The world's greatest assassin had sworn lifelong allegiance to the organization that raised him. However, despite his loyalty, that very same organization takes action to silence him, ultimately leading to his demise. Drowning in frustration and regrets he can no longer suppress, he finds himself in an audience with a goddess attracted by his exceptional skills. The goddess offers him reincarnation into a magnificent world of swords and magic so he can perform a crucial mission: prevent that world's destruction by slaying its hero. Accepting the goddess' request, he is reborn as Lugh Tuatha Dé, the son of a noble family of assassins serving the Alvan Kingdom. Under the guidance of his father, Lugh learns new assassination techniques that significantly differ from the cold-blooded and unsympathetic killing style of his previous life. Furthermore, his other talents bloom, allowing him to meet new allies and acquaintances. Even so, Lugh knows that his efforts are far from adequate, because a monumental adversary such as the hero can only be defeated with perfection.

Lain Iwakura, an awkward and introverted fourteen-year-old, is one of the many girls from her school to receive a disturbing email from her classmate Chisa Yomoda—the very same Chisa who recently committed suicide. Lain has neither the desire nor the experience to handle even basic technology; yet, when the technophobe opens the email, it leads her straight into the Wired, a virtual world of communication networks similar to what we know as the internet. Lain's life is turned upside down as she begins to encounter cryptic mysteries one after another. Strange men called the Men in Black begin to appear wherever she goes, asking her questions and somehow knowing more about her than even she herself knows. With the boundaries between reality and cyberspace rapidly blurring, Lain is plunged into more surreal and bizarre events where identity, consciousness, and perception are concepts that take on new meanings. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka, whose other works include Texhnolyze, Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological avant-garde mystery series that follows Lain as she makes crucial choices that will affect both the real world and the Wired. In closing one world and opening another, only Lain will realize the significance of their presence.

After the resolution of the debut, Kate and her Doll Emilico have officially become residents of the Shadows House. However, they are under constant vigilance by the Star Bearers—an elite group in charge of the children's wing. In order to escape from their surveillance and the morbid methods they use to keep everyone's loyalty in check, Kate and Emilico must be wary of who to trust and aim to become Star Bearers themselves. Meanwhile, the Star Bearers have encountered their own problems. A mysterious robed figure dubbed Master Robe has trespassed and roams around the children's wing. At first, Master Robe is deemed harmless, but more incidents start occurring that endanger the Dolls' lives—all of them pointing to the suspicious individual. To improve her reputation, Kate decides to solve the mystery herself. Yet, with so few clues and so many suspects, searching for Master Robe and their motive for attacking the mansion proves more challenging than she imagined.

The Shadows, characterized by their pitch-black appearance and tendency to emit soot when agitated, are a family of nobles who reside in a colossal manor deep within the mountains far from other humans. When a Shadow child is nearly of-age, they are assigned a Living Doll who acts not only as their attendant but also as their second half—the faces they could have had if not for their complexion. Emilico is a cheerful, newly created Doll who serves a rather soft-spoken master named Kate. Despite their difference in personalities, Emilico does what she can to carry out the needs of her master. As she learns more about her role and duty, Emilico begins to meet her fellow Dolls and their respective masters and comes to know more about the purpose of her existence. Do not fret over trivial matters, says one of the rules by which all Dolls must abide. But how could the ever-curious Emilico do so in the face of the deep secrets that the Shadows House holds?