Where are my messages stored? Where can I find them? Is there a way to save them?

I honestly don't understand iCloud at all because I'm kind of dumb and stuff, but I just wanted to know. Where are my messages stored? Like, in my iCloud storage (Settings<iCloud<Manage Account Storage, I don't know if that's how you write it,) it says that my messages take up 1.1 GB (I only have 5GB iCloud storage, I know, I'm poor,) but when I go into Settings<General<iPhone Storage, it says I have 6.26 GB of messages, I don't if that's like the messages stored into the phone or not. And if I press on the Messages and add up the things (ex.: top conversations, photos, videos, GIFs and Stickers, others) it's very much less than 6.26 GB (also missing stuff even though I can still see it in the messages app itself.) I do not understand. Where do my messages go if it's not in iCloud? Help. (I kind of just shoved photos thinking they would help, I honestly don't know. C:)