Episode Title:
Ortus I.
Episode Description:
Ai, Julie and Scar set out on their journey in a repaired minibus and notice a young man sleeping in the backseat who briefly wakes up and then passes out. As they continue on, Julie warns Ai to hide the fact that she is a gravekeeper from the world just as the young man, Kiriko Zubreska reawakens and explains that he is an Ortus governmental apprentice who had fled from thieves. With the bus still in need of repairs, Kiriko and Julie explain to Ai that Ortus is a city of the dead, consisting of almost one million undead inhabitants and due to its high population density, is equivalent to a small country. As Julie warns against Ai's desire to see the city, he explains that Ortus' inhabitants slaughter any gravekeepers who are drawn to the city, just as they pass a mass graveyard in the city outskirts littered with the graves of numerous gravekeepers. As they approach the entrance gates, a particular statue catches Ai's attention; Ortus' Guardian Goddess: Koroshiohake who Kiriko, explains wields the power of Death. Afterwards, Kiriko allows Ai and co. to stay in specially designated quarters for living humans within the city before they are met by city officials; the two-faced Pox and Wreck who thank the group for bringing Kiriko back and much to Julie's reluctance, allow them to enter the city. As they enter, Kiriko kindly asks that they leave once their minibus is repaired. The next morning, Julie prohibits Ai from setting foot outside their inn while simultaneously, Scar falls ill, and explains of hearing a voice calling out to her. That evening, Ai excitedly goes to explore the city using a mask she obtained from their inn's manager, and encounters a mysterious man wearing a lion mask who warns her to leave Ortus before its dark nature reveals itself. Elsewhere, Kiriko meets with Ortus' Princess Ulla Eulesse Hecmatika, and remarks that she will be the one to save the world.
