There's little stability to be had in the world of Elfen Lied. If the residents of Maple House found joy in aiding Mayu, their newest resident, it was short-lived as another of their residents vanished from their lives and left everyone worrying. For fifteen chapters early in the series, yet taking only a day or two in story-time, the main character effectively leaves the stage, but her world is seen in savage relief from the shadow she casts. Every last one of these patterns would only escalate as the series continued.