Chapter 13: Sskarn: My Ally with Purple Teeth Left Nothing Behind
The Sskarn's grin wasn't natural. Too wide, too patient. Its purple teeth glowed faintly like polished glass. And then hunger slammed into Soren again. Not just any hunger—an obscene, ravenous thing. Never, not even in his worst days of starving, had he felt anything like it.
Soren and the Sskarn both turned toward the Nest of Hot Potatoes singularity at the exact same moment. For a heartbeat, the chunky little crocodile and the young man looked like mirror images. Audrey watched them, fascinated. "It's definitely a tier-three singularity," she said. "Only from tier three onward can companion-type singularities talk like that."
The Sskarn didn't look away. Its purple tongue slipped slowly between its teeth. Soren's stomach twisted again. The creature took a step forward. Soren did too. Then they both stopped. For one strange, almost ridiculous moment, they eyed each other sideways—like two predators circling the same kill.
Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Well… this is new." The Sskarn tilted its head, then did something unexpected. It backed up half a step and, with one tiny claw, nudged the potato singularity toward Soren. Almost like an offering. A second of silence, then Audrey let out a short laugh. "Interesting. Very interesting."
Soren grabbed the food by pure instinct. The little crocodile handed it over like it was the most natural thing in the world. "You have no shame," Audrey said. Soren just kept eating, barely listening. The Sskarn wagged its tail slowly, its eyes never leaving Soren's face. Then it nudged his cheek gently. And spoke.
Its voice came out almost tender. "I'm grateful," it said. "Now I don't have to deal with the hunger alone." It smiled again, that unsettling, innocent smile. Its purple, translucent teeth didn't seem quite so terrifying anymore. "That's why I'll be your most loyal ally."
That snapped Soren back to reality. He recognized the words, and at the same time, the Sskarn's gaze cooled as it waddled toward the rest of the potatoes. Soren looked at Audrey, confused. "I didn't expect that," she admitted, her voice a mix of caution and fascination. No fear in it—just the calm observation of someone who'd learned that weirdness was part of a Seeker's daily life.
The feeling of losing control unsettled him. "Do you know what's going on?" Audrey tapped her chin, eyes lifting slightly. "It's probably the singularity's curse. You're sharing hunger… or something even deeper. But edible-type singularities can counteract it." She glanced at the Sskarn, which was now scarfing down potatoes with pure bliss.
Soren nodded, listening carefully. His expression relaxed a little. "But if I lose control again… in the middle of a fight…" "It might be temporary. You just assimilated it, and because of the deep bond, so did he. Sometimes singularities need a few days to stabilize." "I see." "Just remember: you're human. Hold onto that, and it'll be hard for it to happen again."
Audrey's words cut deep. Without realizing it, she'd helped him more than she knew. "Thanks… I'll remember that." Audrey looked away, a little uncomfortable. Soren watched the Sskarn, still eating peacefully. A faint smile crossed his face. He wasn't hungry anymore, and with the Sskarn's abilities, he finally had a real shot at surviving.
Without turning around, Audrey said the city was close. "We'll use that pond to clean up. Then walk a couple more hours. We'll camp when we can see the city and get there early tomorrow." Soren nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
The forest went quiet. It took Soren a moment to notice. The leaves had stopped rustling. The air grew heavy. He stopped walking. Frowned. Then it happened. A thick mist started seeping through the trees. It came from nowhere. Dense, heavy, unnatural. Audrey froze. Her eyes sharpened. "Soren."
Soren reacted on instinct. He raised his arm. Green light bloomed across his forearm and solidified into a single, simple piece—like wood carved in one block, translucent, glowing faintly. A shield, strapped to his arm, ready. The air turned cold. Biting cold. Audrey spun around. Too late. Behind them… something was already there. Soren hadn't heard it approach. Hadn't felt it. It just appeared. A massive shape emerged from the mist.
