Sunny Gladdows was a boy of the Shroud who was set to inherit his father's small leatherworking business as the only child. But the blood of the favoured Pesi clan ran thick in him through his late mother's side, and he was confirmed Padjal.His confirmation came by way of prophecy a Light-aspected Elemental spoke to him regarding the coming of the 8th Umbral Calamity.The sighting of a Light-aspected Elemental caused a great stir in the Shroud and revived the old debates on whether or not Light and Dark were of themselves elements rather than attributes. To Sunny, it made no difference; this was just one of the many ways his life was about to turn upside down.Now known as E-Tam-Pesi, the sixteen year old padjal spends most of his daylight hours studying ethics and diplomacy and working on conjury rather than hide tanning.As instructed by the Light Elemental, and guided by a rambunctious moogle mentor named Pigmi Pogg, E-Tam is set upon a mission to travel to areas where the aether in crystals runs thinnest. His duty is to discover the wheres and wherefores, and to attempt forestalling the upcoming Calamity by doing what can be done with the conjunction of heroic adventurers and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn alike.Still, despite the great responsibilities heaped upon him almost by accident, he is just a boy trying to adjust to his new life. Though he tries his best to seem mature, his naivity and inexperience often shine through.

Beneath the boughs of the Twelveswood, a young man and his father at last felled their prey: a sanctioned antelope meant to supply their family business with pelts for leather. The antelope shuddered and toppled near a small outcropping of crystals -- the corrupted kind that had erupted shortly after the Seventh Umbral Calamity.Sunny Gladdows reached for their kill, only to give pause when a glowing white figure emerged from a nearby tree. Though it did not speak any words he could understand, Sunny somehow knew what this strange creature was saying:

"Hearken unto me, child, and bear my word. The time of the Eighth Umbral Calamity is upon us. Look to the crystals, and know my words to be true."

And when he looked as bade, he saw that the crystals were barren of the aether they once held. Terrified, Sunny turned back to his father. But his father was delighted. "Sunny," he spake. "Ye've got horns. Ha! That's your mother's blood, alright, rest her soul."Sunny's hands flew to his head. Sure enough, there beneath the pale fluff of his hair were two horns steadily growing. "I am become Padjal," Sunny realised. Rather than being delighted at this accident of fate and discovery, the boy felt his stomach sink.If he had been indeed chosen and the crystals' aether drained as foretold, then that meant...The Elemental spoke true.The Eight Umbral Calamity would soon be upon them.

