Chapter Text
Fai D. Fluorite closed his eyes one night and dreamt he was a butterfly. Not in the same way Zhuangzi did. He was a beautiful, black swallowtail butterfly but he was neither happy nor flattering around, unaware of his humanity. No, he was certainly unaware that he was dreaming but something felt unfulfilling. The butterfly woke up in the land of Chioni, which was far away from here. Much like Serres, a place of which only the faintest of memory could be recalled, Chioni had no sun and the sky was replaced by the thickest clouds imaginable. While most lands were used to sights of grass and concrete, Chioni was always covered by 60cm of snow. Nothing grew in that land of snow, and time itself seemed to have forgotten it. The settlement itself was invisible, as it was the only country in the land. It was built between mountains ten times the size of the tallest mountain one can name, making it impossible to get in or go out. No Chionian, however, cared about the other side anyway, for they were happy. They knew of no sustenance, but they were always full. They knew of no heat, but they were always warm. Their skin was so thick that the cold did not bother them, and their sense of community was so strong that they never met loneliness. Nothing grew in Chioni, so Chionians did not need to eat. No liquid remained unfrozen in Chioni, so Chionians did not need to drink. Perhaps it was stoicism, perhaps it was homogeny, but all Chionians understood and loved eachother, so they were happy.
He knew however, that he was not Chionian. He was a butterfly, so how could he possibly survive there? The environment was hostile and its settlers corrupted. He was not Chionian, so he needed food, drink and warmth. How had he ended up there? Maybe it was Mokona malfunctioning, but he did not understand. It is not that he felt neglected; On the contrary, the locals would travel to the core of the earth to bring him food and water and their effort would not go unnoticed. He was cared for, but he felt neither loved nor understood. He knew of no friends, and even those seemingly concerned for him left him out. Chioni was not his home, and he was not made to live there. The little butterfai was depressed. He did not want to go outside, socialize, or take care of himself. He did, however, want to leave. He wanted to fly to a place where he could fit. A place where the temperature was warm, the sky was clear, and the days were sunny. A place that saw days and seasons change, where difference was understood, a place where he could be free. He had heard of such a place, but knew not whether it was fictional. The town of wind was the opposite of Chioni and in the other side of time, far beyond the mountains. Unfortunately, he could not just fly over the mountains. In fact, he could not fly at all, for the harsh Chionian climate made it impossible.
One day, butterfai decided he had had enough. He packed his things and went downstairs, and left. He was going to cross to the other side, reach the town of wind by himself. So he walked, and walked, and walked until he reached the west tower. The guard seemed happy to see him as he asked his whereabouts. When he explained, the guard laughed and pat his head. He did not think that the town of wind was a real place, and if it was butterfai could never make it there. He nevertheless gave him some sugar and sent him on his way. Butterfai started walking again. He walked and walked and walked and before he knew it, it was dark. By that time, he was surrounded by a forest. Ironically, the forest was not too cold. It was certainly cool, but nothing compared to the murderous freeze of Chioni. In comparison, was pleasant. Pleasant enough for him to be embraced by the soft and sweet spirit of sleep. When he woke up, there was a creature standing above him, looking deeply into his pale face. The creature looked bizarre: It had a long, slim, pale green body and a tail that split in the middle. It had wings, but they were not like his own. His wings were big and beautiful. They were black like the midnight sky and -despite crumbling from the cold- soft to the touch, although they had never actually been touched. The creature's wings were like its body: tall and slim. They were transparent and looked rough. The creature wasted no time to introduce itself as "The Mayfly". Butterfai refused to reciprocate the introduction because names have power. Shrugging it off, the Mayfly decided to just call him "Spangle". Baffled as he was by this new acquintance, he soon found out that the Mayfly actually came from "Kazenomachi", otherwise known to them as the town of wind. That was it, he thought, that was where he had wanted to go. But how could the Mayfly leave the town? Was it lost? Was it exiled? Was it cursed to travel aimlessly or was it looking something?
Well, the answer was no to all.
The poor insect wanted to travel the world on its holiday but quickly got bored, opting instead to stay at the Chioni forest. It liked it, as forests were where spirits live and also where one has to face their deepest fears. Kazenomachians knew of no fears, so Kazenomachi had no forests. But how had it gotten there? "Spangle" was very intrigued, for the Mayfly could show him the way to the place he previously thought was off limits. The Mayfly smiled at him; it would take him back to its home if he agreed to let it be his travel companion. There was no way Spangle could refuse that offer, so they soon began marching to yet another mountain. In his eyes, the mountain looked called and cruel, reminiscent of a false home. For the Mayfly, on the other hand, it was even more beautiful than the forest. The mountains were where one could talk to the Gods and they touched the heavens. Kazenomachians believed in no Gods, so Kazenomachi had no mountains.
Indeed, the mountain was too cold for both, so Spangle took out two sweaters from his bag, wore one and gave the Mayfly the other. As they kept marching, he started becoming more and more weary, soon remembering the sugar he had gotten from the guard. He took it out of his bag, but could not bring it to his mouth. If the Chionians do not eat and he is Chionian, maybe he should not eat either, he thought. Quickly coming to his senses, he remembered that the reason Chionians did not eat was because they did not eat it, and he was not Chionian. Gaining energy from the sugar, the pair marched on until they reached a tunnel. The tunnel, the Mayfly explained, was magical and transported everyone who crossed it anywhere they truly desired to go. The only drawback was that the crosser was not allowed to stop, turn back, or close their eyes despite there being no lightsource anyway. Spangle shrugged and walked in with no hesitation.
I There was nothing odd about that tunnel, and by the time the light came back they were facing Kazenomachi, the place he had wanted to go to. Stepping out, he thew one last glance at the tunnel only to see Mayfly dying at its end.
"I said I'd take you to my home, not that I'd stay there with you." it said as it faded away.
Shocked beyond compare, Fai D. Fluorite opened his eyes and he was just a man laying on a straw mat sometime in early in the new year. He was cold, but mostly because the man laying on the straw mat next to him had somehow managed to steal his quilt. The man was Suwano Kurogane, his longtime partner. Stealing a glance of the sleeping man's face, Fai decided he was too dazed and confused to go back to sleep.