Saṁsāra – Chapter 2: Rebirth

Bathed in a blinding light, Reiji slowly opened his eyes.

Spread before him was a world that felt both unfamiliar and strangely nostalgic.His body lay on a bed of grass. A gentle breeze brushed his cheek, and birdsong drifted from afar.All of it slowly brought his senses back to life.

"So this is... what it means to be alive…"

The cool touch of the grass.The scent of the air tickling his nose.Things he would've ignored before now seeped deeply into his chest.

It was because he remembered hell.Because he had endured that endless pain—this world now seemed like a precious treasure.

A faint warmth bloomed in his chest.Ticklish, and somehow joyful—He sat up on the grass, placing a hand over his heart.A faint heartbeat echoed within. Yet beneath it, an inexplicable unrest stirred.

It felt like… he had received something from someone—and lost it.He couldn't explain it. But a dull ache, much like guilt, remained.

That's when he heard it.

The soft sound of grass being stepped on.

When he turned, a girl was standing there.

Her hair, shoulder-length, swayed in the wind.She gazed at him with clear, unwavering eyes.

"Are you okay?"

She asked, her brows furrowed with concern.

"When I got here earlier, you were collapsed… You looked like you were in pain."

A sharp pang pierced Reiji's chest.Her presence stirred something deep inside him.

"...Who are you?"

The words came out bluntly. He had no energy left to choose them carefully.

The girl puffed her cheeks slightly and answered:

"Mina. And you? Won't you tell me your name?"

"…Reiji."

He hesitated, but gave his name.In that instant, Mina's eyes seemed to flicker.

There was something strange about her gaze—A stillness and depth far beyond her years.It was like looking into a vast distance beyond time.

As he tried to look away, Mina murmured softly:

"You must have been asleep for a very long time."

Something inside Reiji trembled at those words.

"...What are you?"

Mina simply smiled.

"If you can remember… I'm sure you'll know."

Her voice was gentle, yet carried a familiarity he couldn't place.

Before he realized it, Reiji was already following her lead.Something about that smile felt... nostalgic.

Mina already knew.

He wasn't just an ordinary "wanderer."Not in this world—nor in the grand cycle of existence.

He was someone who held the key to changing something far greater.

That was why she stayed by his side.

Even in the form of a young girl, there was a quiet mission burning within her.

—But more than that, she was drawn to him.To the pain etched into his soul.And to the quiet kindness that remained.

Mina said nothing more.She simply sat beside Reiji, her smile undisturbed.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the grass.