as the series progresses, eiri is tortured mentally and physically by cossette, who demands that he prove his professed love for her. it is revealed that eiri is the reincarnation of marcello, and that cossette is becoming as infatuated with him as he is with her. also depicted are the efforts of the women in eiri's life—relatives, friends, mentors, and the girl who secretly loves him—to free him from what is becoming apparent to them as a self-destructive path.