The Rising Sun (Vol.1)

The Ninth Heaven is home to many absurdities, including unchecked greed, acts of injustice, and senseless overcompetition.

Spirits dwell, work, and fight nonstop to improve their standard of living. Should they fail, however, the cycle repeats as their life force resets in the nebulous and cleansing Lake of Ninefold Darkness. The forces that govern chance, opportunity, and fate all boil down to Luck. Though many spirits have tried, none have been able to fully understand or monopolize Luck. And so, to be Lucky can mean many things or it could mean nothing at all.

On this vast spiritual plane, four spirits come together to recover something precious that was lost.

Among them is Ham Song - a very Lucky but wickedly cursed hog spirit, who occasionally vomits immortal peaches. Anari - a spider spirit who appears to have everything under control, yet is ever compelled to sabotage any good thing that comes her way. Bodhi - a wayward monk, who, despite their mastery in kung fu and spiritual enlightenment, has not found the answer to overcoming their addiction. Not that they would want to.

And lastly, there is Sun Ritsu. He's a typical monkey spirit with genes identical to that of the legendary Great Sage, Sun Wukong. It is such with all monkeys that roam the Ninth Heaven. Sun clones like Ritsu are known for their cleverness, unpredictability, and relentless tenacity. Yet oddly enough, the three spirits in Ritsu's company find that he doesn't always fit this model. Outside of his Immortal State, Ritsu isn't particularly clever or especially motivated to increase his rank. He is simply... kind.

In a realm where greed and social competition shape the way of life, the notion of acting out of kindness is, quite frankly, absurd.