Agony began screeching again.
However, this time, its response was longer than usual.
"The heavens bestowed upon you blessings, yet never did they arm you with the resilience born from facing hardship."
Faust listened without interrupting.
"The first true adversity you encountered plunged you directly into the abyss of misery."
The screeching briefly stopped before Agony conveyed the final part.
"Face it, and let's meet again when you are in better condition."
Faust remained silent.
He looked at Agony, waiting to see whether there was anything else.
But the black substance had already stopped moving.
"That's all?"
Agony gave a short screech.
"Yes."
Faust leaned back against the boat.
He repeated the message in his mind.
The words were clearly directed at him.
Whoever had left them seemed to know something about his past, including the circumstances that had brought him here.
Yet the message raised more questions than it answered.
'The heavens bestowed upon me blessings?'
Faust looked upward.
The strange purple and orange sky filled his vision.
He had never considered himself particularly blessed.
He had experienced things that most people could only dream of, but those accomplishments had come with their own consequences.
And now, here he was, drifting across an unknown ocean on an unfamiliar world.
But it wasn't the mention of blessings that held his attention.
It was the word 'heavens.'
Faust stared at the sky for several seconds.
"Does heaven truly exist?"
He spoke quietly, almost as though he were asking himself.
"And if heaven exists, what about hell?"
His expression gradually changed.
"Do human souls really go to those places after death?"
Faust had spent much of his life studying the world through science.
For him, understanding something meant finding the principles behind it, examining the evidence, and determining how it worked.
Yet there were questions that science had never managed to answer completely.
What happened to human consciousness after death?
Did it simply disappear when the brain stopped functioning?
Or was there something more?
Under ordinary circumstances, Faust would have approached such questions with skepticism.
However, after everything he had experienced, he could no longer dismiss possibilities simply because they didn't fit his previous understanding of reality.
There were already too many things in this world that shouldn't have been possible.
And if heaven truly existed, then perhaps the people he had lost weren't gone forever.
Perhaps there was still a way to see them again.
Faust lowered his gaze.
For the first time since reaching the surface, he stopped paying attention to the strange world around him.
His thoughts had returned to his family.
Eila, Anna, And little Jack.
He could still remember their faces.
Their voices.
Even the smallest things they used to do together.
A particular memory came to mind.
It was an ordinary moment at home, one that hadn't seemed especially important at the time.
Yet now, it was one of the memories he wanted to experience again more than anything.
***
"Hee! Hee! Hee!"
Little Jack was laughing.
The baby lay comfortably in front of Faust, his tiny hands wrapped around one of his father's fingers.
Every time Faust moved his finger, Jack tried to hold on more tightly.
His small mouth opened in another laugh.
"Hee! Hee!"
Faust smiled as he watched his son.
"Someone's in a good mood today."
Jack responded by waving his free hand.
Before Faust could say anything else, Anna appeared beside them.
The little girl leaned forward and stared at her younger brother's face.
For a moment, she simply watched him.
Then, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"My lil bro is sooo cuteee!"
She reached out and gently pinched Jack's cheek.
The baby made a small sound and moved his head.
Anna giggled.
"Look, Daddy! He's so cute!"
Faust chuckled at her excitement.
"Anna, don't pinch your brother too much."
"But his cheeks are so soft!"
She gently poked Jack's cheek again.
The baby opened his mouth and laughed, seemingly enjoying all the attention.
Watching the two children, Faust couldn't help smiling.
Just then, Eila approached.
She looked at Anna, who was still busy playing with her little brother, before turning toward Faust.
"See, Faust? Your daughter keeps pranking Jack."
Eila shook her head, although there was a smile on her face.
"I'm sure she gets that bad habit from you."
Faust looked at her in disbelief.
"What do you mean?"
He pointed at himself.
"That mischief is entirely your doing. Every good gene in our kids comes from me."
Eila laughed.
"Oh, you wish!"
She stepped closer and placed her hands on Anna's shoulders.
"Look at her beautiful eyes. She inherited those directly from me!"
Faust raised an eyebrow.
"Really? And how exactly did you determine that?"
"Because they're beautiful, obviously."
"That's not a scientific explanation."
Eila gave him an amused look.
"Oh, so now you want to talk about science?"
Faust smiled.
"Of course. We need proper evidence before making such claims."
Eila laughed again.
"Then I suppose Anna's mischievous behavior is all the evidence I need."
Before Faust could respond, Eila reached down and lifted Anna into her arms.
"Come here, you little troublemaker."
Anna immediately began squirming.
"Mommy!"
Eila held her securely.
"Don't keep pranking your little brother."
"But Mommy!"
Anna puffed out her cheeks.
"Put me down!"
Eila looked at her daughter's expression.
For a moment, she tried to hold back her laughter.
Then she gently pinched Anna's cheek.
"My dear Anna is sooo cute!"
"Mommy!"
Anna twisted in her mother's arms, trying to escape.
"Stop it!"
Eila only laughed harder.
"What's wrong? Didn't you just do the same thing to Jack?"
"That's different!"
"Oh? How is it different?"
Anna didn't answer.
Instead, she continued struggling until Eila finally lowered her to the floor.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Anna hurried toward Faust.
"Daddy!"
Faust turned toward her.
"What happened, sweetie?"
Anna stopped in front of him and pointed accusingly at her mother.
"Mommy pranked me again!"
Faust glanced at Eila.
She was still smiling, clearly enjoying her daughter's reaction.
He looked back at Anna and gently placed a hand on her head.
"Didn't you do the same thing to your little brother, sweetie?"
Anna froze.
She stared at him for a moment.
Then her lips slowly formed a pout.
"Daddy doesn't love me anymore."
Faust blinked.
"What?"
"Daddy says I'm in the wrong."
Anna lowered her head, pretending to be upset.
Faust looked at Eila.
His wife covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Faust shook his head before turning his attention back to their daughter.
He carefully picked up little Jack and held the baby in one arm.
Then, with his free arm, he pulled Anna closer and gave her a hug.
"Oh no. My little princess shouldn't be upset."
Anna looked up at him.
Faust smiled.
"Daddy loves you, always."
He gently stroked her hair.
"Don't you love Daddy?"
Anna's expression immediately changed.
The pout disappeared from her face, replaced by a wide smile.
"Of course!"
She wrapped her small arms around him.
Faust chuckled.
"Then why did you say Daddy doesn't love you anymore?"
Anna giggled.
Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"I love Daddy the most!"