Chapter 12: Assimilating the Devourer
After Audrey's hug, after the sea of tears falling from her eyes, after the hands wounded in the last battle and the emptiness planted in his heart… Soren couldn't take it anymore. The fatigue dragged him like a dark tide. The next day he woke up without having remembered when he had fallen asleep. He still felt a hollow in his chest. But he didn't know why.
The morning out in the open was cold. The two suns in the sky barely filtered rays of light through the clouds. Audrey was already preparing hot potatoes for the road.
"We'd reach the city today… but with Sira evolving, we'll just have to walk from here," Audrey said as she put out the embers of the fire.
Soren got up from the ground. As soon as he stood, the world seemed to shift. He brought a hand to his head, confused.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah…" Soren replied. "Just a little dizzy." Audrey stared at him. "Fine. We'll walk slow. If you can't keep going, tell me. Alright?" As she spoke, she handed him a couple of hot potatoes. Soren nodded, took them, and immediately bit into one like an apple, with shameless appetite.
After four hours of walking and chatting, they had passed many interesting places. They descended along the lower part of the forest, almost as if coming down a mountain. Several times they had to manage jumping between small cliffs that formed naturally, looking for nearby rocks to cross from one side to the other. At one point they found a giant trunk that had fallen centuries ago. Its interior was hollow, covered in a soft blue moss that glowed even in the forest's dim light. As they passed by, small squirrel-like creatures with tails too long scurried away among the roots. Further ahead they crossed a clearing where the ground was covered with white flowers the size of a hand. When the wind blew, the flowers released tiny seeds that floated like snow in the air. Still, the forest seemed endless. In other sections they had to climb trees to reach higher parts and jump toward other hills. From above, Soren caught sight of a dark lake far away among the trees, so still it looked like a black mirror. It was a route that demanded constant physical effort.
After a while, as he walked, Soren began to feel weak. He had already eaten the two hot potatoes. Each one easily equaled a full meal for an adult — they weren't small at all. It wasn't even noon and he had already finished them. Yet his body still felt weak. At times he started to stagger, and his vision began to blur.
Audrey noticed the change in Soren's pace. She looked back. She watched him walk in silence, trying to keep up. He did so with effort, slow, as if unwilling to admit he was falling behind… or that something was affecting him. Audrey waited for Soren to get closer. The young man advanced with effort, breathing heavily, as if each step cost him more than the last. When he reached her side, he passed by her with his eyes fixed on the path and kept going, without even turning.
"I don't think you're okay to continue," Audrey said in a serious tone. Soren didn't stop. "What are you talking about? Stop holding us back," he answered stubbornly. A vein of irritation appeared on Audrey's forehead. "How dare you—" The dry sound of something hitting the ground interrupted her. Audrey turned her head. Soren lay on the ground.
After some time, Soren began to feel comfortable with the gentle swaying. A sweet, captivating smell of fruits reached his nose. A sensation electrified his body; he could feel the softness and warmth of another body carrying him on its back, almost like a child. He slowly opened his eyes and realized that Audrey was carrying him along the path. Her white armor with red threads was gone. It seemed she had taken it off so as not to hurt Soren while carrying him.
A small smile appeared on Soren's lips. And another vein bulged on Audrey's forehead.
"Awake?"
"How long have you been carrying me?" Soren asked with a careless yawn. The vein on Audrey's forehead grew larger. "A few hours," she answered coldly. "Several long hours carrying your useless ass." Soren blinked a couple of times. "Wow… I didn't know you cared so much." Audrey kept walking in silence. "Don't get it twisted," she said finally. "If you die before we reach the city, I'd have to drag your corpse. And that would be even more annoying." Soren's smile widened a little.
Just then, Soren glanced forward. His eyes got caught by the sight. He hadn't noticed his surroundings until then, but the ash forest was gone. Ahead of them stretched a dirt path, and beside it ran a small emerald-colored river. It seemed they had descended to a lower area, because the river fell into a beautiful waterfall that made the landscape almost magical, worthy of contemplation. Audrey moved to the side of the road. She found the shade of a tree facing the waterfall and a spot like a small pool where the water was calmer. Carefully, she placed Soren on the ground. And another vein jumped on her forehead when she realized the shameless boy wasn't even going to thank her.
