Plot summary of Xenogears/Part 1

The first part of Xenogears, consisting of chapters 1 to 16, is set in Aveh and introduces the world as well as the political struggles surrounding Aveh.

Chapter 1: Lahan Village
A gigantic spaceship undergoes a cyberattack. The crew's efforts to stop the attack fail, as do evacuation procedures. The captain sets the ship to self-destruct, and its remains rain down on a nearby planet. A purple-haired woman emerges from the wreckage.

Expository text explains that the continent of Ignas is split into two countries, Kislev and Aveh. These nations have fought each other for centuries without cause that anyone remembers. The fighting is aided by powerful mechs called Gears, excavated from the ruins of civilisations past by the world-culture-preserving institution Ethos. More recently, a mysterious military force named Gebler has aided Aveh in the fight.

In the village of Lahan near the Kislev-Aveh border, a young man named Fei fights enemy Gears, against the wishes of a man named Citan. The scene of the burning village morphs into one of Fei painting in the (now-peaceful) village. Fei has lived in the village for the past 3 years with no memories of his life before after being taken there by a masked man, and tomorrow is the wedding of his friends Timothy and Alice. Timothy is excited for the wedding, but Alice's little brother Dan openly tells Fei that he'd rather Fei marry Alice instead, and Alice herself lets slip in a private conversation with Fei that things may have been different had she known Fei for longer.

Chapter 2: Mountain Path
Fei heads to the house of the village doctor, Citan Uzuki, to pick up supplies for the wedding. Citan is busy repairing a helicopter-esque machine, so he directs Fei into a storeroom where a music box from ancient ruins has been repaired. Fei recognises the tune it plays, although he doesn't know from where.

Chapter 3: Fallen Shadows
After dinner and with wedding supplies in hand, Fei heads out from Citan's house and heads back to Lahan, but is interrupted by Gears from the direction of Kislev flying towards Lahan overhead. Fei and Citan rush to the village, where the Gears have broken out in battle. Citan and Fei help the villagers evacuate, but Fei is distracted by the appearance of a Gear with what appears to be a vision of a child version of himself sitting in the cockpit. Fei enters the Gear, and when the other Gears turn on him, Fei fights back (against Citan's wishes).

The enemy Gears are seemingly directed by a flying Gear with crossed arms, who orders one to shoot and kill Timothy during the fighting. At this, Fei loses his mind, momentarily seeing a vision of himself as a child and with his own hair over his eyes, as well as a swinging cross-shaped pendant. A massive explosion ensues, centred on Fei's Gear. The explosion consumes the enemy Gears, Lahan Village, and many of the villagers, including (to Dan's horror) Alice.

Chapter 4: Into the Forest
When Fei comes to, he is surrounded by the ruins of Lahan. The remaining villagers regard him with a combination of fear and anger, especially Dan who is maddened with rage towards Fei over his sister's death. Citan defends Fei but admits that it would be for the best if he left the village. Fei leaves for Aveh via the Blackmoon Forest, in the hopes that the enemy Gears would be less likely to find him there.

Chapter 5: Girl in Forest
Part of the way into the forest, Fei is confronted by Elly, a lone Gebler soldier. Elly initially threatens to shoot Fei but is put off by his current lack of regard for his own life. The two share a cautious introduction after a fight with the forest-dwelling monsters. That night, Fei dreams of someone who looks like himself as a child being abandoned in the desert before being comforted by someone who looks like Elly.

The next day, Fei tells Elly of the attack on Lahan, and goes back and forth on blaming himself for what happened vs. blaming the Gears that showed up. Elly, who had accidentally brought the fight to Lahan, yells at Fei to take responsibility before realising that she's projecting her own blame. Elly wanders off and is attacked by a Rankar Dragon, which Fei struggles to fight until Citan arrives with Weltall, the Gear Fei used in Lahan. Fei reluctantly uses Weltall to defeat the Rankar Dragon.

That night, as Fei sleeps, Citan introduces himself to Elly and reveals that he has figured out her identity, and convinces her to leave. Citan and Fei head off together to Dazil in Aveh, in order to repair Weltall and plan their next steps. The two see a Gebler airship from Aveh as they proceed.

Chapter 6: Dazil
Fei and Citan enter Dazil and ask the local Ethos workshop for parts to repair Weltall; however, the parts they need are too advanced to be kept in stock. Citan rents a Sand Buggy and heads off into the desert in the hopes of finding the right parts at the location of a fight between military Gears. After he does not return for a time, Fei heads out after him.

Chapter 7: Desert Attack!
While trekking through the desert, Fei sees a flying saucer-like structure fly over his head. He is later confronted by enemy Gears, but Citan once again arrives with Weltall and Fei defeats them. Grahf, the director of the Gears that attacked Lahan, then confronts Fei, explaining that he caused the destruction in order to trigger Fei's latent power. He elaborates that he intends to have Fei "destroy god", and summons a Wyrm to further try Fei's powers.

After defeating the Wyrm, the Aveh military arrives and successfully captures Fei and Citan. Fei dreams of Grahf, an older moustachioed man, and a pale-faced man with wild red hair mid-confrontation. After Fei discusses his dreams and concerns with Citan, the latter communicates with a masked figure (whom Citan refers to as 'majesty') regarding the "-time- of the -Gospel-".

Meanwhile, Bart, the leader of a band of desert pirates, spies upon the transporter in which Fei and Citan are imprisoned. Bart excitedly attacks the transporter, and Fei and Citan escape the sinking vessel and get clear in Weltall. Bart attacks Fei in their respective Gears, thinking he is Aveh military, but the two get caught in quicksand and fall into an underground cave system.