Summary
Maquia is a gentle, introverted maiden of the Iorph, an ancient race capable of living for centuries and weaving their memories into sacred fabric known as hibiol. Although she had companions like Leilia and Krim, Maquia, who lost her parents early in life, found it difficult to form deep bonds. Her elder warned her away from forming attachments with other species, explaining that the Iorph are the clan of partings, destined to outlive everyone they love and suffer true loneliness. The peace of her homeland was shattered when the expansionist Mezarte kingdom invaded, seeking to steal the Iorph’s longevity for their bloodline, just as they had previously conquered the last giant dragons, the Renato. The invaders slaughtered most of the Iorph and abducted the women, leaving Maquia as the sole survivor after she escaped on the back of a dying, rampaging Renato, ending up alone in a remote forest. Defying her elder’s warnings and facing the hardship of raising a child who ages much faster than she does, Maquia chose to survive and adapt to the human world. She discovered a newborn in a ruined village and adopted him as her own, naming him Ariel.
