Book One – Chapter 13

Midnight’s pursuit of the fiator was an intense exercise in concentration, a test of her newfound abilities against the challenges of this unfamiliar terrain. The bird’s rapid, unpredictable movements demanded her full attention, forcing her to hone her focus with each passing second. Initially, she had merely recognised the bird’s essence, a vague sense of its presence. But as the chase continued, her awareness deepened. She began to distinguish between the different parts of the fiator — not just the swirling Rothar, the ethereal energy that animated his existence, but also the physical body that followed the directions of this inner force. Together, these components framed the whole being, yet it was the essence that Midnight came to understand as the true core of the fiator’s existence.

In a sudden moment of clarity, a flickering image of an arachnid flashed across Midnight’s mind, a revolting comparison that startled her with its unexpected relevance. The essence of a beast, she realised, was akin to an arachnid spinning and spanning a web around its own eight legs. This web was both a part of the arachnid and something separate, a delicate yet powerful structure that connected its legs and claimed the space in between. Anything caught in this web belonged to the arachnid, to be grasped, encased, consumed, or even released at its discretion.

Yet, while all that the arachnid caught was indeed its own, yes, in the most primal and incontestable understanding of every respectable beast, of the arachnid, it was not the arachnid itself. The web, though inextricably linked to the creature’s existence, was not The Arachnid. Even if the web were destroyed, even if a leg were lost, the arachnid would remain, capable of spinning a new web, of eventually reclaiming its space in the world. Similarly, a beast’s Rothar and body could sustain damage, could be reduced or even severed, yet the essence — the core of its being — might survive, might continue to exist in some form.