“He’s a good boy,” Dart said, his rough hands firm on Sunny’s shoulders. “Hard-working. Whip-smart. You’ll help him, won’t you?”Sunny stared at the boy in front of him. He knew this small conjurer was his mother’s kin, that this uncle was somewhere closer to his forties than the nine or ten years of age he seemed. But the black-tipped white horns atop his head had kept him young. They matched the horns that had grown in on Sunny’s own head, though Sunny’s were hidden hastily beneath a leather cap. The others passing through Quarrymill wouldn’t even notice him.O-App-Pesi looked back at him, his startling purple irises perhaps the second most unusual thing about him at first glance. He offered a smile. Sunny tried to return one of his own, but it fell a little flat. It was disconcerting to see someone who looked so much younger than you, but was in fact as old as your own father.O-App-Pesi had a young, calm, clear voice when he spoke. It reminded Sunny of the cool river passing through Hyrstmill, bubbling but gentle, that Sunny would sink his feet into during the hotter moons.“Rest assured, Master Gladdows, it would be my honour and my privilege to escort the late Cordelia’s child to the Fane,” O-App-Pesi said soothingly. “That he has come into his heritage so late is a matter most unusual… though not unheard of. Our own Elder Seedseer is of a similar experience. However…”Dart’s hands tightened on Sunny’s shoulders as O-App-Pesi trailed off.“However?”O-App-Pesi blinked, glancing slowly from father to son.“However, padjal claim kinship only with each other, in order not to inspire doubt in the veracity of any Elemental hearings. After all, a claim of personal bias could cast the entire order beneath a shroud of doubt. Such is why most padjal are brought to the Fane from birth.”But Dart was at a loss.“...Da?”“...Speak plainly, master padjal, I beg of ye. We’re but simple folk, and don’t ken too much of that fancy embellishin’.”“Very well. Henceforth, Sunny Gladdows shall remain Sunny no more ー nor you, his father. Would that it were not so, but I’m afraid it’s long since too late to turn back; the boy’s lot was cast the moment the Elementals deigned to choose him for their own.”Sunny felt the blood rushing to his ears. What? His da?! And this was all the fault of the Elementals?! Sunny thought they were supposed to be kind! And helpful! Dart’s grip on Sunny’s shoulders tightened further. Sunny turned to look up at his father’s stubbled chin. “Da…?”But his uncle was still talking.“Come, I shall give you time to say your goodbyes while I see to readying a carriage to Gridania,” he was saying. Sunny could feel the blood rushing in his ears. “No doubt Brother E-Sumi is already aware of young Sunny’s awakening, and is making ready to receive him.”Thump-thump went Sunny’s heart. No. No. First he saw things, heard things, witnessed terrible portents. Then a splitting headache had resulted in horns growing from his head. He’d already lost his mother. And now…?But O-App-Pesi only said: “Do take your time, though not too long. The ixal have been growing bolder come nightfall, this past moon.”And then he was gone, swept up by the crowd of Quarrymill’s bustling occupants, waiting for their own passage to be approved or denied. There were more types of people here than Sunny had ever seen in any other place before, and now he too was one of the stranger ones.“Da,” Sunny tried again for the third time. He shrugged off his father’s hands and turned to face him, only to be swept up in a warm hug that nearly crushed him.“Sunny. My Sunny, my little sunshine. My boy. You’re gonna be okay, y’hear?”Sunny clutched the back of his father’s leather vest ー one that Sunny had tanned and stitched himself, just this year.“Da, I don’t hafta go. I can just keep wearing a hat,” he bargained, staring wide-eyed at the roughshod embroidery of his father’s lapels, cheek smushed against his father’s chest. “Who’ll help y’at the shop if I’m all the way in Gridania?”“You know you gotta,” Dart gruffed against the top of Sunny’s head, pressing a kiss to the top of Sunny’s cap. The leather crinkled against his horns and crushed the bright, white hair underneath. “Don’t worry about yer da’s old shop. You’re gonna do such great things, Sunny. You’re gonna help so many people.”Sunny pulled away to look up at his dad, witnessing the sorrow and pride in equal measure there. The uncertainty and shock Sunny had felt faded away and a wet film passed over his eyes. “Daー”“Ah, ah,” Dart said, smiling wryly and giving Sunny’s cap an affectionate toss of his hand. “I’ll always be yer father, Sunny. But ye might as well get used to callin’ me Dart, eh? You can do it. You’re nearly a man grown yerself, anyroads. Sixteen and all! Ye don’t need yer old da. Ye need schoolin’. Trainin’. Protection. I can’t give ye that, back in Hyrstmill.”Sunny scrubbed a hand over his eyes quickly.“Who’d have thunk,” Dart was still saying, a hint of wonderment in his voice shining through. “My Cordelia, her Pesi blood comin’ through after all, even after all that nay-sayin’. Y’always did take after her more.”Sunny promptly lost the battle to hold back his tears and threw himself into the arms of Dart Gladdows.They held each other in silence for a while. It felt like hours. It felt like seconds. But far too soon, O-App-Pesi was back.“Your carriage is ready, young Sunny.”Sunny pulled away from his faー from Dart and glanced over at his uncle. A chocobo carriage had pulled up nearby, though still a little out of the way. Two other kids Sunny’s age were already on it, apparently well-settled in already and napping; Sunny noticed no horns were atop their twin heads. A merchant was hoisting crates of goods onto the same cart, and quickly blocked Sunny’s view of them.Dart clapped a bracing hand on Sunny’s back twice.“Well, go on then,” he said. “Show me what ye make of yerself out there, eh?”And with a smile far braver than Sunny felt, he allowed O-App-Pesi to lead him to the waiting carriage.

"And so, from this day forth, thy name shalt forever more be E-Tam-Pesi,” the Elder Seedseer said. Her cane emitted a gentle white glow as it tapped against each of his shoulders. Moogles spun around them, blowing on horns and banging on little cymbals.Sunny could see from the corner of his gaze that O-App-Pesi and E-Sumi-Yan stood not too far away, smiling at him with different degrees of the same pride and pleasure. “May you go forth with Serenity, Sanctity, and Purity, and ever walk in the Light of the Crystal.”Kann-E-Senna smiled down at him, perhaps the only other mostly-grown padjal who could have truly understood Sunny’s circumstances. “Welcome, Brother E-Tam.”The other padjal gathered in the Lotus Stand clapped politely. It was, apparently, a big deal when new padjal were inducted into the Fane.E-Tam-Pesi turned to face them with Kann-E-Senna at his side, and bowed to the small crowd of his new brethren.Kann-E-Senna’s voice pitched quieter as she looked out over the crowd of youthful Ancients. “We hope you come to think of us, too, as family in time,” she said.E-Tam Pesi let out the breath he’d been holding as he straightened, one ornery moogle zooming by as it chased one who’d broken the dancing formation.Family… Yes. With this small band of people who were unaging, who despite their many differences looked like him, and fostered filial ties with each other to stave off the hurt and loneliness that came from unaging…E-Tam-Pesi looked up at Kann-E-Senna, who looked at him with a gentled gaze, and tried for a smile. This time, it came. “I’d like that, too.”