known to be alchemists. Species Humans Humans are the accidental creators of Alkaline. Their psychic residue (dreams, memories, perception) create the whole of existence. Some, but not all, might be Alchemists, but at this point it is unclear. Figments/Fragments/Shadows Creatures created entirely from the matter of Alkaline. any fantasy creature or nightmare animal is here. They are made from the same matter as Syndolls, but are created subconsciously. Fragments are figments of figments, and will cease existence if the mother-figment dies. This is seen in chapter 1, with the dragon Momma and the fragment Saru. Shadow's are like figments, but loosely tied to what's real. They appear more in Doors than Next Exit. Syndolls Human like creatures created by alchemizing and engineering the matter of Alkaline. They are marked with numbers on their foreheads and they can be as intelligent and emotional as real people. However, like Figments, their existence is dependent on the nature of Alkaline. They normally are incapable of doing alchemy, Mary-Alice being the only exception so far. Other It is suggested that some of the sentient and humanoid beings come from other realms that are "real," but are not human. This has yet to be fully explained. It is possible that all alchemist characters fall into this category. Alchemy Alchemists in Alkaline seem able to transmute out of instinct alone. Also, in Alkaline, matter may only be transmuted once, after that nothing can be done to change the object again. Organic material can be altered with alchemy, including humans, although it does seem to cause some kind of corruption. This corruption is described as "poisoning." Only certain people can do alchemy, and it is implied that simply having the talent is not enough to do advanced work. That apparently requires study and research. It is sometimes feared by the ignorant as a form of witchcraft. Doors Doors, although being the basis for the series and having Markesh and Retrab as leads, is not a prequel. It can best be described as an alternate or simpler version of the same story, or a very similar story with the same characters. Doors is the short one-shot comic story on which the comic Next Exit is based, having been written a few years earlier by Lijewski for the TokyoPop Rising Star of Manga Contest, where it was a runner-up. The basic premise, as well as the two protagonists, are