it landed, the dummy shook and tipped back slightly before stabilizing, leaving a visible char.

“Good form!” The girl said cheerfully, coming up next to you and looking at your grimoire. “Is this your first time using one?”

“..Yes, but I’ve cast plenty of spells before, just not with a grimoire.” You say.

“You see these three circles in the bottom right?” She pointed to a set of circles which had a straight line connecting them, right at the edge of the page. “This is the arcane modifier. Since all three are filled in with unaspected ink, it means your attack won’t have any elemental charge!” She pulled out her own grimoire and pointed to her version of Ruin, which had purple circles. “By aspecting it to lightning, I can use it to deal extra damage against water elementals! Isn’t arcanistry the coolest?”

“That’s fascinating!” You say with a swell of hope in your chest. “How do you get aspected ink?”

“They import it from Ul’dah, though I think you can get some from the guild itself if you just ask.” The woman returned to her carbuncle and began to pet it again. In response, it whipped its tail from side to side. “I’m K’yoko by the way-- I’ve been an arcanist here for a little while now, but I’ve been around carbuncles almost my whole life!” She picked up her carbuncle and turned to you. “I spent the last few years conducting research for the guild before officially joining.”

“I see. I’m S’anah’to,” you say, reaching your hand out for a handshake, which she accepts. “I just moved here from Ul’dah to study Arcanistry-- before I came here, I was training to be a Paladin under the Sultana.” You close your tome and clip it to your side. “My magic was good enough that they let me transfer here.”

“Have you completed your first mission? It took me ages to beat those bugs, but when I did, I finally got a carbuncle of my own!” She gave her carbuncle an affectionate squeeze and it let out a happy ‘Gweh!’

“I was getting ready to, I just wanted to make sure I was able to use the grimoire before heading out to do the real thing.” You nervously chuckle. “Speaking of which, I should go do that, I wouldn’t want to keep Miss Guld...I wouldn’t want to keep the guild waiting!”

“Alright, but bring your carbuncle when you get one! I want to see it!” K’yoko said excitedly as you ventured back upstairs.

Once you return upstairs, you swiftly move towards the Tempest Gate, signaling the true start of your adventures in Limsa.