Faust propelled himself upward through the murky waters. Suddenly, a swift, sharpened tentacle sliced through, aiming directly for him.

Instinctively, Agony transforms into a sturdy shield, effectively deflecting the unforeseen assault. Peering into the abyss below, Faust's eyes met a horrifying giant octopus.

An array of eyes were strewn wildly across its malformed body, gleaming malevolently in the watery darkness.

At its center, a grotesque mouth throbbed and chomped, displaying razor-sharp teeth. The creature's tentacles were tipped with spear-like points.

Bizarrely, its suction cups had evolved into a combination of additional eyes and snarling mouths, each bristling with its own set of vicious teeth.

A smirk stretched across Faust as he faced the beast, a curiosity flickering in his gaze. Following his unspoken command, Agony began to transform into a gigantic hammer.

They were poised to strike directly at the octopus's central mass. However, as it descended, the octopus' tentacles swiftly entwined it.

But Agony altered its form once more. For each tentacle that sought to restrain it, it conjured a monstrous mouth, each set of jaws brimming with its array of sharp teeth.

With ferocious vigor, the newly formed mouths latched onto the entangling tentacles, tearing and gnashing at the monstrous limbs with an almost savage hunger.

In a flurry of agitation, the octopus yanked back its tentacles, parts of which had already been devoured. Remarkably, though, they rapidly regenerated, returning to their initial form.

Taking a lesson from its previous encounter, the creature maneuvered its tentacles deftly, avoiding the dangerous hammer and steering directly toward Faust instead.

But Faust remained still, unperturbed, as sections of Agony transformed into an array of sharp blades, effortlessly dicing through the advancing tentacles.

The severed flesh that now floated in the water began to twitch and contort independently, gradually reshaping itself into eel-like creatures, each endowed with sharp, menacing teeth and maws.

Faust observed them with a keen interest. "From where does the material to create these creatures originate? Do the cells just continuously propagate?"

His eyes sharpened in curiosity, "It seems it doesn't utilize protein for this, but a new type of energy..."

Amid an underwater battle between Agony and the octopus, Faust carefully analyzes every aspect of the enormous creature, his gaze eventually locking onto one peculiar eye. Unlike the others, it pulsed with an eerie blue glow.

Without hesitation, Faust surged forward, seamlessly navigating through the storm of thrashing tentacles, his sights locked onto the peculiar eye.

The octopus, sensing the looming threat, expelled a dense cloud of red ink into the water, obscuring visibility in a desperate attempt to flee.

However, it was useless against Faust, whose eyes effortlessly pierced through the murky veil, maintaining a steadfast focus on his target while propelling himself forward like a human torpedo.

During the swift and unyielding pursuit, the eel-like creatures, born from severed octopus flesh, obstructed Faust's path, attempting to hinder his relentless advance. But the Agony transforms into multiple-blade arms and easily cleaves them all.

Unhindered, Faust managed to reach his destination right before the colossal creature.

Transforming Agony into an immense scalpel, he executed a precise incision through the odd eye. The ocean quivered as the creature unleashed a loud screech of agony, its pain echoing through the dark, watery abyss.

Part of agony holds the Kraken at bay, ensuring the extraction of the unusual eye. Faust worked with deliberate care. The process stretched over several minutes.

The eye, as large as a full-grown adult, was spherically shaped, harboring a blue-glowing entity.

Upon its removal, a cascade of deep purplish blood spewed forth from the grievous wound, tainting the surrounding waters with an eerie violet hue.

The creature, now weakened and visibly drained, limply tried to distance itself from the source of its pain, its movements sluggish and labored.

The eel-like entities, once lively and aggressive, now floated lifelessly in the water, their vitality seemingly sapped with the eye's removal.

Seizing the opportunity, Agony transformed into a gigantic, cavernous maw, devouring the floating chunks of the defeated octopus and its eel-like spawn without reserve. Its insatiable appetite propelled it to scour the immediate vicinity, ensuring no remnants of the creature were left to drift in the dark waters.

Various undersea creatures silently observed the grisly spectacle in the distant shadows of the abyss.

Their eyes reflected a mingling of curiosity and fear, and wisely, they maintained a cautious distance from Faust. He had, in the most brutal fashion, announced himself as an apex predator in these depths.

Floating amidst the muddy water, Faust observes Agony. "Where does all the food you devour disappear to?"

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Agony replied in a resounding screech. "It morphs directly into energy."

Faust's expression curdled into one of mingled intrigue. "Fascinating. So, all you eat is efficiently converted into energy without loss."

His attention then shifted, focusing on the dismembered ocular organ floating beside him. Constructing another scalpel from Agony's matter, he starts a careful dissection.

Navigating through the typical eye structures, his blade eventually unveiled a blue spherical crystal concealed within the eye.

This strange material was intriguing. The size of a soccer ball, the crystal seemingly synthesized solid matter and vitality, embodying a palpable warmth and a faint, undulating luminescence.

Agony, pulsating and shifting, directed an apparent desire to consume the object.

Halting its impulse,Faust. "Don't consume this for the moment."

Agony vibrated with a low, rumbling resonance, signaling reluctant acquiescence. "Very well. But grant me the next one."

His eyes surveying the shadowy depths around them, Faust replied, "Sure, if we do encounter another. However, I doubt they dare approach us. The residents of these depths will likely escape as soon they feel our presence."

Cradling the luminous blue crystal closely, Faust propelled himself upward through the aquatic abyss. The sphere seemed to pulse gently against his grasp, its glow casting a subtle, ethereal light illuminating the water around him.

As he ascended, Faust noticed the once lurking shapes of other undersea entities had dissipated, granting him an unhindered path toward the surface.

