A STUDY IN SESSIONAcademy AU

A STUDY IN SESSION Academy AU

ー 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 🍂🕯️

@benedikt.hoehny

『もし　心細くなってしまったら わたしを思い出してください これからは　少しだけ離れた場所から あなたのことを　お守りします さようなら　ノクティス様ーー』

“If you ever feel lonely, please remember me From now on, I’ll protect you from somewhere a little further away Goodbye, Prince Noctis—”

— English translation by @why-raven.

F A R E W E L L

“Know that I am there, and that I watch over you always.”

FRIEREN ✕ FFXIV Frieren Cosplay AU

Hi!! I told you I’ve been mulling over an ask for you! c’: It’s for Yiuno! I know, Yiuno’s very knowledgeable about the history of the star (-‿◦) could you tell us which era from Hydaelyn’s history he considers his favourite? Without revealing more about his OC lore than you’re comfortable revealing publicly, of course!

Thank you very much for the ask and a million apologies for the super late reply, @archaiclumina! ’Tis a tough question to answer—let’s see:

Though Yiuno has lived well and beyond the age of ordinary mortals, this doesn’t desaturate the memories of his troubled past, nor dampen his feelings for those fleeting moments. He remembers them all—this inability to forget the time he cannot rewind pains him, twisting him into the man he has now become.

To withstand the agony of living on while others around him would perish, he started to distance himself from the people and the world around him—a defensive mechanism to minimize the consequences of growing attachment on things that wouldn’t last forever. Living on becomes a mere routine, a daily motion to go through each day while staying under the radar, hiding in the shadows of history and be forgotten.

Calling these his favorite times in history is a stretch, but Yiuno did break out of the mundane cycle twice in his eternal life so far:

The War of the Magi.

Yiuno, along with his twin sister Yiuna, joined Magi Lucis—the Mages of Light. Similar to the Circle of Knowing (1.0) and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (2.0), Magi Lucis was founded by three mages, from each of the warring factions:

Seika Yan, a white mage from Amdapor,

Loki Zoki, a scholar from Nym, and

Kokoa Koa, a Mhachi magus.

The formation of Magi Lucis was to bring an end to the century-old war through peaceful means. However, that was quickly proven to be impossible, as none of the three nations were willing to negotiate and compromise—all of them were hellbent to destroy one another through military might. The organization was then forced to employ a different approach: by infiltrating each factions from within, they might be able to find ways to steer these nations away from their hunger for power and blood, and convince them to call for a ceasefire, to work towards a more amicable resolution.

Given Yiuna’s aptitude for healing magic, she was assigned to make contact with Amdapor. Through her efforts, she managed to gain the trust of the Elementals—the spirits that co-exist with the people of Amdapor in the woods, which also taught the basics of white magick to the locals.

Yiuno, meanwhile, was sent to Mhach, where he met Shatotto Shato. Shatotto had grown disgusted at the over-reliance on voidsents in the war. She began to develop a new kind of spell, which was later known as black magick. Recognizing Yiuno’s great affinity in her area of study, she wasted no time to force the Veena under her wing, and used him to refine her research with alarming efficiency. Yiuno also later found out that Kokoa was acquainted with Shatotto—both graduated from the same arcane academy in the same year, and Shatotto, with her overwhelming talent, was the top student at that time.

Convinced that her new magic would be enough to finally end this ridiculous bloodshed once and for all, Shatotto brought Yiuno alongside her onto the battlefield, and summoned a meteor rain to annihilate the opposing armies with sheer power. However, she severely underestimated Yiuno’s raw potential. The destruction that they caused was beyond control, wiping out just as many of their own people as their enemies. Shatotto chose to shoulder the full responsibility herself and removed Yiuno from the equation—she believed that it was her own miscalculation that had resulted in the huge loss. She knew that Yiuno had long surpassed her; she wanted him to continue living on and become the epitome of her legacy. He didn’t have to die with her, and bear the shame of her mistakes. (This is the reason why Shatotto was feared in history, and her black magick was often attributed to forbidden arts, or even considered evil.) Yiuno became the last direct successor, though he often hides his knowledge on black magick, and pretends to be a Red Mage instead.

The relationship between Yiuno and Shatotto appeared to be built on mutual benefits (Yiuno used Shatotto’s high rank position in the military for political gains, while Shatotto used Yiuno for her own research); their constant bickering and attempts to dominate over one another gave the impression of being on bad terms. In reality, they were very fond of each other, with mutual respect on equal footing. (On the same note, this is probably why Yiuno clicks so well with Y’shtola later in the game canon timeline, because intellects at that level aren’t easy to come by.)

The Seventh Umbral Calamity.

Yiuno and Yiuna often wandered around Eorzea and other lands as mercenaries for hire. This is mainly to keep themselves under the radar and avoid drawing attention to their immortality. They were hired by an exiled Sharlayan scholar—a Moon Keeper by the name of I’suca Amariyo—on a excursion to the Nhalmasque Ruins. I’suca’s main area of study, which ironically was about the relationship between aether and ageing, brought her to the ruins in search of an artifact rumored to defy the logic of time.

However, what they found was a young Xaela girl cryogenized in a life pod, which appeared to be powered by something similar to Allagan technology. I’suca freed the Au Ra, hoping to learn about her origin and the mystery behind her extraordinary state, but was disappointed when the girl turned out to be amnesiac.

I’suca named her “I’sora Amariyo,” and she began to subject the Xaela to a series of experimentation. The Viera twins, though they didn't agree with I’suca’s questionable treatment towards what she called an “empty vessel,” were bound to the contract as hired bodyguards, and they were unable to openly defy their client. However, they did their best to take care of I’sora, playing with the curious girl and teaching her various things about the world around them. I’sora was particularly close to Yiuno: she’d often curl up next to him whenever she fell asleep. On occasions when the young girl had sudden panic attacks, Yiuno’s presence was the only thing that could calm her down. Both Yiuno and Yiuna had come to regard I’sora as their little sister.

I’suca’s redemption happened during the Seventh Umbral Calamity. She had been tinkering around the life pod while trying to figure out I’sora’s origin (she hypothesized that the child was probably a remnant of the Age of Endless Frost, hence the use of deep freezing to preserve her). To save I’sora and the Viera twins from Bahamut’s rage, she forced the trio into the life pod, and protected them with her own magic until her last breath.

By the time Yiuno and I’sora woke up from their five-year slumber into a new era, they couldn’t any trace of I’suca remaining in the world. Yiuna was also missing, though Yiuno was sure that his twin sister must be still alive somewhere. With the Xaela, renamed as Sora Amariyo, they journeyed across the Star in search of Yiuna, and Sora later became a Warrior of Darkness.

The lore-bending parts are mostly my personal take on existing canon and expanding it further to weave into my blorbos’ lore and backstories. There are actually a lot more to what you’ve just read above, which I’m more than happy to go into details in DMs if anyone is interested. For now, this is the barebone that should (hopefully) answer the question.

Once again, thank you very much for the ask!