As they walked, Zero's mind swirled with questions. The masked figure had mentioned his soul being fragmented, but how? And why did this world seem so familiar, yet so distant?
Sensing his thoughts, the masked figure spoke. "Do you know of the Cycle of Reincarnation?"
Zero shook his head. "No. But I feel like I should."
"It is the foundation of existence," the masked figure explained. "Souls do not simply vanish. They are reborn, shaped by their past lives. Some remember. Most forget. But a few… a rare few, like you, carry echoes of what once was."
Zero processed the words. If souls reincarnated, then who had he been before? And why had he forgotten?
Before he could ask, the wind shifted. A chilling presence loomed ahead. The masked figure stopped.
"We are not alone."
The trees twisted unnaturally, shadows shifting in the darkness. Then, from the depths of the forest, came a monstrous figure—an Aberration, a creature cursed to wander endlessly between life and death.
Zero summoned his blade, ready to fight. Whatever answers lay ahead, he would carve his way through if he had to.