The Aparenthia is a quest, a journey of two girls trying to find the meaning of the world – and the meaning of their own lives. It begins in a small village, where bad omens increasingly warn the Elder of a growing evil. He sends his only son to seek out the meaning of these signs, but when he returns with black marks over his skin and dies at his father’s feet, the village is thrown into despair. Teman, a shepherd girl, takes the dead warrior’s sword and rides off on her bicycle. Her younger sister, Mani, refuses to stay behind. And so they begin their adventure.

They soon meet a young sorceress, Ashena, who acts as their guide – though she is haughty and is easily annoyed by Mani. However, soon Ashena begins pulling Teman away from her sister, and finally convinces her to leave Mani behind. But Teman becomes increasingly doubtful, and finally realizes her mistake. When Ashena tries to force her to stay, she draws her sword. Then she runs back to find Mani.

Ashena is resentful and angry, and goes off on her own – until she reaches the edge of the world and meets the Evil. Tempted by power and thoughts of revenge, she and the Evil merge to become an immensely powerful being of darkness. Meanwhile, Teman and Mani also reach the edge, but at a different place, where they meet the Watcher. The Watcher is an old being left from the beginning of time, one of the race of Creators. The Creators drew the world out of nothingness, but their use of power also created the Evil. They fled because the Evil was more powerful than them, though it slumbered in their absence until Man, too, discovered power (a form of which, sorcery, is especially corrupting). This power is what brings the bad omens and corrupts life.

Teman and Mani listen to the Watcher’s tale with interest, but its reality is brought to them swiftly as Ashena comes and attacks the Watcher. The Watcher uses her last strength to save Teman and Mani, and reveals to Teman the magic of her sword: it can repel the power of darkness. And so Teman and Ashena do battle. In the end, Ashena falls – though the Evil within her is not so easily killed. The two sisters embrace and begin the journey home, their quest finished but knowing that the struggle of humanity against the corruption of power has only begun. Only honor and love remain to defend the world from being consumed by Evil.

Thus ends the Aparenthia.