Thank you so much for playing!
What happened is actually what is supposed to happen. Once you die a certain number of times, you have to start a new life. 'Lite' permadeath, to give you the experience of a precious and fragile existence.
BUT! Do not despair. Not all is lost. First of all, you can choose where your new game begins. Skipping the intro and tutorial if you've already seen them is possible (and recommended!) so you can dive right into the fun stuff, and once you unlock new chapters, you can begin from them as well. There are currently six start points in the game to unlock, to give you freedom to choose just where you begin. You'll be able to allocate extra skills when you start at a later point.
Also, any animal masteries you have earned (mainly by observing animals while hunting) remain in your next life, as do any tarot cards you have found. Both of these confer permanent bonuses to your stats and abilities... you can even earn extra 'lives' for every playthrough through certain cards. If you begin at Chapter 2 or later, you can also choose from among artifacts which you have found in any playthrough to start with, so your efforts are not wasted.
Thanks again, and feel free to ask if you run into any more trouble.