Metamorphosis: The Story of a Butterfly

Caelum blinked at the swirling options before him, each potential evolution dancing in the familiar glowing text. But this time, something gnawed at him. He had worked so hard, fought tooth and claw to get stronger, and now the prospect of becoming utterly defenseless—a sitting target for any predator—felt like a cruel joke.

He stared at the Stoneweaver Cocoon option, the description glowing softly. Immobile, defenseless, requires protection. These words kept repeating in his head, and each one grated on his nerves. How could an evolution be this dangerous? The cocoon phase might grant immense power, but seven whole days of lying vulnerable was just asking for trouble.

"What kind of evolution puts me in that much danger?" Caelum muttered to himself, frustrated. His mandibles twitched as he scrolled through the other cocoon options, but they were all the same. Immobility, defenselessness, and a promise of great power at the end. He wasn’t sure if he had the luxury of relying on that promise.

The Emberheart Cocoon and Mindveil Cocoon stared back at him, and though they promised power, they also terrified him. Fire magic as strong as a raging inferno, or telepathy so potent it could control minds? Sure, they sounded great—once he got through the cocoon phase alive. But that was the problem: surviving.

Caelum sighed, dragging his body in a small, nervous circle. He couldn't help but think of the snake they had barely managed to survive. What if something like that came around while he was helpless? No matter how much he trusted Aurelia, expecting her to protect him for days was too much to ask.

He flipped through the options again, feeling his frustration rise. There was another choice he had been considering, one that seemed safer for now: Scholar Pupal Larva. It didn’t promise extreme power like the cocoons, but it would keep him active, give him more skills to fight with, and improve his elemental magic. That sounded far better than lying in a stone shell, waiting for something to eat him.

As he pondered the Scholar Pupal Larva, the idea of evolving into something focused on knowledge felt comfortable, even familiar. It would keep him on his feet—so to speak—and allow him to continue growing at his own pace. Besides, he had always leaned toward learning more about the world. With the Apex Skill Apex of Knowledge, it seemed like a natural progression.

"Yeah, maybe the scholar's the way to go," he muttered. The thought of increasing his understanding of the world without being a helpless lump of magic-infused flesh sounded appealing.

Yet something inside him squirmed. A deep, uneasy inkling that wouldn’t leave him alone. As much as he liked the idea of evolving into the Scholar Pupal Larva, he couldn’t shake the feeling that one day, he would have to face the cocoon evolution.

His mind flickered back to the description of the Stoneweaver Cocoon: unbreakable defense, earth-based mastery. It sounded invincible on paper, but the thought of being entirely vulnerable, trusting the world to leave him alone for a week? He could already hear the predators crawling closer.

Maybe, just maybe, he would need that power in the future. There might come a time when he needed the sheer elemental force or mental strength those cocoons promised. He hated to admit it, but the idea gnawed at him. If he faced enemies too strong to defeat as he was, the only way forward might be locking himself away in one of those stone prisons.

Caelum stopped pacing. The idea weighed on him heavily. He hated it. He hated the idea of being so vulnerable, of being a target. Yet he couldn't ignore the pull of it—the power that could come afterward. Cocoon evolutions were a gamble, but in a world like this, would he even have a choice at some point? And what about Aurelia? Could she evolve into something like that too? Could she protect him, or would she be stuck in the same helpless state?

He gazed at the glowing options in front of him, torn between his immediate survival instincts and the long-term need for power.

"I don’t want to use the cocoons," he admitted, frustrated with himself for even considering them. "But what if I have to?"

The forest around him seemed to close in, silent and watchful. It reminded him that this world was a dangerous place, where every day was a battle just to stay alive. Could he really afford to keep avoiding evolutions like this?

He knew one thing for sure—if he ever did choose a cocoon, he’d have to be prepared. He’d have to make sure he and Aurelia were safe, hidden away from anything that could harm them. He couldn’t just throw himself into one of these evolutions without a solid plan.

Caelum took a deep breath, focusing on the more immediate choice in front of him: Scholar Pupal Larva. It felt safer, and it would give him more tools to fight with, more ways to survive. That’s what he needed right now.

But in the back of his mind, the cocoon evolutions lurked, like an inevitable challenge he knew he couldn’t avoid forever.

"I’ll go for the scholar now," he decided, "but one day… one day, I might not have a choice."