Chapter 10: Second Assimilation: The Reverse Hunt
The mist began to seep into the clearing, sliding between the roots and slowly covering the ground. Soren looked up. The air grew heavier.
"Audrey…"
A deep sound cut through the forest, closer than before. She didn't move.
She raised her hand. A yellow light appeared in her palm. Curved fragments formed and joined together, fitting with precision until they took the shape of a bow. Soren watched closely. He didn't ask. He had already seen enough. The enormous arsenal Audrey carried flashed through his mind.
With her other hand, she summoned an arrow. The shaft was firm. The tip moved slightly, as if breathing. Soren frowned. A low whistle escaped his lips.
Wow… another singularity.
"Tier one," Audrey answered. "Both of them." She nocked the arrow. The instant it clicked into place, a yellow glow ran along the tip. The same color as the bow. Soren didn't look away. "What do they do?"
Audrey drew the string slightly. "The bow amplifies any arrow you use with it." Her eyes followed the mist. "Long range. Three hundred meters without losing force or speed."
The sound came again. Closer. Soren felt the pressure in his chest. "And the arrow?"
A faint smile appeared on Audrey's face. "If you've already marked your target… it always hits."
The mist advanced another step.
"I've fought this thing before," she added, drawing the string. "So I don't have to track it again."
Soren looked at the mist, then at the bow. "You're not going to aim?"
Audrey looked up. "No need."
She released.
The arrow vanished into the mist.
An instant later— A dry explosion broke the air. A blast expanded from the impact, tearing through the thick mist and pushing it outward in irregular waves. The roar came after, deep. The mist churned violently, opening just enough to reveal, for a brief second, an enormous figure… shrouded in smoke, like a bear. Then it closed again.
Soren stepped forward. "You hit it…"
Audrey lowered the bow. The pieces separated and faded from her hand. "They're simple on their own," she said. "But together… they come close to a tier-two one."
She extended her hand. The arrow reappeared between her fingers.
Soren stared at it. So… it can be used more than once. And it always hits. Then he glanced at his pouch. His hands still hurt. Even so, he squeezed the bandages lightly.
"That's enough for today," Audrey added.
The forest fell silent. But the presence didn't disappear.
Soren lowered his gaze. He had to get stronger.
Time passed. The mist began to fade, slowly, as if retreating reluctantly.
Audrey watched the forest for a few more seconds. "We're safe…" she murmured. "At least until tomorrow." Then she slumped down against the fallen log.
The evolution of Sira… the fight against the Spine Blade Rat… the translucent spider… and the Nebula Bear. All in one day.
Soren watched her in silence. She's… incredible.
The last green flash of fireflies ran across her hand, up her wrist, her arm, until it disappeared into her chest. Soren followed it with his eyes.
"Audrey…" he said cautiously. "Sira's evolution… the way she disappeared… is that normal?"
Audrey took a moment to answer. "I don't fully know." Her eyes shone with evident emotion. "There are still thousands of things I have yet to discover about singularities." She paused for a moment, looking at her own hands. "Not all evolutions are the same… and that's what's interesting, isn't it?"
Soren watched her as he digested her words.
The two suns in the sky were slowly descending, giving way to the darkness of the forest. As the sky darkened, the campfire burned brighter. The Spine Blade Rat meat was ready. Soren summoned his Nest of Hot Potatoes.
They sat together, shared a container of water, and ate in silence, watching the flames.
The campfire crackled softly. Audrey finished eating first and lay down near the fallen log, her eyelids half-closed. Soren, however, couldn't relax.
In front of him, on the ground lit by the fire, he hadn't had a moment to sort through the singularities. Even though his hands still ached from the last battle, he knew it was urgent to get stronger.
He opened the leather pouch. One by one, he began to take them out.
First came the two Spine Blade Ratsingularities, both tier one. They were small spheres with a gradient of deep red and orange. Inside, a tiny galaxy spun slowly. Between its spirals, tiny metallic spikes could be seen floating, like spines suspended within their own small universe. Soren observed them for a few seconds before setting them aside.
Then he placed another sphere in front of him. It was a tier-one green light singularity. Its surface had a soft fluorescent green hue. Inside, a small galaxy spun slowly, surrounded by a faint light that seemed to move gently. Sometimes, light waves ran through its interior, as if something within the energy was slowly changing shape. He lifted it carefully. His hands were still lacerated, but he gripped the sphere with determination.
Then—
A cold, mechanical voice resonated inside his mind.
[ SYSTEM ]
Singularity: Tier 1
Type: Strange Tool
Name: Green Light
Assimilation Requirement:
Already paid by another user. You may assimilate it at no cost.
Blessing: None
Curse: None
Secret: None
Description:
The light of this singularity can take any form the user desires, as long as the created form does not exceed two pieces. The creation will adopt the exact shape, weight, and size of the imagined object. Additionally, the object will be coated by a reinforced layer of energy, granting it greater durability.
▶ Assimilate? ◀
Soren blinked. He read the requirement again. Already paid by another user. He glanced at Audrey. She was still lying by the log, her eyelids drooping. She didn't seem to be paying attention. Maybe she was sleeping. Maybe not.
But he understood. This singularity wasn't new. Someone else had assimilated it before, paid its price, and now that it had changed hands, the cost didn't transfer. It was secondhand. A used singularity. No sacrifice.
Soren smiled faintly and looked back at the sphere. "Assimilate."
The fluorescent green sphere dissolved in his palm. Black veins sprouted from its center, but this time there was no violence. The green light absorbed into his skin as if the energy were flowing through already-opened channels. There was no pain. No pressure. Only a warm current that ran up his arm and dissipated in seconds.
A couple of minutes passed.
When it was done, Soren moved his fingers. The green light answered his will, emerging from his palm like a luminous liquid. He smiled.
He concentrated. A spoon appeared in his hand, solid, perfectly formed. Then a rope with a hook. Then a small axe, well balanced. The fluidity of the process surprised him. "Not bad," he said, almost to himself.
More comfortable now, he picked up the next sphere. The tier-three lightning singularity.
The moment he held it, small electrical discharges ran through the interior galaxy like lightning trapped in a tiny universe. The energy crackled silently inside the sphere, illuminating its spirals with bluish flashes. He focused all his attention on it with the intention of consuming it.
Then—
A slight vibration ran through his arm. The voice returned.
[ SYSTEM ]
Singularity: Tier 3
Type: Aura
Name: Lightning Surge
Assimilation Requirement:
Receive a lightning strike directly to the body and survive
Blessing: None
Curse: Synaptic Fatigue. After deactivation, the nervous system suffers a temporary collapse. Muscles will experience uncontrollable spasms, and senses — especially hearing and touch — will be weakened.
Secret: None
Description:
When activated, an aura of lightning envelops the user. This triples their movement speed, powers up their strikes with electrical damage, and sharpens their reflexes to the point where time seems to move slower around them.
▶ Assimilate? ◀
A lightning strike.
Soren frowned as he reread the requirement. Receive a lightning strike directly to the body and survive.
"What…?" he murmured.
That was insane. In his current state, if a lightning bolt struck him directly, he'd die instantly. No. He couldn't assimilate that singularity right now.
His gaze shifted to the other sphere. The reptilian eye singularity. Just looking at it made him uncomfortable. If a tier-three singularity demanded something as absurd as surviving a lightning strike… he didn't want to imagine what kind of price that one would ask.
Soren took a deep breath. Then he placed the lightning singularity back on the ground. Very carefully, almost cautiously, he lifted the reptilian eye singularity. He held it in front of him.
And then—
The cold, mechanical voice resonated inside his mind once more.