Instead, Soren raised his hand and quickly summoned the Nest of Hot Potatoes singularity. Soren leaned over the singularity planted beside him and picked up several potatoes. He began to devour them desperately. One. Two. Three. Four in a row. Between bites he murmured enthusiastically: "Delicious… delicious…" Soren barely chewed and didn't seem to realize that his behavior wasn't normal.
Audrey watched him in silence. She noticed that his skin color was improving as he wolfed down that absurd amount of food. Little by little he seemed to regain energy, almost as if his body was working harder with each bite. Suddenly, Soren began to realize how impulsive he was being. He looked at his hands. They were empty… and covered in hot mashed potato. He fell silent, observing himself.
The air changed abruptly. It became tense.
"The singularity you assimilated last night… was it tier three?" Audrey asked with a serious expression. "Yes," Soren replied, looking at his hands again for some reason. "It was the eye singularity, right?" Audrey continued calmly. "A tier-three singularity can take more from you than you're willing to sacrifice. When I analyzed it, I could only see its name and type. The singularity demanded as an essential requirement to assimilate it before knowing its effect… its curse… and its secret." She paused briefly. "I found it interesting. A tier-three singularity with a curse and a secret is extremely valuable… but also dangerous."
Soren's face darkened slightly as he looked down. His hands trembled. "I don't know what it took from me… but I'm sure it was something I wouldn't have wanted to lose." Audrey watched him for a few seconds before answering. "A tier-three singularity like that can't be assimilated for free. Besides, companion-type singularities are sometimes much more complex… and meaningful. A good singularity can take a piece of your soul. But it can also give you something indispensable… even a part of yourself." Then she tilted her head slightly. "Remind me… what was that singularity called?" Soren hesitated for a moment. "Sskarn… Devourer."
[ SYSTEM ]
Singularity: Tier 3
Type: Companion
Name: Sskarn Devourer
Assimilation requirement:
Optional — Assimilated
Blessing:
None
Curse:
Ravenous Hunger
The user and the Sskarn are connected by something deeper than blood: closeness.
When the Sskarn is hungry, the user will feel it too.
When the user is hungry… the Sskarn will as well.
Both must feed.
Secret:
The Sskarn is a humanoid creature with a lineage that should not exist in this world.
A descendant of the void.
Description:
This creature can store treasures for the user, as long as they are not living beings.
Being a humanoid creature, it can assimilate and use singularities.
▶ Assimilate? ◀
Soren was completely absorbed and impressed by that singularity. He hadn't even seen the Sskarn yet and was already imagining possibilities. He thought of Sira. Sira was only tier two and already incredible. Plus, she was evolving… and would become even stronger. And now he had a tier-three companion singularity. Something with the potential of an evolved Sira.
"A tier-three companion…" Audrey said, cutting off his thoughts abruptly. "And it's called Sskarn Devourer." She smiled slightly. "I don't even want to imagine the monster it must be. Something with a name like that could protect your useless ass from danger." Soren thought exactly the same. Right then he felt like he had won the lottery. He asked Audrey if she wanted to see it. She was quite interested; expectation was visible in her gaze.
Looking at the sky for a moment, Soren thought that Seekers seemed to live for moments like this… for the joy of being able to see incredible and epic things. Maybe it should be part of the Seeker code, he thought. Then he focused to summon the Sskarn Devourer.
At that very instant, from Soren's shadow — just as had happened with Sira — something began to move. A living, dark silhouette slowly emerged from his shadow. Both of them opened their eyes wide.
The creature that appeared was…
A chubby lizard.
It had short legs, the build and gait of a dog, plus a long tail that dragged behind it. Its body was green, covered in shiny scales, and its teeth were purple and translucent. A completely ridiculous form. Nothing like what they expected. The only truly unsettling thing was its eyes. Large yellow eyes, vertical. Filled with intelligence… and with an infinite hunger.
Audrey covered her mouth. She couldn't help but laugh. Soren frowned. "This is the Sskarn?" he muttered. "Didn't it say it was a humanoid creature…?"
At that moment, the Sskarn opened its mouth.
"Hello."
Soren and Audrey stood completely still. The little lizard stared at them with its huge yellow eyes, slowly moving its tail. Then it tilted its head slightly.
"I'm hungry."
Silence fell over the clearing. And Soren felt his stomach roar with sudden violence. Exactly the same hunger.
And in front of him, the Sskarn showed a wide smile, revealing its purple, translucent teeth in a hungry expression.