“The majority of beings would often submit to what some might call their fate, their destiny, a path already set for them in life. Yet at times, some would stand up and openly fight against the so-called preordained path before them, they would see out their own way in life. Carve their own destiny with their own hands, unwilling to allow the so-called fate to dictate their life.
These exceptional beings tend to be the ones we write down about in our history books, the Emperors, the Heroes, the Villains and Monsters, most of them tend to be those who stand in defiance against the fate laid out before them.” - Orifaus of Londgren, Philosopher from Ur-Teros, circa 17 VA.
“That surprised me,” said Kino as the group walked through a small forest path off the main road and a sudden flash of brilliance flitted before their eyes.
At first they almost reacted by bringing out their weapons, but after a second look they realized that what they saw was only a group of large moths, with the one in the lead being a beautiful creature around the size of two palms that appeared as if it was formed out of flames somehow. The creatures circled the group, seemingly with curiosity, but made no move against them.
That they put down their guard was rather natural. Other than a few infamous exceptions, most smaller monsters were pretty harmless to people, the most famous exception being the butterfly-like creature endemic to the Great Emerald Forest. Despite its tiny size the creature was known to be able to trap far larger creatures and even people in its illusions until they perished.
On the other hand, the moths they saw before them were something Aideen recognized, and her calm demeanor practically told the rest of her group that there was no danger to the creatures.
“What is that one called, Miss Aideen?” asked Kino with some curiosity as she watched the flaming moth circle around them. The creature was quite a sight to behold, as if multiple wisps of flames in differing shades came together in the form of a moth. The wings in particular shone in so many colors it was practically iridescent.
“This here is a pretty rare Firebrand Moth,” said Aideen as she lifted one hand and poured out some of her mana, forming a dense concentration of mana on her palm to the point that even Celia – who was the worst with magic out of all of them – could feel it. The moth above also noticed it and flew straight to Aideen’s upturned palm and landed gently, folding its wings and looking comfortable on her palm.
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“Can we touch it?” asked Celia with as much curiosity as Kino showed earlier.
“Go ahead, but be gentle. These things are pretty fragile, as you might expect,” said Aideen as she showed the Firebrand Moth to the others. When the others touched the creature, they realized that it felt rather ethereal, as if it was not physically there. The creature did not look like it was made out of wisps of flame, it was literally composed of flames that somehow coalesced together to form it.
“These things’ bodies are constructs of mana, almost like us Unliving in some ways, though they took a more ethereal form of existence,” explained Aideen as she gently caressed the moth’s back with her other hand. The moth itself didn’t care one whit about all the strangers touching it, too engrossed in absorbing the mana Aideen offered all the while. “They survive entirely by absorbing mana, so you could only find them in places where the ambient mana is richer, like this forest.”
“Are they considered monsters, then?” asked Rhys from the side. Monsters were a general term used for animals that awakened their magic the way a person did, a process that often also changed them in various other ways. Despite the term, quite a few monsters were harmless, and some kinds were even domesticated.
“They are, though they’re pretty much harmless,” said Aideen. Her words were true, for although the Firebrand Moth’s body was literally composed of flames, it barely gave off heat. At most they felt warmer while caressing it, and the fire would not be able to really burn anything. “These things are also really rare since the chances of one coming into existence is pretty low. In many ways, they have to defy their destiny to become such an existence.”
“How so, Aunt?” asked Eilonwy.
“When caterpillars turn into moths of this breed, their days are numbered. They have neither mouths nor digestive systems. Their sole reason for existence as moths is to mate, lay eggs, and then die,” explained Aideen. “Moths of this breed rarely live for more than a week after they emerge from their cocoon, a truly ephemeral existence, you could say.”
“On the other hand, sometimes, some lucky moth might emerge near or run across a mana stone deposit in their brief life. They are quite sensitive to mana, and are easily attracted to it, as you saw. If one of these moths ignored their instincts to mate and instead stayed by the mana stone, there is a small chance that they might eventually turn into one of these fellows,” she added while raising the hand with the Firebrand Moth for the others to see more clearly. “Unlike their ephemeral kind, these are pretty much immortal, probably in the same way we Unliving are. If you shatter their bodies, they will reform out of mana after a while.”
“That’s quite a motivational story, in a way. To set out against one’s destiny and search for immortality, heh. Reminds me of some stories I’ve read before,” commented Celia with a nod. “None of those stories have protagonists like this little fellow, though. I doubt most of them would look anywhere as pretty either, in comparison.”
“It’s one way to view things, yeah. Fellows like these are a good reminder that we’re not the only things that matter in this world, that even those we often view as insignificant might have their own goals and dreams as well,” said Aideen as she finally stopped feeding the moth with her mana. She raised her hand and the moth took flight once more, its iridescent flaming wings spread wide, shining brighter than before.