Maquia is a young, shy, kind and sweet-hearted member of the Iorph, a fabled species that can live for centuries, unaffected by the mundane concerns of humans, and are known for weaving their memories into precious cloth called hibiol. Despite being surrounded by her kin and having friends Leilia and Krim, Maquia who was orphaned from a young age, struggled with connections. Her elder cautions her against making connections with other species for the Iorph are also known as the clan of partings, fated to outlive others and thus know true loneliness.

When the power-hungry Mezarte kingdom invaded her land, seeking to add the Iorph's longevity to their bloodline, just as they had earlier subjugated the last remaining giant dragons, the Renato. They slaughtered most of the Iorph and kidnapped the women, leaving Maquia, who accidentally escaped on a dying and rampaging Renato, all alone in a distant forest.

Determined to survive, Maquia found a newborn in an old destroyed village, despite her elder's warning and the challenges of raising a child who ages faster than her as well as adapting to the human world she adopted him as her own, naming him Ariel.