#setoto seto

Lalapril 2025

5) Ache 🩹🩺

Have you been well? I pray your journey to Garlemald was uneventful, and your stay evenly so. I pray the cold doesn't bite you too much; I know that you were sent with warm cloaks and clothing.

I myself have been fine as well, although I am restless. I wish to help with whatever skill I have, yet I am still hesitant to call my faerie. Part of it is fear, I suppose. At least, Surito believes so, and I am inclined to believe him; and what better way to allay that fear than to bite through it and do that very thing.

This is also why I believe your decision to go was incredibly brave of you, and I greatly admire it. Simply diving into the unknown, ready to face the enemy head-on.

And, writing you, I believe I thought of something I could do. My enemies were never one with a face- it was a sickness, something invisible. The ones stricken by the tower have something remarkably similar to the affliction I had until but recently. With Surito's guidance, I believe I could make a difference.

I shall write to the embassy fortwith. While it still frightens me to head to places so foreign, it is something I wish to do.

I shall tell you all about it in my next letter, so please, stay safe, like I know you will.

With warmest regards,

Setoto Seto

~

Prompt: reactivation (free write!) || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: This idea originated before the 6.4 PLL that announced Certain Specific Scholar Updates. Yoshi-P, I demand royalties along with the use of my twenty-year old internet handle as the abbreviation for your new expansion.

--

Synnove stared down at the soulstone on her desk; the dark blue stone was cut in such a way that what little light refracted through it drew the eye to the Scholar’s bespectacled emblem carved into its surface. She poked at it gently and the sonorous bzzz of unaspected aether brushed against her mind. Soulstones didn’t usually have unaspected aether unless they were blank, waiting for memory and experience to fill them.

This one was weird.

“This one is weird,” she said aloud. “Not that I don’t mind a mystery, but Surito is sending this along because…?”

“It’s something about the fairy,” Halulu said. “This one is from the most recent cache of soulstones the recovery teams have located in the Palace, and it’s the only one Surito can’t place to its original owner at the time of Nym’s fall. All the others, if he couldn’t recognize the aetherial signature, the fairy within responded at least long enough to identify herself and her Scholar.”

“But this one stayed silent,” Mhaslona said, not a question after Halulu’s explanation. Synnove’s old advisor lounged in one of the chairs on the other side of her desk, turned to the side to allow her to stretch her prosthetic leg out.

Halulu nodded and said, “And since Synnove is Eorzea’s resident strange summons expert…”

“You rewrite the laws of aetherology once and everyone expects you to walk on water,” Synnove grumbled without any heat. Halulu and Mhaslona both snickered at her. “All right, I’ll see if she’ll say hello to me.”

Day 10. Stable

After Setoto was cured, it took a while before she was ready to learn magic again. That didn't stop her from researching theory, however, and both Surito Carito and Alka Zolka were more than happy to supply her with books - both contemporary and Nymian theory. Comparing them was incredibly fascinating, but for now, Setoto focused on arcanima taught in the arcanist's guild.

Alka Zolka watched her train, straining to bring out her magic. She was trying out one of her own old tricks - bring out a little magic light - using the arcanist's grimoire. "Why don't you just go straight to Nymian tecniques?" he asked, curious.

Setoto let go of her magic with a little sigh. "Well," she said, leafing through the pages of the book, "That's because the arcanist's basic spells are actually easier and more aether-efficient than scholar's basic techniques." She pulled out another book, one seemingly far older, and put them together. "Here, page one. Both of these are diagrams to summon a little ball of light, but compare the arcanist's book with the scholar's grimoire."

She was right - while the scholar's grimoire's calculations seemed intricate but powerful, the arcanist's book was smaller, more compact, and lighter. "You conserve aether by modulating your aether output. I asked Surito about it, too, he said that in this case, the scholars didn't think it'd be necessary to include such a thing."

"Huh." Alka looked thoughtful. "How fascinating." He looked at the arcanist's book again. "Oh, have you tried summoning a carbuncle?"

She shook her head. "My aether is barely stable enough to summon this little light." She hesitated. "I'm also… a bit frightened. What if there will be more adverse effects?"

Alka put a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that wouldn't happen. Of course, proceed with caution, don't over-extend; but I have faith in you. I know you can do this."

Setoto smiled back, nodded slightly. "Thank you. You're right, of course." She grabbed the arcanist's book again and leafed through to the page describing the summoning spell. It was far more complicated than the little ball of light - but Setoto's eyes glanced over the page, and Alka saw that she understood nevertheless. He smiled, proud of her.

Setoto closed her eyes and started the summoning spell. She could feel her aether rage within her - while the cure calmed it so that it was nothing like when she was a tonberry, she could still feel how it felt, like a dark shadow. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the spell, willing her aether to be calm, more stable. A sudden wave of aether overtook her, and she flinched, ending the spell with a small yelp. "Ah…"

Alka was by her side in a second. "Setoto! Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes, I'm fine." She gave him a warm smile. "I'll… I want to try again."

This time it felt far better. Now that she knew more what to expect, she re-did the spell - and with a quiet 'ding', she was able to summon a carbuncle! Setoto grinned happily, and Alka cheered for her. "Ah, you did it!"

Setoto nodded. "I'm glad." She sighed in relief. "Ah, maybe this means that my aether is stable enough to try summoning my father's faerie again!" Setoto's eyes glittered with hope. "Oh, I must tell Surito about this!"