A bear. Its body was covered in dark, jagged scales, like shards of polished rock. Between them, a faint grayish light pulsed, as if the mist lived under its skin. Its size was monstrous. Its legs, thick and heavy, could crush stone. Its claws, long and curved, were made for ripping. It made no sound. No breath, no growl. Its eyes, sunken and gleaming, watched in utter silence. There was only certainty. An absolute predator. A Nebula Bear.
Audrey moved. Fast, precise. But not fast enough. The bear was already on them. And then—it vanished. A blink. That was all. Soren didn't see the movement. Neither did Audrey. They only felt something pass between them. Like a shadow. Like a void slipping through the world. And in the next instant—the Nebula Bear was gone.
Silence returned. The mist slowly faded. And all that remained… were four torn legs, still standing on the ground, as if the rest of the body had been ripped out of reality. The exposed flesh quivered slightly. Thick blood dripped in slow, dark threads, soaking into the earth. Soren didn't move. He turned his head slowly.
The Sskarn was there. A few feet away. Motionless. Its small, chunky body… untouched. Its tail swayed gently. And in its mouth—traces of blood. Its yellow eyes gleamed with absolute calm. The grin was still there. Wide. Patient. Audrey said nothing. For the first time, she had nothing to say. Her eyes went to the bear's legs. She frowned. "No trace of the singularity either," she muttered.
The Sskarn swallowed. Then it looked at them and tilted its head slightly, as if it didn't see the problem. The silence stretched a few more seconds. Heavy, uncomfortable. Finally, Audrey exhaled. "…Let's go. We're not stopping here." Soren nodded. They walked in silence for a while, putting distance between themselves and that spot. The forest slowly came back to life: water trickling, leaves rustling, wind whispering. But the tension didn't fully lift.
When they reached the pond, they approached with a different kind of caution. Quieter, more aware. Soren started peeling off his clothes. He walked to the water's edge and, before stepping in, glanced at his reflection. He paused. In his past life, he'd been older. Now he was a young man, almost a teenager: a bit scrawny, but not bad-looking. Dark hair, deep dark eyes, fair skin slightly pale. Nothing flashy, but not forgettable either.
The water was cold but clean. Soren bent down and began washing his arms. Dried blood flaked off, mud dissolved slowly. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something close to peace. He splashed water on his face. When he looked up again… he froze. A few meters away, Audrey was also washing up. She'd tied her hair back. Droplets slid down her shoulders as she calmly cleaned the grime from her clothes. Soren blinked, then looked away fast.
Focus. He rubbed his face again, harder than necessary. In his past life, he'd been past the age of teenage impulses… but his new body clearly had other ideas. The Sskarn splashed near him. Soren looked at it. The little creature was watching him. Intently, with that too-wide smile. "…Don't say a word," Soren muttered under his breath. The Sskarn tilted its head, then let out something like a snort. Soren narrowed his eyes. He could swear it was mocking him.
A few feet away, Audrey spoke without turning around. "If you're done washing your face five times, maybe you could start on your clothes." Soren went stiff. "…Right," he answered, summoning all the dignity he could muster.
After a few minutes of half-hearted laundry, the Sskarn waded into the pond and started paddling, splashing like a duck. After all, it looked like a fat little crocodile. That reminded Soren of the singularity's description. It said the Sskarn was a humanoid creature. But what he had in front of him, cheerfully paddling around, was a chunky crocodile with stubby legs.
Still, the text also said it could assimilate singularities. And its main ability: storing treasures, as long as they weren't alive. Soren eyed it sideways. By now it had a fish in its mouth. He hadn't even seen it catch one. So it can feed on living things, he thought. But it can't store them. Only treasures. Still, his mind went back to the Nebula Bear… and how the Sskarn had devoured it in an instant. What happened to its singularity?
Even so… the ability was excellent. Now he had a safe way to hide his loot. And the creature's unpredictability opened up a lot of possibilities. I have to play my cards carefully. The Sskarn looked at him for a moment… as if it had heard his thoughts.