Before the Incal Chapter 1 opens with a farewell from the father of the protagonist. The narrator explains that the novel is not a straightforward story but rather a "vibrant universe" . For those who have read the book, the story inevitably makes them want to explore more. He says that the protagonist is not innocent or guilty, but that his characters are "solid as a rock" , but "at the same time, they are imperfectly shaped". The protagonist is still innocent, he says, but innocence, compassion, and love are the first to die in this new society.