Prologue

The initial chapter of APOSIMZ. It can be read for free on Kodansha's website.

Summary

Nichiko Suou, a young man, walks through the tundra and comes across Titania, who was caught in a pest control trap. Titania reveals to Nichiko that she is on a mission to stop the humans from using a gigantic device in the underground ruins, which would cause destruction. Nichiko lets Titania know he can't help because he suffers from Doll Disease, an illness that replaces a person's body with machinery.

Nichiko decides to lead Titania to the entrance of the city to show her the way. Near the entrance, Nichiko shares that his sister told him about a country of Dolls in the underground ruins. He laughs it off as they part ways at the city entrance.

Titania posses the foreman of the construction project surrounding the device and tells the workers to halt production. Her electricity allocations runs out and gets spit out by the foreman. Titania warns the construction workers that the device is beyond their understanding and that it will bring devastation. The foreman gets frustrated and stomps on Titania.

Nichiko runs into the construction site to try to save her. The foreman shoots Nichiko in his chest, causing him to collapse. Titania transforms into her humanoid form, killing the foreman and construction workers. She shuts down the device, causing the heat generated by it to stop flowing through the country and the people to freeze.

Titania carries Nichiko into the depths of the ruins to the Country of Dolls.

The final line is: "The youth sets off on his journey. To the Country of Dolls."

Differences

In the prologue, Frames and Frame Disease are referred to as Dolls and Doll Disease, respectively.

It is not clear if Nichiko was killed by the foreman and if he will appear in the series.

Release

The prologue was originally released as part of the Nihei Humble Book Bundle in January 2017.

It was subsequently released on Kodansha's website on February 23, 2017.