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Chapter 1: Rebirth of Forgotten Souls
The world had changed.
The sky was blue again, and vast fields of green stretched beyond the horizon. Cities, once abandoned and broken, now thrived with the laughter of children and the bustling energy of life. Humanity, after standing on the brink of extinction, had clawed its way back — stronger, wiser, and hopeful.
Yet, deep beneath the surface of that peace, an ancient memory stirred.
Somewhere in a small corner of the world, a boy opened his eyes. His name was Hiro. He lived an ordinary life now — attending school, helping in rebuilding projects, laughing with friends he couldn't quite recognize. Every day felt… right, but somehow incomplete, as if a piece of his soul was missing.
He would sometimes stare at the stars, a strange ache burning quietly in his chest, whispering,
"There's something... someone... I'm forgetting."
Elsewhere, across town, a girl with pink hair tied loosely behind her shoulders gazed at the same sky. Her name was Zero Two.
She smiled and laughed with those around her, always energetic and teasing — yet at night, in her dreams, she would see flashes.
A boy's face.
A promise made long ago.
An overwhelming sadness... and love.
But every morning, the dreams slipped away like water through her fingers.
Life continued, peaceful and mundane, until one day — everything changed.
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It began with a tremor.
The earth shook violently, and the skies darkened as strange, glowing patterns shimmered across the clouds. From ancient ruins buried deep beneath the earth, a forgotten energy awakened, roaring back into the world.
Alarms blared across the cities.
Military bases activated emergency protocols.
A call was sent out — not to soldiers, but to the new generation of Franxx pilots being trained quietly behind the scenes.
Among those selected... were Hiro and Zero Two.
Without knowing why, they both answered the summons.
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Inside the newly built Foundation of Humanity, instructors lined the cadets up in neat rows. Boys and girls, all around the same age, with determination burning in their eyes. Some remembered fragments of their past lives as pilots. Most did not.
The instructors were silent, grim.
A tall woman with a sharp voice — Instructor Hilda — stepped forward.
Her gaze swept over them, lingering momentarily on Hiro and Zero Two.
"You have been chosen," she said. "Not because you remember... but because your souls still remember. You were once humanity's hope. Now, you must become it once again."
Hiro clenched his fists.
A strange excitement and fear swirled inside him.
Zero Two, standing a few steps away, turned to glance at him — and for a brief second, their eyes locked.
Neither knew why, but a warmth, a pull, sparked between them.
It was as if fate had shifted.
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Later, when the time came to assign partners, something unexpected happened.
Zero Two, who was supposed to be paired with another boy, suddenly raised her hand.
"Instructor," she said, her voice clear and steady, "I want to ride with him."
She pointed straight at Hiro.
A murmur passed through the cadets.
Hiro blinked, surprised.
He didn't even know this girl.
Or did he?
Instructor Hilda narrowed her eyes, studying them both. After a long pause, she nodded.
"Permission granted. You will pilot Strelizia together."
Zero Two smiled.
It wasn't just any smile.
It was as if a part of her heart had found something it had been searching for, without even realizing it.
Hiro felt a strange heat rise to his cheeks.
"Who... is she?" he wondered, touching his chest where his heart pounded wildly.
Thus, the two were paired.
Thus, the story began to stir once again — a story of love, of battles, of lost promises and reborn dreams.
Neither Hiro nor Zero Two knew it yet — but destiny had already begun to weave their fates back together.
The wings of eternity had started to flutter once more.
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