Coming out from the water…

Faust was greeted by the shimmering view of a purplish-orange sky, with the colors mixing and melding as if painted onto a grand canvas.

The lack of cloud allowed him a clear view, but the sunlight appeared oddly muted, diffused by an unfamiliar atmospheric layer.

He gazed down at the waters, noting his reflection contorted in a purplish-red tinge.

"The UV reflection must have changed, altering the water's color," he mused.

His eyes scanned the vast expanse of sea stretching to the horizon, with no sight of solid ground or any semblance of land.

A sigh escaped him: "I'll have to travel quite a distance to find land."

With a fluid motion, he instructed Agony to morph, watching it reshape into a makeshift boat.

After steadying the boat, Faust carefully seated himself, and Agony began to sail in a random direction.

Turning his attention to the blue crystal.

It glowed softly, emitting a serene luminescence even under the diffused sunlight.

Curious, he began a series of experiments.

He started by probing using Agony to touch the crystal's surface, monitoring for any energy emission or absorption.

However, the crystal shows no change.

Intrigued, Faust tapped the orb, observing its structural integrity and listening attentively to the sound it produced—a soft, melodic hum that vibrated through his fingers.

His eyes, locked onto the mesmerizing glow, began to examine every detail.

He noticed tiny, intricate patterns that seemed to dance just beneath the surface, hinting at a complex internal structure.

He pondered, "Could this have been what fueled the octopus's energy?"

"Did it result from a mutation, or did the octopus find it and decide to eat it?"

Faust found himself at an impasse, his current situation limiting further experimentation with the crystal.

He carefully put the gem away, his fingers lingering on its cool, vibrant surface a moment longer than necessary before he turned his attention to the world around him.

The boundless, purplish-red ocean stretched as far as his eyes could see, its surface rippling gently beneath the beautiful, yet alien, sky.

Amidst this tranquil desolation, Faust's thoughts began to wander.

"Agony, were you born from that egg?"

A screech emanated from Agony as it responded, "Yes and No. Yes, I am a part of it. But no, I was not born from that egg."

Faust's brow furrowed slightly. "Where do you come from, then?"

Agony, its form undulating with an unreadable emotion, confided, "I do not know. My only memory is that I was born to support you."

Faust mused, an inkling of realization lighting his eyes, "Hmm, if you're a part of it, that means the egg survived, and whatever dwelled inside has already gotten out."

"Do you know what that might be?"

In response, Agony produced a low screech, "No, but she left a message."

The use of the pronoun arched Faust's eyebrows subtly.

"She? So, it possesses a gender... interesting. What message did she leave?"

In a series of melodic yet dissonant screeches, Agony conveyed,

"The heavens bestowed upon you blessings, yet never did they arm you with the resilience born from facing hardship."

"The first true adversity you encountered plunged you directly into the abyss of misery."

"Face it, and let's meet again when you are in better condition."

Faust fixed his eyes upon the twilight sky. His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Does heaven truly exist? And if so, how about hell? Is it a reality that human souls journey to such places?"

His eyes shimmered with desperate hope, clinging to the fragile wish that perhaps, one day, he might be reunited with his beloved family.

A memory, both sweet and agonizing, delicately unfolded in his mind, where the soft echoes of baby Jack's laughter filled a room...

"Hee...heee...Hee…"

The innocent, joyous sounds entwined with the vivid image of tiny, trusting hands clasping firmly around his finger, a moment forever engraved upon his heart.

Anna, his playful and spirited daughter.

Her smile, radiant and infectious, illuminated his darkening thoughts as she pinched little Jack's cheeks.

Her voice was light and filled with unabashed joy. "My lil bro is sooo cuteee…"

Eila would observe the sibling antics, a playful giggle escaping her lips.

"See, Faust, your daughter continually pranks Jack. I'm sure she gets that bad habit from you."

Faust laughed. "What do you mean? That mischief is entirely your doing; every good gene in our kids comes from me."

Eila, unable to suppress her own laughter, offered a playful retort.

"Oh, you wish! Look at her beautiful eyes – she inherited those directly from me!"

With that, she moved closer, enveloping Anna in a gentle yet firm hug and skillfully lifting her away from baby Jack.

"Don't keep pranking your little brother,"

Anna, her cheek puffed up as she attempted to wriggle free, protested, "Mommy, put me down!"

But her demands were muffled by Eila's soft laughter.

Eila, cradling Anna's face with hands that spoke of both strength and tenderness, gently pinched her cheek, "My dear Anna is sooo cute…"

Anna wriggled out of Eila's embracing arms, her little legs propelling her toward Faust as she declared, "Daddy, Mommy pranked me again!"

Faust's eyes sparkled with unspoken mischief and love.

He chuckled warmly, gently placing a tender hand upon Anna's tousled hair,

"Didn't you do the same to your little brother, sweetie?"

Anna's lips pursed into a dramatic pout. "Daddy doesn't love me anymore. Daddy says I am in the wrong."

Tenderly, Faust, with practiced ease, cradled baby Jack in one arm.

With his free arm, he lovingly drew Anna into a hug.

"Oh no, my little princess should not be upset. Daddy loves you, always. Don't you love daddy?"

Anna's demeanor transformed in a heartbeat, the preceding act of indignation replaced with giggles that bubbled forth like a crystal-clear spring.

She tenderly planted a kiss on Faust's cheek, her words a sweet whisper, "I love Daddy the most!"

His eyes, adjusted to the muted light of the depths, were drawn to the increasingly visible shimmer above. The gradient of darkness gradually lightened, indicating the nearing proximity to the surface,