Summary:
Wataru Mitani is an average fifth-grade student in east Tokyo. Rumors
of ghosts in a deserted, semi-built edifice lead this young boy and his friend
Katchan to investigate it on their own. The next school day, they learn of a
new transfer student named Mitsuru, a mysterious, handsome young boy whose
standoffishness and manner of speaking make others think he’s far older than a
middle-schooler. He becomes a centerpiece of the ghost rumors when he seems to
accidentally take a picture of one while on an art class outing near the
building. Meanwhile, Wataru starts hearing a mysterious voice at his home. He
convinces himself that it’s a fairy à la his favorite video game, pushing him
to follow Mitsuru’s lead and take pictures around his room in the hopes of
catching a glimpse of the voice’s owner.
Trouble begins for Wataru during a visit from his paternal Uncle Lou
when the two decide to investigate the abandoned building. After his uncle
steps away to take a call, Wataru sees a golden door appear within the
building, out from which steps Mitsuru. Both boys are shocked. Mitsuru immediately
returns through the door, and Wataru attempts to follow him. Through the door,
Wataru finds himself falling a great distance. He lands in a desert and shortly
thereafter becomes surrounded by strange wolves with large, corkscrew mouths. He
is saved by a wandering humanoid bird who reveals that he is known as a
karulahkin and that the world they are in is known as Vision.
Our protagonist then awakens in the home of the building’s owner with
his Uncle Lou at hand. When Lou attempts to take Wataru back to his hotel for
the night, the boy forces out the truth: his father had called when they were
in the building to inform Lou that he has decided to leave the household,
divorce Wataru’s mother, and start a new life with an old lover. The entire
family is devastated. Soon thereafter, Mitsuru goes missing, and Wataru
overhears his mother gossiping about the murder-suicide of Mitsuru’s family by
his father. That night, Wataru is awoken by the appearance of Mitsuru, dressed as
a sorcerer, who explains that he has been chosen as a Traveler to journey
through Vision in the hopes of meeting the Goddess of Destiny and changing his
fate. He gives Wataru a pendant that should allow him to do the same once he
travels through the gate in the abandoned building. Mitsuru then disappears,
leaving Wataru to begin his adventure to Vision.
Once back in Vision, Wataru again meets the wizard, and he explains
that Wataru must collect five gemstones and place them in hilt of this sword to
gain access to the Tower of Destiny and meet the Goddess. On the way to the
nearest town, he meets the lizardman Kee Keema who transports Wataru to the
city, explaining the political situation of Vision along the way. The world is
divided between those who believe in the Goddess and those who believe in the
Old God, a deity purported to surpass the Goddess in every way. Followers of
the latter are mainly ankha, what is known in the real world as human, and
they espouse great intolerance to the world’s humanoid, animal inhabitants, known
as beastkin. Kee Keema agrees to accompany Wataru on his journey. Over the
course of the next few days, Wataru’s main party and alliances are established:
Kee Keema and another beastkin named Meena will accompany him across Vision. As
they get into various mishaps, the group encounters Mitsuru, now a powerful
sorcerer with no concern for the death and destruction his magic causes. The boys
come to learn that Vision is a reflection of their own imagination and
understanding of life. It is further revealed that the appearance of two
Travelers is an omen of a thousand-year sacrifice demanded by the Goddess: two
people, one a citizen of Vision and the other a Traveler, are chosen to give
their lives and act as the Barrier of Light to protect Vision and the real
world.
A competition arises between the two boys from Japan, each thinking
that the sacrifice will be the one who completes the journey last. Wataru is
always one step behind Mitsuru in his collection of the gemstones, culminating
in a final clash where Mitsuru destroys the entirety of an imperial capital,
virtually eradicates all citizens, and unleashes a demon horde that had only
been kept at bay by the final gemstone. Escaping the carnage, Wataru manages to
gather four gemstones and is transported to the Tower of Destiny, the final trial from
which only Wataru emerges alive. At the apex of the tower, he finally meets the
Goddess. His wish is spent, not on himself, but on the salvation of Vision from
the demon hordes. Returning to the real world, Wataru uses his knowledge and
growth from Vision to handle the fallout of his home situation, supporting his
mother as they transition into their new lives.
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