Origin: Spirits of the Past 2006

Ecocide, Forest uprising and a scarred Earth

In the 24th century, Earth lies scarred after ecocide caused by centuries-old genetically engineered trees. The sapient Forest, ruled by the Druids, controls water and expands its influence over people. Japan, under this regime, is a dystopian zone where life is shaped by the Forest's reach.

Neutral City: a settlement at the forest's edge

Agito, a spirited boy, grows up in Neutral City, a settlement carved from shattered skyscrapers at the forest's edge. He lives alongside his father Agashi, whose escalating powers push him toward a near-plantlike state. He spends his days with friends Cain and Minka, negotiating a fragile peace with the trees and looming threats.

Disturbance at the water hole

One day, Agito and Cain race toward the water hole at the bottom of Neutral City, triggering a dangerous escalation. Their reckless action awakens the ire of the Druids and fractures their group. Agito becomes separated from his friends as danger closes in.

The cryogenic awakening: Toola emerges

Amid the chaos, Agito stumbles upon a colossal machine harboring cryogenic pods. He accidentally revives Toola, a girl who had slept for centuries since the plants arrived. Toola carries a Raban, a portable device that can communicate and perform extraordinary feats, drawing immediate Forest suspicion.

Raban crisis: Shunack's threat materializes

Toola's Raban becomes a focal point as the Forest fears Shunack, a resurrected Ragna soldier enhanced by Forest experiments, could use it to locate the Environmental Subsystem Tactical Operations Console (ESTOC). The Forest tightens security, sensing a danger that could upset the fragile balance. Toola and Shunack's presence sets off a chase across the wasteland.

Guardians and barriers: the meeting blocked

To halt Shunack and Toola's meeting, the Forest deploys a towering plant guardian. The enhanced soldier dismantles the barrier and reveals his willingness to embrace the Forest's power. A relationship begins to form as Shunack and Toola pursue the ESTOC together.

Unlikely alliance: Toola helps Shunack see balance

Toola persuades Shunack that saving Earth means protecting the delicate balance between humanity and the trees. Their uneasy alliance complicates loyalties on both sides. Together they chase the elusive ESTOC, hoping to avert a catastrophe.

Agito seeks guidance and mutates under pressure

Agito seeks counsel from his father Agashi, now increasingly tree-like due to dangerous enhancements. Facing a grim fate of becoming a tree himself, Agito makes a radical choice and undergoes his own genetic enhancement. His hair turns silver, signaling his new bond with the Forest.

The ascent to ESTOC: a volcano fortress

The pursuit leads to ESTOC, a colossal mechanism built into a volcano by Toola's father, Dr. Sakul. A holographic reveal explains how early genetic work on the trees birthed a new world order and a shield-like safeguard against the forest's changes. The stakes rise as Shunack and the Ragna army converge on the site.

Revelations and betrayal: the past comes alive

Dr. Sakul's history upends everyone’s assumptions about the forest and the Earth. He explains his experiments created both the threat and the safeguard, leaving Shunack's motives rooted in control. The scene reframes the purpose of E.S.T.O.C. and the possibility of coexistence.

Clash of power: duel and fusion

A brutal duel erupts between Agito and Shunack near the ESTOC complex. In a pivotal act, Agito merges with the forest, becoming a living conduit of wood and will and absorbing the determined warrior. Toola uses the moment to push toward a critical shift in the balance.

Toola disables ESTOC and catastrophe is averted

Toola seizes the moment to deactivate ESTOC, triggering its self-destruction and canceling the immediate threat. The landscape trembles as the machine cools and the danger recedes. Yet the outcome hints at a more hopeful future for humanity and the trees.

Truth of bond: humans, trees and reciprocal life

On another plane, the Forest reveals a profound truth: the bond between trees and humans is reciprocal. Genetic exchange endows humans with strength and the tendency to become trees, while the Forest itself is reshaped by human life. The revelation reshapes every prior assumption about the war and harmony.

A new harmony: Agito's return and Toola's pledge

The Forest grants Agito a final return to his human form, allowing him to guide a future where hostility gives way to coexistence. Toola discards her Raban and commits to living within the Forest, choosing harmony over separation. The two begin a tentative alliance that imagines a shared world.