GATHER
Gather
Koyoi hears the voices of fading gods and welcomes them, one by one, into the pouch with the broken bell.
A journey to gather fading gods and carry them home
Story
Koyoi, a boy raised in Kirihara, is entrusted with a pouch whose bell is broken. He sets out as a Gatherer, collecting fading gods and carrying each one back to its rightful place.
In a world covered by fog and fixation, the Observers steal power from the gods to create an eternal order without change. Koyoi travels by fog train and overland with Asahi, a sword-bearing boy; Kuon, whose left eye is blue glass; and Otama, a calico cat. To gather, to carry, and finally to return what was found: at the end of the journey, they choose a life whose future cannot be written for them in advance.
500 episodes, complete|Gatherer / Gods / Observers / Fixation / Fog Train / Pouch
Characters
Koyoi
Protagonist
A nine-year-old boy raised in Kirihara. Carrying a pouch with a broken bell, he travels as a Gatherer who returns fading gods to their rightful places.
Asahi
Travel Companion
A boy who carries a cloth-wrapped sword. Blunt but fiercely protective, he supports Koyoi throughout the journey.
Kuon
Analyst
A boy with a blue glass prosthetic left eye who reads the Observers' technology and the condition of the gods.
Shiori
Record-Keeper
A woman with a thick ledger who observes, writes down, and passes on what is disappearing. She teaches Koyoi the work of a Gatherer.
At the Heart of the Story
Three acts that run through the final text
RESIST
Resist Fixation
With his companions and the gods, he confronts the Observers, who would erase change and turn the world into an eternal specimen.
RETURN
Carry Them Home
A Gatherer's work does not end with finding a god. Each must be returned to its rightful place, leaving no one else to dictate the life that follows.