Michael took a deep breath. Until now, his eyes had reflected hesitation, emptiness, and restlessness. But this time, brushing aside all uncertainty, he spoke in a firm voice,
— "Forget all other thoughts. Call me Michael. Since the Almighty has granted me a second chance, it is better for me to accept it. Running after a new name will only bring more confusion. What do you all say?"
His words brought silence all around. Catherine, Louis, and Lily looked at each other. Uncertainty was clear in their eyes.
Louis placed a hand on his forehead and said in a serious tone,
— "We don't really know much about you. How can we accept a complete stranger as 'someone else' just because you woke up? Your past identity is a complete mystery to us."
Hearing this, Michael's lips tightened slightly. He felt a sting deep inside—like his very existence of the past was being denied. Yet, he smiled calmly.
This time, Lily asked in a curious voice,
— "So what do you plan to do? You've gained a new life, but what will be the purpose of this life?"
Michael lowered his eyes. A thousand questions were rising inside him. Pausing briefly, he said,
— "First, I need to find a way to earn a living. This world is completely unfamiliar to me. And my memory… that too is gone. Only the part after waking up remains clear. The past feels like nothing but a void. So for now, I have only one goal—get out of this forest."
Catherine spoke in an irritated tone,
— "Forget plans for now. We haven't eaten anything for so long. An empty stomach makes the head useless. Uncle Michael, won't you eat?"
At this, Lily burst into laughter and said,
— "What! You called him 'Uncle'? Is he really that old?"
Michael gave a faint smile at the corner of his lips and replied softly,
— "No problem. Maybe I look young, but if you heard the stories of what my children did to me…"
Louis added jokingly,
— "Actually, he does have children about our age. So in a way, calling him 'Uncle' isn't wrong, right?"
This time Michael simply nodded in agreement. Yet deep inside, the words struck him strangely—"My children…" Though they were not Michael's children but Alex's, still… if they were alive, how would they feel? Unknowingly, a hazy memory flickered in his mind, but nothing became clear.
Meanwhile, Louis and Lily sat together preparing the body of the magical bird for cooking. Catherine went off to look for some spices nearby. The fragrance of wild plants floated in the air, while the distant roar of some unknown creature echoed through the forest.
Michael sat alone beside a tree trunk. His hands rested on his knees, eyes fixed on the distant emptiness. He began to wonder—
"Why am I here? I got Alex's body, yet I also regained my previous body. Who sent me? What does all of this mean?"
But no matter how hard he tried, no answer came. At last, shaking his head in frustration, he whispered,
— "Nothing but a waste of time."
Still, a strange restlessness churned inside him. In this world, he had yet to see any light. Everywhere he looked, there was only strange magic, power, and mysterious rules.
"Magic…" The word echoed in his mind.
But at that very moment, another piercing thought struck him—"Can a world exist without technology? Can I live forgetting technology?"
Michael's chest suddenly felt heavy. For he knew—in his previous world, he had been a scientist. His life had been spent in the realm of chemistry. His inventions, his experiments—those had defined his existence.
This world might have given him a new life, but without science, could he ever truly recognize himself?
He closed his eyes and slowly said,
— "If science does not exist here…"