Reisalin, or Ryza as her friends know her, is a girl who has lived on Kurken Island all her life. And she is not alone, since the tradition of her town indicates that no one should leave the island.
Ryza does not understand the supposed tradition, and as she grows up, she dreams of venturing far away and discovering what lies beyond the horizon, where great constructions can be seen.
For now, Ryza must spend time helping her family on her farm, but at the first opportunity she escapes and usually wanders everywhere with her best friends, Lent and Tao.
One of those days, Ryza meets Tao, who brings with him a huge book. Tao has always been interested in discovering new things, the only problem is that he can’t read, and his late grandfather had no chance to teach him.
Suddenly, they are joined by Lent, who has just finished his morning workout. Like the rest, Lent is also bored being locked up on the island, and would like to find out if his strength would be useful in a real fight.
During their visit to town, the three hear that the arrival of a famous merchant is being prepared, who intends to set up a store to connect the island with the mainland.
While everyone is busy making preparations, Ryza is determined to use the opportunity to find a boat and cross over to the mainland, and though Lent and Tao doubt if it’s a good idea, they finally agree.
The next day, they set out on the journey, and decide to move a little away from the port, where a delegation from the island awaits the merchant’s caravan.
The day goes by without major problems, at least until they run into Klaudia, the aforementioned merchant’s daughter, who usually disappears to explore on her own while her father works.
When Klaudia’s father worries about her daughter, the alchemist Empel and his bodyguard Lila decide to help and go in search of the girl.
Meanwhile, Ryza and her group help Klaudia to escape from some monsters, which despite not being a danger, end up forcing them to run.
The group ends up entering the forest and runs into some pixies, who are indeed dangerous. Lent tries to defend his friends from him, but soon discovers that his training and strength are insufficient.
At that moment Empel and Lila appear, and without much effort they finish up with the pixies and guide the boys out of the forest.
Back on Kurken, Ryza, Lent, and Tao are scolded, but despite this, they don’t regret their adventure.
Days later, Ryza is determined to learn more about alchemy and she does not hesitate to ask Empel to allow her to learn from him. Empel, on his side, tells her that he wants to explore the ancient ruins of the island and that he won’t have time.
After insisting, Empel gives Ryza a difficult task, and if he can fulfill it he will give her a chance. Surprisingly, the girl not only finds what he asked for, but she proves to have the aptitude to become a real alchemist.
(ライザのアトリエ ~常闇の女王と秘密の隠れ家~)
