Submission (#6106) Approved

Cheser had a habit of wandering, so he never quite stayed in the same place twice. That said, Enmir was his home, meaning it was more than likely for him to frequent favored spots, considering he often tried to keep his distance from others. And so, he ended up passing by a part of the swamp where the mana concentration was higher, often known as a mana well. The higher mana concentration yielded anima crystals that came in various sizes, generally sporting hues of vibrant yellowy-green, reflected in the ample amounts of fireflies that were also drawn to this place. It even affected others in strange ways, such as making them an eerie cyan blue. Coupled with some that were also larger in size, from a distance they gave off the illusion of will-o-wisps, which made passerbys all the more weary of venturing into such a place.

However, for Chester, this was a haven. He always felt awkward around other nins, who often gawked at his larger size. If it wasn’t the innocent gawking of kittoms who marveled at how he towered over them, it was the hushed whispers of the adults over his “menacing” appearance. It wasn’t as if he was asked to be born with sharp talons capable of shredding meat with ease, or for wings that gave him the visage of nightly creatures. His dark coat and luminous fur certainly didn’t help, as it had often given unsuspecting elnin a fright when they chanced upon him at night. While he wasn’t ashamed of who he was, there were times when he wished he was a bit more normal, if only to fit in better.

Well… that was in the past, anyways. Now he was in the marshlands, somewhat in the border between the Cindermarsh and Shaedmoor. It was far enough in the Cindermarsh that travelers generally wouldn’t stumble upon, but not deep enough in Shaedmoor to the point where the water was dark and murky. The slight overlap in the two swamps also yielded to a mix of flora and fauna that generally only inhabited one of these areas, which made this place all the more special.

That said… something felt off. The usual vibrant mana crystals were turning dull and cracked. The flora that was flourishing off the high mana concentration were looking sickly, with some even starting to die off. And the area, which was often filled with an assortment of critters, seemed all too eerily quiet, without a single chirp or croak. He couldn’t see any movement in the water, which often housed tadpoles and horned bullfrogs, nor hear the flapping of wings from the crows often drawn to this place by the abundance of fireflies. And while the area wasn’t completely devoid of lifeforms, the fireflies that flitted in the air were few and far in between, definitely nowhere in comparison to the usual amount that would be enough to light up a dark night sky.

Venturing towards one of the crystals, Chester noticed that some flecks of light were emanating off them. They weren’t similar to the emberglow motes that floated off his own fur and anima, but instead, these were more vertical, with some even appearing white. Upon realizing what it was, he stepped back with a start. This was… mana bleed, a sure sign of mana corruption. While his djinnin traits and stature often made others weary of him, another thing that made them avoid him outright were the splintered anima shards jutting out of his body. He couldn’t remember exactly how he had gotten these, other than that they were a form of mana corruption and generally (heavily) looked down upon. They were often tell-tale signs of one’s recklessness, venturing into areas they shouldn’t go, or perhaps making unscrupulous deals with shady feyfolk for these strange traits. While it’s been confirmed that these traits weren’t hereditary or easily passed on in any way, it still didn’t make elnins any less wary.

Though it was confirmed mana flaw traits couldn’t be passed on in any way from one elnin to another, that didn’t mean it was impossible. During his travels, he had heard a tale of an elnin who had been cursed while at an archaeological dig, with their mana flaw symptoms seemingly untreatable. They were also able to pass on the traits to their offspring, albeit the symptoms being a bit less potent. While Chester himself couldn’t imagine settling down with anyone, that didn’t mean it was impossible, which made him all the more wary of being with others. And if there was such a case of an inheritable mana flaw trait, did that mean it was possible for one to influence their surroundings as well?

As much as he loved this place, he never lingered for too long. At most a night or two, and then he would be on his way again, venturing into other areas of the swamp and even other regions. That said, it was still a place he called “home”, meaning he certainly frequented this area much more than others, so could it be possible that him being here slowly corrupted the mana well?

Something welled up inside him as he was filled with grief and guilt. He had never wanted to cause others inconvenience or harm, which was why he distanced himself from others. That didn’t mean he didn’t wish for companionship though, and would often feel lonely on his journey. Here, the critters didn’t pay him much mind, and most didn’t even flee or shy away from him, treating him as one would a rock that was just there. Some may have been curious enough to venture close, but Chester always made sure not to move or startle them, letting them inspect and sniff to their content. But now…

He closed his eyes. No.
Dwelling on this wouldn’t change anything.
If he wanted to do something. If he wanted to save this place, he would need to seek out the reason for the corruption, and if he truly were the problem, then he would leave.